greetings my friends! I have big news: dog.

When Vista was ill and we adopted Agatha, I deliberately chose a very different dog. In the years since her death, I have not regretted that. But as the months passed, I realized that I was no longer looking on strangers walking their black mutts with heartache but with jealousy, so last fall I started searching. It wasn’t a smooth journey, but with the help of Lab Rescue LRCP, we found Frankie. She’s a lanky, energetic, goofball and she’s fitting in wonderfully.

read: After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian (2025). Set in 1968 New York City, Dooryard is about Nathanial, mysterious stranger, Patrick, bookseller and onetime stray, and Patrick’s childhood friend Susan, new mother and recent widow. I enjoyed the romance between Patrick and Nathanial, but frankly found the bond between them and Susan (and baby) much more compelling, which I do think was deliberate. This is a book that’s very interested in exploring the possibilities outside of the nuclear family. Some really excellent secondary characters, as well. Ebook, purchased from Amazon.

watch: Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials (2026). I enjoyed this! It felt a little overproduced like a lot of Netflix stuff, but it’s well-cast and I enjoyed the house and train bits immensely (an easy get, from me). Would be fun to see more Superintendent Battle from Martin Freeman.

music: Some records I’ve been enjoying lately are Nothing’s About to Happen to Me by Mitski (2026) (especially the B side) and Blood, Sweat & Tears (self-titled) (1968), which I found at my record shop (sometimes you just want to hear some FLUTE on a rock album). I also spent several days with Fiona Apple’s “A Mistake” stuck in my head, and I still recommend it. Great song.

pods: I have been taking many long walks courtesy of the new beast, and podcasts are keeping me sane. I am into season 2 of Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones (the 80s!) and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Some of these books I have read, some I have not, all of the eps are extremely enlightening. The Time of the Ghost is a meaty one to start with. The Bad Gays episode about Tom of Finland was fascinating and I loved it. Learned so much about Finnish history and leather kink. Best beloved Supreme Court podcast Five to Four recently did a two-parter on the Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act. Highly recommend it.

watch: The Residence (2025). A ton of people told me I’d love The Residence, which because I am in my heart of hearts a toddler who loves saying no, made me determined not to watch it. But I ran out of British murders and lo, I watched. It was: okay! I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved Detective Cordelia Cupp’s whole thing. I thought the mystery was just ok, the culprit didn’t work for me, and the preachiness about the sanctity of the White House at the very end really didn’t work. It felt like a show written by a white liberal about mostly Black characters, which is what it was!

read: Mr. Collins in Love by Lee Welch (2025). Lee Welch is one of my favourite writers of romance. Her ability to bring a character off the page is top-notch but she set herself a true challenge in taking on infamous Austen antagonist Mr. Collins. That she does so in a way that truly makes you feel for the man is wild. I loved how interested this book was in Mr. Collins’ household, in acknowledging that his house, while far from significant in size, was still a sum of many parts. And I really loved Welch’s take on Charlotte Lucas, a character I’ve always felt deep empathy for. Library ebook.

watch: Bridgerton (Season 4, 2026). I don’t know if I would love Bridgerton as much as I do if I had not read all of Julia Quinn’s books in my 20s, but I did, and I do, so here we are. This season was in a big big way about WOMEN and I liked it so much.

read: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews (2025). This is the second book in Matthews’ Crinoline Academy series (based on the idea of what if instead of Miss Havisham doing what she does she started a charity school to train young women to protect themselves) and I liked it much more than the first by unsurprising virtue of it being a murder mystery. It’s also about two serious people who are trapped in a marriage and fall in love despite themselves. A good time for me. Library paperback.

watch: Shetland (Series 10, 2025). My beloved Scottish islands crime show has returned to me. Really enjoyed this season! I enjoy every season. Ruth will you PLEASE get better taste in men.

watch: Department Q (2025). Speaking of Scottish crime! I’m not usually interested in crime shows about mean white men who’ve fucked up their lives and are making it our problem, but something made me try this one and I’m so glad because it has brought into my life Akram Salim, my new best friend. Dept Q is about a brand new department set up to investigate cold cases before true crime podcasts can get to them (similar to Karen Pirie, another Scottish crime show I love) and features one of my very favourite character types: hyper competent deadpan stoic. And he has a mustache. Also Jamie Sives is there. I am so very happy.

dog:

cat: