iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is the VERY recently released ‘This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want’ by @haileypiperfights.bsky.social . I’m only about four pages in (started tonight), but the prose is excellent, and it fits into one of my obsessively favorite sub genres - fiction about cursed film!

Hailey Piper’s ‘This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want’ with Penelope Rye whiskey and Lazy Day’s fresh hopped Helles lager (fuck yeah fresh hop season!) on a bar top.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Today’s break from biking around town is Mark Jaskowski’s ‘Beneath the Swimming Pools, the Teeth!’ (courtesy of the fine editors of @weirdpunkbooks.bsky.social ). Will this be the body horror that drives me to give up mood altering substances? No. But my flesh has been a mutant menace for years.

Mark Jaskowski’s ‘Beneath the Swimming Pools, the Teeth!’ on a weirdly textured outdoor table, with coffee and other implements of (literary) destruction.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Today’s Labor Day reading is the growingly appropriate’Dehiscent’ by Ashley Deng (via @tenebrouspress.bsky.social ). A story about acknowledging privilege in a broken world, and the cost that accompanies that knowledge. Excited to see how it ends.

‘Dehiscent’ by Ashley Feng accompanied by coffee and acknowledged resentment.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Today’s reading when I should be writing is Jacy Morris’ novella ‘It’s Under the Deck’. A character study in aging curmudgeonly, the lonely horror of the suburbs, and the worst case scenario for the newest PNW Saint: Jimothy. (Look, as the self-proclaimed Bishop of Cathedral Park I can pick saints.)

A copy of Jacy Morris’ ‘It’s Under the Deck’, complete with miasma and unsuspecting cyclist.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is ‘The Adventures of Horus & Motherfucker’ by e rathke. While technically Sword & Sorcery, watching the character of Motherfucker self-radicalize herself into a prophet/martyr for a god they invented has been fascinating reading.

Grainy ass photo of e rathke’s ‘The Adventures of Horus & Motherfucker’ on a wooden bar with a beer and a shot.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is ‘Cuckoo’ by the delightfully perverse @scumbelievable.bsky.social . A truly terrible premise (conversion therapy camps are a form of torture, and the people who operate them should be put to death in horrible fashion) handled with beautifully crafted prose.

A grainy photo of Gretchen Felker-Martin’s novel ‘Cuckoo’ with attendant whisky and lager.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Tonight’s (early!) post shift reading is @joshrountree.bsky.social ‘The Unkillable Frank Lightning’. I’m a sucker for both weird westerns and a Frankenstein retelling, but have been delighted by the narrative choices made within both tropes.

A copy of ‘The Unkillable Frank Lightning’ by Josh Rountree on a gold bar top, accompanying a pale ale and a single barrel select of Woodford Double Oak.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

The much anticipated (and not at all late) summer cocktail menu is live! Thanks to Tom Spanbauer, @casskhaw.bsky.social , @kellylink.bsky.social , Thomas Pynchon, Brian Francis Slattery, & @steveaylett.bsky.social for the wonderful words to conjure these enlightened spirits.

A summer cocktail menu with six drink specials named for deliciously unconventional prose novels, and one short story collection. These works include: ‘The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon’ by Tom Spanbauer; ‘The Library at Hellebore’ by Cassandra Khaw; ‘Magic for Beginners’ by Kelly Link; ‘Shadow Ticket’ by Thomas Pynchon; ‘Spaceman Blues: A Love Song’ by Brian Francis Slattery; and ‘Shamanspace’ by Steve Aylett. You should read and drink all of them.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

For context, here is the dog Beans in her natural habitat: curled up on a couch with blankets looking overly sad at her deeply unfair life. Truly her misery knows no bounds, even unto the tragedy she has so unfairly been maligned by comparison.

A Chug (chihuahua/pug mix) in dramatic lighting looking grossly forlorn at the injustice of having her picture taken rather than being given treats. Truly hers is the saddest of all fates to befall caniniekind.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

This afternoon’s cardio/escape is brought to us by @markzdanielewski.bsky.social ‘s ‘Tom’s Crossing’ - which is roughly the same dimensions and weight as my dog. It is also an utter masterpiece of storytelling and use of dialect. Those people who tell you there are rules for writing? Fuck them.

Slightly off-kilter image of Mark Z. Danielewski’s ‘Tom’s Crossing’ on wooden desk beside very necessary caffeine supply.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is by @spookhouse.bsky.social . Technically, I started reading ‘Darkvoid Deathship’ on my lunch break serving as a juror, which meant I got to explain the plot to ‘Camp Ghoul Mountain Part VI: The Official Novelization’ to 13 people who were unprepared for my enthusiasm.

Bitching Lukaasz Kowalczuk cover fronting Jonathan Raab’s ‘Darkvoid Deathship’, which is further bookended by bourbon and beer on a bar top. Fuck you, alliteration always assholes!

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Tonight’s post shift weirdness is ‘Olyoke’ by @endwellian.bsky.social (and the fine folk @tenebrouspress.bsky.social ). Fragmented storytelling anchored by slow (candle) burning high strangeness - AND it has a cursed theme park. Fuck yeah!

Vincent Endwell’s ‘Olyoke’ propping up the bar with a half pint of stout and a glencairn of Dickel 8 yr bourbon.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Finally pulled @keithrosson.bsky.social ‘s ‘Coffin Moon’ off the TBR bookcase, and fuck did I do myself a disservice by waiting this long. While Rosson can write messy, complex characters well, he fucking slays at writing monstrous dirtbags - quite literally in this case.

Keith Rosson’s ‘Coffin Moon’ pleasantly discofied - which felt appropriate for the time period of the setting.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Today’s high weirdness is brought to us by the dashing @jacymorris.bsky.social . Glad I could finally pay for one of your books.

Jacy Morris’ “One-Shot” (I promise you, the title does not refer to what you think it does. Seriously.), accompanying espresso and soda water.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Tonight’s post shift escapism comes to us from Edwin Callihan’s ‘Baculum’. A reliable source for weird occult fuckery. Much thanks to @weirdpunkbooks.bsky.social for continuing to release strange ass shit.

Edwin Callihan’s Baculum with whiskey from the Blue Ridge Mountains and beer from the Cascade Range.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Just finished a short story for submission (they’d be absolutely insane to actually buy it) for the first time since COVID, and am celebrating by reading significantly better short fiction courtesy of @tenebrouspress.bsky.social

‘The Best New Weird Horror, Vol. 2’ on a bar waaay too late at night. Because I am a drunk.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Tonight’s after shift reading is brought to us by @carsonwinter.bsky.social ‘The Corpse Priest’. Have only read short fiction by Winter, so excited to see what he does with an extended format. So far: a guard puking up the entirety of his organs, and giant feline mounts. Coming out swinging.

Carson Winter’s ‘The Corpse Priest’ on a gold bar within the outline of a moon behind a bird laden tree.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is the ever entertaining @texascthulhu.bsky.social splatter western ‘For a Few Souls More’. Was told it’s better than its preceding volume - which was pretty fucking great. So far we are not disappointed.

A copy of Wile E. Young’s ‘For a Few Souls More’ flanked by Larceny whiskey and Mourning Rituals dry Irish stout. I understood the fucking assignment.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

This evening’s escape from reality brought to us by Edwin Callihan and @filthyloot.bsky.social . Small town dirt bags, over-the-top violence, and pervasive entropic decay by cosmic forces beyond mortal ken are absolutely my jam!

A copy of Edwin Callihan’s ‘Strange Spells’ in the ever portable Filthy Loot novella format. Fits in a pocket!

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Post shift reading is @cstross.bsky.social ‘The Regicide Report’. Would have gotten here sooner, but spent the last month rereading the previous 9 novels and 2 novellas in the Laundry Files. Also appreciate the Portland, OR shoutout; but, alas, the 24 Hour Church of Elvis is no longer with us.

A copy of Charlie Stross’ ‘The Regicide Report’ accompanied by a dry Irish stout and a Glencairn of Bruichladdich whisky.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Spending St. Patrick’s Day in America, proper like: re-reading Irish horror literature in verse, set in a post Fenian uprising in Ulster. Thanks as always to the fine folk at @tenebrouspress.bsky.social and the ever talented @goresorcerer.bsky.social

A book, a whisky, and a pint on a table. The three things necessary to repel spirits on the Feast Day of St. Gertrude.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I think one of those dogs is mine… Don’t let Beans know, her ego is swollen enough.

An incredibly ugly chihuahua pug mutt named Beans who has gotten trapped between some couch cushions. She’s not terribly bright.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading is @alexwoodroe.com ‘The Night Ship’, in anticipation of her gracing Portland with her presence. Strong, strange start. Looking forward to where it goes.

A copy of Alex Woodroe’s ‘The Night Ship’, accompanied by a dry Irish Stout.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Tonight’s post shift reading provided by the ever enlightening* @nmamatas.bsky.social and his most recent work ‘Kalivas! Or, Another Tempest’. *Enlightening in that every damned piece of his work sends me down a rabbit hole of reading up on weird heresies, forgotten philosophies, or Greek history.

Black & White photo of Nick Mamatas’ ‘Kalivas! Or, Another Tempest, on a slightly sparkly bar framed by a half pint of dark Pilsner and a bourbon.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Tonight’s post shift bar read is @tvayyyy.bsky.social ‘The El’. Sadly, I’ve never seen an Old Style for sale in Oregon, so I settled for a local lager that embraces its trash roots. And Larceny. Obviously.

Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.’s ‘The El’, accompanied by Larceny whiskey and a cheap beer can that looks like a pack of smokes. All hail bad marketing!

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Finally cracking open the latest by Thomas Pynchon - an author whose body of work consumed most of my collegiate education. Still spend more time than is probably healthy thinking about bad jokes and dumb song lyrics after all these years…

A copy of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Shadow Ticket’, pretentiously placed on a coffee house bar, it’s natural habitat.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Tonight’s break from reality is brought to us by @wnwagner.bsky.social ‘Girl In the Creek’. Sorry to take so long to get to this one Wendy, the TBR pile is an ever growing monster of awesome.

Wendy N. Warner’s ‘Girl In the Creek’, accompanied by sweet, life-giving, iced coffee. Yes. Iced. It is still too fucking warm out to drink hot coffee.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Should you be averse to words (what kind of monster are you?!), you can now drink ‘Crom Cruach’ while I regale you with praise for its brilliance and ingenuity.

Fall/Winter Queer/Trans Horror inspired cocktail menu including a drink based upon Valkyrie Loughcrewe’s ‘Crom Cruach’ (amongst others).

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Released later than I would have liked, but today I can unveil our Fall/Winter cocktail menu! Inspired by such fine authors as @ericlarocca.bsky.social , @horrorsong.blog , @haileypiperfights.bsky.social , @goresorcerer.bsky.social , @scumbelievable.bsky.social , and Poppy Z. Brite! Read more horror

Queer/Trans Horror inspired bar menu, featuring works by Eric LaRocca, Joe Koch, Hailey Piper, Valkyrie Loughcrewe, Gretchen Felker-Martin, & Poppy Z. Brite! The cocktails are almost as delicious as the prose referenced.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Many thanks to Broadway Books for hosting @wnwagner.bsky.social & @keithrosson.bsky.social in discussion. It is always a pleasure to hear authors discuss their craft. Also: fantastically curated collection of books in a tiny space. Support your local independent bookstore.

Wendy N. Warner’s ‘Girl in the Creek’ & Kieth Rosson’s ‘Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons’ on a table at the world famous RaT in Portland.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Doing it proper outside T. C. O’Leary’s with @keithrosson.bsky.social ‘The Devil By Name’. While ‘Fever House’ was gritty crime leaning into horror, this feels like old school King character development and world building. Bloody great.

Pint a the dark, shot a the water o’life, and the paperback version of Kieth Rosson’s ‘The Devil By Name’.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Tonight ‘s post shift reading is brought to us by @apocalypseparty.bsky.social and @horrorsong.blog . Only two stories deep into ‘Convulsive’, but gods the bloody prose! From fever dream faerie tale to suburban bereavement and back again. Outstanding fiction.

Joe Koch’s short story collection ‘Convulsive’ paired with a shot of Larceny wheated bourbon.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Presenting the ‘We Like It Cherry’ cocktail. Bacon fat washed Clear Creek kirschwasser, Luxardo liqueur, Luxardo syrup, Angostura orange bitters. Served on a large ice cube with suggestively placed Luxardo cherry. Many thanks to @jacymorris.bsky.social for the inspiration!

Jacy Morris’ indigenous ecological horror novel ‘We Like It Cherry’ paired with the cocktail it inspired.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Tonight’s post shift reading is Frederic S. Durbin’s ‘The Country Under Heaven’. Lush colloquial prose of nature and nurture, regaling us with high strange mythic western weirdness. So far it is a fucking delight.

A copy of ‘The Country Under Heaven’ by Frederic S. Durbin and a complementary glass of bourbon.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Tonight’s post shift reading brought to us by our friendly neighborhood art collective @helioscopepdx.bsky.social - in particular @stevelieberart.bsky.social and @nathanfairbairn.bsky.social (and I guess @mattfraction.bsky.social even if he’s writing some silly bat book now). Jimmy Olsen is the best

‘Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen’ hardcover deluxe edition by Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn. Accompanied by King’s County Cask Strength Single Barrel.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Today’s necessary distraction is brought to us by @goresorcerer.bsky.social (and @tenebrouspress.bsky.social who foolishly gifted me a copy). ‘Puppet’s Banquet’ thus far is a demented little mind fuck, with absolutely gorgeous descriptions of the Irish countryside. And gore. Truly beautiful gore.

A copy of Valkyrie Loughcrewe’s ‘Puppet’s Banquet’ looking vaguely sinister in washed out sepia tones.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Today’s reading weirdness is brought to us by @dangerslater.bsky.social ‘s ‘Moonfellows’. So far it is funny as fuck, which makes the anticipation for the terrible that much more delectable.

Weirdly lit weirdo book ‘Moonfellows’ by Danger Slater.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Afternoon reading by @casskhaw.bsky.social . Not only is the physical book of ‘The Library at Hellebore’ a gorgeous work of art (those endpapers, those glorious indigo sprayed edges), but it is chock full of one of my favorite prose stylists words. No one writes more beautiful scenes of cannibalism.

Cassandra Khaw’s ‘The Library at Hellebore’ on a marble top beside what I sincerely hope is not a member of the hellebore genus.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Midway through @goresorcerer.bsky.social ‘Decrepit Ritual’ from @ghoulish.bsky.social , and fuck me but it is a twisted delight. A framed narrative in second person slowly bleeding into an ultra-violent technicolor euroshlock gorefest of exquisite prose. My crit-lit-nerd/genre-fuckery heart is full.

Valkyrie Loughcrewe’s ‘Decrepit Ritual’ on a rusty ass outdoor metal table.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Post shift prose courtesy of the prolific scribe @sgj.bsky.social . Paired with a Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Select, obviously.

Stephen Graham Jones ‘The Buffalo Hunter Hunter’ paired with a Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Select from Westmoreland Liquor.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Tonight’s post shift reading is the (thus far) phenomenal ‘Sky Full of Elephants’ by Cebo Campbell. Beautiful turns of phrase (his past work as a poet shines through his prose) and an oddly hopeful novel for these times.

Cebo Campbell’s “Sky Full of Elephants” accompanied by whisky and beer.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Tonight’s post shift reading is brought to us by @jacymorris.bsky.social and @tenebrouspress.bsky.social . This is absolutely not me gloating about having an early copy - this is research for a future cocktail. Nothing more than research…

Jacy Morris’ (unreleased) new novel ‘We Like It Cherry’ accompanied by a half pour of beer and Fuk whisky.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Just tore through “Sing, Behemoth, Sing” by K.E. Wolfe. A short of brilliant world building and obtuse storytelling. Suspect some of the images and ideas are going to linger for a bit.

K. E. Wolfe’s delightfully demented “Sing, Behemoth, Sing”

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Delayed for a bit, but the Spring/Summer 2025 cocktail menu is finally here! Celebrating the genre that got me through my undergrad. With many thanks to @michaelcisco.bsky.social , @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social , @caitlinrkiernan.bsky.social , China Mieville, K. J. Bishop, and Salvador Plascencia.

Presenting the Spring/Summer 2025 cocktail menu: The New Weird. Containing six deliciously weird libations inspired by some fantastic authors and their works.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Fresh whiskey arrivals today! Cracked open the Ardbeg Eureka! already. Tastes like bloody joy.

Several whiskey bottles in front of yet more whiskey bottles. Not pictured: even more whiskey bottles on the other bar.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

After shift reading is Edwin Callahan’s “Histories of Mgo” published by @castaignepub.bsky.social . Florid, hallucinatory prose about fucked up shit. It’s bloody great. (Shout out to @weirdpunkbooks.bsky.social who’s “Profane Altars” first introduced me to Mgo. Fuck yeah short story anthologies!)

“Histories of Mgo” by Edwin Callihan paired with whiskey and beer on a bar top. Drink more whisk(e)y.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

…buuut, just got to the really weird part (thus far) in @laurelhightower.bsky.social ‘Below’, so we’ll be finishing this first at the bar tonight.

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J. Ichabod Whateley @divershands.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Today’s purchases from Midslumber Media, in support of Independent Book Store day, courtesy of @ericlarocca.bsky.social & Nathan Ballingrud.

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