iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I have spent about 4 hours doing Lego today. It is calming to my brain in a very similar way to how knitting used to be but isn't at the moment.

020

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing teenagers that Lolita (a well written book about a creepy man) has anything interesting to tell them about their sexuality. It doesn't. I don't believe in telling people not to read things but I wish other books had that cultural niche.

040

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Also, this is not compatible with hope to finish Booker reading before the winner is announced in November. I own a few as ebooks and am waiting for rest from library.

000

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I have a vague plan of pausing my library use for a while and spending a month reading books I've bought and not yet read this year, but currently have 8 books out of the library so this may not be a realistic plan.

110

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

3 physical library books, 6 from Libby, 4 from my kindle, 2 from audible free trial now finished, 1 Netgalley, 1 from shelf backlog. 3 nonfiction, 13 fiction. 4 books over 500 pages.

110

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Rapture. From Kindle backlog, I think I saw this recommended somewhere, possibly even here. An imagined version of Pope Joan. Really enjoyed this. One way to access the life of the mind in a world that doesn't include women in it.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Director cont'd ... Impressed me. Also, how when you are in the middle of a crisis, you don't realise it's August 1939 and you can't just pop back into Austria with no consequences. And you can convince yourself you are making art but there are situations where the art will be tainted.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Director. International Booker prize long list. At the start of the month I made my family watch Sunset Boulevard for my birthday. This is an interesting exploration of another end point for people who started in silent films. The technical writing tricks of invoking expressionist film...

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Quiet Damage. Another Lego audiobook. Interesting exploration of different people getting sucked into the Q Anon rabbit hole. Some have been coaxed out by friends and family, others less so.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

London Falling. Listened to the audiobook while doing Lego. Not as good as the other two books of his I have read but still very interesting. Definitely confirmed my prejudice that sending your kids to selective private schools is a risk mental health wise.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Palm House. Booker longlist. I wanted more about the pov character's relationship with her mother. Didn't really see the point of the guy.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Room. Can't remember why I picked this up, have owned for some time. Very clever way to tell a traumatic story at a remove.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Exit Party. I asked for and got access to this early on Netgalley. Really enjoyed it. I like they way there are apocalypses in Mandell's stories but people keep on going. She doesn't pretend surviving is easy but people do anyway.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

DCC cont'd. The framework of the story is continuing skillfully and I continue to be along for the ride. A bit too many crude jokes and ultra violence for my liking, walnut de gustibus.

110

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Dungeon Crawler Carl and sequels. Undeniably propulsive. Started as Clarke shortlist reading. I can see why they are popular. They are the sort of readable that works for people who don't read that much (that sounds Carty but isn't meant to be, it's a difficult skill.)

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

John of John. On Booker longlist, now short list. I found Shuggie Bain too sad and didn't finish it. I think this tried to do too much, though I did enjoy much of what it was doing. Just not quite gelled into a whole that worked for me.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Shroud, read as was shortlisted for Clarke award. I enjoyed the space opera Ness of it but wasn't blown away. Will try again with another of his books. There are many to choose from.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hons and Rebels. I read some Nancy Mitford when I was a teenager and enjoyed it. Was interesting to read her younger sister's viewpoint on some of the events.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Everything I read in September. 16 books, 6 of them from the Dungeon Crawler Carl series that I'm not even sure I like. I was trying to read Booker long list books but got derailed from that. I will probably do a capsule summary of my thoughts later, but ask me if some feel urgent. #booksky

Graphic from storygraph of the covers of all the books I finished this month.

Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
John of John Douglas Stuart
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Exit Party by Emily St John Mantell
Room by Emma Donohue
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
The Palm House by Gwendolyn Riley
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keeffe
The Gate of the Feral Gods
The Butcher's Masquerade
The Quiet Damage by Jesselyn Cook
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
Rapture by Emily Maguire

170

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Headlines that sound like a future history class topic.

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A few times recently a child or young person has been in our house and commented on how small our telly is. Which I guess is true, but you know what it isn't doing? Listening to us. #neoludite

140

Reposted by Made of words and movies

Emma Yeomans @yeomans.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Worrying scenes in the Channel today, for all interested in asylum policy and maritime tactics. A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.

1042177957

Reposted by Made of words and movies

TW @twesq.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

this is fantastic and I learned something new

563242435

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Half way through this. The German border has just closed. Imagine trying to just live your life with health problems and work stress, and all around fascism is well and truly here. #booksky

The cover of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann

080

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I am listening to an audio book about QAnon. It's called The Quiet Damage and is very good. Talks about a range of people with different backgrounds getting sucked in. The only problem is it refers to Anons and I am old enough that this invokes fandom wank rather than cult members.

121

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I worked as a bag packer in a supermarket as a teen and I heard one of the cashiers (male) tell a customer that using Ms was cheating.

021

Reposted by Made of words and movies

Be Gay Solve Crimes @begaysolvecrimes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

hard boiled egg (sam spade), softboy egg (philip marlowe), pickled egg (hank quinlan), century egg (Zhang), scrambled egg (Harry du Bois), tea stained egg (patrick jane), eggs benedict (guess), poached egg (Vidocq), scotch egg (rebus), omelette (maigret)

1426446

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Just started Dungeon Crawler Carl. I didn't realise it literally lists off stats. I will probably finish this book, unlikely to go back for more. Feel free to tell me if there's a huge change in book two.

110

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I am not opining on parents location tracking kids (any age) but my now 20 year old likes to look at her friends' locations after a night out for gossip purposes. Undoing all the good of living in a city in my opinion.

130

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Yes. Did a really good job of being honest about how tough things are going to be while also being hopeful. Just won the Clarke award if that feeds into these things for you.

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Very sharp, I am slightly older than the protagonists, a product of the dot com boom, but a lot of it rang very true.

000

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I really liked it. It talks about the Famine without being too misery, and it isn't the main focus.

000

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I enjoyed them both. Have bought the third but not read it yet. Empires are very much a thing in SFF atm but this is looking at it kinda from the middle.

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I finished 19 books in August. Even for me, this is a lot. 8 library books, 7 ebooks, 2 physical books bought last year and 2 physical books borrowed from my family. 2 nonfiction, rest fiction. A mix of SFF prize reading, booker longlist reading and a fair amount of whim. #booksky

A cover collage of all the books read by hfnuala this August.

Spoiled Milk
May We Feed the King
The Names
Land
The Tainted Cup
When There Are Wolves Again
Yesteryear
A Drop of Corruption
The Everlasting
Some Prefer Nettles
Black Bag
Ghost Wall
To Exist As I Am
Swordheart
When the Naughty Step Doesn't Work
Daggerbound
The Witch
Perfection
Famesick

5393

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Yes, did you have to be Nixon to go to China?

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I loved it. I thought it was about what sets people up to be cynical and willing to deny the truth. (I.e. growing up in an environment where there are non people who can be abused without consequence.) And the moral consequences for people who aren't like that.

100

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Re no boo buying year, it was already on a shoogly peg but I am approaching 20 books bought which seems excessive. I am doing way better at actually reading books as I buy them though. And have finished 42 library books this year. So I do have somewhat of a handle on my book related spending.

110

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Is it rude to read my kindle in an indie bookshop cafe? I have bought a book (r.i.p. my no book buying year,) but kinda want to finish the kindle book first? #booksky

130

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

In Ireland, the year with 2 elections which was 1982. Actually, thinking about it now, seeing DeValera lying in state in 1975 is the very earliest but it is a pretty faint memory nowadays, one of the few from before we moved to India.

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

An election in India, which given when we lived there, was the one that ended the emergency in 1977.

200

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

(Also, I think they really don't seem to understand trans issues. I asked about it when I was canvassed for the GE and was told the candidates daughter had a female partner. Great! Not actually relevant to stance.)

050

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

One of the problems I have with Scottish labour is their continued assumption that surely sensible people will get over these other parties and start voting for them again. No self examination, just full on it is the children that are wrong.

290

Reposted by Made of words and movies

eerie dickgirl @eigenvectrix.northsky.social · 15/08/2026

Imagine an environment where Simon Baron-Cohen has the moral high ground

613637

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I am about 50 pages from the end. Should keep reading before sleep.

010

Made of words and movies @hfnuala.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

August in Edinburgh is so annoying. I am considering going upstairs to put on a jumper.

120