iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

He really got lucky with that original cover for Fitzpatrick's War, didn't he? Most of his other books look like dogshit too. Chief among them...

The cover of HELL CAN WAIT by Theodore Judson, featuring a heavily airbrushed muscular Roman(?) soldier, tits out.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

It was Tanith Lee Day at the used bookstore.

Four Daw mass market paperback titles by Tanith Lee: The Birthgrave, Day by Night, Don’t Bite the Sun, and The Storm Lord

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Damn, this entire passage.

From page 503 of THE ROUSE by China Mieville:

...She is whispering her son's name.

You know of course you'll fail, at parenthood, in more ways than you might tally, seeing yourself doing the failing, hoping you succeed enough on the way, but you can't know, going in, how spurts of guilt and its resentments will clench at you the shame and regret of that dudgeon, vexation at that in turn and so endlessly on, from snares abounding, set by a world, what?, what?, all innocent. Guilt-trap images on TV, family dramas, that'll do it. Ewan sitting there seeing fathers and sons, or sons without fathers, or mothers who rebuked her with the happiness or the particular unhappiness of their invented children. His homework. There in the middle of her kitchen table, biology textbook open to a box on physical stimulus and development and touch and Harlow's Monkey and her wire mother, "The Nature of Love," Maur'd looked it up after her talk with Sonya, she remembers, little animal quivering overwatched by the food-nipple and ghastly face of the uncovered metal motherstatue that felt wrong to touch, clambering for the terry cloth mother for all it offered no calories. As if anyone of any age should be allowed to see such images, let alone children themselves, and why would those pictures come back to Maur's mind now? The scrap metal's brought them back. She says her boy's name under the earth with all the guilt she felt at that old sight of staring metal and a huddled little beast, and she insists again that what you never heard about is that experiment from the wire mother's point of view, and she considers another thing you never hear about which is a wire child. What about that and how might a mother huddle in the presence of a wire son? Jesus Christ unthink this you disgrace. She's crying.

Maur removes the headphones and takes the stairs, which lead her to where they should.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Finally an English edition featuring the illustrations Tove Jansson made for the Swedish translation. Gorgeous artwork.

An illustration (in color) of Smaug attacking Bilbo and the dwarves.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Check out this beauty that just came in the mail!

THE HOBBIT by JRR Tolkien, illustrated by Tove Jansson. A pink and blue hardcover book featuring a painting of Bilbo Baggins standing in front of Smaug’s mountain.

From the back cover:

“Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Although quite reluctant to take part in this quest, Bilbo surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and his skill as a burglar!

This landmark new edition of The Hobbit presents J.R.R. Tolkien's full text with illustrations by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, from a rare Swedish-language edition never before published in English. Jansson’s tender, whimsical drawings illuminate Bilbo’s journey –from the comfort of Bag End to the riddled dark under the mountain– adding fresh enchantment and quiet humor to every page.”

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Yeah, Candice Millard wrote about it in her book. It’s one thing to read about it, quite another to hear it sung aloud.

DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC by Candice Millard

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Another one during the rain yesterday.

A photo of the gray roof of a little free library taken on a cloudy and rainy day. The roof is wet and has multiple clusters of an orange fungus covering it.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Some interesting fungus on this little free library @concretebotany.bsky.social

Photo of the front of a little free library standing in a front yard surrounded by greenery. The library is white with green trim.

Photo of the weathered gray roof of the little free library. There are several clusters of a bright orange fungus and a few small brown mushrooms.

Another closeup of the orange fungus on the roof

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

While Reagan looks up from hell and seethes.

Post from Claire Willett (@clairewillett.bsky.social):

"rewatching “9 to 5” for the first time in probably 12 years and if there really is a heaven I hope it’s just getting stoned with Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin

I love women so much"

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Nice little gift inscription found inside a used copy of The Moonstone: “Bette, This was the first book that I really loved to read. I hope you’ll like it too. James”

“Bette,

This was the first book that I really loved to read. I hope you’ll like it too.

James”

Penguin Classics edition of THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

(Page 101) …or is it????

A mostly blank page that just says “EPILOGUE”

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

(Page 99) Well, I guess that’s that.

A mostly blank page that just says “THE END”

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The 2005-2016 me’s would’ve been so excited about a new 1200-page novel by China Miéville. 2026 me is like ugh, fine, I’ll read it for them.

A public library copy of THE ROUSE by China Miéville

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I’m still waiting for them to bring back the ice cream.

Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream. Yes, you read that correctly.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I say that, but I’m still disappointed I never got to try the ice cream.

Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream from Van Leeuwen. Yes, really.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Repost with an image of your favourite James Bond (wrong answers only)

The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) from Doctor Who, wearing a dark blazer and matching bow tie over a buttoned-up shirt and suspenders. He has an intense expression on his face and his reaching into his coat pocket for...A GUN? No, probably just his sonic screwdriver.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Stephen King stop printing entire chapters in italics challenge.

A page from DUMA KEY by Stephen King, printed entirely in italic font.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Saw a splendid, nearly rained-out performance of As You Like It at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin tonight. I love this place.

An outdoor stage surrounded by trees, as viewed from the audience.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I still love that moment in The Day of the Doctor when the War Doctor mistakes Ten and Eleven for companions.

In "The Day of the Doctor," the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) confront the War Doctor (John Hurt, offscreen)

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

What scene makes you emotional no matter how many times you've seen it?

Theo (Clive Owen) and Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) descend a stairwell with (SPOILERS) Kee's baby as several soldiers look on in CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Their relationship to Patel?

Obi-Wan Kenobi saying “Well, of course I know him. He’s me.”

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

BREAKING: Max Rebo will no longer be opening for Ed Sheeran

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Outfit inspired by Eragon movie poster

Movie poster for ERAGON (2006), starring Ed Speleers's shoulder.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Could've sworn xkcd did a comic about this, but no, it was Vox.

A visual representation of Pluto's 248-year orbit, showing its location on various dates since the US achieved independence in 1776. From https://www.vox.com/2015/3/3/8140839/pluto-orbit

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Oh, but they're both so authentic and relatable and not weird at all!

A screenshot from a Ted Cruz campaign video showing Ted Cruz holding a machine gun in front of a bacon-filled background. The caption to the left says "Making machine-gun bacon with Ted Cruz."

JD Vance holding an assault rifle and staring at the sky during the Great Chinese Spy Balloon Freakout of several years ago.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I remember watching Revenge of the Sith on opening night, in a theater packed with die-hard Star Wars fans, and having everyone just crack up laughing after Palpatine Force-lightning'd himself in the face.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Exactly. It’s something the Penguin Classics editions totally lack.

Three H. P. Lovecraft collections published by Penguin Classics:

The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories
The Dreams in the Witch House and Other Weird Stories
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

But it was all worth it because The Village Booksmith in Baraboo, Wisconsin has the nicest bookmarks in the known universe (which I’ve been using almost exclusively for over twenty years now), and I finally got to replenish my fraying collection today.

A brown bookmark with yellow text resting on a black surface. The bookmark is designed to look like the spine of a vintage hardback book, and the text reads:

THE VILLAGE BOOKSMITH
NEW
USED
RARE
OUT-OF-PRINT
FREE CULTURAL EVENTS!
We buy books.
Please call for an appointment!
[outline of a cannon] On the Square!
526 Oak St.
Baraboo, Wi 53913
(608) 355-1001
villagebooksmith.com
Monday-Friday 10-6
Saturday 10-4
Sunday 11-3 (seasonally)

A n assortment of the above bookmarks spread out on a blue blanket.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Ye gads. Just picked up a bunch of H. P. Lovecraft paperbacks from a favorite bookstore I haven’t been to in a while. Do not ask what I paid for them.

Six books by H. P. Lovecraft in vintage mass market paperback:

Fungi from Yoggoth & Other Poems
The Tomb and Other Tales
At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales of Terror
The Lurking Fear and Other Stories
The Doom that Came to Sarnath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

4 vintage H. P. Lovecraft mass market paperback books:

The Survivor & Others
The Lurker at the Threshold
The Shuttered Room & Other Tales of Horror (all three by Lovecraft and August Derleth
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos Volume I (by Lovecraft and others)

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

They probably used up all of the set budget for Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels.

Another view of an outdoor stage, this time featuring an elaborate staircase and sitting room

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