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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Thanks to everyone for helping me get to 200 subscribers! This is so exciting.

Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

And then Maksim and the Dain/Fain duo have a third leaf (that also shows up a lot in Alanna's poster). I'm not certain on what this is, but from googling a lot of different leaves, I'm leaning toward wild cherry. It could be apple, but those tend to be rounder than the ones in the posters.

A screenshot of the right side of Maksim's season 3 poster showing two out of focus leaves. Both are long and narrow and appear to have serrated edges.

A screenshot of the Fain and Dain poster for season 3. It has a cluster of the same leaves as the previous image.

A cluster of wild cherry tree leaves. They are long and serrated, similar to the previous two images. They do seem to be a much brighter shade of green, however.

An apple on a tree with several leaves around it. The leaf is pointed and long similar to the ones in the previous photos, but the edge is more scalloped than serrated, and the base of the leaf is rounder.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Loial's and Alanna's feature maple leaves most prominently. Although Alanna also has a significant number of the third leaf as well (more in the next post). She seems to have the most mixed distribution.

A screenshot of the upper, righthand corner of Loial's season 3 poster. It shows swirling maple leaves.

A screenshot from the top of Alanna's season 3 poster showing 4 maple leaves.

A photo of a maple leaf to compare with the previous photos. It has the same five prominent segments and serrated edges.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Alright, I'm doing leaf identification research, and I think I've got some details. They all have a mix, but the ones that are most prominent/more in the foreground for different posters seem to be 🧵 Perrin's seems to mostly be oak leaves.

A screenshot of Perrin's season 3 poster focused on swirling leaves from the left. They are out of focus but appear to be mostly long and lobed.

A screenshot of Perrin's season 3 poster focused on swirling leaves from the right. These are more in focus and more clearly show the long, lobed structure.

A picture of a white oak leaf that roughly matches the long, lobed structure of the previous images.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

It was an incredible moment! Immediately made for a memorable villain in only seconds. I'm terrified of her.

A white man in a blue suit sitting behind a news desk saying "Well, mark me down as scared and horny."

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Okay, went with some easy ones here because if I didn't get any that would be embarrassing. #WotBookSpoilers #WotShowSpoilers #TrailerGaidon #Wotskies

A bingo sheet for the Wheel of Time S3 trailer as made by WotSeries.
Top row: The glass columns, Gaebril, Lanfear not with Moiraine, A Two Rivers parent, Elaida and/or Morgase entering the Tower
Second row: Moiraine with that glowing orb again, Channeling, Liandrin in the White Tower, Nynaeve and Elayne together, Egwene with Aiel
Middle row: Rand shielded, Siuan in distress, a photo of the Horn of Valere as a free space, Whitecloaks in Two Rivers, Verin
Fourth row: The dagger, Rand sceaming or yelling, Sweeping desert shot, Shot following a river, Lan shirtless
Bottomw row: The Princes of Andor, Wolf, Perrin and Faile (same shot), Fain, Mat in a bed

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

#WotBookSpoilers #WotShowSpoilers #WotSkies Okay, this isn't perfect, but the arrangement of these characters on the posters is absolutely intentional! (In particular, Loial is absolutely a cinnamon roll!)

The wheel of time season 3 poster with many characters among glass columns. Black lines have been drawn along the columns to more solidly divide the characters into 4 labeled categories. On the right is "actually evil" including Moghedean, Liandrin, a hooded figure, and Lanfear. Next to the left is "Are they evil? Will they become evil?" which includes Rand, Egwene, Mat, Min, Ishamael and Verin. Next to the left is "Good but practical" with Loial, Alanna, Lanfear, Nynaeve, and Moiraine. And the left most group is labeled "cinnamon rolls" with Aviendha, Elayne, Siuan, and Perrin.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

#WotShowSpoilers #WotBookSpoilers #WotSkies Can someone get a better shot of this ring? Is it a fox signet by any chance?? I am disproportionately invested in that ring.

A close up screenshot of Mat from a Wheel of Time interview. It shows his hands with a gold ring on his left pointer finger.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

When you're right, you're right. Everyone, title the book that would have this cover!

A man with a long white beard and wearing colorful clothes holds up goods he has for sale. A cloth is wrapped around his eyes so that only the lower half of his face is visible. In his left hand is a white bundle with a red seal on it. In his right hand is a ball that appears wrapped in twine and has a white rag sticking out of it.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

New year, new video! Hoping to really, truly come back this year. Starting off with the best books that I read in 2024. (Link in thread)

Thumbnail for the video mentioned. A grid of book covers with a pink to yellow gradient over them makes up the background. On top of that is a picture of me, a white woman with dark hair, smiling and holding two books to my chest. Text on top reads "favorite books of 2024"

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

#WotShowSpoilers #WotSkies #WotBookSpoilers Every time I see that still of the girls on horses, I am struck by just how completely pissed off and disgusted Elayne looks. I'm interested to see what they're confronting here. Seanchan is my first instinct, but is it the Dragon??

From the Wheel of Time season 3 promotional images, Elayne sitting on a horse. She's dressed in an elaborate green dress with gold shoulder pads and jewelry. She's staring straight ahead with her nose wrinkled and brow furrowed in what is clearly anger.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Can I get some video magic to compare these horses please?? I need to know if it's Bela (as played by Archie) or not! #WotShowSpoilers #WotSkies

Egwene in season 1 of The Wheel of Time astride a brown horse. She's in a thick brown coat, and the horse is wearing simple leather tack.

Egwene riding a brown horse from promotional materials for season 3 of The Wheel of Time. Egwene is wearing an elaborate golden gown, and the horse is adorned with fancy white and gold tack.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 28/04/2024

Loving Safoa by Liza Wemakor The first 2/3 of this book were a great slice-of-life story about a human woman and her vampire lover. The backstory was great, the conflict over whether to join her as a vampire was great. But the last section of commune living lost me.

The book cover for Loving Safoa. It's an illustration of of two brown-skinned women lying in the grass together. They are embracing and staring into each other's eyes.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 27/04/2024

Eight Bears by Gloria Dickie This is an absolutely heartbreaking book. It's full of a lot of really interesting information, and I definitely learned a lot of neat facts. But I left the book feeling hopeless. I was just hoping for more of a "what you can do" section.

The book cover for Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future. It's a cream colored cover with bold red text displaying the title and the author's name, Gloria Dickie. In the center is a sketch of a bear in blue.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 20/04/2024

It's almost time for poker! Aka, 45% of why Jessi comes to #JordanCon every year.

A round table with 9 chairs around it. There are trays full of poker chips and 2 decks of cards on the table.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 16/04/2024

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose This is a book I would readily recommend to preteens, and I'll probably continue the series, but it was a little boring overall and the character work was rocky.

The book cover of To Shape a Dragon's Breath. It shows a stylized dragons' head framed by flowers. The background shows a forest of pine trees.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 15/04/2024

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren This was a sweet, fun romance. But it wasn't really anything more than that. Perfectly fine, but I think I probably won't read much more from Christina Lauren.

The book cover for the Soulmate equation. It's an orange-y yellow color and features an image of a DNA double helix turning into a heart.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 30/03/2024

Starter Villain by John Scalzi This was a fun enough book that was very shallow thematically but would make a good movie. That's really it. I won't ever think about this book again.

The book cover for Starter Villain. It's an image of what appears to be a human-sized cat in a suit.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 29/03/2024

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel I remember really loving this when I finished it, but it's a week later and I only half remember it. I still would recommend it! And I think I'll watch the show.

The book cover for Station Eleven. It's a photo of a camp made of roughly constructed tents in a field. The night sky above the tents is full of stars.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 19/03/2024

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowel I wish the writing wasn't so cringey, because I really almost like this series. The characters can feel a little flat sometimes, but that's largely from the limited perspective and makes sense. And the world building is fantastic!

The book cover for The Fated Sky. Its a silhouette of an astronaut standing on the surface of an unknown planet. The sky behind her is orange, and a star chart is laid over the sky.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 17/03/2024

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods by Lyndsie Bourgon I found this book to be a very fair and balanced introduction to the topic of tree poaching. Bourgon carefully explains the factors that would lead someone to this crime, and I felt like I learned a lot

The book cover for Tree Thieves. It's a photo of a red wood forest with yellow font over the top with the title and author.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 11/03/2024

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee This book didn't really work for me for a few reasons, but I would still broadly recommend it. I think it's a decent overview of the vastness of human cells and how medicine responds when cells aren't functioning properly.

The book cover for The Song of the Cell. It's a deep blue color with several geometric looking cells in gold across the middle.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 10/03/2024

Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal I have no idea what happened in this book, but I've been thinking about it basically since I finished reading.

The book cover of Forest of Memory. It shows a stylized illustration of a deer bounding off into a forest.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 26/02/2024

The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan This is also very, very sweet! A little slower to get rolling than Duke, it still is incredible. Mrs. Kwan is the goat. So... Andrew book next? 👀

The book cover for The Marquis Who Mustn't. It shows a straight Asian couple in front of a purple field. The man is standing in a flowing white shirt and holding the woman, sweeping her hair to the side. The woman is in a yellow dress, looking up at the man and touching his face.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 25/02/2024

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin I have too much nostalgia for this book to judge it fairly. There's some outdated language, but otherwise I think it holds up. I was sure engaged, even though I remember much of the mystery from my childhood!

The book cover for The Westing Game. It's mostly solid black. A mansion made out of money is off-center on the cover. Fireworks in many colors shoot above the mansion, and the title is written curving around the bottom.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 24/02/2024

Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke This is largely an issue of expectation vs reality. I wanted a deep exploration of butts and humanity's relationship to them, and instead this was a very shallow look at body standards in the 20th century. But also I think it barely did that.

The book cover for Butts by Heather Radke. It's a bright orange book with a peach emoji taking up most of the cover.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 21/02/2024

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez translated by Megan McDowell This is objectively very, very good. But I also didn't enjoy it much. I just felt it was very drawn out and slow. But it's also beautifully written and incorporates setting well and has nuanced characters. I definitely recommend!

The book cover for Our Share of Night. It has a blue ombré background with the title and author written in bright yellow. In the center is a hand depicted in shades of red with bright yellow, sharp nails. Orange flames balance on each fingertip.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 10/02/2024

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren I think I'm in a hate reading phase? I knew I didn't like this. I should have DNF'd. But it was so quick to read that I finished it, and it only got worse as the book went on.

The book cover for The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. It's bright yellow with tropical imagery all over it. There are several hibiscus flowers, a bird of paradise, and a toucan.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 10/02/2024

The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan This book had me squealing and laughing and gasping all the way through. Absolutely incredible.

The book cover for The Duke Who Didn't. It's a photo of a Chinese man and woman embracing, on the verge of kissing.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 08/02/2024

Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake I knew this book wasn't for me very early on, but I just couldn't stop reading like some kind of literary train wreck. It's not a bad book, but I didn't like anything except the writing style. I'm not un-recommending this, but still.

The book cover for Alone with You in the Ether. It's a solid bright blue book with two bees on it that look like they're digitally glitching.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 08/02/2024

Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone I really, really shouldn't have waited so long before reading this book! It was great, but it would have been better if the rest of the series was fresher in my mind. Yes, please, definitely read The Craft Sequence!

The cover of Four Roads Cross. It's a photo of a black woman with curly hair in front of a gargoyle. The woman is in a well-tailored suit, and she holds a glowing dagger in front of her defensively. The gargoyle is posed with it's mouth open as if screeching and one claw raised threateningly.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 29/01/2024

Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather If I had a sequel to read immediately after, this would have been good. But it's all character work when I was looking forward to the next part of the plot. Wait until book 3 is out (if it ever is).

The book cover for Sisters of the Forsaken Stars. It shows a woman in a nun's habit and wimple facing away from the viewer. She is at the entrance to a spaceship, but within the ship it appears organic, like a giant jellyfish.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 27/01/2024

Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather This was a reread, and I didn't enjoy it as much this time around, but I still liked it. It's a really fun read in a cool world. Sure, read it!

The book cover for Sisters of the Vast Black. It shows a planet surrounded by a cloud of blue and green.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 25/01/2024

Apparently, replying to a thread doesn't show up, so I guess I'll have to repost A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt This is one of the most pretentious books I've read, but it really worked. It kind of feels like an Alexander Avila video essay but interspersed with interviews.

The book cover for A Minor Chorus. It's a black and white photo of a field with trees at the edge. On top of the photo are different strips of fabric in bright colors.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 21/01/2024

Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha I kind of just want to scream in the best way. This book is incredible. The tension was unbelievable, the characters amazing, and I haven't felt this emotional in a while. Recommend! Please read this.

The cover of Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha. The background is red and black dragon scales. Centered on the cover is an hour glass with red sand trickling from the top globe to the bottom. Flames surround the hourglass.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 19/01/2024

Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele As with any anthology, there were some good stories and some not so good ones, but most of these were fantastic. Highly recommend!

The book cover for Out There Screaming: An anthology of new black horror, edited by Jordan Peele. The cover is mostly crinkled tin foil with holes ripped out of it to look like eyes and an open mouth.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 18/01/2024

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff A fun history lesson! It was a really quick read that balanced the humor of the comedy well with the tragedy of the history. Readily and happily recommend!

The book cover for We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff. It's a bright red cover with a drawing of an American Indian woman in traditional garb. She's facing away from the viewer and holding a mic with the cord trailing off to the left. The title is written across her, and the subtitle "The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy" is underneath.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 14/01/2024

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko translated by Julia Meitov Hersey Beautifully, incredibly written. Such fascinating, intriguing concepts. But also a lot of boredom. I think this is a fantastic novel, but I didn't really enjoy reading most of it. Recommend but hesitantly

The book cover for Vita Nostra. It features a white woman in a black dress sitting. One hand rests in her lap, and the other is raised to cover her face. Her head is turned away from the viewer. Something that might be water sprays out around her neck, obscuring her face further.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 08/01/2024

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami I would put this pretty middle of the pack for the Murakami I've read. Beautifully written, amazing tension, great themes. But his writing of women stands at as particularly bad in this one. Read After Dark or Sputnik Sweetheart instead.

Book cover for Killing Commendatore. It's primarily blue. On the left side or concentric circles of yellow, orange, and black split in half by the spine of the book. The circles leave the impression of an eyeball.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 07/01/2024

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames There were so many things with this book that just didn't work for me, but it was never really bad. But the humor didn't hit, I found the characters bland, and the pacing left me largely bored. Don't recommend unless you're literally my dad

The book cover for Kings of the Wyld. It features a man with long hair and a beard holding a sword and a shield. Behind him are several other men. From left to right they are: a man wielding two axes, a man hunched over with a large sword strapped to his back, a younger man with a sword casually resting across his shoulders, and an old man with a long beard and a staff.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 06/01/2024

First book of the year! The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White Really creepy and gross and with just enough hope to drag you through the overwhelmingly dark plot. Could have used some more time in the middle section, but I enjoyed it! Recommend with reservations

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, book cover. In the center is a person with long gold hair in a lilac dress clutching a large shard of glass. His eyes appear damaged, All around the person are imaged of eyeballs from various perspectives.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 09/11/2023

@mostlybree.bsky.social They're finally here (we had some mail room issues). So no they'll be my breakfast on the way to work.

A hand holding a can of nuts inside a car. The can is planters blue with a stripe of dark red along the bottom. It contains apple cider donut cashews.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 07/11/2023

Today my students (mostly 12 yo's) were asked how they'll know when they're old. Here are their answers:

A screenshot of a notes app with the following list:
Playing solitaire
Eating raisin bran
Not knowing what "slay" means
Watching the news
Wearing floral print
Watching Family Feud or The Wheel of Fortune
Listening to music with choruses

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 04/11/2023

Thornhedge by T Kingfisher 4.40 This was a completely delightful little fairy tale. I love the subversion of the tale and the way it develops. Great character work in a brief time, and really sweet romance.

Four books with reviews arranged 2 by 2.
The top left book is Witch King by Martha Wells. The review says "DNF - I gave this book 20%, and it just wasn't catching me at all. I didn't care. I think there was just too much going on too quickly, and yet not enough work on establishing the actual plot or characters."
Below that, in the bottom left, is Dead Silence by SA Barnes. The review says "3.90 - This was just really interesting all the way through. Genuinely creepy and spooky."
The bottom right is The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest. The review for it reads "2.78 - I really liked the idea of this book, and there were really good moments, but it just didn't quite work for me."
The final book is Thornhedge by T Kingfisher, which is reviewed in the post.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 04/11/2023

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova 4.05 I will be the first to admit that I absolutely did not understand this book, but I had a great time reading it anyway.

Four books with book reviews.
The top left book it Sister Maiden Monster by Lucy Snyder. The review reads "4.00 - Not nearly as much focus on a theme as I had hoped, but still perfectly gross and creepy. It didn't quite fill the hole Hell Followed With Us left for me, but it's not too bad as an option."
Next to that book is The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White. The review reads "2.75 - I liked a lot about this in theory. Elizabeth was a really interesting character to follow. But it just fell short of what I was expecting from a retelling."
Below that is the book Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. The reive reads "2.30 - Honestly, this book just didn't do much of anything for me. There were too many characters to keep track of, so I just lost interest. Plus so much weird commentary that I'm sure is of the time but just left me uncomfortable."
The final book is Monstrilio, which is reviewed in the post.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 04/11/2023

The Grimoire of Grave Fates edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen 4.30 Really fun play with form. Loved the creativity and all of the character work.

Four books with reviews.
The top left is Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs. The review says "3.83 - This book had some cool world-building and great relationships between characters. But it also had the characters being incredibly passive for 2/3 of the book."
The top right is The Cobalt Prince, book 2 in the 5 Worlds series. The review reads "4.05 - This is just a super cute story. I love the world building and the characters, and I'm rooting so hard for everyone."
The bottom left book is Goddess of Filth by V Castro. The review says "4.03 - This is a very rare criticism from me, but this book was too short. There just wasn't enough time to let tension build, and there definitely wasn't enough time for subtlety."
The final book is The Grimoire of Grave Fates, which is reviewed in the post text.

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Barton Sedai @podanother.bsky.social · 04/11/2023

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty 4.63 The world and the characters and the story were all fantastic. I had so much fun reading this, and I can't wait for more!

Four books with reviews.
On the bottom right is Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. The review says "2.23 - This is the most 2004 book I've read published past 2015. Honestly. It's somewhere between a teen romcom and a Lifetime movie"
On the bottom left is The Sand Warrior by Alexis and Mark Siegel, the first book in the 5 Worlds series. The review says "4.00 - This is very much the first book in a series, doing a lot of work to set up the characters, the world, and the story. That said, it's done really well. The characters are instantly interesting, the style is really unique and attractive, and the story is starting off in an exciting way."
The top left is A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin. The review says "3.60 - This was a fine, sweet romance, but the characters (especially outside of our heroine) were kind of bland. Nothing really kept me rooting for the love story."
The final book in the top right is the book reviewed in the post text.

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