iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

The Universal Heart of Teeth And Mysteries, discovered in the wall of an abandoned mine in Spain. Pity it isn’t fully in the sun or fully in focus, but that’s the way my photography cookies crumble.

A graffito on a cracked cement depicting a stylized human heart in shades of blue, pink, and yellow. A fissure in the middle shows into a space full of stars and a crescent moon.

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

“Like many 20-somethings, my friends and I have mostly moved on from texts, preferring to send one another voice recordings instead.” Wait. What? Is this real? Like… voicemail messages?? Having to listen to voicemail is my Elder Millennial nightmare. Just send me a text!

100

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Gothic fiction in its moodiest, most emotional guise. We start with a gravestone unearthed in a basement, but we don’t follow that thread far. Instead, we creep along dozens of paths made eerie by near-familiarity. You will question all your home DIY projects. Finely crafted & unsettling. #booksky

Foreclosure Gothic, by Harris Lahti

The book cover depicts two black and white photographs, stacked vertically, as if taken from a home security camera attached to a home’s front door. You see the porch floor, a white rail, and two white columns holding up the white roof. Between the columns, stairs lead down and away into a yard where you can barely make out several large trees. Standing at the top of the stairs on the edge of the porch is a human figure. The two images are the same, except that in the top image, the figure seems to glow.

050

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

“Trying to rest my wrist but not making the best choices” is an excellent description of my life right now too. 🙃

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

This is fascinating. Do you have the option of looking into the therapy? I see there’s a doc listed here in town.

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I think there are opportunities to be very comfortable in a situation like that. Lessening the living-space burden is a really practical consideration.

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

I didn’t know needed a book about dark secrets from the world of dictionaries, but turns out I did. I found myself gushing about wordy marvels to friends over dinner: “Wanna know why J is a lexicographer's favorite letter??” I giggled and "ooh!"ed my way through every fascinating chapter. #booksky

Word by Word: the Secret Life of Dictionaries, by @korystamper.bsky.social

The cover art looks like a page torn from a dictionary with veeeery tiny turquoise print on a white background, organized in four columns. Tiny, hand-drawn illustrations including an eel and a couple of men sword fighting (with epees, I have to imagine??) accent several of the word entries. The book’s title and author are written in thick red pencil over blank sections of the page, and the subtitle, which appears as a dictionary heading to the right of the title, is underlined in red.

030

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Literal TBR shelves are the best. Though… mine got so full it’s now more properly called a TBR bookcase…

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

In my best recent instance of good timing, we visited Denver the day after I finished this. They have an African grill where I stuffed myself with jollof rice and peanut stew and generally just became a happier person. 10/10. Do recommend.

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

LOVED. Our author, Zelu, wants more than what her well-meaning but traditional Nigerian-American family has scripted for her. She builds new worlds for herself, both in her reality and in her fiction. Read it for tales within tales, multi-layered science fiction, and so many glorious meals. #booksky

35111

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

My black kitty was a notorious butter thief. We ran a b&b and would come out to find him on the white-clothed, china-set table happily licking his way through an entire table’s worth of butter. Good lord but I threw away a lot of butter and reset a lot of tables before we bought a dish with a lid…

040

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Ahhh, this brilliant graphic short story smacked me right in the (good) feels.

000

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

This is absolutely delightful. Thank you for the evening smile. 💙

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

This is not the week the turtle comes for you, Esk!! 🩵

000

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I call my collection the Apocalypse Library. :)

000

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I did my archaeology internship in Nijmegen (a hundred years ago) and seeing the photoboard in there has filled me with feels. I learned to do all my fieldwork in Dutch, and was useless on my first American dig because I kept wanting to say, “but in the Netherlands….” Also… cool stones. 😍

000

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I really want to read War & Peace… in theory. Any actual, tangible desire is lacking.

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

There are titles and authors in that pile I’ve never heard of! Must go investigate. (Also, what a beautiful doorstop up top there! 😂)

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Some folks have gotten their PhDs analyzing this novel. So, my 2¢ in 210 characters: Beautiful. Harsh. Wise. I didn’t expect to love it, but here we are. Can’t remember the last novel I read with characters of this caliber. I didn’t like them all, but I cared about the fate of every single one. 📚💙

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, performed by Lee Horsley. “1986 Pulitzer Prize Winning epic Masterpiece of the American West.”

Book cover with the title in large western-style font at the top, and the author’s name and audio reader’s name at the bottom. Between is a painting of a western landscape with a man seated on a horse at center. To their right, a woman in a long skirt stands in front of a white tent. In the background, a herd of cattle seems to be moving toward the viewer.

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

That is a glorious oasis to aim for! I also saw your other post about considering a community college library, and I must say: I cannot recommend a job shift (or even career shift) highly enough. It’s not the easy move or the secure move, but one’s sanity is an irreplaceable commodity….

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I don’t look forward to doing my work, but having done miserable work in the past - work that nearly broke me - I can say I am deeply grateful for only feeling Meh about my current situation. Anything down the line to look forward to?

100

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Yessss! Thank you! Didn’t realized I’d only taken a snap of a small bit of the painting. The babe’s facial expression summarized my whole day, that day. 😂

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Hey #artsky! Can anyone identify the painter of this particular Virgin and (deeply unimpressed) Child painting from the Louvre? I failed to snap a pic of the interpretive card, and it turns out trying to reverse-image search this pair gives you only wrong answers. Thousands of them.

A painting depicting the Virgin Mary, seated, wearing blue and pink robes, holding a naked baby Jesus. Mary looks tired. Jesus is looking off toward the right side of the image, with the expression of a thousand-year-old man who has seen all this shot before and is NOT impressed.

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

I win the Santorini photography contest (in which I am the only but clearly victorious competitor).

Sunset in Santorini viewed from the Catholic Church in Fira. In the foreground, a white-painted cement wall on which a gray cat with a stripped tail is perched, looking over its shoulder toward something off screen. The ocean far below fills the center of the photo, with Skaros Rock visible in the distance to the right. The island of Thirasia is visible near the horizon, and just above it an almost-set sun blazes hot orange, fading to pink above.

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

A soft, gentle story about a kind, gentle man whose generosity helps a community reconnect with itself. While listening to it, I found it soothing, but I never found myself enthusiastic to pick it back up. The ending caught me by surprise, somewhat redeeming the slow pace and oversweetness. 💙📚💙

Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi

The book cover has a cream background with a pencil drawing of a tattered feather in the center. The title is above and the author’s name below, both in a fairly small black font.

050

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

I have been fiercely refusing to let myself think about work on this trip, a real challenge when you’re self-employed. It has been a blissful. In my dreams last night, I went back to work. I HAVE TWO DAYS LEFT, SUBCONSCIOUS!! BACK OFF AND LET ME ENJOY THIS!!!

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

I am extremely trusting of temperature settings! I trust that there will ALWAYS be six feet of cold water waiting in the pipes regardless of how fast the heater acts on the other end! Starting the shower while standing under it is utter madness.

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

If there had been a cat dozing on top of this ancient Greek wall, this might have been the most perfect picture ever taken.

A small section of stacked-rock limestone wall from the Ancient Thera archaeological site in Santorini, Greece. In front of the wall, a riot of white/yellow, purple, and red flowers (garland daisy, Cretan mallow, and red poppy) grow. A corner of blue ocean and sky can be seen upper right, far in the distance.

093

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I’m with you. I’ve become much more willing to abandon books (even series with tons of promise - maybe *especially* series with tons of promise) since being burned by that fourth book in a row… 😂 Life’s too short!

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

What if tarot cards represented real, arcane forces that also have human avatars who are using poker as a means to do deadly battle to achieve ultimate power...? A literal Las Vegas fantasy that both compelled and frustrated me. Will leave you both scared of and desperate to have a cold beer. 💙📚💙

Last Call, by Tim Powers

(deep breath in preparation for describing this cover…)

The bottom half of the cover shows the faces of a fanned hand of cards, as if by holding the book you are holding a hand of poker. A jack of clubs and queen of hearts seem normal enough, but the other three visible cards are tarot cards. The one on the far right, most visible, shows an angry-looking sun with a human face glowering down at what might be a building. The card in the middle shows a proud-looking man holding a staff. The most obscure card, on the far left, might show a bearded man. The author’s name is across the bottom of the cards in blue font.

Above the cards, a wild desert landscape with snow-covered mountains in the background. A stone tower rears up at center, an eyeball carved into its front and crenelations across its rounded top. The sky behind it is the black of outer space. To the left, the planet Saturn hovers in the black. To the right, Jupiter.

Above the tower, filling the entire top of the cover, is the bottom of a looming moon, craters visible in its surface. A bolt of lightning appears to be shooting out of the moon and striking the top of the tower.

The title overlays part of the moon and all of the tower in large, irregularly sized red letters

Whew.

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I have read series where I persevered through several 2⭐️ reads because the first books in the series were so good, and I kept hoping they’d get better again. (Sad fact: 3-4 stinkers in a row means the series is probably doomed.) But I’d have to have several 4/5⭐️ reads first to merit that effort. 🤷‍♀️

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

The crowds are gone. Feels like my first deep breath in two weeks.

A view across the ocean-filled Santorini caldera from the lip of a cliff that is covered with purple, yellow, and pink flowers. The sun reflects brightly off the water, the sky is blue, and the island of Thirasia appears as a thick, dark line at the horizon.

000

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Also just arrived in Santorini! The flowers on the cliff outside our hotel are goooorgeous and - after being in crowd-choked Paris for a week - the lack of crowds is everything I needed. If you wave at passersby wearing bright blue sun hats, one of them might be me. 😊

120

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

This book was a lot of fun. I found myself wanting to tell other people about it as I was reading, the premise was so quirky and original. Certain parts of it legitimately stressed me out, though, and the ending, while literarily satisfying, left me feeling terribly anxious. 💙📚💙

The Husbands, by Holly Gramszio

The book cover has a beige background. An illustrated ladder climbs from near the bottom up into a black rectangular hole. The letters of the title, in large block print with the letters alternating in red, teal, purple, and pink, appear to be falling down the ladder. The author’s name is above the attic hole in smaller, black print.

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Okay, okay. Spare the organizers THIS time. And keep posting raccoon updates because I am loving them. :) Thank you for all these little nuggets of joy you put into the world.

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Eat the organizers!! Last time this happened to me, they sent an email the week after suggesting it was OUR (the vendors’) faults the market had gone so poorly. Would you like to guess whether I ever attended any of their events again? You deserve better! I’m sorry you’ve had 2 stinkers in a row.

220

Reposted by Hummingbird, in the Nood.

Jane Espenson @janeespenson.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Now, whenever I see videos of animals doing cool things in the wild, I have to wonder if it's real or ai. Are those real wildebeests or is it all fake gnus?

2437158

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Yep. I think the market will be there for you when you’re ready!!

111

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Do you ever sell prints? This guy speaks to me on a deep level…

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

This is also how I use Pendergast novels. :) See also: Dresden, Gamache, Veronica Speedwell…

010

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

I kept thinking I knew how the plot would go, and it kept not meeting my expectations, which I love. I also love reading about writers, and this novel tackles some of the dark sides of that profession. Twisty and (while those twists were not always surprises), at least once actually shocking. 💙📚💙

The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The book cover shows a white-covered book against a blue background. The title, on the book-within-a-book, fills the cover in large font. Through the letters, as if through windows, you can see a rectangle of sky framed by dirt and grass, as if you are looking up from the bottom of a fresh-dug grave (a detail I *just* noticed when trying to write this description, and absolutely love). The author’s name appears below the book-within-a-book.

030

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

A week in, and my brain is making no concessions on the question of the time change. 😣

001

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Thank you for humoring (and correctly understanding) my silly but sincere question. I’m a lover of natural wonders, but completely new to critters of the deep. Your images are captivating.

110

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I picked this up expecting a memoir about someone’s non-traditional religious history, but this book wasn't that at all. What it WAS was fun enough (an irreverent voyage through our narrator's fights with addiction, self-image, and tricky life choices) but I wasn't quite the right audience. 💙📚💙

Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: a memoir of mental illness and the quest to belong anywhere, by Maria Bamford

The book cover has a deep yellow background. A woman wearing an old-fashioned white dress stands center, staring at you with a slightly crazed expression. A small bunch of white flowers has been tucked into her long, blonde hair. The title is in black font across the woman’s torso. The author’s name is in white font above her head.

020

Hummingbird, in the Nood. @snukes.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

That cygnet is so mad!! 😂 Beautiful work.

110