It is the Big Hands Jester here *hands unfurl like flower buds in a time lapse to reveal books* and oh Boy have I been Reading. I will tell you about it; but first, please gaze upon this picture of Paddington at the BAFTAs.

a picture of Paddington Bear attending the 2026 BAFTAs

I usually don't do a full post about what I've been reading but I have deleted social media off my phone again and recently saw someone referring to themselves as a "content courtesan" on LinkedIn, so I am very much into Physical Books and Talking About Them right now.

First on the docket, Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers deserves some buzz, and that is because,,,it is the FIRST EVER romantasy that I have not hated. In fact, I liked it. It is full of fun ingredients shaken up in an unexpected way. The characters are not teens. There is no nineteen year old girl falling in love with a thousand year old fae man who calls her his mate and roars when he comes.

Cameron is a hapless knight doing his best to avoid battle. After getting pulled in by the machinations of the church in response to a prophecy, he ends up living in the castle of the sorcerer Merulo. At one point he is a vulture. There are dragons and Boys Kissing. ❉ ❉ ❉ .5

Bird Boot Forever by Rebecca Kirby is my second book of the month.

It is, as far as I know, the only shirt-based comic series in existence. It was created to sell shirts and turned into something that is unironically Actually Good. There's homosexuality! There are frog spies! There is a hot elf wife! Kirby is equally proficient at drawing beautiful women AND weird little guys.

Bird Boot a really good vehicle to investigate so many other forms of art that exist now. A lot of things you like (or liked as a child) were either created to sell other things (including ideologies and religions) or eventually used for that purpose. One example: My Little Pony cartoons. Another: Barbie movies. Little Orphan Annie. The contents of the ItemLabel YouTube channel. VeggieTales. The Moranbong Band. Bird Boot ranks among the best of these, alongside Kirby's Beefiverse, also created to sell shirts. ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉

Finally, I am nearly done with Plastic by Scott Guild and it is on track to be one of my Top Three Things I've Read of the Year. It is brilliant when I thought it was going to be hokey. Its narrative devices feel clever and fresh. Its main character, Erin, is a woman written by a man and there isn't one mention of her tits. Everyone speaks with the syntax of the doge meme, but the language is so consistent I find myself fully immersed and Seriously Reading. It has something to say about loss and the way that our lives are packaged and perceived. It also has an accompanying concept album. You might like it if you enjoyed A Touch of Jen or Bunny. If it sticks the landing, ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ .5

Erin when she feels a song coming on (you will get it if you read the book):

a clown in focus in a way that makes it look like it's her moment

PS I finally took the tweezers and I am now Unstoppable.