Letalis by Rishika Porandla

Characters: 5, well I definitely didn’t find them lovable, but then, I was not meant to. Antares is the closest to human, I think. Eris and Ceres both unleash hurt onto other people in order to live with the weight of their magic. Ceres apparently has no moral compass nor compassion; Eris conveniently loses hers in favor of bitter jealousy, for two days. But mostly the characters are one-dimensional and revolve around their defining tragedy. Atmosphere: 4, I couldn’t really picture much aside from stark details: Solarians have platinum hair and brown skin, Sun District has a desert near it […]

Posted October 21, 2022 by bethwyrm in Book Review / 2 Comments

Gratitude by Monteverde

The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen. Specs Name: Gratitude Maker: Monteverde Color Family: Purple Properties: Shading Purchased at: Atlas Stationers What’s in a name? Part of the Emotions collection, this magenta is meant to represent emotional balance, helping to create harmony, happiness, and gratitude in every aspect of daily life- whether it’s physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. When in the company of magenta, most people feel optimistic, content, and appreciative of what they have acquired and achieved in life. Swatches A large swatch of ink showcases the […]

Posted October 19, 2022 by bethwyrm in Fountain Pens / 0 Comments

Intro to Fountain Pen Paper

I have posted a lot (a lot) about fountain pen inks in my collection, and even about how fountain pens work and the different nibs and whatnot. But I haven’t gotten into the other key component of writing with a fountain pen: paper. While you can use any ol’ paper to write with, untreated paper is more likely to feather, bleed and not show any special properties of the ink. This is because untreated plain paper is absorbent. It sucks the ink into it, which, if you’re using a broad nib or a wet ink, can make for an unreadable […]

Posted October 17, 2022 by bethwyrm in Fountain Pens / 0 Comments

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

Characters: 8, from Kara to Simon to Uncle Earl, each character was unique, with their own drives and concerns. Kara was the most fully developed, which makes sense as this book (while it did have a bit of character development) was plot-driven. As horror stories are. But I could definitely describe each character. Atmosphere: 10, I had a pretty solid, three-dimensional sense for both The Wonder Museum and the willow world. And all the things in both. I was pretty fully immersed while reading, which is what you want with a creepy horror story. Writing: 9, I found the prose […]

Posted October 16, 2022 by bethwyrm in Book Review / 2 Comments

Ham Glistening by Colorverse

The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen. Specs Name: Ham Glistening Maker: Colorverse Color Family: Blue Properties: Shimmering, Shading Purchased at: Goulet Pens What’s in a name? On January 31, 1961, Ham the Astrochimp was the first non-human hominid to be launched into space. Ham’s name is an acronym for the lab that prepared him for his historic mission: the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, located at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Officially, Ham was known as No. 65 before his flight, and only renamed “Ham” upon […]

Posted October 15, 2022 by bethwyrm in Fountain Pens / 0 Comments

No One Crosses the Wolf by Lisa Nikolidakis

Credibility: 10, the author is quick to point out that her lived truth is not the same lived truth of others (as there’s no such thing as objective truth), and to acknowledge her flaws in thinking and behavior. I have no reasons to doubt the factual statements surrounding her father’s murder-suicide, and everything else has the ring of believability. Authenticity/Uniqueness: 8, I don’t read a lot of memoirs but I expect this isn’t the only one written by a woman who was abused by her father, who turned out to be a murderer. Not much time is spent ruminating on […]

Posted October 14, 2022 by bethwyrm in Book Review / 0 Comments

Candlelight by Diamine

The above photo was taken in direct sunlight. Ink is swatched on Clairefontaine 90gsm paper, using a glass dip pen. Specs Name: Candlelight Maker: Diamine Color Family: Yellow Properties: Shading Gifted to me by my lovely enabler friend, Greg (who got me into fountain pens in the first place!) What’s in a name? Part of Diamine’s 2021 InkVent collection, this ink is meant to evoke flickering candlelight on a long winter’s night. Swatches A large swatch of ink showcases the darkest this ink gets, as well as the maximum properties it has (when held at the right angle to show any […]

Posted October 12, 2022 by bethwyrm in Fountain Pens / 0 Comments

The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai

Characters: 8, despite this being a relatively short novel, I had a good grasp on the characters, from Sidi to Toumi and Douda to Jannet. And of course, the bees and the hornets (an allegory for the native Tunisians and the “Party of God” fundamentalists/terrorists). I was very invested in Sidi and his bees and found myself holding my breath in concern when it seemed like all might be lost in spite of his care and hard work. Atmosphere: 7, it’s not abundantly descriptive, but despite having never visited Tunisia before, I could picture the arid mountains, the poverty-laden village […]

Posted October 11, 2022 by bethwyrm in Book Review / 0 Comments

BuJo Tour- October

Another month gone, as we narrow in on the end of 2022. Things got very busy for me in September- as you’ve seen- but Halloween is my creative refuge and I’m greatly looking forward to admiring clever costumes and basking in the energy of sugar-hyped kids this year. I’m planning on hitting up a few Goodwill stores in my area next week to see if I can find something cheap for myself, and then match Leilani to me. I’m not aiming for clever or original, so much as comfortable and easy (and cheap! My awesome FiFi outfit at MNSSHP cost […]

Posted October 10, 2022 by bethwyrm in Life Update / 0 Comments

The Tequila Diet by Dave Martin

Credibility/research: 5, I’m supposed to know Dave Martin from Bravo’s Top Chef, but lacking that, all I have is his word that he’s a chef who loves Mexican dishes. The writing is a little juvenile and he comes across as a shill for el Baston del Rey tequila brand, neglecting to give us a general education in tequila (the centerpiece of the entire cookbook) and focusing only on one brand of tequila. Authenticity/uniqueness: 6, this is the first cookbook based around tequila that I’ve come across, and it includes both cocktails and food. However, the addition to tequila in the […]

Posted October 9, 2022 by bethwyrm in Book Review / 0 Comments