Posted in Entertainment, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Andy Weir, movies, music, reading on October 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today I’m sharing my new favorite background music, great for everything from working to reading. It’s delightfully calming (and even has a little bonus at the end:)
(If you have Amazon Prime, it’s also available there.)
And while we’re on the topic, here’s an interesting video from Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame showing How Rocky’s Models Were Made for Project Hail Mary.
You know, this weekend would be a great time for a re-watch of the movie. It was good!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, access, books, inspiration, librarians, libraries, reading on October 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s quote on radical empathy was the perfect set-up for today’s post about a woman who is practicing it. With books!
Baltimore Woman Brings Free Books to Hundreds of Kids With Magical Trolley
Ms. Maze, who calls herself a “radical street librarian,” has gone viral on TikTok for delivering free books to hundreds of children in the Baltimore area via a trolley. The green and gold vehicle transports children to a “magical” place where they can discover which genres excite them and develop an appreciation for reading…
How wonderful!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, AI, free fiction, future, ideas, Lightspeed, prognostication, reading, robots, sci-fi, Thoughts on August 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I’m reading a collection of sci-fi stories about robots and AI with some really interesting and thoughtful takes on the topic, and just finished a particularly good one by Will McIntosh, “Nic and Viv’s Compulsory Courtship.”
The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Second Annual Collection by Allan Kaster
I can’t share that particular story (but the library is your friend! the book is also available on Kindle Unlimited if you partake), but here’s another piece by McIntosh that you might like.
Defenders – Lightspeed Magazine
There was nothing to see yet; they were still above the smoky cloud-cover. It was hard to believe Australia was down there. Over the past twenty-eight years it had taken on almost mythical dimensions in Lila’s mind, and knowing she would see it any moment, see what it had become, set her heart pounding.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, empathy, magic, reading, Thoughts on August 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“I believe that books-and all stories—are magic. They connect us, they shape us, and they make us more than who we are by causing us to care about the impossible—to care about people who are living lives that never were and never could be.
Real magic.” — Sarah Beth Durst
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astrobiologist says, Fiction, inspiration, reading, science, scifi, suggestions on August 20, 2026| 1 Comment »
Do you like your fiction with a whole lot of responsibly deployed science? Seven Rasmussen, astrobiologist and author, has some suggestions for you!
An Astrobiologist’s Guide to the Best Sci-Fi Reads
Flex your mantle cavities over here, because I’m going to tell you about my favorite books and the science in them, from the astrophysics of Gideon the Ninth to the evolutionary biology of Children of Time. Please bear in mind that my choices (in no particular order, mind you), while they are technically opinion, they are absolutely correct, written in stone, and enforceable by federal law.
In case your to-be-read list needs a bit of a boost:)
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, books, libraries, reading, Thoughts on May 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I have half a dozen books checked out from the library and I’m pretty sure I single-handedly inspired a reduction in hold limits, but that’s okay. “To be read” is not just an aspiration, it’s a way of life. And while I’m very much a library person, this quote speaks to me:
“Think not of the books you’ve bought as a ‘to be read’ pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood.” ― Luc van Donkersgoed
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, free fiction, inspiration, Nebula Awards, reading, SFWA, to be read, Writers, writing on March 19, 2026| 1 Comment »
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association has released its list of finalists for the new Nebula Awards. These are some of the best stories, movies, games and more from 2025, and a great way to boost your to be read list. If you’re an SFWA member you have until April 15th to vote on your favorites.
The list is available in lots of places but I’ll link to Andrew Liptak’s site because he has already done the work of finding links for the stories that are available online. Thanks, Andrew!
I’ll copy the short stories here, but click through to Andrew’s site for links to the novelettes and more. And do I love that many of the top short story markets are open access? I do!
Here are the finalists for the 2026 Nebula Awards
Best Short Story
- “Through the Machine” by P.A. Cornell (Lightspeed Magazine, 5/25)
- “Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, 1-2/25)
- “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld Magazine 4/25)
- “The Tawlish Island Songbook of the Dead” by E.M. Linden (PodCastle 2/18/25)
- “Because I Held His Name Like a Key” by Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons 6/16/25)
- “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots 5/25)
I’ve only read a couple of these stories so this promises to be a treat. Happy reading everyone!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, open books open minds, reading, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 16, 2026| 1 Comment »
Today is a good day. Why, you might ask, and perhaps you have forgotten that today is Monday?
I stand by my statement, because I got this in the mail:
Three (quiet) cheers for libraries!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, reading, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 10, 2026| 4 Comments »
Because it can sometimes be hard to keep a positive attitude with everything going on in the world, I thought I’d share this article. Also, books are just a good time.
How reading books regulates your nervous system – Big Think
Reading is relaxing, and many people do it as a counterbalance to our overstimulated age.
But what exactly is happening when we read? What’s going on beneath the surface that makes reading a book feel so restorative?
The answer lies in how reading changes our neurochemistry in real time. Reading isn’t just about decoding words on a page. It’s a complex neurochemical process that affects everything from our heart rate to our hormone levels.
Go ahead, change your neurochemistry for the better.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, reading, Thoughts, writing on November 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
— George R.R. Martin
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