🆕 blog! “Book Review: Ashes To Admin - Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer by Evie King”
★★★★★

Why am I reading so much about death lately? This is a wryly funny and cosily charming book about council funerals.

Evie King conducts Section 46 funerals under the Public Health Act. If you die and there's no…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-ashes-to-admin-tales-from-the-caseload-of-a-council-funeral-officer-by-evie-king/
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#BookReview #death

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Ashes To Admin - Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer by Evie King”
★★★★★

Why am I reading so much about death lately? This is a wryly funny and cosily charming book about council funerals.

Evie King conducts Section 46 funerals under the Public Health Act. If you die and there's no…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-ashes-to-admin-tales-from-the-caseload-of-a-council-funeral-officer-by-evie-king/
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#BookReview #death

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Me vs Brain - An Overthinker’s Guide to Life by Hayley Morris”
★★★★☆

I bought this book for the title alone and I'm glad I did! I don't think I've seen any of Hayley Morris's comedy sketches. To be honest, you don't need to be a fan of her work to appreciate the humour and courage in this book. It could quite easily have been a…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-me-vs-brain-an-overthinkers-guide-to-life-by-hayley-morris/
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#BookReview

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Me vs Brain - An Overthinker’s Guide to Life by Hayley Morris”
★★★★☆

I bought this book for the title alone and I'm glad I did! I don't think I've seen any of Hayley Morris's comedy sketches. To be honest, you don't need to be a fan of her work to appreciate the humour and courage in this book. It could quite easily have been a…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-me-vs-brain-an-overthinkers-guide-to-life-by-hayley-morris/
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#BookReview

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Diversifying Open Source - An Open Standards Playbook for Inclusive and Equitable Tech Projects by Paloma Oliveira”
★★★★☆

It is refreshing to read a political polemic which contains useful actions the reader can take. Too many books…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-diversifying-open-source-an-open-standards-playbook-for-inclusive-and-equitable-tech-projects-by-paloma-oliveira/
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#BookReview #equality #justice #OpenSource #technology

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Diversifying Open Source - An Open Standards Playbook for Inclusive and Equitable Tech Projects by Paloma Oliveira”
★★★★☆

It is refreshing to read a political polemic which contains useful actions the reader can take. Too many books…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-diversifying-open-source-an-open-standards-playbook-for-inclusive-and-equitable-tech-projects-by-paloma-oliveira/
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#BookReview #equality #justice #OpenSource #technology

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Examiner - Janice Hallett”
★★★★⯪

I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Janice Hallett's previous crime books. The Examiner is, frankly, more of the same - and I'm happy with that!

You, the reader, are given a series of transcripts and have to work out what crime (if any) has been committed. You don't find out who the victim(s) is/are until…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-the-examiner-janice-hallett/
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#BookReview #JaniceHallett

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Examiner - Janice Hallett”
★★★★⯪

I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Janice Hallett's previous crime books. The Examiner is, frankly, more of the same - and I'm happy with that!

You, the reader, are given a series of transcripts and have to work out what crime (if any) has been committed. You don't find out who the victim(s) is/are until…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-the-examiner-janice-hallett/
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#BookReview #JaniceHallett

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Voyage of the Space Beagle by Alfred Elton Van Vogt”
★★☆☆☆

This is Star Trek before Star Trek. It is Alien long before Alien. It is the template for so much modern science fiction. What it is not is particularly good.

I don't intend to dump on the classics (and this is undoubtedly a classic) but 1950s sci-fi takes place …

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-the-voyage-of-the-space-beagle-by-alfred-elton-van-vogt/
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#BookReview #SciFi

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Voyage of the Space Beagle by Alfred Elton Van Vogt”
★★☆☆☆

This is Star Trek before Star Trek. It is Alien long before Alien. It is the template for so much modern science fiction. What it is not is particularly good.

I don't intend to dump on the classics (and this is undoubtedly a classic) but 1950s sci-fi takes place …

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/02/book-review-the-voyage-of-the-space-beagle-by-alfred-elton-van-vogt/
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#BookReview #SciFi

4 stars for The Briar Book of the Dead: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/57178cf8-463c-4038-9c30-95073b01edfc
Satisfying world-building, satisfying characters, satisfying plot, satisfying (and grim) conclusion.

#bookreview

4 stars for The Briar Book of the Dead: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/57178cf8-463c-4038-9c30-95073b01edfc
Satisfying world-building, satisfying characters, satisfying plot, satisfying (and grim) conclusion.

#bookreview

🆕 blog! “Book Review: With the End in Mind - Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix”
★★★⯪☆

Is it possible to "die well"? We have midwives for births, should we have "deathwives" for the other end of our lives? I think this book was recommended to me in the depths of the pandemic. I was too much of…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-with-the-end-in-mind-dying-death-and-wisdom-in-an-age-of-denial-by-kathryn-mannix/
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#BookReview #death

🆕 blog! “Book Review: With the End in Mind - Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix”
★★★⯪☆

Is it possible to "die well"? We have midwives for births, should we have "deathwives" for the other end of our lives? I think this book was recommended to me in the depths of the pandemic. I was too much of…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-with-the-end-in-mind-dying-death-and-wisdom-in-an-age-of-denial-by-kathryn-mannix/
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#BookReview #death

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Players Act 1 by Amy Sparkes”
★★⯪☆☆

So! Much! Melodrama!

This is a gently funny (and slightly tragic) romp with a band of travelling vagrants actors as they attempt to ply their renditions of Shakespeare to an indifferent 1700ish audience. There's a lot of charm to the characters and the plot is relatively straightforward.

The characters are a bit…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-the-players-act-1-by-amy-sparkes/
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#BookReview

🆕 blog! “Book Review: The Players Act 1 by Amy Sparkes”
★★⯪☆☆

So! Much! Melodrama!

This is a gently funny (and slightly tragic) romp with a band of travelling vagrants actors as they attempt to ply their renditions of Shakespeare to an indifferent 1700ish audience. There's a lot of charm to the characters and the plot is relatively straightforward.

The characters are a bit…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-the-players-act-1-by-amy-sparkes/
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#BookReview

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Doppelganger - A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein”
★★★★☆

This book is excellent at describing the symptoms of madness which have beset the world. It expertly diagnoses the causes which have led so many people into a mirror-realm of fantasy. Sadly it falls short of prescribing a cure. I doubt anyone who has…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-doppelganger-a-trip-into-the-mirror-world-by-naomi-klein/
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#BookReview #politics

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Doppelganger - A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein”
★★★★☆

This book is excellent at describing the symptoms of madness which have beset the world. It expertly diagnoses the causes which have led so many people into a mirror-realm of fantasy. Sadly it falls short of prescribing a cure. I doubt anyone who has…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/01/book-review-doppelganger-a-trip-into-the-mirror-world-by-naomi-klein/
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#BookReview #politics

#BookReview They Came to Slay, the Queer Culture of DnD - by Thom James Carter

You may have guessed it, but I bought the book because it's purple, and who could resist a title like that? 💜

For anyone who's played #DnD for a while, like myself, there wasn't much new in the book. A little bit predictable. But a fun one to have in my collection regardless, and inspired me to experiment with characters of other genders in future TTRPG sessions.

#BookReview They Came to Slay, the Queer Culture of DnD - by Thom James Carter

You may have guessed it, but I bought the book because it's purple, and who could resist a title like that? 💜

For anyone who's played #DnD for a while, like myself, there wasn't much new in the book. A little bit predictable. But a fun one to have in my collection regardless, and inspired me to experiment with characters of other genders in future TTRPG sessions.