Hirk Eukvic (he/him, AuDHD)

Finnegan’s Wake reads like the type of novel you’d get if you asked ChatGPT to write a book in the style of a cat walking on a keyboard.

I'd be less annoyed if the "correct" answers didn't frequently use inverted colors of the example (photo #1) and if the examples were consistently readable (photo #2, sample is featureless a white smudge). #visual-accessibility #you're-kidding-me

Inaccessible captcha - Correct answer is a photo negative of the "example"

Inaccessible captcha - Example icon is too washed out to distinguish details.

Okay @github.com, there's captchas that discourage bots, and then there's captchas that discourage human users. This is, definitively, the latter. New accounts have to solve 10 of these correctly, *then* use email 2FA? #accessibility #fail

Sources for covers are in image alt text. Most are from the author's websites.

Roundup continues soon. Note my 1-10 ratings fall into 4 categories:
* 10 > 7: Recommended, likely to read again
* 6 > 4: Flawed, but acceptable. Read with caution.
* 3 > 2: Hesitant to read again, but remains on my bookcase.
* 1 > 0: Coming soon to a used bookstore near you. 0 = "Didn't finish"

Cover mockup fro "Dreadful" - Source, Rozakis' website, https://www.caitlinrozakis.com/dreadful

"Dreadful" - Caitlin Rozakis - Fun, mostly-light, cozy fantasy. An evil wizard wakes up in his workshop with amnesia to find that (a) he's always been incompetent, (b) his royal hostage is far smarter than him, and (c) so are all his many enemies. Uh-oh! Funny and memorable, excellent debut. 8/10.

Cover for "A Brief History of the Future" - source, Starset band store site, https://merch.starsetonline.com/collections/media-1/products/a-brief-history-of-the-future-novel

"A Brief History of the Future" - Starset (band) novel, presumably by Dustin Bates and a ghostwriter. I read this to learn the backstory for their 2024 "Immersion" tour mythos and music videos. Generic dystopian sci-fi; unnecessarily violent; at least readable, unlike its prequel. Fans only. 3/10.

Cover art for "A House with Good Bones" - Source - Kingfisher's website https://redwombatstudio.com/horror/

2025 book roundup: "A House with Good Bones" (T. Kingfisher) - Intelligent horror for folks who hate horror. The prose is witty, visually evocative, and ~creeeepy~. And to quote Kingfisher, "the dog always lives," so readers needn't worry about real heartbreak. 10/10.

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