Author: aegoncoffee

Human female. Multi-racial, mostly vegan foodie. Science-lover. Photographer, both alt-process wet darkroom AND digital. Fluent in legalese. Use a French press with enthusiasm. Bibliophile. Cephalopodaphile. Taught swimming, trained as an architect, teach users on legal software and legal/compliance topics.
Posted on

Book: The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren, Chapter 31 (so far)

This horror story has become so harrowing that the publisher is releasing chapter 31 in multiple parts, each one slightly more intense than the last!

Covers of The Summer Hikaru Died Chapter 31.1, 31.2, and 31.3

The Summer Hikaru Died, Chapter 31 (so far)
by Mokumokuren
published by Yen Press
2024

I don’t know how many parts there will be to this chapter. Is releasing them in parts supposed to ease the shock? Do doctors not recommend that we read all three at once? I don’t know what to think…

But: yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes. The Houka Festival is creepy. The effigies are creepy.

The line, “So, what did they use before dolls?” is met with a creepy, too-long silence.

The idea that everyone traditionally knew there were holes in the fabric of reality and that it was up to children to go through to the other side to patch them is creeeeeeeeepyyyyyyy….

And yes, I’m eager for more!

Posted on

Life: Beauty, Friendship, and Unpleasant Revelations

Tuesday, a gorgeous autumn evening
Weblog by A. Elizabeth Graves. iPhone photography and links to science-y and foodie topics.

The first week of November… was something.

Beauty: the weather was stunning. Cold mornings led to unexpectedly warm evenings. I made time for pleasant weekend walks with friends, and we basked in sunshine while the bay reflected blue skies. Weeknight sunsets turned the sky nearly every color but green, shortly after the time change let me out of work in time to watch. Clear nights made our local cities sparkle.

Friendship: I’ve spent time with people I’ve known for more than a decade, chatted amiably with people I met only this week, and enjoyed unexpected “quality time” engrossed in long conversations with people I’ve known for only months. Life stories. Travel plans. Disappointments in politics. Pet strollers. Compliments on my non-Sharpie-styled eyebrows. Mohawk hairstyle maintenance. A surprising number of people who know where the best Thai Buddhist temples in the region are. Good Indonesian restaurant recommendations! I’ve felt warmth, curiosity, kindness, and delight. I feel so lucky to have people around me who make me feel this way, and I hope I can do the same for them.

Unpleasant revelations: The U.S. elected a grifter felon president before being willing to elect a woman… AGAIN. Nationalism and fascism have more appeal than I can readily accept, as cartoon-villain-types providing simple-but-untrue answers continue to win out over the stickier details of a measurable consensus reality. I see there are plenty of people who prefer to watch the world burn if they don’t get their desired place near the front of some metaphorical line, but don’t hear them offering anything better. (Though I understand from Adam Serwer’s clearly reasoned book. The Cruelty is the Point, that they don’t intend offer alternatives, as their goal is not to improving anything.)

The returning-to-the-opposition party still fails to rise to new challenges, remaining blandly lukewarm about most topics of import (getting elected to protect the environment, but approving fossil fuel projects; being elected to protect individual reproductive rights, but having defectors spoil every opportunity to pass protections; letting allies and trading partners engage in genocide, rather than standing up for human rights; being bipartisan in situations where cross-aisle-status-quo posturing benefits no one…). Failures to deliver results drive apathy; being an alternative to an apocalypse only works so many times.

The fights for progress and justice never end, but it would be nice if they sometimes offered intermissions for refreshment breaks AND guaranteed no backsliding. Since they don’t, please take care of yourselves, avoid the conspiracy theorists in the breakroom, roll up your sleeves, and find a niche where you can make a positive difference.

Posted on

Life: Travel to Tokyo and Kobe, Japan

Image of Mt. Fuji reflected in a river on a cloudy day.

I am stateside again after ten satisfying days in Japan. This trip was my third visit, and the best yet.

The +16 hour time difference continues to haunt me, as does whatever is happening in my left ear that makes my hearing come and go. I’m working on re-establishing a sleep schedule that overlaps with nighttime here. I’m also sorting out when and if to eat, which is confusing (and not helping me slim down as I’d hoped).

I had a new Chromebook with me, and so was able to organize favorite photos capturing my many interests into massive Google Photo Albums with lengthy captions about flavors, pools suitable to occupy as water spirits, and watercolors that match drying rice… and then realized that innocent colleagues will likely be overwhelmed by these details, and that I should offer something snack-sized.

So I’ve illustrated my ‘top ten’ favorite experiences from this trip. You will not be surprised that many of them relate to food. Those experiences are:

  • Kobe and Tokyo: Vegan and Vegetarian Foods (Food!)
  • Kobe: Sorakuen Garden
  • Kobe: Waterfalls and Emerald Streams
  • Tokyo: Matcha and Wagashi (Food!)
  • Tokyo: Tokyo Ramen Street (Food!)
  • Tokyo: Lotus Ponds and Temples
  • Tokyo: Art Supply Heavens
  • Tokyo: Dining in a Traditional Building (Food!)
  • Tokyo: Immersive Contemporary Art
  • Tokyo: Shrines

You can see little collages and read brief summaries of these topics in ten blog posts at the link below.

Mobilelene
Weblog by A. Elizabeth Graves. iPhone photography and links to science-y and foodie topics.

I’m unlikely to write a single, long travelogue entry, though I kept a diary while I was there. I’ll take more time to reflect on the trip before considering that. However, it’s safe to say that the trip exceeded all of my expectations, and went SO well that I’ve already booked flights for a 2025 return.

I used my travel time to enjoy some books, and will post about those here soonish.

Posted on

Book (Manga): The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren, Chapters 27 – 30

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren, covers of serial Chapters 27 - 30

The Summer Hikaru Died
by Mokumokuren
published by Yen Press (ongoing, this is about Chapters 27 – 30)
2024 – present

My favorite horror series about body-part-collecting-beings from ‘the other side’ continues! The story is well-paced, and builds upon earlier revelations. As noted earlier, do not read these out of order! And don’t read further if you haven’t started the series.

Chapter 27: Yoshiki and new Hikaru hear a novel explanation of what’s happening in their town from the stranger in sunglasses, who asks new Hikaru to try to fix the rift between worlds. Yoshiki wrestles with his feelings for new Hikaru. The sky has weird lines in it. Also: there is a very attractive drawing of pancakes.

Chapter 28: Kurebayashi rejoins the boys. This chapter contains the creepiest social media post EVAH, posted by a kid who is OVER IT. (I respect his impatience with ghosts!)

Chapter 29: New Hikaru shows off some of his cleansing powers at a classmate’s house in Ashidori, a village where they may have something to fix. That classmate’s occult-obsessed brother recommends an upcoming festival.

Chapter 30: The Houku Festival is cheerful, aside from the creepy little dolls people make as an offering. Asako feels like she isn’t helping to protect the village, so she goes off on her own (!) to a forlorn, abandoned house (!!) that has sounds coming out of it (!!!). (GIRL – nooo!)

There is something that moves the story forward in every chapter – this tight pacing is fantastic. (You’ve read me complaining about the many manhwa stories that veer off onto tangents about agriculture… This has the most agricultural setting of any story I’ve read, yet Mokumokuren STAYS. ON. THEME.) The way Yoshiki wrestles with his attachment to new Hikaru feels authentic. The increasing creepiness and limited timeline for preventing something awful from happening build tension well. I continue to love this series!

Posted on

Book (Manhwa) Update: I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog By: CMJM, Jagae, Jkyum – now Complete

This story is 92 chapters of revenge, self-denying-relationship-dynamics, and a fear that a loving couple has no future because of flaws within each of their characters.

I endorsed this comic at chapter 71, and I endorse it still. It is suspenseful all the way through!

Book (Manhwa): I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog by CMJM, Jagae, Jkyum – Books and Coffee
I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog by CMJM, Jagae, Jkyumpublished by Tappytoon (71 chapters, in season 3, ongoing)2022 (?) – present

I’ve already described it, but can add that devoting one’s second-chance at life solely to revenge is not sensible. Also, self-loathing about the decisions one makes to have revenge can sabotage a relationship even more than stealing and mutilating a body together does. (Does this sound like a lesson that applies to you? If so, let’s NOT hang out!)

Beyond avoiding self-loathing, the story suggests that honesty, open communication, avoiding saddling your love with army-borrowing-related-debt, and perhaps even admitting to bearing your loved one’s children rather than hiding in another territory could all improve your love life. This… feels like solid general relationship advice. Fringe, yet accurate. While this story is marked with the “romance” tag of Tappytoon, such stories are usually more upbeat and don’t involve as many years of not speaking to each other or even being in the same region as this story does. (There is some realism in this, however.)

It is suspenseful – a character coming close to using magic to erase their life, inconveniently located cliffs, inconveniently deadly monsters, attempted assassinations, children running away with armies, a man bullying a younger man who may seek to avenge himself later, and the very real risk of a murder breaking a fragile, restored trust continue through the penultimate chapter. (Penultimate: a good name for a fountain pen shop, especially if it is second-to-last on a block.)

I truly enjoyed this violent, suspenseful, revenge-centric fantasy. This is a riveting adventure story of good people doing gory / bad things and suffering for it for many years before admitting their faults and choosing love. I continue to recommend it.

Posted on

Life: I Love Autumn Sunrises

Glowing morning
Weblog by A. Elizabeth Graves. iPhone photography and links to science-y and foodie topics.

I know I’m more likely to see them because it is so darned dark when I get out of bed, but… STILL.

THE COLORS ARE AMAZING. I get the warm fuzzies just for being alive and having color vision to see this.

Posted on

Language Study: Feeling Less Than Literate

Duolingo graphic in Japanese and English for "Naomi sometimes watches anime."
Naomi-san wa tokidoki anime o miru masu?.. but… but… Tokidoki is one of my favorite words, at least.

I feel like I’m somehow both succeeding (because I’m really good at multiple choice) and failing (because I am mentally exhausted from work and can’t communicate basic concepts coherently). This isn’t anyone’s fault but my tired brain’s.

I appreciate Duolingo for giving my language anxiety an outlet, and for making me practice my weakest alphabet, Katakana.

Posted on

Book News: Han Kang Won the Nobel Prize for Literature

I’m excited to read that Han Kang has won the Nobel for her writing! I’m so delighted that this talented writer has been recognized.

South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature
Han, whose works include The Vegetarian, was praised for her ‘intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life’

(The article above is one of the most thoughtful articles to come out about her work, how other writers feel about her books, and more.)

South Korea is very proud of her – she is the first South Korean to win this prize – and it is great that her books are selling out there with this good news (also theguardian.com).

I’ve only read one of her books so far, but enjoyed it – it was disturbing, but also quite beautifully written. My brief description is below.

Book: The Vegetarian by Han Kang – Books and Coffee
The Vegetarianby Han Kangpublished by Penguin Random House2016
Posted on

Language Study: 1900 Days of Duolingo

Duolingo graphic: I'm on a 1900 day learning streak!
1900 days…

I have some plans that may keep me from being able to maintain this streak through the end of the year, but in the meantime, here’s to celebrating my language obsession! [clinking of virtual glasses]

Yes, I’m back to Japanese. No, I’m not very good at it.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress