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I hosted a Harry Potter-themed baby shower. More here!

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Historical footage of the last T-Rex serving his country in WWl.

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So tempting...

Ancillary stitch markers – Snag free knitting stitch markers – set of ten – tea, fish, spaceship, gun, all on soldered silver jump rings

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My vacation reading list (so far)

The Devourers by Indra Das

Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta

After the Crown by K.B. Wagers

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan

League of Dragons by Naomi Novik

Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

Winter of the Gods by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Good thing this trip involves two 16-hour flights..

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The fourth mission of HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) has come to an end. You can read more about the experience over at NPR.org.

Here’s a taste:

Living in such close quarters is difficult. Asked whether the experience left her with any close friends, Heinicke was diplomatic. “Um, well, three of them I’m definitely going to stay in very close contact with,” she said.

Reminder: there were six crew members.

Images: Sian Proctor/NASA HI-SEAS, University of Hawaii

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Such a fun book!

Listen to an audio excerpt from BEHIND THE THRONE by @kbwagers.

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same

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When Katherine began at NASA, she and her cohorts were known as “human computers,” and if you talk to her or read quotes from throughout her long career, you can see that precision, that humming mind, constantly at work. She is a human computer, indeed, but one with a quick wit, a quiet ambition, and a confidence in her talents that rose above her era and her surroundings.

Magnificent Vanity Fair profile of pioneering NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, one of science’s trailblazing women. Also see the untold story of the remarkable women who powered space exploration. 

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1: Of non- @orbit-publishing books, probably The Code Book by Simon Singh.

2: 6 or 7, I think (NGL, some of them are still at my parents’ house).

3: NEVER. I forbid people who borrow my books from doing so. That’s why we have bookmarks!

4: I would love to see a TV show of Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens.

5: Oh, this is hard. Um, my top TV fandoms are probably still The X-Files, Veronica Mars, and The Middleman.

Get to Know You: Book Lovers Edition

We’re still pretty new to Tumblr here at Orbit, and want to know more about our followers. Tagging a few recent additions, but if you see this and would like to participate consider yourself tagged! :-)

1.     Favorite book of 2016 (so far).

2.     How many bookshelves do you own?

3.     Do you fold the corners of pages?

4.     What book or series would you like to see turned into a television show?

5.     Top three fandoms (literary or otherwise). Go!

Tagging: @darling-child-tisarwat, @akkarinkhr,  @hayloumac, @clockwork-hobbit, @milady-tevinter  Feel free to ignore if memes aren’t your jam.

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There’s some great behind-the-scenes stories about THE FIFTH SEASON in this terrific interview by The New York Times. Did you know Jemisin nearly walked away from the novel during the writing process? We’re so glad she didn’t, and I’m sure many of you are too!

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Favorite cosplay at this year’s SDCC, part 2.

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Favorite cosplay at this year’s SDCC, part 1.

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Words I learned this week

abecedarium: “An inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order.“ Source: A blog post on a completely unrelated topic that I can no longer find.

quiddity: “The essence or inherent nature of a person or thing.“ Source: Re-read of @maggie-stiefvater‘s The Raven Boys. (I missed it the first time around!)

kenning: “A metaphorical phrase used in Germanic poetry (especially Old English or Old Norse) whereby a simple thing is described in an allusive way, such as ‘whale road’ for ‘sea’, or ‘enemy of the mast’ for ‘wind’.” Source: This post on Old English words and phrases.

Have you learned any interesting words lately?

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O’Leary came up with the idea in November when he participated in NaNoGenMo, or National Novel Generating Month. It’s a twist on National Novel Writing Month, which since 1999 has challenged writers to complete a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. Instead of writing words, NaNoGenMo participants write code that generates a 50,000-word “novel.”

“You're trying to make a computer write a novel, so you're looking for the most formulaic novel you can think of. And so I was thinking about these fantasy novels, and they always had these maps inside the cover,” O’Leary says, “So I started thinking, well could I make one of those maps?”

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N.K. Jemisin’s acceptance speech for her Hugo Award for Best Novel (delivered by Alyssa Wong). Yay!

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I was sorted into Justitopia.

omg what are the other houses at EAGLECREST

Why don’t I just sing you the song of the Sorting Hat

Oh say can you see EAGLESCREST,Where FREEDOM is our song?Just kidding, you’re not free at all.I’ll say where you belong.

You might belong in Bluthyonce, where weirdo glamour rules.They love sharp wit and fizzy drinksAnd boys from other schools.

(And sometimes girls.)

Perhaps in Justitopia Your Self will be supported:You’ll vegan be, and read Chomsky,And protest being Sorted.

Or maybe up in Laxdisick,clad in Nantucket Red,You’ll tie a cardi round your neckAnd crush beers on your head.

And last of all is ShrugstagramWhere all are like, “Whatever.”There’s wifi and the beds are softAnd wakeup time is never.

At EAGLESCREST four houses stand,But all of us are buddies,Because this is AMERICA!!!!!,And no one ever studies.