#set your raygun to queue

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

upcoming LGBT+ release! Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White!

A furious debut novel from Andrew Joseph White about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation.

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him — the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.

But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.

Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its powers to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms … until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

Find preorder details on the author’s Twitter here and add Hell Followed With Us on Goodreads to support this trans-tastic, monstrous debut releasing June 7th 2022!

[t-baba]

How to Use Raygun to Identify and Diagnose Web Performance Problems

Web application development is difficult. There is no other type of application that is as involved, or requires you to understand multiple languages, frameworks, and platforms, as web applications. The most basic web application is comprised of two separate applications: 

The server-side application to manage data.

The client-side application displays that data to the user.

The simplest application is written in two languages—one for the server, and HTML for the client. But that's not all: modern applications require you to understand many languages, frameworks, and development tools. At best, an application is developed by multiple teams that can individually focus on smaller pieces of the larger whole. At worst, a team as small as one person develops the entire application.

But the story doesn’t end when an application is “finished”. After a lengthy and involved development processes, there are countless hours of testing for bugs, security issues, integration, performance, and user experience. Although many developers won't admit it, performance and the user experience are often overlooked. The result, of course, is that slow, unrefined applications are released into production.

That’s exactly why tools like Raygun’s Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Real User Monitoring (RUM) exist. They provide developers the means to quickly analyze not only how your application performs in production, but it pinpoints the exact performance issues down to the method or database query, as well as visualizing your visitors’ experiences.

In this article, I will walk you through my experience using Raygun’s APM and RUM to pinpoint issues in a live, in-production website and the steps I took to fix them.

The Problem: A Legacy Application With a Complex Codebase

I work in a fast-paced environment where quantity is more important than quality. That’s not to suggest the software I or my co-workers write is subpar; our applications work well. But the demand on our time requires us to focus more on bugs and security than performance and the user experience.

I recently used Raygun’s APM and RUM to monitor our main public web application: an informational website for the company’s investors. It is written in C# and runs on the .NET 4.6.x runtime.

This application started as multiple small projects written by a team of three people with minimal communication. The projects shared a “core” library that quickly grew into a massive, unwieldy behemoth with a lot of duplicated functionality (as I said, there wasn’t a lot of communication). 

Over the years, the multiple projects morphed into a single large application. It pulls information from multiple MSSQL databases and an IBM DB2 machine to provide visitors with a wide array of economic and industry information. It interacts with other systems on the network, ranging from mail and file servers and other RESTful API services to perform other tasks.

I should also mention that I am somewhat unique in that I have a heavy IT background. My job title is “Programmer/Analyst”, but my actual duties consist of network and systems admin, programmer, and analyst. So when it comes to analyzing any issue, I'm equipped to examine both the code and the systems it runs on and interacts with.

Identifying Performance Issues

I know that my application has several performance issues; one of them is the authentication experience. Visitors must first authenticate using their credentials and then provide their OTP (one-time passcode) for two-factor authentication. Some visitors use a separate authenticator app on their mobile device to generate their OTPs, but most visitors receive their code via email. For the latter group, the authentication experience can take anywhere from 1 to 30 seconds, with most visitors experiencing longer waits.

After installing and configuring Raygun’s APM agent (a very simple process), I started seeing trace data in the dashboard within a minute. The dashboard gives you a glimpse of your application’s performance issues, providing tables and graphs showing the slowest requests, class methods, traces, SQL commands, and external API calls. Sure enough, some of the immediate offenders were related to the authentication process.

The top two slow URLs are used during the authentication process for visitors with emailed OTPs. Both are concerning (holy cow! 31 seconds for one request for /resend2fa). I certainly want to fix all the issues, but my time is limited. Therefore, fixing some of the issues with the /login endpoint is my priority.

Judging from the data provided by the “Slowest requests” table, I already suspect that the culprit is related to the process of sending emails. To be sure, I click the /login link to view the data that APM collected on that URL.

Analyzing the Data

APM collects a lot of information for every request, and it is extremely helpful because it can break down a request into its smaller parts—the methods that execute to provide the visitor with a response. The following screenshot shows the methods, ranked slowest to fastest, for the /login URL:

As expected, the main issue has something to do with the email process. It’s also interesting that the IBM DB2 ADO.NET provider is used during authentication. It shouldn’t be, and it's taking a rather significant amount of time to clear error info (as denoted by the call to IBM.Data.DB2.iSeries.MPConnection.clearErrorInfo()) that shouldn’t even be there. But that’s an issue for another day.

Apart from daily notifications, all emails sent by the website are dispatched on demand. The code that sends these emails is used in a variety of other applications that does not exhibit any performance issues. So in my mind, neither the code or the email server is at fault—there's something wrong on the machine that runs our public site.

There are so many things on a computer system that can cause performance issues. So, after viewing the logs and not seeing any apparent causes, I decide to spin up a new virtual machine and test the website on it. After installing the APM agent on the new machine and testing the login process, I notice a tremendous improvement.

The above screenshot shows the breakdown of where the application calls the SendMessage() method. Simply transferring the application to another machine cut the login process down by 26 seconds! While that's certainly a huge improvement, it still takes an average of 4-5 seconds for the initial login process.

Examining the flamechart for a single /login request (shown below), I can clearly see that sending an email is still an issue because SendMessage() still takes at least 3 seconds to completely execute. 

I can solve this problem by submitting the email message to a queue or batch, and let a separate process send the message. But that feels like a work-around to me. I'd rather find and fix the issue, but I also need to manage my time. There are other, arguably more important projects that I need to complete.

Analyzing the User Experience

Raygun's APM gives you clear performance data for your server, but that's only half of your application. What happens in the browser is just as important as what happens on the server, and Raygun's Real User Monitoring (RUM) gives you insight into how your users experience your application. Not only can it track your users' individual sessions and provide usage statistics (such as number of page visits, durations, and browsers), but it can also give you an accurate picture of their experience as they navigate from page to page.

RUM also displays each requested page and breaks down a its load time into different factors, as shown here:

The /cico URL in this screenshot has a rather high server time of 5 seconds, which is understandable because that page calculates a lot of data gathered from multiple sources on the fly. But now that I see that working with live data greatly slows down the page load, I need to implement a caching/summarizing solution. 

Notice that the /takepay URL has a rather small server time (it works with cached/summarized data), but it has a large render time due to rendering interactive graphs with many data points. So, I can easily solve the slow server response for /cico by daily caching or summarizing the data it works with in a separate process.

But there's more to performance and a user's experience than just response times; when properly configured, RUM catalogs all requests—including XHR, as shown below:

The first thing that caught my eye were the 30+ requests for the /settings/email-alerts URL. Either 30+ people viewed/changed their email alert settings, or that XHR is automatically executed on one of the pages. Unfortunately, RUM didn't give me an immediate idea of what page made the XHR, but I did eventually find the culprits when viewing the performance reports for various pages:

Those needless XHRs do contribute to the load time, and eliminating them can make a big difference..

Conclusion

Raygun provides an invaluable service. As my experience shows, by using APM and Real User Monitoring, you can easily monitor your application's performance. 

They automatically pinpoint the performance issues on both the server and client, which is vital in a fast-paced environment. They truly are fantastic services and you can try them free today!

by Jeremy McPeak via Envato Tuts+ Code https://ift.tt/32zndA4

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

“If I can survive the Witch Hunters, I can survive high school.”

I absolutely loved the These Witches Don’t Burn duology by Isabel Sterling! the worldbuilding is awesome, the characters are vibrant and hilarious, and the queer rep is the perfect topping to this witch-a-licious dessert! be sure to read the digital short story, This Spell Can’t Last, too!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Rating: 5/5 (up from 3/5, reread)

‘Nothing’s ever the same,’ she said. ‘Be it a second later or a hundred years. It’s always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans.’

I didn't understand this book the first time I read it. I was right between high school and university, still very much a child who remembered being such. Now, I'm somewhat curmudgeonly in my mid-20s, longing for all the memories and comforts of my childhood and this book suddenly makes so much sense.

On one hand, this is a book about a little boy defeating a great evil with the help of the marvellous Hempstocks. But on the other, it's a book about a man trying to make sense of the strangest parts of his childhood. I understood the former the first time around but I didn't get the latter. Now I do.

I've come to love books about children, about their wild imaginations and their unstoppable bravery. I know that I was like that once and I miss it but books like these remind me how it felt, even if just for a little while.

A beautiful novel about fear, loss and friendship that I think I'll need to revisit again in the coming years. To remember how it felt again.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: Pumpkin by Julie Murphy Rating: 4/5

"The person who decides they want to be by my side has to do it with their head held high. I’m done being with people who are embarrassed by me or ashamed of me. I’m too good to keep secret."

Dumplin' was a book that took me by surprise, as was its sequel, Puddin' but Pumpkin was a whole other level of awesome and I'm so sad Julie's leaving Clover City behind. Waylon Brewer is another example of Julie's deft hand at creating characters who are fierce and flawed in perfect proportion and his last few weeks of high school are an absolute thrill.

I loved the prom court story. I loved the romance. I loved the relationship between Waylon and his twin sister, Clem. I loved watching Waylon discover drag and find freedom in it. I loved getting to know Hannah better (still bitter the Dumplin' movie white-washed her).

The only thing that left me wanting more was that this is the last book set in Clover City and my disabled angel Amanda didn't ever get much chance to shine. We got updates on all the original crew but Amanda really fell by the wayside which was disappointing.

Still, a fun, fresh novel that would be perfect for fans of Glee or You Should See Me in a Crown.

Warnings: fatphobia, homophobia, parent with alcoholism.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling Rating: 3/5

"None of them had ever suspected. They were all fools. Poison was not the only tool she had."

Eerie, eloquent and unsettling, this was a grim little tale full of mystery and plant magic more dangerous than I've come across before. Reminiscent of We Have Always Lived in the Castle but with a more Victorian bent. Interesting and atmospheric, but not mind-blowing.

Warnings: murder, violence and references to domestic abuse.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Booklr, this is something we all need to be aware of and keep in mind in the coming months

I know that most of us are just here for fun, that we’re just talking about the books we love, but the flood of new releases that’s coming? We need to be careful how we handle it.

Even if you just blog for fun, try to boost the lesser known authors you’re buying and reading in September and October. Post pictures of that debut author you’re trying out. Write a review for the book the store only had one copy of. Gush about the lesser-known author you’ve just discovered who has a backlog you want to investigate.

Authors thrive on word of mouth - this year more than any other. They haven’t had literary festivals and book launches and school appearances to get their books out there. They’ve relied almost solely on the power of the internet - that’s us. The book bloggers, the bookstagrammers, the YouTube reviewers.

We’ve all felt helpless this year but this is something we can all do to help the authors and books being published in this, the weirdest of timelines. We each have a voice - let’s use those voices to help the authors who need exposure.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James Rating: 4/5

“Blood is blood is blood. This is going to be important later, so pay attention.”

Well, the second time's the charm. I tried reading this last year and couldn’t get into it but giving it another shot, I enjoyed this! Harriet wasn't quite as villainous as I wanted her to be but I loved the commentary on family and the personalities of all the ghosts in Mulcture House. A good book for people who want to read something spooky for Halloween but don't want anything nightmare-inducing!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin Rating: 2/5

I don't get why everyone's hyped up about this. I liked that Clara was bisexual and was able to be amicable with her ex-girlfriend and Sang was a lovely character. But all the magic lessons were unbelievably boring to read about and Clara's need to be reassured every five pages got old fast. The plot was way too slow and I really had to fight to keep turning the page. I just didn't click with this. Your mileage may vary.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

If you still support the Supreme TERF or still think it’s okay to give her books free advertising with book photos or house themed posts or whatever, please give this tweet thread a read.

It’s a very good explanation of why continuing to support her hurts the trans community and has some excellent resources for supporting trans authors instead.

the articles referenced aren’t recent but they’re good background worthy of your time to see how her bigotry is affecting the larger political landscape of trans rights issues in the UK

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Read in September 2021

A decent month. It was another of those months that stretched on forever while also taking no time at all. Lockdown life I guess 🙃 next up: Halloween reading...

Australian Authors:  

Fin and Rye and Fireflies by Harry Cook - 3/5

Backlog Books:

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas - 2/5

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas - 2/5

Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller - 4/5

Rescue and Jessica by Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes - 5/5

Other Reads:

Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent - 4/5

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin - 2/5

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - 2/5

The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa - 5/5

Coral by Sara Ella - 3/5

Pumpkin by Julie Murphy - 4/5

Poison For Breakfast by Lemony Snicket - 3/5

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht Rating: 4/5  

"Power was sweeter than apples. It was cheaper than water, and sustained the soul twice as well. If Johann was going to be a Thing with a name, then from now on he would be a Thing with power, too."

Move over Hannigram, there's a new pair of murder husbands in town.

This was one of those deliciously evil, horrific little stories that I crave in the lead-up to Halloween. The setting was Gothic, the characters were ruthless and the language was full of the rich detail that brings a novella like this to life. I did find the plot a little confusing, with how it would suddenly jump from one character to the other or into the past, but I still enjoyed Johann and Florian's story enough to recommend it to anyone who might still be looking to fill a Kaz Brekker shaped hole in their life.

Warnings: violence, rape, murder, self-harm, plague, medical procedures.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins Rating: 2/5

Well, that was dark.

Just like There's Someone Inside Your House, this really wasn't marketed very clearly. We were promised a horror but this is just a run-of-the-mill mystery-thriller that showcases heinous crimes instead of actually being thrilling. The only reason I finished it was because a) it was short, and b) I hoped the ending would be at least marginally satisfying. But it wasn't, really, because it ends that tiny bit too soon.

If you go into this knowing it's a thriller rather than a horror, you'll probably like it more than I did, but please heed the warnings I've listed below because what goes down in these woods is utterly dreadful.

Warnings: gore and injury, body horror, gun violence, murder, violent misogyny, references to domestic abuse, drug addiction, sexual assault, brief mentions of pedophilia and necrophilia.                                              

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

so excited that None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney has been chosen as a Barnes & Noble pick for October 2021!

it was one of my favourite reads of 2020 (so much so that I read it twice in two months lol) and I hope loads more people discover this spectacular novel just in time for Halloween. if you’re a fan of Hannibal or historical crime fiction, definitely pick this up!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

“To be the right person at the right time for someone else is the highest service we can perform.”

Mind the Gap, Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Read in June 2021 🏳️‍🌈

A quieter Pride month than I’d anticipated but The Degenerates was just so good, I couldn’t face reading something that might usurp it from my favourite of the month :p I’m kidding, it just gave me a massive book hangover, but I did get the author’s next book in the mail today so maybe that’ll solve the problem

I set out to read only LGBT+ books by authors of colour and/or that included disabled or mentally ill queer characters which I achieved! but I still have a pretty long TBR I wish I could’ve gotten through... either way, I enjoyed the books I did read and I’ve included my DNFs for your perusal - I didn’t like them but you might :)

Australian Authors: 

The Boy From the Mish by Gary Lonesborough - 5/5

Backlog Books:

This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender - 2/5

Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan - 5/5

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman - 3/5

The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman - 3/5

The Degenerates by J Albert Mann - 5/5

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate - 3/5

Other Reads:

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi - 5/5

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron - 4/5

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson - 5/5

Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman - 4/5

DNFs:

The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Growing Up Queer in Australia (ed.) by Benjamin Law

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Final Draft by Riley Redgate

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper

Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor