The Word-Hoard: Beldame

October 2, 2018 Bushi 0

Beldame n. 1. An old woman, especially an ugly one; a hag. 2. (Obsolete) Grandmother.   When I did a Google search for “beldame,” the first several pages of results mostly related to a famous racehorse from the early 1900’s, so it may be worth keeping in mind that the […]

Carmilla

Hallowread: Carmilla

October 1, 2018 Bushi 6

It’s become something of mine to do a little special reading for the Halloween season. Two years ago, I read and blogged about Frankenstein along with HP of the Every Day Should Be Tuesday book review blog. Last year was Poctober, a reading of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s stuff. […]

Dray

The Word-Hoard: Dray

September 28, 2018 Bushi 0

Dray n. A vehicle used to haul goods; especially a strong cart or wagon without sides.   v. To haul on a dray.   Not too long ago we looked at a similar word – “wain.” Like “wain,” “dray” is another word for a wagon or cart, and like these […]

Shagreen

The Word-Hoard: Shagreen

September 27, 2018 Bushi 3

Shagreen n. 1. An untanned leather covered with small round granulations and usually dyed green. 2. The rough skin of various sharks and rays when covered with small, close-set tubercles.   “Shagreen” is another cool word that I first encountered through Howard’s Conan stories. The material was originally made from horse […]

Eldorado

The Fantasy of Edgar Allen Poe

September 26, 2018 Bushi 0

It seems to be a recurring theme with me – that for years I was unaware of such-and-such an author or was mistaken about the nature of his or her writings. Such was the case with Edgar Allen Poe. Last year, for the Halloween season, I did a little bit […]

Introduction to the Insane Scifi of Cordwainer Smith

September 25, 2018 Bushi 5

Last month I wrote about the largely forgotten grandmaster of weird SFF, Clark Ashton Smith. Recently I’ve revisited the “best of” collection of another undeservedly obscured scifi great (and another Smith) – Cordwainer Smith. I wrote a bit about Cordwainer Smith last year over at the Castalia House blog. If […]

Lilliput

The Word-Hoard: Gulliver’s Travels

September 24, 2018 Bushi 2

It’s a shame, but I think the term “classic literature” puts off a lot of readers. I know that for my part, I long considered “the classics” ponderous books to be read in school. It wasn’t until recent years that I became intellectually curious enough to really start dipping into […]

Jurgen cover

Jurgen the Clever

September 21, 2018 Bushi 2

Owing to the intensity of starting a new job in a rushed situation, my reading of Witch World has been placed on hold. I have, however, been able to get some Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice in, for reasons only immediately obvious to myself. Jurgen is an odd but wonderful admixture. Filled to […]

books

Doing Mobile SFF for Free!

September 20, 2018 Bushi 7

On the most recent episode of Geek Gab, our hosts talked a little about reading and buying digital vs paper books. Of course it’s not a new discussion – for some people, there’s no adequate substitute for the physical sensation of a book in their hands. “Real” books are much […]

Pellmell

The Word-Hoard: Pellmell

September 19, 2018 Bushi 0

Pellmell adv. 1. In a disorderly, headlong haste; in a recklessly hurried manner. 2. In a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, manner, etc.   adj. 1. Indiscriminate; disorderly; confused. 2. Overhasty or precipitate; rash.   n.  1. A confused or jumbled mass, crowd, etc. 2. A disorderly, headlong haste.   “Pellmell” […]