OMG, I Shall Wear Midnight put to rest a question I've had since finishing the third book of the Discworld series. That was such a pleasant surprise!

It's nice to see Tiffany grow up and face a bit of harsh reality when it comes to childhood romance. Not many stories are brave enough to face them.

I will say that this book felt kinda like the plot was abruptly changed partway through the story. Like Pratchett didn't like the corner he wrote himself into, and then had to find a way to get out of it. Not in a bad way, because I really enjoyed it, but it did seem a bit weird.

Up next is Snuff, which I believe is the last of the Night Watch arc. So bittersweet!

22. I'm still waiting for my grown-up palate to come in.

I’m at 5 what about you?

Dear Writer-sithbelle,

Just as a heads up, "sardonic" and "sarcastic" do NOT mean the same thing. You might wanna stop using it so much, because your character sounds like a real dick instead of a smartass.

The word you're looking for is "wry", by the way.

Love,

Editor-sithbelle

How dare you call me out like that

I see the original post going around every so often and it saddens me a little that it's never accompanied by this thread explaining why it's completely understandable how a child would arrive at these spellings in accordance with english phonetics

I was a bit too early reading this book during the reread, but I'm glad, because it meant I was able to properly celebrate.

Okay so Dear My Followers Who Aren’t Discworld People,

I bet you get so FUCKING confused when I and dozens of others are putting all this “Glorious 25th of May” stuff on your dash so let me TELL YOU what it’s ALL ABOUT okay but I had a couple shots too fast so bear with my lightweight ass.

It’s a thing from a book called Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. On May 25 in-universe, a thing happened called the “Glorious Revolution” where in this city called Ankh-Morpork the leader (Patrician) died (was sort of assassinated sort of induced into having a heart attack) and a new leader came to power. There was a lot of unrest in the city because the regular people were like Life Sucks We Want Things To Not Suck In These Particular Ways. So the Bad side of the police got dispatched to quell the rebellion and also the damn army got made involved, while there was a group of ragtag Good police who ended up just trying to actually keep the peace and protect the rebels so things would calm down, but a bunch of them got killed and the revolution ended with the new leader sucking almost as bad as the old leader and yeah everything still kinda sucked.

Fast forward a bunch of years to our hero Sam Vimes the commander of the Watch cops chasing a criminal and getting zapped back into the past by magical lightning no that’s not a joke. Vimes was a teenage new police recruit the first time the Glorious 25th happened and now he’s in the past having to pretend to be the guy who trained him the first time. As the same things happen as happened before in this pivotal moment in his life/the city’s history.

And like!! Vimes knows what’s going to happen! He knows people are going to die!! And he knows that if anything about the past changes too much, he won’t be able to go home to his proper present. But the criminal he was chasing got zapped back to the past too so he has to catch that guy so he can go back to the present and have justice be served.

BUT!!!! Even though he KNOWS he probably can’t save anyone who’s “supposed to die” and even though he KNOWS he’s doomed to lose everything he has in his present if things change too much (his wife! is about to have their child!)!!! HE TRIES TO SAVE PEOPLE. Because they’re good men!! And if the price of going home is NOT TRYING! and selling those good men to the night! He doesn’t want to pay it!!

So he TRIES. So fucking hard. Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be Sam Vimes.

And okay anyway let’s not spoil the whole book KidK but anyway! When the good cops are out doing their duty trying to just help things be peaceful in the city, one of them is like “we should have some kind of banner or plume to show we’re in this together” and one of them is like “how about sprigs of lilac I mean they’re all over the place.” So that’s why lilac.

And that’s why Glorious 25th.

And the fandom decided to celebrate it as a remembrance of Terry Pratchett and as a Thing to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s because that’s what PTerry died of.

So that’s what this is all about. A really good book about time travel and found family and comradeship and trying your best against the worst kind of odds. And a really good author who shouldn’t be dead and trying to help others with his same illness.

That’s why lilac, that’s why 25th of May. Okay? Okay.

That's badass! Thank you so much!

Well, wizards playing soccer football was definitely not on my bingo card for a Discworld book, but that's exactly what I just got. Unseen Academicals was completely not what I expected, and I'm so glad for it. Nutt is unfortunately named, but absolutely adorable. And as someone who has a soft spot for incredibly intelligent outsiders (Ahem, a certain Chiss, for example), how could I not fall in love with his character? I'm down to just 4 books left, and that makes me sad, knowing that there are arcs I'll never see beyond these books. But at least I have comfort in knowing I'm going to have a couple more Tiffany Aching books, since the next one is I Shall Wear Midnight.

Ooooh, I'm not sure! I've been reading the books shown on Discworld Emporium's website. I've got The Last Hero if that counts, but I'm not sure about any of the others. Is there a list somewhere?

Well, wizards playing soccer football was definitely not on my bingo card for a Discworld book, but that's exactly what I just got. Unseen Academicals was completely not what I expected, and I'm so glad for it. Nutt is unfortunately named, but absolutely adorable. And as someone who has a soft spot for incredibly intelligent outsiders (Ahem, a certain Chiss, for example), how could I not fall in love with his character? I'm down to just 4 books left, and that makes me sad, knowing that there are arcs I'll never see beyond these books. But at least I have comfort in knowing I'm going to have a couple more Tiffany Aching books, since the next one is I Shall Wear Midnight.

Well, wizards playing soccer football was definitely not on my bingo card for a Discworld book, but that's exactly what I just got. Unseen Academicals was completely not what I expected, and I'm so glad for it. Nutt is unfortunately named, but absolutely adorable. And as someone who has a soft spot for incredibly intelligent outsiders (Ahem, a certain Chiss, for example), how could I not fall in love with his character? I'm down to just 4 books left, and that makes me sad, knowing that there are arcs I'll never see beyond these books. But at least I have comfort in knowing I'm going to have a couple more Tiffany Aching books, since the next one is I Shall Wear Midnight.

Ok, so Making Money is less of a spiritual sequel to Going Postal and more of a direct sequel, which was a pleasant surprise. This book hit home for me in particular because of my day job (accountant / auditor) and Pratchett nailed the personalities of the clerks so well. I'm pretty sure I've met a couple of Mr. Bents over the last few years.

Moving on now to Unseen Academicals, which I'm assuming means I'm going to be entertained by wizards (and perhaps a wizzard) for the next few hours. Woo!

Well, I just stayed up way too late, but there's something about a Tiffany Aching story that makes you have to finish it once you've started it. Wintersmith was delightful, and it leaves me wondering what the next major magical mischief Miss Aching will get into.

Also, I quite enjoyed the return of the riveting Where's My Cow?

Next up is Making Money, which feels like it's going to be a spiritual sequel to Going Postal. I can't wait!

Ohhhh, the mystery of Koom Valley is finally resolved. Thud! Is a delightful book, and I really enjoyed how dark it got.

Next up is Wintersmith, which I know literally nothing about!

I really feel like the last few stories have been some of Pratchett's best work. Going Postal is a really fun ride. I seem to really enjoy seeing a reluctant redemption arc. And it's freaking awesome seeing the soulless, corporate types who bully and enshittify good services get their just desserts (sadly, that's how you know it's a fantasy novel).

And now I say GNU Terry Pratchett in its proper context. May your name go up and down the clacks forever.

Up next is Thud!

Tiffany Aching is a little badass. The stories with her so far are shorter than other Pratchett novels, but I'm really, really enjoying them. It's also fun to see Granny Weatherwax from the eyes of a child. All in all, I loved A Hat Full Of Sky.

Next up, I'm moving on to Going Postal, which I know I saw in Barnes and Noble a bunch when I worked there, but I can't actually remember if I read it or not.

We buried my grandmother earlier this week. Right before I got on the plane, I was asked if I wanted to speak at the funeral, and I couldn't say no. I wrote the following while on the plane. It's not perfect, but it's from the heart, and I wanted to share it so you could get a glimpse of who my grandmother was. ~~~~~~

Everyone has their favorite memories of Grandmama, but I think my favorites were the small moments of a summer weekend. I remember the flowers, the ones she used to tell us about with excitement when they were in bloom. I remember the smell of the coffee pot brewing brightly in the early afternoon just after she’d woken up. Neither of us were made for the early morning, and we’d sit around the dining room table, slowly waking up to the world around us. As she drank her coffee, we’d watch the birds on the feeder, and she’d remark about the different kinds who came to visit that day. Sometimes, we’d see deer grazing in the far field at the edge of the woods. It was a marvel every time, and we hushed so as to not spook them.

There was always a small vase with a flower in it sat on the kitchen windowsill, usually a gardenia or a magnolia (at least in my memory), a sign of her husband’s love and devotion. She’d look at it and smile as she washed out the coffee cup, then give it a sniff and tell us how good it smelled.

After the “morning” routine was complete, it was time to take care of the day. Some maintained the property and did whatever chores needed doing that weekend, some of us ran off and got into whatever mischief we could find, and Grandmama set out to make sure that her family was taken care of, usually by making snacks and sweet tea. In the afternoons, we’d all lounge and play by the pool for hours, and Grandmama would always laugh at our antics until it was time to start getting ready for dinner.

And dinner was never a dull affair in the house. Cooking usually started around dusk, and the meal was usually served at a time when most people go to bed. But that suited us just fine; the night was still young, after all.

After the dishes were washed and everyone else went to bed, it was often just Grandmama and me left in the living room. Sometimes we would read, sometimes we would do puzzles, and sometimes she would tell me wonderful stories of the days before I came along. It was my favorite time of day, and to this day, those are some of my most cherished moments with her.

That is not to speak ill of the big moments she was a part of. She always made a point to be there for any major (or minor) events in her family’s life, and if for some reason she couldn’t make it, she would go out of her way to let you know how proud she was of you and how sorry she was that she wasn’t there.

She was a woman who cared so deeply about those around her, and we are all of us better people for having known her and had her as a part of our lives, both for the big moments and the little moments. I could go on and tell you a year’s worth of stories about her, and it wouldn’t come close to showing how much she meant to not only me, but all of us.

I love you Grandmama, and I know you’re happy to be able to be with all of us all the time now. Thank you for everything.

I think all women should give Monstrous Regiment a read. It does such a good job of portraying the bullshit that goes into being a woman in a man's world. I don't want to go too deep into discussing the plot so I don't spoil anything. But I do hope he continued the story in a later book.

Up next, we return to Tiffany's world in A Hat Full Of Sky!

The Wee Free Men is a great book. I love the Mac Nac Feegles, and they are admittedly much easier to understand this reread than when I first read them (thanks to my Scottish gaming buddy!).

The underlying theme of Tiffany grieving her grandmother is especially poignant for me today, and I'm going to my own grandmother's funeral tomorrow and I don't feel like I'm grieving like I'm supposed to. I'm really looking forward to seeing where Terry takes Tiffany in later books.

Next up is Monstrous Regiment, which marks the most "recent" Discworld book I read in the original read through. I remember loving this book a lot, and I'm certainly going to enjoy it again this time, too.