Mags L Halliday
@magslhalliday.bsky.social
Writer. Waffler. Former redhead.
Occasional public sector comms person. All views my own.
She/Her.
Please use alt text on images.
www.magslhalliday.co.uk or https://linktr.ee/magslhalliday
Occasional public sector comms person. All views my own.
She/Her.
Please use alt text on images.
www.magslhalliday.co.uk or https://linktr.ee/magslhalliday
Pinned
a woman is talking to a man in a room and asking him if he reads every one of these books .
Alt: Belle, a beautiful woman, is talking to a man who is a beast. They’re in his library, and she is asking him if he has read every one of the books.
media.tenor.com
It’s the 2025 “books I’ve read” thread.
I made a mistake and had three non-fiction books on the go at once. This always slows me right down.
I made a mistake and had three non-fiction books on the go at once. This always slows me right down.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
I don't recall where I found this, but I'd say this looks about right.
November 28, 2025 at 3:33 AM
I don't recall where I found this, but I'd say this looks about right.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
This Black Friday, instead of an air fryer, why not get a copy of A History of the World in 47 Borders for under a fiver? Buy a dozen, do your christmas shopping in one click, sorted
www.amazon.co.uk/History-Worl...
www.amazon.co.uk/History-Worl...
A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Sunday Times #1 Bestseller
Explore the untold stories behind the world's borders in this Sunday Times bestseller praised for its novel, fascinating, and delightful insights into global history.
www.amazon.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 8:35 AM
This Black Friday, instead of an air fryer, why not get a copy of A History of the World in 47 Borders for under a fiver? Buy a dozen, do your christmas shopping in one click, sorted
www.amazon.co.uk/History-Worl...
www.amazon.co.uk/History-Worl...
This one ticked multiple boxes:
📚 love libraries
🥞 love pancakes
🛸 love alien spaceships landing in a west country village.
📚 love libraries
🥞 love pancakes
🛸 love alien spaceships landing in a west country village.
NEW deep dive for paying subscribers!
My first look at a repurposed building also covers Bernard Adams' 'Method' consortium and how the same conversations about town planning are happening again.
Plus the building looks like a TARDIS inside.
All thanks to a reader's rec to look at it.
My first look at a repurposed building also covers Bernard Adams' 'Method' consortium and how the same conversations about town planning are happening again.
Plus the building looks like a TARDIS inside.
All thanks to a reader's rec to look at it.
Nailsea Library (former), Nailsea (1971)
Exploring the history of Nailsea's old library, a brutalist gem that now serves up lattes.
buttondown.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM
This one ticked multiple boxes:
📚 love libraries
🥞 love pancakes
🛸 love alien spaceships landing in a west country village.
📚 love libraries
🥞 love pancakes
🛸 love alien spaceships landing in a west country village.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
UNBOUND AUTHORS: Leftover copies of your books in the UK (MacMillan) warehouse will be pulped within the next week or two. DM me for a link to the warehouse stock list and contacts.
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
November 27, 2025 at 3:25 PM
UNBOUND AUTHORS: Leftover copies of your books in the UK (MacMillan) warehouse will be pulped within the next week or two. DM me for a link to the warehouse stock list and contacts.
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
If you have no dosh, another publisher (Wilton Sq) is willing to buy the books & distribute on a 50/50 profit split
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
My book Where We Stand, Where We fall is now up for pre-order. It's about the politics of Doctor Who, the themes the show keeps returning to over sixty years.
I mentioned this last week, but now there's a proper post about it, with a 30% discount code from the publisher: lmmyles.com/2025/11/26/b...
I mentioned this last week, but now there's a proper post about it, with a 30% discount code from the publisher: lmmyles.com/2025/11/26/b...
November 26, 2025 at 2:18 PM
My book Where We Stand, Where We fall is now up for pre-order. It's about the politics of Doctor Who, the themes the show keeps returning to over sixty years.
I mentioned this last week, but now there's a proper post about it, with a 30% discount code from the publisher: lmmyles.com/2025/11/26/b...
I mentioned this last week, but now there's a proper post about it, with a 30% discount code from the publisher: lmmyles.com/2025/11/26/b...
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Alt text that that has humor and personality and sounds like it was written by the person who took the photo is great, but you gotta do that while remembering that the fundamental purpose is communicating what the image is.
Alt Text isn't the space for seo, secret notes, or inside jokes. It's for people to access media and any context or information that that media has.
If we gon make things right, we gotta find ways to make things right that don't leave us behind.
If we gon make things right, we gotta find ways to make things right that don't leave us behind.
Some are suggesting you deliberately write inaccurate or confusing alt text, because they say this confuses AI scrapers that are analyzing images.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
The purpose of alt text is to help people who cannot see the image. Deliberately misrepresenting the image is a gross misuse of alt text. Don't do it.
November 27, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Alt text that that has humor and personality and sounds like it was written by the person who took the photo is great, but you gotta do that while remembering that the fundamental purpose is communicating what the image is.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Net migration has fallen again to 204,000, the lowest level since 2021 and is forecast to continue falling over the coming years.
Not that you would know it from the endless coverage of Britain's supposed "immigration crisis"
Not that you would know it from the endless coverage of Britain's supposed "immigration crisis"
November 27, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Net migration has fallen again to 204,000, the lowest level since 2021 and is forecast to continue falling over the coming years.
Not that you would know it from the endless coverage of Britain's supposed "immigration crisis"
Not that you would know it from the endless coverage of Britain's supposed "immigration crisis"
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
The problem is not that we hate doing the work or want to do it faster. The problem is that authors aren't just idea factories hooked up to a set of typing fingers: those things are part of a larger body that needs to be fed and clothed and sheltered and loved the same as everyone else.
November 27, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The problem is not that we hate doing the work or want to do it faster. The problem is that authors aren't just idea factories hooked up to a set of typing fingers: those things are part of a larger body that needs to be fed and clothed and sheltered and loved the same as everyone else.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
We are now further away from the theatrical release of Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 12, 1981) than it was from the year it takes place in (1936). We have reached the Indiana Jones event horizon.
November 27, 2025 at 12:49 AM
We are now further away from the theatrical release of Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 12, 1981) than it was from the year it takes place in (1936). We have reached the Indiana Jones event horizon.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
The Meowth is out of the bag.
I am currently researching and writing my next book, 'Space Invaders' a queer history of videogames.
Just like 'Queer As Folklore' this is a subject very very close to my heart. It's very bloody exciting. What a lucky sod!
Thanks @manchesterup.bsky.social!
I am currently researching and writing my next book, 'Space Invaders' a queer history of videogames.
Just like 'Queer As Folklore' this is a subject very very close to my heart. It's very bloody exciting. What a lucky sod!
Thanks @manchesterup.bsky.social!
November 27, 2025 at 9:51 AM
The Meowth is out of the bag.
I am currently researching and writing my next book, 'Space Invaders' a queer history of videogames.
Just like 'Queer As Folklore' this is a subject very very close to my heart. It's very bloody exciting. What a lucky sod!
Thanks @manchesterup.bsky.social!
I am currently researching and writing my next book, 'Space Invaders' a queer history of videogames.
Just like 'Queer As Folklore' this is a subject very very close to my heart. It's very bloody exciting. What a lucky sod!
Thanks @manchesterup.bsky.social!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
No surprise to me either as a 80s-90s home counties grammar school kid.
What if its not the "concerned" left behind vs the cosmopolitan elite? What if its actually the multi-ethnic majority vs the racist elite? What kind of politics could we build on that basis?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
What if its not the "concerned" left behind vs the cosmopolitan elite? What if its actually the multi-ethnic majority vs the racist elite? What kind of politics could we build on that basis?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Racism claims against Nigel Farage are no surprise to us | Letters
Letters: Readers describe the ubiquity of racist attitudes and behaviours at British public schools at the time the Reform UK leader attended Dulwich College
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:30 AM
No surprise to me either as a 80s-90s home counties grammar school kid.
What if its not the "concerned" left behind vs the cosmopolitan elite? What if its actually the multi-ethnic majority vs the racist elite? What kind of politics could we build on that basis?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
What if its not the "concerned" left behind vs the cosmopolitan elite? What if its actually the multi-ethnic majority vs the racist elite? What kind of politics could we build on that basis?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Love it when my own app absolutely nails a game suggestion for me. Crescent County looks fab!
We’re hitting crunch time, so now is the time to use and share(!) Ludocene.com if you don’t want to loose it.
It’s free and supports game experts from all walks of life: www.ludocene.com/tutorial
We’re hitting crunch time, so now is the time to use and share(!) Ludocene.com if you don’t want to loose it.
It’s free and supports game experts from all walks of life: www.ludocene.com/tutorial
November 26, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Love it when my own app absolutely nails a game suggestion for me. Crescent County looks fab!
We’re hitting crunch time, so now is the time to use and share(!) Ludocene.com if you don’t want to loose it.
It’s free and supports game experts from all walks of life: www.ludocene.com/tutorial
We’re hitting crunch time, so now is the time to use and share(!) Ludocene.com if you don’t want to loose it.
It’s free and supports game experts from all walks of life: www.ludocene.com/tutorial
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
It must be the holidays: I fired up the Calcifer Yule Log for the first time this year 🔥
The “Calcifer Yule Log” on hbo max, composed of multiple looped clips of the sentient fireplace from Howl’s Moving Castle with peaceful crackling fire sounds, is wonderful
November 26, 2025 at 11:22 PM
It must be the holidays: I fired up the Calcifer Yule Log for the first time this year 🔥
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
The new Ursula K. Le Guin exhibition at Oregon Contemporary is a sprawling love note to Portland's most far-out visionary.
The exhibition compiles her hand-drawn maps, and features a reproduction of her NW Thurman writing room... plus doodles of cats!!
The exhibition compiles her hand-drawn maps, and features a reproduction of her NW Thurman writing room... plus doodles of cats!!
Oregon Contemporary’s Le Guin Exhibition: Earthsea Maps, Cat Drawings, and a Full-Scale Reproduction of Her Writing Room
A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin isn’t a typical exhibition. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin wasn’t a typical artist. Curated by her son, Theo Downes-Le Guin, the new show installed at Oregon Contemporary i...
www.portlandmercury.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:47 AM
The new Ursula K. Le Guin exhibition at Oregon Contemporary is a sprawling love note to Portland's most far-out visionary.
The exhibition compiles her hand-drawn maps, and features a reproduction of her NW Thurman writing room... plus doodles of cats!!
The exhibition compiles her hand-drawn maps, and features a reproduction of her NW Thurman writing room... plus doodles of cats!!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
“This new restoration finally allows modern audiences to see this classic as it would have been enjoyed by audiences at the time of its release: starting with the final reel, then a news report about cycling, a comedy short about keeping chickens, a cartoon, and then the first part of the film.”
November 26, 2025 at 3:04 PM
“This new restoration finally allows modern audiences to see this classic as it would have been enjoyed by audiences at the time of its release: starting with the final reel, then a news report about cycling, a comedy short about keeping chickens, a cartoon, and then the first part of the film.”
Today I've written 500 words on a fiction project, and 700+ on the next @westcountrymodern.bsky.social newsletter. I typically run to 1,000 to 2,000 words in a day, so I'm not switching to my third thing (blogpost for @carvehername.bsky.social about pirates) today because I think I'm at my limit.
November 26, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Today I've written 500 words on a fiction project, and 700+ on the next @westcountrymodern.bsky.social newsletter. I typically run to 1,000 to 2,000 words in a day, so I'm not switching to my third thing (blogpost for @carvehername.bsky.social about pirates) today because I think I'm at my limit.
I bought some frozen veggie bao buns when I didn't have my glasses on.
Packet says to sprinkle with water then microwave for 2 mins at 750w. No alternative instructions. We have no microwave.
I've found this guide: will it work?
It feels like it'll work. Help from decent cooks most welcome!
Packet says to sprinkle with water then microwave for 2 mins at 750w. No alternative instructions. We have no microwave.
I've found this guide: will it work?
It feels like it'll work. Help from decent cooks most welcome!
A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfectly Steamed Frozen Pork Buns – THEKITCHENTODAY
thekitchentoday.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I bought some frozen veggie bao buns when I didn't have my glasses on.
Packet says to sprinkle with water then microwave for 2 mins at 750w. No alternative instructions. We have no microwave.
I've found this guide: will it work?
It feels like it'll work. Help from decent cooks most welcome!
Packet says to sprinkle with water then microwave for 2 mins at 750w. No alternative instructions. We have no microwave.
I've found this guide: will it work?
It feels like it'll work. Help from decent cooks most welcome!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Big Finish announces another #DoctorWho Short Trips collection: www.bigfinish.com/news/v/impec...
Directors: @lisabowerman.bsky.social, @nickbriggs.bsky.social and @jasonhaighellery.bsky.social . Cover: Tom Newsom.
New writers and old provide a variety of story styles in these six adventures.
Directors: @lisabowerman.bsky.social, @nickbriggs.bsky.social and @jasonhaighellery.bsky.social . Cover: Tom Newsom.
New writers and old provide a variety of story styles in these six adventures.
November 26, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Big Finish announces another #DoctorWho Short Trips collection: www.bigfinish.com/news/v/impec...
Directors: @lisabowerman.bsky.social, @nickbriggs.bsky.social and @jasonhaighellery.bsky.social . Cover: Tom Newsom.
New writers and old provide a variety of story styles in these six adventures.
Directors: @lisabowerman.bsky.social, @nickbriggs.bsky.social and @jasonhaighellery.bsky.social . Cover: Tom Newsom.
New writers and old provide a variety of story styles in these six adventures.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Thinking of all the Omaze winners in these difficult times. #Budget2025
November 26, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Thinking of all the Omaze winners in these difficult times. #Budget2025
Thoughts and prayers to my former colleagues at the VOA, who will be faced with very rich people getting dubious valuations on 1 April 2026 that mysteriously undervalue their property.
Remember how in 2010 to 2015 there was this drumbeat of 'Ed Miliband's celebrity neighbours in Dartmouth Park whining about the mansion tax' stories? Well, get ready for Keir Starmer's celebrity neighbours in the Kentish Town area doing the same thing!
November 26, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Thoughts and prayers to my former colleagues at the VOA, who will be faced with very rich people getting dubious valuations on 1 April 2026 that mysteriously undervalue their property.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
OBR identifies SEND spend as one of the key medium term risks for its forecasts and particularly the number of councils who will not be able to balance budgets once the statutory override. Huge battle to come on that in the next year.
November 26, 2025 at 12:49 PM
OBR identifies SEND spend as one of the key medium term risks for its forecasts and particularly the number of councils who will not be able to balance budgets once the statutory override. Huge battle to come on that in the next year.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
three people buying a book we didn't really have on our radar at my old bookstore was instant "order more, face it out, somebody on staff read it and write a talker for it" territory
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM
three people buying a book we didn't really have on our radar at my old bookstore was instant "order more, face it out, somebody on staff read it and write a talker for it" territory
"Multi-use".
November 26, 2025 at 11:57 AM
"Multi-use".
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Simon Callow, Ekow Quartey and more talk Wicked! here. youtu.be/39wiRjxTPAk
Behind the scenes at Doctor Who: Wicked!
YouTube video by bigfinishprod
youtu.be
October 7, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Simon Callow, Ekow Quartey and more talk Wicked! here. youtu.be/39wiRjxTPAk