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Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

#TattooThursday Had another session done on my thigh piece last week. #witchsky

Front view of my left thigh. There is a tattoo of a gray hare among the leaves of three foxglove plants. The tall stalks of the plants have bell-shaped flowers in purple, fuchsia, and pink from left to right.

View of the inside of my left thigh. There is a tattoo of a gray toad beneath the green leaves and yellow flowers of a yarrow plant. A gray bee hovers above the flower. To the right you can see the snout and foot of the hare and some leaves of foxglove wrapping around for the front of my thigh. Some leaves and some mushrooms are just outlined right now.

January 8, 2026 at 8:59 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Last book of my 7 Best Reads of 2015 is "Witness for the Dead" by Katherine Addison. Set in the same world as the amazing "The Goblin Emperor," this novel is similarly full of magic, mystery, intrigue, and fascinating characters. The sequels are great, too.

Cover of "Witness for the Dead" by Katherine Addison. It shows a closeup of a baroque gold filigree structure featuring cats or perhaps leopards in foliage.

January 8, 2026 at 3:58 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

"Chain Gang All-Stars" by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is number 6 on my Best Reads of 2025 list. This near-future sci-fi novel is a violent and harrowing story of gladiatorial combat in fascist America. It's fantastic, but definitely a hard read.

Cover of "Chain Gang All-Stars" by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. The cover shows a stylized illustration of a red scythe with multicolored flames or lightning coming off the tip on a yellow background. There is a label in the upper right corner saying the book is a National Book Award finalist.

January 7, 2026 at 2:13 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

"The Lindens" by Barney Jeffries is fifth on my list of Best Reads of 2025. Not my typical genre, it follows the lives of various people living in the title house over a century. Poignant, funny, and well-written.

Cover of "The Lindens" by Barney Jeffries. The cover shows an illustration of a house on tan ground with a pale blue sky behind it. The house has several layers showing the changes to it over time. There is a For Sale sign in front. There are cloud, planes, birds, and a floating silver heart in the sky around the house. A black and white goat peeks around a corner.

January 6, 2026 at 4:01 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Number 4 on my Best Reads of 2025 list is "Thoth" by Lesley Jackson. It's a wonderfully complete and layman-friendly guide to the ancient Egyptian god of writing, medicine, magic, the moon, and so much more. I found it really fascinating.

Cover of "Thoth: A History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom" by Lesley Jackson. It shows a blue stone statue of the ibis-headed Thoth on a yellow background.

January 5, 2026 at 2:51 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Favorite reads of 2025 number 3 is "The Last American Road Trip" by Sarah Kendzior. Tempted to call this my favorite book of the year. Full of grief, rage, wonder, and defiance. Sarah does not miss.

Cover of "The Last American Road Trip" by Sarah Kendzior. It shows a westen US desert landscape with a road goin off in the distance and metal power line towers in the right foreground.

January 3, 2026 at 10:49 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

For the next week, I'm going to share my favorite books that I read in 2025. These didn't necessarily come out in 2025, but that's when I read them.

Book number 2 is The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman. This is a prequel to "The Blacktongue Thief" and it's even better than that one.

Cover of "The Daughter's War" by Christopher Buehlman. It is a primarily red and black image showing bodies piled around a battlefield. One woman warrior stands crouched as if wounded with her back to the viewer.

January 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

For the next week, I'm going to share my favorite books that I read in 2025. These didn't necessarily come out in 2025, but that's when I read them.

The first book is Chuck Wendig's "The Staircase in the Woods." The story is like a dungeon crawl through a haunted house.

Cover of "Staircase in the Woods" by Chuck Wendig. It depicts a spiraling metal staircase in a shadowy forest. A crow or raven sits on the railing.

January 1, 2026 at 8:20 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Happy New Year to all from our new lemon pig, Misfortune!

A pig made out of a lemon with cloves for eyes, yellow toothpicks for legs, a curled piece of aluminum foil for a tail, and a nickel in its mouth.

January 1, 2026 at 3:42 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

I don't like winter or cold, but most of the warm states are run by Republicans. So there aren't a lot of places I'd be really excited to live in the US.

December 30, 2025 at 2:39 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, or alice in chains.

(I can think of at least four.)

Cover of "From the Choirgirl Hotel" by Tori Amos

Cover of "Little Earthquakes" by Tori Amos

December 28, 2025 at 3:28 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Feeling pretty blue but I've got a cute night shirt and a cat so it could be worse.

Overhead selfie of me laying in bed propped up on armed pillow. I'm wearing white night shirt with black bears on it in various positions. I'm wearing red and black flannel pajama pants that also have black bears on them. Most of a gray cat is visible curled against my side. The vibes are cozy but sad.

December 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

Merry Christmas to everyone from Jean-Paul, our holiday tree!

A Christmas tree decorated in multicolored lights and ornaments standing to the right of a fireplace. Two Christmas stockings hang from the mantel. There are holiday cards arranged on the mantel and some presents under the tree.

December 26, 2025 at 3:07 AM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

My work outfit is on point today Hothy Holidays!

Mirror selfie in a small bathroom. I'm wearing a blue, white, and gray holiday sweater showing a snowspeeder, AT-AT waler, taun-tauns, and laser cannon from the Hoth scenes in "The Empire Strikes Back." I'm also wearing Santa hat.

December 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM

Tom Bombeardil

@rantipole.bsky.social

At least my back feels good enough for me to dance around like a fool.

"But I will come for you in the evening, ragged and bleeding
Shaking my gold like a tambourine
A bouquet of brambles, all twisted and tangled
I'll make you sing for me, I'll make you scream"