Captain Vimes' notes: "Itym: Where did it come from? Itym: Where did it goe?"

My brain: The Dragon was Cotton-Eye Joe!!

I have no idea if that was intentional or not. I wouldn't be surprised, honestly, if Pratchett had referenced that (the song itself has been around since before the American Civil War), but I don't know if those specific lyrics were in any version recorded prior to the writing of this book.

But the fact that it could possibly be a reference to the folk version of Cotton-Eye Joe amuses me to no end.

I have no idea if this is a common line of thought or not, but I'm getting autism vibes from Carrot, which I'm very okay with. His most recent letter home (when he's moving to the new barracks) really solidifies what I was already thinking.

Does anyone else feel like their opinions on books are less valid/relevant because they don't have as many critique points or don't pick up on as many things? Because I'm very much a vibes gal and while I sometimes notice that a certain writing style or excessive use of stylistic devices is bothering me, or that I dislike the main character or, more often, like the atmosphere an author creates, I usually like most books I read for what they make me feel, if they do make me feel something which is like 90% of books. And while I love some books a lot more than others, I usually can't really tell why, at least not without thinking about it. Like I usually don't pick up on style elements while reading, I just like it. And I sometimes feel like that makes my opinions less valid because oftentimes I like a book and then I read people's reviews where they point out a bunch of things that bothered them or how they hate the way a certain topic is explored, and then I have to rethink my entire opinion on the book 😭😅 A good example could be "A Little Life," I read it because of the hype obviously and I knew it to be a tearjerker, and I sobbed the whole time, I felt so much with all the characters and it really broke me, and then I read a lot of reviews that tore the book apart, saying how it's just misery p*rn and how it's a terrible story and so illogical and far fetched, and that also rang true. And that changed my mind about the whole book.

If I had a nickel for every Japanese novel I've read that has a bookshop, a cat, and a reference to The Little Prince, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Meme format aside, the last Japanese novel I read, The Cat Who Saved Books, also referenced The Little Prince. This might not seem significant to most, but it's one of my all time favourite stories, so it makes me very happy.

And the included Spotify playlist?? Plus the whole list written out?? Incredible.

Based on the prologue alone, I have a feeling I'm gonna be in for an emotional ride. Especially with this playlist playing softly in the background.

BRING ON THE EMOTIONS.

The first paragraph alone has me deeply intrigued. I absolutely love the imagery and the writing style. I've never seen mushrooms described in such vivid, visceral detail.

Also, the line at the end of the second paragraph is 10/10. "I had a strong urge to step back from them, and an even stronger urge to poke them with a stick."

I have a good feeling about this one.