Friends, it's time. After much deliberation, our team of judges has locked down their winners for the 2026 Rando Awards. No more dilly-dallying. No more sleepless nights. Here, in no particular order, are the best books our crew read all last year.

Okay listen I just got out of a late showing of the Backrooms and while I have narrative critic thoughts, damn, that was effective. I so thoroughly enjoyed that.

ISO a sensitivity reader who can look at queer Muslim experiences in a diasporic context in a fantasy novel - anyone working in this area right now (or know anyone who is)? thx!!!

A crowd of French children didn't perform in unison as chain-smoking, hungover Serges Gainsbourg so you could tell me that AI is "inevitable."

Rory Blank@roryblank.bsky.social · 3mo ago

the video of children dressed as Serge Gainsbourg singing to Serge Gainsbourg while he weeps

Doing lit agent research is like an unholy combo of job hunting and dating.

Extremely excited for this poll.

Tom Ewing@tomewing.bsky.social · 3mo ago

One small joy of doing a 90s poll is the tracks which you absolutely knew but just had never connected to a title, the minor character actors of pop. "Oh THAT'S what the "sensimilia... marijuana... song is called"

Old enough to recognize this as a data center

Oh my! Happy 65th birthday to Christopher Priest, the first Black full-time writer (and editor!) for superhero comics, as well as the man who made Black Panther into what you think of as Black Panther My NYMag profile of Priest from 2018: archive.is/0J97j

Comic Book Club@comicbookclub.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Absolute Batman is going for big money on eBay. Oni Press publishes Arabic middle-grade book Yalla! Christopher Priest turns 65 today.

Now watching: (I love this movie so much)

Market and publicize your backlist. Market and publicize your backlist. Market and publicize your backlist. Market and publicize your backlist. Market and publicize your backlist.

Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf@eliaseells.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I KNOW preorders are super important for books, but they're also not how consumers find products, so like... just remember the long tail. People want to go into a place, pick up a thing, and enjoy it. Build more infrastructure around the period of time when readers can actually be consumers.

A thing I've noticed about @jasonsanford.bsky.social is how very gentle he usually tries to be with the world. I could honestly say a lot of nice things about Jason (he's easy to compliment) but this is the most important thing: Jason approaches the world with such curiosity and genuine interest.

With alt text, because this is important.

🍂🫖🍁 Pete’s British Fall 🍂☕️🍁@pmc871.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Just an FYI… 🏳️‍🌈

Mini #FolkHorror thread for you. This morning I found this old confectionery box from the 1940s or 50s in a charity shop. I did some delving and found that the horned, devilish character is called 'Der Fulehung' or 'Lazy Dog'. He was supposedly the...

this, but unironically. maximalism will overtake the scourge of minimalism that has plagued literature for too long

Taco Bell Quarterly@tacobellquarterly.org · 3mo ago

Make it even longer you weirdo

Parked on the street with the windows down; a dad and a kid are biking up the hill. The kid is struggling a bit. The dad says, “What I care about is you’re doing your best. You’re doing great.” 😭😭😭 And don’t we all need to hear that, damn.

YOUR ENEMIES LAMENT YOUR VERY EXISTENCE. DOES YOUR BODY NEED STRETCHING?

I was going to make a joke about this but then I actually read it and the answer is literally "your partner not respecting you" and now I'm depressed

CNBC Make It@cnbcmakeit.cnbc.com · 4mo ago

Don't ignore this red flag behavior in a relationship, psychotherapist says: It could hurt your 'self-esteem and sense of self'

OH HEY WANT TO READ A STORY? I wrote this weird soup for you, friends. www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/nomo...

NoMouth - Nightmare Magazine

The videos show people kissing. They press their mouths together and open their lips. Their tongues move, wet and intrusive, less like they are tasting each other than like they want to lay eggs in th...

nightmare-magazine.com

This is terrible advice.

tip: if your dear ones complain about energy prices (valid) and the cost of running ac, point out that it costs less money and energy to just keep the system running than it does to start and stop it every time you wanna cool off ENDURING HEAT IS NOT A MORAL VIRTUE FFS. IT WILL KILL YOU DEAD.

Faine Greenwood@faineg.com · 4mo ago

Your annual reminder that elderly people are the most vulnerable demographic to death and severe injury during heat waves - and many of them, especially those raised in cooler times, struggle or outright refuse to believe heat can kill them. Keep close tabs on them on hot days.

Ok writer pals, looking for a particular craft book. I found it in a used bookstore in LA once upon a time and to my regret didn’t buy it. It used an example of a character with a lot of stuffed toys on their bed (to show greed/need for comfort). Does anyone know what this is?

On my little stretch break walk around at Merry Pin, I found some patches and some stitch markers that I need to gift to a couple of local friends and, really, I know there is no Pride equivalent of an easter basket BUT THERE SHOULD BE MAYBE.

The demands of the body are unreasonable. What do you mean I have to get up and stretch regularly? What do you mean I have to eat food regularly? What do you mean by SLEEP? @geardrops.bsky.social always says “hydrate or die straight” so at least I have my three beverages to ward that off.

THIS IS SO CUTE.

Bird 🌲@birdwarde.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Introducing........ The Pigeon Bag!!!! 🎉🐦 Available for preorder this Saturday, National Pigeon Day! 🪶

The other night I ordered some new swimwear from Torrid as chlorine has wrecked most of what I have from a couple years ago. And then I saw they had a couple bras with a black velvety flocked snake design. And then I remembered all my house pants have holes in them and paint on them.

As a result of other morning drive thoughts, can you rec me an artist? Looking for someone taking small commissions who is good at a sort of 1970s Disney animation style (for still art, I don’t have an animation budget). No AI, FFS.

Obviously I had such productive and useful thoughts on my drive to work this morning.

Not to get into Heated Rivalry discourse on main but Kesha’s new single with Boy Throb was ghost written by Shane Hollander.