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Aha, obviously I wasn't paying the closest attention to #BookWyrm development discussions mid last year, because much of the underlying cause of these problems is already to be resolved in a big refactor of the underlying reading -status and -activity logic[1].

There's something to be flagged here about editions versus works, but I'm much too tired to keep track of my own thoughts on it. Broadly speaking, though: hopefully these two critically distinct technical roles will not get muddled up in all the talk of books because in some cases "book" really ought to be either "edition" or "work" and to assume the wrong meaning would cause hassle down the line! [2]

In the meantime, I am going to wean myself off the buzz of keeping absolutely complete records through status-shelving[3]; learn to love the annual Reading Goal page as a clue to the state of each edition's respective "Your reading activity"; and be more attentive as to how the reading date data fall. [5]

Looking forward to that refactor --- settling into a groove should become more intuitive afterwards, especially for newcomers. (And I find the idea of independent privacy settings for reading activity exciting! I worry, lightly, sometimes about doxxing my mates or embarrassing author acquaintances if my reading history veers someday toooo niche, you know? What other uses will people come up with from such powerful new affordances? Super cool!)

[1] That would be BookWyrm pull request #2170: 'Refactors reading status Shelf and ReadThrough logic' [2] I get the impression not many other wyrmsters are juggling multiple editions in their reading activity yet. [3] I will still exploit whatever loophole lets me shelve multiple editions of a work at once under "Currently Reading" (and thus enjoy all the associated mod cons on the homepage); but nominate only one of them for the "Read"/"Stopped Reading" shelves[4]. [4] This could be a problem if one edition proves worth finishing while another definitively does not. And by could I mean without a doubt will be. Sooo fingers crossed I (and anyone else in this sort of position) finish everything or get even more over status-shelving before that problem arises. That is, until #2170 is implemented and hopefully editions' actions can fly around properly independently of each other...? [5] While continuing to keep my own records off-wyrm.

Guess what sits top of the list Gardening in Naarm’s Sandbelt, where I wrote what seems review enough I figured I’d expand slightly on it with an actual one.

Grounded in the very geology of the place, this is a slim but rich introduction to a representative selection of local plant species, and assisting them in forming communities.

It is useful as! The authors strike a fine balance, which the clear presentation makes look so easy: being welcoming to beginners, reaching deep for the hardcore, and always keeping things convenient. It’s a surprise not to have met more books of this formula, as such guides could obviously be immensely beneficial in all kinds of places.

The text isn’t perfect. My biggest gripes are wordings that would confine Aboriginal practices to the past, and quite so readily condoning resort to rank pesticide.

I might have liked slightly more attention on incorporating indigenous plants in the kitchen garden, but that may make for a different book. The curation as is is not in need of upsetting. It is well suited to a good range of contexts.

Still an invaluable resource two decades on — indeed, only growing in urgency every month — this title is commonly held by public library services around the region, although remains worryingly out of print and pixel.

A revised edition would be so welcome! Meanwhile, I’d encourage anyone with so much as an egg carton in the area to reserve, show to friends, and cherish those remaining copies.