#096: Burdensome frog teeth.
Pop culture & cosy nonsense for January 2026.
The front door
Hello and welcome to The Brew.
Yesterday I came across a quiz question that asked:
True or false: frogs have teeth and toads do not.
This is obviously false, because who ever heard of someone being bitten by a frog?
Turns out it is, in fact, true; frogs have teeth for holding their prey while they swallow it whole.
If I must be burdened with this fact, so must you.
And now, ONTO THE OTHER STUFF!
Library
Books
Despite being a pretty staunch mood reader, every year I put some books on a shelf and non committally call it my TBR shelf. This year is no exception, and I even have a theme.
The theme is: SERIES: Beginning, Continuing, and Ending Various Book Series.
Roughly half the books on this shelf are ones that that belong to a series that I’ve never finished, never got through the middle of, or never got around to starting.
There are 28 books on this shelf, plus I will read approximately an extra 27+ books for a combination of book clubs, podcast episodes, and reviewing.
I read 37 books in 2025.
How, you may ask, am I to get through this whole dang pile before the end of 2026, given my modest completion rate last year?
The answer, dear reader, is that I do not know. Time travel, maybe. It certainly won’t come from unwavering commitment or staunch determination, as my NY resolution is to not do either of those things.
Expect to see some of these titles on next year’s list!
Tome & Tome Again podcast
The Monk & Robot duology by Becky Chambers
In episode 17, we talk about the Monk & Robot duology by Becky Chambers, containing A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.
We discuss the first novella until 39 minutes into the episode, then we talk about the second novella.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
A Cinnamon Falls Mystery by R. L. Killmore
We Are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
Katabasis by RF Kuang
A Forest, Darkly by A. G. Slatter
Lounge
TV
Mythbusters (2003-2018)—Crafting, puzzling and Lego-ing have continued joyfully in my household this summer, and periodically I need some something on in the background to listen to and 25% watch.
Mythbusters is a Discover Channel show from back in the day - as it were - where special effects experts would design experiments to test common myths. I loved this show and was delighted to learn that all seasons are on ABC iView, so have been working my way through them.
Some myths they tested in early seasons:
can you find a needle in a haystack?
is it more fuel efficient to use aircon or have the windows down when driving?
can you remove hardened cement from a cement truck with dynamite?
do goldfish really have a 3 second memory?
There are a lot of hijinks and explosions as they’re designing and executing the experiments, so it’s a lot of fun. Also I keep spotting funny signs in the background of the workshop they use:
And another thing…
Some linkies (my algorithm has really been ✨serving✨ lately):
Impostor syndrome is a colonial, patriarchal construct: On mediocrity and white supremacy
Girl boss or tradwife? An economist on how a workforce built for men has failed women
‘Too loud’, ‘too messy’, ‘too much’ … why should women be expected to shrink and shut up?
And a memie:
Find more of my book stuff on Instagram @jemofthebrew and my website Oddfeather.
I create and send The Brew from the lands of the Gunaikurnai people, where I also live, work, and drink lots of hot beverages. I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, and pay my respects to the Elders, past and present.