Norabelle414's Page 11: Recharge

Some yellow roses somewhere in my neighborhood.

(This thread number is in BINARY. It's actually my third thread for this year.)

My number one reading goal for this year is to just put last year behind me without worrying about what went wrong or why it went wrong or all the things that didn't get done or all the ways I didn't live up to my standards/goals for myself. Let's just stay focused on the future and move forward.

July Update: This year is a total disaster, but I'm still looking forward!

Other Goals for 2015:

• Read 20,000 pages
  
• Ignore the number of books I'm reading until the last week of December
  
• Average paper book length of 320 pages or more
  
• Catch up on LTER reading / reviewing
  
• Acquire fewer than 75 books
  
• Just keep reading in general, don't fall into a slump
  
  

Previous Threads:
2014, Act Six
2013, part XI
2012, module eta

Books read in 2015:

Paper books:
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler
- Rooms by Lauren Oliver
- Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
- Mort(e) by Robert Repino
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
- Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
- Prudence by Gail Carriger
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
-

Audiobooks:
- One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak
- Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life & Times of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer
- Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
- How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
-

Books acquired in 2015:

January:
1) The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory (free)

February:
2) Dubliners by James Joyce (free)
3) A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin (free)
4) A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin (free)
5) TBD (free)

March:

**lost count in March. Must do inventory before the end of the year**

Currently reading:
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Currently listening to:
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

Coming soon:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan

PAGES READ: TBD
BOOKS BOUGHT: TBD
BOOKS ACQUIRED: TBD
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 10

Currently watching:
Gilmore Girls / The Gilmore Guys Show (podcast) (season 1)
Hannibal (season 1)
Poldark
Humans

Currently knitting:
red socks
various dishcloths

Happy new thread!

>4 norabelle414: Thanks Zoe!

This week on Audiobooksync.com :

The theme is matters of faith -

YA - Echoes of an Angel by Aquanetta Gordon and Chris Macias Read by Robin Miles (available everywhere)
Classic - Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja Read by Spencer Murphy & full cast (Available in the US and Canada only)

Echoes of an Angel is the story of the Christian faith of a teenage boy who was blind but used echolocation, as told by his mother after his death. This book is quite clearly not for me and so I won't say anything further. Buddha Boy, the fictional story of a boy who becomes friends with a bullied Buddhist classmate, is slightly more my style but I probably won't listen to it unless I really have nothing else to listen to.

Yeah, neither of those titles were very appealing to me, either.

Happy new thread!

>8 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!!

Life Update:

Things are going okay. I'm reading every day, though not very much. Work is kicking my butt but I am going on vacation this week (more below). The zoo is good. The Giant Panda may or may not be pregnant. The Kori Bustards hatched two chicks last month. I have not gotten to see them in person but I have seen pictures and they are super adorable.

I finally sucked it up and got a haircut, my first in over two years. It went by very quickly and I liked my hairdresser so I didn't feel anxious about the haircut itself, though now I have to deal with the other half of my anxiety - people wanting to talk to me about my haircut.

I started watching Hannibal, because everyone talks about how amazing it is and it's produced by Bryan Fuller who produced some of my favorite shows. But it's just not for me. I can't make myself care about the overall plot. Now I'm rewatching Gilmore Girls from the beginning, along with listening to the Gilmore Guys podcast (www.gilmoreguysshow.com). The podcast is really fantastic and funny.

My Thingaversary is on Saturday, and instead of buying nine books (because I really don't need nine more books) I'm treating myself to a trip to New York, Thursday through Monday. (Okay, books will probably be bought....)
I'm bringing with me:
The Grace of Kings
Uprooted
Nimona
Night Watch
Voyage of the Basilisk

that's probably enough, right?

Oooh, Gilmore Girls! Tomm and I are nearly through with our current re-watch, which is, I think, somewhere in the area of our 10th?

Happy new thread, and have fun in NY!

>10 norabelle414: Happy new thread and happy thingaversary!

Have fun in New York. Hope it takes your mind off of work.

Good job on the haircut, Nora. Those are the absolute worst things in the history of forever for me. Nothing worse than being confined to a chair and being jabbered at incessantly for dozens of excruciating minutes. I'm glad it was tolerable for you.

I really don't need nine more books

Um, yes you do. :)

*waving*
Happy new thread. Hope New York is a blast!

Sorry I've been busy! I'll update once I get my shit together. Thankfully the next couple weeks are pretty uneventful outside of work.

This week on Audiobooksync.com :

The theme is let's go traveling -

YA - The Explorers Club by Nell Benjamin Read by Jack Cutmore-Scott, Carson Elrod, David Furr, John Getz, Martin Jarvis, David Krumholtz, Lorenzo Pisoni, Jennifer Westfeldt, Matthew Wolf (Available everywhere)
Classic - Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Read by Michael Pritchard (available everywhere)

I've read Around the World in Eighty Days. It's good. The YA book is a comedic play that was on Broadway about a private British club of explorers in the 1870s who have to allow a woman into the club. It's narrated by the original Broadway cast. Sounds entertaining to me!

I finished The Grace of Kings while I was on vacation, and it was SO AWESOME. One day I will write a real review, but for now it's like Game of Thrones but really well-written, and based on the Chinese Han dynasty instead of England. It's a gigantic book but I really couldn't put it down. Between that and The Three-Body Problem, Ken Liu is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

I finished Nimona today and it was awesome! Please read.

Ooo, sounds good. I'll see if I can stir up a copy.

>19 drneutron: You'll love it! It doesn't have any of the problems I sometimes have with other graphic novels - the illustrations are not distractingly complicated, and the pacing is really good. I never felt rushed or bored.

This week on Audiobooksync.com :

The theme is the Mississippi River -

YA - Crows & Cards by Joseph Helgerson Read by MacLeod Andrews (Not available in UK or British Commonwealth (except Canada))
Classic - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Read by Robin Field (available everywhere)

Huckleberry Finn is the obvious choice for a classic about the Mississippi. I've only read excerpts, I think, but I'll have to see how the narrator is before I decide to listen. Crows & Cards is a recently-published similar story - a rambunctious rural boy in the 1840s goes on an adventure on the river and meets interesting people. Sounds excellent.

Who is your Masterpiece leading man? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/quizzes/personality-quiz/masterpiece-leading...

I got:
Tom Branson
Pack your suitcases and check your passport status, because your MASTERPIECE leading man is Downton Abbey's Tom Branson! While his Irish brogue might make you weak in the knees, his courage in his convictions, his parenting, and his desire to love again make you stronger, too. While Tom Branson wears his eveningwear and his estate manager togs with equal comfort, there's no place he feels completely at ease. But it's love that drives this former chauffeur, and with you by his side, it's love that will take him to a place he recognizes as home.

Which is fine by me! I'd be happy with anyone besides Henry VIII, honestly. I'm rather attached to my head (pun intended).

As far as I can tell, the other options include Sidney Chambers (Grantchester), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock), Henry VIII (Wolf Hall), Harry Selfridge (Mr. Selfridge), Ross Poldark (Poldark)

>22 norabelle414: - I got Ross Poldark. Now I really do need to watch the series! ;-)

Ross Poldark
Roll up the sleeves of your (borrowed) blue dress and get to work, because your MASTERPIECE leading man is Poldark's Ross Poldark! Whether he's willing his mine to be, or willing you to "be mine," you're a devoted partner happy to weather ups and downs as dramatic as the Cornish cliffs themselves. Together, you will scythe through adversity, digging deep to do what is good and right for the powerless and disadvantaged. So climb aboard his trusty steed; it's going to be a bumpy ride. But, oh, what a stunning view!

>23 lkernagh: Yes you do! It's lovely.

>22 norabelle414: I know I would have Tom Branson without even taking that quiz because... Tom Branson.

I thought I'd get Branson too, but I got Henry VIII! What have I done to deserve that? I even avoided a few answers I knew where "his".

>25 rosylibrarian: But..... Poldark! Sidney Chambers! So mush shirtless manual labor!

>26 PawsforThought: Oh noooooo! A lot of my friends have been getting Henry VIII :-(

>27 norabelle414: But.....Tom Branson.

>28 rosylibrarian: I know..... *sigh*

I finished listening to the audiobook of Far From the Madding Crowd! It took me a little while to get used to the male narrator, because in my head it's all about Bathsheba and thus should be narrated by a woman. But John Lee is a good narrator (I've previously listened to him narrate Oliver Twist) and the story is so perfectly lovely and romantic and feminist (for the time period). *Swoon*

There are slight differences between the book and the movie, but they both make you feel the same way during the same scenes so it's all good.

Currently reading:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Currently listening to:
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

Coming soon:
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
The Good, the Bad, and the Furry by Tom Cox
??

PAGES READ: 4,067
BOOKS BOUGHT: TBD
BOOKS ACQUIRED: TBD
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 10

Currently watching:
Gilmore Girls (season 2)
The Astronaut Wives Club
Mr. Robot
Halt and Catch Fire

Currently knitting:
red socks

>30 norabelle414: Oooh. Feminist for it's time? I'm adding Far from the Madding Crowd to my TBR list.

Also, GG season 2? That's when Jess arrives! *le sigh*

>32 PawsforThought: Yeeees. Bathsheba refuses a good marriage proposal at a young age because she's "too independent". She runs a farm without a male bailiff (which everyone tells her she needs). And she makes a romantic mistake which, while it does have repercussions, does not reflect poorly on her character or make her seem stupid. She runs her farm like a boss but is still allowed to have silly romantic feelings like a real 20-year-old.

I'm thoroughly Team Marty, but the Jess years are very entertaining. (Actually I'm also Team Season-6-Jess.)

>33 norabelle414: I'm always Team Jess, but especially Team Season 6 Jess. So wonderful!

Oh, and I'm definitely reading that book ASAP. To me, it's always just been a title connected to a well known author - I've never known what it's actually about.

>33 norabelle414: I always thought Rory was most herself with Jess, though I also thought given the events of the show, she was right to do as she did with regard to him. But my personal headcannon is that they get together again (and it works this time) four or five years after the show ended. Always wished they did more with Marty, too. Anyone but Dean. The older I get and the more times I rewatch the show, the less I like Dean for Rory (and the more frustrated I am at Lorelei's cheerleading for him)--he's controlling and jealous and nearly violently angry often, none of which is excused because Rory doesn't treat him great and Jess pushes his buttons. Worst of all, Rory's afraid of his anger. It's not just that it's unpleasant, it's scary. /unsoliciated GG boyfriend opinions

>35 lycomayflower: Dean got seriously ret-conned in season 2. In season 1 he was confident, clever, well-read, got all of Rory & Lorelai's references, wore leather jackets, and rode a motorcycle. But by mid-season 2 he's a bland, jealous meathead. (and don't get me started on cheating on his wife!) It's a shame, but I understand they had to do something because season 1 Dean was just inconveniently perfect.

>36 norabelle414: Fair enough! He is much better in the beginning.

Season 1 Dean was incredibly boring and season 2 onwards Dean was a jealous prick.

I missed the transition to the new thread, thus I'm appallingly late to the party. *hangs head in shame*

I also got Tom Branson on the Masterpiece quiz, although I was hoping for Sidney Chambers.

As for GG, I can't decide what team I am. I really, really can't. Maybe team Lane and Zach? :D

>39 MickyFine: Team Sookie/Jackson!

>40 norabelle414: Oh yes, I am most definitely on that team.

Team Jess! Team Jess!

(and also Team Logan, but that's later, and it's more Team I-Want-Logan-for-My-Own-Damn-Self...)

>42 scaifea: I didn't like Logan at first, and then really liked him, and then hated him.

I am way behind on adding books I've acquired! I've been trying to consolidate all my new books in one place in my apartment and will hopefully be able to do an inventory soon.

>42 scaifea: Do you watch The Good Wife? The actor who played Logan is in it and he's really fantastic in it.

>44 norabelle414: Oooh, shiny new things.

>43 PawsforThought: Yeah, I know, I waffle about Logan, too, but in the end, I always come back to him as my favorite. It think it's the looks and the money, really. Ha!

>45 MickyFine: I haven't watched The Good Wife. I'm glad to hear that he's good in it! Maybe I'll have to check it out...

Ok I think I have added all of the stray books in my apartment to my LT catalog. (I thought I had got them all and then I found 5 more on my dining table. My apartment is too small for this to be happening!)

Birthday gifts (April 2015)
- ZooBorns Motherly Love
- Little Knitted Creatures
- Capital Dames by Cokie Roberts (signed, inscribed)
- What Can a Woman Do? by M. L. Rayne (family heirloom)

Purchased at Politics & Prose (May 2015)
- The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
- The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

Free from LFL of Windsor and Braddock (May 2015)
- Earth (the Book) and
- America (the Book by Jon Stewart
- Leaping Beauty by Gregory Maguire

Purchased on my New York trip (July 2015)
- Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back
- Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm adapted by Philip Pullman
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
- Secret Garden by Johanna Basford
- The Truth by Terry Pratchett
- The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals
- Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
- The Good, the Bad, & the Furry by Tom Cox

Purchased online
- The Malaria Project by Karen M. Masterson (for work) (July 2015)
- The Voyage of the Basilisk (March 2015)
- Station Eleven (June 2015)

On Loan
- City of Heavenly Fire and
- Clockwork Prince and
- Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
- Shutter by Courtney Alameda
- Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Unclear whether loan or gift?
- 1876 by Gore Vidal
- Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett

Gifts from LAST birthday (what?!?!) (April 2014)
- Olive Oil: From Tree to Table
- Knit along with Debbie Macomber : a charity guide for knitters

*swoons at sight of so many books*

Whoa, there's some really good stuff in that list!

>39 MickyFine: Well I'm even later to the party! How did almost a month go by before I realized you'd started a new thread? Crap.

I got Ross Poldark, which I REALLY can't complain about. I'm just miffed that Watson wasn't leading man enough to be on the list...

I finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik last week. Most of the book was just okay but the ending was really really excellent and made the whole book totally worth it.

I'm currently reading The Good, the Bad, and the Furry by Tom Cox which is delightful and I'm speeding through it. Also reading The Sword of Shannara which is very fat and very slow going so far.

I have been listening to Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott, and although it is interesting and the narrator (Karen White) is good, I don't think it makes a good audiobook. It's too complex and I have trouble remembering what I've listened to and paying attention.

I am also listening to Someday, Someday, Maybe by THE Lauren Graham, narrated by herself, and I'm having the opposite problem. It's so good that I can't fall asleep while it's on because I'm too interested! I'll definitely be finishing this one, but I think I'll have to find a different audiobook to listen to while falling asleep.

I'm also trying to catch up to the Gilmore Guys podcast, because I have tickets to see a live show they're doing in DC on August 22! I'm super excited, though I am disagreeing with them a lot at this point (late-season 3). They're still so funny!

I've been considering reading the Shannara series again. But I suspect it won't hold my attention like it did back when it first came out... :)

>52 drneutron: There's a TV show in production right now so I suspect it's going to be pretty popular again soon!

>51 norabelle414: Yay! You're alive! I'm glad all things bookish are generally treating you well and the live show sounds like a lot of fun. You'll have to let us know how it is. :)

>54 MickyFine: I'm always here! I just don't have anything to say.

>55 norabelle414: Well, know that I miss you when you're silently lurking.

Hmm. I was thinking of listening to Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy but perhaps not...

>57 katiekrug: Yeah, I would go with reading it instead. It's very elaborate.

Odds and ends:

I finished The Good, the Bad, and the Furry by Tom Cox in just a few days, and it was even better than I imagined it would be. I was going to give the book to someone as a gift, but now I want to keep it. And also I just bought his two previous cat books from The Book Depository (they were never released in the U.S.).

My current purse book is The Night Watch by Sarah Waters, which I started for the LT group read, but then put aside to read books I had checked out from the library. I'm going through it pretty quickly.

My current at-home book is The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I'd like it to be a purse book, but it's a paperback from the library and paperbacks get DESTROYED if I put them in my purse because my purse is a black hole full of mysteries, some of which are sharp.

I'm almost done listening to Someday, Someday, Maybe, which is sweet and wonderful. Up next might be Invasion of the Tearling, or I might read that one in paper instead since the audiobook is not narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

On Friday I bought a nice hardcover copy of The Diviners which was remaindered at Politics and Prose. I'll be seeing Libba Bray at either the National Book Festival on Sept 5, or at Politics and Prose on Sept 4, or (most likely) both.

I'm going on a short work trip this week - Wednesday evening - Friday evening. I'm only going to bring:
The Night Watch
The Sword of Shannara
The Malaria Project

The io9.com book club book for August is Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. I won't be able to get it from the library and read it before the discussion date, but I've added it to my wishlist.

I'm on S4E9 of Gilmore Girls / Gilmore Guys Show podcast.

With paperback library books comes great responsibility.

I'm always so impressed at people who can do multiple books at once. I'm just incapable of such things. I'm glad all the books on your deck right now are delightful.

I started (another) rewatch of new Doctor Who this week. I had a bit of a giggle when I realized that Mrs. Fitz from Outlander played one of the farting aliens in the first series.

>61 MickyFine: I can usually manage several books at once as long as they're pretty different. The thing that is getting confusing is 1) listening to the audiobook of a book by Lauren Graham loosely based on her life as a young actress, narrated by Lauren Graham, 2) watching episodes of Gilmore Girls starring Lauren Graham, and 3) listening to a podcast where two guys talk about Gilmore Girls and Lauren Graham - all at the same time. Phew! I would be tired of Lauren Graham if she weren't the best thing ever.

>61 MickyFine: It's less of a blessing and more of a curse, at least to me. I'm part way through 9 books at the moment and can't settle on either of them.

I'm glad to hear that the Graham book is good - I've got it sitting here beside me, ready for our driving trip to Indiana this weekend...

>62 norabelle414:

Bought some books recently:

You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (there was no way I was going to finish such a fat library book if I couldn't carry it with me, so I bought a cheap copy)
Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man and
Talk to the Tail: Adventures in Cat Ownership and Beyond by Tom Cox
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schonwerth
Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire

Preordered After Alice by Gregory Maguire

Picked up from the library:
The Martian by Andy Weir
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (I'm planning on purchasing it at her signing next weekend, but I forgot that I put it on hold months ago so I'll get a head start on reading it)

I finished listening to Someday, Someday, Maybe and it was so lovely. Now I'm listening to The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, but I probably won't be able to finish it before it expires. Not sure what's up next. Maybe Great Expectations?

I got all caught up on the Gilmore Guys Show podcast, and went to the live show last weekend, and it was awesome. It's weird to go from listening to 2-3 episodes per day to now only 2 new episodes per week.

How are you feeling about the new narrator on The Invasion of the Tearling? I've been hesitating to start it.

Also, Egg & Spoon is pretty awesome. I still haven't finished it after my library loan ended, but I've bought it now and will most likely just start over from the beginning to enjoy it all again.

So looking forward to After Alice!

Did you get The Shepherd's Crown?

>67 leahbird: Davina Porter is a VERY good narrator. However, this book would be even more appropriately narrated by Katherine Kellgren than the first, because there are multiple points of view. Porter does very little voice differentiation. It was especially weird when there is a section where an American character is surprised to hear a British accent.....but the whole book is narrated with a British accent.
However, the narration has not in any way hampered my enjoyment of the book.

The Barnes & Noble I went to had Egg & Spoon in the separate children's section, all the way at the back :-( I hate the way the B&N children's section is so separate from the rest of the store. I even hated that when I was a kid.

I'm slogging my way through the Terry Pratchett books in order, and I still have a ways to go before I get to The Shepherd's Crown. I usually have pretty good luck getting remaindered Pratchett hardcovers.

My B&N had Egg & Spoon in the adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi section.

I'm 38 books away from The Shepherd's Crown, but I wanted to take the only chance I had to buy a Discworld book on release day. ;) Man, that's a lot of books....

>70 leahbird: Ah, I have bought one on release day before. Though, it doesn't seem like it was worth it because now I can't remember which one it was. Probably Unseen Academicals?

Yesterday I picked up a free copy of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis from my apartment building's "Take-a-Book, Leave-a-Book" table.

My audiobook of Invasion of the Tearling expired before I could finish it, and it'll probably be a few months before my turn comes around again. Currently listening to Great Expectations narrated by Anton Lesser.

Do you download audios directly on to your phone via the Overdrive app? I discovered a work around to the expiration problem but it involves transferring the files from Overdrive on my laptop to my listening device so slightly less convenient.

>73 katiekrug: I use the OverDrive app on my phone exclusively. I find any other listening method to be so clunky that it's not worth getting to keep things past the expiration date. I've never found an audio player app for my phone that I like at all, and I don't like listening to audiobooks on my iPod.

I'm going on THREE trips in September - two for work and one for a family wedding. Yay! *dies*

I'll probably only bring two (big) books on the work trips because I'm the lead on both of them and so I will have tons and tons of work to do. I'll bring books from this list, probably in this order:

1) The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (will likely finish before I leave)
2) Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
3) The Malaria Project
4) The Martian
5) You're Never Weird on the Internet
6) The Sword of Shannara

>74 norabelle414: - Understood. Except for Audible, I don't use my phone to listen to audiobooks.

>75 norabelle414: - And you get to see me on one of those trips - yippee!

>76 katiekrug: Audible is a great phone app except for the part where the books cost money ;-)

I will be super excited for my trip to see you as soon as these two work trips are O.V.E.R.!

Where are the work trips taking you?

>78 katiekrug: Next week is Jacksonville, NC and the week after that is Jacksonville, FL. It's not confusing at all. /sarcasm

Heh. Both beat Mesquite :)

How did I manage to miss your thread for two whole months?!?

Well, I'm here now.

That's a lot of traveling. I'm going to a conference for work in a couple weeks but I'm excited about it. Yay trips on not my dime! :)

>79 norabelle414: I got excited about the NC trip, thinking "Oh, maybe I can pop over and meet Nora!" But there will be no popping. Jacksonville is on the coast, 8 hours and a whole mountain range away from me. Bummer.

>83 leahbird: If I was going to be anywhere near you I would definitely let you know! Unfortunately there's not a lot of Naval activity in eastern Tennessee/Western NC.

I will wave in your direction from Charlotte as I race through the airport on my 45-minute layover.

>82 MickyFine: Normally I'm all for traveling for work - when it's 2-3 times a year. But these two trips will make 5 work trips in 4 months, plus two personal trips makes 7 trips in 4 months. Exhausting! Thankfully after I get back from Dallas I don't think I'm going anywhere until November.

>81 foggidawn: Hi Foggi!!! Not a lot going on here; I don't blame you.

>80 katiekrug: Have you been to Jacksonville, NC??? The airport ONLY flies to CLT and ATL.

>84 norabelle414: You might be on to something there. I have noticed a shocking lack of Naval presence around here. You should really have someone look into that.

Well, we do have the Vol Navy but I don't think they are doing much to protect our waterways.


I really honestly did not complete the thought "Nora is traveling for work. Nora works for the Navy. I bet Nora's work trip will be to a Naval base." Let's just chock it up to Friday, ok?

>87 leahbird: Well......sometimes we go to Millington, TN? But that's not much closer to you than the coast.

Some of my coworkers get to go really cool places! One just got back from Japan and Guam, and another is prepping for a December trip to Cairo. But I'm in charge of the east coast commands, so it's all Florida, NC, and southern VA for me.

Hey now, those Vols are clearly protecting our nation's waterways from low BAC ;-)

>88 norabelle414: It's true. They do maintain the high arts of drunken boating AND being pretentious while wearing the most unflattering orange ever known to man.

Off on my next trip today; this time to Florida. I'm still reading The Martian, Lair of Dreams, and The Malaria Project. Still listening to Great Expectations. All are excellent.

>90 norabelle414: The Malaria Project
Sigh. BB. Ah, but it's not in paperback yet so I don't have to dash to add it to the pile on the floor.

>91 qebo: It's at that awkward age between HC and PB. I couldn't find it in any indie bookstore or brick & mortar; had no choice but to buy it online.

Did you survive the cat show?

>93 leahbird: The cat show was fun, as usual. Now I'm working hard and getting ready for my trip to Dallas this Thursday.

>94 norabelle414: Safe travels!

>95 MickyFine: Thanks! This is my last trip until November, thank goodness, and it should be a fun one.

I finished The Martian, which was as excellent as expected. Highly recommended.

I checked out of the library The Walking Dead volumes 20 through 23. I haven't decided if I'll be taking them on my trip with me. Graphic novels are not very efficient for a trip.

>96 norabelle414: - "and it should be a fun one."

Well, at least *part* of it is guaranteed to be fun :D

>98 katiekrug: I am 99.9% sure that all of it will be fun, but never say never! What if your car breaks down and I never get to see you? What if Pope Francis closes down the airport and I never get to leave DC? What if my margarita is slightly smaller than my head???

Just order 2 margaritas and then the car can be blasted and the pope can go to hell. *high fives*

>99 norabelle414: - A too-small margarita would, indeed, be tragic. Though it can always be made up for in number...

Also, please leave your homemade clock at home. You are, however, welcome to open-carry your automatic rifle. Welcome to Texas.

>102 katiekrug: I knew Texas was regressive, but I didn't know they don't know what clocks are ;-)

(I'm so glad I can joke about this because everything turned out okay)

We won't judge you if you have 2 margaritas anyway.

I'm still around! I had a great time in Texas with my family and with Katie. It was a great vacation.

Now I'm working on getting back into the groove of being a real person. I've cooked dinner and made my lunch a couple times this week. Now I need to do laundry and fully unpack my suitcase (which hasn't been stowed away since MAY) and clean my apartment and get back to my regular schedule.

I was getting some reading done on airplanes but now I've dipped back down again. I'm still reading at least 20 pages every day, but mostly from graphic novels so it's negligible. I'm not even listening to audiobooks right now because I've fallen down the black hole that is podcasts. I think I'll have podcast fatigue soon, though, and then I'll be back to audiobooks.

It's also fall tv season! I like to give almost all shows at least one episode. Sometimes you don't know what's going to be good until you watch it. Here's what I'm watching:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - it's not The Colbert Report, but it's better than other network late-night shows. I'll probably watch episodes every once in awhile.
The Jim Gaffigan Show - generally good. Fun cameos.
black-ish - last season was just good enough for me to continue. I love the characters, even when the plot is so-so. The season premiere was good but not season premiere material.
Young & Hungry - I'm getting bored.
The Bastard Executioner - I had high hopes but I had a hard time staying engaged with the pilot. Suffers from White Male Period Piece Syndrome
Limitless - surprisingly good pilot. We'll see if they can keep it up.
Scream Queens - really, really fun
Vixen - an online cartoon spin-off of Arrow/The Flash, with a female-of-color main character. I hope they make this into a full show!
Blindspot - meeehhhhhh
Minority Report - pretty bad. Didn't make any sense, and the main female character wears really weird unrealistic jackets just to show off her boobs
Gotham - much better than last season! the only good Barbara is Evil Barbara
Arthur & George - I haven't finished yet, but the first two episodes were fantastic
Fear the Walking Dead - the first two episodes were okay, the third episode was great, I have no idea what was going on in the 4th episode
Doctor Who - YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! The two-parter thing is going to take some getting used to.
Z Nation - still campy and delightful
Girl Meets World - continues to pander to me, and I love it.
Carmilla - a webseries based on Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Currently in its second season. Excellent quality.
You're the Worst - a surprise favorite from last season. So far, so good.
Kevin from Work - pretty cheesy, but it has Jordan Hinson from Eureka and she is a delight.
Masked - A webseries based on The Scarlet Pimpernel which is really awful. Not recommended.

Yes! Someone who is still watching Doctor Who! How creepy were the hand mines? Moffatt's brain is a strange place. Also, I'm so psyched to see where they go with Davros in the next episode.

I have Fear the Walking Dead episodes recorded but I can't seem to bring myself to watch them.

I am prepared to be stoned to death but I really really didn't like the Doctor Who episode. I think I am officially over Moffat weirdness. There was not a single thing in the episode that worked for me. I really enjoyed the little short that came out a week or so ago but even that was ruined by the actual episode. I've read that the second part makes part 1 better but I don't know if that's possible.

I'm also now mad at my dvr again because it's not been recording You're The Worst and I didn't even realize it until this exact moment. Stupid tech.

>108 leahbird: I am so, so far behind on Doctor Who, so of course I haven't watched it, but several of my FB friends commented that they hated it, so you are not alone.

>106 MickyFine: I'm always watching Doctor Who! I almost tried to leave my cousin's wedding early so I could watch the premiere. But I restrained myself. The hands were extremely creepy and I didn't know what was going on with them but I loved it. I think Moffatt's work on an individual scene basis is fine, but I don't like his overall plots and I'm very ready for him to leave. I'm so used to one-off episodes from the past few seasons that at the end of this episode I was like "wait......what happened?!?!?" I need to learn patience.

>108 leahbird: FYI, You're the Worst has moved from FX to FXX. I don't know if that affects your DVR or not.

P.S. everybody watch Carmilla. I'm obsessed.

I'm going to try Scream Queens. I think I have a slight crush on Lea Michele.

>112 rosylibrarian: She's not in it much, so far. I have a MAJOR crush on Skyler Samuels. And Jamie Lee Curtis.

Oh goody, some Doctor Who talk! I don't have BBC America, but my friend gave me a link to the webpage and YAY I can get it online... so I'll be a day or two behind, but I'll be watching too.

I finished The Walking Dead, Volume 20: All Out War, Part One. I started You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day. I wasn't planning on starting it until I finished one of the many other books I'm reading, but that doesn't look like it's happening.

More TV:
Once Upon a Time: YAY SO GOOD!!!! I hadn't realized how much I missed the show!

Fear the Walking Dead: Okay episode, but I'm still not sure what this show is trying to do

Doctor Who: Did anything even happen this episode? Not sure. I probably need to watch it again.

Z Nation: a Mad Max: Fury Rode tribute episode. I didn't care for it. I really miss Mac. He was pretty boring but I didn't realize how much I liked that until he was gone. I like that this show is edgy enough to kill off really major characters, but the deaths never seem to affect the characters longer than one episode. Hey, where was the radio guy in the arctic this episode?

Girl Meets World: Boy, what a tearjerker. Not the show's usual light-hearted fare. I think it was a bold choice for the audience to never find out the identity of the bully. Shows like this often try to humanize bullies by showing that they come from bad homes or whatever, but sometimes that can end up legitimizing their actions. It's important to keep the focus on the victims, I think.

The Player: nonsensical. Removed from rotation.

Married: I really don't like AJ and I want him to go away. Where have Jenny Slate and her husband been the past couple episodes?

Heroes Reborn: Heroes is one of my top-5 shows of all time and I had almost forgotten how amazing it was and now it is BACK and I am SO EXCITED and this premiere was SO GOOD! It's even back in the same time-slot and it makes me feel like I'm in college again.

Carmilla: I'm all caught up! Just in time for the second season to be over. They did a really great job transitioning to a second season with different source material.

Rosewood: Good acting playing good characters, but the science and the logic are wrong and the dialog is cheesy, so I'm out.

The Muppets: I found the pilot neither funny nor entertaining. I'll give it a few more episodes though.

Gorongosa Park: Rebirth of Paradise: A PBS series about a wildlife park in Mozambique that was destroyed in a civil war but is now being brought back to life. I love shows like this and am very interested in learning about the park's history and future. However, the "host", wildlife cameraman Bob Poole, is so annoying. I can't stand him. In episode 2 his sister joins him and they spend almost the whole episode arguing.

Life in Pieces: trying really hard to be Modern Family, but seven years too late. Removed from rotation.

I felt the same way about the Muppets. It was trying to be 30 Rock, but with Miss Piggy as Jenna.

>116 rosylibrarian: Yeah, I think that's why it didn't click for me. I tried to like 30 Rock but I never did.

I think breaking up Kermit and Miss Piggy was huge mistake. It's obvious that the whole season is going to lead up to them getting back together, but season-long story arcs are NOT the right medium for the Muppets. Character growth is not their thing. In order for the humor and ridiculousness of the Muppets to work, each episode needs to be self-contained. Like the Simpsons.

It's been a stressful few days. Work, zoo, life, etc.

Watched the following shows:

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: AMAZING! I've missed you! Fitz was awesome in this episode. And We got our first real inhuman foe! So great!

Gotham: More cheesy goodness. That ending, though! I'm not sure where you go from there.

Blindspot: I still don't care. I might give it one more episode?

Quantico: Not terrible

Last Man on Earth: Premiere was fine. I can't wait to see where they go with this season.

So, does Scream Queens get good? I watched Part I last night and just got really confused. Is it supposed to be mimicking bad horror movies? Am I missing the humor?

>119 rosylibrarian: I liked it a lot, but that's just me. It's supposed to be humorous, yes. The second episode might be better than the first but I don't remember which parts were in which episode because they aired as a single block. Maybe try the second episode and if you still don't like it, it's not for you?

>118 norabelle414: Also, how good did Fitz look in that suit? Dayum!

>121 MickyFine: I know, right?!?! With the stubble! He looks like a grown-up when he's not wearing a dumpy cardigan.

>122 norabelle414: I have to admit, I love his cardigans too. I'll blame it on being a librarian. :P

Doctor Who I was not expecting another two-parter so soon. And that cliffhanger! Oy with the poodles already!
I really loved this episode, it felt more like some of my favourites from past seasons. Also, yay for Amanda from Grantchester being in it!

>124 MickyFine: This season is ONLY two-parters. I'm not looking forward to that. I like two-parters a lot, but all of my favorite episodes are stand-alones

>125 norabelle414: But... a season is only 13 episodes (ignoring Christmas episodes). Most of my favourite episodes are also stand alones but I do count the WWII episodes in the first series among my favourites. Plus the last three episodes of series 3 and 4 are all highly interconnected and love them too.

>126 MickyFine: This season is 12 episodes, not including the Christmas Special.

>126 MickyFine: Plus the Silence in the Library two-parter. How could I forget that one!

>127 norabelle414: Ah, well at least I'm not terrified of a big series finale cliffie now.

I'm currently reading Fallout: Lois Lane by Gwenda Bond which sounds like it should be great, but is NOT. But I still feel compelled to finish it.

>129 norabelle414: Stop! Just stop! (does my authority as a librarian make you more willing? ;))

>130 MickyFine: Nope. I'm almost done. The main story is okay, but everything else is bad.

>131 norabelle414: Sympathies. I prescribe a good re-read to cleanse the palate. :)

>132 MickyFine: With my current reading habits, rereading is not going to happen. It's taking me months to get through single, not very long, new books in my favorite serieses, and I'm still working on my reread of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which I started in 2014.

>133 norabelle414: Sad face. All right. Well, I wish you a fantastic new read after this one then.

>134 MickyFine: I'm pretty pleased to be moving forward in a book, even if it's not a great one.

How nice of you to post that since I came here to mention that GILMORE GIRLS IS COMING BACK, YOU GUYS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL

>137 norabelle414: I just saw this. So exciting!

For some reason I thought of you when I came across this Twitter feed praising the hotness of the new Canadian PM: https://twitter.com/SaraJBenincasa.

>137 norabelle414: I checked in here to make sure you knew. Carry on!

>139 _Zoe_: That is both hilarious and horrifying....

>137 norabelle414: *puts away Gilmore Girls drill suit*

Eeeeee!

What did you think of the last Doctor Who episode? I admit, I've been very grumpy with Who this season and actually almost gave up watching... I wholeheartedly, completely to my core, HATE sonic sunglasses. And Clara acting like The Doctor. And The Doctor acting like... I don't even know.

Anyway, I was grumping through last week's episode, thoroughly unhappy with it, until THAT moment. I was so touched by that moment. I still disliked most of the episode, but it redeemed my love a little bit to see that they might actually have something here. Fingers crossed.

ETA: But it's ok that I haven't loved Who, because You're the Worst has been THE BEST.

>143 leahbird: You're not supposed to like the sunglasses, and they're not sticking around. I don't like them but I don't mind them that much because I could not possibly hate anything more than Matt Smith and his fez. I still love Clara, and Capaldi's Doctor. I think they've gotten into a really nice groove. The only thing I don't like about this season is how ALL the episodes are 2-parters. Apparently we can only have ZERO 2-parters or ONLY 2-parters.

I haven't been thrilled with this season of You're the Worst until the last episode or so (I haven't seen this week's episode yet). Lindsay was my favorite last season until she cheated on her husband with that poor midwestern kid, and after that I just love to hate her (as long as she stays away from Edgar). I love Edgar and I love that he's found improv and his new girlfriend. I was a little annoyed earlier this season because Gretchen was being portrayed as the terrible one and Jimmy was fine, but it looks like the tables are turning now and I like it.

Oh everyone on You're the Worst has been the worst, but in such real human ways that I LOOOOVE it. The last episode is one of the most real things I've ever seen on tv. Can't wait to hear what you think.

As for Who, I still love Capaldi and Clara, but I hate what the writing team is giving them to work with and how overly Moffat it's all getting with the reveals and solutions. There's no sense of wonder left, just doodling around and solving problems by-the-by before some more mooning about. Or maybe it's just me. :(

Cannot get Doctor Who so easily over here but I enjoy the gossip here. Jenna Coleman is a pretty young lady for sure.

Have a splendid weekend, Nora.

>146 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! How nice of you to visit. I hope you're having a great weekend too.

*waves*

Hi Micky!

Sorry I have been lax about posting. I am the worst.

Work is busy. I just got back from a conference in Boston which was hopefully my last trip until June of next year. I'd like to just stay at home for a few months straight. I had a few days where my self-esteem was up, so I turned my online dating account back on. That's going okay.

I am watching ALL of the tv shows. For the sake of brevity, here are the NEW tv shows that I have deemed good enough to keep watching:
- The Bastard Executioner (FX; bloody Medieval Wales)
- Breakthrough (Nat Geo; science & tech)
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW; slightly dirty musical comedy about depression & anxiety) (my new favorite show!!!)
- Grandfathered (Fox; Padget Brewster!)
- The Grinder (Fox; Natalie Morales!)
- Heroes Reborn (NBC; better than no Heroes at all!)
- Home Fires (PBS/ITV; wives, sisters, and mothers in England during WWII)
- Indian Summers (PBS/Channel 4; Gandhi-era colonial India)
- The Last Kingdom (BBC America; Vikings vs. Brits - kind of unoriginal at this point)
- Limitless (CBS; funny FBI procedural on drugs)
- Making North America (PBS; geology)
- Scream Queens (Fox; Jamie Lee Curtis!)
- Supergirl (CBS; not perfect but promising)

I'm also still obsessed with podcasts.

I finished Felicia Day's book and it was both hilarious and heart-wrenching.
I finished Fallout: Lois Lane and it never got any better.
I read volumes 20, 21, 22, and 23 of The Walking Dead, and I am currently reading volume 24, which is the most recent volume. Volumes 20 and 21 totally wrap up all the storylines in a huge, "Governor"-esque way. Volume 22, aptly titled "A New Beginning", jumps ahead several years into the future with all the changes and new plots that entails. All of the last 5 volumes are way up in story quality and I'm really enjoying them. I can't wait to see it all take shape on the TV show.

I'm also currently reading Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man by Tom Cox (published 2008). It's just as amusing as his 2013 book, though a little awkward since I already know what is going to happen later in his life.

>150 norabelle414: How was Indian Summers?

>151 rosylibrarian: It's okay. I was really excited about it because there are so few realistic depictions of Colonial India, but it's ended up being a little overly dramatic for my tastes.

Hi Nora!

Just did a massive catch-up on your threads, and I'm glad to see someone else who watches as many TV shows as I do! I've got 4 episodes left of Doctor Who before I'm caught up, and I agree with you - I'm so over all two-parters all the time. Enough! Also, could some earlier story threads be wrapped up at some point? No? It's all epic, save-the-world stuff all the time? M'kay. *eyeroll* I love Capaldi and Coleman, though.

I've only seen the first half of the first season of You're the Worst, but I really like it! And I'm taping this season so I can do a binge-watch eventually. Catching up on Crazy Ex Girlfriend right now, and it's great.

Heard about Carmilla ages ago and then promptly forgot. Should I start with Season 1? Or the one episode in Season 0? Am old and confused. Send help please.

Hope you're having a good Sunday night with Rory!

>153 LauraBrook: Hi Laura! I missed a lot of TV when I was in Boston so I've been binging on everything this weekend!

Regarding Doctor Who: episodes 9 and 10 are less connected than other two-parters have been, and episode 10 brings a lot of the previous episodes together. Episode 10 is SO GOOD and oh man, make sure you have tissues handy.

The last few episodes of You're the Worst are some of the best TV I've ever seen. I hope you enjoy!

I'm glad someone else loves Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! I really wish more people would watch it. I get the songs stuck in my head all day, and I love watching the explicit versions of the songs that get posted on Youtube.

Yay Carmilla! Season 1 is the place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QzRfvkJZ4&list=PLbvYWjKFvS5rX2yv-k5AJ8oxPo... . Then Season 2, then Season "Zero" which is actually Season 3.

Yay Nora is back!

>155 MickyFine: I'm always here! I'm just not convinced that I have anything to talk about when I'm not finishing books.

______________________________

Still catching up on TV! I'm only a few episodes behind schedule, but now there are about 8 online shows out that I need to binge-watch. I did carve out some time for the pilot of Marvel's Jessica Jones, which was great (as expected).

>156 norabelle414: I know the feeling. I've been very quiet lately myself.

Give Rory a scratch between the ears for me.

>157 MickyFine: Rory says thanks!

>158 norabelle414: Awwww, such a cute little squishy face. :)

Ok, I'm entirely caught up on Doctor Who now. Holy cow I was not expecting Clara to die like that. However, because I watch way too many shows where people don't always stay dead part of me is still questioning if she's really and truly dead. Because I'm not sure I'm ready for a new companion. I've always liked Clara and I don't want her to go. Also, the newest episode was freaking amazing. Peter Capaldi rocked carrying an entire episode by himself. And the heartbreak of that Sisyphean task was brutal for me. Not as bad as Clara's death but still...

>160 MickyFine: Clara is my favorite companion, I think. (Though I say that about most others, too.) It's so hard to believe that she is tied with Rose for most episodes as a companion. Her time felt so quick! I think she was really underused and underdeveloped. Maybe I will go back and watch some of her older episodes when I have some free time (HA!)

The Doctor Who Christmas Special is titled "The Husbands of River Song"!! Yessssssssssss!

Life update!

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving and it was the same as usual. I got to chat with my dad and his girlfriend for a little bit before my brother showed up. When my brother is around everyone only wants to talk to him and his girlfriend so I just ate my food and zoned out and then it was over.

Friday I had a big second Thanksgiving with my mom and her family with 13 people, 4 of whom were under 8 years old. It was good and uneventful.

Saturday I volunteered at the zoo in the afternoon and then in the evening I for some reason felt like cleaning?! So I actually cleaned up my apartment?! And now it looks like a normal, slightly messy human lives there?! And then I got dinner with my cousin and her friend (who were in town for Friday's Thanksgiving extravaganza).

Sunday I got all caught up all my TV, and watched half of Marvel's Jessica Jones and half of Aziz Ansari's Netflix show Master of None. Expectations for Jessica Jones were sky high and so far it has not disappointed. I had no idea what to expect from Master of None and it turned out to be fantastic. It is really hilarious, true to life, and has important things to say about diversity in media.

Monday was supposed to be another relaxing afternoon for me, but instead when I arrived home from work my TV and internet were not working. I did all the normal troubleshooting and determined that it was not a problem in my apartment, nor was it a building-wide issue. So I called Verizon and was on the phone for 45 minutes while they made me do all the SAME troubleshooting so they could determine that there was, in fact, a problem. They scheduled me for a technician for first thing the next morning but I was too anxious to read or anything so I listened to podcasts and cleaned my apartment some more! I was able to free up a whole shelf in the closet where the Verizon box is, so now I get to decide what to do with that.

Tuesday morning the Verizon technician arrived at about 9:15, took one look at my Verizon box and told me exactly what the problem was, fixed it, and was out of there by 9:30am. Phew! It turns out the Verizon switchboard for my whole floor, located in the trash room, had the door busted open somehow and my connection had been unplugged. The technician plugged it back in, locked the switchboard back up, and that was that.

Tuesday evening I went to a friend's house to help her put together Ikea furniture (in exchange for dinner). My coworker who was driving me and I were supposed to leave the office around 3pm, but she is a workaholic and so I could not pry her away from her computer until after 5:30. After socializing and eating dinner we didn't get started on the furniture until 8:30 or so. It was slow going because we kept getting distracted and our friend has a very "helpful" three-year-old, so I didn't get home until around 1am. Phew!

Today I am going to a holiday party for zoo volunteers (hopefully after a nap).

Tomorrow I am going to a play with my dad. We have season tickets to a nice theater near his house. We're seeing either Akeelah and the Bee or Oliver!. I can't remember which.

Then Friday I finally get a day to myself again! It's going to be brutal getting there, but my apartment is clean-ish and my pinky toe is almost healed from when I broke it a few weeks ago so I can wear cute shoes again. It's going to be great!

While I was waiting for the Verizon technician I finished The Walking Dead, Volume 24: Life and Death. I'm almost finished with Under the Paw, and I've also started The Malaria Project: The U.S. Government's Secret Mission to Find a Miracle Cure. The information in it is interesting, but I find the author annoying so we'll see how far I get.

>162 norabelle414: You broke your toe? I must have missed that. Ouch!

Glad you had a decent Thanksgiving. We were actually up in your neck of the woods over the holidays, but our trip was so fast I wouldn't had time to meet up. Next time!

I really need to try Jessica Jones. It has been getting rav reviews. I got sucked into Supernatural, and it's sooo long. But full of cute boys. So. You know.

>163 rosylibrarian: I don't think I mentioned my toe here. It wasn't a big to-do because I only stubbed it really bad and then it took me a few days to realize it was probably broken. I got one of the docs at work to feel it and she said there wasn't anything to do about it except tape it to the next toe and keep off it. It's felt fine for awhile as long as I wore sneakers or wide soft-sided shoes, but now I'm back to the point where I can wear almost all of my shoes comfortably and that's a relief.

Aaah! One day we will get together, someday.

Jessica Jones really was fantastic! Good lord, could David Tennent have been any more perfect?

The fee episodes of Master of None that I've watched are quite good.

I've been so underwhelmed with Doctor Who. The characters and actors are good but the plots they've been given to work with are killing me. I agree about Clara, she was used so poorly.

All of which makes me so nervous for Christmas because I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT RIVER!!!!!!!

>162 norabelle414: I'm so glad to hear things are going well for you.

I've only watched 4 episodes of Jessica Jones but I am seriously digging it. And after my disappointment with Daredevil, that's a great relief.

Let me know when you've watched this week's SHIELD because we need to talk about all the things.

Yay, Nora is opening up to us again and talking about herself! Now, to write a response and not seem creepy and stalkerish. Hmm, well, having strangers in my house is the worst thing ever, so I sympathize with the Verizon situation, but I'm glad it was a quick and simple fix! I'm sorry to hear about the pinky toe! There really isn't anything you can do about that...though I suppose that is pretty much true for any kind of broken bone, just stabilize them and wait for them to stop hurting, right? Season tickets to a theater would be super cool!

There, that wasn't creepy at all, was it? I made sure to omit the incriminating stuff. I'm a professional, you see.

>167 Ape: Hi Stephen!

The Verizon guy was super nice and I didn't mind having him in my apartment (especially since I had just cleaned). I was just annoyed that I didn't have TV or internet for almost 24 hours when the fix was so simple. And I had to spend 45 minutes on the phone and they couldn't even tell me what was wrong.

Sometimes with broken bones you need to get them set by a professional, or have surgery, but my doctor coworker said they almost never do that for pinky toes.

Doctor Who: I can't stop thinking about Clara and Ashildr "taking a little detour" in a real, working TARDIS. It's just the greatest idea that has ever existed. Can we have that spin-off???

>169 norabelle414: In a TARDIS that's stuck as a 1950s diner. Can you imagine the entrances it would make as they traveled around? There's a plot line that launched a thousand fanfics. :)
I totally got teary during the episode though. Hello my feels!

Have you watched the mid season finale of OUaT yet?

>170 MickyFine: Yep! I'm all caught up on TV (just in time for winter hiatus)

I think I'm going to spend hiatus rewatching Agent Carter to get ready for January!!!!!

>172 leahbird: Take your time, because season 2 of Agent Carter isn't premiering until Feb 19 :-( So far away!

_________________________

Here's what I plan to watch during the winter hiatus:

Continuum, Season 4 (Time travel conspiracy thriller; Netflix)
Master of None (Young adult life comedy; Netflix)
W/Bob & David (Bob Odenkirk and David Cross sketch comedy; Netflix)
River (Modern British police drama; Netflix)
The Art of More (Thriller about a high-end art auction house; Crackle)
The Man in the High Castle (Science fiction/alternate history drama; Amazon)
Marvel's Jessica Jones (Dark superhero drama; Netflix)
Childhood's End (Alien invasion dystopia miniseries; SyFy)
The Expanse (Space-police space-drama in space; SyFy)

>171 norabelle414: And? Thoughts?

>175 MickyFine: Ehhhhh. I haven't really enjoyed this half-season, except for Merida (who, of course, is now gone). Once I figured out that they were going to Hades/Hell next half-season, I assumed that either Hook would have to kill Emma or vice versa, and then everyone would traipse off to Hades/Hell to the rescue. So no surprise there.
The nice thing about Once Upon a Time, I believe I've said before, is that each half-season is so distinct that if one doesn't do it for me I can just wait a few months.

>176 norabelle414: I miss the full season arcs. Gave them a bit more time for side stories and such. It'll be interesting to see them go to town on Greek mythology.

What do you think odds are on seeing Daniel or (even better) Sheriff Graham?

>174 norabelle414: I was pretty sure the commercial I saw tonight said January 19, so I double checked ABC.com and it says January as well!

>178 leahbird: Yup, you're right. Duh!

>177 MickyFine: I don't have high hopes for their treatment of Greek mythology since last episode they said that Hades and Hell are the same thing -_-
I think they are setting up for Hades/Hell to have *only* evil people in it, so I don't think there's any chance we'll see Daniel. Maybe Graham, but I doubt it. I did hear that we're going to see Sidney though!

>180 norabelle414: Bummer.

Books:

Last night I finished Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man by Tom Cox. I should have finished it Saturday night, because when I picked it up to read last night, I had less than a page left! But I didn't realize that when I put it down for the night on Saturday.

I still really like Tom Cox's conversational writing style, and the way he feels about his cats matches really well with my own. It's not overly-sentimental. He loves his cats, yes, but he's more interesting in writing about the funny weird things they do. The only thing I didn't love about the book was the knowledge I have about the author's life after the book was published. I don't usually read memoir-type books that are written in close to real-time, so it was an unusual sensation for me to feel like I knew he was going to get divorced while he had no idea (as he was writing it). But that's a fault based on my perspective, not the book or author himself. I have his second cat book, Talk to the Tail: Adventures in Cat Ownership and Beyond, ready to go.

I also just started I am Princess X by Cherie Priest, which I have checked out from the library. I'm only a few pages in but I love it so far. It's a YA book so I should be able to read it pretty quickly.

I'm not participating in any LibraryThing secret santa things this year, because I have too many books and I don't read enough. *sigh* But I have been picking up suggestions from other people's SantaThing pages! So today I'm picking up High Rise by J. G. Ballard from the library, and also I found out it's being made into a movie soon. So that's cool.

I also recommended Catwings to someone so now I want to go back and read that again.

TV:

I finished season one of Master of None. It was a really impeccably well-done comedy. It dealt with important issues like diversity and modern adult relationships in a way that felt really natural. I also loved how some episodes were sequential and other episodes could be watched in any order. Highly recommended to pretty much everyone.

I finished season one of Marvel's Jessica Jones. It was very good as well, but the expectations for it were very high so I feel that there's not too much to gush about. It's a strong addition to the MCU and the plethora of female characters were fantastic. And David Tennant was perfect, as he is in every role. The only real stand-out item of note is how sex-positive the show was considering Jessica's main motivation is sexual assault PTSD. Sexual assault and rape are mentioned in every episode, but since the show does a good job of setting the theme, it doesn't need to be explicitly shown (take note, Game of Thrones!). Every time a woman takes control of her sexuality in the show (Jessica and Luke, Trish and Simpson), there are no direct negative repercussions. Even though Simpson ends up being a bit of a villain, that's never in any way tied to the fact that Trish slept with him. More of that in media, please! I enjoyed this season, but I am most looking forward to seeing Jessica move on after Kilgrave's death in subsequent Marvel shows.

I watched W/Bob & David. It was decently funny but I don't think I was the shows target audience since it is kind of a sequel to Mr. Show, which I never watched.

I watched the first few episodes of The Man in the High Castle. It's a well-done adaptation, and it's beautiful to watch, but I didn't think the book The Man in the High Castle was great so I'm not head-over-heels for it.

Tonight are the premieres of the miniseries Childhood's End based on Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and the series The Expanse based on Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, both on SyFy. On Wednesday is a "preview" of the pilot episode of The Magicians based on The Magicians by Lev Grossman, also on SyFy. The official premiere will be in January.

Preview of The Magicians?!?! How have I missed this? Very exciting!

I was really impressed with Jessica Jones as well. There were some times when the sex scenes almost made me blush, but I totally agree about the sex-positive attitude being a major plus.

>184 leahbird: SyFy has been doing that a lot lately. They've had the pilot of The Expanse available on demand for a couple weeks, though I haven't got around to watching it yet. Have you seen pictures from the set of The Magicians yet? If nothing else it'll be a beautiful show to watch: http://io9.com/what-its-like-to-step-inside-the-world-of-lev-grossmans-174632382...

Blush-worthy sex scenes are way better than cringe-worthy sex scenes!

Um, yes they are. ;)

That reminds me, I also recently watched "previews" of the first few episodes of Superstore and Telenovela, both coming to NBC in January. They were both extremely "meh". They feel like you're watching a decent show from a decade ago. Superstore is about workers from all walks of life at an ersatz Walmart. It should have debuted while The Office was at its height, but instead it is debuting now. Telenovela is behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a telenovela, starring Eva Longoria. I found the show to be genuinely funny, but I'm tired of seeing Latinas act as stereotypical Latinas and am more interested in seeing Latinas act as literally everything else (R.I.P. Cristela). Telenovela also pales in comparison to the utter perfection that is Jane the Virgin's dramatic telenovela star Rogelio de la Vega.

I'm wasn't even familiar with Marvel's Jessica Jones but upon doing a Google image search I've decided I might be in love a little.

>187 norabelle414: I watched the first episode of Superstore and found it meh as well. At least it had a Latina main character that wasn't a telenovela stereotype! But it was a stereotype in just about every other way an just didn't do it for me.

>188 Ape: If you like Krysten Ritter, check out Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23. Still her best work, I think.

>189 leahbird: Yeah I mostly just found Superstore unfunny, vs. stereotypical or objectionable.

I think it's mostly the late-80's early-90's goth look she has going on, which appears to be the case in that show too. That was on ABC? I somehow completely missed that one, don't even remember seeing ads for it.

>191 Ape: It's on Netflix.

Ah, yes, that inaccessible realm of the Fast Internets. :(

I have that effect on women.

Okay, I concede, this thread is going to become unloadable in no time. :P

I loved Krysten Ritter from Gilmore Girls but I may have to try and watch Don't Trust the B now.

>202 MickyFine: It is AMAZING. James Van Der Beek plays HIMSELF. I'm rewatching it now because I needed something fluffy to watch. And I came up with a theory that Don't Trust the B is alternate-universe Jessica Jones where none of the Marvel stuff happened and so Jessica never got powers.

The first time I watched it I had not seen Dawson's Creek, but I have a much greater appreciation for it now.

>203 norabelle414: Does James Van Der Beek make the face?

>204 MickyFine: Of course. He also makes this face:

That is amazing!

Giggles.

In other news, the first trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them arrived today.

I've been bingeing on this show this week too! It's one of my favorites, Krysten Ritter is The Best! Plus, James is excellent, and I'd forgotten how much I LOVE Luther!

I started a new thread because Stephen probably can't load this one. But feel free to keep posting gifs here!