Bookmarque’s Padded Cell 2018 - Shared Delusions 2

Rather than put a bunch of new pics on the old thread, I am starting a new one.

Due to one thing and another, I couldn't add pics from Argentina here. I haven't even looked at them in Lightroom yet, so I'll get some cell phone pics going -

This is from the province just outside of Buenos Aires. We were coming back from a fantastic asado (barbeque) where we ate a lot of great food, drank some lovely wine, rode horses and learned how to make empanadas.

Great view. I hope you had a fantastic time.

Beautiful!
Empanadas! Yum!

Oh wow, that sounds amazing! Not sure how well I'd manage in Argentina as a vegetarian, but I do love empanadas.

>1 Bookmarque: Nice teaser! *waits in anticipation*

Thanks peeps!

Here's another early shot of my husband going up the ramp at Buediger winery so we can taste some sauvignon blanc directly from the steel tank. Kinda Close Encounter-y.



cell phone again, so pardon the quality.

Slowly getting photos added to the Argentina album - check it out here as I add more.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157668083828398

>7 Bookmarque: Lovely pictures.

Happy Star Wars Day!

Thanks!
This trip wasn't really about photography, so I didn't do much with my good camera. I did take a ton with the iPhone though. More than I ever have on vacation. Partially it was convenience - much easier to carry and to deal with in certain situations. And also the 6's camera is much better than my old 5.

>7 Bookmarque: Great photos! I liked the captions, too, and I especially agree with the “What the?” caption. :)

yeah it was certainly weird to find that down there.

More pics added. Here's our lunch table for Monday the 23rd!

>7 Bookmarque: Yes, I am hungry now!

It was an amazing lunch. All the lunches were actually. Ate enough for an army!

So I'm going to toot my own horn a bit for a second. Anyone subscribe to Backpacker magazine? Look out for my photo credit below this image in the June issue -



It's a shot of the Plover River taken on that segment of the Ice Age Trail. It will be used to illustrate an article about National Scenic Trails, of which the IAT is one. 1/2 page !! Very excited!

Anyway...that's all for now. Still adding to the Argentina album. Will be able to upload a bunch once I get to the library on Wednesday.

>13 Bookmarque: A well deserved toot!

>13 Bookmarque: Beautiful photo. Congrats!

>13 Bookmarque: Congratulations. Well done. Lovely shot.

Thanks peeps. Originally the photo editor thought 1/4 page, but she changed her mind and I'm getting 1/2 a page now. yay!

Yay! Double the fee!

Excellent news, but surely it deserves a double-page spread!

Great news! Great image!

We'll need an autograph.

>13 Bookmarque: nice! It’s a beautiful picture! It definitely deserves 1/2 a page!

>13 Bookmarque: That is beautiful and well deserves its larger format. Congratulations!

Thanks much. I'm still waiting for my copy.

Anyway...I put a few more pics up in the Argentina album today - check it out if you want. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157668083828398

And I've been in the yard lately in the mornings when the sun is irresistible.

This is wood anemone from this morning -



And this is bloodroot from the other day -



I love my yard.

>23 Bookmarque: Lovely pictures. It looks more like a friend than anemone.

>23 Bookmarque: The photographs from Argentina look super. Would I be right in suggesting that most of them fall into three categories? Landsapes; Townscapes; Food/food related?

Those are three excellent categories for photographs. I get the impression you had a great holiday. Thank you for sharing your memories.

Some of those Argentine landscapes are incredible. Not that I would expect anything less from your photographs :-)

Thanks peeps.

Yeah, pgmcc, they fall into some pretty narrow buckets because it was such an organized affair. 11 of us visiting wineries and one Estancia to experience Asado in its purest form. That's Argentine barbecue and it's amazing.

But it didn't give me much time with the camera so the shots are a bit more limited than usual. I'm happy though. It was a great tour and something we'll probably do again with the same group. I think Portugal is on the table.

The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Your trip sounds like it was great :)

Woo hoo!!

So anxious that Uncle Steve's newest novel would disappoint, but it doesn't!! Check out The Outsider if you're a longtime King fan. It's pretty great. Non-spoiler-y review >>> https://www.librarything.com/work/20532075/reviews/156473252

Is it the end of May already? I know I forgot to do a reading wrap up for April so I’ll get myself in gear now!! (I only read 4 books in April anyway…)

10 books read
9 fiction, 1 non-fiction
1 new author
2 freebies (Project Gutenberg and an ER book) the rest I bought
Of those 2 were used, the rest new
5 each women and men authors
1 ebook, 4 audios and 5 physical books

.........

Most popular was Playback with 1322
Least popular was Phantom Fortune with 17
Oldest from 1883
Newest from this year

Best was The Outsider by Stephen King because I loved it to bits for all the reasons I love Uncle Steve. Such. A. Relief.

The worst was Negroland by Margo Jefferson because it was so oddly organized. Quite disjoined and meandering. Interesting though...and eye-opening, so it was worth listening to for sure.

OMG have I been busy. With a new jewelry venture selling at my stylist's salon and yardwork and my husband quitting his job. Crazy, but all good stuff. So in the middle of it I thought I'd have a sale -



Plus I'm going to Door county today to visit some state parks for my 50th birthday. Just me alone on a tiny island in Lake Michigan taking pictures of wildflowers. What more could a girl want?

Anyway...I did put up a new book review, too. A lovely and very eye-opening nature book called The Forest Unseen - A Year's Watch in Nature. The writer is a zoologist or a biologist and he watches something like a 12' square piece of old growth forest in Tennessee for one year. I learned a ton and it's written really well. If you like nature writing, give this one a go.

Don't you hate it when you love an author, but haven't read their most popular book and when you do it underwhelms you? Oy. I think I understand why The Stone Diaries won the Pulitzer when it did, but it's hard to appreciate when it's been copied so much. Beautifully written as usual and full of lovely insights, but it left me without an anchor. I just floated away from the book entirely. Oh well.

On Sunday my husband had a match so I put the kayak in the Spirit River and had a lovely day -





There are miles of it that have nothing on it at all - no camps, resorts, houses or even a road so it's very peaceful. Hard to explore though due to lack of places to put in. I might have found one about an hour up river from the public launch so I'll have to check it out by car to make sure.

So restful!

It was. I might head back there tomorrow and see if I can find a place to put in that's further up river.

This shot was taken in the Pottawatomie lighthouse on Rock Island which is one of the most northern islands that make up the pointy peninsula of Wisconsin that sticks up into Lake Michigan. The lighthouse was commissioned and built in 1836 to help guide ships from the lake side of the chain into Green Bay. It's been restored to about 1910 and although I would have taken this picture anyway, I thought of my LT gang and how much you'd all love it and understand how important this little box would be to people living in these remote and often dangerous locations -



and a couple of the lighthouse itself - the lamp was part of the keeper's quarters which is a little odd I think.





and here's one of Rock Island as shot from Jackson Harbor on Washington Island. That's the last ferry of the day heading over.



The whole island is a state park and no motorized vehicles or even bicycles I think, are allowed. I spent my birthday on the island and it was wonderful.

That looks like a terrific place to visit. Love the shades of blues in that last photo!

It is a cool place. Takes two ferries to get there, but it's worth it.

Lake Michigan is very blue/green. Much more so than Superior as far as I recall.

I've never seen a lighthouse designed like that! Very cool.

Beautiful place!

So it’s July...the summer is racing by. Like always. In June I only read 6 books so this will be a quick flashback -

5 fiction, 1 non-fiction
2 by men, 4 by women
1 new author
I bought all the books and 2 were new
1 was an audio the rest were hardcopy

.....

The most popular (by far) was The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields - 4789
The least was The Perfect Ghost by Linda Barnes - 136
The oldest was only from 1993, the newest from last year

The best was The Forest Unseen because it was so passionate, dedicated and it taught me a lot. If you’re looking to get into nature writing this is a good one.

The least was Friend of the Earth because it was so bleak and other than we’re doomed, I didn’t get anything out of it. If you want to try Boyle, don’t start here.

>39 Bookmarque: The Forest Unseen attracted me with its title and cover, I'm glad it was a hit for you. A bullet for me.

So it was your bullet huh? Nice one. and yeah, I liked it. Couldn't remember where I heard of it, but I had to get it used since I think it's out of print. Shame.

A couple more field guides came into the collection so I updated the blog post - http://thebookmarque.blogspot.com/2016/09/shelf-by-shelf-field-guides.html

Amazing photos, as usual. Congrats on getting one chosen for that magazine! That photo and the one of the island are so... not sure how to word it, but restful is what I'm trying to convey.

Thanks clam. Restful is good. So much of life is frenetic that we should take it when we can get it.

I haven't done a book stack in a while. Mostly because I've been reading books I own rather than borrowing from the library. But this is what came home with me today -



The top one was in the Friends of the Library sale bin though. I'd eyed it recently on sale as an ebook and on the library shelf, but resisted. It's an English first edition which is kind of cool so I snagged it. A buck well spent.

>44 Bookmarque: A buck well spent indeed. That book is awesome. Do you mean British first edition?

Yes...the price is in pounds.

>44 Bookmarque: The only book in that stack that I’ve read is Station Eleven, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I’ll look forward to reading what you think of it whenever you get to it.

Thanks YouKneek - the bottom one is a semi-local author sort of thing - Minnesota. French and Walters write decent thrillers and I have read them both before. Dee is new, but I've heard good things so what the heck.

Audible is paying me to spend my credits so today I picked up -

..

I've read all these folks before. The King and the Goldman books are parts of series that I like, the Goldman one is set in Minnesota, too. Lawhon writes recent historical fiction. The first was about the disappearance of Judge Crater, the second about the crew on the final Hindenburg flight and this one is about the woman who claimed to be Anastasia Romanov in the 1970s. Great stuff.

One of twin girls in our area. Shot out the window from upstairs. Her sister was off to the left and I can't remember where mom was. She lets them wander a bit these days, but isn't ever far away.

How lovely! She looks so fragile.

Those tiny hooves!

I went to transport a rescue a while back when the fawns were only days or weeks old. Talk about tiny. It fit in a laundry basket!!

Aww! Adorable :)

So cute! And such a treasure to have nearby.

>49 Bookmarque: And that is why I can never get too angry over the deer eating all my plants before they bloom.

Yeah, even though I see them or other deer just about every day, I still stop to marvel at their beauty. They were in the side yard yesterday...the twins scampering about under mom's watchful eye. Too many trees and branches to see clearly, but it was great.

Just put this in the shop today. It's one of the best pieces I've done so far. The chain came out really well.



It's amethyst and fine silver, which being a pure metal, doesn't tarnish like sterling. I loves it.

>55 Bookmarque: Unfortunately my wife can only wear gold without breaking out in a rash. At least that is what she has bern telling me for the last 37 years.

I guess you’d have to try a fine silver ring and see. Something quick and basic.

OMG July is over.

Wait for me, summer!

I read 11 books
8 fiction, 3 non-fiction
6 by men, 4 by women and one by a team of one of each
6 new authors
I bought 9 (8 new, 1 used), borrowed 1 and one was an ER copy
5 physical, 4 audio, 2 ebooks

The most popular BY FAR was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - 10702
The least popular was The Living Forest with a mere 11 copies

The oldest was from 1988 and the newest from this year.

..........

My favorite was The Stranger in the Woods because it was fascinating without being lurid or too exploitative.
My biggest chore was The Death of Mrs. Westaway because of the whiny and basically dumb main character. No more Ms. Ware for me.

hello, my name is Kris and I am a book addict.

...

Spent a lovely hour or so at the Friends of the Library booksale. My husband did the grocery shopping. Total win!! Now I get to spend some nerdly time cataloging and listening to Swedish heavy metal. More win!

Wow, what a great haul! Some of those look almost new. What a great way to spent the weekend!

I love book piles. So seductive.

Yeah...24 books and 4 DVDs for less than the cover price of a new hardback. I love library book sales. And it raises money for library programs, so it's all good.

Some seem like they've never been read, Sakerfalcon, but some definitely were. The sale organizers don't accept really ratty books it seems.

Does this happen to you guys when you go to a thing like this...you see tons of books you've read and either want to hide them so no one else has to suffer with it like you did, or the opposite - you want to take books down and give them to people they were so good. I kept reining myself in so not to do that. Like when there were a ton of Sue Miller books all together. Must. Not. Preach.

And here are the sisters together!!!

>62 Bookmarque: I have been known once or twice (but who is counting?) to hand people (generally people I know, but not always) excellent books at a library sale and tell them they should take them home and read them. It is also a temptation for me to purchase said books, even if I already own them, so that I can then pass them on to the proper person for them. Especially when they are older books, hard to find.

Nice haul!

And love the deer photo :) They are cuties!

What beautiful deer!

They are dears, aren't they ;-)

Thanks peeps. Even if they eat my garden, they're cute and I never yell at them or chase them. How could I?



And if you want to make your head explode from the cuteness, watch this video - https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/42097753630/in/photostream/

>67 Bookmarque: Cuteness overload! They are so beautiful.

>67 Bookmarque: I'm smiling now!

They came through the yard again the other day, with mom. Two of them just passed through, but the larger fawn, stopped to examine a big stump with roots attached that we pulled out of the river the other day. It happens quite a bit and I have a small stump on the dock as sort of natural sculpture. As this one got closer I knew I wanted it, too. It's MUCH bigger and looks as if some weird alien has washed up on the bank. Well, the fawn was really interested, but didn't want to approach. She would stare and take a step or two toward it then back, then sideways. She did the same thing to me about a month ago when I came off the dock to walk back to the house and we surprised each other.
Always cautious, but mesmerized by the strange hunk of wood. After a few minutes of edging closer she gave up and joined her family.

So did this little one -



She spent the night on this flower in my front garden. I've often seen bees resting on flowers, especially in the early morning when it's wet and kind of cold. I was prepared to give her a bit of sugar water if she didn't revive, but a little sun was all it took and she went off to the nest.



IRL she is 1/2 inch long. Quite tiny for a bumbler.

Love the bee photos!

Thanks MrsL. I've been known to pat them. Too cute and fuzzy.

Not fuzzy, but definitely beautiful -



These two were by the dock the other day. I went out with the long lens because I heard them calling to each other and could tell they were close.

Yesterday there were a pair of great blue herons wheeling around from time to time. I'll try to get a good shot of them, but it's much harder.

I love your pictures! The deer are so cute! The bumble bees don't get very big here, not sure why, altitude maybe? You live in a wonderful place!

Well, there's the summer gone. My oldest friend (we've known each other for over 40 years) spent the long weekend here and we had a great time. Even though life has separated us for a while, we got right back into a familiar groove. We wandered in nature on some trails and went kayaking. We cooked and drank and laughed ourselves to death, and it wasn't just the Monty Python.

I had a sore throat the whole time and I knew the ax was going to fall. Luckily the really bad part of my cold cycle didn't hit until after she left. Nose blowing in a kayak is a bit awkward. Now I'm just relaxing and zoning out on Day Quil.

Anyway, here's the reading wrap-up for August.

12 books read - all fiction
3 new authors, the rest were familiar
4 by men, 8 by women
3 borrowed from the library, 2 freebies (ER and Airplane Lady), the rest I bought
Of those 2 were used, 5 new
3 audio, 3 ebooks and 6 physical

...........

No real head-spinners, but I think The Locals edges out the competition even though I gave it 4 stars with some others from the month.

The worst goes to Predator just because I'm really really sick to death of some of the characters (Marino) and the plot was iffy.

A note about I Was Anastasia - I think I should have read it with my eyes and not my ears because although it had a linear timeline, it was backwards and I had trouble keeping the dates straight. It's a bit of a brave novel considering we know Anastasia was killed along with her family, and it works. Ariel Lawhon continues to write historical fiction in new and surprising ways.

And here's a picture of a frog -



Spring peeper on my deck. Less than 1 inch long. Very patient.

Cute little froggie!

Hahaaha! The segue from post 74's last paragraph to post 75's sentence was very Monty Pythonish. Lovely golden frog.

>75 Bookmarque: and now for something completely different, an exceptionally photogenic frog....

OMG I didn't even catch that. cold meds make me feel like I'm part of a jello salad.

Here are some of my favorite mushroom shots from some recent outings (in NH and WI).

Strobilomyces strobilaceus (old man of the woods) -



this next one is a good example of the constantly changing mushroom taxonomy and have been named Inocephalus quadratus, entoloma quadratum, nolanea quadrata, entoloma salmoneum, nolanea salmonea -



Hard to figure this one - could be a russula or a lactarius -



probably hygrocybe cantharellus with a surprise bit of seed fluff -



a soggy group of Pholiota sqarrosoides a little past their prime -



That ought to hold things until I get some foliage shooting done and get the Lassen Volcanic National park shots done.

And now two cute little shield bugs that visited my deck this summer -





The greenie is probably a Chinavia hilaris and the brownie is probably a Moromorpha tetra. They're so cute and I love the way they walk.

Yeah those little bugs are so neat. I never knew what they were called, shield bugs make sense :)

Great pictures, as always.

Loving the photos! Can't ever get enough of fungi.

By the way, I don't think our computer monitor was on when you were here, but you would have seen quite a few of your pics on our screensaver if it had been. :)

Your photos make fungus so beautiful!

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks peeps. I went up north today...on the UP border and of course, fungi featured front and center...and foliage. It wasn't the best day, but it was a new preserve for me (nothing like moving to make everything new!) and a good day even though it didn't crack 40 degrees.

I love the fungi pics, and the shield bugs are cute! I never realised until recently that there are so many different kinds. (the bugs; I knew there are a lot of fungi!)

thanks Sakerfalcon...I hadn't really noticed them much either, but they are fun. Here's an old shot from when I lived in NH. This one like the deck, too!



Probably not the same species as the other green one, but I haven't checked.

And here's a shot from Saturday in case you missed the weekend thread. I'll process more soon. Getting them on a hosting site is proving difficult because of our terrible internet connection.



It's an undeveloped lake way up by the U.P. in the Catherine Wolter Wildlife Area. Loved it there despite it being pretty cold for late Sept.

And sigh. In book news, another promising thriller is ruined by what appears to be our national sport - Blame the victim! http://www.librarything.com/work/19877753/reviews/160900716

Wow. October already. I've started on a giant book because I'm in the mood - The Forsyte Saga - I have it as a big doorstop of a physical copy and also as a much lighter and portable ebook version. I'll be flipping back and forth as the situation calls for. So probably October's book count won't be as high as last month which went like this -

10 books read
All fiction again
5 written by men, 5 by women (I’m even Steven!)
5 new writers, 5 old friends
2 audios, 3 ebooks and 5 physical books
2 library books, the rest I bought
3 used, 5 new

.........

The most popular on LT is My Cousin Rachel which was a re-read for me. Actually I listened to it because it’s read by Jonathan Pryce!!

The least popular was Walking the Bones which disappointed me as compared to the first one in the series because it was really navel-gazey/inner monologuey. A bit too much of that and not enough police work.

The oldest was from 1951 and the newest is from this year.

The best was My Cousin Rachel, but then again that’s hard to top.

I read a lot of crapola this month and so the bad ones are tied at 2 stars Grist Mill Road, Wrack and The Bookman’s Tale - reviews up for all of them.

One DNF - Reality and Dreams by Muriel Spark which puts the nail in her particular coffin for me. It’s the 3rd or 4th book I’ve tried and couldn’t get through more than one of them. Oy.

Phew. Got to the library to upload some photos to my Lassen Volcanic NP album -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157698391797022

Here's one of my favorites -

>90 Bookmarque:
great image!

>90 Bookmarque: That is a great set of images. When was the most recent eruption?

>92 pgmcc: Sorry for butting in, the most recent eruption of Lassen Peak was in 1917. My grandmother watched it from her porch with my 1 year old uncle on her lap. The valley I grew up in (about 1 hour drive away) was covered in ash. The photo Bookmarque shared her is of Cinder Cone, one of the many interesting volcanic leftovers in the park.

>90 Bookmarque: Those are some terrific images! I've been wanting to share photos of my stomping grounds for ages, but never can capture good enough ones. Thank you for doing it for me! :)

No prob MrsL - the info at the park says the Cinder Cone probably last erupted in the 1600s which tallies with other events nearby; at Mono lake and the cinder cone there and at the Lava Beds park. Mono is south on the Sierras chain and Lava Beds are north.

And yup, we climbed it. Much more fun coming down!

And, wow! Watching the explosion must have been scary, humbling and amazing. The devastated area looks as if only a couple of years have gone by, not 100.

>93 MrsLee: & >94 Bookmarque:

That is fascinating information and I love the family connection, @MrsLee. It brings it to life.

I studied Geology at college and have always been fascinated by volcanoes, but I have never been near, and have no desire to be near, an active volcano. I have been lectured to by those that have been near erupting volcanoes and who had to avoid lava bombs flying through the air, so therefore I must be an expert.

I grew up beside a plateau formed by lava flows about 30m years ago so was fascinated by what lave could do. It poured over a chalk landscape and where there were valleys that were inundated by lava on could find low grade coal which was the result of the lava trapping trees under it in the valleys. The same volcanic eruptions were responsible for The Giant's Causeway. The Giant's Causeway formation was formed by the same process that formed Devil's Tower, slow cooling of basaltic lava/magma.

I love volcanoes, too, Pete. I was a kid when Mount St. Helens erupted and I was fascinated by just how helpless we are in the face of that. I don't mind being near active ones like Lassen or the activity in Yellowstone and someday want to go to Hawaii to see some (Dr Evil voice) "liquid hot magma" up close. There's a photographer I follow on one or other site who gets right up close to new land being formed in Hawaii and it's absolutely mesmerizing.

The Giant's Causeway is very neat.

>95 pgmcc: You remind me of a long-ago post-conference tour to the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries, which is actively volcanic. More details in my own thread, so as not to pollute @Bookmarque's wonderful pictures.

You're not polluting, Hugh! I didn't realize the Canaries were still active. How cool.

Here's a link to some shots from Lava Beds and Crater Lake, both of which are still active and show the different geological features left behind by volcanoes. The lava tube caves were so amazing. We weren't prepared to explore much, but we did a little. Good thing hubby always has some flashlights with him!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157635584585123

This album is from the Sierras where there are old volcano hills and active hot springs.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157626833657230

Oh and I forgot our few hours in Yellowstone - we didn't see the big things like Old Faithful, but there is some boiling mud in there -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157648788564957

>96 Bookmarque: I've always lived on good ol' dependable NH granite, so my visit to the St Helens, and Newberry Crater in Oregon was mind blowing. Obsidian fields seemed so exotic by comparison.

>95 pgmcc: If you do ever visit a live volcano, Lassen Park is a nice safe bet, at least for now. Although, do check ahead if you plan a trip. Sadly, part of the bubbly, sulfur, active area was closed during Bookmarque's visit. They are working on the trails which have been undermined by the active, bubbly, sulfur stuff. :) Bumpass Hell they call it. I've never been on that trail.

That park is my nemesis!

Still bumping into the mysteriously absent in real life gray-eyed folk -
The Galton Case
The Forsyte Saga
Look at Me
Our Kind of Traitor
Deception on his Mind
Waiting for Wednesday
The Club Dumas
The Great House
The Perfect Ghost
Into the Water
Disordered Minds
The Other Side of the Door
Reality and Dreams
Force of Nature

>98 Bookmarque: Crater Lake? You were in my neck of the woods! I'm only 2 hours from there! Your pictures are amazing!

>100 MrsLee: Bumpass Hell was cool!

I have always loved volcanoes, too. I got a Geography degree and had a minor in Geology. Some day I will get to Hawaii and watch the lava flow!

Thanks catzteach - the Oregon/California trip was a few years ago, but I remember the caves and the redwoods vividly.

I added a few more photos and a video to the Lassen album if you're following along at home -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewiresmith/albums/72157698391797022

>105 Bookmarque: That's a perfect photograph for picture puzzles. At least, 500 pieces or more. What fun!

>105 Bookmarque: I agree with what Jill said in >106 jillmwo:.

Your pictures are great.

Thanks peeps. I've never turned any of my shots into a puzzle, not being into them, but it's an interesting idea.

Fall is almost over. Sigh.

>108 Bookmarque:

Another great jigsaw picture, particularly if you are giving the jigsaw to someone you want to drive crazy.

I had a picture of my sister’s garden made into a jigsaw as a gift for Christmaa and she loved it.

We drove through North Wales at the weekend. One half of the journey was through rugged mountains and moorland. The other half was through wooded valleys with the trees taking on their autumn colours. It was beautiful. I was very frustrated as we were on a tight schedule and I could not stop and take out the camera. You shall just have to take my word that North Wales is beautiful.

I believe you! One of these days I'll get back to the UK and have the time to do more than hang around London, which was fun, don't get me wrong. During that trip, one day we ventured into a small town, I think it was Churchill's family seat, and it was lovely. I meandered next to a small river, explored a couple of churches and marveled like a tourist at the thatched roofs.

>110 Bookmarque: Of course, you will have to visit Ireland before you do any further UK touring.

Of course! You guys make whiskey like normal people. And now I live in Wisconsin, the green shouldn't startle me at all!!

Bleah.
My latest book was a real dud - The Forbidden Place - Everyone is so ominous and fey. Making cryptic remarks and having halting interactions as if everyone is covered in shards of glass. Nobody can give a straight answer, they all have mysterious and pointless agendas. The prose is dreamy and opaque and has lots of navel gazing from the characters. The plot, what little of it there is, is a slow moving mass of nearly dried out paint. The translator used a lot of British idioms, but the narrator is American (or does a reasonable accent) and it rings a really false note. Also, there are a lot of As You Know, Bob moments where too much info is given about too many esoteric subjects, especially what's-her-name's greenhouse gasses field of study.

Oy. Returned to Audible. Thankful for their no fuss returns. Now I can get the latest from that fucking Flowers - Holy Ghost which dropped today.

>113 Bookmarque: Cutting and running if a book is not working out for you is the best way to avoid wasting your life on rubbish.

Glorious photos, as always.

I am struck by your comment "Fall is almost over" as it has just started here, other than that it's dark early. I was still swimming in the bay last week.

>115 clamairy: Yes, our forecast is for mid 80s for the next 10 days, 50s at night. Granted, for us that represents a big cool-down from the 100+ temperatures of the summer, but still, not quite fall weather. :)

Peak color is around Columbus day up here and now there is snow and some foliage left on the trees although a lot of them are already bare. It doesn't do this for very long -

So pretty! Wish our leaves would start turning already.

Lovely! I don't know if we will get much fall color this year. It is still very warm here, and I'm afraid when the weather does turn it will simply be wet and warm.

>117 Bookmarque: Again a beautiful picture. I love the texture of that picture. The pattern made by the leaves is wonderful and the trunks lead the eye upward through leaves. The eye also wanders down the aisles between the trees. Just beautiful.

Thanks peeps. It's hard to take a bad shot of such a beautiful scene.

Today is windy, windy, windy and most of the maples aspen, birch and ash trees are nude. Just the hornbeam and oaks have leaves. Such is the way of it.

High winds, cool temps and some rain made a really large hornet's nest fall apart and unfortunately not everyone made it out -



Only queens overwinter anyway so it's not like this wasn't an inevitability.

The next day a woodpecker was hammering the remains on the house to bits.

I wonder if hornets taste spicy to woodpeckers.

>123 MrsLee: They probably have one of those tastes that has a sting in the tale.

You know I cannot resist the obvious.

Groan. You guys.

So I've been struggling with a couple of books lately. The Forsyte Saga is one. As much as I liked the miniseries, the book is wearing on me. A Man of Property is the first book. The man is Soames Forsyte and the property is his wife, Irene. OMFG it's so horribly insulting. All the women in the book are just there to prop up the men. They are beautiful or fecund or both, otherwise useless. If they have *gasp* opinions of their own it's just the end of humanity. Soames has just raped her and can't understand why she's constantly crying. Sickening what men do to women.

Anyway...in the other book both the men and the women are pretty equal in their vileness. I liked her second book quite a lot, but this one is a DNF - This one is Mine by Maria Semple. Shit these people deserve each other, but I'll be damned if I'm going to stand it to see any sort of comeuppance. Bleah.

So I've started Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton. It was a library book sale item and one that I thought was a new author, but it turns out that I liked Daisy in Chains earlier this year. I didn't realize she first published using initials.

But here's what I was leading up to with all my complaining. When a book is right. When it appeals and is enjoyable on every level - the writing, the characters, the action - it lights up my brain in a way that is relaxing and enticing. Like the right chemicals are being released - endorphins or seratonin or something.

Isn't it amazing? It's like a warm bath for the brain.

The other day I went back through my reading notebook and pulled out stuff that I caught as wrong when I was reading. Everyone has their areas of expertise and can tell when an author makes a mistake. One of the most glaring for me is how little people know about guns and how much complete bullshit is repeated in books and in movies. Here's my list! (all take from books with lazy writers)

Modern semi-automatic pistols take magazines, not clips
magazines use springs to move another round into the chamber, clips do not.

Guns don’t just “go off”
they are precision machines and it takes deliberate effort to discharge one

10 gauge refers to a shotgun; a shotgun is not a rifle therefore there is no such thing as a 10 gauge rifle.

You can do more than perfect your grip and stance with a pistol inside a house without shooting holes in your walls. You can dry fire.

Snipers don’t use tripods - they use bipods

Revolvers do not have safeties (apart from one ancient model that hasn’t been made in decades)

Neither do Glocks (at least the type that operates via a binary switch)

Revolvers do not eject brass

Shooting a person does not make them jump back, spin, fly out of their shoes into the air or any other thing except fall like a bag of dirt.

That's all I have for now, but I have lots of other stuff. How about you guys...what's the stuff you catch and roll your eyes at?

How about blood spatter from gun shots? In reality isn't all the blood spatter on the exit wound not entry?

Pretty much, yes, but it depends on the person, the round and the position of the shot.

>125 Bookmarque: Here is a quote for you from Buried in Books and anthology.

"It is good to be now and then withheld from reading bad books." Henry Crabb Robinson, diary entry 28th December 1821

Yes!

It feels so great to DNF something. I feel free and the ick is gone from my brain. At least until I introduce new ick.

I went wandering in search of abandonment again yesterday. Found this, among other things -



and this right next to it - and old firepit and some fancy fencing. The chair probably isn't as old as the cabin, but it's just there.



This is on a good sized lake up north. Not directly on the water, but close. In northern Wisconsin, abandoned stuff just lasts and lasts. In NH this wouldn't have stayed around for months never mind decades. Nothing appears ransacked or damaged except by time and the elements. Back when it was built it was pretty isolated since the other houses are much, much newer. There's another abandoned little cabin (not log) across the street by the water. There is a big, new cabin right next door. I guess with 15,000 lakes, there's always room on one of them.

Wow. That’s October gone.
I read 10 books
9 fiction, 1 non
4 new authors, 6 familiar
2 by men, the rest by women (Robert Galbraith doesn’t count!)
1 ebook, 4 audio and 5 physical
1 library book, 2 ER books, the rest I bought
5 new, 2 used

.........

Oldest was from 2008, the newest from this year
The best was The Round House by Louise Erdrich - 4.5 stars
The worst was The Forbidden Place by Susann Jansson - .5 stars - returned to Audible.

DNF = The Third Hotel because of the oddly unfocused writing and I didn't engage w/protagonist

>132 Bookmarque: Does the blurb of Sacrifice say where the cover picture was taken? It looks amazingly like one of the passages in the Elliptical Temple at Great Zimbabwe.

Sorry, just a photo credit - I can't remember the name off hand. John or maybe Jack Ambrose. Getty image.

Pity. Thanks for looking, anyway.

No prob. Just had to go downstairs!

Another one of our roadside attractions. This was one of two that were so relaxed about me and the car that I wonder if they people in the neighborhood could hand feed them.



And another favorite of my day on a trail in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest -



There's a couple inches of snow on the ground now. How fast things change!

Lovely pictures.

So pretty.

Beautiful!

Thanks peeps.

Snow on the ground. Temps in single digits over night. Oddly wintery for this time of year, but what the heck. I find something worthy -



That is Long Slide Falls in northeastern Wisconsin, right on the UP border (Michigan). There aren't a lot of ways to shoot it because the gorge is so steep and windy, but I gave it a go.

You only need one right one, which you have found -- in spades!

>141 Bookmarque: That is a great image. What exposure did you use to get the flow of the water?

Thanks Hugh! It takes a bit of driving around here to get to any waterfalls. I have to get out of the Wisconsin River valley and head toward either of the big lakes - Michigan or Superior. Then the terrain gets much more interesting and the rivers drain away from the Wisconsin. Worth the trip though. I hope to do some more in the U.P. this spring.

hey Pete, sorry. Missed your post while I was replying to Hugh. It's 3.2 seconds at f14 and ISO 125. I used a 6-stop neutral density filter to get the exposure time down long enough to soften the water. On other shots in the series I also added a polarizer to get the glare down off the water surface. Didn't need that in this case.

Oh jeez. That was probably TMI!!!

>145 Bookmarque: That is perfect, @Bookmarque.

It must have been a calm day for the leaves and branches to be so sharp over a 3.2 second exposure.

I shall have to look up the "6-stop neutral density filter" but everything else I am familiar with.

(Not "TMI". Just an opportunity for me to learn.)

ETA: Learning done.

A colleague of mine described how he bought a cheap piece of welding glass and uses this as a filter for his landscape shots. I cannot remember the cost involved but he said it was a lot cheaper than buying a dedicated filter. I do not imagine he has the various stops one would have with a dedicated filter.

Welding glass works in the same way...like sunglasses. If he used that he probably had to hold it in front of the lens while taking the picture. Awkward, but I've done it with other filters.

I do a bit of playing with long exposure now and then. Calm days do produce more dramatic results, but it's fun when there's some wind kicking up, too.

This one was 10 seconds at f7.1, which means a wider aperture, and a slightly more light sensitive ISO. I probably used some filter or two, but I can't recall if it was one or the other or both. The ferns knock me out and that's why I chose the composition I did.



The trees are blurry, too.

>147 Bookmarque: The movement of the ferns adds an "other-worldy" fell to the picture.

I have a remote release device which I have only used in earnest once and that was taking shots of fireworks. I have a lot of practice to get under my belt before I can take good firework shots. Unfortunately a fireworks display does not last long enough for one to try different settings for long.

I've never tried shooting fireworks. Weird. I know how to do it, but there it is.

Most of the time, with shots like this one and some macro work, I use a 2-second shutter delay. This way the vibration of my finger hitting the button dissipates and I get a clear shot. If I'm waiting on wind to die down or split-second changes in light, I use the cable release. Mostly on macro shots when both of these things drive me nuts.

Here's another long exposure, this time the contrast is between the tiny trees on the forest floor and the movement in the canopy of their elder statesmen.



It was 6 seconds at f14 and ISO 160. Just a polarizer for this one. I really should have used the neutral density, but rain was threatening and I had a steep and slippery climb down ahead of me so wanted to get that over with. As it turned out, just as I hit the trail to the parking lot the clouds opened up.

Another super shot.

I do not do enough long exposure shooting. I am usually photographing animals and I am trying to use the fastest speed I can which means wide apertures giving shallow depth of field, and high ISO leading to grainy images if I crop the picture too much.

Funny, I'm in the opposite camp. Am working through a steep learning curve with my long telephoto zoom and animals that just won't stand still, darn them.

>151 Bookmarque: They are a bit thoughtless like that.

>151 Bookmarque:

Have you tried a bigger tip?

Alas, bribes prove ineffective.

All your pics are great, but I especially like >149 Bookmarque:

Thanks tardis. One of my happy places is the woods. It's enchanting, magical and always gives me something new. Like this little beauty and its friends.

I love your pics! That cabin looks like someplace that would be nice and peaceful, well, in its prime. It may be too run down now.

Thanks. I bet it was super peaceful when it was built. It's probably early 20th century and all the rest of the buildings around are much newer. Funny that there is a very new log cabin...a semi-fancy one...in sight of this old dilapidated one.

>72 Bookmarque: As a loon lover, I especially liked this one. I also have one of your gorgeous autumn-woods photos (probably from NH) supplying rich fall colors on my desktop.

(ETA) I'm late catching up, but...husband quitting his job?

I love your photos. That mushroom capture is amazing.

Thanks Narilka. I am such a nut about mushroom photography. I can hardly walk 5 feet in the woods without stopping during the season!

Hey Meredy...I knew you'd like the loons and I'm glad the fall photos make you smile. They do me, too. Such a short season, but so lovely.

Yeah, things were and still are imploding at his (former) division. Undermining his authority as General Manager, not giving him what he asked for to succeed, bad planning. So he quit in June and doesn't need to work full time anymore so he's consulting for his former employer in NH. They send the plane for him every other week and he works from here, too. It's really working out well.

Oh and hubby is picking up a new camera for me next week. I think some of the new tech will help me take better loon and other wildlife pics. I can hardly wait!

>162 Bookmarque: Thank hubby for us. :) I look forward to your shots.

>162 Bookmarque: a new toy! I can't wait to see what you can do with it!

>162 Bookmarque: Ooh, I can't wait to see pics from your new piece of kit!

I'm so excited to get it. Especially for my wildlife work...I'm really bad at it and I think some of it is the camera. A lot of it is me, but the focusing tech is plain better in the new one and that's my big downfall right now. Anyway...it should be really great. It's only my 7th camera since 1985.

Here's my geeky blog post about it. You have been warned!

https://wickeddarkphotography.com/2018/11/19/it-will-be-mine-oh-yes-it-will-be/

Happy new camera! Reading your blog, I couldn't help thinking about my kit, which includes as one of the most treasured parts an adapter that allows me to use a couple of lenses and a set of extension tubes that my father bought for his first Pentax in 1960.

Ah old glass. It can be beautiful and challenging to use. My previous camera, the E-30, had in-body image stabilization so using my old lenses was easier when off the tripod. At that time, Panasonic went all in with stabilized lenses so I lost that. I have it back, but now it's my Panasonic system lenses that are behind the times. They won't work with the IBIS. Newer lenses do and both types of stabilization give about 6 stops of assist when hand-holding. Not entirely critical, but it would be interesting, especially for video.

And it has been secured!

Currently in the hotel safe. Body, battery grip and a free strap and SD card to match a similar deal at another retailer. It's the strap I want and the SD card I need. Sweet. Not sure if hubby acquired anything else while there. Like a new macro lens or something. lol

i can hardly wait.

It has arrived!



I won't be reading much today except the manual and a customization/set up guide!!

Woohoo!

Very different scenario compared to when I got my last new camera. Then it was May and beautiful out. This time it's November, cold, overcast and windy. Took it out for a while and froze my fingers even with gloves. Will need handwarmers if I try it again.

So far though, it's pretty interesting although just different enough in design and handling that it will take a while to develop muscle memory with it.

Well I've had it in the field a few times and wow...it's a joy. Here are a few shots -







And the spillway from the dam downriver -



It's pretty impressive and I'm changing some things in the way I shoot and have the camera set up. Way geeky, so I won't get into it here, but it's all good.

Great pictures.

Wow. Here at the office they took my ad blocker off and now I can see your pictures. So, so beautiful.

>173 Bookmarque: I love the frozen motion of the falls, a compliment to your flowing motion pictures of other falls. Very cool.

Actually, that's nature's frozen motion - it's ice.

>177 Bookmarque: You should just take praise when you get it and say, "Thank you!" :-)

I'm good, but I'm not THAT good! lol

>179 Bookmarque:
There you go again.
:-)

>177 Bookmarque: Well, I knew that, I just didn't phrase my post very well. I claim drain bamage.

>170 Bookmarque: Nice!

Shiny! Shiny!

I know...I love it and basically carried it around with me everywhere for a couple of days. No. I did not sleep with it. lol

It's all customized and whatnot. I've shot a little with it recently, but I will have to see if I can get out again on Friday...we're supposed to have a storm, but who knows.

Here are a few more shots -

A little abandoned cabin that I just noticed after passing it a zillion times.



It used to be The Minnow Shack apparently -



Windows and a front door of an abandoned house that I also pass by a lot -



There are tons of old cars and stuff next to it, including a boat and an RV. Looks like people still use the way back of the property as a woodlot. Common enough around here.

Abandoned buildings really have a special air about them - a certain mystique, enigma.
Love the cars!

Amazing photos, as always. And damn. Those cars! Especially that really old one! How sad to see it decaying, though.

So I read your post in WholeHouse's catching up thread. Are you planning to stay in the midwest now that your husband is back to working part of the time in NH? Did you buy a house out there?

Thanks, clam & Busifer. Yeah, the abandoned stuff around here is a bit sad. I know things run their courses, but the waste is a little astounding.

We're staying here. We like it. We own the house and it's pretty perfect. When we are sick of the frozen mud (late winter/early spring) we'll just leave for a while. Easier to do without the cats, but we can board them.

Because of the company planes, going to and fro isn't so bad. He is spoiled and being alone from time to time has never bothered me.

November is past and the last calendar month is on us. Tempus fugit indeed.

I read 9 books and a camera manual or two!
Only one was non-fiction
2 new authors
6 by women, 2 by men and one by a team of one each
7 physical copies and 2 audio books
1 was an Amazon freebie, 3 were borrowed and 5 purchased
Of those 3 were new and 2 were used

.........

The oldest was from 1999 (party down!) and the newest published this year.
The best was Rawblood for its inventiveness and sheer complexity.
The worst was The Ruin because it plodded its way to a decent conclusion.

A big DNF to The Forsyte Saga. Just wasn’t interested enough in the story or characters to put up with the relentless misogyny.

I haven't read The Forsyte Saga but I definitely hear you on the misogyny. For me the characters has to be VERY interesting for me to be able to accept too much of it. And I don't mean the kind were it's added for period authenticity but rather the casual kind that permeates most older works.
It's one of the reasons that I never finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, for example.

Yeah, it's a product of its time and the attitudes of Galsworthy. I liked the mini-series well enough.

It wasn't just the new camera that made me go out side. It was the new snow!

Absolutely lovely.

Thanks Clam. It was a pretty good morning to be out.

Ooh, wow! I wish we got snow like that here.

Thanks peeps. It's only 3-4 inches so it doesn't get in the way too much, but is beautiful. Plus the wind just plastered the trunks.

And yesterday's wander featured quite a few abandoned places.



While I was shooting this, the owner stopped to talk to me. He's an old dude and said the house had been in the family a few generations. He said it was built to last, but wished it had been kept up. The barn next to it was flattened by a tornado, its stone wall foundations the only thing left.

Nice shot.

At some point upkeep is just no feasible, sadly.

>195 Bookmarque: That reminds me I am reading The Haunting of Hill House. No hills behind the house in your picture, but it does have an atmosphere.

Boo!

Yeah, not much in the way of hills around there. And as agriculture becomes less and less viable (thanks big-Ag) you find more and more of this.



It's from the neighboring town.

It saddens me, yet it is the trend everywhere, it seems: consumers want to buy super-cheap, and so small-scale family farms cannot get paid enough for their produce to stay in business.
In Sweden the acreage and number of livestock has stayed the same over the past 20 years, but the number of actual farmers have halved during that same period.

I saw that happening in Northern Illinois when I lived there in the 1990s. I'm sorry to hear it's still happening

It seems I am very lucky to live in an area of the country where small farms and other agricultural enterprises are booming. The trend started here in the mid-1980s, when the first potato fields morphed into vineyards. The biggest draw-back is that the weekend traffic from July through October is horrendous. It's nice and quiet now, though.

Ironic though isn't it? The room for farming is out here. The pasture is better than anything in New England or much or the northeast and the soil is MUCH easier to work. But yet a lot lies fallow. Not all, but enough to be noticeable. Even if we could grow grapes...for anything other than juice, there wouldn't be much traffic, lol.

---

Just finished an terrific book about the evolution of feathers. If you like natural history or evolutionary biology this is right up your alley - Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson. Nicely illustrated and engaging. Review here - http://www.librarything.com/work/11165121/reviews/162037936

Get a physical copy - the book itself is GORGEOUS.

>201 Bookmarque: I know at least a few suburban areas of the Midwest are starting to encourage agri-tourism type farms to establish themselves in the area. My nephew says they're offering incentives where he lives in Michigan. I also wonder if Climate Change is an issue. That recent report from the 'gummint' said the the Midwest will be one of the hardest hit regions, with hotter Summers and inconsistent rainfall. Or are potential small farmers not even thinking that far into the future?

I will say that when I was living there I was shocked by the lack of farm stands, etc. No one bothered with them. There was a big farmer's market once a week in downtown Rockford, but otherwise you had to grow your own. My town in CT had one. I moved to a similar size town and I think we have at least a half a dozen, and each town has a few so there are plenty of choices. There are a couple of places with green houses that will be selling some veggies through the Winter at least a couple of days a week. I'm sure the climate is beneficial, as the surrounding water keeps this part of Long Island warmer than inland New England.

I also think population density and tiny lots are part of it. Where I lived in NH I could hit a farmer's market during the summer in every town that touched mine on every day of the week. Here they are around, but not quite as common. Most people do grow their own, but they also have the room to do so and FMs aren't as important. That doesn't go for the larger cities, but up this way it's pretty true. There are some local farmers becoming more active and hosting different events and I hope that works for them. Not sure there's any tourism, per se, but at least they're raising awareness. I don't buy everything local, but I try. Some grocery stores carry local butter, eggs, potatoes and a few other things.

And up where I am is in the Wisconsin River valley so says a fraction warmer than the outlying areas. Like you mentioned, it's the water.

Another amazing book late in the year. If you often scratch your head at award winners and short lists, you won't at this one - Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor is a fascinating work not only for the story it tells, but how it's told. The craft and deliberate way it's written is soothing, rhythmic and engrossing rather than exciting.

Review here ---> http://www.librarything.com/work/18617158/reviews/160444692

I think it will be on my top 5 for the year.

Wow. Has it been a week since I posted here? I guess so.

Not every book is great this month. Just finished Strindberg's Star which luckily I got at a Friends of the Library sale. It's pretty silly and empty in the end. Reasonably entertaining, but ultimately kinda dumb and it wasn't just because it's in translation. That's ok though. Gotta have the silly ones, too, right? Review is this way 👉 http://www.librarything.com/work/10496594/reviews/162037977

Another DNF goes to Crimson Lake by Candice Fox. Even Euan Morton couldn't save that one and he's one of my favorite narrators. Endless cycles of stupidity, cruelty, violence and corruption that apparently just can go on and on and on. 😒

I've been sorting through stuff for Best of lists. Books and my photos. I think I have them narrowed down.

Did a little Christmas shopping this week and so I'm basically done there. Hubby will deliver presents to my parents later this week when he's in NH.

Was in the house for too long and got stir crazy so I went to a popular park about an hour away. Popular in the summer that is. Winter, not so much.



It's the Dells of the Eau Claire. Dells was a new term to me and it basically means gorge, but it's a nicer word. lol

Lively place, it would appear.

Actually there were a million otter prints all over. Some mink, too. Alas, they hid from me.

>206 Bookmarque: wow! the composition of this shot is wonderful. I love how you set the water through the center with the dramatic colors of the rocks behind.

Thanks. I'm still not happy with the colors when I use a polarizer and a neutral density filter together, but it was the only way to get the slow shutter speed I wanted.

Here's a look the other way --



Sorry that they're a little soft. I think things get dropped a bit linking to a hosted image.

Wow, that is a stunning landscape, and your photos really bring it to life.

>210 Bookmarque: I love that picture.

Thanks peeps. One of these days I'll get to the Dells of the Wisconsin...much bigger river!

>210 Bookmarque: Nice photo!

Your photos are always so beautiful! Looks like you are enjoying your new camera. 😊

Thanks guys. I really do like it although it was acting strange the other day. I'll have to see if it keeps doing it. Photos came out fine though. Here's another leaf in snow. Irresistible.



Last night I started another EPIC series from Alexandre Dumas. The Marie Antoinette series (http://www.librarything.com/series/The+Marie+Antoinette+romances). After doing a lot of reading and research I'm still not sure if I have the first book or the second one started. Seems they both pick up on the same time frame and follow two courses of events that will clash in the French Revolution. I've started the one featuring Joseph Balsamo, the magician or sometimes known as a physician, but since he claims to be 2000 years old I'm going with the former. lol. As usual the books are filled with "coincidences" and lots of intrigue and atmosphere.

I love Dumas and haven't read those yet. I'm definitely interested to hear your thoughts when you're done.

So far it reads like a lot of his other work except that Balsamo isn't as charming or attractive as either Dantes or Chicot. Both of them had right on their sides and this guy is a little creepy and menacing. He uses hypnotism to get people, mostly one woman, to do what he wants. He also knows things that he couldn't or shouldn't. Very secret things and uses them to manipulate people into doing what he wants. But there's enough intrigue and people to root for that I'm tearing through it.

A grinchy moment.

What is it with people looking down their noses at those who like some pop culture thing? In the scavenger hunt there are lots of different things brought up in the clues and only one of them has people up on their high horses saying that it was so hard for them to figure out because they haven't read the books or seen the movies. Did I do that with the poetry one? Or the children's books? Did anyone? I read no poetry and have no children, but who cares? To have such false pride over something so stupid just makes me crazy. Leave people alone and keep your self-righteous opinions to yourself.

And go watch some Harry Potter for fuck's sake. It's fun and charming.

Oy vey.

I'll try to go find my Christmas spirit now.

>219 Bookmarque: lol, I haven't read the comments that closely, but I know people like that. I used to be one of them! Glad I'm growing out of it. May we all find that plank in our eye and remove it.

>219 Bookmarque: I thought you had already found the Christmas spirit and imbibed freely of it. :-)

I agree with the sentiment.

Have a wonderful time.

Thanks peeps. Sorry for the rant at this festive time...and yeah, I should pour more of that Christmas spirit. 🥃

I've gotten through the first book in the Marie Antoinette series and have to put my thoughts together about it. As usual it's convoluted and there's a lot going on.

My Christmas Gift to you, bookish people and Alexandre Dumas fans!

The Marie Antoinette Romances (Novels) by Alexandre Dumas

Published as a serial from 1846-55

Before deciding to read these books, I first had to sort out which were included, how they were published/available and in which order they should be read. Even more than other series from Dumas, this one is confusing because it was collected in books in so many ways. Also the names of the books slip a little in translation and even the series itself is known under different names.

Series names - Marie Antoinette Romances (novels) or The Memoirs of a Physician

The books! The bold titles are how they are found on Project Gutenberg.

They are in order with the time period they cover noted. They are grouped by number to show “unabridged” editions that may contain books sometimes published individually. The lettered lists are alternate titles.

1.1 Balsamo the Magician 1770
a Memoirs of a Physician
b Cagliostro
c The Elixir of Life
d Madame Dubarry
1.2 The Mesmerist’s Victim 1770 to 1774
a Andrée de Taverney (Andrea de Taverney)

2 The Queen’s Necklace 1784-1786
a Le Collier de la Reine

3 Taking the Bastille 1789
a Ange(l) Pitou
b Pitou the Peasant
c Storming the Bastille
3.1 The Hero of the People

4.1 The Royal Life Guard 1789
a The Flight of the Royal Family
4.2 The Countess de Charny October 1789 to February 1794
a La Comptess de Charny

5 ? Le Chevalier de Maison Rouge (only in French on P.G.)
a The Knight of the Red House

Just a little confusing right? To make it worse, the last book isn’t actually part of it. It was written before all the other books that cover earlier times and it doesn’t have any of the characters from those other novels. You can be fooled though since there is a Knight of the Red Castle in at least the first two books. OMG! Technically Maison Rouge covers the time period following Countess de Charny so it is often listed as the last in the Marie Antoinette Novels.

Useful sites for additional info -
Wikipedia Marie Antoinette books
Father Dumas (use Google Translate if you can’t read French)
Project Gutenberg listing of Dumas’s books

File under crazy -



It's for The Dead Zone by Stephen King.

WTF?

Whipped through the first book(s) in the Marie Antoinette series. What a ride. Crazy, convoluted and cliff-hangery. What else can you expect from Dumas?

http://www.librarything.com/work/212307/reviews/147485170

Not sure if I'll read another this year, but you can definitely expect me to get to the rest of them soon!

>225 Bookmarque: Sounds like they are worth it. Thank you for putting them on my radar :)

They are. I just love how pulp-fictiony they are. In a 19th century French way, but they so are.

Oh and Barnes & Noble. You suck.

Amazon has changed things in ways you just don't grasp. We buyers have new expectations now. For example, when I pre-order a book from them, it ships early enough so it will ARRIVE on its release date.

You, on the other hand, penalize me for ordering online from you. If I walked into one of your stores today I could get my book. But no. You can't understand that basic model and instead ship the book to me on its release date. Way to keep up.

This is what prevents me from ordering more from you. You do dumb shit that makes no sense, hurts me and is super hard to fix.

You are dead to me again for your stupidity and lack of insight into what I expect as a consumer.

Since I'm all done with my Best of Lists, here they are!

Non-fiction

In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown - Nathaniel Philbrick
I tore through this in two days. Philbrick writes his histories in such a compelling way that even if you know how things turn out, you are so fascinated and pulled along you can hardly turn the pages fast enough.

Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle - Thor Hanson
Written in an engaging and enthusiastic style, the book was continually interesting and entertaining. It begins with feathered dinosaur finds and scientists working on the evolution of feathers and flight and how, or how not, those might intersect. Then on to feathers in fashion and other human uses like pens and the functions of feathers aside from flight. There are chapters devoted to colors and breeding displays. If you are into birds or evolutionary biology this book is well worth adding to your library.

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - Michael Finkel
I didn’t write a review for this one, but it was an interesting look into a truly strange person. While Knight was pretty much isolated and had no human interactions, he wasn’t cut off from the rest of the world. His presence was noted, although no one knew who was doing the stealing from cabins and camps all around a lake in Maine. Through an ingenious use of space and those stolen items, Knight created the life he craved. Too bad he couldn’t respect others as he demanded they respect him.

The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature - David George Haskell
What happens in the forest, stays in the forest. One man watches one square meter of woods in Tennessee and oh boy is there more going on than he bargained for. I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed my virtual time in the woods with the writer.

The Enigma of the Owl: An Illustrated Natural History - Mike Unwin
A wonderful, laugh and smile inducing look at the current state of major owl populations throughout the world. On the whole it provides excellent photographs and descriptions. It does get a bit repetitive though and I found myself skimming a bit toward the end. If you love owls and want the latest taxonomy information, this is your book.

Fiction

Rawblood - Catroina Ward
Deeply atmospheric, creepy and slightly disjointed in presentation, this is a novel where everything connects. If you love rabbit holes that delve into darkness, madness, haunting and the unexplained; this is the book for you. It is not for the squeamish however. The story is presented in multiple timelines all centering around the Rawblood estate - once owned by an English family and lost, rescued by Italian, Don Villarca. Is it cursed, haunted or is there just madness in the family? It culminates in one woman; Iris. A girl raised in isolation and fear.

The Outsider - Stephen King
It has all the hallmarks of the King stories we love - a terrific marriage, good friends, strange shit happening, suspense and a wicked boogeyman. Oh please stick the landing! Don’t pull a Revival on me. And he didn’t. The blend of police procedural and supernatural thriller was perfect and done with the usual licks of humor throughout. It was delicious waiting for the hard left turn you know the story will take.

Reservoir 13 - Jon McGregor
if you love the deliberation of craft and effective, precise writing, you’ll fall into the love it camp. If you need lots of plot, action and things tied up with a bow, you’ll fall in with the haters. The thing that is most satisfying and impressive about this book is its style and approach. I’ve read two other McGregor novels and let me tell you - he varies his language and story-telling technique to serve the story itself. In this case his sentences and phrases are repeated often as the tale goes forward. You will recognize the themes and situations, but they are ever so slightly altered in each year so that there is progress made or a new aspect shown.

The Round House - Louise Erdrich
No idea why I didn’t write a review for this novel. I loved the story and the way it unfolded. The mystery at the core of the novel is nicely buffered by descriptions of characters lives and social dynamics. Beautiful use of language. I wish Joe had been older though, some of his criminal empathy was not believable in a person so young.

The Locals - Jonathan Dee
my first impression of this book was one of comfort - that I was in the hands of a writer with skill. The prose just lit up my brain somehow. While not a perfect book, it has some great character portraits and insight. There are a lot of character perspectives, but the transitions from one to another are smooth and logical. If you like Richard Russo’s books this one will appeal.

You can click to my reviews by going to the book's page. They're all done except for The Round House.

Warning! Warning! Bad books ahead!


The Forbidden Place - Susanne Jansson
Everyone is so ominous and fey. Making cryptic remarks and having halting interactions as if everyone is covered in shards of glass. Nobody can give a straight answer, they all have mysterious and pointless agendas. The prose is dreamy and opaque and has lots of navel gazing from the characters. The plot, what little of it there is, is a slow moving mass of nearly dried out paint.

Waking the Moon - Elizabeth Hand
Way overblown, histrionic, hyperbolic and festooned with just too much language. It felt choked; as if it were strangling on itself and struggling to tell the story. Way to hit me over the head with the feminist message, too. Patriarchy=bad, ok already.

Grist Mill Road - Christopher J. Yates
Overall it’s a tight and reasonably original piece of storytelling. So why the two stars? Because the whole way through Yates keeps beating us over the head about what Hannah did to bring this on herself. Yes friends it’s blame the victim time! We are led to understand that once again, the actions of a female are too much for a male to overcome and he’s swept away in his emotions and just can’t help being violent. Bleah.

The Bookman’s Tale - Charlie Lovett
There’s a fine line between write what you know and write a wish-fulfillment vehicle that encapsulates your every fantasy and Lovett doesn’t know where it is. The mystery brought every tired, shopworn cliche and trope into harness, right down to the gloating and monologuing villain. So eye-rolling I just had to laugh.

Wrack - James Bradley
Suffered by being bogged down with info dump after info dump; the science of map making, geometry, opera and every other damn thing that tangentially connected to the ship, the search and the documents hinting that the Portuguese “discovered” Australia. I think the author didn’t have a story so much as a bunch of cool stuff he read about and tried to string it together with weak cement to cobble together a novel.

Double post.

LT issues. Got an email saying they were solved so this is a test.

Ramming speed!!

MR. SULU!
EVASIVE MANEUVERS IMMEDIATELY.

{Scotty's voice from off stage}

“She can'nae take any more, captain!”

OMG It's January 1st already. Here goes December's wrap up before I start the 2019 thread.

---

12 books read. A nice number for the 12th month of the year.
2 non-fiction, the rest were novels
9 by men, only 3 by the lay-deez
4 new authors, the rest are old friends
3 ebooks, 2 audios and 7 physical books
9 I bought, 1 I borrowed and 2 came free from Project Gutenberg
Of those I bought 4 were new, 5 were used

...........

The oldest was from 1847 and the newest from 2018
The most popular on LT was Head Full of Ghosts with 846
The least popular was The Mesmerist’s Victim with 5, but I think that’s mostly due to title and edition confusion.

The best was In the Hurricane’s Eye:The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick because it was awesome and I learned a lot. Plus I love him anyway.

But another top 5 book slid in at the last minute and that was Reservoir 13 because it was sublime and so beautifully crafted.

The worst was Strindberg’s Star because it was silly.

Bring on 2019!!

Love that cover on Feathers.

You have an eye for beauty, MrsL. The cover is what drew me. Or rather, the spine. That part that says Feathers is really the spine and the rest is the cover proper. It was mis-shelved at a Friends of the Library sale and I was arrested by the bold spine. When I saw the book itself it almost didn't matter what it was about, but when I saw it was a book about the evolutionary development of feathers, I couldn't put it in my bag fast enough!!

>235 Bookmarque:
I am drawn to your two Dumas books. I did not know of them and I see they are available on Project Gutenberg. More books for Mount. TBR.

You are ending this thread with some accurate shooting.

A Head Full of Ghosts might also be on target.

The Dumas books are a lot of fun. Check out this post https://www.librarything.com/topic/290753#6666943 to see how they are available on P.G.

HfoG was fun, too, but in a different way. Psychological horror isn't everyone's cuppa, but it wasn't too gory or cruel although it had some intense scenes.

>239 Bookmarque: You make the HfoG sound even more intriguing. I think you are standing over me with a pistol making sure you do not miss. :-)