Bookmarque’s Padded Cell 2025 - Gathering my marbles (1)

Here we are again in the Undisciplined Reading Room. 2025 - phew! I haven’t been as active here as before, maybe because my reading has changed substantially in the last couple of years. Mostly it’s audio and a lot of that is audio drama as opposed to straight book narration. I’ve also gotten a Comixology subscription so I read comic books on my iPad. You can see my recent stats and also past years’ so to see just how things have morphed for me -

https://www.librarything.com/stats/Bookmarque/overview

You can find my previous threads here if you want to catch up on past insanity.
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

I still participate in the Yearly Books Read list so here they are (a list of lists!) -
Books read 2024
Books read 2023
Books read 2022
Books read 2021
Books read 2020
Books read 2019
Books read 2018
Books read 2017
Books read 2016
Books read 2015
Books read 2014

My thread tends to be photo heavy since I am a photographer and am usually out in all seasons although lately it’s been stick season (not much snow - sob!) and so I’ve been uninspired. Instead I’ve been working at building my skills with regard to silversmithing and jewelry making. It’s a lot of fun and definitely keeps my creativity flowing as well as learning new stuff.

Here’s a dove hanging out in the front yard. Sometimes we get a dozen or so all roosting together and I love their downy floofiness.



So here goes another year in the pub!

Happy New Thread!

Here is to another year at the pub!

Another terrific graphic. I think you captured all the key components of the pub. :)

Happy New Year & New Thread.

I went googling for "Happy New Thread" images, because you deserve one, and the only decent ones to be found were, I'm sure you've guessed it, YOURS from previous years on LT.

So this is the best I can do. If I try to add any text it would look like a toddler did it. :o)

Too funny. Great finding what you did - I appreciate the thought and the effort.

Happy New Year and happy new thread! Thanks for all of the great pictures, book covers, graphics and thoughts on books.

For 2024 I tracked my reading as usual in a spreadsheet, but used Apple Sheets which I won't do again. Making a chart is unbearably difficult and so I'm switching back to Google which is where I had to paste all the info before I could get the charts done, so forget that!

Anyway, I "read" 209 "books" last year. I put those in quotes because the majority of material I consumed was audio and many of those were dramas or podcasts and not strictly books in the old sense. Don't go patting me on the back for the number either - a lot of these were comic books, but I count them as 1 book because it's vastly easier. So to get on with what I know you all love - charts and graphs!!

The spikes are a lot of comics and podcasts and I was spending a lot of time at the bench listening as I worked in December -



Not much changed here in terms of percentage -



Here either - lots of audio -

>6 Karlstar: Thanks and you're welcome!

Happy New Year and happy reading! That dove looks so fluffy. I know it's to help it stay warm but it looks so cute :)

Happy new thread and happy new year! >3 MrsLee: Except for the roombas.

>9 Narilka: I think doves are underappreciated birds - they're great fliers and have really subtle colors and such smooth texture to their feathers. Plus floofy! And they walk funny.

More charts!

This split is pretty off for the year, mostly because a lot of comic books are still written by men and many of the audio things I listened to were adapted or produced by men. Fairly typical. And yes, I know gender is a fraught term these days, but I'm just parsing this for myself.



Here are the big buckets I defined for myself. Not much change here although horror was up because of graphic novels. Sci-Fi and Fantasy was way up due to comic books and the Murderbot series, plus I read the Wool trilogy. The little green slice is Historical Fiction with 2 books -



Tapped into new writers at mostly the same percentage -

>10 haydninvienna: Look at the bottom left of the picture.

Yup - that's as close as I could get to a roomba with semi-right perspective.

>13 MrsLee: & >14 Bookmarque: I assumed >10 haydninvienna: saw that and just didn't like it!

Nope. Just missed it — oblivious, or something.

Wow! These are impressive stats, Bookmarque. You are clearly the Champion of the Pub graphics, too.

Love the image of the dove. They're one of my favorites to watch - so clumsy on take-off and landing, fluttering around and making their silly cooing noises. They never fail to bring a smile.

I'll have to look at the Fancy Things to Do thread to refresh my memory on inserting images.

>17 terriks: Thanks Terri. More charts to come. Just three I think.

The graphics came a couple years ago if I recall correctly. Since so many of us have new threads every year, it seemed like a nice way to launch them and wish everyone a HNY/HNT. Plus they're super fun to make.

Doves being crazy is kind of fun isn't it?

I only learned a few months ago that the noise doves make during take-offs is made by their feathers, and not a vocalization. I am very fond of mine as well.

I'm slow in getting to wish you a happy new thread, @Bookmarque. Love seeing the pie charts!

>19 clamairy: I love knowing that!

>18 Bookmarque: Yes it is! I like watching their bobbing heads while they pad around under the bird feeder, too. They're so cute.

>19 clamairy: Now, that's interesting - I never knew that about their take-off sound! They remind me so much of owls, too, with their mournful cooing.

Ducks make a similar sound when flying - often I hear a duck approaching or passing by while I sit on the dock before I actually see it. It's almost like a peeping or squeaking, but it's the wings.

>23 Bookmarque: One of my favorite sounds on the planet is the sound of geese flying overhead. Nothing mysterious about them calling (honking) at each other while staying in formation. No subtle wing sounds there, they are loud!

We do have Mallards that hang around in the spring, but I seldom get to see (or hear) them in a large overhead flock like the Canada geese.

My bed is right next to a window. Early yesterday morning, I was just about awake when a cockatoo screeched, seemingly right outside the window (which of course was open — it's summer here). Let's just say I was definitely awake after that.

I love cockatoos.

You still love them after that?! 😆 We don't have Mockingbirds here, but in NH they were wicked loud and annoying and also right outside the window. The closest here is if we have a Barred Owl really close in summer at night. Or maybe when the pair of Ravens hang out and yell their heads off, but that's normally during the day.

>25 haydninvienna:
I love cockatoos.

Fried or boiled?

Too tough either way. You know how to make cockatoo soup: take one cockatoo, plucked and cleaned; throw into a pot with water, carrots, onions, herbs of choice and 2 fist-size rocks; boil for 5 hours; eat rocks.

Anyway who would want to eat them? The noisy bird in question was probably one of these: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/sulphur-crested-cockatoo/.

Mmmm....sounds....yummy???

>29 Bookmarque: Whatever floats your gastronomic boat, I suppose. I remember reading in a Second World War vintage National Geographic Magazine that "parrots are tough but make good soup".

>25 haydninvienna: A pair of hadeda ibises have built a nest in a tree above our bedroom window. They are known as Africa's noisiest birds, and are definite contenders for the title of world's noisiest. We are regularly visited by Egyptian geese, which aren't quiet, either.

The world has its share of loud birds. Probably all sentinels and early warning systems like Blue Jays are here. Funny that the loudest of waterfowl are some of the most calm (for that type of bird anyway) - Trumpeter Swans don't have that name for nothing. Phew. When a whole herd of them get going on the river out back it's a cacophony. Fun though.

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So I didn't do perfectly well on my Stephen King Project last year, but I did ok and I've decided to keep going. Doctor Sleep is on my list, but as it's a sequel to The Shining I've decided to read that one first. There is an audio version narrated by Campbell Scott and so I'll start that today and listen while I do stuff around the house.



Both books have been adapted, most famously by Stanley Kubrick, but also famously, King really doesn't like his version. So it was remade as a miniseries in 1997 and King is actually in it playing a small role (and probably made up for the cameo) of a waiter named Gage Creed. If you know King's work, you can spot that name easily. I have the Kubrick film, but have never seen the other and will see if I can watch it without buying it. Mike Flanagan adapted Doctor Sleep as a film and it's supposed to be good so I will see how easily I can watch that one as well. Then I'll tackle the King Cast episodes dealing with the same books and movies. Phew.

Just started it and am reminded of part of the reason I took to Uncle Steve at such an early age - the exposure of grown up foibles. As kids, we looked up to adults and thought they just had everything together, you know. Didn't do such dumb stuff as kids did and were generally, well, grown up. Ha! King just created a character (a maintenance guy) who blows his knows, peeks at it and then puts the hankie away. Boogers are supposed to be a kid's domain, not an adult's. With lots and lots of moments and characters like that, it makes adults and becoming one, less daunting by laying them bare. Plus it's hilarious.

>32 Bookmarque: Wow - it's been years since I read The Shining, but I do recall having a lot of fun reading it. As per usual, I found it so much better than Kubrick's film version. I will confess to thinking that Kubrick's unapologetic homage to photographer Diane Arbus (the young twin girls in the hallway) was actually a superb bit of cinematography, and part of why that movie is embedded in film lore (that, and the also terrific "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" axe scene with Jack Nicholson) but aside that, it was...not great. I remember watching the miniseries by King and liking it much better.

But - I never heard about a sequel! I am going to have to find that and may end up doing exactly what you're doing; I should refresh my memory with The Shining first. I can almost guarantee I didn't purge that one from the bookshelves when we moved.

None of Uncle Steve's books have ever left my collection voluntarily. Once, in the early 90s, I was temporarily storing my books at a friend's house and her ex-sister-in-law stole them all, including the Kings and the original paperback run of Interview with the Vampire (to be fair, I think it was only ever released back then in paperback). OMG was I mad and so was my friend.

In terms of Kubrick v. King - I think both have harnessed the magic of each different medium. Without a lot of trimming, I don't think the book works as dramatically or as viscerally as the first film. That takes all the visual stuff and puts it right in your face (and makes stuff up out of whole cloth which is what the Here's Johnny scene is). They both work for what they're supposed to do in my opinion.

>35 Bookmarque: Agreed. The "Here's Johnny" scene is not in the book, and I like to believe King kinda dug it. It's totally in tune with the character flipping out.

I'm not sure King ever liked anything about the Kubrick film except the money.

Am almost 1/2 way through The Shining and am once again amazed at the level of creeping horror King establishes, mostly through watching the hotel work its evil upon the minds of both Danny and Jack. The part with the hose in the hall when Dan considers going into room 217 is really a mind fuck; that poor kid. Jack is increasingly resentful and basically horrible to Wendy all the time, and although it's only in his mind right now, we know it will spill out. So far the only physical manifestations of the hotel have been the wasps, but the topiaries have been mentioned more than once so it won't be long before we get to those.

Am on what is page 283 of my very old hardcover and Jack has just been through an internal battle - he knows the hotel wants them, but Danny most of all and yet cannot help destroying their last link to the outside world. He's conscious of both states, but gives in to the dark side as he thinks he's fated to do since he is his father's son. Unlike the movie which robs Jack of his heroism and sacrifice, this and other internal monologues, set up the denouement quite well.

>38 Bookmarque: You're making me want to read it again. ;)

And omg what a freight train that ending is. Unrelenting and very disturbing. Especially Jack's complete hatred of Wendy. The things he says to her - King knows exactly what makes a woman see red (Tabby's input?). No punches pulled. And when Danny stands up to Jack, telling him over and over that the monster chasing him is not his father, that he wears a false face. Unmask indeed. It's great. Still think it's the best thing he's ever written. I know that's kind of horrible as it's such an early novel and he had so many other genuinely terrific books that came after, but damn, this is so perfectly pitched and paced. It also has a lot of ideas, themes, and even names he'll use again in other works. It's kind of fun for the fan to read the early stuff with the canon relatively fresh in the mind. Like I know that Denker is a name he brings back in Apt Pupil and Gianelli in Thinner, although this particular Italian mobster is a Vito not a Richard and his sobriquet is The Chopper not The Hammer. The latter is better. I guess a refinement occurred to him. And I've only known one Vito in my whole life, but a bunch of Richards (including my dear old dad).

Oh and I did notice some scenes that were in the book were changed a lot for the Kubrick film. For example, when Jack goes into 217 on one occasion, he sees the student he was fired for assaulting when he found him slashing his tires for kicking him off the debate team. He does chase Wendy up the stairs claiming he'll bash her brains right the fuck in, but he doesn't do the here's Johnny thing and she doesn't have a bat. One of my favorite bits in the movie is when he repeatedly asks her to give him the bat. So very creepy. The creepiest bit is when he's staring out the window completely vacant and mad. So great, but not in the book. Most of Jack's unraveling is done internally, so it makes sense that a filmmaker on top of his game would find ways to convey that visually. Like the pages and pages of

all worK and
no PLay
mAkEs
JACK a
duLL bOy

that Wendy finds and shuffles through hundreds of them with increasing horror and derangement on her face. Priceless and I don't think that Duvall gets enough credit for what she did in the movie. She really was put through the wringer for it, too, in ways now that directors wouldn't dare treat their actors. But I digress.

Another bit that's really changed is the ending and the hero status of everyone in the film. They all have their moments of sacrifice and salvation and the movie is so ingrained on my brain that I was dreading the moment Halloran gets killed (with an axe in the movie, not a roque mallet), when in the book, he doesn't. He lives and gets W and D out of the house and down the mountain as the Overlook explodes fantastically. Whenever I think of the weapons used and their relative deadliness, I turn to Misery where it's the opposite. In the book she hobbles Sheldon by chopping off his feet with an axe, but in the movie, she breaks his ankles against a huge block of wood with a maul which is sort of mallet-like. It's visually and visceerally much more effective and the sign of another great director (Reiner).

And before I put this down for a while, I have to say that I remember a lot of the Kubrick dialog coming directly from the book, especially Jack's "conversations" with Lloyd and Grady. It's nearly word-for-word. Good move as much of King's dialog and monologues are really natural and right for each situation and character. Tin ear he does not have.

So now I will get onto Doctor Sleep, but a library hold came up first so I'll be listening to The September House first.

A belated Happy New Year to you! Thank you for the lovely thread images you create. They are a delight! I hope the year brings you great books, amazing photographic opportunities, and all other good things.

>40 Bookmarque: I've never read The shining! I own a copy, so clearly one goal this year is to remedy that situation.

>41 Sakerfalcon: thanks a bunch. It's fun to make them so it's not exactly a hardship. If it would ever snow I'd get out with the camera, but it's just cold and bare.

The Shining is worth it, especially to get to know King's writing and themes. He deals with haunted mothers, conflicted fathers, supernatural children, possessed things, haunted places, evil entities and brave heroes often.

ETA - the ending in its relentless drive to the finale reminds me of Dracula in that same sense; there's even a looming disaster as countdown in both. We have multiple POV sections all describing the action. I don't recall anything from the Count's perspective, but we do get the Hotel in the Shining, right at the end. Or at least the entity that's controlling the Hotel anyway. I wonder how much of that was deliberate given that he'd recently written Salem's Lot which is a direct homage to Dracula. Hm.

Oh and a word about Campbell Scott - he did a fabulous job with the narration and I found myself wondering if there was a second actor for the parts where Jack was really unhinged and yelling. He sounded so different. He's not as famous as either of his parents, but I really liked him in a season of Damages and as the hapless dupe in The Spanish Prisoner.

>40 Bookmarque: Glad you had so much fun re-visiting The Shining! re: the "death" of Halloran in the movie was a shocker, since I was familiar with the book and knew he was actually the hero that got Danny and Wendy out of the hotel. Usually, it's just the reverse in Hollywood - a beloved character in a novel dies, and the filmmaker decides to keep the character alive - likely some of the genesis for the "Hollywood ending" term.

Yeah, I know stuff like that makes sense for a film, but it certainly can be disconcerting for us readers. It does avoid the "magical Negro" trope, but in this case it's literally true as he heard Danny (the magical 5-year-old) call to him.

So the last of my charts and I'll start with the one that illustrates the changes in my reading pretty well -



It's my attempt to categorize how a story is told apart from just words on a page. So far it's broad enough and narrow enough to do the job.

Taking advantage of my subscriptions and library system quite a bit -



And here are the sources of the borrowing -



In 2023 had a few from Soundcloud and BBC Streaming service, but none in 2024.

Well, I'm pretty glad I got The September House from the library. Why the author had to make Katherine such an unreasonable and unmitigated asshole is beyond me. Oh sure, having temper tantrums like is is normal. If you're 3 not 30. And who waltzes into their parents' house at that age and literally takes a crowbar to it and destroys it? What parent would put up with this shit for more than two seconds? I have some ideas where the story is going and they are not too original so I think I'm safe in bailing on this book. Wouldn't put up with Katherine for a second IRL, so I'll be damned if I'll do it for fun.

Moving on to Doctor Sleep.

>45 Bookmarque: This one was on my wishlist (The September House). I am now removing it. Thank you for your review!

After skimming the reviews here on LT, I decided to try it again, but with the idea that I'll FF over Kathrine's asinine tantrums and yelling. There is supposed to be a perspective from the asshole's ex, Claire (bet she couldn't slam the door on her fast enough). I'm also intrigued by neighbor Edie who seems to know all about the "pranksters". Wonder what that is really all about.

Well glad I stuck with it...at least so far with 2 1/2 hours left. Katherine's asshole behavior mostly stopped at the point where I was fed up with her. So far things are unfolding a bit oddly in terms of the subtext, but there are some obvious signposts. At least they seem obvious, but who knows.

I am appreciating your commentary on The September House. I'm eagerly awaiting your final judgement.

I'd recommend it in the end. It has enough subtext and a nice red-herring scenario to be effective and somewhat distinctive in this genre. Without giving too much away, it ended in a way that was telegraphed fairly nicely and given how much horror I've consumed over the decades, it wasn't surprising, but reasonably satisfying. It reminded me of From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury...the denouement that is. Just get through Katherine's unreasoning, asshole beginnings the best you can.

>50 Bookmarque: Okay, adding it back onto the wishlist! I love From the dust returned so that's very promising. Thank you!

>40 Bookmarque: >42 Bookmarque: Thank you, I've been enjoying your discussion(s) of The Shining.

>52 Karlstar: So glad. Are you a King fan or more of a casual reader of his work?

>53 Bookmarque: I think I've only read 10 or so of his novels and I quit reading the horror ones after Pet Sematary. I think that makes me a casual reader.

>54 Karlstar: After reading a lot of his earlier work, I found myself cooling off after It. I've had coulrophobia for as long as I can remember. That book was nightmare inducing in several scenes for me.

Vampires, killer viruses - there are so many themes that King explored I had no problems with. But clowns? A bridge too far, Stephen! A bridge too far.

Funny how Pet Sematary is either a gateway drug or a complete shutdown for the genre. It was inspired (if that's the right word, maybe triggered is better) by a real life incident where one of King's kids, it might have been Owen, ran toward the road and was almost mowed down. After he wrote it he almost binned it since he thought it went too far. I think it's effective in pushing people's buttons and he really knows how to do that. Pennywise is another really deep psychological play and he knew it.

>32 Bookmarque: Interesting, I've not read / watched Dr Sleep, but I have read and watched The Shining - the adaptation is v different from the book, there's loads of interesting details that the movie misses out. I hope to revisit both, probably not this year but one in the future.

I might watch the movie if I can do so easily (and cheaply) - Mike Flanagan supposedly has done a good job with this and other King properties like Gerald's Game and The Life of Chuck which are very difficult adaptations. I haven't seen either, but I really liked the Fall of the House of Usher he did in a limited series on Netflix. Creative and beautifully shot.

So I'm almost 1/2 way through Doctor Sleep and have some observations that I don't think I either picked up on or noted in my review from 2013.

First was this - "In one hand had she had the hammer from her little box of widow's tools." p 7

OMG, box of widow's tools. That's just so perfect to describe a woman's state after she's left alone. It's describing Wendy, but applies so nearly universally to widowhood in ways I can't really illuminate well so I'll just move on.

Sidewinder is the HQ for the True Knot and so far Uncle Steve hasn't elaborated as to why. This is the town the Overlook was in and even though we "saw" the hotel entity burn (and fire kills everything, right?), we don't know it's really dead. Is there a connection? I don't know that we get an explanation, but it sure is creepy and deliberate. Also Jerusalem's Lot comes in for a mention.

Another thing that doesn't get much in the way of explanation is Tony. Dan doesn't "see" him often, but Abra does and he interacts with her much the same way he did when Dan was a kid. What is he and why is he? So far zilch.

So Abra and Dan finally meet IRL and she knows where a child is buried that the True Knot captured, tortured and ate. How to report it? She suggests that Dan do it since they'd believe an adult over a child. But damn, that's go right to the top of the suspect list and do not pass Go or collect $200. Is that the spark for the story in You Like it Darker where exactly that happens? Not to Dan, but to another hapless psychic trying to do the right thing. Interesting.

Anyway...I'm reading my hardcover for this one since my back forced me to take a break from the bench for a couple of days.

Now I'm re-thinking my plan to watch the movie. I think I'll just leave what's in my head from reading the novel alone. Not sure what my next King will be. The project included some short stories and a novella which I think may come next for me. I have The Institute, but haven't read it because I'm projecting a Lord of the Flies type scenario and I'm not up for that. Could be I won't get it though and so I probably shouldn't judge it based on some aspects of the description. Either way though, I'm going to take a break from Uncle Steve and move on to a Robert Crais that I just picked up - The Big Empty and what looks to be a delightfully quirky book I think might have been discussed here on someone's thread - Business as Usual. But first errands today and I think I'm going to ramble in the woods with the camera for a while.

I always enjoyed the Robert Crais titles when I was doing them with my library book group.

I still like them and just let it go that Pike & Elvis should be around 80 now and that Elvis's cat is like 35.

If you have a minute and are so inclined, please vote for my yellow mushroom photo in the People's Choice award - Amanita Flavoconia!

https://www.wisconservation.org/Photo-Contest/



Thanks!

Done! I do love the Loon photo too.

>62 Bookmarque: Done! Good luck.

Done! That's a fine image.

Some good stuff in the lineup - the otter is cute!

Good luck!!

Thanks guys. I don't have a prayer, but what the heck.

Done! Again, good luck!

>62 Bookmarque: Done! Great picture.

Done! Let us know the results when it's over, please.

>62 Bookmarque: Lovely photo! Good luck :)
I voted, of course.

>66 Bookmarque: I voted with a clean conscience. I love that fungi photo.

Thanks peeps!

>62 Bookmarque: Another vote, of course. Good luck!

>62 Bookmarque: Good luck!

I voted for you too. Good luck!

If I'd had two votes, I'd have chosen the loon as well. I've been a loon lover all my life, having heard their cry early in the morning over a lake in Nova Scotia when I was about 12.

Your art work and photos are a beautiful contribution to LT. Thank you.

Thanks everyone. We'll see how it goes.

This just arrived -



Squee! Word nerds unite! From the front cover, yes I do know the difference between poisonous and venomous, but on the back there is an illustration showing a couch and a sofa...there's a difference??? How does the elusive davenport fit in? So much fun. Here's the link so you can get your own copy. I know you want it. Dictionary of Fine Distinctions Just having it in my hands makes me happy. You know what I mean.

Oh and the whole book has cute little illustrations like the cover. Not in color, but I don't care. It's charming and fun. It would make a great game.

>76 Bookmarque: O.K, that was too good to pass up. 50% off on Amazon, the hardcover was only .50 more than the Kindle version.

Yay!!! We can annoy other people with our hairsplitting nerdiness!

>76 Bookmarque: Oh - oh- oh - this is the kind of thing that has great appeal to me! You know, one of those things you can flip through, read a bit and enjoy, and make sure it becomes a mainstay as a reference book in the library.

I believe I may indulge. ;)

Voted for your photo and bought the book! It looks fun and it’ll be fun to pass the knowledge along to the students. :)

So glad you guys are picking up the book and voting for me.

Here's a little nugget that made me love the book even more. In the bit that talks about Assume v. Presume -

"You assume incorrectly, I'm Belgian."

Dare I assume this is about Poirot?

>81 Bookmarque: I presume that it is. I get the book tomorrow, will have to look that up because I could never describe how those two words are different, or whether I used one of them correctly.

>76 Bookmarque: That does sound fun :) Adding to my wish list.

>76 Bookmarque:
On our trans-Atlantic flight I watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I enjoyed it but was irritated when snakes were described as poisonous. It is still good fun.

You may chalk it up as a BB hit. My copy arrives on Thursday.

Haven't seen that one yet, Pete. Not sure I will, but maybe. Hope you enjoy the book. It's a hoot.

Yesterday finished The Big Empty which is the latest Elvis Cole/Joe Pike book and I really enjoyed it. The characters are so familiar and have good relationships, the detecting and procedure was fun and it was sufficiently mysterious to hold my attention. Of course Elvis got beat up and Joe had to come in to help hunt the perpetrators. Loved most of it, but still wish we'd have had a bit more of Pike tracking while off the leash so to speak. Good one.

Ok, so I'm eking out Dictionary of Fine Distinctions because it's so fun and I'm to the section that talks about catapults v. trebuchets. In the fine print section it also talks about mangonels, which you hardly ever hear about and it makes me laugh because my hubby and I have an inside joke that uses the word mangonel. His coworker used to bring in fresh pizza dough from a bakery near his house. Somehow his delivery mechanism morphed from driving it over, to a catapult to a mangonel in our weird discussions of his largesse. Now he's just known as the dough mangonel guy. Sigh. I'm the only one laughing now I'm sure.

ETA - the mechanism of delivery changed because we wanted the dough on a weekend and thought about how he might sling it over to us and so...a mangonel. This is how nerds work things out in the absence of a transporter.

>86 Bookmarque: OKAY, OKAY! Adding to my wishlist!

LOL!! This is my best BB ever. Total wipeout. You guys will succumb!!! Enjoy, Claire. It's fabulous.

>86 Bookmarque: That is definitely an inventive delivery mechanism! I am impressed that you use mangonel in conversation. I've encountered references to the device but had to go look it up.

We are weirdos for sure. A favorite song includes the word brucellosis...as in the cattle all have brucellosis.

>88 Bookmarque:
I think it could be a record breaking BB. We just keep falling victim after victim.

It just might be, but not surprising since we are all here on LT and in the GD to boot. Nerdliness just oozes from our pores. Plus we like kitschy with a sprinkle of charm. There is a bit on the difference between kitsch and camp, btw. It referenced some of my favorite movies to show the latter.

>88 Bookmarque: This is one bullet I don't mind taking. Am enjoying it a lot, but I'm not sure my brain will retain the finer nuances at this late stage in my life. :P

>92 Bookmarque: Well, yes, I'm sure it does ooze from my pores, but I keep hoping that no one will notice...

Nerdliness is next to godliness right?

So yesterday I noticed my Ruth Rendell collection while I was down shelving another book and thought that I ought to revisit something of hers since it's been a while. Then I finished an ebook and was looking through what else was there and noticed a collection of short stories by Rendell that I've had for a while, but forgot about so I'm now going through these -



And they are a lot of fun. Like her novels, the stories range far and wide in terms of tone, topic and length. She was a treasure. A Spot of Folly

>95 Bookmarque: Nice cover.

It is a cool one, and yes, someone gets pushed down the stairs in one story. Or does she?

I used to do monthly summaries of what I read, but stopped last year because of laziness. I can't promise it won't strike again, but here's January -



17 things altogether, one radio drama, four comic books, the rest novels or narrative non-fiction. Standouts were The Shining, Business as Usual and The Big Empty

>98 Bookmarque: I loved these monthly summaries. Glad you started them again, but I understand about what you can laziness and I call "other interests."

Yeah, other interests does sound better, but I know my own self as they say. It's laziness. But I've also been working on building my silversmithing skills and so spend more time at the bench. Speaking of which...gotta get in a workout and then go continue with a prong setting for a bit of turquoise I have going. Sale starting tomorrow in my Etsy store.

>100 Bookmarque: Nice!

>100 Bookmarque: Very cool.

>100 Bookmarque: wow! I didn't know you worked in silversmithing like this. Cool!

Glad you enjoyed The Shining . :)

Thanks peeps.

@terriks - I'm what I call a baby smith - meaning I've only been doing it for a couple years. Lots of mistakes and do overs, but I try not to be too upset about it since that's how we learn. I love jewelry and so I make what I like and sell it when it's good enough. When it isn't, I either give it to people or wear it myself. Usually the goofs are barely noticeable to anyone but me.

---

---

Inadvertently came across an old and sort of strange Stephen King book in my iBooks library and decided to read it -



Real King-heads will remember this independently published book that was digital only and released in sections. I can't recall how often a section became available, but it was a subscription-type deal and now I think it's free. Basically an experiment to see if he could pull it off. Since it was around 2001 he did this, I think it was less of a success than it would be now. I actually printed the whole thing back in the day, but it's unbound and so I'm reading a digital copy. Only problem there is it's a PDF and can't be marked up or even bookmarked in iBooks. Guess I should have tried a real PDF reader for this, but hey, it's ok.

Weirdly it comes on the heels of another epistolary novel I read recently and there are some similarities. For one, we get letters to a fiancé, but not letters from (except for a literal Dear John letter in the King book). The format works well because it's set in 1981 where office memos were physical things and the primary method of communicating pretty much everything. The characters take it a bit further and treat it like email in the sense that they knock out one line messages to each other that are highly specific and sometimes personal. Now our main character has no woman to write to, he's taken up journaling so we still get that same first-person voice.

Of course there is an element of the supernatural at play and there's a weird bit where we have a black janitor who is extremely well educated, but still a janitor. Not sure if he explains why later, but for now we just have him orchestrating some things unbeknownst to others. He also speaks in a weird old dialect - like a plantation or house slave with 'massa this' and 'massa that' and that kind of thing. Other people call him on it, but he never explains why he talks like that and he doesn't tell us directly on the sly either. It's a bit uncomfortable, but since he's doing it freely and doesn't have to, it isn't exactly racist. Weird though. Anyway...it's The Plant and you can still go to the King website and download it if you want.

>104 Bookmarque: Good for you to just enjoy creating silver jewelry as a creative outlet. I think it's great you can sell some, keep some, and have a loose attitude about it. That keeps it fun. I work in art and photography the same way. If I wanted to ruin it, I'd take it more seriously and put pressure on myself. Not my style.

The King book sounds interesting. I've read some criticism of his employing the trope of "the magical Negro" before - both in The Stand and The Green Mile in particular. Not really a turnoff, just use of a noticeable trope. Since so much of King's work is fantastical or supernatural, I've never been sure that was a fair criticism.

>100 Bookmarque: Oh, this looks really nice!

Thanks @terriks & @Alexandra_book_life - I wanted to be at the bench today, but I woke up at about 3am with what I thought was an allergy attack, but turned out to be a cold. Now I have the stoopids from Dayquil. Did manage to transport an injured crow to the rehabbers I volunteer for, so I at least did something before the 1000-yard stare set in.

I'm the same way about my photography, too. I do it for me and always have. For decades people have asked if I sell my work or whatever and it's always no - I already have a job. And now I'm retired, I don't want a job. Haven't been shooting much lately, but here's one from December -

>107 Bookmarque: Lovely! I shoot mostly B&W, too. :)

Here's hoping your cold clears up soon. I can hardly stand the fog I get from cold medicine!

>107 Bookmarque: A wonderful photo!

I hope the cold will let you be soon.

Actually I don't shoot much black and white anymore, but sometimes an image just calls out for a monochrome conversion.

Slept almost 12 hours and feel better, but not out of the woods. Have Dayquil in my pocket ready to go if needed. We shall see. Walk needs shoveling. Birdfeedeer needs filling. Package in the mailbox, but not sure I can manage the mile round trip until later.

>107 Bookmarque: What a great photo! Glad you are feeling better, hope it continues.

I do enjoy the monthly summaries, but I understand the level of effort required and don't expect it. I can barely get myself to write timely reviews.

>105 terriks: You said "The King book sounds interesting. I've read some criticism of his employing the trope of "the magical Negro" before - both in The Stand and The Green Mile in particular. Not really a turnoff, just use of a noticeable trope. Since so much of King's work is fantastical or supernatural, I've never been sure that was a fair criticism."

Whoops - forgot my response to this...yeah, you could go down that road and maybe it would have been more judicious to cast the hero roles in The Stand & GM as white people, but he'd just get flak for that, too. More like a situation he (or other writers) can't win. Can't please all the folks all the time. And with all this "cultural appropriation" business, it really shuts down the imagination and I wonder how deep and luminous our fiction will be in the future if we don't let people imagine outside of the confines of their own narrow existences. But that's getting off track.

Am at the bench today, almost as good as new. Just finished a little stacker ring set with Turquoise at the center. Need to get a bail going for the Turquoise setting up there. Should have that done today and the prongs shaped and the stone set. I hope. Can't believe I feel this much better - must have been that I slept for almost 12 hours!

>112 Bookmarque: Yeah, I wish I could recall where I read that comment. It's been years and, as I said, I'm not certain it was a fair critique considering this particular writer's chosen genre(s).

So glad you're feeling better! Turquoise is one of my favorite stones - it just seems a perfect union between it and silver. I hope you keep showing your work in progress pics.

Here's the finished pendant. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I learned a lot making it.

>114 Bookmarque: Fantastic!

>114 Bookmarque: This looks wonderful!

>114 Bookmarque: Beautiful! I like the little bits of color in those clasps around the gem (I'm sure there's a proper name for those but I wouldn't know it). :)

If you mean the thing at the top the chain goes through, it's called a bail and I thought a little copper dot would be cute, so I put one on.

>118 Bookmarque: I didn't know that was called a bail, so I learned something already. :)

But I was referring to the tiny triangle shaped things that are clutching the gemstone. It may be a trick of light but it looks like the one on the right, in the 4 o'clock position, has a little color in it.

Oh no that's just a reflection in the prong. Sometimes it's called a claw. Both are the same type of setting.

>114 Bookmarque: While the complete necklace is lovely, my eye was immediately drawn to the little copper dot and I thought, "Love that!"

The little copper dot does set it off nicely; appears to add a new dimension to the necklace.

>120 Bookmarque: Thanks for clarifying! :)

>114 Bookmarque: That is gorgeous!

Thanks guys. Had a great day at the bench yesterday putting together this beauty -

>125 Bookmarque: Beautiful! Amethyst? I love the band.

>125 Bookmarque: Gorgeous! It looks like an amethyst? I love amethysts :)

Yes - a rose cut amethyst- medium shade.

>128 Bookmarque: 🫶🫶🫶

>125 Bookmarque: Marvelous!

>125 Bookmarque: That is beautiful.

Thanks everyone. Yeah, I really like the way the shank came together. Have a black Spinel picked out to make another like it in a different size and maybe with some thicker wire for the shank. Have a pair of earrings in progress, too. Always something.

Nice work, as usual!

I've been here, but not posting to my thread because I've hit some bumps in my reading road and also in my jewelry making road. Made mistakes twice on an earring and now I have to make one a THIRD time. Different mistakes so it wasn't me being dopey about the same thing twice. Feels really disheartening though and it takes me completely out of my game for a while. Is it too early to start drinking? LOL.

Also have had two duds in a row with audio books. Luckily for me they were both part of the audible plus catalog so didn't have to use a credit for either of them. Disliked them both for different reasons, but two DNFs back to back is also a bit disheartening. I'm alone again for the week and can't complain to my husband so you'll have to stand in while I whine a little.

Here are the offenders -





The Ritual and Mis-directed - you can go to the book pages and see my reviews such as they are. Romance and Horror are so specific to individual taste and neither worked for me. I thought since I've been having a bummer at the bench a nice, light romance would be nice, but ugh. It was cringey. The horror novel just got more and more annoying after putting up with stupid men doing stupid things. Oy vey. Gotta find me something decent for tomorrow. Tonight will be maybe some reading and stuff on Prime video. Is it too early to start drinking? LOL

>134 Bookmarque: You posted that in the early afternoon. I believe you are entitled to a break. Then, after your drink, if you are like me, you will need a nap. After that the day is practically over so you might as well relax and have another drink.

Thanks MrsL - I'm going to hit the bench today and make a third attempt. Yesterday after posting that, I read a few comic books and had some wine. Watched silly TV and slept well. If mistakes are lurking in my future, I hope to best them. Now just gotta find a good audio book...

>134 Bookmarque: Sorry about the bumps. The good thing about the Audible rejects is that there are always more to choose from. Hope you find something you can listen to soon.

>134 Bookmarque: I'm glad that a good night's sleep (following comic books and wine) helped. We're rooting for you here in the Pub.

Thanks guys. Going down shortly to take photos of earrings I did manage to make properly and try to get past my difficulties with the other pair.

Decided on this for my audio book -



I've enjoyed her books in the past and like the narrator for this one so here's hoping I have success here, too.

Like Mother, Like Mother

>139 Bookmarque: I'm glad you got past your bumpy part and got those earrings made. Looking forward to seeing your pics! All artists hit rough patches, so go easy on yourself. :) I hope the wine helped.

Here's hoping this new audio book fits the bill, too!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I haven't made the second pair yet - the third try is in the pickle now and I'll see how it looks. I'm a little afraid to.

Reading bumps are not fun at all! I am glad the silly tv and wine helped :) Good luck with the earrings!

Well I messed it up a 3rd time, so I put it aside and made a ring instead. It's going fairly well. Ugh. Silversmithing is not easy.

>143 Bookmarque: I am very impressed with your silversmithing skills! I don't have any :)

That's nice of you to say, but I'm such a beginner.

>143 Bookmarque: If it was easy, anyone could do it. You've made some beautiful pieces. You'll get there. :) This sounds like good practice.

Yeah I suppose that's a healthy way to look at it. I'll hit the bench again on Sunday probably. Finish up a couple rings and maybe get brave enough to continue with the earring failure.

Anyway, lately my online ordering has been for ordinary, boring stuff like cleaning supplies and groceries. So I had to get myself a little pick-me-up -



Squee! Octopuses are the bomb. I've wanted one for years, but that's basically out of the question, so this and the associated Apple TV show of the same name, will have to satisfy.

>147 Bookmarque: Oooh, make sure that @clamairy sees this one so she can connect further with her latest aquarium friend. And that's a fabulous cover!

>147 Bookmarque:
What >148 jillmwo: said. Sure thing. @claimary is a fish swimming around in a barrel for this one.

>147 Bookmarque: Oh my - what a find! "...the octopus is like an alien intelligence with amazing abilities." 👏

And a lovely cover, to boot. This has @clamairy all over it.

>147 Bookmarque: I want one, too. Sadly, they are difficult to keep and they don't live very long. :o(

>148 jillmwo:, >149 pgmcc: & >150 terriks: Perfect! Thank you!

Curious what you think of Like Mother, Like Mother. It’s been popping up on my book sites. If you like it, I just might put it on my TBR list

And one can’t go wrong with a book that is about octopuses. :)

>152 catzteach: I like it although it has an unusual construction and trajectory. Also, part of the publisher's description is less a factor than I first thought. Maybe it will manifest over the next 3 or so hours I have left to listen. The first part is all about Lila and her life; present and past. The second is about daughter Grace and starts sort of in the middle of Lila's narrative so the times overlap some, but it has big parts of the story concerning Grace's friend Ruth who is sort of an adopted sister. I wasn't expecting that, but it's enjoyable. I do wish the writer didn't pepper it with so many he saids and she saids when it's not hard to follow the dialog and who said what.

Now back to my octopuses!

Finished Like Mother, Like Mother today and the plot element in the description does come into the story in the last couple hours. It ends satisfyingly, but not surprisingly. It's about families - their making, breaking and how we can create them with people we choose when our blood ties fail us. In that sense it's heartwarming, but I also connected with it on one of its other notes, that is women having children when they would really rather not. I'm afraid we're entering even harder into this territory politically in so many countries, and it's pretty scary for everyone involved. I never wanted kids and luckily lived in a place and time when that choice was easier than it is now. Even so, I had MANY women (and some men) lay into me over the years telling me I was selfish, too young to decide, not a real woman, unnatural and leaving myself open to being a lonely old lady doomed to eat her many cats' food. All untrue, but we feel very comfortable not only judging a woman who chooses to be child-free, but also in telling her to her face that she is wrong and all of the things I mentioned. My happiness with my choice has never wavered and I see a lot of what might have happened to me in the pages of this book. Not the abuse, which one woman suffers, but the cornering and the inevitable disappointment of the children that I wouldn't have mothered very well, or at least up to their movie-mom ideals. Now with social media etc. motherhood itself is a competitive sport and it's worse than ever if you don't do it like everyone says you should.

Anyway...that was more than I intended to say when I started, but I'll let it stand. This is probably a 4 1/2 star novel right now, and depending on how long it sticks with me, might go to 5.

>154 Bookmarque: motherhood itself is a competitive sport: I think it always was in some circles, but I have no doubt that social media has made it much, much more so.

It might have always been, but I never felt a victim of it when I was a kid and they are in this book, and probably in real life, too. Anyway...finished this little cutie today -



It's Ocean Jasper in sterling with copper dots. I'd keep it, but it doesn't fit any of my fingers quite right. It's about a 6 3/4 US size.

>156 Bookmarque: This is lovely!

I love that color, >156 Bookmarque: Is Jasper always that shade?

>156 Bookmarque: Beautiful work. I don't think I've heard of Ocean Jasper before but then, I've never had a lot of jewelry, much less gemstones. It's so deep and unique looking. Love your copper dots!

>158 jillmwo: Out here in the west jasper comes in vivid red and yellows. Not sure what other colors it is.

>156 Bookmarque: Beautiful!

>156 Bookmarque: That's lovely!

>156 Bookmarque: Lovely. (Like everyone else I thought Jasper only came in reds.)

Thanks everyone. It's Orbicular jasper that sells under Ocean jasper. It has little spherical inclusions in it that make for interesting patterns. I only bought a couple of pieces because I'm not sure it will sell, but I like it. Comes in many colors as does a lot of jasper, but red is common because of iron deposits in the same bed. Have picked out a piece of purple moss agate to work with today. At least that's what I think it is.

Just heard about this little gem that is coming from Harper Collins in the fall -



How Uncle Steve can make it darker makes me wonder, but no doubt he'll come up with something. And he does like it darker.

>164 Bookmarque: That does look like it would be interesting because you are right. One does have to wonder what might have prompted the decision to do the project.

From what I heard, someone at the publisher became aware of Sendak's artwork which was done in the 1990s and supposed to be for a Hansel & Greta opera that was never produced. So the editor thought they'd make a great book for the same story and through whatever mechanism, put it out to King. From the bit on his website, the text may be the original, but with an introduction by King. Given the nature of the Grimm tale, it is exactly that and why it's being marketed for today's children is a bit of a mystery. Unless it's a ploy to toughen them up, but will probably just give them more to talk about with their therapists.

If it warms up another 10 degrees, I'm planning to go out in the woods with the camera, but this is what I shot this morning -



It's a Malacolla pendant with a little secret.

>167 Bookmarque: Stunning!

>167 Bookmarque: Oh, this is beautiful!

Thanks guys. I'm quite happy with it, but I put it in the shop for sale.

While I was out today, I met this little one -



What appears to be an adult porcupine in its den, quite scared of me, but did poke its face out for a second or two. Most of the time it just gave me the business end and I left it quietly. Oh how I love porcupines. They're such interesting critters. Our second largest rodent and like all rodents, they don't hibernate. I had a feeling there was one near because I'd just walked under a hemlock with a ton of small branch ends down underneath it. Sure sign of pocupines, especially in winter.

>167 Bookmarque: Nice! What's the secret?

>170 Bookmarque: Oh, how cool is that! Did it make any sound at all? I know we had them in CT, but I was never lucky enough to see one. :o( Looks like we have them here, too. I have to start taking more walks in the woods.

>167 Bookmarque: Another beauty. I had to Google Malacolla. Very interesting stone!

The secret is there is a design cut out of the back. Just for fun.

Oh yes, the porcupine made a series of squeaky noises...almost grunts like a little pig which is probably why their name in French translates to 'thorn pig', which I believe originates from Latin. Their little noses are heart-shaped at the end and quite mobile. They root, like pigs, but only in loose leaf litter and plants. They can't make furrows like pigs do. They look like they need a hug, but ah...no.

>167 Bookmarque: Gorgeous! Your stones are always so unique looking.

I love your porcupine friend! I agree with you that they look like they need a petting. I saw two of them up close while staying at Zion National Park, a mother and baby, out at dusk, foraging on grass and ignoring the humans. My pictures aren't as sweet as this little buddy in his den.

Great find!

>170 Bookmarque: Amazing! I've never seen a porcupine close up. What a treat!

Thanks guys...the porkie was pretty special and I'm so happy I got to spend a few minutes with it, even if it wasn't thrilled.

Oh and the pendant sold.

>167 Bookmarque: Great work, that looks fantastic. Glad it sold, but I'm not surprised.

>170 Bookmarque: Great picture too.

>170 Bookmarque: This is so cool! A gorgeous porcupine.

>176 Bookmarque: Congratulations! :)))

Thanks everyone. I was surprised how fast it went - less than 24 hours up in the shop. Funny. Have earrings going in the same stone, it's so pretty and has lots of variety.

Just used a credit for this -



It's not the Barchester series, but a bunch of other novel adaptations and it should be a lot of fun.

ETA - I'm onto part two of the first one (Orley Farm) and am reminded of just how much sticking noses and oars into other people's business everyone felt comfortable with; entitled to actually. It's kind of amazing.

>180 Bookmarque:
That should be fun. I have only read a couple of the Barchestshire novels and plan to read more Trollope. I find his books great fun. I hope the dramatisations do them justice.

I follow a Facebook page for Trollope's work and I understand from it there are over forty novels to his name, also over forty short stories. I have a lot of fun to look forward to.

>180 Bookmarque: I checked out that collection to see what titles got included. It's a really interesting combined set, as it includes Miss Mackenzie which is relatively short as well as The Way We Live Now which is incredibly long (but incredibly wonderful, as well). I look forward to hearing your impressions of the set.

So far it's fun, but a tad exhausting and repetitive. Every story is about marriage and/or inheritance and I understand why, given the time they were written, but I think spacing out the stories with podcasts or other stuff in between is the way to go for me. Trollope is noted for his humor and it's there, but not quite as sharp as Dickens.

catching up on threads:
Your jewelry is so lovely!
And the porcupine! How cute! I love the porcupine character in Poppy. I got to pet one a couple of years ago. It was not in the wild. :)

Thanks @catzteach - I'd pet one if given the opportunity, but wild ones...nah.

So I got through a whopping 40 titles in February. Mostly due to a lot of comics/graphic novels -



Standouts were Secrets of the Octopus and Like Mother, Like Mother. Duds were Cleavage and a few of the comic series like Simulation Theory and Snow Angels. The book went back to audible and the comics were part of a subscription so I just returned them like I would any of them I borrowed.

Continued with my Stephen King project by re-reading The Plant which came out 25 years ago (!!!!!) as an ebook only version you could get for a few bucks at the time. Now it's on the SK website for zero dollars. It's weird because it's an epistolary format and he doesn't do that much at all if ever. A few parts are a trifle cringe-worthy, but it's set in 1981 and so some of that goes with the times, but it's nothing egregious. Not sure what's next for me from Uncle Steve.

Kind of funny, today I acquired both of these books -



The similarities of the titles made me laugh. One is a First Reads ebook from Amazon and the other is from the library although I just saw that that one is available in the Audible plus catalog as are others from Malfi. Hm.

>186 Bookmarque: Let me know if that First Read title is any good. I just glanced at the list the other day and nothing jumped out at me.

>187 clamairy: ok, no prob. Will probably start it in the next few days. It's supposed to be a thriller with a heavy dose of black comedy, which sometimes falls flat, but we will see.

Photography is a love, but sometimes it's tough love and I've been struggling with it these last several months. I went out today though and oh....it was perfect.



That is all.

Lovely scene!

>189 Bookmarque: Beautiful!

>189 Bookmarque: That is gorgeous! Just perfect.

>189 Bookmarque: Perfect winter shot!

>189 Bookmarque: that photo! So beautiful! I do love the snow.

Thanks everyone. Same trail, same day, further up -

In a moment of lovely serendipity, my hold on this audiobook with the library came up just as I was finishing something else -



It's billed as a mystery and I suppose it is with two missing children in the same area and family, but it's a very slow narrative with so much history and backstory that there isn't much in the way of suspense. So far am glad I borrowed it instead of buying it as I can't see myself listening to it again. Very popular book last year though. The God of the Woods We'll see.

>196 Bookmarque: Erg. This one is on my book club list. It has had a lot of talk around it. I have it in a physical book. Guess I'll start it and see how it flows.

>197 catzteach: If you do, keep a character list - there's a lot and sometimes I can't remember who is who, or I have to pause and think about it. Maybe it will be easier to do with a print book. Just now another person has been introduced and I'm almost 5 hours in with over 9 to go.

Another observation is how differently police treated rich and powerful people back in the 1970s compared to now. The sheer number of so many horrible crimes committed by that same class of people is now pretty big and so it doesn't surprise us that it happens. We even automatically suspect someone like that because they have so much to lose. Back then though, they were sheltered and given a benefit of the doubt far and above a middle class type or lower. I'm not saying that no deference or sheltering takes place now, but far less that it used to. Now police have very little problem turning over every rock they can inside a rich and powerful family. Interesting.

Another is the portrayal of a woman newly graduated from the academy and in a junior investigator role - the first of her kind in the state. Not sure how many male superior or training officers thee days would call her honey, pat her on the back and give her the "easy" jobs even if they wanted to, which I think is an instinct found less and less in men today. Sure again, sexism and misogyny exists, but it's not as prevalent as women's role's have been changed for so long and many of them have carved outstanding careers. It's nice, but infuriating to read about it happening in the past.

>198 Bookmarque: my book club has it set to read in June. That'll be good. I'll have more time and attention to give to it, providing our meet up date is in late June.

>189 Bookmarque: & >195 Bookmarque: I love the shadows and light, black and white in those. The shadows are particularly effective in >189 Bookmarque:.

>196 Bookmarque: I really enjoyed this one, not just the location but the characters and the mystery. (Except I pretty much hated the rich people, but I was supposed.)

Yes, I think it might be tougher to listen to, so I am glad I used my eyeballs on this one.

PS Lovely photos.

The reader is definitely supposed to hate the rich people, so much so that they are all basically caricatures. As I wrote earlier, the time frame makes a lot of their power and privilege possible. I think it works ok as an audio, but probably is easier as text, especially keeping notes on characters and the timeline. It was a decent novel, but its meandering style is sometimes overwrought and drawn out. Ending was decent and ties things up pretty well.

Judyta was an interesting character and one that I'd be up for more books featuring her, so long as they were tighter narratives. She is persistent and level headed and treated more or less fairly by everyone (apart from mom and dad, but she handles that well). Many times women in this type of role - police investigator of some kind and a first for her time frame - is written as a lot more fearful, hesitant and unsure of herself than Judyta is. Instead we get someone who has a few shades of self-doubt, but is mostly sure of her choice of career and investigative skills. She doesn't go off like a headless chicken any more than a male character would have in her place.

She's basically the polar opposite of Alice who just ends up being a broodmare, dishrag and doormat all rolled into one. Her sister's betrayal isn't exactly a surprise and her spinelessness reminded me of our unnamed narrator in Rebecca. Timid by nature, she was easily overwhelmed by her family and Peter's family when it came to the matchmaking and given what what her sister did, it's even more sadistic why they married her off to him. Keeping the real plight of Bear from her was probably for the best, but you have to wonder just how much worse it would have made her mental state.

Continuing my Stephen King project with Duma Key which has been one of my favorites from him. This will be my 3rd reading with the others being 2008 when it first came out and then again in 2012. For some reason I find this book comforting despite all its shenanigans. Here's a look at the cover if you unfolded it and laid it flat -



The back cover image represents the main character Edgar's canvases as he paints visions he receives with a power acquired when he had a severe head injury on the job. I have forgotten what the red picnic basket is all about, but no doubt something sinister. I think this is the first of his Florida novels; books set in the state where he and Tabitha moved to in the early 2000s if memory serves.

I'm having a good time with Duma Key and taking notes steadily. Here's most of them -

Third reading notes -

Even on page 3, Wireman is a presence.

Starting with Gandalf the dead terrier reminds me of the ramp of deaths in Pet Sematary. It also sketches Edgar’s future psychic abilities and the phantom limb.

At p 118 Edgar and Wireman have one of the best “meet cute” scenes ever.

The back to back visions of Tom and then Wireman are absolutely chilling.

The How to Paint a Picture narratives are very odd and confusing, but maybe I have it now - it’s Edgar relating a vision to us more or less directly. How else could he know Elizabeth’s backstory and how the entity used her as a child? They are odd and disturbing and that helps us feel a bit like how Edgar must feel with this uncanny ability thrust upon him. Hard to place when he knew all of this and especially when the entity’s focus shifted from her to him and especially how he plans to get out of it.

King uses a lot of foreshadowing and little tension hooks to keep you focused and uneasy. It’s great.

“The thunderheads stacked up, huge flatboats black on the bottom and bruise-purple through the middle. Every now and then lightning would flash inside them, and then they looked like brains filled with bad ideas.” p 278

The succession of Girl & Ship paintings reminds me of the dog polaroids in The Sun Dog - how every time the camera spit one out, the slavering dog got closer and closer. Am I remembering that right?

I may have to see if I can find an older notebook with notes from the other reading(s) and compare.

>204 Bookmarque: That's a great cover! You're scaring me with the Pet Sematary references.

It is a cool cover, but the book isn't as upsetting as Pet Sematary was to a lot of people. Not me, but Duma Key is the first and only King book that has made me gasp out loud. I can't even remember what part, but there it is. It's more menacing than downright tragic so far as I recall and my recent reading has proven.

Anyway...am about half way through and will get back to it soon.

In the mean time, there is a 2-for-1 sale going on at Audible, so I succumbed to you lot and snagged this -



Haven't started it yet, but I will get to it after I finish the one I'm on now.

>207 Bookmarque: You're in for a treat!

>207 Bookmarque: Oh yeah! :)

Cats - and dolphins - may seem different to you after this one.

Well I have been a Douglas Adams fan for decades, so the dolphins have a lot to answer for already.

>207 Bookmarque: Enjoy, that one is fun.

>207 Bookmarque: Exciting! I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us did :)

>207 Bookmarque: I do enjoy much of Jahn Scalzi. That one was fun.

I finished up another audio yesterday while working on these -



So will most likely begin Starter Villain today. It will be my first Scalzi which is odd considering I like Peter Clines and they are often compared.

>215 Bookmarque: Those are lovely. Do you have to pause the book when there is anything complicated to be done? I know when I'm driving somewhere I have never been before I often have to pause the book while I reconnoiter.

Thanks Clam...yeah, I sometimes do pause or stop for a while if I have to really concentrate on something.

>215 Bookmarque: They are beautiful!

I hope you will enjoy your first Scalzi! Starter Villain was so much fun :)

Thanks peeps - just set the Larimar pendant (the oval) and it looks darn good. Will take real photos tomorrow & put it in the shop. Thinking of making a similar one with a rectangle stone.

Anyway...am on chapter 6 of Starter Villain and so far so good. While it is funny by itself, it seems pretty clear that Wil Wheaton is almost laughing while reading and you can hear it in his voice. No only is he getting the delivery pitch perfect, but he's putting that airy chuckle quality in as well as that sort of laughing astonishment we do in the face of ridiculousness. I like.

>219 Bookmarque: I'm happy you're enjoying it! I've heard that Wil Wheaton and Scalzi have become friends, and of course Wheaton is a natural for narration like this. Fun stuff, all the way around.

Gorgeous work up there! Those photos show the stone's beauty, but I look forward to seeing your new photos, now that everything is set and all.

Thanks Terri - I've completed the solder work for the Turquoise piece (needed to attach some bulk chain and a clasp) and will do some clean up and work on adjusting the bezel height before setting the stone. Hopefully tomorrow.

>221 Bookmarque: :)

>219 Bookmarque: I did the audio for this one too, and I greatly appreciated Wheaton's narration.

Here it is all done.



It's in the shop. I think I have separation anxiety. Almost kept this one.

>224 Bookmarque: I can understand that. It is lovely.

>224 Bookmarque: You do such beautiful work!

Thanks guys. Here's a cell phone pic of the Turquoise one that I finished today -



It's a little earthier in design and the stone is really bright blue.

>227 Bookmarque: I love it!

>227 Bookmarque: That one is lovely. Classic and understated.

Thanks guys. Both are in the shop.

So I was looking at Amazon to see when King's new book is due (May 27) and this popped up as a suggestion for me -



It's a collection of short stories set in the world of The Stand and totally authorized with an introduction by Uncle Steve (but didn't contribute a story himself) . I recognize many of the contributors, but not all and I'm basically sold by the fact that Catriona Ward is one of them. It comes out in August and will probably take me that long to re-read The Stand. Now...which version...

Oh and I recognized the font right away as the same on the original hardcover versions of both the first and the expanded. Nice.

>224 Bookmarque: That's just gorgeous!

>227 Bookmarque: Ans so is this one!

Like kittens, I don't know how you can stand to part with them. :) You do beautiful work.

>230 Bookmarque: I'll be interested in hearing your take on this collection of stories. I just loved The Stand, and it hurts me that I somehow lost my original hardcover copy. Such a great book. I'm generally not too keen on fan fiction, but since King has apparently endorsed them, they might be worth a look. Hmm...

>230 Bookmarque:
My experience of The Stand was not positive. I read the extended version. In the introduction Kings describes how the extended version, 700 pages, was his submitted version and that it was the editor that cut it down to four hundred pages. Having slogged through the 700 pages I was reminded of a tenet I was told by a writer; "always do what the editor says." I think the shorter version was an example of editing that got it right.

Of the two, I will probably read the original edited version because it makes more sense and has a tighter story that still imparts the same information. In the expanded version I recall the TrashCan man parts being quite long.

>232 pgmcc: I've read both, and I agree with you and @Bookmarque the edited version is better.

It sounds funny, but in the edited version, even the very first chapter sets a much better tone for the first part of the story, because all the reader knows is that some guy drives up to a gas station in a small town, hits the pumps, and when the locals drag him out they see he died of something horrible, and his family has, as well. They don't know they've just been exposed. In the unedited version the first chapter is about this driver, and the reader learns there's been a lab breach and he's running away. No mystery.

Sometimes, the editors are right.

More notes about Duma Key -

"Art is the concrete artifact of faith and expectation, the realization of a world that would otherwise be little more than a veil of pointless consciousness stretched over a gulf of mystery." p 365

p 407 - Lots of ideas and impressions coming on the heels of Elizabeth’s death and her unholy reaction to the Girl and Ship series. It occurs to me now that E has been acting as a psychic shield against the evil presence that used her when she was a girl. Instead of continuing that, she stopped painting and seems to be putting up a mental wall against that force. With Alzheimer’s eating away at her brain, she is losing the battle and the wall is breached letting the entity control and use Edgar. Not only does he give us impossible glimpses into the past with the How to Paint a Picture vignettes, but he paints Elizabeth’s past and what the entity did to her and her family.

I don’t remember thinking like this with my first reads (need to find those old notebooks if I kept one and wrote anything about this book), and I also don’t remember if Edgar and Wireman come to the same conclusion about Elizabeth. I do remember they go to battle instead of acting as a shield if in fact she was. This kind of localized evil presence is a big theme King returns to over and over again with many instances with different ways of dealing with it by the ensnared humans.

Oh that opening scene in the original is the bomb, @terriks. Just yesterday I gave it to my husband in pretty good detail even though it's been 25 years since I last read The Stand. It's so cinematic in the way he wrote it that it really sticks in the mind. You can see the car getting closer, you can see the guys in the gas station as they talk and trade jibes, you can see Stu coming back in and telling the owner to shut off the pumps...then the crash and the explosion. It's epic and one of the best things he's written. I bet it just blossomed in his imagination fully realized and he could hardly type fast enough to get it down.

It does work a lot better from the outside perspective rather than of the driver. There is mystery and trepidation with the edited version, but only weird unknown dread with the expanded. Both have a good effect, but very different tones and they push the reader in different directions.

>227 Bookmarque: Great work!

>230 Bookmarque: I'm interested to hear how that book works, too.

>234 terriks: My 1980 paperback edition of The Stand has 815 pages. I didn't even know the shorter version existed.

Am done Duma Key and I am wrung out. Kicks like an angry mare. I have some more notes and thoughts, but might need time to process. Just read my original review and it still stands and I may add to it with this go round.

Absolutely NO IDEA what can follow that so maybe I'll just chill for a while then decide.

>237 Karlstar: That paperback is probably the original version. The expanded one came in 1990.

>237 Karlstar: I had an original hardcover. I only discovered that it was the edited version when the "full, uncut" edition came out. 😆

>236 Bookmarque: Isn't that just an amazing scene? Still strange to me that King wouldn't realize how much more effective it is as the first chapter. I couldn't put it down - and even edited, it's a long book!

Well to be fair, the first version of The Stand was out for 15 years and was the definitive product. I don't think he meant to cheat or fool anyone and putting the fuller version out I think was a vanity for him. He was a big enough name to do it and make it work. Not sure he'd do it again, but it's interesting to see just how bloated it got and how the original edit works so much better. From what I've read from him and in interviews, he doesn't outline or have much of a plan as to what characters do apart from his original idea. When he really gets into something, the characters almost take over and go down ratholes and alleys he had no idea were there. I think that's how the book was written and it got judiciously trimmed.

---

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More thoughts on Duma Key -

Seems Elizabeth wasn’t holding Perse back, but had her imprisoned physically. I think I like my idea better. Why would some great force be inside a ceramic figurine? That’s kind of strange. I guess I can buy the salt water=good, fresh water= bad scenario, but I don’t know why the other condition is too much.

421 - more horrible dread with E never seeing Ilse again. Kill your darlings indeed.

430 - is it more monstrous and gutting because the entity (Perse) is female? To a certain degree we expect violence from men and we expect love and care from women. That’s the heart of what the idea of being female is to us - a layer of protection and loyalty and amputating that is much worse than if the entity was male. Fathers leave, fathers can walk away at the very least and many of the ones that stay are controlling and abusive. Not that mothers can’t be that as well, but it’s far less prevalent and I think King knows instinctively that it will be much scarier if his evil is female. So much more of a gut-punch betrayal.

445 - a description of Perse’s death ship - “She bobbed up and down like a long dead child’s rotten toy.”

498 - honestly my heart is beating faster and I have a hollow stomach feeling. How the heck does he do this?

518 - using prehistoric darkness to describe an alligator is so great.

543 - so much of this story revolves around not looking too deeply into the well of creativity - it’s pretty scary for highly creative and prolific people to contemplate. I think I’ve heard interviews or maybe read pieces from him that talk about it being a little disturbing that ideas keep coming and the well never seems to run dry. He explores that here and in Lisey’s Story that came out before this. Don’t look too closely at where it all comes from. Unbottling. Is that why he chose to literally bottle Perse up in the end? When she is, humans she taps into do the same. Hm.

When the death/plague ship finally shows up, it reminds me of the ship Dracula was on to get to England. It basically drifted into port, totally empty and lifeless.

Another ending that has a countdown like in The Shining and Doctor Sleep and Dracula. Very effective even if the action wasn’t enough to carry you through it like a hurricane wind.

I read the first version of The Stand when it was new-ish. I didn't read the unedited version until semi-recently. I definitely prefered the old cut. I have Duma key sitting around somewhere, but I would probably snag a Kindle copy. Or do you think it would be just as impactful as an audiobook?

>224 Bookmarque: & >227 Bookmarque: Lovely!

If the narrator is good, I think it would work, but it is a very emotional and evocative story so your own internal voice and imagination might serve better.

>243 Bookmarque: Okay. Thanks for the advice.

Have been reading and making this -



It's a composite turquoise that's made with polymer stabilizers and some dye. Pretty though so I cut out a tulip in the back over the nicest bit -



Have a funky ring in the works, too, featuring a London blue Topaz.

>245 Bookmarque:
That is lovely. Great use of the colours for the tulip.

>245 Bookmarque: I like this one a lot! The tulip is great.

>245 Bookmarque: Absolutely beautiful. I love it.

>245 Bookmarque: Great colors! Love the tulip shaped window.

>245 Bookmarque: Beautiful! I love the tulip cutout. Great idea and really elevates the piece.

Thanks everyone. That one went in the shop yesterday, and another one is going out today. It's nice when that happens. I can't keep them all! Am working on a couple of rings, one is basically a prototype and the second is a refinement. I'm pretty pleased with progress so far.

>245 Bookmarque: Wonderful work.

Thanks much. It turned out rather nicely.

Got through 30 titles for March, many of which were comic books again, but 300+ pagers, so much longer than a lot of those from February.



Standouts were Duma Key which has always been a favorite and the third time through didn't knock it down a single degree. It's cinematic and heartfelt and thoroughly scary as you'd expect from Uncle Steve.

Although I'm not done yet, I have to give props to the Preacher series by Garth Ellis. It's on the whole fairly horny, vile and debauched, but also has some heart and just plain bonkers characters and situations. I didn't love all of those and frankly skipped whole individual issues within the collection that I didn't like, particularly in Book 4. I'm in Book 6 which wraps up everything and we'll see how well. There's a lot of black humor and pretty sick situations, but somehow it has enough intelligence to keep me going. It was started in the mid-90s and continued for about a decade and is now part of the Comixology subscription service. Whaddaya want fo' nothin'?

The duds were Auris and The Army of Darkness comics which should have been funny, but weren't. I love Evil Dead, Ash and the Deadites, but somehow the comic books just didn't translate with the same insouciance and humor. I guess we really did need Bruce after all. Auris was just so badly acted and I think the translation was wonky, too, that I'm glad it was also free with my Audible subscription. I held out to hear the ending, but it was pretty awful.

>253 Bookmarque: Yay for Preacher! Loved that series. The TV adaptation wasn't great (not bad, just not great). though.

I didn't think I'd really like it, but it is compelling. Just looked at the IMDB page for the series, meh, I think I'll skip it. The poor guy who had to play Arseface though!

And the pendant has sold. Luckily I have just put these in the store and have a ring and another pair of earrings in the works, too.



Amethyst. They're really gorgeous stones.

>256 Bookmarque: What an amazing deep purple! Great shape, too. Highly unusual.

>257 clamairy: Beautiful! I love the colour :)

>256 Bookmarque:, Ahhh, beautiful!

>256 Bookmarque: Gorgeous. Amethyst is one of my favorite stones. Beautiful work.

Congrats on the sale!

>256 Bookmarque: Those are stunning!

Thanks guys. Made these just after the Amethyst ones. This is Rainbow Moonstone and they are for sale.



This is more Amethyst and it's for me -



I have a similar ring in the tumbler made with Emerald Turquoise which is very bright green. That will go in the shop though.

>262 Bookmarque: Moonstone is so beautiful!
I love the ring as well.

Aww thanks. Here's a similar one that went in the store today -



It's an Emerald Valley Turquoise in sterling.

So on another thread in another group, I brought up the subject of audio dramas and someone mentioned liking Wooden Overcoats which was a BBC production some of you across the pond may know. I didn't, but found it's available for nothing at audible. Best part is this -

On the overlooked Channel Island of Piffling, obstinate undertaker Rudyard Funn runs his family’s failing funeral parlour.

Oh and the turquoise ring up there is sold. Going to a new home in North Carolina. Woo hoo!

>266 Bookmarque: Yay, congratulations!

>262 Bookmarque: Awesome! Congrats on the sales too.