Bookmarque’s Padded Cell 2025 - Gathering my marbles (3)

Ok...it's now high summer and here's my June snapshot -



Palace Council and The Man in My Basement were second reads, but the rest new. A few audio dramas in there that were pretty great, most notably the No Commitments series and the Legacy series. New books from Uncle Steve and Preston & Child were hardcover shipments and neither wowed me. If you liked Alton Brown on any of the shows he's been in, I highly recommend Food for Thought especially as an audio since he narrates it. Hubby and I listened to it in the car and it kept us laughing even though we disagree with him on martini preparation. McWhorter's new book is great as an audio as well since he narrates it. The Brain books were ok, but repetitive in spots which I might not have realized had I read them months or years apart. The third installation of the Oracle series was terrible I'm sad to say since I enjoyed the first one quite a bit and like Joshua Jackson on TV. Oh well. Murder at the Patel Motel was an Audible Plus freebie and much better and funnier than anticipated.

>1 Bookmarque: Happy new thread!

Happy new thread :)

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread! I'm glad you liked Food for Thought, I've been considering that one. I have a bunch of his DVDs and his first Good Eats cookbook.

Oh man I'd LOVE to have some seasons of Good Eats on DVD, but I think they're so long out of print (so to speak) that they're unavailable. Maybe someday there will be a re-issue. I'm Just Here for the Food Version 2.0 is on the shelf next to me.

>7 Bookmarque: We even went to one of his live shows. It was less like an episode of the TV show than I thought it would be, but still entertaining.

Happy new thread!

Thanks everyone. Recently came across The Desert Drifter YouTube channel and I'm pretty addicted to it. So many people don't credit that North America had a lot of people and history because so many of them were killed and their buildings and other marks on the landscape eradicated and destroyed either maliciously or just out of ignorance. Many a modern highway follows traces or trails that were footpaths for people before Europeans and the beasts of burden they brought. However, in the places Europeans couldn't exploit for their own devices, there are ruins and impressive complexes that are still there and give great testament to the ingenuity and intricacy of how life was lived in the very harsh American west. Sadly Andrew (Desert Drifter) was killed in a car crash about a year ago, but the channel is still up and running and really fascinating. He had great respect and knowledge of the canyons and deserts he visited, leaving everything intact and in place for future study or exploration. I'll never have the drive or technical skill to do what he did, but the videos are enough.

https://www.youtube.com/@Desert.Drifter

>10 Bookmarque: That’s so sad about Desert Drifter. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched one or two of his videos in the past, but that’s been more than a year ago.

One of the coolest roadtrips my husband and I ever took was driving through Titus Canyon and through the old ghost town of Leadfield to get to Death Valley National Park. After we exited the canyon into Death Valley it actually rained a little bit. It was July and so cool to see puddles of water scattered here and there in the park.

>10 Bookmarque: That sounds interesting. I know there was a not-really-funny standing joke about how all the twisted turning roads in and around Atlanta were from old Native American trails or pig trails. I never had reason to doubt it.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread! I'm looking forward to more of your wonderful photos!

>11 ludmillalotaria: That sounds like an amazing road trip!

Happy New Thread!

Happy New Thread!

>10 Bookmarque: here in Oregon a lot of our roads/highways follow the Oregon Trail route. I wonder how much of that route was part of the Native’s trail system.

What a lovely, shiny new thread!

Back from our Wyoming trip. This was a highlight -



Six 911s on a private airstrip (our host lives here and keeps his planes and cars in various hangers). He got the airport manager to give us 1/2 an hour to drive as fast as we dared. 135mph. We were the slowest by far. The runway is over 6000 feet long.

Oh that would be fun!

>18 Bookmarque: Sounds like a terrifying adrenaline rush! I hope you had a blast with this unique set-up.

>18 Bookmarque: Fascinating! In my twenties I used to routinely drive my BMW at ridiculous speeds. I no longer believe I would be comfortable doing that. LOL

Great photo.

It was a lot of fun and yeah, a definite adrenaline rush. Having been a motorcyclist and sports car driver for years, including many, many race track day driving schools, I'm used to speed. However, I've been out of those activities for over a decade now and so this was a bit harrowing. The Porsche though, is built for this stuff and is way more car than I'll ever need and I'll never push its limits. The acceleration is incredible and does 0 to 60mph in something like 2.6 seconds. I can attest to that.

>22 Bookmarque: That is just crazy! Back in my twenties I used to subscribe to Car and Driver magazine and fantasize about having a car that did 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds! After I hit my 30s I stopped paying attention to what the high end car models were capable of.

>18 Bookmarque: The Porsche HQ in Atlanta (near ATL airport) has a racetrack where you can book what’s called The Porsche Experience to drive one of their cars on the track. They supposedly have a nice restaurant there, but I haven’t been there myself.

>18 Bookmarque: What a great shot and that sounds like a lot of fun. I miss the days when I had a Chrysler Crossfire.

>18 Bookmarque: What an amazing photo!
Sounds like you had a great time :)

>18 Bookmarque: For a static image that photo says "speed" to me!

Thanks guys - it was a hoot. We will probably go do it again if our host organizes another get together. The Dakotas though - omg is it a lot of highway droning. Minnesota is just as bad, but with more traffic around the Twin Cities. Have to see if we can ship the car and fly if it isn't too expensive. Or just put up with it. We could get a big trailer, but we'd still have to drive. Pit stops can be interesting though -

>29 Bookmarque: Love it!

It's real dinosaur country out in Montana and the Dakotas. We got a glimpse of these two on route 90 West in SD so I'll put up the shot I took a few years ago from a safe access road on the other side of the eastbound lanes.

I am enjoying your road trip adventures!

>29 Bookmarque:, >31 Bookmarque: I love these! More places need quirky public art!

Glad you had a great trip. My husband has a panic attack if he gets up to 75 on the freeway. :D

>31 Bookmarque: I love this one! :D

>29 Bookmarque: Love these shots! Look like something from the glory days of Route 66.

It never occurred to me why there were always so many big dinosaur statues around motels and gas stations out there. I think I get it now!

>29 Bookmarque: >31 Bookmarque: Awesome.

Thanks everyone. Here's a couple more from our hangout -



That's our car plus our host's 1990s vintage Lear jet and his Frankenstein 911 behind. This is a double hanger that he runs his restoration projects from. Basically he buys crashed cars and uses parts to create whole new models that don't exist from the factory. It's mental and fantastic. He has a few guys that work for him doing everything from paint and PPF to mechanical work on engines, suspension etc. One guy was just his plane mechanic, but now he does both. It's amazing. He even has an in with Porsche to use their computers and software to "cut keys", basically assign a fob to a particular VIN based on either the frame or the engine of two separate cars. It's such an obsession, but he's having fun and sharing with the rest of the Porsche weirdos.

Oh and this was an interesting sight while we were there -



That's a guy on a hoverboard controlling a little tug attached to the plane's front wheel. At first we thought it was a kid checking out the plane (a small Cessna jet), but no...it's probably the pilot or the owner (or both) bringing it to his hanger. Everyone in this community has either a very expensive condo or home and can land and park their planes in their hangers whenever they need to. Like how John Travolta does. Definitely not something I see every day.

That is quite a hobby your host has!

Yeah, he is an enthusiast for sure and is always ready to roll up his sleeves and just get on with the work. He even learned how to hang gigantic architectural windows when his glazier came back with a stupid quote to do his house. A real gent with a big brain.

>38 Bookmarque: Wow, again! That's some heady company to be rubbing elbows with, even for a brief event like this. Some folks kind of hover in their own little stratosphere! :)

>38 Bookmarque: Again, awesome! Thanks for the story.

Thanks guys. It's definitely the most wealth I've been in close proximity to, well kinda, I have another very wealthy friend, but I don't know if he's in this league. None of it inherited - just ingenuity and a timely creation of a solution everyone said couldn't be done. If only we had more of that.

Anyway, I just finished an audio book as part of the Audible Plus catalog and it was startlingly good.

>38 Bookmarque: I think that plane looks like it’s smiling. :) The Husband works for a company that builds private planes. It’s crazy the disposable income some people have!

Am back home after 13 days in New England with friends and family. It was a great vacation with lots of good weather, but I am glad to be back. Here are a few shots from the trip -

Lunching on an island off the coast of Maine with our group -


The barn by the house we all stayed in (the oldest in Vinalhaven) -



The view from the back of the house down to the cove -



Another day and another lunch spot on another tiny island -



Those are all cell phone pics, haven't gotten to any taken with the regular camera yet.

Because I did so much traveling in July, the book count is a bit low since I was out of my usual routine. Here's what I did get through -



All audio except for that Tracy Chevalier, which was a decent historical novel with some interesting characters & situations. Women with any independence or brains back then weren't valued much at all (are they now??) and so were ignored a lot and almost totally forgotten. Nice to see at least a little recognition.

The best novel is Like, Follow, Die not only for its writing and story, but because it is so timely. Highly recommended.

The worst was Smash Hit - Writing is awkward. Plot is full of holes and everyone made huge leaps and assumptions that they act on as if they're fact. Ridiculous.

Warwick Davis put together a fun and light-hearted memoir about his life up to that point. A bit bummed he didn't narrate it.

Finished up the No Commitments BBC radio series and it was really fun. If you like that kind of thing, check it out.

The Aldrich Kemp collection started better than it finished with the last installment being pretty flimsy in terms of plot and grit, a trend I hope does not continue.

>45 Bookmarque: Looks great! Good to hear it was a good vacation.

>46 Bookmarque: There's nothing wrong at all with that book count.

>46 Bookmarque: Maine is such a beautiful state! Glad you had fun. The skies look amazing.

I'd agree with @jillmwo that 9 books is just fine, with or without the traveling!

>45 Bookmarque:
Looks like a lovely place to spend some time.

>46 Bookmarque: Looks like a perfect trip, thank you for sharing the lovely photos with us. What matters on reading is, did you enjoy the process, not how many you read, but I know you know that. :)

>45 Bookmarque: What a wonderful vacation! The photos are lovely, thank you for sharing :)

>45 Bookmarque: What a beautiful place to spend your vacation! That view from the back of the house ... I could stare at it all day.

>45 Bookmarque: I'm so glad you had a great visit. Love the photos.

Thanks everyone. It was a pretty decent visit back to my home grounds. Excellent weather which was a bonus.

Just finished listening to this as an audio book - No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson and I can't recommend it highly enough. Not sure what we can do at this point to unfuck our extremely corrupt system with the FDA, but it's certainly an eye opener in a very scary way. Hat's off to Gardiner Harris for his persistence in probably a wall of stonewalling and threat of lawsuits.

Went out in the kayak yesterday and discovered that the river I love to paddle was quite low. Thought I'd have to portage a time or two, but I didn't. Also didn't find the Hen of the Woods fruiting on the same tree as last year, which was a bummer since they are so tasty and my favorite eating mushroom. But, the low water levels revealed a lot of sandy banks so these guys were all over -



That is a Solitary Sandpiper, which while I found them in twos and threes, don't congregate in large flocks so I think that's where the name comes from. They are pretty vocal, sending out semi-alarm calls and contact calls almost the whole time I watched them. They are small, about the size of a Cardinal. Once or twice one gave me a overhead wing flare which I think is a warding off gesture, but only reflexively as the bird didn't fly or run away. I love them.

>56 Bookmarque: This is a lovely little bird :)

>56 Bookmarque: Lovely!

>56 Bookmarque:. There's a certain trimness to that sandpiper that is attractive. The bill is surprisingly long.

Thanks everyone. Even with the water low and no Hen, it was a good day to be on the water. I also saw a few Bald Eagles (one youngster) perched in trees and all of which subsequently flew, Kingfisthers and Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, a couple of Painted Turtles, 3 otters and a Great Blue Heron. Oh and the cutest little baby catfish just resting in the plants. Squee.

>56 Bookmarque: Lovely capture. I do love the water birds.

Amazing photos. And I realised you're all talking about speeds in mph not kph!

Thanks peeps. It was a busy summer and I haven't shot as much as I have in the past, but I do have a hummingbird I can post after my August wrap up. MrsL was the one who really enjoyed these, and it makes me so sad that she can offer her usual insights. I will imagine them though.



The best book, but also one that was pretty damn disturbing, was No More Tears about the dark heart and deeds of Johnson & Johnson. Sadly the first work to come up for that title was Ozzy's album which is absolutely fantastic. If you think you can trust any big company or any government agency, even a little, read this and weep.

Shipwreck: How a Captain, Company, and Culture Sank the SS El Faro was eye-opening in a similar profits over people way - for both companies casualties are just ledger entries and even accounted for in the original figures for profitability and lives aren't worth squat.

And I read a lot of dumb stuff, too, like The Vacation, The Chateau, Game of Nines and The Warwick Recordings - all of which were from Audible Plus and so glad of that. Most of them don't come up in touchstones, so I left them blank. The Orphan Smith one was slightly better, but nothing stunning even though it was non-fiction - the fact that some men have more than one family that are unknown to each other isn't exactly news these days.

But the Mistletoe Murders series was an exception to the Audible Plus trend and I'm glad I finally tried them out. They're an easy going audible drama series that is a bit cozy, a bit romance, a bit mystery and humor. I was fooled by the artwork and so thought they'd be too mushy, but they're decent and the 4th installment is coming later this year. Yay.

The Confidential Agent was another exception to the Audible Plus trend and no wonder since it's one of Graham Greene's "entertainments". Pretty much what you expect with these - twisty, full of shenanigans and political doings, very little real violence and some humor sprinkled in. Oh and the writing is lovely with excellent turns of phrase.

For a fun trip down memory lane, husband and I listened to The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman in the car. He doesn't touch on absolutely everything from that decade, but it was interesting to read various takes on stuff from exactly what Generation X is to Alan Greenspan. Oh and I had that phone on the cover!

A light-hearted, but not fluffy take on running a big resort in Scotland was The Hydro: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Series - bring on the family backstabbing! Excellent cast, but I wish David Rintoul had been able to continue in his role instead of being replaced. He has such a great voice.

Phew. I think that's it.

>63 Bookmarque: Very nice.

My husband was a Chuck Klosterman fan! Never got around to reading any of his stuff myself.

>63 Bookmarque: I've never read any of his stuff before this. The essays flowed well one into another, something I think he particularly excels at. He also read it and did that fairly well, too.

Here's our boy -



I think I saw him the other day, but it got pretty cold last night so they won't be around for long. Crabby little birds, but fun to have around even if it's only for a little while.

>66 Bookmarque:
That is a "WOW!" picture. Amazing colours.

>66 Bookmarque: Absolutely stunning capture!

>66 Bookmarque: That is wonderful. Your photography skills are amazing! (The bird is amazing as well, but what you manage to capture in an image is outstanding.)

>66 Bookmarque: Stunning photo!

>66 Bookmarque: Amazing photo! Beautiful bird!

>66 Bookmarque: Wow, this is amazing! You are so talented.

>66 Bookmarque: Gorgeous capture. Crabby sums it up perfectly. LOL I got some great photos with the Bird Buddy camera this Summer, which I'll share at some point. This is the first year that I've been able to see them so closely that I could give them names based on characteristics. All my regulars are gone, and I'm seeing a bunch of strangers now.

Thanks everyone. They are touchy little birds. It's been in the low 40s overnight lately, so they're probably heading south.

A few reading related things - first that I had to ditch a book podcast because I just couldn't take the prejudice and judgmental attitudes of the hosts anymore. Thought police, high horse posturing and constant virtue signaling just went overboard and that's it for me although it has been grinding my gears for a while now. Wish I could find another with hosts that don't continuously pat themselves on the back and keep their fucking politics in check while giving me book news etc. Sigh.

Anyway...that's enough with Ms. Crabby Pants. As you know I listen to a lot of books and stuff and the fact that I wear in-ear headphones all the time has led to problems with ear wax that I've never had before with my usual cleaning routine. Basically, in-ears push more wax into the canal and it binds up faster and more solidly. Yuk and really annoying. So I've gotten a pair of Soundcore AeroClips that just sit in the outside of the ear and clip onto the cartilage. So far so good. They aren't noise cancelling and don't have quite the bass response as the type that go right into your ear canal, but they have an app that lets you adjust the EQ settings and I have to say the Podcast one is rather good. They look like this -



The round part goes in the ear and the opposite holds onto the back of your ear. They come in other color combos as well. One interesting thing is that the touch controls are more limited than in the Apple AirPods and I wonder if there is so much bound up in patents etc, that other companies are really limited in how they can make similar features. Definitely the Apple product is better in this regard, for example you can adjust volume on the Airpods, but not on the AeroClips, something I miss. But if they keep my ears healthier, I'm happy about that.

>66 Bookmarque: Great picture!

>66 Bookmarque: Wonderful photo! Love to see those Ruby throats.

Our locals have just about flown the coop, as well, although I did watch a female at the feeder today. (That’s about the most reliable food source this time of the year in our neck of the woods.) Migration has definitely started.

>66 Bookmarque: Veery colour co-ordinated.

>74 Bookmarque: I'll keep that in mind. First we have to get me to admit that I need to wear glasses ...

Yeah, it's a bit embarrassing to have a blocked ear. It's better now, but I'm still going to have to do more to keep them clear - rinses and stuff that make your head feel weird for a bit, but it's how it is. And since I've had glasses since I was 7, that isn't really something I've struggled with although I do wish a childhood without them was a thing I could have had. The sickening crunch when you realize you've just sat on them because you couldn't see them.

>78 Bookmarque: I started wearing glasses in second grade. I don't think I ever sat on mine, but I did lose them once at an arboretum. Thankfully someone turned them in, but I remember my mom not being very happy about having to make the drive to pick them up. I have been wearing contact lenses since I was 19. Now that I'm getting older and my eyes are getting dryer I need moisturizing eye drops often.

How far inside the ear canal did those iPods go? I have a pair of Beats, and though I can sometimes feel them getting a little sweaty when I'm working outside in the garden I've never noticed them causing any kind of wax buildup. I can't figure out the volume control on these. They were a lot more expensive than the Plantronic BackBeats I got at Costco. Those worked pretty well, but they had no noise canceling feature, and the silicone covers were just a little too big for my ear canals. I tried swapping in different covers from some of the wired pairs I had. No luck. Every freaking time I took them off they left the covers in my ear. First world problems.

I don't think the AirPods caused the build up, but contributed to it by confining and pushing wax into the canal. They don't go in that far, basically just sealing up the outer edge. These new ones sit outside that edge in the little bowl. I think having these in rotation will keep the wax looser between rinsing, etc. Wax is important to have since it is an anti-microbial and is there for a reason so I won't be going too crazy to eradicate it. Before I started wearing in-ears all day, I never had an issue, but as you say, first world problem.

>80 Bookmarque: I have experienced a similar issue with wax build-up, most severely in the past few years. The last time I was in my doctor's office, she spent a good 20 minutes on clearing out the blockage in a single ear. (At the end of it, when she showed me the detritus she'd gotten out, my single response was "Holy Crap!" It was hideous to see and slightly embarrassing.) I have avoided in-ear devices for years, but even my over the ear headphones aren't a complete solution.

Oh isn't it the pits jillmwo? Ugh. And yeah, I'm not saying in-ears are the total reason, but a contributor. A new regimen and increased awareness should prevent this psychosis inducing condition in future. Seriously...the ringing was making me mental.

The ringing (though present) was less of a problem for me than the inability to actually HEAR a normal conversation. My children were quite sure I was going deaf. I kept telling them that the issue wasn't with the ear drum.

>66 Bookmarque: What a beauty! I think this is one of the best pics you've shared with us ... and it's a high bar!

>84 Sakerfalcon: Beautifully colour ccoordinated too :0)

Thanks peeps - hummies are so great aren't they? I haven't seen one for a few days so they might be gone. Did see two toads and a salamander last night though as it's been warm.

Like with the Mistletoe Murders that are part of the Audible Plus library, I was late to the game with The Widows and just started listening to them recently. It was a case of judging books by their covers and neither tuned out to be precisely what I thought and both series are better than that, too. I put a quick review together for the second before moving on with the third. They are light-hearted, but not as Desperate Housewives as I thought with a great deal more heart.

They're still here! One just visited the flowers on a table about 3 feet from me - a female and possibly one just hatched this year. Yay! I love these little ones.

>87 Bookmarque: That’s a happy encounter! I always feel a pang when I have to concede that they're gone for the season.

I've had enough regular visits over the last week from a female that I was inspired to put out fresh nectar this morning. It's been warm enough to keep some annuals alive on the deck, and she buzzes around there, too.

Lately I've been out with the macro rig and came upon one, or possibly two, crab spiders on some Coreopsis a few days apart. But before I give you those (fair warning arachnophobes), here are some Closed Bottle Gentian I found kayaking a few days ago -



It's native to Wisconsin and found throughout the state. This one was right on the banks of the Wisconsin river and because it was bent and resting on some rocks, I could get a decent photo. Normally they are about 3 feet high and wobble like crazy. Also, this is as "bloomed" as the flowers ever get, hence the name. They rely on large bumblebees, most likely queens, to get into the top of the bloom and work their way inside for nectar. And yeah, they really are that color. And that's a Caddis fly photobombing.

>89 Bookmarque: I didn't realise they go kayaking. I see this one was taking a break on the side ;0)

You take nice photos! Do you haul all the equipment everywhere or just use a phone camera?

>89 Bookmarque: Beautiful! I love the colour.

>90 humouress: Ha. That was some ambiguous wording. I've been a photographer for over 40 years and so yes, I mostly use a "proper" camera, but several of the shots up there (cars, kayaks and planes) were done with my phone.

Yes the color is amazing and it's nice at the end of the season. Right now a few trees in the yard are basically bare.

Sometimes I just can't decide what to listen to next and end up kind of flailing because every book/audio drama I have on my wish list has a bad review that mentions something I probably won't be able to deal with (for example one wishes a book wasn't so rape-y, yeah me too). So that's when I fall back on some non-fiction and this time I had a choice of narrators in English and went with the fabulous Dennis Boutsikaris for Song of the Cell -



It's dense and there is a ton of science as you'd expect, but it's also light and inquisitive in tone. Thankfully, too, there is a PDF that has important illustrations. I love it when audiobook publishers include that. Recently I listened to one that didn't and really should have had. Bah.

>89 Bookmarque: Great picture and thanks for all the information.

Thanks Jim. It was a nice surprise that day. Then I found a giant fish skull on a rock and well, that was another, but less nice.

Anyway...sometimes the cover module on the home page turns up some doozies. Like this one -



A less happy bride than Emma Bovary is hard to imagine so makes this all the more funny.

>95 Bookmarque: 😆😆😆

Yeah that was a funny link between that cover and that book.

So here are some of my little crabs that I've been shooting lately. This time of year, late blooming flowers provide last-minute nutrients for lots of critters preparing for winter -





I think that may be the same spider on different flowers (that reach is only 5mm across, btw). Crab spiders can change color to blend better with the flower they set up shop on. Here's another on an aster (taken yesterday)



You may notice with that last one, that silk holds those petals together and indeed that is something Crab spiders often do. I think it's mostly to make a more secure pad for holding onto their prey, but I've seen them bend the petals overhead and make a hide -



Pardon the quality of that last one, it's from more than a decade ago with a lower resolution camera and a less adept person behind the lens and in the editing suite. But the spider made that little construction and I just love it.

That is some amazing camouflage that spider has!

>97 Bookmarque: Very cool! That's some amazing detail.

Spiders are fascinating. I find them super creepy, too.

>97 Bookmarque: Wonderful shots! Spiders are very interesting :)

>97 Bookmarque: Lovely photos.

(Oh yeah, that last one is so terrible ;0) I actually can't tell the difference from the rest and I do like the way the outer petals are in softer focus.)

Thanks everyone. I love spiders and I think Crabs are almost as appealing as Jumpers. Both are ambush hunters, but Jumpers move around all the time while Crabs sit and wait.

So I'm done with The Nine Tailors and glad that's over. Yes, there were touches of humor and wit, but overall I found it pretty torpid and too full of info dumps. Worse, the ending with P going up into the bell tower and almost killing himself for no reason that I could fathom was so dumb that it made no sense until the rabbit out of a hat solution that indeed the nine bell ringers "killed" the victim, well that was so eye rolling that I couldn't wait to get to my next book. Sorry fans, it's just not for me and a reason it's the only book I've ever read by Sayers - once just now and 30+ years before - with nary another in between.

The next book is my first from T. Kingfisher and unless things start sharpening up, it will probably be my last. The Twisted Ones was part of a 2-for-1 Audible sale so I took a chance on it. I like the narrator (she reminds me a bit of Patricia Clarkson), but it's pretty slow moving. Amusing in parts, but a bit repetitive. At least Mouse hasn't done anything monumentally stupid yet.

A review here on LT states that the afterward talks about the story's construction - it's an answer to The White People which is a short story about two men discussing and dissecting the purported journal of a young girl having paranormal experiences. I do like a story within a story so I hope that when Kingfisher gets to The Green Book, she does it well. The story itself is available on Project Gutenberg, so I may read it to understand more of the nuance and references Kingfisher will probably lay on me.

A bit disappointed in The Twisted Ones. There is no explanation to be found, at least not that I recognized. Mouse and Foxy (ugh, really?) get magicked to The City which is empty except by one trapped woman named Anna who really wants out. Oh and there is one other human who is so old he barely remembers anything and soon is put out of his misery. Other than that there are the effigies - apparently a horde of them and they have made themselves out of human scraps and other detritus. Just exactly what they are for and what they expect from us is still unclear. Maybe I zoned out while working and missed something, but I don't have any idea. Why were they after Mouse when she was "unable" to do what they wanted. Not sure what that was or why they needed it. Part of what they need is new humans so Anna was being impregnated over and over by some crazy white rock or something that made basically no sense. Now she's menopausal she can't be pregnant anymore and so tricks Mouse to coming to her with a note tied on the dog. Well a note is a stretch, but Mouse convinces herself she needs to go rescue Cotgrave who would be like 150 or something. Is she "unable" because of her once mentioned IUD? I guess, but it's really convoluted. Especially at the end when she thinks the deer skull effigy is really made of Cotgrave bones and just wants in the house so she burns it down.

See what I mean? It's basically a mess. One and done for me, Kingfisher.

Oh and more fly-over state abuse and stereotyping. Ugh, when will that be over with already? Not everyone who lives rural is straight out of The Blair Witch Project.

>104 Bookmarque: Thank you for taking one for the team, sorry it wasn't good.

Ugh, sorry about that rambling assessment up there, but I just sort of threw it out all at once. Maybe I'll return it to Audible. Not sure.

Another Audible Plus title, that I might just bag soon because it's far too contrived, unrealistic and romance-y - A Willing Murder. Granted, Jude Deveraux is a romance writer and this is her first mystery, but it's pretty silly. A person runs to the aid of a relative she didn't know the existence of with all the zeal of someone trying to rescue a kitten, then she meets Tall-dark-and-handsome and they have emotional intimacy that immediate and unrestrained. Eye-rolling. I may not last much longer with this.

>106 Bookmarque: That made me giggle; sorry :0)

>107 humouress: It's ok. It made me laugh, too, in a resigned sort of way. It's a freebie, but I hate getting suckered especially when I basically knew better.

Well I finished it, but even though more are available free I'm done. Have started Odyssey The Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry. Have the first two, but skipped Troy because, ugh, just couldn't make myself do it after one time through The Iliad. He does catch you up and fill in some blanks so all is not lost. One thing that is puzzling me is just how much about Aeneas is in The Odyssey. I mean, he got his own book a bunch of years later, but was there that much about Dido and Carthage in Homer's version? I guess so given Hera's preoccupation with Carthage.

Anyway...before I got to listening to that, I was doing this -



It was gorgeous, peaceful and I discovered a beaver dam where there wasn't one last year. It's basically where it makes sense for one to be, where the river gets back to its shallow and rocky self, far away from the human dam. Not sure they will get to keep theirs, but I had a good laugh about it.

>109 Bookmarque: How lovely! It looks so peaceful.

First off, I absolutely love the spider photos. I'm not sure I have ever heard of a crab spider before.

Secondly, you made, perhaps, a not so great choice for your first foray into Kingfisher territory. I saw that book on sale for Kindle and didn't grab it because the ratings in here were not high compared to many of her other books. (Yes, I use the ratings in here for almost all of my purchases and Libby requests.) I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I'm also sorry you didn't enjoy the Sayers.

You don't seem to be enjoying much of what you're listening to lately. Have you given up on reading print completely?

>109 Bookmarque: Spectacular!

It was once I got away from the houses on the river, I could hear some folks prepping cabins and doing other maintenance at the end of the season and while they weren't wicked loud or anything, it was better to just hear nature and the sound of my paddle.

Here's how September went book-wise -



13 total and most audio as usual. The best was the Rebus BBC drama collection. I've never read any of Ian Rankin's books, but I like the adaptations quite a bit. Good mysteries, good police work and characters throughout. The worst was A Killer in the Low Country by Candace Fox. Don't know what I was thinking as I've never liked any of her work before, but this was a freebie and I took a chance. Never again.

Oh and lesson learned, too. That whole judging a book by its cover thing is still true. When Audible first launched the Widows Series, I dismissed them as being just another vapid look at the world of rich stupid women with more money than sense. I was wrong and they are a lot deeper than that (although not that much) and more fun and interesting and I'm glad I finally tried them. Doh!

Two non-fiction, but the Mysteries one I returned because it was outdated and I'd never listen to it again. The Song of the Cell I'll definitely have to listen to again because there was just so much to learn and I didn't absorb much of it.

>109 Bookmarque: Very nice!

>109 Bookmarque:
Lovely picture.

>111 clamairy: Glad you like my Crabby guys. If you look at daisy-like flowers closely, I bet you'll find some.

Yeah, there was a run of stuff that wasn't so great, but that's how it goes. Print books...almost entirely gone since I spend more time at the bench making stuff. Just don't sit with my feet up much anymore, and when I do I'm usually here or watching tutorials etc. on YT. Eventually things will shift again, but for now it's fine.



And I'm glad you like the paddling photo. It was a terrific day. I hid in a little backwater and had my lunch, one of my favorite things to do.

>115 Bookmarque: Oooh, gorgeous stuff, especially that pendant.

I mostly only read with my eyeballs in bed at night, so my reading is highly dependent on how sleepy I am. Sometimes I can get in an hour, sometimes only a few minutes. I am very grateful for audiobooks, as I have stated elsewhere, since they keep that part of my brain that needs to be doing 'important stuff' occupied, while my body is washing dishes and vacuuming, or ripping out weeds.

Do you find you have to pause the audiobooks when you hit a critical point of your jewelry making process?

>116 clamairy: absolutely - Thanks. There are two pendants up there. 😀 If I really need to concentrate on something fiddly, I pause.

>117 Bookmarque: I only spotted the amethyst and green stone one. On my phone the blue didn't look like a pendant, but on my PC is see it clearly. Love the color!

>118 clamairy: yeah, that one is in a lot of baskets in the store - it's pink sapphire and grossular garnet.

>115 Bookmarque: These are beautiful! :)

>115 Bookmarque: Is that your work? They're really nice. And, of course, nice photography too.

>119 Bookmarque: Neither of which I've ever heard of before.

>115 Bookmarque: Oh, that blue one! Gorgeous!

Garnet is a lovely stone in either its red or green guises. The blue is Apatite and I’m making a ring with another piece. It’s one of my favorites.

>115 Bookmarque: Fantastic!

>103 Bookmarque: I just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in your thoughts on The Nine Tailors. At least for where I'm at so far, 34% in.

>115 Bookmarque: Oh - and I've spotted your marbles.

>126 Narilka: Well thanks for that. I largely stayed out of the thread because my experience wasn't great and why spoil it for those who enjoyed it.

>127 humouress: Ha! You have. I enjoy both being a Smith and being a smith.

It's been a bit busy for me with being at the bench and the weekend mushroom workshop. I see a new Agent Pendergast novel is due out early next year, but it is a prequel that deals with what they are calling the "origin story" of our hero. I'm hoping like crazy that Aunt Constance gets more screen time. Hell, I'd take a whole book about her. The authors have put together a special edition with a keepsake from Aunt Constance and I might just spring for it.



So when I catalog it I'll have to do some decision making on how the numbering should go. If they like this early years stuff, they could do more which will probably require more shuffling.

A while back I spotted this on the Audible Plus list -



So to refresh my memory, I've started Sense and Sensibility -



I've only read it once and am appreciating Austen's wit and insight as always. When I'm done I'll listen to the other one and see if it's fun. With Emma Thompson, it probably will be.

>131 Bookmarque: I listened to the Pike Sense and Sensibility a few months ago and thought it was perfectly done. I will add that other one to my library. Thank you for the heads up.

>131 Bookmarque: Sense and Sensibility is actually one of my favorite Austen novels. And listening to Emma Thompson do the audio will undoubtedly be wonderful!! (I really should try Audible one of these days...)

Emma does some of the narration in the Becoming Meg Dashwood audio, but Rosalind Pike does all of the reading in the version of S&S I recently listened to. Getting started in audio does take a little brain training, so maybe getting some from the library would be a good way to start. Just like anything else, it can take some practice to attune your brain to taking in details like this while you're doing something else. Maybe start with S&S since you know it so well and see how you go.

Even though I'm not part of the Science Fiction group, I decided to read Invasion of the Body Snatchers, well listen to it anyway. It's part of the Audible Plus catalog and so was included in my membership. Very cool. I had no idea who wrote it, but if I'd had to guess I'd have gone with Ira Levin or John Wyndham. Surprised that it was actually Jack Finney, who I haven't read in decades and I'm glad I tried this one. Excellent pacing and tension throughout. I'm impressed, although the space-locust theme is an ironic one. We hate and fear the alien life form that ravages every world, stripping all natural resources and then moving on, but damn if we aren't really good at it ourselves. We'll shit in our own house and then burn it down, but get all upset when aliens come to do it. Ah humans...so dumb.

Went down the rabbit hole with this one and watched the movie version with Donald Sutherland last night. It's been a while since I had seen it, and was surprised at how much the screenwriter changed the story. From doctor to restaurant health inspector. From a small town to a big city. From a band of intimates to separate agendas. It worked on the screen though I still have a big question that wasn't answered in either form - what happens to the original person once the pod person emerges? Maybe I missed something. I also don't quite understand the ruse with the blood and skeletons in the book.

While some of the beats were there in the film, like with the phone calls not going through and the role call of cities or towns herding people for conversion, the end was a real surprise and I liked the sound effect of the scream running from one scene to the other. Veronica Cartwright was so great in this. I wonder if she was cast in Alien based on this performance or cumulative work, either way I love her demeanor and felt her plight there at the end with that pointing finger.

>135 Bookmarque: Yes, I was reminded of John Wyndham as well. I really enjoyed this one, and completely ignored the "one chapter a day" rule for the group read because I had to know how it ended. I have the 1950s version on DVD waiting for me. I don't remember enjoying the Donald Sutherland one much.

>136 Bookmarque: So my take was that the human bodies disintegrated into dust, once they were copied. And the reason the skeletons worked was because the blood was fresh and the pods mistook the skeletons and fresh blood for living bodies that were sleeping and replicated them.

Hm...maybe that is what happens to them. Clearly something does or else the whole town would be populated with twins. I like the ending of the book as it just sort of peters out after the space spores depart en masse after Miles & Becky set a bunch of pods on fire. The remaining replicants just die off, sometimes early and without obvious cause. I assume the two are a couple after this, but there isn't anything explicit.

A hold came due from the library and I'm listening to The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, my first book of hers. I love a tale of dark family secrets and old money and so far I like the varying POV aspects of how the story is told.

There was a part in the book where they discussed the bodies turning to dust. Also the skeletons were described as disintegrating. Perhaps you had a different edition.

>140 pgmcc: I believe she listened to the same audio edition from Audible that I listened to. It would have been easy to miss, but I heard it.

>141 clamairy:
I can understand someone missing something when listening to a story. It can be so easy to be distracted.

>142 pgmcc: I hit the rewind button with some regularity.

>143 clamairy:
I hit the rewind button with some regularity.

I am sorry, but you made me think of Max Headroom.

>144 pgmcc: It's not quite that bad... yet

>145 clamairy:
What...What...What...Whatever you say, say, say, say, say...

I guess I didn't really buy that explanation and was waiting for something that seemed more appropriate, but there it is.

Every now and then I do a search for a particular actor or narrator, this time Celia Imrie, and I got Bill Nighy as a bonus!!



It's a funny adaptation of (believe it or not) a French comic book featuring 4 Sherlock Holmes's Baker Street Irregulars, one of which is a cat (cheekily named Watson, a fact they have to hide from the real Watson). The cat is basically the star and I bet Bill had a grand time with the part.

>148 Bookmarque:
Bill Nighy is excellent.

>149 pgmcc: He is excellent. I haven't watched many of his movies, but I will listen to just about anything he's in. I especially love him as Charles Paris.

Husband and I watched the Mr. Scorsese documentary on Apple TV and I learned he directed a film version of The Age of Innocence which I've never read. No Wharton at all, so I picked up an audio version as part of the Audible Plus catalog. So far it's got me reasonably interested although it is annoying to have an English narrator for a story set in New York City. WTF? Then he has to try to do an American accent for the dialog. Abysmal. But I will persist.

Oh and what a bunch of Judgy McJudges they all are with regard to a woman who (allegedly) just wants to live her life without being beaten or otherwise abused. The nerve of her!

Well I liked Age of Innocence quite a bit and will probably listen to some drama adaptations of it and other books of hers, but right now I've moved onto this -



I think I've read a bit of Forster before, but can't recall much so I thought this would be a good way to get to know the stories. Oh how I love radio drama. Positively addicted. A Passage to India just finished and it was gut-wrenching on so many levels. Really affecting.

>152 Bookmarque: Oh I loved this book. I saw the film before I read it. After that I read A Room with View which is NOTHING like A Passage to India at all. It's a comedy of manors. Both quite good in their own way.

I've never seen any film adaptations of his work, so these are first experiences for me. Apart from A Room with a View which I read a long time ago. Right now I'm into Howard's End and it seems it's another critical analysis of English society. He's pretty good at depicting and subtly condemning a lot of it. While listening to Where Angels Fear to Tread, I got truly exasperated with so many of the petty and unfair actions and attitudes. Maddening in their narrowness and how they hate anyone who dares to be happy or unbound by their ridiculous convention. I am pushing on though. John Hurt plays Forster in this one and it's really nice to hear that voice doing the narration to set up various scenes.

>152 Bookmarque: I remember giving up on A Passage to India when I tried it, but I was probably in the wrong mood for it at that time. I have liked several of his other works, with A Room with a View being a favorite. I did like Where Angels Fear to Tread (though tragic). I read it shortly after seeing the movie, which had a great cast that included Helena Bonham Carter, Helen Mirren, Judy Davis and Rupert Graves.

One of my favorite technological dystopian tales is Forster’s The Machine Stops. It’s quite prescient in predicting where we’re headed. I think there’s an audio version for it narrated by BJ Harrison, which is another name used by Simon Vance.

APtoI was a difficult experience given all the lies, bigotry and entitlement, but the others weren't quite so bad. Howard's End felt like it was going to go somewhere big, but it sort of fizzled into a semi-happy ending.

I wasn't aware of the WAFtoT adaptation, but I might take a look at it. That story just went on and on in directions I didn't anticipate, so I think it's my favorite.

The Machine Stops is fantastic isn't it? I first ran across it in the early 90s and it's been a favorite ever since. I wonder it hasn't been adapted into a film already. It would be pretty great, but so like our own daily lives that it might hit a little too close to the bone.

In the Forster collection I'm almost through with the drama adaptations. All while listening, I've picked up on the suppressed homosexual longings and crushes as in Aziz's relationship to Fielding and now much more openly in Maurice. It's a pretty common theme in early 20th century lit from England, especially involving boarding schools etc. As Forster wasn't out (and really couldn't be) at the time, I really get a sense of his frustration through the stories. Coming in cold and knowing nothing about Forster's life, it feels all the more sad now that I do know. To live without a true partner and love life is so unimaginable to me - that level of pain and emptiness is horrible and I'm glad that for many people, they don't have to life like that anymore.

>153 clamairy: >154 Bookmarque: >155 ludmillalotaria: I've been wondering about Forster, I'll put one of these on the almost TBR list. My TBR list is a bit too long at the moment.

>158 Karlstar: I've never heard of an "almost TBR list"... I am curious as to how that works.

Well that was October. Again, pretty much all audio and a mix of things free from either the library or as part of the Audible subscription. Nothing stellar and nothing dreadful, but mostly entertaining and enjoyable. I'll add that Forster's storytelling surprised me as he seemed to really push the boundaries of each story. He should definitely go on your almost TBR list, Jim.

>159 jillmwo: I'll keep reminding myself to get something from that author as soon as my TBR pile gets down to a reasonable height.

So many writers slip through the cracks with me. And since I listen to so many series, I often lose track of what's going on with the larger cast and story arc. In advance of the new DI Barton novel I'm listening to the previous one just to catch up. Even though it's only been a year since the first time I listened to it, I can't remember who did it so it's like a new one in that sense.

>162 Bookmarque: Is your reading experience better when you listen, or is it just more convenient? Do you retain books differently depending on which way you process them? Considering your artist's eye, I'd have taken you for a predominantly visual reader.

>163 Meredy: It's a time thing mostly. I'm working at the bench a lot lately and when I'm done there is catching up on a few YouTube channels (a lot of jewelry making), dinner and then relaxing with my husband. Also chores and workouts, photographing pieces, posting listings and shipping orders. I do like it though and the work is fun.

Insofar as retention goes, I do better with visual reading a physical book, and that's mostly because I take notes, as I'm doing now with The Darkling Bride. The audio books stick a bit less, but they are purely entertainment and many of them are audio dramas rather than straight up reading of a book.

>160 Bookmarque: What did you think of Stephen Fry's version of The Odyssey?

I liked it a lot, as I have the other two in the series I have as audios. His narration and way of retelling the stories in ways that update the language a bit, but not the themes. Highly recommended.

Ugh. Three audio DNFs in a row yesterday. I ended up working at the bench listening to ELO instead. What a perfect way to flush all that crap out of my head. All of them were Audible Plus titles, so no major harm done. I still have work to do on the 5 pendants for my friends, so the ELO will probably continue. Jeff Lynne is the man. Not only do I love ELO and Wilburys, but I like him as a producer - George Harrison, Joe Walsh, Tom Petty and Dave Edmunds to name a few.

>167 Bookmarque: Names and music dear to my heart. :)

Good luck getting all your pendants finished.

Pendants are done!! One of them gave me fits and I thought I'd have to scrap it and start over, but in the end I saved it.



They are Rhodolite garnet, Ametrine, Grossular garnet, Amethyst & Topaz. The first garnet has a hidden bail and the others either have different styles. I think they will be pleased with them.

>169 Bookmarque: These are lovely!

>169 Bookmarque: Very pretty. I think they'll like them, too.

>169 Bookmarque: Gorgeous!
Sorry about the DNF jag.

Thanks peeps. Although those aren't in the shop, other good stuff awaits should you have a mind and like a sale -



And on the DNF streak, oh that was lousy, but ELO and an audio adaptation of Anne of Green Gables did the trick. Catherine O'Hara played Marilla! Alas, there is no continuation to Anne of Avonlea.

>169 Bookmarque: Beautiful!

Your work is amazing! I wish you lived closer, I have a ring I need fixed. And a bracelet. :/

Thanks much. You can probably find someone local who does repairs. I don't really do them as I'm not a proper bench jeweler. Some stuff I can manage, but I'm no way an expert.

---

---

So this came today!!!



It's the first installment of a serialized novel by Ben Percy & Stephen King. It's being printed as a tabloid sized newspaper and sent out once a month. I heard about it a few months ago on the KingCast podcast, but could only snag a digital subscription because the physical run of 500 was already sold out. Then they found a bigger press to use in Minnesota and opened it up again. Not sure if you can still get it, but if you look up Bad Hand Books you can find it.

Basically it's set in the post The Stand world and Molly Poole has found an old newspaper press and is printing for her local community. This opening issue just sets the stage, but there is the hook of a lost dog. There are key individuals that know about hunting, medicine, canning etc. and a person attempting to keep a clock and a calendar. It's fun and Bad Hand says they'll do an omnibus edition when it's all finished. Not sure how much King writes for it, but he has revived Widow Bachman as a contributor. Ha!

>167 Bookmarque: ELO (and Jeff Lynne) are awesome, always been a big fan. I regret not seeing them live.

The jewelry looks great, as always!

>176 Bookmarque: That's a cool concept.

>176 Bookmarque: Oh my goodness, that sounds like what they used to do! How fun!

Thanks peeps. I'm anxious to see where it will go - I'm sure in unexpected directions. I have to figure out a way to keep them eventually. Maybe just a folder will do. When I printed out the digital only book The Plant I put it into a disc-bound form using really big discs and a couple of plain plastic covers. Works well for reading it physically.

Anyway...November is already a memory and here's what my listening looked like -



17 items, again mostly audio and a lot from the Audible Plus catalog, which meant a lot of mediocrity and quite a few DNFs (not included). But also some gems like the Anne of Green Gables adaptation with the always delightful Catherine O'Hara as Marilla.

Even though I know the story well through the book itself and other adaptations, the one here with Peter Dinklage as Poirot (The ABC Murders) was fun and faithful to the material. It is harder to convey the weirdness of the primary suspect without visuals, but you could get it even if this is your first experience of the story. This is the 2nd one he's done so maybe there will be more, especially as they come into the public domain.

Oh and one more novel adaptation this time in a collection from E.M. Forster's work. It was good and moving, especially A Passage to India which really was a gut punch on so many levels. There was also a lot of biographical information included at the end which helped round out and fill in a lot of his choices in his stories. Really a fabulous listen for me.

The Darkling Bride was a BB from Claimary I'm pretty sure and boy did she spray far and wide with that one. On the whole I liked it although it does fall victim to trope-ism.

Another physical book for me was Up at the Villa which I seem to recall reading in the early 1990s, but maybe it was something else since so much of the story surprised me. It reminded me greatly of James M. Cain in the effective brevity, the shady characters and the surprising conclusion. It's a real gem and I'm happy I have a copy even if it is a movie tie-in version. Had no idea it was filmed, but I can see how good it would be on screen.

The Leech was an ebook and so bizarre that I can't even describe it. Part steampunk, body horror, gothic and dystopian, it features entities that basically take over the bodies of humans and have a hive or collective mind. Unfortunately it ran rather long, was full of abstruse terms and social mores that were almost impenetrable since the writer doesn't really bother to explain a lot. The ending is a damp squib, too.

Life Moves Pretty Fast is, as you might judge by the title, a book about 80s movies and why they were great. Not all of them mind you, just the ones the author really likes. Most of them cross over to my list (alas she leaves out the brilliant, and brilliantly quotable, Better off Dead), but as I'm 10 years younger than her, I found her assessments a bit off. As a teenager, I saw almost all of the ones she talks about in the theater and some more than once. She saw them at home as a child and it is funny at times. For example she points out that the grandfather in The Princess Bride is Columbo. Well, duh, I watched that on tv every week and not in syndication. I guess I'm not her audience.

Anyway, the rest are a mix of drama and narrative readings from Audible and the Plus catalog, most were decent but some got 1 star ratings from me and basically bad reviews. Not DNFs though so I guess that's something.

So I took advantage of the site-wide sale at Audible to add some bargains to my library and I was excited to see a new one in the Ffion Morgan series because the mysteries were good, but more importantly, the lead character had complexity not often found in fictional cops, especially women. But alas it was too much to sustain and the writer decided to go the ultra traditional route and get her knocked up. Sigh. No more for me. I have zero interest in watching her gurgle, coo and lactate. Bummer.

I do have some others though that will do the trick and at least one female character who didn't become a breeder - Carlotta Carlyle, although the other, an older Tess Monaghan, who eventually did and I've ditched that series, too. Plus I can't really take much of Crow so there's that, too. Oh well.

I know and love The Thin Man movie(s) and even though they were made in the 1930s, they still make me laugh a lot. Such great chemistry between Loy and Powell. But I've never read any of them until now -



Now, coming from the movies only it was hard for me to believe that Nick & company drink EVEN MORE. OMG. It's hilarious.

Nora - "How do you feel?"
Nick - "Terrible, I went to bed sober."

Nick -"It's too early for breakfast, gimme a scotch & soda."

And on and on like that. It's so hilarious. And makes my liver hurt just hearing them. I don't know if Hammett was doing a deliberate send up of this kind of lifestyle or if it was just normal. Like when you watch a movie from the 40s or 50s and absolutely everyone is smoking all the time. Back when it was good for you.

>176 Bookmarque: Oh, I love this concept! I'll have to wait for the omnibus or other version to get a chance to read it, apparently. I hope King is writing a good chunk of it, but it all sounds interesting. I've always loved The Stand.

It is kind of neat and I hope that he does contribute more than just his name. From what I've heard, he will. Should get the next installment next week.

Got a head start on this year's new thread graphics. Here's a teaser -



I'll have to work on my Piffle Party bits, too, if anyone needs to host one.

>184 Bookmarque: Looks good so far!

>184 Bookmarque: Very nice! Thank you for doing this.

>184 Bookmarque: Cool! :)

Thanks guys - they are coming along nicely.

And for those of you who are Peter Clines fans, look what's coming in January - God's Junk Drawer



And as you'd expect, it has a crazy premise a la Land of the Lost (the 1970s TV show specifically) except with the addition of aliens. It doesn't connect to the Threshold series, but I don't think it will matter as it looks really fun.

>188 Bookmarque: I have it pre ordered :D

>184 Bookmarque: I do look forward to your various graphics at this time of year. Thank you so much for taking the time to come up with them!

>184 Bookmarque: Agreed! They look like they take quite a while.

I'll keep chipping away at them, they are pretty fun for me to do otherwise I wouldn't, but yeah, they do take time.

And appropos of nothing, look what came today word nerds -



The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

It apparently started off as a blog, cataloging words that should exist, but don't. People criticize it for having made up words, but they all are so why not?

Like this one -

Los vidados - n. the half-remembered acquaintances you knew years ago, who you might have forgotten completely if someone hadn't happened to mention them again - friends of friends, people you once shared classes with, people you heard stories about, who you didn't know well but who still made up the fabric of your intense little community - making you wonder who else might be out there somewhere, only just remembering that you exist.

Spanish los olvidados, "the forgotten" - but not completely. Pronounced "los vee-dah-dohs"

It's so fabulous and I've only skimmed a few bits.

>192 Bookmarque: I praised this highly a few months ago. I emailed Mr Koenig and suggested that there should be a Dictionary of Obscure Joys too, but didn't get an answer.

Did you? I've been preoccupied so must have missed it. I think that would be a terrific sequel.

>192 Bookmarque: Adding this to my Wishlist! Carve another notch in the BB launcher!

>193 haydninvienna: I think that sounds like a great sequel.

>192 Bookmarque: Oh my, this sounds really fascinating! I'll have to put it on my listen to TBR.

I have yet to sit with it for long, but will get to it over the weekend I hope. Did chores and jewelry business stuff today which included getting a custom ring to the mailbox. A nice mile plus walk in the misty rain while listening to -



With the utter deluge of twee and saccharine holiday titles in the Audible Plus catalog, I was happy that this retains some of the bite Jane put into the original story. It has foibles and misunderstandings as well as a happy ending. Just the right tone. Phew. Glad Mary got a bit of her own back.

Oh jeez, what a terrible adaptation of Death on the Nile from Kenneth Branagh - so far off the mark from start to finish. Ugh. Did anyone actually read the book???!!!

>198 Bookmarque: It was not helped by that wooden performance from Gal Gadot, either. Awful stuff.

>197 Bookmarque: I'm slightly tempted...

>198 Bookmarque: I don't think Branagh actually likes the Christie material. I think he makes them solely on the grounds of revenue. I didn't love his version of Death on the Nile because. as a director, he completely misread the author's intent. He was selling the movie by emphasizing that the motive was all about sex and obsession. And of course, that wasn't what Christie was concerned with in the book.

I have watched Branagh’s first two Christies and have not been bowled over by them. I think >200 jillmwo: is correct when she says he is focused on the revenue rather than telling the story.

Phew! Glad I'm not alone. It was on Prime Video so I gave it a chance and totally checked out before the 1/2 way mark. The inclusion of Poirot's wartime experience was not necessary, but might have set up his gun wielding at the end. I've never read or seen Hercule with a gun, he leaves that to Hastings if required, similarly the way Holmes left it to Watson. So out of character. Poirot is not Dirty Harry and doesn't need to be. And agreed, way too much emphasis on sex, something Christie never did although we could read between the lines and that was enough. Ugh what a waste of my time. But what the heck, at least it warns me off any other of the money-grab productions.

Ok and also, I understand the need to have a full color cast, but it was too overstated in this. Times were different then and I'm not sure even a singer would be allowed to hob nob on that snooty boat.

>198 Bookmarque: The movie was average and a disappointment since I enjoyed his version of Murder on the Orient Express. I listened to his audio book narration of Death on the Nile and the original story was great. The weird changes for "modern sensibilities" were unnecessary.

>198 Bookmarque: Back when we saw it in the theater, we enjoyed it for the visuals. I re-read the book after the movie, so I was spared the comparisons to the book.

>204 Karlstar: That was probably for the best. I find that the BBC TV series with David Suchet are the most faithful to the stories, vibe and character of Poirot. Not to mention all the glorious cars, clothes and architecture. Hastings, though, is quite changed in the series, but I can let that go.

I've not been behind the camera much this year for lack of enthusiasm, but I am trying to come up with my favorites and this one escaped processing until now. Damselflies are all over the place up this way and many flit around the dock, landing when they feel brave. These two fulfilled their destiny -

And another that was just sitting on my hard drive since July. It's my one and only decent Puffin photo from my trip to Maine. With the fact that they are tiny (like maybe the size of a grouse), wicked quick and wary, plus that the boat wasn't exactly still, it's a wonder I got any. As it was it was spray and pray. Not much skill or deliberation to be had. They are cute though. Birds designed by a committee of pre-schoolers.

>206 Bookmarque: >207 Bookmarque: Amazing shots!

I love puffins!

>207 Bookmarque: I love this one! Puffins 💖

>207 Bookmarque: Fun shots! Who doesn't love a Puffin?

>207 Bookmarque: Birds designed by a committee of pre-schoolers.: I am so stealing that. Lovely shot too.

>207 Bookmarque: What a beauty!

Thanks everyone. I hope a little of my photography mojo comes back next year. Possibly I just needed a little break. Here's my latest audiobook (narrated by Wil Wheaton, who must have laughed his butt off doing it for obvious reasons) -

>214 Bookmarque: I hope you are loving this. 🖖

>214 Bookmarque: Ha! I'm also hoping you're having fun with this one.

>215 clamairy: Love the emoji! 😂

>214 Bookmarque: Ha, good point on the narrator, that's quite ironic.

>214 Bookmarque: One of the few titles that I've ever bought as a Christmas gift for the three Star Trek fans in my immediate family. Very humorous and my sons happily cackled their way through it.

Done with that one and it was mostly a success, although I felt the characters were a bit too indistinguishable, but as the body count escalated, it became easier. It was annoying to have Dahl and Duvall mentioned all the time as they sound so similar. I quite liked the various ways characters in both universes tied together and it wasn't as annoying for something this meta. As a longtime fan of Star Trek TNG, I could relate to the tropes and typical story beats of an episode. Having read more of Skalzi's later work, I think he would have tightened up this book quite a bit if he'd written it 10 years into his career.

As palate cleansers, so to speak, between longer works, I often listen to shorter ones or podcasts. Lately I ran into a string of duds in the Audible Plus catalog, but this wasn't one of them -



It's nicely acted and the plot is interesting (if a tad predictable at the end). I like convoluted stories with plausible reveals. So if you have an Audible subscription that includes Plus, check out Q&A.

>220 Bookmarque: Thank you for this. Audible freebies are usually better than the Amazon Kindle freebies, but not always.

Hey no problem, someone has to take one for the team now and then.

I also listened to this modern version of Strindberg's play Creditors -



With zero knowledge of it, I found it intriguing and a little strange in the way that many plays can be - kind of forced. People probably don't have conversations like the ones in it and it is drama for the sake of it, which I suppose is what a play is for.

Just a little piffling quote on New Year's Eve:

Every day I read and devoured and digested and thought about all the books, their authors, their characters, and their conclusions. I immersed myself in the world the authors had created, and I witnessed new ways of handling the twists and turns of life, discovering tools of humor and empathy and connection. Through my reading, I reached the point of understanding so much.

Happy New Year! The quote is from the memoir, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair.

Happy new year!

Awww, thanks so much. You went above and beyond to make it special. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! :)

Happy new year!

Thanks peeps. It's a chilly, snowy start to the year, just as it should be. One cat roasting by the fire and one cup of coffee down. I'll be spreading new thread graphics and maybe continuing this one before our friends arrive for a NYD get together.

And just one more month summary, I won't go into it much, but here is what I got through -



A pretty good month with some nice bargains from the big Audible sale and some catch up podcasts.