Thursday This n That

I'm going in late today, but I'm running late anyway. And I forgot it was Thursday.  Derp.

Well, the moms both got and opened their Christmas gifts.  They're both happy with them.  Yay.  I found these neat mugs on Etsy with states on them. Each mug has two states - the one we're in and the one they're in - connected with flowers and filigree stuff.  Very pretty.  So they're there and we're here, but we're still connected.  :sniffle: 

And the cards I sent out should be arriving at their locations.  I know one of my nephews in Michigan got his.  Yay.

Yesterday, on my way home, I saw one of my neighbor's dogs running down the road.  I stopped and yelled her name and told her to get home.  She turned and headed right for their front porch.  Good girl!

I was out smoking the other day and heard eagles.  When I looked up, there were three of them circling.  Awesome.

And that's all I've got for today.  Mostly because I need to get ready for work, but partly because I don't lead that interesting of a life anymore. LOL

What's on your list today?

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/10/22

I got a little distracted this morning.  On FB, I saw one of those List Challenge thingies that was called Confessions of a Book Hoarder and it asked which books you'd read of the lister's 735 books.  I was all like 'those are rookie numbers'.  But since we moved, I don't really know how many books I actually have.  And I thought 'what a fun rainy day activity!'and I am in luck because it is raining!'.  Being the totally book nerd I am, I grabbed a notepad and a pen and got to work.  I finished the west wall shelves - 385 books.  With the 5 shelf case sitting at about 150 books, I can guesstimate that the north wall (two 5 shelfers) has another 300 books.  There's probably like 200 in the living room and another 100 in the spare room.  So, I'm guessing around 850.  (I'll let ya know if my guess is right once I finish counting.)

GRAND TOTAL = 952 (not counting my 'stock' or books set aside to donate, which would probably be another 80-100)  Hubs says if I can keep it under a thousands, it's good.  ROFL.

Anyway, here's my week in reading...

No new books.

Books Read:

69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. Picked up for 25c at the thrift store.
No Review.

68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal* - 5 stars. Not new to me because I read Book #1, but definitely underappreciated.  After the author contacted me to let me know this book existed, I scooped it up at full price: $1.99.  If you're reading this, Andy, I would've paid more.  Raise your prices. Do at least $2.99 and get the higher % royalty at Amazon.
Review: "This book is AWESOME. Another genre-bending romp with all the gang. Twists and turns abound. Loads of fun for everyone. Is it weird? Yup. But the writing is sound and the plot flows, and that makes it easier to wrap your brain around the weirdness. Too cool.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven.  

What's on your reading list this week?  

2022 - Books Read

Hello!  Welcome to the list of all the books I've read so far this year.  It's in order so the most recent one is at the top.  * means ebook and # means it's both new to me and underappreciated (as in it has less than 50 Goodreads reviews).  Feel free to follow along.

New for this year: When I know it's in audio format, I'll add an exclamation point (!).  Oh, and I never mentioned this before, but if the book is in a series, I don't usually put the series title.  This post would take on behemoth proportions if I did that, too.  Sometimes, I'll put a number indicating where the book is in the series, if it's not the first.  

Oh, and my goal for 2022 is 75 books, same as last year.  Here's hoping I make it this year.

72) Irish Red by Jim Kjelgaard (12/24/22) - Kids' Literature
71) The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells (12/17/22) - Literature
70) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven (12/13/22) - SF
69) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (12/4/22) - Legal Thriller
68) Sea of Untold Stories (Ghost of Pinkerton #2) by Andy DeJong (12/4/22) - Paranormal*
67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery
66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy
65) Enter the Witch by Andris Bear (11/20/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
64) Under the Assassin's Moon by Silver James (11/20/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
63) The Time of the Hunter's Moon by Victoria Holt (11/19/22) - Romantic Suspense
62) Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy (11/4/22) - Cozy Mystery
61) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (10/30/22) - YA Historical Romance
60) Cop Out by Ellery Queen (10/29/22) - Mystery
59) Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (10/28/22) - SF
58) Murder, She Knit by Peggy Erhart (10/23/22) - Cozy Mystery
57) Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christe (10/21/22) - Mystery

56) For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster (10/16/22) - SF
55) Assassin's Moon by Silver James (10/9/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
54) Grumbles from the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein / Virginia Heinlein (10/9/22) - NF
53) Seal Moon by Silver James (9/30/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
52) No One's Safe by CJ Grayson (9/28/22) - Suspense*3
51) Rescue Moon by Silver James (9/24/22) - Paranormal Romantic Suspense*
50) The Miser's Dream by John Gaspard (9/18/22) - Mystery*3
49) Faytown Calling by E. Nathan Sisk (9/15/22) - UF Noir*3#
48) Shadow Stitcher by Misha Handman (9/5/22) - UF Noir*#
47) Order Bound by E. Nathan Sisk (9/4/22) - UF Noir*2# 
46) Seashells, Spells, and Caramels by Erin Johnson (8/28/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
45) Sorcerer Rising by E. Nathan Sisk (8/26/22) - UF Noir*#
44) Last Train to Nowhere by KC Sivils (8/14/22) - SF Noir*2#
43) Sins of the Fathers by SW Frontz (7/31/22) - Suspense*#
42) Fastening the Grave by LA McBride (7/29/22) - UF*#
41) Tapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse by Charlotte Denver (7/24/22) - Cozy Mystery*
40) Crossed by Death by ACF Bookens (7/22/22) - Cozy Mystery*
39) The Daemoniac by Kat Ross (7/17/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*1
38) Death Warmed Over by Kevin J. Anderson (7/10/22) - Paranormal Noir*
37) Blood Water Falls by TG Reid (7/9/22) - Suspense*2
36) Dead Ringer by Kat Ross (7/3/22) - Paranormal Historical Mystery*5#
35) Murder on a Silver Sea by LouLou Harrington (6/26/22) - Cozy Mystery*3!
34) Murder of Angels by Jack Gatland (6/17/22) - Suspense*2
33) Dead & Buried by TK Eldridge (6/12/22) - Paranormal Suspense*#
32) The Hash Knife Outfit by Zane Grey (6/9/22) - Western#
31) Web of Lies by Sally Rigby (6/3/22) - Suspense*
30) Unlucky Charm by Kimberly Gordon (5/29/22) - UF*
29) Feels Like Home by Evelyn Adams (5/27/22) - Romance*
28) Murder by the Cup by Abigail Lynn Thornton (5/26/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
27) Cry From the Grave by Carolyn Mahoney (4/30/22) - Suspense*
26) Grimstone by Brad Magnarella (4/27/22) - UF*#
25) Letter from the Dead by Jack Gatland (4/24/22) - Suspense*
24) Witchy Reservations by Stephanie Damore (4/22/21) - Paranormal Mystery*
23) Space Murder by NL Haverstock (4/20/22) - SF Mystery*
22) The Golden Gate by Alistair MacLean (4/19/22) - Thriller
21) The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (4/14/22) - Literature*
20) A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina (4/10/22) - Historical Mystery*
19) Magical, Murderous Cupcakes by Skylar Starx (4/6/22) - Paranormal Mystery*#
18) Murder in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth (4/5/22) - Cozy Mystery*
17) Rebel Tribe by Ramy Vance / Michael Anderle (3/27/22) - SF*#
16) The Redemption Man by James Carver (3/25/22) - Suspense*#
15) The Breaking Point by Daphne du Maurier (3/21/22) - Suspense/Short stories
14) Song of Shroud and Storm by B.E. Sanderson (3/20/22) - Epic Fantasy*#
13) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (3/12/22) - Literature
12) Dark is the Grave by T.G. Reid (3/7/22) - Suspense*
11) A Spell in the Country by Heide Goody, Iain Grant (3/4/22) - Paranormal Mystery*
10) True Blue Murder by Elise M. Stone (3/2/22) - Cozy Mystery*#
9) Once Upon a Crime by Mona Marple (1/23/22) - Cozy Mystery*
8) Faking It with the Demon by Rhiannon Hartley (1/22/22) - Paranormal Romance*#
7) The Side Hustle by Colin Conway (1/20/22) - Suspense*
6) The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss (1/18/22) - Cozy Mystery*
5) The Preacher's First Murder by KP Gresham (1/12/22) - Mystery*#
4) Murder in White Lace by Karen Sue Walker (1/11/22) - Mystery*
3) The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey (1/9/22) - Western!
2) Never Say Duke by Erica Ridley (1/4/22) - Regency Romance*
1) Black's Beach Shuffle by Corey Lynn Fayman (1/2/22) - Noir Crime*#

Thursday This n That

 I woke up this morning with a swoop in my hair.  I could do something about it, but it's raining today and my hair is going to freak out anyway.  :shrug:

Let's talk for a second about the extreme myopia of some people. You say there were no female action leads before your pampered self wandered onto the screen.?  Sigourney Weaver was kicking ass when your parents were still playing with dolls.   And by the way, sweetie, it wasn't you.  It was the story.  You're no action hero.  Sigourney kicks ass is whatever movie she's in, even if she's not actually kicking ass. 

Ooo, that reminds me.  Have y'all ever seen the movie Copycat?  Just watch it.  I caught it on TV the other day and it's still as good as the first time I watched it.  Sigourney kicks ass.  And Harry Connick, Jr. is a delightfully creepy villain.  Yep, that's right, I said villain.  Watch it.

Apropos of nothing, it's a tight spot when your sense of self-preservation comes up against your sense of justice.

I have this weird quirk where I'll say something and then repeat myself. 

... and then repeat myself.

Since 2020, I've been making myself orange juice with tonic water. I'm not sure if the quinine is actually doing anything, but I haven't been sick, so I'll keep at it.  Two bouts of the crud and one pass of the 'rona have swept through my office and I haven't gotten anything.  :knocks on simulated woodgrain:  So, I started jokingly saying 'shut up and drink your tonic' around the house.  And now that's what I call the beverage. I kill me.

When I was in college, I had a friend who would, instead of saying 'knock on wood', say 'knock on simulated woodgrain'.  (Because his car has a simulated wood insert on the dashboard.)  Thirty years later, I'm still saying it that way.

I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that dude.  Unfortunately, he has such a typical name, ton of hits come up and none of them are him.

I've found others of my old gang.  One of them owns a bar in the city where we went to school.  The heavy metal thrasher who introduced me to bands like Jane's Addiction is a teacher now.  I wonder if that last guy still wears two different colored contacts and earrings in all the holes in his ears.  ;o)

Ah, the old days.  Some of them were good.

Got anything on your this n that today?

Sunday Update - Week 48

We're on the homestretch of 2022.  Not that I'm anxious for 2023.  I'm just stating the obvious.  I have a flair for the obvious.

Nothing much new going on here.  I didn't write, I didn't bake, I didn't do anything active.  I did read some, but I talked about that yesterday.  Basically, I worked a lot.  I worked the day-job and when I got home, I worked the pay-job. (End of the month, lots of spreadsheets.)  

Yesterday was Wallyworld.  When I arrived, the parking lot had an inordinate number of police vehicles.  For a split second, I wondered if there was something awful going on inside, but then my brain went 'Shop with a Cop'.  Sure enough, the second thought was correct.  And it gave me a happy to see all those police officers shopping with all those kids.  My favorite part was seeing an officer with a boy of about 9-10, strolling in the camping/hunting/fishing gear.  The burly officer with the little girl in the clothing section looked awkward.  For the most part, though, it was all happy and joy.  I smiled through most of my shopping experience, despite the store being packed.  

I did not smile at the end of the checkout.  $239.  And some kid behind me touching all my stuff on the conveyor belt while his parents did nothing.  Dude, not cool.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the decorations we put up at the office last Friday.

Oops... I started this like 3 hours ago and then I got distracted.  Oh, well.  Not really much else to talk about.  Have a great day and an awesome week, everyone!

Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 12/3/22

 Four weeks left in 2022... 28 days... And I still have 8 books to read to hit my goal.  Looking at it another way, I only have 8 books left, which isn't too bad considering when I made the goal I hadn't dreamed I'd be back to work full time.  Go, me.

I picked up a new ebook this week.  A few days ago, I woke to find a strange email in my inbox.  Turns out it was from an author I'd read in 2018 and he'd seen my gushing review. He wanted to gift me the sequel.  Well, I hadn't even known the sequel existed, so I rushed right over to Amazon and bought me a copy.  (Then I went back and thanked him for his offer and for letting me know the sequel was there. He seems like a cool guy.)  Anyway, I'm all kinds of excited to read this. 

Books Read: 

67) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (11/29/22) - Mystery - 4 stars.  I've read Charlaine before, but not any in this series, and it's not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for 25c.
Review: "Fun story and thoroughly enthralling until like the last page when it felt sort of flat. All in all a good read, though."

66) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (11/26/22) - Fantasy - 5 stars.  I read quite a bit of Pratchett when I was younger, but I never read this or any of the other 'Death' books.  Not underappreciated.  Picked up from a thrift store for $1.
No Review.

No DNFs.

Currently reading... The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.  But I'm going to set it aside today so I can read that ebook I snagged.  

What was on your reading wrap-up for the week?

Thursday This n That

It's amazing how the absence of one toxic person can lighten the tension for so many other people.  Don't be the toxic person.

I still have turkey leftovers. We've eaten turkey for lunch and dinner every day since Thursday.  Hubs wants to freeze the rest.  Sounds like a plan.  I am about turkey'd out here.

Okay, so today's the first of December.  Where'd the year go?  Now I have to start thinking about Christmas and year-end.  Blerg.

I did already find a couple of neat things to order, but they don't have delayed shipping, so I need to order them so they arrive at just the right time.  I am not good with planning this kind of stuff.  I may just order the stuff this weekend and the moms will get early present delivery.  

The young gal at the office is getting married this month.  She invited me to the wedding.  I passed the invite along to Hubs, already knowing the answer because his answer would be the same as mine - nope.  I thanked her yesterday for the invitation and let her know we wouldn't be coming.  And explained why - we are hermits.  She's cool with it.  I mean, it was super nice of her to invite us.  I'll get her something nice as a present.

Which reminds me that I need to pick up assorted cards when I hit Wallyworld on Saturday.  I need a card for the wedding and one for a birthday, and probably more xmas cards. (I need to do xmas cards this weekend.  Blerg.)

Okay, is it just me or does it seem like it was just June???  How did we get to December here?  

I heard geese yesterday.  They sounded like they were pretty far up, but I couldn't see them.  And the sky was exceptionally blue yesterday, too, so I probably could've spotted them.  :shrug:  Head along south goosey-bros.  See ya in the spring.

And on that note, I'm gonna let ya'll go.  Have a great day!