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Posts Tagged ‘books’

Random Acts of Gnomeness

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Need a quick pick-me-up? Here you go:

Mystery Group Prowls Town Conducting Mischievous Kindness- Stealing, Restoring & Returning Garden Gnomes

Mischief reigns in a small Canada community after a kidnapping left a man’s garden vacant of the ten ceramic garden gnomes that resided there.

(Don’t worry, there’s a happy ending.)

I’ve had a soft spot for gnomes ever since my parents gave me a copy of this classic: Gnomes by Wil Huygenn (Rien Poortvliet, ill.)

Most of my childhood books went by the wayside over the years, but I’ve slowly built my library back up with replicas of my favorites. I’m looking at a new copy of Gnomes on my bookshelf right now.

“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.”

― Tom Robbins

May you never lose your childhood delights.

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Photo by Sarah Mae on Unsplash

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Relative Distance

Posted in Writing, tagged , , on July 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“The shortest distance between two people is a story.”

— Patti Digh

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Photo by Ashley Byrd on Unsplash

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The Nebula Award Finalists

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2024| 1 Comment »

Fun, new reading recommendations! SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards – SFWA

Here are links to the short story and novelette finalists. Most are free to read. For the full list with info links (including those below), see Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards | MetaFilter.

Nebula Award for Novelette

Nebula Award for Short Story

I read this delightful short by R.S.A. Garcia with lunch: Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200 – Uncanny Magazine

You could meet him if you want but take off the recorder first. I tell you my story, but you have to ask him if you want to hear his.

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Photo by Nataliya Melnychuk on Unsplash

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Lost Sols

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on February 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

In a recent chat with my mother, I mentioned that I thought she would enjoy the movie version of The Martian. I don’t know if she was convinced by my sales pitch: “An astronaut is stranded alone on Mars and has to find a way home before he dies a horrible death. It’s hilarious!” but I hope she’ll watch it.

Andy Weir’s book is also a lot of fun. It was published ten years ago this month, and to celebrate he wrote a new chapter and shared it with us all.

Enjoy!

The Martian: Lost Sols

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Photo by Ali Bakgor on Unsplash

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Don’t Be Afraid

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book…”

― Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

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Book Women

Posted in Likes, tagged , , , , , , , on July 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I love a lot of things, including the Works Progress Administration, kick-ass ladies, secret histories, and libraries. This story combines all of the above and more. How cool is it that?

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Kentucky’s Horse-Riding Librarians | The Kid Should See This

Between 1935 and 1943, the initiative employed around 1,000 book women as mobile librarians. Paid less than a dollar a day, they traveled up to 120 miles a week on mule or horseback over rugged mountains and through fast-flowing creeks in all types of weather… In just one year they reached 50,000 families and 155 rural schools. But book women did more than just leave books on people’s porches…

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Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

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Treasure, Lost & Found

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , on May 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »

It can be fun when your own life becomes something of a treasure hunt. There I was, looking for Thing A when I stumbled across Thing 2. I went through a book binding phase and one of my experiments was with leather and copper. It’s been buried in my book collection ever since.

I’d be more precise now, but I still like the little leather map on the fastener.

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made with glove leather, copper sheeting, and cotton paper

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Book Magic

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on April 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Does this happen to you? Sometimes I read a book and it’s bad. Maybe I learn a few things about what not to do, but the characters are too stupid to live or the author wants me to root for an ass, the story ends too early or too late, or some essential plot point is broken. This drives me a little bit nuts.

I finish the book and am left not with the happy satisfying end of story feeling, but with bad book juju. Is that a thing? It should be.

I’m left a little cranky, and nothing is as it should be.

My drink is too hot or too cold. Lunch tastes weird. My clothes fit funny. Even cookies don’t have their usual delicious snap.

Until I find a new book, a good book, and all is right again:)

Just me?*

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Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash

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* Of course it’s not just me:) This is why authors work so hard to provide a satisfying reader experience. This is also why I reread books I know I love.

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Precious Things

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on April 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Books are precious things, but more than that, they are the strong backbone of civilization. They are the thread upon which it all hangs, and they can save us when all else is lost.

— Louis L’Amour

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Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

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Things I Know for Sure

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

For today, I give you this highly-personalized, certainly particular list of #ThingsIKnowForSure:

  • Creativity is what’s important, not how or why or when you do it.
  • I eat less when I can taste more.
  • My garden deserves better.
  • Summer is a montage of awkwardly-placed mosquito bites. Still worth it.
  • The world needs a better brand of catnip.
  • Sometimes figuring things out is a matter of a good book and a long afternoon. If that doesn’t work, try a walk. Or a stiff drink.
  • That thing you don’t want to do is probably exactly what you should do (sorry!)
  • Sometimes a day just needs a thunderstorm.
  • Tonic and lemonade are good together. Also gin.
  • Some days there are just too many choices.
  • Touch ID hates me.
  • Sometimes you actually do need that ancient laptop you stashed in the closet.
  • A good book makes any day better.
  • I’m pretty much done letting other people define what’s “good” 🙂
  • Star Wars is the best movie ever (#1, now renamed #4 like a child whose parents changed their mind when she was ten years old. Who does that?)
  • Lord of the Rings is the best book ever. Even though I don’t read it every year (anymore), the effect it had on my life means that it will remain The Best Book Ever for always and ever and ever.
  • Kittens are hard to catch.

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Can’t go wrong with a kitten, right?
Photo by Henda Watani on Pexels.com

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