Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 Just to briefly touch on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election of last week. Yes, both candidates had lots of money supporting them that came from outside the actual campaign. Some feel that the funds one side was trying to spend were not being used in a legal or ethical manner.

It is now the most expensive judicial election in the United States, likely exceeding $100 million. I for one would prefer to get ALL of this outside money away from elections, but that won't happen until they repeal Citizen United. (Jumps off soapbox.)

While the grass is getting green, flowers that are bulbs are growing, but we still are getting snow showers! Brrr. Supposed to be nicer this coming weekend and hit the 50s. 

I have plans for the weekend that will take me outside, so I am hoping that it will be warmer. Also prefer that it be dry! No rain please!

     

If Books Could Kill second installment of the Bibliophile Mystery, Brooklyn is attending the Edinburgh Book Fair. A friend, Kyle, gives her an old book to authenticate which supposedly contains information on an affair between the Scottish poet Robert Burns and a daughter of King George III. Before Brooklyn can do her thing, Kyle turns up dead, killed with one of Brooklyn's bookbinding tools. Who is trying to pin this murder on her?

Death and Fromage is a book set in France. Richard, an Englishman, runs a B&B in the Loire Valley. A scandal and possible murder occur and Richard finds himself in the middle of the investigation and helps to solve the crime.

A Death in Diamonds another installment in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series. The setting is back in the 1950s. A girl is found dead dressed in only her silk undies and a valuable tiara. One of the issues is that Prince Philip is seen in the area the night of the murder. Could he have something to do with this?

Challenger is an in-depth look at the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Starting back in 1967 after the astronaut deaths during a fire in the Apollo space craft. The author shows how NASA continued to be less focused on safety and more on pushing forward, getting things done. Pressuring contractors to be the same way. Very interesting read. 

Happy Reading

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

I made it through the spring election in Wisconsin yesterday. Results are looking promising in that Elon wasn't able to buy an seat on the state Supreme Court. Very thankful all of the ads are no longer on the TV, they were getting very irritating. 

Local school board is looking good too. At least two of the people I wanted to get elected look like they will win. 

Weather is all over the place, had a really nice day last week in the 70s, been icky since. I keep wanting to grill out but don't want to freeze my buns off while grilling.

Homicide in Hardcover a new author and series to me and I like it, will read more. Brooklyn restores rare books and when her mentor is murdered she is determined to find out who did it.

Remarkably Bright Creatures a touching story of a Giant Pacific Octopus, Tova a cleaner at the aquarium, family and friends. Love, loss, family, friendship and the interconnections of life.

One Wrong Word a twisty tale! Arden is being let go from her PR firm but the boss is giving her one last job, and her severance and reference letter depend on it. The job, help Ned rehabilitate his reputation after being found not guilty of vehicular homicide. The more Arden digs, the more she thinks Ned was framed. But by who?

Original Sins Riley Fisher is a new FBI agent assigned to the Des Moines, Iowa office. As she arrives there are attacks on women, likely to be done by a serial attacker who has attacked before. Threats, including to the newly elected female governor, are making things tense. Page turner thriller.

Happy Reading.

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Happy Spring! We have made it to the spring equinox last week. Weather is changeable, but that is how things are this time of year. 

The grass is slowly showing a tiny bit of green, finally, after being brown for ages. With minimal snow this winter I've had to look at a brown lawn for months. 

Got myself a small, blue tooth portable speaker. I have satellite radio in the car, now I can use their app to play music inside. Plus I can take the speaker anywhere in the house or patio. Get more value for the money I pay for this. Plus I have my choice of what genre of music to play with hundreds of channels to choose from 

Squirrels are driving me crazy attacking the bird feeders. I counted six of them in the yard all wanting to get at the seed. One of them has succeeded in jumping over the baffles to actually get at the seed. Game on squirrel!

Love at First Book Jen McKinlay is one of my favorite authors, she has multiple cozy mystery series. This is a romance and takes a character from a previous romance and sets it in Ireland. Not a big romance fan and this one didn't over do it and one of the main characters dies at the end and lots of tears through it.

Sisters of Fortune historical fiction story based upon a real family, the Fortune's of Winnipeg, Canada. The family is returning from a tour of Europe and is sailing on the Titanic. While the family is real, many of the remaining characters are fictitious or a composite of real people. Most of the book shows the relationships prior to the sinking but does provide closure of the true characters.

The Earl and the Pharaoh a extensive biography of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who was one of the people who first discovered King Tut's riches buried in Egypt. Very detailed, almost to the point of information overload. Author is the wife of the current earl, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Author had access to family notes, journals and letters to base her research. 

 

Also to turn off the television and basketball games!

Happy Reading.

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

 Typical March weather, really nice and warm, very windy, a bit of snow, sunny but cold. Just wait, it will change.  

Heading into March Madness. I will watch a few of the basketball games as the two largest universities in the state are both playing. Thankfully they play on different days. Means crochet time!

I stopped at one of the larger JoAnn stores in the area the other day. Yarn wasn't in stock at all, just a few odds and ends. The website makes it appear like there is stock. I wandered through the store and didn't see anything else that I needed. 

The new trivia place was OK. Lighting was better and brighter, less ambient noise. Food was so-so and it is one of the newer cashless places. No wait staff either, you have to place your order at the counter, they do bring it to your table. No refills on soft drinks. The place is a brew pub. 

 

Breathe is a short book with tips on relaxation, meditation and breathing. Ways to help you retain calmness in a busy world. Combine some yoga along with breathing exercises. 

Fatal First Edition librarian Lindsey is in a wintry Chicago for a library conference. She brought husband Sully with her. While at the conference she finds a rare book under her chair. She turns it in to the conference leader. On the train ride home to the east coast the book ends up in Lindsay's possession again and there is a murder. Is someone trying to frame her, why has someone kidnapped her husband? All this and a blizzard!

The Busy Body this was a fun book once I got into it. The "busy body" is the narrator of the book. She is hired to ghost write a book of a female politician who just lost the presidential election. While working on the book in remote Maine the neighbor dies. Suicide or murder? The politician decides to investigate.

The Clinic Haley is a famous actress who has entered rehab, then it states she has committed suicide. Her sister Meg doesn't buy it and gets into the same facility to see what really happened. Lots of twists right down to the last page. Interesting note, this is the author's first book after going into rehab and getting sober. 

 

My local library has a "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program. You track books you read to them, or maybe if they read themselves at the end. Various rewards for milestones met and yes, you can count a book more than once. You know kids have their favorites.

Happy Reading.   

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

Spring like weather this week. Really nice on Monday, sunny and 60s, still sunny but cooler now. Still nice to be outside. I have spent some time picking up sticks that have come out of the trees during the winter. 

Trying out a new place for trivia tonight. The trivia is run by the same group that does our usual place, but we can check out the food. We are going early enough to have dinner first. See which place we like the best. 

Ducky had his semi-annual vet appointment yesterday. Waiting on blood and urine results. Like me, you get old, you gotta go to the doctor more often!

 

The Bishop and the Butterfly is an account of the rampant corruption in New York City, which was controlled by politicians associated with Tammany Hall. The Bishop was Samuel Seabury who led the investigation into the police and elected officials of New York who were taking multiple bribes. The Butterfly was Vivian Gordon, aka The Butterfly of Broadway, whose diaries and little black books outlined so much of those on the take.

Churchill's American Network outlines the relationships that Winston Churchill made with American citizens. Starting in the late 1800s, Churchill embarked on lecture tours to promote connections between Britain and the USA, as well as earning him speaking fees to support his lifestyle. Churchill often reminded people that his mother was from the US. The people he had in his network included politicians, the mover and shakers of business and industry, as well as entertainment. All of which came into good use during World War II.

The Wharton Plot a combination of historical fiction and murder mystery. Inspired by true events author Edith Wharton works to find the killer of David Graham Phillips, an author with ideas that don't always sit well with people. Both Wharton and Phillips are real people.

House Cat beautiful cats and the beautiful homes they live in. Mostly pictures and mainly living spaces from the east coast. From one cat to nine cats per dwelling. 

I think there are a few people who need to read more. Some of the stupidity lately is just draining. I want to be informed but that gets to be draining on my sanity!

That would be super cool. I wonder how many countries would be on my list. Way more than I have actually visited. 

For those who celebrate, have a wonderful St Patrick's Day. 

Happy Reading

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

My sweet boy keeping an eye on me while I work on my laptop. Plus he gets to soak up some spring sunshine!

More signs of spring. The red-winged blackbirds have returned to my feeders. I have seen the occasional robin too. Plus I heard the sand hill cranes calling yesterday when I was outside. 

No more snow in my yard, but the snow piles in parking lots remain. It is supposed to be in the 50s for a few days next week. That will help shrink them. 

This coming weekend is the time change from standard time to daylight saving time. I know some people don't care for it, but now that I am retired I don't care. I get up when I wake up, not by an alarm at a specific time. I do my best to not schedule myself for anything before 10 AM too. 

Still not quite outside working time just yet. So still time for more reading and crochet!

Sweet Revenge set in London 1813. Lady Arianna Hadley is searching for the men who killed her father. To do this she disguises herself as a man and works as a chef. Specialty is chocolate and at a dinner where her chocolate was served to the Prince Regent falls ill. Suspected poisoning, so the chef is suspect. Little do they know who they are actually dealing with.

Hide is a mystery / thriller. Chicago Police Detective Harriet Foster is just coming back to work after a leave of absence. Assigned to a new station and with a new partner her first case has the makings of the work of a serial killer. Multiple suspects, so which one is the killer? First in a series.

Woman Last Seen from another new author to me and I couldn't get into this one. Each chapter was from a different person's viewpoint. It was hard to keep track of who was telling the story, a victim, the cop another family member, the suspect. Won't read the next book in this series or other books by this author.

Murder on Black Swan Lane this is by the same author as Sweet Revenge. I couldn't get into this one at all. New author to me and I really couldn't get into either book and these are the first two books of two different series. Not going to continue to read the author.

Happy Reading

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

End of February and when we get sunny days you can really tell that the sun is setting later in the day. If I am reading, it is like, whoops, time for dinner!

The gift cards from the library system were for $25 and were to three different places. Amazon, KwikTrip (local gas / convenience store) and Culver's a local fast food place which also has frozen custard. I got one for Culver's and they are close to my house, so yes I go there. Good food!

Weather has warmed up and most of our snow is gone. I was out adding seed to the bird feeders and the ground was wet and squishy. I have been watching for some of the early migrating birds such as robins and red-winged blackbirds. So far nothing!

News that my usual yarn source is going out of business. I do have other sources of yarn. Glad I stocked up and will check the store closing sales. I plan to walk through the closest store today after my pedicure to see what they have and if they have started any sale. 

Taxes completed yesterday, so another spring task completed. Need to get the oil changed on the car and schedule Ducky for a vet visit.

 

The Cancer Factory a non-fiction book that delves into the continuing concerns of chemicals in the workplace. The story mostly involves workers who worked at or with chemicals of Goodyear, Goodrich and DuPont. The health issues that workers, spouses and children have all had based upon the exposure of the worker. Practices of the companies that chose to hide what they knew, didn't provide adequate protection or coverage of health procedures. We continue to be exposed.

Essex Dogs is from author Dan Jones. Jones is a historian who has written several books on the Plantagent and Tudor eras. This is a work on historical fiction, following a band of fighters from Essex at the beginning of the Hundred Years' War, covering about six weeks of fighting. This war was during the Plantagent era during King Edward III reign.

The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style is a lovely overview of the late Queen Elizabeth's look. Day wear, gowns, day dresses, hats, tiaras, handbags and more. Lots of pictures to show the items that the author refers to in the text. 

Or tea or hot chocolate or beverage of your choice!

 

 Happy Reading.
 

Wonderful Wordy Wednesday

WooHoo, it pays to read! I got notified yesterday that I won one of the gift cards from my local library system. They had an online trivia contest based upon the websites of all of the local libraries. Four different quizzes with the area libraries divided into four groups. 

Last summer they had a contest but there you had to actually visit the library. This was so much easier. I could do it from the comfort of my living room. 

We got snow over the past week and now cold. So great weather for staying inside and reading!

The Heiress has lots of twists and turns. A dysfunctional extended family, suspicious family deaths, adopted offspring, abduction. Just a few of the plot twists that I did not see coming and didn't expect it to end how it did.

How to Solve Your Own Murder, this was a fun book. In 1965 Frances has her fortune told at a fun fair and she believes it. The fact that she will be murdered. Sixty plus years later she dies and yes, she was murdered. Her library is a murder diagram, pictures of people and yarn between people. Multiple books on anyone who might be a suspect. Her two main heirs have one week to figure out who did it and if they do, they inherit her estate. Book alternates to events of the past with the current time.

The Furies: Women, Vengeance and Justice the author examines three real cases in which women reacted to defend themselves and others against men.  Also how the legal system, society and other institutions that should help protect them, actually work against them in cases of domestic violence.

The Making of the King covers the period of just before Queen Elizabeth's death through the following year. Interesting to read all of the decisions that surrounded both her funeral and then the coronation. What if any changes would come. As the book stated, doing the same things, but differently. 

Happy Reading. 

Mini-ManCat Monday - Auf Wiedersehen

It decided to be like a real winter this past week. We got snow! Enuf snow mum had to use the snow eater and make sure the fevvers had foods. It snowed twice in one week too. So everything is all white, instead of all brown.

Before and after pics of the driveway. Good to go, streets are good too, so no issues to get around. 

Mum cellybrated her purrthday yesterday. Another trip around the sun for her and she is an old lady. Again, she says, or still. She had a nice day and will continue to cellybrate with furiends this week. She got regular cards, ecards, purrs from me, texts too. 

Now if you noticed that today is more than just Mini-ManCat Monday. It is the day I have decided to retire from being a blogging cat. I don't have much to say. I sleep, eat, pee, poop and bug mum. Not much to blog about. 

Back in 2005, long before I was even born, Derby got really brave and with mum's help started blogging. He got inspired by Max the Psycokitty. His first post was on November 3, 2005.

After all of this time between Derby and me it is time to say farewell. Heck, I have been at this for 15 years! My 15th Gotcha Day was last week. And gee, I am an old guy at 16, going on 17!

Now while I won't be posting regular on Monday, I do reserve the right to stop in on Wednesday and say hi if I have something to let you know about.

Mum will continue with her reading stuff. Seems all you guys like books!

Last week on Thursday was my 15th Gotcha-versary. Wow, me and mum have been together for a long time. Although sometimes she looks at me and gets leaky eyes. I think she knows that someday I won't be here. Never know how long I will be here. 

Don't worry! At least not yet. I am just going to take it easy. Nothing is wrong, at least nothing we know about. Well, if you don't count the aging kidney issues all of us kits get! Special foods are keeping me good for now.

A selfie with me and mum and then just me in the sunny window.
 

Until we meet again! Auf Wiedersehen.