OUTSIDE
A really cool citizen science project popped up on my blog feed this week. There is a new online tool that helps you to map your yard, particularly to identify what wildlife habitat you have. There is a nice description of it, an interview with it's coordinator and a link to the site on A Way to Garden.com. It's very cool because you get a tool to explore your yard from a bird's eye view (literally!) AND some ideas how to improve it for wildlife AND the folks behind the project get data on wildlfe habitat in yard-scapes. Above is my slap-dash yard map. I learned that my yard could definitely use some improvement but more strongly that I ain't lying when I say my yard is shaded. I had a hard time outlining my house and you can't even see the yard or the other two buildings on the property because of the treed canopy cover. It's a miracle I can grow anything at all! Anyway, it was fun!
The Goodreads Choice Award first round nominees went up this week and they were exciting and they also make me feel just the slightest twinge of regret about my reading choices. I'm not one to be up to the minute with my reading. Which is why I have read exactly two of the nominated books and that is out of ALL the categories (they would be The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro both of which were super excellent). I'm lame. I have heard of a high percentage of the books that are nominated at least and a number of them are on my towering TBR. Anyway, most of the time I don't really care that I'm behind the times but I'm kind of bummed not to feel really qualified to vote in a more educated and fair way than just "I like these two!"....which were the only two I've read. How about you? Do you feel qualified to jump into the goodreads' awards fray?
GAK
The Goodreads Choice Award first round nominees went up this week and they were exciting and they also make me feel just the slightest twinge of regret about my reading choices. I'm not one to be up to the minute with my reading. Which is why I have read exactly two of the nominated books and that is out of ALL the categories (they would be The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro both of which were super excellent). I'm lame. I have heard of a high percentage of the books that are nominated at least and a number of them are on my towering TBR. Anyway, most of the time I don't really care that I'm behind the times but I'm kind of bummed not to feel really qualified to vote in a more educated and fair way than just "I like these two!"....which were the only two I've read. How about you? Do you feel qualified to jump into the goodreads' awards fray?
WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING
Watching
Arrow! Season 3 finished. Season 4 embarked upon! I got through the first 5 episodes or so of the season before leaving for a trip and I am LOVING the vibe so far. Love kinder, gentler, wiser Ollie, love he and Felcity being drama free and she getting back to her kick ass roots, love Damien Dahrk as a villain and Malcolm as R'as Al Ghul. It's all just clicking and fantastic and I'd be 100% happy if I wasn't spoiled up to my eyeballs and knew that it doesn't last. About halfway to two-thirds through the season the poo hits the fan and things get real bad and I'm already dreading it.... #StayLikeThisAlways
Reading
Finished Since the Last Time I Posted
- The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: This is The Sword and Laser book club pick for this month and it's been on my TBR for ages. Fantastic book!
- Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendsen: Book 4 in the Enchanted. Inc. series. Much fun!
Currently Reading:
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: I'd like to try and read all of Ray Bradbury's books - I love his writing. I thought this would make a nice Autumn/Halloween read. I had to emergency stick this one in my ears on the plane on Thursday to drown out this blowhard two seats from me who was going on and on without cease about how great Trump was.
- Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger: I loved the Parasol Protectorate series so am looking forward to a YA offering in the same world by Ms. Carriger!
- The Man With a Load of Mischief (Richard Jury #1) by Martha Grimes: I was reminded of this series and author on a recent Get Booked Podcast and pretty immediately went to library and picked the first one up. My memory of them is that they were a great favorite of my father's for a while so it's appropriate that I am reading it while I am visiting "home" for a long weekend. Definitely making me nostaligic and a little sad but the book is actually pretty funny and delightful thus far.
Added to the TBR:
This is a list of books that I have added to my Goodreads TBR list this week. It helps to burn the books I want to read a little more firmly into my mind, maybe get them on some other folks TBRs and gives me a chance to recognize a lot of the awesome bloggers that add stuff to my TBR!- Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath: This sounds like an intriguing and irreverent introduction to some less well known bad ass ladies of history and myth. Learned of it from a review by Reading Reality.
Blogging
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