Monday Malarkey

Last week was another meh week, reading-wise. I think I'm just about ready to be done with 2016 and start a fresh year.

Recent arrivals:

• Glimmer Train, Spring/Summer 2016 - Purchased because I was in the mood to read literary periodicals.
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - Sent by friend Carrie of Care's Books and Pie. Thanks, Carrie!

Books finished since last Malarkey:

• Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev was the only book I finished, last week, my classic choice for the month of October. I got a late start choosing my classic for the month, so I'm happy to have finished it. It's a bittersweet romance. 

Currently reading:

• The Paris Review, Edition 218 - I'm beginning to agree with those who have given this issue a poor rating, although not for the reason most of the reviews I've seen have quoted (too much poetry). I think the quality of some of the material is mediocre, chiefly the most recent poem and short story I read. I'm hoping the rest of the Review will be an improvement. It started out well and has a lousy middle.
• Leveling the Playing Field: The Democratization of Technology by Rod Scher - Don't let that rather dull title put you off. I'm really enjoying Leveling the Playing Field, which is about how technology has generally followed a pattern of being available only to the elite and then eventually becoming easier to pay for and therefore available to the masses. The first chapter is dedicated to how fire was a civilizing force. Next is the development of language and then written and printed language. 
• Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly - I decided not to participate in the annual R.I.P. Challenge, this year, and I'm blaming my lack of participation for summer's refusal to end. Reading spooky, atmospheric, or suspenseful books is a great way to usher in the cooler weather and Just What Kind of Mother Are You? (which I won in a Twitter drawing held by the author, a couple years ago) is a suspense. I just happened to be thinking about Halloween and fall and the R.I.P., last night, and decided fall just doesn't feel right without a little bit of suspense, so I started reading the closest suspense book. So far, so good.

Posts since last Malarkey:

• Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by S. Becker and E. Kaban (book review)
• Fiona Friday - Big cat, tiny box (cat photo)

In other news:

This weekend was unexpectedly fun. Husband has been looking at kayaks for a few weeks and decided he was ready to buy. We've thought about buying kayaks for years but either decided they were out of our price range or balked at the thought of paddling something made of plastic in bodies of water that might be home to alligators. Years ago, we went on a float with the local canoe and kayak group and one of the locals pointed out the spots where alligators had pulled themselves from the water. Shiver. But, Huz investigated and found that there are places the alligators aren't as prevalent and alligator hunting season was not all that long ago. So, the time was right. We didn't go far (to prevent aching shoulders) but we had a blast. The photo absolutely doesn't do the beauty of this little lake justice. 

Happy Halloween!

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