Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (top to bottom):

• The Great Influenza by John M. Barry and
• Network Effect by Martha Wells - both purchased
• Laura Theodore's Vegan for Everyone - drawing win via Instagram
• Bubble Kisses by Vanessa Williams and Tara Nicole Whitaker - from Sterling Children's Books for review 

E-books: 

• Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad - purchased
• Center Ring by Nicole Waggoner - drawing win via Facebook group

That's a lot of arrivals for a girl who claims she's not getting much, these days. I did mention The Great Influenza was coming, last week, but I forgot about (or didn't know I was going to buy) the rest. Network Effect was on my wish list and I finally found a copy at the right price. I have been expecting the vegan cookbook, which I won from a vegan recipe account at Instagram that I follow but it took so long to get here that I totally forgot it was coming.

Bubble Kisses has a music CD and after getting it I thought, Ack, I have no idea where I can listen to it. Husband has been disinterested in hooking up the CD changer since we moved (as I recall, it has 6 slots for CDs) and my car doesn't have a CD player, which is the one thing I hate about my car. I have a substantial collection of music on CD and no interest in fussing around with music on a phone. I may have to take a drive in my old car to listen to the Bubble Kisses CD. Husband is home half the time, anyway. I can steal back my old car from him. He won't notice.

I heard Me and White Supremacy is a good book and had just added it to my mental wish list hours before a friend mentioned that it was on sale. Nice timing. Center Ring is the first in a trilogy and I won it from a book group on Facebook. I've been curious about it for a long time and I'm looking forward to reading it.


Books finished since last Malarkey:

• Unflappable by Suzie Gilbert
• Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea

Like a lot of people, for the past two weeks I have been totally obsessed with the news about the protests, the rioting, the unconstitutional attack on peaceful protesters, that ridiculous walk to hold up a Bible the president said wasn't even his. It was hard to concentrate on anything else. So it took me 10 days to finish a book but I think I'm getting back in the swing of things, now. After I read Unflappable, I grabbed a very quick read that I bought way back in the 90s, when we had a salvage store that occasionally got book stock from fires, floods, etc. I just needed to read something short and sweet and Jacob the Baker fit the bill. Now, I'm back to my regularly scheduled reading. As I mentioned on Saturday, it still feels like reading for enjoyment and chattering in the normal way is just not what I should be doing. But, I'll be more free to read whatever, whenever, soon.


Currently reading:

• Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Loving both. Since I wasn't reading much (maybe 20 or 30 pages per day, for a while . . . sometimes none), I didn't get around to reading from Wow, No Thank You till Saturday night but what a fun read. Even when I can't relate to the author (a millenial), I'm still entertained. I am so glad that bright cover caught my eye and I read the reviews. The Jane Austen Society is historical fiction that begins in the 1930s and moves forward in time (so far). I've only read about 30 pages but I loved it from the first page.


Last week's posts:

• Unflappable by Suzie Gilbert (book review)
• Fiona Friday on the Wrong Day, Bloggiversary, and Other Thoughts (cat photo and misc.)

In other news:

I already told you we mostly watched news, so there's that. We haven't yet seen this week's National Theatre free streaming production but it's Coriolanus, starring Tom Hiddleston. I viewed the trailer and it looks intense. Maybe too intense for this moment, but I'll still give it a go. It may be last minute, though, as we have Tropical Storm Cristobal moving in. An outer band is rolling through, as I type. It's gusty and dark but those outer bands are always deceptive. One minute it's dark and foreboding, the next minute the sun is shining. I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of pre-posting my Monday Malarkey (it's Sunday, as I write) because it seems likely my computer will be unplugged, tomorrow. This storm is moving very, very slowly.

I started rewatching Downton Abbey from the beginning, this week, mostly for comfort. It was refreshing to see the Dowager Countess saying, "What's a weekend?" and admiring all the beautiful clothing. I think the Edwardian age is my favorite for fashion amongst the wealthy. Also . . . snooty Mary before she mellowed, William before the Great War, Matthew arriving at Downton and stubbornly refusing to let the servants pour his tea or help him on with his coat. Ahhh, the refreshing familiarity of an old favorite.

We've also started watching cooking tutorials by the chef and owner of Bread Ahead Bakery in London's Borough Market. I don't know how I happened across his account on Instagram, but I watched one of his live videos and enjoyed it, so I watched another. Husband was nearby and overheard it. He's the cook; I just enjoy watching cooking shows but don't actually do the work. So, when I discovered there was a tutorial for scones with herbs and started to watch it on my phone he said, "Wait! Let's see if it's on YouTube." It was. We watched it. He cooked some, today. They were absolutely fabulous.

And, if you remember me saying last week's painting for my Abstract Impressionism class was laughable . . . well, I finished it and I actually liked it enough to hang on the wall. So did Huzzybuns. What a shock, after working on it for days and thinking it was just a mess. The final couple of layers took it from a mess to looking like it was decently composed (although I still see things I'd change if I hadn't decided I was done and glossed it).

But, next up was Jackson Pollack and talk about a disaster! I made the mistake of sending Husband for paint. That did not work out well at all. I'll try again when I can get the colors I really wanted in the first place, but for now . . . on to Mark Rothko.


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