Chapter Maggot

Those are so neat!!

A black and white kitten curled up for a nap on a chair next to a scattered pile of books which includes The Wild Robot, The Silmarillion, an anthology of Edgar Allen Poe called Tales of Mystery and Imagination and some books in Russian— Belarusian mythology, Adventures of Nils (a Swedish fairy tale) and Pippy Longstockings.

Kitten + late autumnal TBR pile. Some for me some for kids.

My kid (7): “I want to be a vegetarian and everyone to be a vegetarian because I feel bad for the animals.”
Same kid: “I dunk my animal cookies in tea first so they’re warm blooded when I eat them.”

Another brilliant podcast Blondboy!! Literally this week was fooling around with my genealogy and found Ulster, IE then farther back Scotland (after 1700 Virginia-TN-AR). Family is a bunch of colonizers, albeit they fought the crown in America. Still hear spoilt milk referred to as “clabbered” too!

“From the ground, we stand;
         From our ships, we live;
         By the stars, we hope.
                —EXODAN PROVERB”

Becky Chambers forever ✨

Not the point of the whole episode, but I’ve begun walking my kids to kindergarten in the morning instead of driving, and I completely get why you choose to cycle everywhere instead of drive. Love dressing for the weather, spotting birds, dodging cars, etc

I’m listening to this book right now and I wish it weren’t so relevant 😭😭 every world leader needs to read this and every person too.

However, since I’m an expat and speaking in my second language, people just think it’s all lost in translation. And I leave everyone in Belarus with the impression that all Americans are eccentric autistic folks who smile too much. (Better than RBF?)

Like when I went to my older two kids’ bake sale, wandered around with my Rubik’s Skewb, forgot small bills, made someone give me change for a 10 in .10 pieces, and people thought the dessert I brought had bourbon in it. As one does.

Latest episode which led to my reminiscing of my own eccentric behavior.

“May each year have 50,000 days. May I take all your sorrows as my own.”
A Thousand Times Before
Third book of the year. I’m a sucker for sweeping generational tales, how it’s all connected. Beautiful, emotional.

Always enjoy listening. And very apt timing listening the morning after our weekly spaghetti bolognese night. I’d just read about the frog legs guy too.

#poetry

I have 31/30 holds (don’t have a clue as to how that works)
*and yet*
the last three books I’ve borrowed have not been from my holds
chasing that dopamine with impulsive actions I guess

Don’t read it then haha

Swimming in the Dark if you want a rip your heart out romance

Thanks for the book rec though. Never heard of him but his books look great.