Book post

Last to Die by Tess Gerritson. Quite liked it. Her books form the basis for the Rizzoli & Isles TV show but I like the book characters more. The ME is less of a joke and they are much realer as women. The plot in this one is a little out there but not totally unbelievable and she brings back some characters from an earlier book that I liked.

The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor. A collection of short stories featuring Gordianus the Finder at the very beginning of his career. Each story features one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I learned quite a bit about them and the stories were very good.

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Set in Quebec, it's part police procedural and part an examination of an unhappy family and the misunderstandings that underlie the unhappiness. There are also such tender moments as well. It's very well written with nicely realized characters.

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos. Gritty realism set in DC. He has a real gift for creating believable characters on the darker side of life. Great plot too.

I also reread The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner. I first read this book in the late 70s and I wanted to see how it held up. A lot of the things about smartphones, information availability, and the Internet had me remembering the book. There's a longer post I want to make about all that RSN.

I forgot

L'Shana Tovah to those celebrating the holiday! A sweet happy new year to all.

Did you have a good weekend?

I had a really nice weekend. Busy but with things I wanted to do.

I spent one whole day learning about designing (or redesigning) websites for mobile telephone users. I got a lot of very good information about it. It's put the emphasis back on content for sure. Met some nice people too. I took notes like a mad woman and the organizers will be posting them as part of the overall summary of the event.

My reward was an evening of wandering around art galleries. Six Georgetown galleries joined together to create an evening out. Gorgeous art, snacks, and I had a chance to talk to some of the artists. Plus Georgetown is such a pretty walking area. It deserves a separate post because I love sharing it with you all :)

One day was spent cleaning many things and doing some cooking ahead with my nice veggies from the farmers market. There's spicy mushroom pasta sauce in the freezer and the rest of a tasty chickpea/red onion/cucumber salad marinating in the fridge. It's good the second day.

And to top it all off, we have a new Butterstick! Mei Xiang, the DC panda, had a new cub! The first few days are always fragile, but I hope the little cub thrives.