7QT

1. Need Coffee!

If I am kept up one more time by yet another thunderstorm, I am going to have to wear these to deal with all the flooding here in Eastern Oklahoma.

2. Oh no, no, no...

A newly discovered wasp named after the Dementors in Harry Potter.

Wait... it eats cockroaches? Okay, Cambodia might not be so bad.

Apparently they also discovered the longest bug, and a long fanged bat. On second thought, I think I'll just chill out in my stiletto flippers.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/soul-sucking-dementor-wasp/

3. For something different

Okay, now I think I've done enough to keep me up at night. While I'm up, I might as well have a nice, calming glass of wine, right? Right? The New York Times has some good suggestions on rose wines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/dining/rose-wine-for-summer.html?_r=2

4. Getting cozy

While enjoying my wine, I have to have something to read. I've recently become obsessed with Kate Carlisle's cozy Bibliophile mystery series, starting with Homicide in Hardcover. A San Franciscan bookbinder and rare book expert stumbles into a murder, and into an attractive British man of mystery...

Again, these are cozy mysteries, so while there's murder and some romance, nothing is explicit.

http://www.cozy-mystery.com/kate-carlisle.html

5. Orphan Black

Speaking of obsessions, I'm also loving Orphan Black. Orphan Black is easily one of the most thoughtful and thought provoking shows on the air, as well as having one of the best actresses in the lead role. Tatiana Maslany carries the show as Sarah Manning, a grifter who uncovers a shocking truth about her past when she briefly sees a look-alike stranger moments before the stranger dies in train accident. The third season is airing now on BBC America, but you really should watch it from the beginning of the series to understand the plot line. Since the show has 10 episode mini-seasons, binge watching over a weekend isn't too bad.

(Nota bene: There are some explicit scenes in the show, so it isn't appropriate for children. I think the great parts of the show more than balance those scenes, but others may have a different opinion.)

 6. Throwback

I was also recently reminded of how music can be associated with certain times and places in my past.

For example, classic U2 songs remind me of my college days.

Shakira reminds me of panicked all-nighters during finals week, where I didn't sleep for 48 hours.

Carbon Leaf reminds me of living with my first roommate after college, and the fun socialization and deep uncertainty we experienced as single 22 year olds.

 7. Dogs, Cats, Dancers, and Beauty

The magic of Ursula K. LeGuin.

“There are a whole lot of ways to be perfect, and not one of them is attained through punishment.”

 http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/10/21/ursula-le-guin-dogs-cats-dancers-beauty/

7 Quick Takes

1

Welcome back! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a great one, even though the time with family was short. I cooked the turkey, some of the sides, and TWO pumpkin pies. Alas! I did not get a picture of my bea-YOO-ti-ful turkey before it was all carved up.

2

What I'm currently reading:
Elena Maria Vidal
The Night's Dark Shade

I believe this is the author's first work of fiction. Vidal previously wrote fictionalized biographies of Marie Antoinette and her daughter. (The history is true, but Vidal takes us inside their minds.)

3

What I previously read:
Elena Maria Vidal
The Paradise Tree

I quite enjoyed this novel, and it deserves it's own review. This is a fictionalized account of the author's Irish immigrants to Canada in an era where Irish "Need Not Apply."

4

It seems that humans have been making carvings far longer than thought.

5

Evidence that women's fashion has always been crazy.

This is Catherine the Great's wedding dress. What a tiny waist! It's nearly 17 inches. To put this in perspective, a size zero is usually 24/25 inches. Combine that with panniers that require a woman to walk through doorways sideways, and I'm glad to be living in the 21st century.
Via Tiny Librarian

6

I love these decorated mailboxes from Victoria Magazine.Too bad that I don't have a mailbox of my own to decorate! It's one of the down sides of living in a high rise.

7

I need to get another cat after the holidays are over and I'm not traveling as much. It is becoming apparent that my Siamese is very lonely since Lily the bunny passed away. This is the third day in a row I've come across this.

This was all neatly in one bag when I left in the morning

And now the cat says it's time to quit!

WWII and Mass Market Paperbacks

This fascinating bit of news over at Tea at Trianon hit all the right spots... The WWII history, books, and an idea that changed the publishing industry.

From the WSJ article:

A decade after the Nazis’ 1933 book burnings, the U.S. War Department and the publishing industry did the opposite, printing 120 million miniature, lightweight paperbacks for U.S. troops to carry in their pockets across Europe, North Africa and the Pacific.


The books were Armed Services Editions, printed by a coalition of publishers with
funding from the government and shipped by the Army and Navy. The largest of them were only three-quarters of an inch thick—thin enough to fit in the pocket of a soldier’s pants. Soldiers read them on transport ships, in camps and in foxholes. Wounded and waiting for medics, men turned to them on Omaha Beach, propped against the base of the cliffs. Others were buried with a book tucked in a pocket.


“When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II” by Molly
Guptill Manning tells the story of the Armed Services Editions. To be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on Dec. 2, the book reveals how the special editions sparked correspondence between soldiers and authors, lifted “The Great Gatsby” from obscurity, and created a new audience of readers back home.

For the link to the full WSJ article or a longer excerpt, go check out Elena Maria Vidal's post over at Tea at Trianon.

Tea at Trianon: Paperback Books and the War Effort