{"id":5960,"date":"2022-09-16T08:07:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T15:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/?p=5960"},"modified":"2022-09-16T10:08:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T17:08:07","slug":"books-book-memes-writing-news-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/2022\/09\/16\/books-book-memes-writing-news-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Books, book memes, writing news and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.52.jpg?resize=205%2C265&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5971\" width=\"205\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.52.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.52.jpg?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re talking about books this week, because it&#8217;s time for the monthly <a href=\"https:\/\/fresh.inlinkz.com\/party\/c58093bc71fc4682bcf80f9e3b7f0b0a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What&#8217;s on Your Bookshelf challenge<\/a>, hosted by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenlivingwellafter50.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sue<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/retirementreflections.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donna<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/andanyways.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jo<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/debs-world.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Deb<\/a>. And of course this post is also part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/fresh.inlinkz.com\/party\/d828dadbd16441038de84cbfc24c4c0a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Weekend Coffee Share<\/a>, hosted by<a href=\"https:\/\/natalietheexplorer.home.blog\/2022\/09\/16\/hawthorne-cottage-and-brigus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Natalie the Explorer<\/a>. Grab a treat, pull up a seat, and let&#8217;s chat! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Personal and Writing News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A few exciting (well, to me they&#8217;re exciting) news items in my world this week: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Long-Suffering Husband and I celebrated our 31st anniversary! I still can&#8217;t wrap my head around that, because my brain is desperately clinging to the fantasy that I&#8217;m still 25, making our anniversary a temporal impossibility. <\/li><li>One of my short stories was accepted! I can&#8217;t share details yet&#8211;acceptance is pending final edits&#8211;but I&#8217;m over-the-moon excited. <\/li><li>We&#8217;re going on vacation! Well, we&#8217;re spending a long weekend in a cabin in Lakeside, Arizona, to celebrate our anniversary. We leave today. Lakeside is at almost 7000 feet elevation in a ponderosa pine forest. And as you probably guessed from the name, there are lakes. Water! Actual water! Bodies of water that contain actual water! (Note for the uninitiated: We have rivers in Tucson. They contain sand. Occasionally they contain small amounts of water for a few hours or days after a big monsoon storm. Whoever decided to call them rivers was just as delusional as I am about my age.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Books, Books, Books!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m happy to report that my reading slump is over. I&#8217;ve been spending more time reading (instead of scrolling social media and the horror that is the news), and I&#8217;m happier as a result. I&#8217;m also having a blast reading some great books!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I&#8217;ve made some progress in filling <a href=\"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/2022\/08\/19\/risking-my-life-for-new-bookcases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the new bookcases I risked my life to buy<\/a> last month: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-16-08.02.11-resized.jpg?resize=822%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Two bookshelves with books and knick-knacks\" class=\"wp-image-5996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-16-08.02.11-resized.jpg?resize=822%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 822w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-16-08.02.11-resized.jpg?resize=241%2C300&amp;ssl=1 241w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-16-08.02.11-resized.jpg?resize=768%2C957&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-16-08.02.11-resized.jpg?w=905&amp;ssl=1 905w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, those empty shelves will be filled as soon as I get more time to organize&#8211;and go book-shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve read since <a href=\"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/2022\/08\/19\/risking-my-life-for-new-bookcases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">my last What&#8217;s on Your Bookshelf post<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3QU28Hg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Misfire : The Kate Downey Medical Mystery Series, Book 2<\/em>&nbsp;<\/a>\u2013 Tammy Euliano. Loved, loved, loved this one! It&#8217;s the perfect combination of medical thriller and cozy mystery. I have an advance reading copy from the author; I think it&#8217;s scheduled to be released in January. While you&#8217;re waiting, pick up her first book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3eSdmi1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fatal Intent<\/a><\/em>. Just be warned&#8211;you won&#8217;t want to put it down. It&#8217;s one of those ignore-your-family-unless-they&#8217;re-literally-on-fire kinds of books.<\/li><li>Short stories and novellas free with my Audible subscription (I&#8217;m noticing lots more great free-with-subscription content on Audible, and I&#8217;m loving it.)<ul><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3bYhEmZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tell Her Story<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Margot Hunt. The protagonist is a fired journalist who launches a true crime podcast to investigate a cold case in her hometown. I really enjoyed the way Hunt uses a podcast as a storytelling device.<\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3qGHVty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buried Deep<\/a><\/em> &#8211; Margot Hunt. James and Maggie Cabot are enjoying a happy marriage and comfortable middle-aged lives&#8211;until two detectives turn up to tell them the body of James&#8217; former girlfriend has been found. <\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DsJXFt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The House on the Water <\/a><\/em>&#8211; Margot Hunt. Another short thriller by Margot Hunt, this one about a group of friends vacationing together in Florida. All goes well till one of them turns up dead.<\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3UbRi1Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">My Evil Mother<\/a><\/em> &#8211; Margaret Atwood. The protagonist is a teenage girl in the 1950s whose mother may or may not be a witch. It&#8217;s a little weird and a lot wonderful. <\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>The Harper Connelly Series &#8211; Charlaine Harris. Harris is most famous for her Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery Series, which was adapted into the TV show <em>True Blood<\/em>. Those are great, but I like Harper Connelly better. After being struck by lightning, she developed the ability to find the dead and see their last moments&#8211;a talent that pays her a decent living but regularly gets her into potentially lethal trouble. I reread this series every year or two. It&#8217;s short, only four books: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3qDDWho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grave Sight<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3S4I8Cp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grave Surprise<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3BIQr1z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">An Ice Cold Grave<\/a><\/em>, and<em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3UfH6p2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Grave Secret<\/a><\/em>. <\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3S9HIL1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Death of a Gossip<\/a> <\/em>&#8211; M.C. Beaton. The first in Beaton&#8217;s Hamish Macbeth mysteries, this one has been on my to-read list for years. Guess what? It&#8217;s now free with my Audible subscription! I enjoyed it, though some of it hasn&#8217;t aged well, like the constant comments about how fat one of the characters is. <\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3BmBeSm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Knock, Knock, You&#8217;re Dead<\/a><\/em> &#8211; M.C. Beaton. This short story was bundled with <em>Death of a Gossip<\/em>. Enjoyable &#8211; and without all the fat comments. <\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3MsYdPw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Derald Wing Sue. This is the one I&#8217;ve been reading for months as part of a book group related to my day job. We finally finished! It&#8217;s an interesting and useful read, but I would have liked more practical examples in the last chapter.<\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3BSsuFj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Write for Your Life<\/a><\/em> &#8211; Anna Quindlan. I learned about this book from another participant in the What&#8217;s on Your Bookshelf Challenge. It&#8217;s a short collection of essays on journaling and other personal writing, and it&#8217;s lovely. <\/li><li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3BKSCBW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert<\/a> <\/em>&#8211; Tammi Labrecque. This book is a great resource for authors like me who are creating their first newsletter (Shameless self-promotion alert! Did I mention I have a newsletter? I don&#8217;t think I have&#8230; this week. If you want me in your inbox, type your email in the subscription box on the righthand side of this site.) There&#8217;s also some good information for authors with existing newsletters who want to up their game and their subscriber list. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And now it&#8217;s time for the moment you&#8217;ve all been waiting for: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Book Memes!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.29.04.jpg?resize=555%2C555&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5967\" width=\"555\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.29.04.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.29.04.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.29.04.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.29.04.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Back when brachiosauruses grazed the swamps of Earth, and I was an English teacher, I taught <em>Lord of the Flies<\/em>. I wish I&#8217;d tried this. I&#8217;d have gotten fired, but it would have been hilarious. My students would have trashed the room faster than Stripe and his crew of gremlins can trash a living room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Digression alert! Speaking of dinosaurs: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"563\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.19.01.jpg?resize=563%2C532&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.19.01.jpg?w=563&amp;ssl=1 563w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-08-21.19.01.jpg?resize=300%2C283&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>OK, back to the books: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.42.jpg?resize=501%2C456&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5969\" width=\"501\" height=\"456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.42.jpg?resize=1024%2C933&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.42.jpg?resize=300%2C273&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.42.jpg?resize=768%2C700&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.42.jpg?w=1170&amp;ssl=1 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Also: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.19.jpg?resize=499%2C631&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5970\" width=\"499\" height=\"631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.19.jpg?resize=810%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 810w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.19.jpg?resize=237%2C300&amp;ssl=1 237w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.19.jpg?resize=768%2C971&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-05-21.37.19.jpg?w=1170&amp;ssl=1 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As long as we&#8217;re talking about monsters: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"540\" height=\"348\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.41.jpg?resize=540%2C348&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.41.jpg?w=540&amp;ssl=1 540w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-08-18-18.39.41.jpg?resize=300%2C193&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I liked Twilight (yes, I&#8217;ll admit it), and I still think that&#8217;s hilarious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-04-30-07.34.24.jpg?resize=645%2C807&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5973\" width=\"645\" height=\"807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-04-30-07.34.24.jpg?resize=819%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-04-30-07.34.24.jpg?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-04-30-07.34.24.jpg?resize=768%2C961&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-04-30-07.34.24.jpg?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 645px) 100vw, 645px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The academic librarian version of the Refusal of the Call trope: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colleague: You have been chosen&#8230; to chair this committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Me: [cracks blood capsule with teeth, pretends to vomit blood all over the office] I&#8230; [vomit] can&#8217;t. I have&#8230; [gag] ebola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colleague: Walk it off. The kickoff meeting is scheduled for Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And finally: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?resize=638%2C804&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5966\" width=\"638\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?resize=813%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 813w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?resize=238%2C300&amp;ssl=1 238w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?resize=768%2C967&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?resize=1220%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1220w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2022-09-12-21.21.23.jpg?w=1626&amp;ssl=1 1626w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I now have a new career aspiration: bounty hunter librarian. Oh, and librarians are not people. We are spawned fully-formed from the head of the mighty god Libros, whereupon we are issued the magical tools of our trade&#8211;bun, glasses, cardigan, and cat&#8211;and assigned to our first committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time for me to pack the glasses and cardigan and head up the mountain for a few days of forest therapy&#8211;and water. Did I mention water? OMG there will be water! And no committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How about you? What&#8217;s your favorite place to get away for a few days? Or, if you&#8217;re an academic like me: What&#8217;s the worst committee assignment you ever received? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re talking about books this week, because it&#8217;s time for the monthly What&#8217;s on Your Bookshelf challenge, hosted by&nbsp;Sue,&nbsp;Donna,&nbsp;Jo&nbsp;and&nbsp;Deb. And of course this post is also part of the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Grab a treat, pull up a seat, and let&#8217;s chat! Personal and Writing News A few exciting (well, to me they&#8217;re exciting) news items in my world this week: Long-Suffering Husband and I celebrated our 31st anniversary! I still can&#8217;t wrap my head around that, because my brain is desperately clinging to the fantasy that I&#8217;m still 25, making our anniversary a temporal impossibility. One of my short stories was accepted! I can&#8217;t share details yet&#8211;acceptance is pending final edits&#8211;but I&#8217;m over-the-moon excited. We&#8217;re going on vacation! Well, we&#8217;re spending a long weekend in a cabin in Lakeside, Arizona, to celebrate our anniversary. We leave today. Lakeside is at almost 7000 feet elevation in a ponderosa pine forest. And as you probably guessed from the name, there are lakes. Water! Actual water! Bodies of water that contain actual water! (Note for the uninitiated: We have rivers in Tucson. They contain sand. Occasionally they contain small amounts of water for a few hours or days after a big monsoon storm. Whoever decided to call them rivers was just as delusional as I am about my age.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,292,319],"tags":[44,321],"class_list":["post-5960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-weekend-coffee-share","category-whats-on-your-bookshelf","tag-books","tag-memes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Books, book memes, writing news and more - Janet Alcorn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We&#039;re talking books this week: book reviews, book memes, even a pic of my bookshelves. 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