BW40: Spooktacular October

Hello October. Nice to meet once again. Are you ready to dive into the spooky and spectacular, ominous and thrilling, supernatural and mysterious, suspenseful world of Spooktacular October? So far this year our travels have taken us from the far East to the sands of Africa and down the Roman Roads of yesteryear. Time to jump on board our ghostly ship Portentous and sail with the wind.

My idea of scary isn't blood and guts horror, but psychological thrillers and suspense stories that give me goose bumps. Worlds full of villainous vampires and witches and warlords and monsters, both man made and natural  There's a wide variety to choose from: classic gothic reads to ghost stories to the best of Stephen King and his son Joe Hill as well as King's villains. Check out 21 Psychological Thrillers that will mess with your head, 100 Best Thrillers of all time, or 13 New Thriller Books Recommended by Bestselling Authors

James Rollins, our author of the month, is one of my favorite suspense writers and his most recent novel in his Sigma Force series, Demon Crown, is one that will keep you reading long into the night.

Synopsis: Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one, an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University.

Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber. The artifact was hidden away by a cabal of scientists—led by Alexander Graham Bell—to protect humankind. But they dared not destroy it, for the object also holds an astonishing promise for the future: the very secret of life after death.

Flower of the month

The Blossom Bookology flower of the month is the Marigold which were the sacred flowers of the Aztecs. There are a number of directions to go for this month's challenge. Read one book per letter using either the title and/or the first or last name of the author. Yes, you can mix it up. You may read a book with the name of the flower, color of the flower in the title, or on the cover. Another possibility is a book which takes place in the time period or flower's country of origin or has some cultural significance and/or symbolism of the flower. The choices are unlimited.

Brit Tripping

Our Brit Trip is taking us down Watling Way to Surrey this week . Surrey is one of the wealthiest counties in England, it has the highest GDP per capita and the cost of living is as high as inner London. That might explain the reason that Harry’s Uncle Vernon settled there with his family.

Rabbit trails: Nonesuch Palace Waverly Abbey Guildford Castle Abbot’s Hospital Emma’s picnic on Box Hill Alice in Wonderland Guildford Tourism Hampton Court Palace

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BW39: September Equinox

Courtesy of imagenes hermosas de todo tipo 

Fall, leaves, Fall

by

 Emily Bronte 

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Autumn is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere. My favorite time of year. The trees painted with burnished colors of yellow, gold, purple, and oranges. Leaves crackle and crunch underfoot during our daily walks. Crisp cool breezes mix with barbecues, football games and laughter. The promise of rain. Joy is in the air.  It is the perfect time to read a foodie book or experiment with new recipes or modify an old one.  It's also time to for a mini challenge: Read a book about the season. 

Find a book with Autumn, fall, season, equinox, September, moon, night, clock or axis on the cover.  Or with one leaf on the cover, the color of leaves, or in the title.  I think there are about 25 different types of apples including Fuji, Lady, McIntosh and Liberty. Read a book with a type of Apple in the title or one with an apple on the cover.  Even one about an apple.  This is usually the time of year I pull out How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World which has a great apple pie recipe in the back of the book. Delicious. Plus lots of ideas for rabbit trails.  Have fun brainstorming and follow lots of rabbit trails as you explore the Autumn season.  Or Spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere.  

Brit Trip

This week we're traveling Watling Way to Sussex.  A.A. Milne lived for much of his adult life in Sussex and his Hundred Acre Woods is based upon Ashdown Forest.

Rabbit trails: Virginia Woolf’s Suicide  Battle of Hastings   Chichester Cathedral  Arundel Cathedral Brighton  Rudyard Kipling’s Bateman  Arundel Castle

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BW38: To a Young Lady, With Some Lampreys

Courtesy of The Famous People

In honor of the John Gay, an English burlesque poet and dramatist, born September 16, 1685

To a Young Lady, With Some Lampreys

BY 

JOHN GAY

With lovers, ’twas of old the fashion 

By presents to convey their passion; 

No matter what the gift they sent, 

The Lady saw that love was meant. 

Fair Atalanta, as a favour, 

Took the boar’s head her Hero gave her; 

Nor could the bristly thing affront her, 

’Twas a fit present from a hunter. 

When Squires send woodcocks to the dame, 

It serves to show their absent flame: 

Some by a snip of woven hair, 

In posied lockets bribe the fair; 

How many mercenary matches 

Have sprung from Di’mond-rings and watches! 

But hold – a ring, a watch, a locket, 

Would drain at once a Poet’s pocket; 

He should send songs that cost him nought, 

Nor ev’n he prodigal of thought. 

Why then send Lampreys? fye, for shame! 

’Twill set a virgin’s blood on flame. 

This to fifteen a proper gift! 

It might lend sixty five a lift. 

I know your maiden Aunt will scold, 

And think my present somewhat bold. 

I see her lift her hands and eyes. 

‘What eat it, Niece? eat Spanish flies! 

‘Lamprey’s a most immodest diet: 

‘You’ll neither wake nor sleep in quiet. 

‘Should I to night eat Sago cream, 

‘’Twould make me blush to tell my dream; 

‘If I eat Lobster, ’tis so warming, 

‘That ev’ry man I see looks charming; 

‘Wherefore had not the filthy fellow 

‘Laid Rochester upon your pillow? 

‘I vow and swear, I think the present 

‘Had been as modest and as decent. 

‘Who has her virtue in her power? 

‘Each day has its unguarded hour; 

‘Always in danger of undoing, 

‘A prawn, a shrimp may prove our ruin! 

‘The shepherdess, who lives on salad, 

‘To cool her youth, controuls her palate; 

‘Should Dian’s maids turn liqu’rish livers, 

‘And of huge lampreys rob the rivers, 

‘Then all beside each glade and Visto, 

‘You’d see Nymphs lying like Calisto. 

‘The man who meant to heat your blood, 

‘Needs not himself such vicious food –’ 

In this, I own, your Aunt is clear, 

I sent you what I well might spare: 

For when I see you, (without joking) 

Your eyes, lips, breasts, are so provoking, 

They set my heart more cock-a-hoop, 

Than could whole seas of craw-fish soupe.

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Brit Trip

This week,we begin our final Roman road on Watling Way in Kent! Another jewel of England with a rich history of peace and war. It’s the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England. On clear days possible to see France from the cliffs which led to it being the site of the Battle of Britain during WWII. 

Rabbit trails: Leeds Castle, Wilkie Collins, Jocelyn Brooke,  Wartime Tunnels,  Ian Fleming, Channel Tunnel, Dickens

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BW37: Bookish News and Birthdays

The Astronomy Lesson - Steven Seward 

Time for another round of Book News from the Sahara Desert region and Bookish Birthdays from around the world 

Poetry Soup, and other North African Creatives to Watch

The Book of North African Literature: Pierre Joris on Poetry and Miscegenation

The four best African cookbooks that will have you cooking like a pro

From Tradition to Destruction: The Lost Libraries of Chinguetti

Best Books to read about Egypt before you go

Literature Unchained: The Literary Scene in Tunisia Post-2011

Countries and their cultures - Mauritanians

Author Birthdays from around the world

Sept 9:  Father of modern Hindi literature - Bharatendu Harishchandra

Sept 10:  African American Poet and Harlem Renaissance writer - Georgia Douglas Johnson and American poet and leader of the Imagist movement - Hilda Doolittle

Sept 11:  Scottish Poet - James Thomson 

Sept 12: Polish science fiction author - Stanislaw Lem 

Sept 13: British author - J.B. Priestley 

Sept 14: Irish author - Bernard MacLaverty

Sept 15: American writer - Tomie dePaola 

Brit Tripping

Our Brit Trip on Akeman Street is taking us to Somerset this week.

Somerset County is famous among Regency enthusiasts as the location of Bath and was a fashionable place to take the waters. It also has a vast Roman history and Arthurian link.

Rabbit trails:  The Circus  More on The Circus  Glastonbury Abbey  Tarr Steps

Have fun exploring! 

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BW36: Nomadic September in the heat

Sahara Desert - Courtesy of Bon Traveler

Welcome to Nomadic September where we will journey through the Sahara, the world's third largest desert in search of adventure. The Sahara measures 3,320,000 square miles in Northern Africa, stretching from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and runs through Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. From the ancients to the culture and politics of the present, there are many rabbit trails to enjoy.

Sahara Desert 

By 

Essama Chiba 

Falling in barren plains

No traces of rain in arid lands

Only footprints of spirits

Haunting their own shadows

Begging the questions

Left unanswered

By words buried into cracks

Under the unforgiving sun

And burning heat

Of the Sahara Desert

Even a cactus will bloom 

For a day and then it's done

None escape the desolate wilderness

The undulating waves of sand

Nothing but the echoes

Of passing storms

And the sounds of thunder

Remain above the surface

Of the vast emptiness

We'll also follow in the footsteps of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and/or Chinua Achebe. We'll learn more about both these fabulous authors as Chimamanda reminisces about the coincidence of growing up in Achebe's house as well as discussing Chinua Achebe at 82: “We Remember Differently”
The Blossom Bookology flower of the month is the Egyptian Lotus which is the the national flower of Egypt. You need only spell out Lotus. There are a number of directions to go for this month's challenge. Read one book per letter using either the title and/or the first or last name of the author. Yes, you can mix it up. You may read a book with the name of the flower, color of the flower in the title, or on the cover. Another possibility is a book which takes place in the time period or flower's country of origin or has some cultural significance and/or symbolism of the flower. The choices are unlimited.


For those on the Brit Trip bus, our journey on Akeman Street is taking us to Wiltshire. Wiltshire has an interesting history with canals as a method of transportation, the predecessor to trains for mass goods transportation.

Rabbit trails: Wilton Windmill.


Have fun exploring!

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