Sometimes you have to make the best of a rainy work related drive. Alternating between James Franco reading chapters of Slaughterhouse-Five, and listening to my favorite Frank Turner album, this rainy morning isn't so bad after all. I was also happy to see some soggy bison out today.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. I always liked Hades in traditional mythology. He usually gets a bad rap. (In the Marvel universe I'm an Ares fan.)
2. Skin Game by Jim Butcher. A wizard, a knight, a couple sorcerers, a sasquatch, and a fallen angel team up to rob one of Hades' vaults in the underworld. Hijinks ensue.

I've really enjoyed each book set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Six of Crows is still my favorite, but King of Scars was really good. They really flesh out some of the characters that were introduced in the previous novels. Nikolai is always a fun point of view character, but I admit I was surprised at how much I loved having Zoya as a main character. She is great in this book! You get her backstory, and a ton of great quotes. 4 out of 5 stars.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

@Trashcanman Thanks for the tag George!

1. I wanted to be a Naturalist for as long as I can remember. When I was 3 or 4 I had already decided that I would be a nature show host.

2. No snooze for me, I sleep through my alarm bad enough already.

3. Mottos are for people who remember things. I just try to be kind.

4. Green in nature, grey for clothing.

#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94

1. There is a beautiful little nature preserve about 15 miles from our home. The trail by the creek is full of bluebells, trilliums, and trout lilies.

2. It was breezy and in the 40s today.

3. The sound of the water, the wind in the trees, and the bird song while in the forest.

@Eggs thanks for the tag!

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

1. TK-421 is an ill fated storm trooper in the first Star Wars movie. I forgot the - in my litsy handle.

2. In the early morning or late evening in my chair.

3. The audible 50th anniversary edition of The Godfather read by Joe Mantegna.

4. Currently 4 people, no pets, and an unknown number of groundhogs under our shed.

@Trashcanman @Chrissyreadit @Bklover

Thanks for the tag @Avanders

Here are my top 10ish sci-fi fantasy picks. I had so many others that I wanted to list! These are some of the books that left me with an undying love for the genre. If you like high fantasy, please check out Stephen Zimmer. He has created an insanely detailed world. David Brin's Uplift War series is really good as well. I think I need to jump back into some good sci-fi again.

Good list idea @Chrissyreadit

Almost a foot of snow last night gave me the day off work! I guess snow is good for something after all. I was able to get a bit of audio shoveling done. I have been loving James Marsters' narration of this series.

1. It's The End Of The World As We Know It by REM. The laid back panic of Harry Dresden trying to stop yet another catastrophe makes me think of this song.

2. Mugs and bookmarks. You can't have too many mugs or bookmarks.

3. I've never really given this a lot of thought. I guess when I was younger I liked characters that were closer to my age. They were easier to relate to. Now, I don't make a lot of book choices based on main character age.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. Yes, I have read a few books from @ChrisBohjalian and @JazzFeathers

2. Every great once in a while I remember that I have a goodreads account, and right something there.

3. An accurate production of Annihilation would make me super excited! This is by far my favorite Marvel comic series ever. Although since they are casting the Moon Knight series right now, here's hoping they use Jeff Lemire's run for inspiration.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1. White Night by Jim Butcher on audio. James Marsters is such a great narrator!

2. The final volume of East of West

3. Home Alone 1, 2, and unfortunately 3.

#5⭐reads2020

Thanks for the tag @Chrissyreadit ! This has been a terrible reading year for me, but I've managed to listen to a bunch of audiobooks and get through several graphic novels. These are my 5 star reads from this year. The full cast Sandman and Northanger Abbey were fantastic, Amanda Palmer is amazing, and I learned that the best way to fight evil necromancers and a zombie horde is with an undead T-rex.

I finally made myself read the last volume of East of West. I truly hated to see this series come to and end. Volume 10 did not disappoint. Epic battles, the fate of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and that of the leaders of the free world, all things were wrapped up quite nicely. This has been my favorite series in the last few years, and I was actually satisfied with how it ended!

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

3. The pictures that my wife, daughter, and brother in law have been doing for their art prompts. They all did Inktober, and wanted to keep going so I gave them a daily prompt sheet for Artvember.

"Remember remember the 5th of November."

Happy autumn equinox to all my fellow littens!

#ManicMonday #LetterW @JoScho

Book: Where is Joe Merchant?
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Movie: Willow
TV show: Wallander
Band: Wolfmother
Song: Winners and Losers by Social Distortion

Audio-invoicing, it's the most enjoyable way to pay the bills at work. I started the Audible edition of Dracula. Alan Cumming and Tim Curry are the main narrators. It is pretty good so far. I was also given a homemade chocolate chip scone this morning. Yep, I've got a scone guy.😉

Wow...this is possibly the best audiobook that I have ever heard. The cast is absolutely fantastic. I've been a Sandman fan for a long time, and they have truly brought this to life. I couldn't dream of a better version. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself there.) It was really enjoyable to read along in the graphic novels while listening. I hope that this trend continues. I have several favorite comics that would be incredible as audiobooks.

I have been in a terrible reading slump over the last few months. Audiobooks have been of great help in trying to get through this slump. The Art of Asking is absolutely wonderful. This will seriously change they way you view certain aspects of your life. Amanda does her own reading, which is quite enjoyable (I find her Neil Gaiman impersonation delightful), and there are a few songs thrown in. I really can't recommend this enough.

#ManicMonday #LetterS @JoScho

Book: Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Author: Gail Simone
Movie and TV show: Star Trek
Band: Social Distortion, The Stranglers, so many others
Song: Something May Catch Fire by Chuck Ragan,
Storytime by Nightwish

@BethM actual photographic evidence that I finally sent the next book to you! You should have it Wednesday. I'm sorry that it took absolutely forever for me to send this out. Many apologies to you. 😞
#historicalhussies @BethM @JenlovesJT47
@Avanders @MaleficentBookDragon

#thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

My favorite summer fruit is watermelon. I will eat it until I feel mega bloated. For the veggies, I'll have to go with my fresh salsa.

The Dry or Where Is Joe Merchant? are two of my favorites set in Summer.

Yes, I have seen dolphins in the wild, but no whales.

Thanks for the tags @Bklover & @Trashcanman !
I'll tag the rest of the #historicalhussies @BethM @Avanders @MaleficentBookDragon @JenlovesJT47

18 years ago today, a scrawny goofball kid somehow married the most wonderful person he had ever known. Happy Anniversary @cobwebmoth !! Our love for Tolkien, tacos, and each other has grown every year. Thank you for the books! Trejo's Tacos is fantastic! I'll be making so many of these recipes for us!

#ManicMonday #letterk @JoScho

Book and author: classic Dark-Hunter novel Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Movie: Kill Bill 1&2

Band: Kaleo

Song: Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. Sherrilyn Kenyon

2. Tacos and bookstores, then home for drinks and binge watching of some British comedy series.

3. If it is a real world setting, New Orleans. If it is a fantasy setting, then I would have to choose Middle Earth.

Thanks for the tag @Bklover !

I'm trying to finish my #historicalhussies selection so I can send it out, but I've ended up listening to Panic at the Disco while browsing audible. I swear that I'll get this sent out to you this week @BethM ! @MaleficentBookDragon
@Avanders @JenlovesJT47

I finished my first Jane Austen novel! This audible version was fantastic. Emma Thompson just might be the narrator that I've ever heard (sorry Neil Gaiman). The voice cast was spot on. I have a healthy respect for the amount, and quality of snark that Jane Austen wrote in this book.

I had to do a bunch of driving for work early this morning. I started listening to the Audible production of Northanger Abbey. It is fantastic! I needed some tunes to help keep me awake while driving, so I would listen to a 30 Seconds to Mars song very loud between each chapter of Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen and Jared Leto really seem to go well together. 😀

I also saw a bison farm while I was out. Not a bad morning for having to go in early.

#7days7books 7 books that made an impression or changed me.

Book 4 The Hobbit.

This is where everything changed for me. Tolkien's world became my choice for escape during my teen years. I've read The Hobbit more times than I can remember. This was also my introduction to fantasy. It opened the door to so many amazing worlds. It isn't the best fantasy story, or even Tolkien's best, but it is still my favorite book ever.

#7days7books 7 books that made a deep impression or changed me.

Book 3 Treasure Island
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have read this book countless times over the years. I think that Long John Silver is one of the greatest literary characters ever. I still dream about finding pirate treasure one day.

#7days7books 7 books that made a deep impression or changed me.

Book 2 Han Solo at Stars End. In the early 80s I was just starting my Star Wars obsession. My Dad gave me his copy of the tagged book. This was my first Sci-fi book, and it sparked my love of the genre. I have been reading Sci-fi ever since. Thanks Dad!

#7days7books 7 books that made a deep impression or changed me.

Book 1 is the first book that I can remember. My mom read this to me over and over when I was a baby, and I had her keep reading to me almost every day when I was a little guy, even though I had it memorized long before I could ever read. The Pokey Little Puppy helped make me a book lover from infancy.

Thanks for the tag @sprainedbrain ! I went back to the beginning on this one.

#Ispy @Avanders asked for a book with some kind of creature on the cover. Here are two covers from some of my favorite Marvel series.
The Sabretooth series was about him hunting a Wendigo.
The Annihilation cover has Nova and Drax battling a swarm of alien insects that are invading our universe from the Negative Zone.

I'll tag @Chrissyreadit @sprainedbrain to share a plaid book cover that is NOT a highland romance. 😉 #Ispy

#quarantinereadschallenge

1. Star Path
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Joseph Beth Booksellers
4. LOTR, Hobbit, People of the Lakes
5. V for Vendetta
6. The Loch: Heaven's Lake
7. Rivendell
8. You. I was surprised at how much I started to root for Joe.
9. Get out of my awful slump and read books again.
10. My old decrepit recliner.
11. The Hobbit and Treasure Island
12. @Bklover @Trashcanman

Thanks for the tags @Chrissyreadit @JenlovesJT47

1. Frodo and Sam. Greatest literary friendship ever. Some of my favorites are Wolverine and Jubilee, Green Spider and Black Skull from People of the Lakes, and of course Han and Chewie.

2. I've only recently started reading Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse series. Six of Crows was fantastic.

3. I'm still trying to get through The Stand.

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

This #Two4Tuesday made me decide what to read in April. Thanks for the tag @Avanders !

1. I'm going to finally pick up The Stand again. I'll do my best to finish it in April.

2. I guess I'm more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of reader. Unless it is a LMPBC book or a buddy read, I usually have no idea what I'm going to read a month ahead.

The Stand made me think of @Trashcanman
So I tag you George! ☺

@TheSpineView

#FRIYAYINTRO

1. Hiking. We just went hiking yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and the wildflowers are starting to bloom.
2. Extrovert, but a fairly introverted one.
3. I've finished 2 books, 2 audio books, and 4 graphic novels. Ruin and Rising was my favorite.
4. Always sending love to @cobwebmoth ❤

@4thhouseontheleft @howjessreads

I'm currently reading my daughter's My Hero Academia fan fiction about the character Hawks. She has done a great job on this story so far. I might be slightly biased, but I will consider it cannon in the MHA universe.😀

Hawks' Hero Agency, somewhere in Kyushu, Japan, probably a week or two after the Shie

Hassaikai Raid...

#whichonewednesday

1. Stephen King, although I would love to read a King version of The Notebook. I wonder where Randall Flagg would fit in?

2. I used to be a night owl, and I still try to stay up late, but years of waking up early for work have ruined me.

3. Salty and hopefully spicy.

Happy #TolkienReadingDay !

The Hobbit was my introduction to fantasy as a child. I've loved dragons ever since. The conversation between Bilbo and Smaug has always been a favorite passage. I love how Tolkien wrote dragons in to his stories. Glaurung had some great dialog in The Silmarillion as well.

I haven't read any of Faith Hunter's books before this. I have to say that this was really fun on audio. Space ships, bikers, sentient cats, nano-tech, sassy southern belle A.I. This book had so many enjoyable elements. The main character was very likable, there was a decent amount of back story and world building, the tech was believable, and the cats were pretty great. I hope there is a sequel in the works.

1. I've always turned to comics or Fantasy as an escape. Classic cosmic Marvel and X-Men, Sandman, any book by Tolkien, Gaiman, or the Gears.
2. Any comedy with Peter Sellers. A Shot In The Dark was my favorite. The original Star Wars trilogy has always been a great escape for me as well.
3. IT Crowd, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, The Office
4. Nature photography, hiking, fishing, I need to draw more often

#FridayFun @wanderinglynn

1. Yes. I have multiple tbr piles in my room.

2. I think I'll be ok. I could always use more spicy snacks, but I don't want to jeopardize my tp supply. 😉

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

I loved this. Jeff Lemire's run on Moon Knight was fantastic. I've always been a Moon Knight fan. Lemire takes pieces of Marc Spector's back story, his multiple personalities, the power of Khonshu, and puts them all together in a padded room. You really feel like you are going insane when you read this. Another Lemire masterpiece!

1. Nothing drastic yet, although we did cancel some travel plans. My family is spending most of our time at home together, so that is one positive thing about this.
2. Yes. Yes I do.
3. Nope. One of these years I'll have Scotch eggs and Guinness for breakfast though.
4. Fatal Cajun Festival, Star Path, and I might start back into The Stand.
5. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. It was awesome!
#randosurvey @laurenslibrary

This was a good conclusion to the trilogy. I was happy with most of the character wrap ups. My favorite side characters actually lived for a change! This leads nicely towards King of Scars. I'll be starting that soon. After seeing some of the casting for the TV series, I can easily see Ben Barnes as The Darkling.

While waiting at the library for my kids book club to let out, this Cajun cozy mystery jumped out at me.(quite literally) Ok, maybe I accidentally knocked it off the shelf, but it still wants to be read. Plus there is a great sounding etouffee recipe in it.

I really enjoyed this book. @JenlovesJT47 you made a good choice. It was a really interesting journey from Scotland to the Canadian wilderness. Murder, secrets, revenge, romance, and trout fishing. This book has it all. 😀
#historicalhussies @MaleficentBookDragon @Avanders @BethM @JenlovesJT47

Good morning Littens. I have a rare opportunity to start my day out with coffee and a book. I need more mornings like this.