Friends, here's an ebook bundle to sit back and enjoy. I love these books. The Complete Ellie Tappet Box Set Cruise Ship Mystery Bundle by Cheri Baker 📚:
Set sail for friendship and fun with Ellie Tappet, the crime-solving grandma readers can't stop raving about.
Format: DRM-Free Epub (For All Devices Including Kindle, Kobo, Tablets, Phones, & Nook)
Five climate lessons from Māori communities (that are guaranteed not to depress you) | The Spinoff:
you’ll often hear the phrase “climate change is going to hit indigenous communities first and worst”. Invariably, it isn’t Māori saying it. That’s because the climate crisis isn’t imminent. Ever since the arrival of settlers and the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, marae, hapū and iwi have been responding to catastrophic environmental changes caused by human activities. The only difference now is the consequences have become so widespread and severe, governments can no longer deny it is a crisis.
Hey crossword-loving people, I use Daniel Jalkut's fantastic Black Ink app to do crosswords every single day on my Mac. If you're more an iOS person then take a look at the new Black Ink for iOS:
Like its Mac counterpart, core features are free to use, forever … downloading puzzles from a variety of bundled “sources”, and solving the puzzles in the beautifully-rendered Black Ink grid.
Premium features including Check Answer, Reveal Answer, and planned future features such as printing.
A somewhat amusing read, poking gentle fun. The Dinner Lady Detectives: A charming British village cosy mystery by Hannah Hendy. 📚
Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful middle-age together … eagerly awaiting retirement from their work on the front line serving meals to the students at Summerview secondary school.
Their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead in the school’s walk-in freezer.
How an unknown app helped mobilise 10,000 people at Tūrangawaewae | The Spinoff:
An efficiently organised pōwhiri saw 10,000 guests through the gates of Tūrangawaewae within half an hour for hui aa motu … How did thousands of people even attempt to mobilise to discuss broad topics around national unity within the space of hours without people rarking up or yelling over one another?
The nexus of communication was an unlikely contender: a conference app called Whova …
I was told about this kudos for my work with Waikawa News, but now have seen it for myself (PDF). Miraz Xan Tha is my Facebook screen name.
Back on 01 January 2024 I thought my word for this year would be surprise
. Well, with Deb's gallbladder op, our travel delays, and both of us catching Covid, I don't feel that's worked out too well so far.
Deb has suggested a better word: Spontaneous
. Much better!
Such impressive wings on this critter I found on the washing line this morning.
Ten memorable quotes from te hui aa motu | The Spinoff [held Saturday 20 January 2024]:
Te hui aa motu was a monumental moment in the history of Aotearoa. Not since the foreshore and seabed protests in 2004 have Māori and their allies come together in such large numbers to present a united face in opposition to government policy. Te Kiingitanga initially estimated that 3,000 people would be in attendance at Tuurangawaewae marae, but in reality, there were more like 10,000 attendees.
I was hooked from the first with Blood on the Tracks (Sydney Rose Parnell Book 1) by Barbara Nickless. Such a riveting read, and I've immediately bought the next. 📚
Excellent writing, with some turns of phrase I noted for the way they hit home.
Thanks to @alexandra@social.lol for the recommendation.
Country life: sitting in bed of a rainy Saturday, reading and wondering what the weird noise was.
Glanced out the window to see a horse, no saddle or bridle, galloping away down our lane.
Flurries of activity … the owners put a notice on the local FB page. Now it's safe at home. 🐎
Deb and I managed a slow 25 minute walk on the beach. We encountered 1 angry Pied Stilt who, surprisingly, did not dive-bomb us, and two angry Oystercatchers who complained loudly. No humans, angry or otherwise.
Disappointed to do another Covid test this morning and find I'm still positive. I'm feeling better, though still tired and with very low energy. Definitely missing going to the beach. 🦠
I read The Nugent Case (Mine for the Taking Book 1) by Torie Raben when I was in a bit of a daze, I think. More spy story than detective. It was OK, but I won't bother with more in the series. 📚
With The Arc (DCI Ellie McVey series Book 1) by J.A. Rainbow I realised:
I watch without complaint TV shows that are equally vague and 'unrealistic' about police investigations. I could also overlook the crime / mystery aspect and just see it as a story about lesbians. Much less annoying. 📚
A very curious thing about those 8 DL Keur books I read. The author was a stickler for using the ® symbol after certain names, like Stetson and Kevlar. I've never ever seen an author do that before and it jarred every single time.
I nearly stopped reading Deadly Bond (Kate Kinsella Mysteries Book 5) by Christine Green but returned to it in the end. 📚
I won't read others in the series. Sometimes the author has turns of phrase that appeal.
My nostalgia, like an orgasm, didn't last long, and I was soon asleep.
A little bit of flattery is nearly as good as finding plenty of jam in a doughnut so I didn't argue any more.
Welcoming nightfall. At our friends place in Whangārei.
I thoroughly enjoyed the The Jessica Anderson K-9 Mysteries, as I mentioned already. Dead Falls (Book 5); Troubled Pursuit (Book 6); Game Trail (Book 7); Cold Scent (Book 8) did not disappoint in the least and in fact very pleasingly developed the main characters and even introduced some new ones. 📚
I'd read one of the other Daph books so knew what I was in for with this light and fluffy read. Daph On The Beach by Phillipa Nefri Clark was a little bit of candy floss. 📚
