Serial

I am always late to the party --- any party. For the past 3 days I've  been listening to the podcast "Serial".  I had heard about it, but never thought much about it, while it was trending live.

A friend (who used to have a wonderful cooking blog, Brenda's Canadian Kitchen.  Anyone remember it?) told me that I should listen to it as I walked.
Well, I liked it so much after the 1st episode I couldn't stop and had to listen to all 12 as fast as I could.  I had to play catch up.

So the question is--what other podcasts should I not miss?  

Here is what it is -- a short description from Aboutserial.org:

Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, and is hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story - a true story - over the course of an entire season. Each season, we'll follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. And we won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to the episodes in order, starting with Episode 1.

Evening thoughts (stuff I can say late at night when no one is looking/listening)

I just have to share this... a conversation between me and my granddaughter, Emerson.

She had her tonsils and adenoids out on Monday (last week).
I watched her on Thursday.
We were watching a movie and I dozed off.
When I awoke she asked me why I did this (then she made a snoring noise)
I said:  oh man, did I snore?  (it's true---I do---a bit)
She got a very sad look on her face and whispered,  Gram, they took my snore away!

It was strangely heartbreaking.  As if someone had taken her soul.

Emmy in the hospital before they ripped the snore from her!!

Just thinking

Yesterday, I had a question for my book club friends, it was   a question about Robert Redford.   The Robert Redford of the olden days.

First, I must backtrack---

---there is a new mystery series coming out in June by Annamaria Alfieri.  The first book in the series is titled: Strange Gods and is set in  British Colonial Africa in 1911.

I found  out about this new series while reading  Jungle Red Writers.  I love to read Jungle Red Writers. What is Jungle Red Writers?   They describe themselves as: 

7 smart and sassy crime fiction writers dish on writing and life. It's The View. With bodies.

I love the authors who contribute to the blog.  I don't read all of them/their books, but I am faithful to a couple.

But back to the book at hand... 

Alfieri says that her book was inspired  by the real life characters known to us from Out of Africa, West With the Night, and The Flame Trees of Thika.

In my book club  "Totally Lit",  we read "Out of Africa" about 5 years ago.

I loved that book!!  And I loved that movie!

(we also read "West with the Night")

Out of Africa was one of the most romantic books I have ever read, and one of the most romantic movies I have ever seen.

And I do not mean that in the 'lovey-dovey' sense of the word, but in the scope and extensiveness and the beauty of the story.

I am excited to read this new series, because the author uses and intersperses real-life characters into her story along with her fictional characters.

Read her interview from Jungle Red Writers here:

I am very excited.

Having said that tho....(that I'm excited for the series to come out)

I asked my book club members and now I'm asking you too...

the old school Robert Redford?  Yay or nay?  Do you love him?

from Out of Africa:

the director said no one could project an image of elusiveness on the screen like Redford.

Do we like elusive?  RR---yay?  or  nay?

I'm just sayin' ----- I do.  And while I read this series, my mind will be inserting mental images of  Denys Finch-Hatton, the real-life character Robert Redford plays in Out of Africa.  I mean I will be picturing Robert!  Not Denys.