Turns out that my Nissan Leaf is different to most. There is an additional molded plastic part located at the bottom of the car body in front of the front wheel, as seen here:
After Winter
After the Winter
by Hibernal
A man who transfers his thoughts and memories to a synthetic body in order to survive an apocalypse seeks to return to his human form.
Adapted from the novel “After the Winter (The Silent Earth, Book 1)” by Mark R. Healy (2014).
The third of four audiobook/musicals. Again, the theme is the distinction between man and machine.
1 Money
One for the Money
(Stephanie Plum #1)
by Janet Evanovich (1994)
You’ve lost your job as a department store lingerie buyer, your car’s been repossessed, and most of your furniture and small appliances have been sold off to pay last month’s rent. Now the rent is due again. And you live in New Jersey. What do you do?
If you’re Stephanie Plum, you become a bounty hunter.
It’s easy to see why this author and the series is so popular. The writing is clear, so are the characters and plot. And while most of the people the usual crime stereotypes, there is enough depth and variety to keep things interesting.
The best part of the tone of the book, while it is a crime story, there is wit and charm in Stephanie to make it an enjoyable read.
The only question is; given the scrapes and close calls, how is it that the character appears to have survived through 26 full length novels…
Only one way to find out……..
Good Place 41
The Good Place
Episode 41
A Girl from Arizona (Part 2)
Eleanor in charge, and she’s not confident enough to lead…
But it’s all about Brent, trying to change him and Chidi’s girlfriend.
Troublemakers
The Troublemakers
by George O. Smith (1960)
Originally published in Galaxy Magazine, April 1960.
A rather strange novelette. A girl in a repressive society is causing trouble by not following conventions. A young man wants to be a spaceman but due to limited abilities gets moved around the galaxy.
It seems inevitable that they will meet. But when they do, was it by design ? And just who are the ‘troublemakers’ anyway ?
Ancient
The Ancient
(Saga of the First King #2)
by R.A. Salvatore(2008)
Searching for his long-lost father, Bransen Garibond is tricked into journeying across the Gulf of Corona to the wild lands of Vanguard, where he is pressed into service in a desperate war against the brutal Samhaist, Ancient Badden.
Following immediately on from the first, the second in the series starts well. The plot around Bransen, while slow is engaging. However more characters and plot threads are introduced. This just overwhelms the reader with more to remember. Soon this becomes a burden and detracts from the reading enjoyment.
I just gave up.
Bertram Fiddle
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle
Episode 1: A Dreadly Business
I first came across this from episode 73 of Smashing Security
This is a Victorian murder mystery game, available on steam and for the Android. It was installed on my tablet at the time (April 2018) and while briefly played, never finished.
With a (little) help from a walk-through the game was completed in an afternoon. It’s a fun little game, with lots of silly wisecracks and puns, mostly referencing things in the 20th century.
Episode 2 Continues the story…..
Highwayman
The Highwayman
(Saga of the First King #1)
by R.A. Salvatore (2005)
Set in the same world as the Demon wars saga.
Long ago, in a distant land, a lonely young man struggles to discover who he is and where he belongs. He carries the blood and magic of two people, a sword of unimaginable power, and the staggering potential for great good, or greater evil.
This was unusual in that the book was started as an audio-book, however I stopped listening to read the final third.
I found that reading instead of listening was faster and a better experience. The story is familiar to fantasy readers; a boy, cast aside trains himself to become a fearsome warrior. Standard stuff, but as usual R A Salvatore raised it above average. He is probably the best writer of action sequences I know. So an enjoyable read and will be following with the next in the series.
Sputnik
1957.. Sputnik launched
The Soviet Union inaugurates the “Space Age” with its launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, named Sputnik after the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched at 10:29 p.m. Moscow time from the Tyuratam launch base in the Kazakh Republic.
Sputnik had a diameter of 22 inches and weighed 184 pounds and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes.
Traveling at 18,000 miles an hour, its elliptical orbit had an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 584 miles and a perigee (nearest point) of 143 miles.
Visible with binoculars before sunrise or after sunset, Sputnik transmitted radio signals back to Earth strong enough to be picked up by amateur radio operators.
Doc Savage
The Man of Bronze
(Doc Savage #1)
by Kenneth Robeson/Lester Dent (1933)
High above the skyscrapers of New York, Doc Savage engages in deadly combat with the red-fingered survivors of an ancient, lost civilization. Then, with his amazing crew, he journeys to the mysterious “lost valley” to search for a fabulous treasure and to destroy the mysterious Red Death.
Marvel Comics editor Stan Lee has credited Doc Savage as being the forerunner to modern superheroes. And it’s easy to see why. He’s tough and fit, smart in every way possible and indestructible. Also, for this first story he can anticipate his enemy’s moves.
The prose is tight, terse and moves the plot along a a great pace. While not giving the intensity and thrills of a modern thriller, it’s certainly entertaining.