PANDEMIC GRATITUDE
What a wild week. Americans of the United States were thinking about poking at Nevada with a stick, like it was a dead body we found in the woods, because the vote count wouldn’t move, and Nevada’s six electoral college votes were all we needed for Biden to win. Then, the Biden/Harris ticket won Pennsylvania (and Georgia and Nevada), and we couldn’t stop crying. Now we can sleep again. Although I don’t think it’s right to bully people, I must confess that Greta Thunberg’s gentle poke at The Donald’s loss made me smile. She’s so smart, and with her in the world, I feel better.
My mom and I are still doing our book club. Right now we’re reading the last book of Joanne Harris’s Vianne Rocher (or Chocolat) series. During book club, Mom’s dog decided he wants to be a cartographer when he grows up, so long as he can sleep and snore while he’s doing it:
Also, this gorgeous Indiana man with a spectacular oiled beard (#thirsty) won on Jeopardy! and told this wonderful story about Alex Trebek teaching him English.
THIS WEEK’S BLOG POSTS
It was a real treat to share Monica Nolan’s interview with you, and for those of you who picked up Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary back when I reviewed it in 2016, what are you waiting for!? Nolan’s lesbian career girl series is a real treat!
One of the best moments of this past week didn’t go in my Pandemic Gratitude section because it is in regard to my review of Peaches for Monsieur le Curé by Joanne Harris, which posted Thursday. My mom, with whom I read the book, said that she was so intrigued by my review that it made her want to read the book, and then she remembered that she just did. LOL! That’s certainly a compliment in my opinion.
Monica Nolan 
NEXT WEEK’S BLOG POSTS
Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson is broken into eight sections. The sections explore story trends distinct to a time period and trend, such as those who were interested in and penned stories about the occult circa 1918-1926 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was writing about Spiritualism instead of Sherlock Holmes. Review on Tuesday.
The last #ReadingValdemar book of the year, Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey offers up a different style of book, one that follows a young Herald trainee years before he’s Chosen, rather than throwing him right into the ranks within a chapter or two. Review on Thursday.
What looks like a cozy mystery with a fat woman playing amateur detective — and the synopsis lends itself to this assessment — turned out to be something much better and more sophisticated. Am I going to throw myself into another series? It’s possible. Check out my review of Larger than Death by Lynne Murray on Thursday.
BOOKS ADDED TO THE TBR PILE
Just one! It’s another from Pearlsong Press. I’ll be reading Unconventional Means by Anne Richardson Williams and Hearing Maud by Jessica White for Brona’s AusReading Month (that is, reading Australia). I’ve never participated, but I realized I had on my TBR a book by an Australian and one co-written with an Australian aboriginal woman, so decided to participate a little.
Grab the Lapels 
Someone should have poked the networks with a stick, who wouldn’t declare for Biden-Harris until long after it was clear they had Pennsylvania in the bag. It already feels odd not having to fear Trump and he hasn’t even left yet. All eyes now on Georgia – here’s hoping for 2 Dem wins and a tied senate.
Glad you decided to join in AusReading Month.
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Well, we had the whole debacle in 2000 with calling the election and then recounting votes in Florida, back when we had the ballots you punched out with a needle thing. How punched is punched? I can’t believe an election hung in the balance on that question.
Since the laws around how late mail-in ballots will be accepted varies state by state, and Nevada sent a ballot to every single person in their state regardless for the first-time ever due to COVID, they didn’t have the infrastructure to count quickly.
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It was a stressful but good week for America. 🙂
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I feel numb today, like we left a toxic husband and got our own apartment and can do what we want, but we don’t know what to do first.
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Omg that is a perfect metaphor!
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A great end to what was a stressful week – and that’s from someone who doesn’t even live in the States!
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It’s amazing to hear from you all about how stressful the U.S. is to other countries. The nonsense can finally stop, Cathy.
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Ooh, looking forward to your thoughts on Monster, She Wrote, which has been on my TBR. Also I think it’s hilarious that your mom liked your post enough to want to read a book she’d just read! Take that compliment! Moms really can be the best.
(And yay for the end to the election stress!!!)
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She is delightful. We’re almost done with the last Vianne Rocher book, The Strawberry Thief, and then we’re moving on to the classic thriller A Simple Plan. I’ve seen the movie, but it’s been ages.
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By the end of last week, even outside the US, nobody could talk about anything else. It infiltrated most of my meetings at work. And my friends and family have been exchanging so many happy messages about how relieved we are!
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Oh, how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when you were at work talking politics. I really wonder what the heck people are saying about us. I know we’ve emailed about it, but I wonder if people are feeling the embarrassment about Trump failing to concede that the media suggests you all are.
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My work WhatsApp group, which usually stays apolitical because we have a diversity of opinions, is just people sharing memes about Trump being a toddler or having to be evicted. But: all the scorn is directed squarely at him, not at the US in general.
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Oh lord, I feel for you and all my American friends, what a week that was! The whole globe breathed a collective sigh of relief when Biden won, hopefully the US can begin to heal after that, and it’s a nice point that there’s no need to gloat, let’s build those bridges back up!
Also excited to read your cozy mystery review! 🙂
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Hoo-boy. Well, we’ve had people arrested for threatening to murder anyone who celebrates Biden’s win. We’ve had the FBI stop a domestic terrorist attack to kidnap the Michigan governor and take over the capital. Trump is firing everyone left and right and putting loyalists in their positions. It’s definitely not over, though if he is still in the White House on January 20th, he’s considered trespassing and will be removed. EMBARRASSING.
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ugh cringe on so many levels
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I wonder how many people learned English (at least in part) from watching Jeopardy?
And I think the whole world was celebrating with America on Saturday! It was stressful up in Canada, waiting for results. I can’t imagine what it was like in the states.
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I guess there were many responses from immigrants who said Alex helped them learn English.
What is it that Canadians were afraid of if Trump won? I know Lou from England talked about the NHS and Trump.
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