Picking some flowers + Death + Reading

Jul 31

May I recommend

Picking some flowers

Now is the time of year to get out there and find a daisy or a cone flower and stick it in a vase or a bottle or a glass. Trust me, it will cheer you up, it will make you feel in touch with nature and it will make your house prettier.

Is it free? YES!

Will you see a bee? PROBABLY!

Can you then post it on social media and pretend that you are a wondrous, artistic free-spirited person who rides a bicycle with a front basket filled with organic vegetables and your latest knitting project? WHY NOT!

Go and do it!

Post your flower pics in the comments below!

I love a GOAT list and this is an interesting one

The 50 Greatest Fictional Deaths of all Time

Pac-Man’s death IS horrifying when you think about it.

And when he dies, he doesn’t simply bounce off the screen, like Mario, or curse his bad luck, like Q*bert. Instead, Pac-Man’s mouth expands and consumes his entire body. Horrifying! What really cements Pac-Man’s death as iconic, though, is the sound effect that plays when he meets this end, an electronic wail followed by two splats. You’re hearing it in your head right now, and you know what it means: The End, unless you can dig another quarter out of your pocket.

I have an ulterior motive in promoting this

How to Fall Back in Love With Reading

I’ve got a book to sell (THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS) and a book that I’m about to sell (THE FOULEST THINGS- pre-order today!) so I am invested in your reading decisions, but also, reading is the best and it’s easy to fall out of the habit.

In fact, numerous studies seem to suggest that when it comes to the psychological benefits of reading, just doing it might matter as much or more than the content. Researchers have found that people who spend a few hours per week reading books live longer than those who don’t read, or who read only articles in periodicals; the sustained act of cognition that books demand seems to be the deciding factor. Other research finds a vast array of social-cognitive benefits that come with reading, particularly reading fiction, aiding the brain’s development in understanding others and imagining the world.

Canada’s Chernobyl

The Forgotten Nuclear Accidents at Chalk River

Years ago I did a bunch of research on this when I thought I was going to write a novel about it. I’d forgotten most of it, but this article’s account of what went down is pretty hair-raising.

The accident was the world’s first meltdown of a reactor core. “It was a pretty major event,” Sabourin says. “There’s an international scale for measuring nuclear accidents according to severity, much like for earthquakes. The scale goes from one to seven. The worst accident ever recorded is Chornobyl, which is a seven. Chalk River, since there was a core meltdown, is a five.”

Writing News

Not too much to report. I am desperately trying to finish my next book. I’m a little bit stuck, but had an invigorating discussion about bullets on a beach in Nova Scotia, so I might be back on track.