Just got back from a lovely hike in the woods, and as happens when I hike, I think about things.

Today, one of the things I was considering was the term “Black Friday.”

The other “Black” day of the week that came immediately to mind is:

That’s pretty much the opposite of Black Friday.

So… English is weird.

Thank you, to those who have served, who are currently serving, and to their families.

Thank you.

The books of October were almost all re-reads of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series. I’d fallen behind on reading the series after Grandmom died, so I decided to go back to the start and re-read straight through.

I did have one audio book–Faith Hunters Raven Cursed, from her Jane Yellowrock series, which I am thoroughly enjoying as audio books. I actually have the last Jane book waiting for me–I started it, saw the character that looked to be involved, and decided I wasn’t in the mood for that and put it back down. (I have an embarrassing number of new releases waiting for me.)

I also re-read Patricia Wrede’s A Matter of Magic which is a YA Historical Fantasy that I really enjoyed. That’s probably my big recommendation from this month: if you haven’t read Patricia Wrede, you should change that ASAP. Most of her books are Historical YA fantasy, which means they’re really good fantasy without the boinking. I’ve given her books to some of the larger small people in my life.

Mystery
Commissario Brunetti
Death at La Fenice (1992) Donna Leon (8/10)
Death in a Strange Country (1993) Donna Leon (8/10)
Dressed for Death (1994) Donna Leon (8/10)
Death and Judgment (1995) Donna Leon (8/10)
Acqua Alta (1996) Donna Leon (8/10)
Quietly in Their Sleep (1997) Donna Leon (8/10)
A Noble Radiance (1998) Donna Leon (7/10)
Fatal Remedies (1999) Donna Leon
Friends in High Places (1999) Donna Leon (8/10)
A Sea of Troubles (2001) Donna Leon (8/10)

Fantasy, YA
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward (1991/1997) Patricia C. Wrede (8.5/10)

Historical Romance
The Sword Dancer (2013) Jeannie Lin (5/10)

Audio
Raven Cursed Audible version (2012/2012) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)

As far as stats go, I read 13 books, all but two of which were ebooks, only one of which was not a re-read, and 11 of which I own in multiple formats.

I read 11 mysteries, two fantasies, one romance, and one YA.

And every single book I read in October was written by a female.

Woke up this morning to blue skies and cool weather, so we jumped in the car (after layering up) and headed out to Coopers Rock.

It was beautiful.

Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Trails: Rhododendron, Mont Chateau, Ridge, Rock City, & Eagle Trails
Distance: 5.1 miles
Elevation: 1391 – 2347 feet

University Avenue reopened today–at least partially.

It’s still a construction zone, it’s a rough asphalt job, and the sidewalk is supposed to be closed. But you can drive down University again.

Here’s what we saw:

First view coming around the corner:

Sidewalk closed! (I ignored this.)

Here’s where you can see the drop.

Panorama of Beverly & University.

Some new, nice wide sidewalk!

Oooh! Metal barriers to separate the pedestrians from the traffic! And they’re not ugly!

The garage is open! (At least the upper floors are.)

Many more pictures if you click through to Flickr.