Another Sunday has come around, and it is definitely June outside. You wouldn’t think that an 86°F day with low humidity would be so stifling, but there’s not a breath of wind outside so the air is just sitting there, slowly cooking under a sunless sky.

I am not looking forward to summer.

Anyway. I’ll cross that muggy bridge when I get there. Right now, books! I finished three of them this week- The Red Magician by Lisa Goldstein, Margaret of Anjou by Conn Iggulden, and Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes (I’ll post a review for this later in the week).

I’ve already started two other books, Bloodline by Conn Iggulden, which is the third installment of his Wars of the Roses series. Thanks to a gripping plot and fascinating characters, I read in bed for an hour longer than I intended to, so I’m already to page 125. Looks like I’ll be finishing this one in a hurry. Because I always like to have a digital book handy in case of long lines at the grocery store or whatever, I downloaded Jacqueline Carey’s Miranda and Caliban, because who doesn’t love a good Shakespeare retelling? I’ve never read Carey’s work before, so I’m looking forward to it.

 

In other news, the podcast Invisibilia is back for a new season! It’s an offshoot of the stellar Radiolab, and the first two episodes deal with emotions, how they are made, and the their consequences in both everyday and extreme circumstances. I’d be listening to it right now, but I can’t listen to people talking and type at the same time. Might have to hurry through the writing of this!

Neil Gaiman has been working to raise awareness and money for the plight of refugees around the world, so when the comedian Sara Benincasa jokingly asked if he would do a reading of the Cheesecake Factory menu if she raised $500,000 for refugees, he agreed. The campaign has raised just over $87,000 so far. You can find it here:  neil-gaiman-will-do-a-live-reading-of-the-cheesecake-factory-menu-if-we-raise-500000-for-refugees. The minimum donation is $10, so chip in if you can. It’s a worthy cause.