- My list of want-to-read books on Goodreads was approaching 800.
- Clearly, I was never going to read them all.
- Action was taken: I deleted all with an average rating of less than 3.7.
- Good goal.
- But there were a couple-few authors for whom I made a exception
- Minette Walters. I have read several of her books, and they are okay when I want a good, old British suspense novel with psychological overtones.
- Tracy Kidder. I have had a soft spot for this Pulitzer Prize-winning author ever since I read his Mountains Beyond Mountains.
- T.C. Boyle. I have read a couple of his books and found them nicely thought-provoking.
- Exceptions were made for books that sounded just too darned fun or intriguing to skip.
- There are certain book cover designs that I have belatedly learned to avoid.
- Like these:
- And these (these are not the most definitive examples because I didn’t think to give you examples until I had deleted all of them from my want-to-read list):
- Okay, enough about books.
- I have been doing phone banking for Democratic candidates.
- The phone lists are only Democratic voters who requested absentee ballots.
- No attempts to convert MAGA voters, thank FSM.
- They are a lost cause.
- As I go down the list of candidates, the voters tend to respond with an enthusiastic Yes! to each one.
- Except Mandela Barnes, our current lieutenant governor, who is running against Ron Johnson for US Senate.
- There would be a pause and the voter would say something like, “I’m not sure about him.”
- Mandela is Black.
- He was way ahead in the polls until Johnson started airing attack ads in late August.
- They debated last night.
- NBC’s analysis. New York Times analysis (better).
- I emailed Mandela’s campaign to encourage him to rebut some of the attacks and told about my experiences on the phone.
- The accepted wisdom is to ignore attack ads and focus on positives.
- But the attack ads are being effective.
- Fingers crossed.
- When I got my eyes checked back in August, I learned I had Fuch’s endothelial dystrophy, aka corneal edema.
- The optometrist referred me to an eye surgeon for treatment.
- I had never heard of this condition and decided I wanted a second opinion.
- Appointment in November; stay tuned.
- You know I will post about this in excruciating detail.
- I also emailed my favorite primary care doc — Elder Son.
- No word back from him yet.
- My right leg/knee is giving me trouble.
- Let’s not talk about that yet.
- Getting old ain’t for sissies.
- The fall colors here are at their peak.
- It is glorious.
kmkat & her kneedles 
I can’t imagine anyone hesitating to vote for ANYONE other than Ron Johnson, who is the Worst Possible Choice. I would vote for a cardboard box with ‘democrat’ painted on the side, even if it were on fire…
I don’t know anything, really, about Barnes, but Johnson makes me sick to my stomach.
Oh my. Perhaps I need to “cull my TBR list” as well.
and I am holding out hope for Mr. Barnes, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. Fetterman that they all can pull out wins!