It's That Time!

I saw the following on my Facebook memories today:

And even more Halloween in the stores. The photos below are from our TJ Maxx store the opened last November. Thus these are their first Halloween displays. It's the same stuff I always saw when working at Home Goods, since they are owned by the same company as TJ Maxx.

Target, last I saw, still hasn't gotten the Halloween yet. I guess they are waiting until September 1. Not long now. I still miss Kmart. They always had a better Halloween selection that Target.

And some Halloween at Goodwill, though the racks of medical scrubs, scouting uniforms, and flowered dresses have not as of yet been put out. The displays of masks, wigs, make-up and such has been out for a few days now. 

Now waiting for the nearest Spirit store to open, though I'm not sure I will buy anything from them when I can make something myself. Though I'd like to see what they have, to get some ideas.

Bibliolifestyle Fall 2023 Reading Challenge

 Only three categories on this one.

Set at a School: Nothing But Trouble--Jacqueline Davies

Classic Novel: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow--Washington Irving

Murder Mystery: Dirty Thirty--Janet Evanovich

Challenge completed on November 7

Autumn/Fall Reading 2023@Alisylvi

 Still not on Storygraph myself, but I'm doing this one.

Starts: Friday, 01 September 2023

Ends: Thursday, 30 November 2023

Hello! 
This is a reading challenge featuring autumn themed prompts for you to feel all those fall feelings! Read books from your physical TBR, library books, or new ones - it's up to you! Feel free to combine prompts! Have a lovely autumn!! 

All prompt pictures were found from Pinterest!

1. A Warm Sweater:

It's finally time to retrieve your favorite cosy sweater from the closet! Read a comforting book that will warm your heart and protect you from the cold of the season: Dirty Thirty--Janet Evanovich 

2. Mysterious Circumstances

Was that the wind howling or someone screaming from being murdered?! - Read a mystery:

Tatiana--Martin Cruz Smith

 

3. A Black Cat 

Black cats are creatures for all kinds of superstition - both good and evil. Read a book with supernatural elements!: The Silmarillion--J.R.R. Tolkien

 

 

4. "It was a dark and stormy night…" 

Fall is the time for athmospheric reading! Read a book with an autumnal, gothic or moody setting: The Midnight Club--Christopher Pike

5. Children's Cartoons:

In the colder months the couch is calling and the TV is playing. Give the screen a rest and look at pictures in a book instead. Read a graphic novel, manga or a book with illustrations!:

Orange Volume 2--Ichigo Takano

6. Trick or Treat? 

Trick - There will be a lot of witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other creatures and monsters knocking at your door soon! Best get ready to meet them by reading a book featuring a mythical creature or monster so that you will be prepared for all their tricks!
Treat - Halloween is a good time for all the sweet tooths (teeth?) and you are a giver of candy. The spooky scary vibes aren’t for you, so you can take a break from them by reading a lighthearted book! 

The Witch's Daughter--Paula Brackston

7. Ghosts from the Past:

Fall is mysterious and supernatural with its darkness and strange sounds. When passing by the graveyard you might meet someone who wants to tell their tale. Read a historical novel or a book featuring ghosts: Son of the Dawn--Cassandra Clare    

 

8. A Warm Soup:

We all know that soup is better when it's been stewing for a while, right? The same might apply to books! Read a book that you've been meaning to read for a while: Heart Bones--Colleen Hoover 

 

9. Old Libraries:

With school and academia starting in the autumn it is the perfect time to finally cross out that required reading. Read a classic or a book with an academic setting: One of Us is Next--Karen M. McManus 

 

10. Autumn Colors:

When the leaves turn yellow, orange, red and brown the world becomes magical. Match a book cover to the falling leaves! Feel free to combine with other prompts: Checking Out Crime--Laurie Cass 

11. Apple Picking:

Apples are known as the forbidden fruits of knowledge. Read a book about a topic you wish to learn more about!: Peril--Bob Woodward    

12. Crisp Autumn Air:

Autumn weather is severely underrated, it might be cold but it is beyond beautiful. Dress for the weather and read a book or parts of a book outside. Don't forget to bring your hot beverage of choice! Feel free to combine your outdoor adventure with other prompts!: Aurora's End--Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

 

13. The Nightmare Before Christmas:

It's November and still fall outside, but you're starting to long for another season's traditions...? Those spooky autumn tunes you've been listening to have started to become something more ...festive?
 - Don't worry, I got you. Feel free to start off the coming season in secret by reading a book not quite suited to the fall atmosphere: Once Upon a December--Amy E. Reichert

Challenge completed on November 16

 

 

Fall 2023 Reading Challenge @Beyond the Bookends

 Here is the bingo card for fall.

1. Read a cookbook or book about food: No Bake Cookies, Bars & Pies
2. Book by a female BIPOC author: With the Might of Angels--Andrea Davis Pinkney
3. Magical realism: The City We Became--N.K. Jeminsin
4. Grumpy sunshine romance: Love on the Brain--Ali Hazelwood
5. Book set in winter: Once Upon a December--Amy E. Reichert
6. Book about politics (fiction or non-fiction): Peril--Bob Woodward
7. Listen to a book read by your favorite narrator: The Hill We Climb--Amanda Gorman
8. Read one of the best books from the past 5 years: The Cruel Prince--Holly Black
9. Horror Thriller: The Vision--Dean Koontz

 Challenge completed on November 19

DVD or Streaming?

This is the question I have been asking myself ever since Netflix announced it would be ending its DVDs-by-mail service at the end of September.  Even more so now the end is more than a month away, as I was reminded in an email form Netflix last week. 

Not knowing how many more discs I will get in the next month and a half, I decided to see what I could watch on streaming free, and chose to remove those titles from my queue. Sadly there are some titles I can't find on either disc or streaming, and if they are on streaming, you have to pay to view some of the titles. I'm hoping some of the titles will be available to watch without paying at later dates.

When I began getting Netflix DVDs in 2007, I was often eager to watch a disc as soon as I could. But in the last few years, I have tended not to watch them immediately. This even happened during the pandemic, when I was stuck at home and had more than enough time to watch DVDs. Since I have tended to not watch most DVDs right away, I got to wondering how many I will be getting until the end of September, and if I will get to all the ones I have queued right now. This is why I decided to see what I could watch on streaming without paying, and delete those titles from the DVD queue.

I don't have Netflix streaming, BTW, and it's hard to explain why. And I don't plan on having up on watching DVDs either, with so many I already have. I can still get them t the library. The pro to this method is that they are free, of course, but the con is that I only get them for two weeks (though it used to only be for ONE week!) Though there are plenty of movies I have that I have not watched in years, though that's typical of anyone with such a collection. And it was just how I was with cassettes and CDs. 

Often when I would see a movie in the theater, I would decide if I liked it enough to get the DVD when it came out. I felt this way when watching Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret in the theater. I looked for the DVD at Target, but was unable to find it, so I may just order it from Amazon soon.  And I kind of felt the same way about Barbie. That one remains to be seen, however.

One of the things I'm going to miss about Netlix is seeing the iconic red envelopes in my mail box. It was always to find something other that bills and junk in the box. Alas....

And I came across this article today. I have to agree with most of the stuff it says. Another reason I will miss getting DVDs by mail, though I still have the option of getting them at the library. Though this might not be how to see new releases right when they come out.

Netflix has been promoting its 25th anniversary on its envelopes just as they are  about to wind down the service. That seems so sad....

August Bookish Bingo

 The new card is here.

My Books:

1. Islandborn--Junot Diaz (3 squares): Audiobook, Origin Story, Foreign Country
2. Transformed: The Perils of the Frog Prince (5 squares): E-Book, Royalty, Alternative Worlds, Historical Setting, Friendship
3. How to Murder Your Life--Cat Marnell (4 squares): Shelf Love, Physical Book, Book Club Read, Not in a Series
4. Eyes of Wynter--Emmy R. Bennett (7 squares): Free Book, In a Series, Empowered Female, Fantasy, Coat of Arms, Free Space, Library
5. The Start of World War II: The Flood of the German Tide--Christopher Chant (3 squares): Take Flight, Negotiations, Spies
6. The Da Vinci Code--Dan Brown (3 squares): Library Book, Made Into a Movie, Dreams or Nightmares

25 squares completed on August 9