What is the Sunday Salon?
The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
What I Read Last Week:
Endling by Maria Reva (fiction)
What I'm Reading Now:
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (fantasy)
Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond (writing)
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (kids' fantasy)
What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:
I'm glad to tell you that Nonfiction November is returning this year. I'm working now on making my list of my favorite nonfiction of 2025, and I'm making a list of what I want to read in November. For more about Nonfiction, take a look at my Nonfiction November 2025: Save the Date post.
I had never seen this movie nor had I even heard of this movie until Erin (Still Life, with Cracker Crumbs) and Lisa's (Boondock Ramblings) included it as part of this year's Cozy Comfy Cinema.
The story of a peasant who poses as a knight? No, I thought, that does not sound like my cup of tea. I requested it from my library reluctantly, and I almost gave up on it early on (What is this "We Will Rock You" business at the tournament?)
But I forged ahead, and it grew on me, Green-Eggs-and-Ham-style. I liked the addition of Geoffrey Chaucer into the knight's entourage. I liked the script. I liked William's character, his focus on doing the right thing and his pluckiness, which was a stark contrast to the scheming and belittling character of Count Adhemar. I even ended up liking the 1970s background score.
Quite the fun movie.
I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:
Good Thing #1:
We were talking about letter writing in my writing class,
and I was a Debbie Downer, saying letter writing is dead,
and after class I saw that I had a lovely package
from Tina at Turn the Page
which included a real letter
(along with a seed pop,
if you are wondering what the green thing is).
Good Thing #2:
Our public library now has a seed library.
Good Thing #3:
My husband and I went to
the first of four birding field trips in October
in Galveston, and I saw
this Peregrine Falcon,
my #200 bird on my life list.
Congratulations on y our 200th bird. Texas is really a gret place for a birder! I’m not a lister, but Len definitely is one, and each new bird is a very good omen.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday Salon… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
It is lovely to get a surprise parcel in the mail. However, Canada Post is on strike!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on 200. I'm trying to revive my letter writing (vs. writing a long email letter). Not great -- but working on it. At least cards with a note.
ReplyDelete200 birds is amazing! Congratulations. Birding was featured in last weekend’s new Hallmark movie “Adventures in Love & Birding”. It was a sweet movie. Have a wonderful weekend Deb.
ReplyDeleteI read your review of Endling and yes! Yes! Yes! I would want to read this one! It has a long hold at the library, but it sounds worth it! I'm interested to read your review of How to Train Your Dragon as it got mixed reviews from my four grandchildren. Yes, letter writing is hanging on by it's toes! My group of friends, we call ourselves The Golden Girls, have started a letter writing activity. The most organzied of us created a rotating calendar, so we each recieve a handwritten note/letter each month! I love your library's seed library! We have one also and it's so much fun! Congratulations on your #220 bird sighting! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's graet about your bird sightings. Impressive. We own a Knight's Tale and like it quite a bit. Still hanging on to some DVDS inspite of having streaming now.
ReplyDeleteGlad your seed pack arrived and I will be planting the one you sent tomorrow! Thank you :-)
Wow, you’ve seen a lot of different birds!
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since I watched for thought about A Knight's Tale. When did it come out? (I looked it up - 2001). Bet it's one I watched with my daughter when she was teenager. You know - back in the days when you went to 'Blockbuster' to get movies. Glad it worked for you eventually. Also, nice that your library got a seed library. Most of the ones in our area have one these days. Have a good week, Deb!
ReplyDeleteA Peregrine for your 200th! Wow! That is quite the memorable sighting.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on that 200th bird on your life list, that is a fantastic accomplishment. It is also wonderful that you received a real, personal letter after discussing how rare they are in your writing class, which is a perfect little coincidence that really brightened my day just reading about it. I have never heard of that movie you watched, but your description of it growing on you makes me want to look it up, especially the part about Chaucer being included. I hope your weekend is continuing to be just as inspiring and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteYay for seeing your 200th bird from your list! I love that your library now has a seed catalog as well, and that you got a real letter in the mail! Quite the week ;)
ReplyDeleteA seed library is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to decide which of the Booker Prize short listed books to read this year. I couldn't tell what you thought of The Endling. The plot sounds odd. Can you say more?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what I thought about The Endling. The plot *was* odd, and the characters were odd. It was a book I liked/didn't like.
DeleteIt's not on the shortlist for the Booker Prize, though it was on the longlist. Here are the shortlisted books:
Flashlight (Jonathan Cape) by Susan Choi
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny (Hamish Hamilton) by Kiran Desai
Audition (Fern Press) by Katie Kitamura
The Rest of Our Lives (Faber) by Ben Markovits
The Land in Winter (Sceptre) by Andrew Miller
Flesh (Jonathan Cape) by David Szalay
I am planning to read Kiran Desai's new book from the list.
Congratulations on your 200th bird! A Peregrine, how lovely!
ReplyDeleteI love letter-writing! I love sending them and receiving them! But you're right to an extent; a lot of my previous penpals and myself were initially very actively sending each other mail, but as we got more comfortable we started sharing our online socials with each other and ended up contacting each other online instead until it tapered off. I think we have to really make the effort if we want to keep letter-writing alive. I miss it sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to write more letters, it's just finding the time.
ReplyDeleteYou keep so busy with birding and reading and so much else it's a wonder you had time to work at one time.
Congrats on the 200th bird! Nice to get a real letter, too. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI would have joined you for Nonfiction November if I hadn't already joined another event. My library that's in the next town from us has had a seed library for years and I love that they do. I wish all libraries would have them, I love flowers and it would be nice to see them as you're driving from town to town.
ReplyDeleteYou are always doing such fun things. Congrats on the 200th bird!
ReplyDeleteHa! I’m glad Tina sent you a letter. The seed catalog at the library is very cool!
ReplyDeleteYay for letters! I've been trying to write more letters to the away-at-college kids in my life. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to think about joining in with non-fiction November! You know I love my non-fiction, even if I'm a bit eclectic about it, haha.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 200th bird!
I loved a Knights Tale when i was younger, but I haven't watched it in a while. The peregrine sighing is so cool!
ReplyDeletehttps://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-sunday-post.html
As a kid, I loved going to the mailbox every day to see if someone had sent us a letter. With all our family 6,000 miles away, letters were precious. Recently, my best friend gave me all the letters she and I exchanged while she lived abroad during our sophomore year in high school. I treasure them.
ReplyDeleteMy local library does a seed library as well and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love A Knights Tale, it’s one of my favourite movies.
ReplyDeleteLetters are a rarity these days. I hope you sign up to my Christmas card offer so I can send you one too.
Wishing you a wonderful reading week
I loved A Knight's Tale! I've watched it several times. Glad you did, too. Look at that beautiful falcon! Congrats on hitting 200 birds!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 200th bird! I'm looking forward to Nonfiction November.
ReplyDeleteI hate to wish October away so quickly, but I do love all the reading events in November! I'm glad Nonfiction November will be back! I want the cabinet that your library keeps the seed packets in.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I could take a 70s rock score in A Knight's Tale, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! So glad Nonfiction November continues to flourish. I get so many reading ideas during that month.
ReplyDeleteOur library just started a seed library too - I'd never heart of one! And very cool nthat you have a bird list, much less that you saw your 200th bird!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the movie!
ReplyDeleteI remember that movie.. it was fun.
ReplyDeleteI have Endling on my TBR and the cover for Tess of the Road is gorgeous.
Yay on your 200th bird sighting. How many birds are there?
Whew! Good question! Off to look that up...
Delete...Wow...11,589 in the world!
Congratulations! And seems like a good movie!
ReplyDeleteLove that you saw a falcon. So majestic!
ReplyDeleteTruth Is the Arrow...that sounds intriguing to me! Heading to read more about it now.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited about Nonfiction November too. Last weekend I started looking back at my favorite nonfiction books so far in 2025. So fun!
What a neat idea a seed library is. Congratulations on reaching 200 birds! You amaze me. Letter writing is so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/10/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and.html
Yay for your 200th bird! I can't recall the last letter I received. Nor do I recall the last one I wrote. My handwriting has deteriorated greatly due to lack of use. I enjoyed Tess of the Road when I read it and liked the sequel - In the Serpent's Wake - too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 200th bird, Deb. A Peregrine Falcon is a bird I would love to see. I watched Knight's Tale years ago, but maybe a rewatch is in order.
ReplyDeleteWith this post about real letters in mind, I was very intrigued when a hand-addressed envelope appeared in my mail… it even had a hand-written return address. I eagerly opened it and found an advertisement for hearing aids. So much for real letters! (Maybe I should write one).
ReplyDeleteSigh! Yes, maybe you should!
Delete