An apt book quote for today (well, yesterday really)

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?
Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887)

This was definitely applicable to me yesterday. I went on my weekly expedition to the charity shop and came across two shelves of green-and-white Penguins. For those unfamiliar with this species, they are the classical cover for cheap editions of crime novels published by Penguin. I managed to leave out everything I knew I could get at the library, such as four Raymond Chandlers and several Agatha Christies. I still came home with 12 books by Freeman Willis Croft, Ellery Queen, Earle Stanley Gardner, Michael Innes and other classical mystery authors.

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How to make a simple origami bookmark

Here are some instructions on how to make a simple origami (paper folding) bookmark: Take a square of paper. It can be patterned origami paper, gift paper or even office paper, just as long as it’s easy to fold. The square should not be much bigger than 10 cm/4 inches across, unless you intend to use the mark for a big book. The images show what the paper should look like after you follow each step of the instructions. The two sides of the paper are shown in different colours to make things easier, and the edges and fold lines are shown as black lines. Fold the paper in half diagonally (corner to corner), and then unfold. Repeat with the other two corners. This is to find the middle and to make the rest of the folding easier. If the paper is thick or stiff it can help to reverse the folds. Fold three of the corners in so that they meet in the middle. You now have a piece of paper resembling an open envelope. For the next two steps, ignore the flap. Fold the square diagonally in two. Yo...

Book 40: The Martian by Andy Weir, audiobook read by Wil Wheaton

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Bibliophile discusses Van Dine’s rules for writing detective stories

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Reading in Reykjavík

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