AmiMaxine

The Alice Trail

A few months ago, I wrote about a trip I took with my bezzie mate to Liverpool. On that trip, we also took a side quest to Dublin and drove through north Wales. When we were in the planning stages of the trip, I mentioned it to a friend of mine – who told meContinue reading “The Alice Trail”

Da Bears

On January 26, 1986, wee little me watched the super bowl with my family where the Chicago Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots 46-10. This was the heyday for the team with the likes of Jim McMahon and William “The Refrigerator” Payton and Mike Singletary – not to mention Walter “Sweetness” Payton.Continue reading “Da Bears”

They’re BAAaaack

The same year that @m@zon hung up it’s “Yes, we sell books, too!” banner, there were about 5500 independent bookstores with 7K locations in the U.S. Just two years later, the owner of that online juggernaut hand delivered it’s millionth book order. Having already been battered by chain bookstores, these indie shops struggled even moreContinue reading “They’re BAAaaack”

Who doesn’t want more busywork?

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of generative AI. I can feel my colleagues’ eyes rolling before the words “but the copyright infringement and environmental impact” slip from my lips yet again. (Well, not all my colleagues. Some are staunchly anti-GenAI, as well.) I have no interest in using it to “make myContinue reading “Who doesn’t want more busywork?”

First Friday Rec: The Bookshop

Title: The Bookshop: A History of the American BookstoreAuthor: Evan FrissGenre: NonfictionPages: 416Publication Date: Aug 6, 2024StoryGraph* Moods: Informative, Reflective, InspiringHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Saw it in a bookshop. 🙂Other Books by this author: On Bicycles: A 200 Year History of Cycling in New York City and The Cycling City*StoryGraph also offers contentContinue reading “First Friday Rec: The Bookshop”

James Burrows, Final Cut

I still remember seeing the first advertisement for a ‘new sitcom coming soon’ – Will & Grace. A show about a man and a woman – she’s an interior designer, and he’s a lawyer; she’s straight, and he’s gay. I remember being drawn to it – excited to watch it. Though I couldn’t have toldContinue reading “James Burrows, Final Cut”

Twisters

Here’s the thing – I love a good storm. Have since I was a child. I great up in one of those midwestern towns where the storm rolls in, and you can see everyone out on their porches watching. My favorite activity is to curl up on a couch with a comfy blanket, a cupContinue reading “Twisters”

Wonderbox: Five Brilliant Things

I tend to consume a lot of British content. Through this, I have also stumbled across some fun podcast formats. In many cases, the format involves learning about someone’s life through a very specific lens, which I find rather enjoyable. (If you have read past blogs of mine, you likely already know this – I’mContinue reading “Wonderbox: Five Brilliant Things”

First Friday Rec: My Friends

Title: My FriendsAuthor: Fredrik BackmanTranslation by: Neil SmithGenre: Contemporary FictionPages: 436Publication Date: 6 May 2025StoryGraph* Moods: emotional, hopeful, finnyHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: tasked it for book clubOther Books by this author: A Man Called Ove, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, Anxious People, Beartown, Britt-Marie Was Here, My GrandmotherContinue reading “First Friday Rec: My Friends”

AFT: The Art Garage

The Art Garage is one of the featured locations in my novel All Falling Things. In the story, it’s an old mechanic shop turned art gallery in Chicago – five stall capacity with the glass garage doors left in place, concrete cleaned of all stains and polished, and moveable walls constructed to section off individualContinue reading “AFT: The Art Garage”