Weekly Update for August 18, 2024


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Weekly Update at Introverted Reader

Welcome to my weekly update for August 18, 2024!

I made it back for a second week in a row! Woohoo!

On Tuesday, we went to Lake George, NY. It’s a beautiful, clear lake nestled in the Adirondacks. We took a ride on a steamship called the Minne-Ha-Ha, named after a character in Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha. Then we toured Fort William Henry, which plays a pretty big role in James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans. Since I was still reading the book, it was exciting to see the place where a significant event took place. We took a tour to learn the history of the fort and see a musket and cannon demonstration. They were so loud!

My husband had an unexpected day off on Friday so we had an extra day of exploring. We decided to go up to the Saratoga Race Course (where the Belmont Stakes was run this spring). I’d never seen a horse race before so it was a new experience for me. It was cool to see those beautiful animals giving their all. I don’t think we’ll go to anymore, just because there’s always so much concerning news about the welfare of the horses, but it was fun to go once.

For our final excursion of the week, we went to Saratoga National Historical Park, the site of two battles pretty early in the Revolutionary War. The Americans lost the first battle at Saratoga but won the second battle a few weeks later so decisively that the French decided to become our allies. As the news of the British defeat spread, other countries initiated their own rebellions. So this was literally a world-changing event.

Slideshow:

  • A steamship with a paddlewheel crossing a blue lake with blue mountains surrounding it
  • A cannon firing from a rooftop in a gout of orange flame and gray smoke
  • A library cart with small buckets, each labeled with a different name, and a sign saying, "Vote to name our new library carts!"

All images © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2024

  1. The Minne-Ha-Ha on Lake George
  2. The cannon firing at Fort William Henry
  3. Horses racing at Saratoga Race Course
  4. Saratoga Battlefield with the Hudson River below
  5. Just for fun! My library is naming some new book carts. I voted for Wheel Gaiman because I love his books but my husband thinks I should have voted for Mario Kart. Which would you have chosen?

Posted:

Head to Head by Linda Ladd: Book Review–3 Stars

Ten Debut Novels I Enjoyed

Can We Talk About Israel? : A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted by Daniel Sokatch, illustrated by Christopher Noxon: Book Review–5 Stars

Read:

The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. #2) by Jonathan Stroud, read by Katie Lyons–4 Stars

Head to Head (Claire Morgan #1) by Linda Ladd–3 Stars

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, illustrated by Patrick Prugne–3.5 Stars

Currently Reading:

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani, read by Polly Lee

Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David S. Tatel

The River by Peter Heller, read by Mark Deakins (My husband and I listen to this together on long road trips, so it may linger here for quite a while.)

What did your week look like?

Hosts:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon and Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosts Sunday Post. Kathryn at Book Date hosts It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?


Other Posts You May Enjoy:

20 Comments

  1. I’m glad to see you posting! I’ve left a few comments but just learned that my WP profile has a number in it, which is forbidden. Weird that it hasn’t caused a problem before. I’ve changed it, so hopefully this comment will appear.
    Love the photo of the Hudson River! And the names for the library carts are great. Let us know which one wins. 🙂

  2. Cart Garfunkel or Rolled Dahl get my vote for the new carts! What a fun idea.

    I have never been to a horse race and, like you, I’d like to see it one time.

  3. I read all the Lockwood and Co series, and was excited that it had been turned into a TV show. Unfortunately the screen adaptation didn’t work for me.

    1. I canceled Netflix quite a while ago so I haven’t seen the show. We’re thinking of picking it back up sometime, probably this winter, to catch up on shows though. I’m sorry to hear the Lockwood show didn’t work for you.

  4. Congrats! I didn’t make it two weeks in a row, and I’ll be traveling next week, so doubt I’ll manage two weeks in a row then, either! Glad to have you back, though, as I have missed you on Mondays!
    I like the plays on the authors’ names for the carts, so would have picked either Rolled Dahl or Wheel Gaiman.

  5. You get to see such wonderful things on your travels. Looks like you had beautiful weather too. I think I’d vote for Cart Vader if I could vote. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

  6. So I love the naming carts contest – how much fun. And your trip sounds wonderful. Such pretty pictures.

  7. How lovely to ride on that steamship on Lake George, something my hubby would just love. A future trip for us, maybe. Have a good week.

  8. I’m so glad you are back for the second week in a row. Hurray!

    I love the photos. The book carts remind me of the book cart races librarians hold at our state conferences. Pretty wacky!

    Curious about the Peter Heller book…

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