LightNews LightNews
estherp.bsky.social
@estherp.bsky.social
460 followers 610 following 4.5K posts
Reader, writer, watcher, listener, New Englander.
Posts Replies Media Videos
estherp.bsky.social
Best comment and reply on the NYT 10 Best Books of 2025.
Comment from E.S. in Toronto: Wonderful list! I look forward to it every year. :) NINE DASH LINE by Emily Saso was my personal favorite. It’s a literary thriller about a man exiled to an atoll in the South China Sea, and a woman sent on a mission to find him. Such a page turner! And that it’s based on real settings and events blew my mind. Reply from Defense LA in Los Angeles: @E.S. - We know you wrote it.
December 2, 2025 at 4:01 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I was in the #twincities last week and visited the #Minnesota State Capitol, where I saw a moving tribute to slain House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their beloved dog, Gilbert. Gun violence is endemic and we move on quickly, forgetting communities are still grieving. #RIP
Outside the House chamber at the Minnesota Capitol: A photo of slain Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, on an easel, above a sign reading "In honor of our Beloved Melissa." A table is filled with flowers and memorabilia, including a picture of their golden retriever, Gilbert and a sign reading "Melissa is our Hero." The Minnesota House Chamber. The desk at the rear left has a vase filled with roses and a framed photo of assassinated House Speaker Melissa Hortman. An orange and black plaid jacked with flowers in the neck and a sign that reads Demand Change.
November 16, 2025 at 5:37 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I'm reading 107 Days. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it but 100 pages in, I'm enjoying revisiting the sense of excitement I felt with Kamala Harris's campaign and getting a behind-the-scenes look. #FridayReads #Books #Booksky
The words 107 Days and Kamala Harris on a blue background with the numbers 1 to 107 in light type.
October 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
estherp.bsky.social
These Fave'wich crustless sandwiches are at my Stop & Shop. Main difference is they're not frozen. And they're made with sunflower butter instead of peanut butter. But I wonder if this could also be a copyright infringement?
Supermarket display of Favewich crustless sandwiches, sunflower butter and grape jelly, in individual packages. Supermarket display of Favewich crustless sandwiches with crimped edges, sun butter and jelly, in individual packages.
October 14, 2025 at 7:28 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I've read 3 mysteries by Janice Hallett and enjoyed them all but The Killer Question, a very twisty story set in the world of British pub quizzes, is my favorite. I love how she stitches together emails, group chats, texts, police reports, even the weekly quiz subjects. #Booksky #Books #Fridayreads
Cover of The Killer Question, by Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal. Mug full of beer, a pencil and a drawing of a skeleton are on the cover along with the tag line: The answer is murder. The question is whodunit?
October 10, 2025 at 12:56 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Oh no, they arrested Ingrid Bergman!
Paul Henreid, left, as Resistance leader Victor Laszlo, and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca.
October 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
estherp.bsky.social
This makes me so angry. Mick Herron’s new novel Clown Town hasn’t even been out a month yet and someone who borrowed it before me spilled a beverage on it. I *never* have food or drink near a library book.
A page from Mick Herron’s new Slow Horses book “Clown Town” with a brown beverage stain in the lower righthand corner.
October 7, 2025 at 10:43 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Reading Katharine Graham's absorbing 1997 memoir "Personal History." Her father, Eugene Meyer, set down a list of principles when he bought The Washington Post in 1933. While there are still many great reporters, she would be furious with the Post's toadying to power. #Booksky #Fridayreads #Books
Hardcover of Katharine Graham's memoir "Personal History." Cover shows an older woman with short hair, a serious, determined expression, wearing a dark shirt and a double pearl necklace. Principles set out by Eugene Meyer, Katharine Graham's father, when he bought The Washington Post in 1933. I. That the first mission of a newspaper is to tell the truth as nearly as the truth may be ascertained; 2. That the newspaper shall tell ALL the truth so far as it can learn it, concerning the important affairs of America and the world; 3. That as a disseminator of news, the paper shall observe the de- cencies that are obligatory upon a private gentleman; 4. That what it prints shall be fit reading for the young as well as for the old; 5. That the newspaper's duty is to its readers and to the public at large, and not to the private interests of its owner; 6. That in the pursuit of truth, the newspaper shall be prepared to make sacrifice of its material fortunes, if such course be nec- essary for the public good; 7. That the newspaper shall not be the ally of any special interest, but shall be fair and free and wholesome in its outlook on pub- lic affairs and public men. Part of the press release announcing Eugene Meyer's transfer of the Post to his daughter and son-in-law, Katharine and Philip Graham, in 1948: To survive, a newspaper must be a commercial success. At the same time, a newspaper has a relation to the public interest which is different from that of other commercial enterprises. This is more than ever apparent in these days when our free institutions are under their severest trial and closest scrutiny. The citizens of a free country have to depend on a free press for the information necessary to the intelligent discharge of their duties of citizenship. That is why the Constitution gives newspapers express protection from Government interference.... It is also possible for the public interest to be defeated by the way a newspaper is conducted since the principal restraint upon a newspaper owner is his self-restraint.
September 19, 2025 at 1:39 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I don't know why I didn't read Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, when it first came out. It's got everything I love: a story about a mysterious author, the power of books, a strong sense of place. Makes me want to visit Barcelona. #Fridayreads #Booksky #books
Cover of Shadow of the Wind, a novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a New York Times bestseller. Background is red, with book and author title in white. There's a circle in the middle with a male figure you can't really make out, standing against a brown backdrop.
September 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I finally read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and it's remarkable. Rebecca Skloot weaves a compelling story that's partly about a family's struggles and partly about scientific research. The issues it raises are just as relevant today as they were in 2010. #Booksky #FridayReads #Books
Cover of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, a New York Times bestseller. "Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and multimillion-dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same. There's a picture of Henrietta Lacks, smiling, her hands on her hips. She's wearing a skirt, blouse and hip-length jacket.
September 5, 2025 at 12:26 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Properties of Thirst, by Marianne Wiggins, takes place during WWII, when a government official is sent to California to construct the Manzanar internment camp. Like many books about Southern California, it's also about water - who gets it and who doesn't. #Fridayreads #Booksky #Books
Cover of Properties of Thirst, By Marianne Wiggins, shows a painting of a lake surrounded by trees and other vegetation, with mountains in the background and a clear blue sky.
August 22, 2025 at 9:03 PM
estherp.bsky.social
A friend gave me this sculpture for my birthday several years ago. I think it's a zebra. I'm not sure. But it's from Monkeybiz, a nonprofit in Cape Town, South Africa, that supports artists who work with beads. They make all kinds of animals, as well as food items. #ThingThursday monkeybiz.co.za
A small 4-legged animal sculpture from South Africa made out of beads. The head is yellow with a red mouth, eyes and nose. The body is red, yellow and white stripes and the legs are white. The back of the sculpture, showing the white legs and red tail.
August 14, 2025 at 8:06 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I go to a lot of library book sales and I picked up this copy of Anna Karenina a few years ago, even though I'm not a fan of Russian lit. Decided to start and I'm 125 pages in. Style is dated but it's holding my interest. Afterward, I'll watch the major motion picture! #FridayReads #Books #Booksky
A Penguin Classics paperback copy of Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, resting on a wooden table. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Photo on the cover is the hand and knees of a young woman, holding purple flowers. In the righthand corner it says: Now a major motion picture.
August 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Until I visited Wyoming, I had no idea that elk shed their antlers every year. I bought these pieces in Jackson Hole. There are also archways in Jackson Hole's Town Square made of elk antlers. #ThingThursday
Four one-inch pieces of polished elk antlers with holes in them so you could make them into a necklace or bracelet. They're tan-brown in color. Four one-inch pieces of polished elk antlers lying flat so you can see the holes in them. One of the archways in Town Square park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, made of elk antlers.
July 31, 2025 at 1:41 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Relevant paragraph from the Boston Globe, which does not have gift links, sadly.
The agreement also bars Brown from performing any gender-affirming surgeries on minors or prescribing puberty blockers, a treatment for gender dysphoria that stops the body from making certain hormones. While the university does have a medical school, it has never performed any gender-affirming surgeries and is a separate entity from Brown University Health, formerly Lifespan Corp., the state's largest health care system. The agreement's provision on transgender care is expected to become a symbolic point of contention on campus.
July 31, 2025 at 12:41 AM
estherp.bsky.social
Reading Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle and I love this description: "The Automat's slots were tiny apartments for sandwiches and soup." #Fridayreads #Books #Booksky
Cover of Colson Whitehead's novel Harlem Shuffle, with a photo of the Hotel Theresa at the bottom.
July 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Something came up in my Facebook memories today that reminded me of a good name for a rock band: The Rotting Futtocks. Futtocks make up the frame of a wooden ship and it would be bad if they rotted.
Timbers making up the frame of a wooden ship's hull.
July 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Really enjoying Death at the White Hart, by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall. It's my perfect mystery: remote British setting, bizarre crime, multiple suspects, detective with a secret. #FridayReads #Books #Booksky
Cover of Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall, a novel by the creator of Broadchurch. Bule-gray deer antlers frame a car driving at night on a deserted country road, headlights shining.
July 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Pre-COVID, I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest and in Seattle, I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Fun shops, including Eagle Harbor Book Co., great food, amazing view of Mount Rainier. I bought this little bird sculpture at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. #ThingThursday
Small brown sculpture of a bird standing on wire legs. Maybe made of clay. I'm not sure.
July 17, 2025 at 10:55 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I didn't know #ThingThursday was a thing! Thanks to @sinclairlewis.bsky.social for letting me know.

This is a wooden letter opener hand-carved by a Native artist that I got at a gallery in Vancouver. Comes in handy opening bills and junk mail!
Hand-carved wooden letter opener with a sharp point at one end and the face of an animal painted in red and black at the handle end. It says "frog" on the back, so it could be a frog. Back of the hand-carved wooden letter opener with the artist's name: Charles McKay, Lyttton BC, and the word Frog.
July 3, 2025 at 1:01 PM
estherp.bsky.social
Double @lauralippman.bsky.social day. My library hold on Murder Takes a Vacation came in *and* they had the July @readbookpage.bsky.social with her on the cover. #Booksky #FridayReads #Books
At left, July issue of BookPage with a photo of Laura Lippman on the cover. "The author of the hard-boiled Tess Monaghan series gets cozy with the delightful Murder Takes a Vacation." At right, a copy of Murder Takes a Vacation, with the title scrawled in yellow over a painting of a white boat on blue water with the tagline Eight Days. Seven Nights. One dead body.
June 27, 2025 at 8:33 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I've been a Jess Walter fan since Beautiful Ruins and I'm really enjoying his new novel, So Far Gone, about a man who retreats from the world only to be dragged back in due to a family crisis. Thought-provoking, interesting characters and only 265 pages! #Fridayreads #Books #Booksky
Cover of Jess Walter's new novel, So Far Gone, with a drawing of trees, a river, mountains in the background, a sign that says Turn Back Now, and a raccoon in the foreground.
June 27, 2025 at 4:52 PM
estherp.bsky.social
The Zohran sign reminds me of the cover of Jonathan Lethem's novel The Fortress of Solitude.
Cover of Jonathan Lethem's novel The Fortress of Solitude. Title and author's name in yellow and reddish-orange on a sky blue background with NYC row houses at the top and bottom.
June 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I loved Bobby Sherman. I had one of his albums. I bought Tiger Beat with his picture on the cover. And I watched Here Come the Brides. A great performer and a great person who served his community so well. RIP
Bobby Sherman, left, Robert Brown and David Soul on the set of Here Come the Brides, set in a logging camp in 19th century Seattle. Bobby's shirt is unbuttoned so you can see his chest. Cover of the album Bobby Sherman with his name and a close up photo of his blue eyes and wavy brown hair, looking adorable.
June 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
estherp.bsky.social
I started Jonathan Eig's illuminating and Pulitzer-winning MLK biography, King: A Life. Sad to read it at a time when we're going backward in this country, away from equality instead of marching toward it. #Fridayreads #Booksky
Cover of King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig. Title and author's name are in yellow, over a of Martin Luther King in profile. Also includes: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, New York Times Bestseller, and a quote from Dwight Garner's NYT review: "The definitive life of King ... Eig's book is worthy of its subject."
June 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM