# book series (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 6 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover book series. Page: Feed: --- ## [Where All Light Dies by Michael Penning](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/08/where-all-light-dies-by-michael-penning.html) _2026-08-19 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Five "Ocean Depth Haunting" Stars What Mystery Lies Within the Atlantic Ocean? A small taste of what lies within: Freya Keating, the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard along with her crew are on a mission to find out why a submersible is floating out in the Atlantic. No one seems to be able to get in contact with the crew of the submersible and no one has heard from them for a few days.… ## [September Film Festivals in Catalunya](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/in-the-city/things-to-do/september-film-festivals-in-catalunya/) _2026-08-19 · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ As summer draws to a close, September eases us into autumn with some of region's most interesting and eclectic film festivals. ## [Award-Winning Entrepreneur Lyn Lozano Galicia Launches New Lucky Lyn-Lyn Children’s Book Series in Barcelona](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/living/community/new-lucky-lyn-lyn-childrens-book-series/) _2026-08-18 · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ Award-winning Filipino entrepreneur and author Lyn Lozano Galicia is bringing the adventures, lessons and memories of her childhood in the Philippines to a new generation with the launch of the Lucky Lyn-Lyn children’s book series. ## [The Final MPs Entry](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/final-morning-pages-entry) _2026-08-14 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ It’s been an amazing journey, but I have many more journals to glean. ## [Vitriol and Exhaustion](http://zanshin.net/2026/08/12/vitriol-and-exhaustion/) _2026-08-13 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ The vehemence and vitriol that AI brings out in some people is both surprising to me, and exhausting. I don’t remember a technology topic as divisive or polarizing. The first code I wrote was BASIC in the mid 1970s. I was self-taught and I was privileged enough to have a father who brought home a portable terminal that could connect to his employer’s mainframe, giving me access to a… ## [Sacred Steps: La Ruta del Cister](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/travel/sacred-steps/) _2026-08-09 · Rosalind Bond · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ This picturesque route—a 105 kilometer, circular section of the GR 175 hiking trail—takes you through rural countryside and ancient villages against a backdrop of the soaring Prades Mountains. ## [How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/08/how-to-survive-horror-story-by-mallory.html) _2026-08-09 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four "Nightmare Room Doomed" Stars What Lies in Wait at the Queen Estate? A small taste of what lies within: Mortimer Queen a horror author has died and he leaves a will to be read to seven horror authors. They all make their way to his estate thinking that Mortimer has left them something valuable in his will but what they find is anything of value and instead they are required to play a… ## [Barcelona’s Hidden Modernista Garden: Jardins de Portolà](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/living/community/barcelona-hidden-modernista-garden-jardins-de-portola/) _2026-08-08 · Tori Sparks · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ If you’re looking for a quiet place to unwind, the Jardins de Portolà is an ideal spot. You won’t find it on any tourist map; it’s a small, secluded residential garden with design elements that are reminiscent of a bygone era. ## [How the Ceuta Border Crossing Incident Immediately Played Into the Hands of Spain’s Far Right](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/living/spains-ceuta-border-crossing-incident/) _2026-08-07 · Deniz Torcu · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ It is estimated that more than 50,000 migrants crossed entered the small Spanish enclave of Ceuta in the course of a single day after the border effectively collapsed ## [Create Your Own Lines](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/create-your-own-lines) _2026-08-05 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ Rather than coloring inside the lines others have imposed upon you. ## [Try Before You Buy, Risk-Free (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ieLbYyiSV19U) _2026-08-05 · **Sponsored**_ Free trial hosting plus refunds processed in 12-24 hours, guaranteed. ## [Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting by Richard Chizmar and W. H. Chizmar](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/08/widows-point-complete-haunting-by.html) _2026-08-04 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ Five "Freaky Found Footage" Stars Do You Dare Enter Widow's Point Lighthouse? A small taste of what lies within: A team of paranormal investigators decide to stay a few days in the Widow's Point Lighthouse as they want to see if the local legends are true about it being haunted. Another paranormal investigator had disappeared from the lighthouse a few years before so this team wants to see if they… ## [Celebrating the Festes de Sant Roc](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/culture/celebrating-the-festes-de-sant-roc/) _2026-08-04 · Tori Sparks · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ The annual festival celebrating Sant Roc is the oldest major festival in the city, and dates back to 1589. ## [Day Trip: Sant Pol de Mar](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/travel/day-trips/sant-pol-de-mar/) _2026-08-03 · Marie Martin · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ An ideal seaside escape within easy reach of the city. ## [Festa Major de Gràcia: A Lasting Tradition](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/200-years-barcelona-gracia/) _2026-08-03 · Aminah Barnes · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ For one week in August, Gràcia’s narrow streets are embellished with decorations and artwork, each one forming a tunnel that transports you to a different wonderland. ## [5 Autumn Road Races in Barcelona](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/in-the-city/things-to-do/barcelona-5-road-races/) _2026-08-02 · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ Thinking about getting in shape? Barcelona hosts a number of 5 km and 10 km runs to get you moving. ## [The Story of Ramón Mercader, Trotsky's Assassin](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/history/the-story-of-ramon-mercader/) _2026-08-02 · Nick Lloyd · Barcelona Metropolitan—Your essential guide in English to living in and visiting Barcelona_ Mercader was a Catalan communist who murdered Leon Trotsky. ## [Carryout Tipping](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/29/carryout-tipping/) _2026-07-30 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ At the risk of being a curmudgeon, I need to rant about tipping with regard to carry out food orders. When we carry out from someplace that has sit down dining, where I would tip the server at the end of the meal, I add a tip to the carry out order. If it is a fast food place where I wouldn’t leave a tip even if I ate there, I don’t leave a tip. ## [Let’s Play 20 Questions](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/lets-play-20-questions) _2026-07-27 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ Don’t worry, it’s family-friendly. ## [Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/suburban-hell-by-maureen-kilmer.html) _2026-07-24 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 👿👿👿👿👿 Five "Dreadful Demon" Stars What Darkness Lies in a Chicago Suburb? A small taste of what lies within: Four friends (Amy, Jess, Melissa & Liz) all live in a Chicago suburb and they are all tight knit friends. Their children play together and go to school together. The suburb where they live is just perfect for them as it seems so peaceful. The four friends decide they want some kind of… ## [Sleep Savannah Sleep by Alistair Cross](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/sleep-savannah-sleep-by-alistair-cross.html) _2026-07-21 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Five "Supernatural Suspense" Stars What Secrets Lie Within Shadow Springs? A small taste of what lies within: Jason Crandall along with his son and daughter have settled down in the town of Shadow Springs as they all come to terms with the loss of Jason's wife. They move into an old mansion as Jason is a massage therapist and he wants to set up shop in the mansion. When Jason is… ## [Marketplace for AI-Powered Professionals (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/zCOqGbONuI1q) _2026-07-21 · **Sponsored**_ Find professionals who use ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude to deliver work faster. ## [Rush 50 Something](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/21/rush-50-something/) _2026-07-21 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Last night I checked off a concert box I thought I’d never get to see. Rush. When Neil Peart died in 2020 everyone thought that Rush was done. He was their drummer and he was unparalleled in his ability to play the drums. Last year Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced they were going out on tour again. They had found a touring drummer named Anika Nilles. There was a lot of speculation and… ## [The Exorcist Code 3: Apocalypse (The Exorcist Code #3) by William Massa](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-exorcist-code-3-apocalypse-exorcist.html) _2026-07-19 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Five "Demonic Terror Technology" Stars Demon in the Data? A small taste of what lies within: Father Callum is back with a new mission and this time he is reunited with Michael from the first book. Except Michael is little different this time around but he is there to help Father Callum stop an evil force that has become a demonic super data computer. This time around the duo will have… ## [Unfinished Book Series](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/16/unfinished-book-series/) _2026-07-17 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Sometime in the early 1980s I discovered the David Eddings books in the local bookstore. There were 3 on the shelf that appeared to be a trilogy. So I bought them. Imagine my dismay to reach the end of book three only to learn the story would be continued in book 4, and then book 5. I spent a couple of years hoping the author didn’t wander in front of a moving bus. ## [Book Series](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/16/book-series/) _2026-07-17 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ I am probably not 100% neurotypical. There are places in my life where my atypical traits show more than others. One such place is book covers. Specifically book covers for a series. Iain M. Banks wrote 9 “Culture” novels. I have 7 of them published by Orbit books, that all use the same color palette and same overall design. The last two, even though they are from Orbit, not only have… ## [Corona by David Kempf](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/corona-by-david-kempf.html) _2026-07-15 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four "Typewriter Terror" Stars What Would You Do with a Haunted Typewriter? A small taste of what lies within: A man buys an antique typewriter not realizing that it is haunted until it starts to type out instructions of things to do that the man would normally not do! That is about all I can hand out with a small taste as this book was super short at 14 kindle pages! Thoughts: This was a… ## [Macos ControlCenter](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/14/macos-controlcenter/) _2026-07-15 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ The WiFi icon in my menu bar has been gray for sometime now, regardless of signal strength or connection. Some glitch in the Matrix no doubt. The solution I found is to restart the “ControlCenter”, i.e., the right-hand end of the menu bar. killall ControlCenter At least for now, my WiFi icon is working as expected. ## [The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America's Most Haunted House by Frances Kermeen](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-myrtles-plantation-true-story-of.html) _2026-07-15 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four "Spooky Suspenseful" Stars I am not doing my traditional small taste as I am just going to give out thoughts. Thoughts: The author of this book, Frances Kermeen bought the Myrtles Plantation back in the 1980s as her and her husband were hoping to restore the plantation and turn it into a bed and breakfast. The author didn't believe in ghosts and/or hauntings but she soon learned from… ## [The Rest Stop by Eric Butler](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-rest-stop-by-eric-butler.html) _2026-07-12 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Four "Road Terror" Stars Do Not Stop to Rest! A small taste of what lies within: Uncle Jack along with his nieces, Kylie and Sara decide to stop at a rest area but they don't realize that they are being watched but as they get ready to get back on the road is when all hell breaks loose! That is about all I can hand out with a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you want to know… ## [Concerts](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/11/concerts/) _2026-07-11 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ On July 20th I’ll be in Chicago to see the Rust “50 Something” tour. I never had the opportunity to see them with Neal Peart. All the reviews of the 50 Something tour have been good, so I am excited to see them. In September I’ll be in Boston to see the same tour a second time. I’ve only done that once before; in the 1980s I saw the same Genesis tour twice. ## [Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston](https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2026/07/puzzle-house-by-duncan-ralston.html) _2026-07-10 · Marie's Book Nook Retreat · Book Nook Retreat_ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Five "Twisted Terror" Stars Can Anyone Escape Puzzle House? A small taste of what lies within: Alexei Vasiliev a puzzle master had passed away and left quite a bit of money to six beneficiaries that will need to split the monies if they survive his last puzzle which has to do with escape rooms and survival in a building with unique trap settings. Six strangers come together for a fight… ## [Hire AI-Powered Freelancers Fast (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/KZzDxESw4v6R) _2026-07-10 · **Sponsored**_ Browse and hire skilled professionals using AI tools — free to post, free to apply. ## [Intonation Blues](http://zanshin.net/2026/07/09/intonation-blues/) _2026-07-10 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ There are two broad categories of music instruments: fixed intonation and variable intonation. Fixed intonation instruments are keyboards, fretted string instruments-anything where you cannot play out of tune. Variable intonation instruments require the player to not only master playing the instrument, but also master producing notes, music, that is in tune. The violoncello, or cello, falls firmly… ## [Peculiar Thinking](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/peculiar-thinking) _2026-07-03 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ for a peculiar people ## [A Writing Ratio](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/a-writing-ratio) _2026-06-17 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ ...as compared to marketing. Sometimes, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the selling of our work rather than what’s more important—the production of it. In this entry, I’ll give you a reasonable ratio as it relates to both. ## [Be the Clay](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/be-the-clay) _2026-06-05 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ Let the Potter mold you. This, one of the final entries in my Morning Pages Journal, is probably one of my most inspired entries in the entire notebook. I hope it inspires you to take your own creative action, your own first draft of something bigger. ## [Speak, Lord](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/speak-lord) _2026-05-19 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ For thy servant heareth. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” These words spoken by Samuel, the prophet and last judge of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, are sometimes hard to swallow. Because, quite often, obedience is a sacrifice in itself. ## [A Badge for Barbarism](http://zanshin.net/notes/a-badge-for-barbarism/) _2026-05-18 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ When you’ve got rid of all the mosques But the costs of life still rise and you’ve built your fortressed borders but the NHS still dies and the Muslims are all gone and your town’s a wall of white but corporate vultures are still pillaging every facet of our lives who will you blame then? What will you have gained? A badge for barbarism against a backdrop of decay… ## [Amaze Amaze Amaze](http://zanshin.net/2026/05/12/amaze-amaze-amaze/) _2026-05-13 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Andy Weir’s “The Martian” was the first book I ever read twice in a row. Andy Ihnatko recommended it on Twitter (remember when Twitter was good?) and so I checked it out from the library. I could not put it down. And I reread it immediately after finishing it. “Artemis”, his second book, is good, but it suffers from having to follow “The Martian”.… ## [Menu Bar Denizens](http://zanshin.net/2026/05/10/menu-bar-denizens/) _2026-05-10 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ From right to left (at the moment, anyway) here are the things in my Menu Bar. Apple Menu Bar Items Day Date Time I have it set to show a three letter abbreviation for the day of the week, and also month. The time is 12h, i.e., AM and PM. Settings Standard “control panel” drop down dialog. I don’t think I’ve even modified what appears here. Wireless It’s a laptop that… ## [Age Gating](http://zanshin.net/2026/05/08/age-gating/) _2026-05-09 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ I watch a bunch YouTube channels. Everything from sailing to woodworking to flying to programming. Frequently the YouTube algorithm suggests something I find interesting enough to watch, but not interesting enough to add to corpus of data YouTube has about me. When there is a video or short that I want to look at without being “me”. I copy the link and open a private window and watch… ## [Repairing the Ruins: Why AI Cannot Replace Education](http://zanshin.net/2026/05/03/repairing-the-ruins-why-ai-cannot-replace-education/) _2026-05-03 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ For years I have thought that, if I were a teacher, I would allow the use of any source material the student desired, as long as it was attributed fully and correctly. Even before generative AI it was possible to “out source” creative work to some distillation of another’s work. Generative AI merely makes that outsourcing friction-less. The teacher’s role accordingly becomes more… ## [The Winning is in the Dying](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/the-winning-is-in-the-dying) _2026-04-29 · Gleaning Words_ The ongoing struggle to reach your full potential. If you’ve ever watched a movie, play, or TV show (or read a book or story) that spoke so deeply to your emotional side it left you drained, you’ll recognize some of the feelings I felt upon discovering a particular anime series I discuss in this entry. ## [Jujutsu History Template](http://zanshin.net/2026/04/23/jujutsu-history-template/) _2026-04-24 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Jujutsu Version Control Recently I’ve been using Jujutsu or jj for version control. It is, in effect, an alternate front-end to Git. There are any number of articles , tutorials and other online resources that can explain the finer details. One feature I’ve been exploring more lately is Jujutsu’s ability to use templates to control how output is presented. Compact history I like… ## [Rust Language Immersion Course](http://zanshin.net/2026/04/22/rust-language-immersion-course/) _2026-04-23 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Last November someone I follow on Mastodon posted about taking a week-long Rust programming course that used the Crafting Interpreters book as the project. At the I wished I could join in the fun. A couple weeks ago she posted that the course was being offered again, for the last time. After thinking about it for a couple days I decided to sign up. It’s a five day course, Monday-Friday, from… ## [GW004 My First Writing Retreat](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/gw004-my-first-writing-retreat) _2026-04-22 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ Listen now | Follow me in this video and audio adventure as I show and describe my experience on my first-ever writing retreat. [Listen](https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/194963815/19f4b5350a08dc2934a325a6326174e7.mp3) ## [49 Years and Still Operating](http://zanshin.net/2026/04/18/49-years-and-still-operating/) _2026-04-18 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ The Voyager spacecraft are incredible. Nearly 49 years after launch and they are still functioning and still transmitting data. Simply astonishing engineering. ## [Seeds of Stories](https://gleaningwords.substack.com/p/seeds-of-stories) _2026-04-16 · Eric Beaty · Gleaning Words_ and the fruits that come from them. As a writer, it’s sometimes easy to forget (and by contrast hard to remember) how much the actual act of writing itself solves many of the problems I find myself facing. So many of my worries, fears, and doubts would be easily remedied if I just committed to doing the writing instead of allowing resistance to win. ## [Crusty Interpreter](http://zanshin.net/2026/04/14/crusty-interpreter/) _2026-04-15 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ Several years ago I discovered Writing an Interpreter in Go and the sequel Writing a Compiler in Go, by Thorsten Ball. I managed to get most of the way through the first book. Thorsten did a superb job of explaining the concepts behind tokens, lexers, and parsing. Several weeks ago Lindsey Kuper (@lindsey@resurse.social) talked about a week long class in creating an interpreter in Rust. The road… ## [Greatest Car Review Ever](http://zanshin.net/2026/04/02/greatest-car-review-ever/) _2026-04-02 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ ## [Prime Numbers](http://zanshin.net/notes/prime-numbers/) _2026-03-28 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ For any prime number, p, where p is greater than or equal to 5, p²-1 is always divisible by 24. ## [The War in Iran](http://zanshin.net/2026/03/27/the-war-in-iran/) _2026-03-28 · Mark H. Nichols · Zanshin.net_ This is a sobering, but essential read. The spreading ripples from this colossal error in judgment, are going to last for years, and they are going to alter the lives of everyone on the planet.