Author Archives: Thistle

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About Thistle

Queer, neurospicy, chronically longwinded oversharer. 40s; they/them. ✍️📷🐈📚🥾🇩🇪🏳️‍🌈😇💖🐍

The Sociopath Next Door, by Martha Stout (audio)

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Thistle

Subtitled: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us Four percent of the population – about one in every 25 people – has no conscience. They are not all criminals, serial killers, or the Hitlers of the world, which is what … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Sunday Coffee – Nine Years

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Thistle

It’s blogoversary time! While this latest version of The Zen Leaf has only been in place since August 2014, my book blogging goes back to February 15, 2008. I was suffering dreadful jet lag after returning from my visit to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Talk | Tagged | 7 Comments

Arcanum Unbounded, by Brandon Sanderson (audio)

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Thistle

Subtitled: The Cosmere Collection – Fiction From the Worlds of the Cosmere This collection of stories and novellas all take place in the giant world of Cosmere that ties many of Brandon Sanderson’s books together. The collection contains a number … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Wellness Wednesday #44: A funny thing happened on the way to circuit training…

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Thistle

February. Circuit training. That was The Big Plan. I had it all worked out. Half an hour alternating minute by minute between strength training and cardio, designed to be a full body workout. It was a good design, but as … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellness | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Twelve Angry Men, by Reginald Rose (audio)

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Thistle

Most people know this story already. A teen is accused of murder, and the jury must be unanimous in its decision: guilty or not guilty. It seems a slam-dunk decision, until one man votes not guilty, and sets out to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Drama | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Sunday Coffee – Time to Get Away

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Thistle

I need a vacation. As it turns out, I’ve run into a very solid weather-related wall. When the temps don’t rise above 10 degrees, I don’t go outside, not even to check the mail. Anything between 10 and 20 degrees … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged | 7 Comments

The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan (audio)

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Thistle

Book #3. Slightly more interesting than the last one, but some of the same problems still remain. Very little character development, and no characters yet that I really love. The story stays very black and white – the Good People … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Wellness Wednesday #43: February Challenge

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Thistle

Per my 2017 goals, I’m going to assign myself one fitness and one nutrition-based challenge each month. This is how January went, and what I plan to do for February. Nutrition: My goal for January was to most eliminate flour … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellness | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Different Class, by Joanne Harris

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Thistle

Roy Straitley has been a St. Oswald’s teacher for over thirty years. He’s not easily ruffled, and he survived the events of the previous year. St. Oswald’s isn’t doing as well after those events, though, and there’s a new crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sunday Coffee – Fight, Flight, Freeze

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Thistle

Not long after my sixteenth birthday, my mom moved us to a new house across town. My sophomore year wasn’t quite over, and it was a big upheaval that I dreaded. Part of moving in was to bring all our … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments