Satisfaction Brought Him Back

Thought for the day:  The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. [Dorothy Parker]

I don't believe curiosity killed the cat, do you? (However, it might possibly have led him into some oopsie situations a time or two.)

How about you? Are you the curious sort? I am. Dorothy Parker was right. I'm rarely bored, and that's probably because I've been afflicted with a raging case of curiosity my entire life. What's more, the condition is still going as strong as ever. (Beats being bored...)

Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.

Okay, before I share a current  curiosity with you... it's the last Friday of the month, and time for the monthly gathering of bibliophiles known as the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, hosted by the chief cephalopod himself,  the armchair squid. As usual, I'll post my bookish stuff near the end of this post, so those of you who don't give a good hoot what I've been reading can just read the first part of the post and ignore the rest. Those who wanta see even more of who's been reading what, pop over to the squid's blog and check out the linky link thing-a-ma-bob there.

Now then. Thing-a-ma-bob. That's what it is. Or possibly a doohickey. The truth is, we don't know what the heck it is. Smarticus found this thing... this very interesting thing...  in the bottom of a box of stuff he bought from a pawn shop before it went out of business. We don't know what it is. The other people we've asked don't know what it is, either.

Maybe one of you do. Ready to see it?

Here it is in profile. It's made of brass and has a sturdy feel to it. A fairly simple construction, but well-made.

Here it is, head on. (Or heck, maybe it's the back...) The black bulbous part is made of a rubber compound of some sort.

The other side features a shallow channel, which isn't as smooth as the rest of the... thing-a-ma-bob. 

When the handle is squeezed shut, the ends separate, as though it's intended to stretch something, maybe. Maybe not.

Whether this is part of something larger, or it's the whole deal, we don't know. Do you? Anybody know what this is?

(If not, any fun guesses...?)

Okay, moving on the the book part of this post. First up, my most recent book from

Unlike last month, I can't honestly say this was the best book I read this month, but it might be something y'all would enjoy...

 Before requesting Tantric Coconuts, I read the handful of reviews already written for it, and noted that they differed dramatically, with ratings ranging from one-star to five. Still, I was intrigued with the notion of a Nicholas Sparks-like novel with a spiritual element. Besides, the author has a "New York Times" bestselling track record. It HAD to be good, right?

Now then: reality. Say there are two Ferraris zipping down the road. Now imagine a head-on collision. Both are destroyed, and now neither is worth a plug nickel. That's kinda what I think happened to this book. On the one hand is a semi-sweet story laced with bits of humor, and on the other hand is the author's serious philosophy about life and spiritual growth. Either of these premises could have made a top-notch book, but when they're forced to collide and merge bumpers? Not so much. Then the book looses focus and identity, and in a well-meaning attempt to fulfill both roles, it fails to adequately fulfill either. Manufactured discussions between the characters as a means to teach the path to spiritual fulfillment came across as contrived and awkward. Stiff. The saddest part is that the message the author is trying to send is definitely one worth receiving. Unfortunately, I think most readers will give up on this book without finishing. I wish the author would write a straightforward non-fiction book about his thoughts on spiritual growth, rather than try to incorporate them artificially in a piece of fluff.

For more information about this book, please see here, and for more info about the author, this is the place right here. Just to make it clear, I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. If you're interested in following suit, just check out their website.

Now, then, I thought I'd mention a few books I read this month which I highly recommend:

• Deadly Lies, by Chris Patchell. Part of my review from Amazon and Goodreads: How well do we really know the people we love? Police detective Alex Shannon thought he knew his wife Jill very well, but now he's not so sure. Something's changed. As a sexually abused teenager, Jill vowed to never be a victim again, so when abuse rears its ugly head again and threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, she has to do something to take control of her life again. The problem is, that "something" is far from legal. When the detective's investigation uncovers clues leading right to his bride, what will he do about it? Uphold the law, let his wife go... or something else?  

I really enjoyed this book, which could be classified as a thriller, I suppose. Much to my surprise, after I posted my review for it, the author sent me a really nice box of chocolates. (Which in no way influenced the five stars I'd already given it...)

• The Graveyard Shift, by Brandon Meyers & Bryan Pedas. These talented guys, who blog at A Beer for the Shower,  have already proven themselves to be off-the-chart funny and witty. In this collection of short stories, they also prove themselves to be a little... creepy. (Of course, I mean that in the nicest way...) One of the best things about reading a collection of short stories is the reader can read one story now, set the book down, do something else, and come back to read another one later, right? Kinda like having a lovely box of mixed chocolates next to your easy chair to select from at leisure. HA! I dare ya! TRY to read just one. Me? I read every single story in one sitting. (Which comes pretty close to my approach to eating boxes of chocolates, too, now that I think of it...) Anyhow, these stories are worthy of raising a couple goose bumps, and verrrry well-written. Imagination out the wazoo. Loved 'em! (Brandon also recently published a novel called Lovely Death, which I just purchased, but haven't yet read. Looking forward to it, though.)

• Bombs and Butterflies, by Jo Carroll. Anyone who's ever daydreamed about visiting exotic places around the world would love this author's books. This lovely blogging grandma from London doesn't just daydream about traveling... she DOES it. To wonderful places, where this intrepid traveler experiences wondrous (and sometimes scary) things, and meets wonderful (and sometimes scary) people. Then, she goes back home and writes about it, so we lucky readers can benefit from her insights and experiences. This book is about her trip to Laos, but all of her books are terrific. Seeing the world through her eyes may not be the same as seeing them first-hand, but it's the next best thing.

And there ya have it. Now... I want you to put on your thinking caps. I'd like you to think about your favorite old broad... could be someone in your family, a friend, celebrity, whatever. But don't tell me now. Next Friday, I'm gonna be writing about MY favorite old broad, and I'll be asking you then about yours. So think about it, so you're prepared to give an answer...

                                   Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.