J.B. Sommerset

  "Trillium" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) My last quote of the week was about how mankind fails at happiness because he destroys it to find more. Part of the reason for this is that we also have no gratitude, instead we have anger, and a lot of it. So, here's your quote of the week: "It's a shame so many people prioritize anger over gratitude, no wonder there is so much pain in the world- that's what we have made a priority..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Before I get started, just as an F.Y.I., a couple of my audiobooks have been flagged because of broken links, this should be fixed soon.  Moving on, this week I am going to call back to a favorite. This week I am calling back to H.P. Lovecraft , one of my favs. I have posted his work a couple times but I hold back a bit when it comes to him. A person can get tired of the same thing over and over. I ration it well. This week is going to be one of the times when I was in the mood for some out of this world body horror and occult mayhem. This week it's " The Horror at Redhook ". I hope you all enjoy! Cheers!

"Foggy Birch" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset) This time, I thought I would get all profound and philosophical with my quote of the week. For the most part I am a minimalist, and don't like a lot of extraneous detail when it comes to my writing and my art. However, occasionally I go out on a limb and post something complicated and "floral". This one is from one of my many works in progress. Hope you all like it. "Let it be said that we are all children; age is an assumption, it is relative to those who have aged. There are always older, wiser and more adult things in this world, and when we are among them, we are without the insights of maturation. In those times, we are children, no matter how old we are." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Sun on the Tracks" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 ) Sometimes we need a reminder that the only thing that keeps us from being ourselves is the fear that there will be a fair amount of judgement with that endeavor. If there were no fear in the becoming than there would be no value in it's lessons and self actualization would mean nothing. So, here's a good quote in that vein... "I'll be here waiting, just the other side of your fear. So, are you going to come find me? Who am I you ask? Well, I am you, the you that is waiting for you to become." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

When I was a kid I used to read every fantasy book I could get my hands on. Short stories, novels, comics, graphic novels, it didn't matter. Among those were some of the classics. I have posted a number of them over the years here on my site. But there is one author I can't seem to recall ever posting, and I really don't know why. If this is somehow a repost, I apologize. I don't think it is. This week we are going back to the The land of Narnia . I say back to, because most of you out there are very familiar with " The Chronicles of Narnia " by C.S. Lewis . If you haven't read the books, you most likely have seen one of the many film adaptations of them. My biggest disappointment was that only four of the books were ever made into movies, which is a shame because my two favorites were never even considered- " The Horse and his Boy " and " The Magician's Nephew ". I like " The Last Battle ", but it isn't my favorite. S

"Mud and Snow" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset ) Sometimes it pays to have a "down to Earth quote" one that's really note sophisticated or complex, one that is simple, but makes since in ways that the common man can understand. I have a whole section in my notebooks dedicated to this kind of quote. I call it "the simple man section". Given that this is another election year, I thought this one fit the bill, enjoy.  "If you are going to be lazy and cut corners, you probably shouldn't do it while wiping your ass." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

  Sometimes I go looking for shows with certain actors in them just to see what those gifted sons a bitches are up to. I feel certain actors deserve follow up. This week I got curious about our favorite malcontented sheriff from Duffer-ville: David Harbour of Stranger Things . So, what has good old Jim Hopper been up to recently? David is one of those actors who's in more movies than most people think. He just shows up, does a fairly good job and then fades into the background like " Homer Simpson into that hedge" . David's filmography is fairly long, and he's in a number of my favorite shows and movies. From Stranger Things to the Marvel franchise he does a little for everyone. And who could forget one of my favorite quirky, gorey, and slapstick Christmas Movies- Violent Night ? But what has he been up to recently?  The good news is he's still acting. A quick search revealed a couple of new movies and some Netflix work. So, I decided to indulge. You might h

"Mushrooms on the Mountain" (Photo credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Have you ever meant one of those people who is always stressed out and suffers from anxiety? It seems no matter how good they have it they will burn the village down because they don't feel like happiness is enough. Like there is something better and more important than being happy and content with things. I am not saying there is an issue with wanting more, I am saying, why would you destroy happiness to have more? Anyway, I thought this quote is apropos- "There are a lot of people who hate happiness despite what they might tell you, the majority of 'happy' people will gladly burry it under something else- anxiety, stress, disappointment. It can be irritating to watch these people. It's like they are trying to save their happiness and keep it locked away under all that bullshit, not even realizing that experiencing happiness is the point."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Okay, for some reason this didn't post like it should have 2 weeks ago, so I am going to make up for it and post it now. Moving forward these will be on schedule, I am adding them to my workflow. Anyway, moving forward. We all know how much I loves me some Mark Twain , I have posted a lot of his works, form " Tom Sawyer " to " Huck Finn ", but for some reason I have never posted this one, which is weird, it sort of falls into his well known works. So, here it is, this week I am posting " The Prince and The Pauper ", Bon, appetite! Cheers!

"The Ocean of Cotton" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Here's a literary quote for all you writers out there. For a while most of the things I was writing had a fair amount of satire in them. I don't put as much satire in my work any more, it's still there, but it has been toned down quite a bit and here's why... "The problem with satire is that the people whom it is intended for rarely understand it..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

While straggling through the wilderness of Netflix shows the other day I came across " The Three Body Problem ". I know of story, mostly of the Chinese novel   by the same name. It's on my reading list, I just haven't gotten to it yet. My list is pretty big, so I prioritize which ones I will read first. This one was high on my list, and that hasn't changed. I suspect there is more in the book than there was in the show. Normally I don't like to watch the show before I read the book, but in this case, I didn't see any good options- There's not much on Netflix I haven't seen, at least from a critical stand point. So when I see something new, I typically like to give it a spin. A lot of my friends recommended the book, so I knew something about it. It went on the old reading list when it was first translated. I decided to watch the show which made it to my plate first.  " The Three Body Problem " is an award winning Science Fiction book by

"The Dying Light" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Sometimes it helps to remember that our habits and behaviors become us. It's hard to see it happening but we can become the things we hate in such a way. "Do not practice a thing that doesn't bring joy to your heart, for you might just become good at it..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers! 

"Golden Tipped" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) This one is an oldie but goodie. It's a healthy reminder that happiness doesn't come from some outside thing, it is not to be purchased and it cannot be owned- only experienced. Lastly, that it is in fact a personal responsibility. "One of the secrets to happiness is not in the getting somewhere, or completeing something, it's in the being somewhere and doing something."  J.B. Sommerset (The Last of those who Walk) Cheers!

There are very few Adam Sandler movies I actually like. For the most part it's the same movie over and over again. It's okay sometimes. But I have to be in the mood to waste a couple of hours watching one of his movies. I guess you might say I have a love hate relationship with him and his work. Most of it, is very "Meh". There's only one Adam Sandler movie I will watch over and over again- outside of " Eight Crazy Nights ", which my family insists is a "Christmas movie". That movie would be, you probably guessed this one, " Happy Gilmore ". And it's really not even a good movie, it's just super nostalgic. There are some other movies he's in that are good, but they don't have a replay value- case in point " Reign Over Me ", " Punch Drunk Love ", and " Uncut Gems " among others. They're good movies, but they just aren't worth watching multiple times, especially Uncut Gems.  So when

"The Glow at the end of the World" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes people are so reoccupied with doing something that they do not take the time to ask themselves if they should do something. Like playing in "gods toolbox", it's a bad idea. But people just keep doing it, and usually for all the wrong reasons. The quote this week kind of reflects that.  "Did we ever stop to consider that maybe the stars were put so high in the heavens so that man could not reach them..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

I was skeptical when I saw the trailer for " The Creator ", it seemed like it had been done a number of times before- from " Terminator " to " A.I. " In other words, I didn't think it could be original or even come across as authentic. I was wrong, and I will give this film more credit than most of the critics did. I think it deserves that, because it's hard to come up with anything that even has original paint. This movie has a crap ton happening, and while it's true that there are so many call outs and themes that appear to be stollen from other movies, I assure you this story is very much an original work. And those call outs are more tributes than anything else. The plot is one that I have addressed here many times and struggle with, especially right now. Artificial intelligence is something I am VERY cautious of. For the most part A.I. has been vilified in movies and stories, it's usually the big-bad-guy in most science fiction films t

This week's book is a well known story for any science fiction fan. In fact there was a movie made from the book- although it doesn't deserve the association. Not because it's a bad movie, it just doesn't represent the book or the author. I would say it shares the name and not much else because as creative as the movie is, the book is better and has more to it. For those of you who don't know, I am a big Robert A. Heinlein fan, and find the mans work, often, ahead of it's time. I have posted his work from time to time, but for some reason I have never posted the full length audio book of " Starship Troopers ". Not sure why, maybe it's because it's not his best work- it's good, but he has done better. Anyway, here it is- I give you Starship Troopers. Cheers!

"The Breach in the Sky" (Photo Credit JB Sommerset 2024 ) I dug back only a couple of years for this one. And it's oh so perfect for 2024- being that we are going into an election year here in the states. I not usually one to take sides on this matter, but this year is super important. If we have another 4 years with the "terrible tangerine" I am pretty sure all is lost and the apocalypse has begun. Well, anyway, here is the quote of the week. "The thing about treason and sedition is that it only really works out if you are the victor, not some bumbling idiot who just wants their own way." J.B. Sommerset Cheers! 

Before I get started, let me express that I have not seen all of Nicholas Cages movies so I can't say for sure if this is the strangest one, but damn, it's up there. Lets get started. Okay, I admit it, Nicholas Cage is one of my guilty pleasures. For the most part, I don't think his movies are good, in fact his acting is, well, something... The thing is his movies are fun. Very fun, even the ones that get " meme " status. He has a habit of not taking much seriously. In truth, he actually can act, well sometimes. I think he just operates a little differently than most of us. When he's on, he's on, and when he's not, he's still on- success even with his failures.  This last weekend I stumbled across a movie I didn't expect out of Nicholas Cage. It's a weird little film, like super weird, and quite possibly it makes it into the top 10 most awkward movies I think I have ever seen. That's right, squirm in your seat awkward, get up and pret

Every once in a while I like to put a title in here that I have not read and know nothing about. It keeps it fresh and I will most likely post more books that I haven't read before. This audiobook is a little outside of the bi-weekly range, but I have been busy and also "I caught a wee sniffle". I don't know anything about it and I am not really sure if it's going to be any good. But I am down to give someone a few extra likes, clicks, or subs. So here we go, this week is " A Hunt in Winter " by Conor Brady , apparently, its a thriller. We'll see about that. Enjoy! Cheers!