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!

  "Shroom Twins" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes it's good to reflect on the state of happiness in the world. Sometimes it's good to take a blook around and see who is and who isn't happen and why. No matter the reason chances are the problem is one of personal view points. This one is mine, I might have posted this back in the 2023s, but I think it deserves a repost today. So here it is, your quote of the day: "Mankind seems to be the only animal on the planet that will ruin his happiness and wellbeing in the pursuit of more happiness and wellbeing..." J.B. Sommerset 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!

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!

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!

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!

"Mist in the Valley" (Photo Credit: JB Sommerset 2024) This one is one from "the way back", it's one I'd like to think was given to me by mother nature herself, but I think it came to me because at the time I lived in Idaho- and that's a weird place to be.  "When looking at our compassion, we should use some common sense- sometimes a person should come to realize, that a rabid raccoon stuck in a trap because of it's own stupidity should be put down rather than set free. J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Okay, now that the holidays are over, it's back to our regularly scheduled program. An audio book every other week for those of us who don't have the time to read. This week we lean on the classics- Jules Verne . I think I have posted this one before, a long, long time ago. As with most good books they deserve a second time around, maybe a third, maybe we just keep reading them again and again our whole lives and enjoy them more and more- they age like fine wine. The older the better. Anyway, this week I am going to be "digging" down deep and journeying to the center of our world with "A journey to the Interior of the Earth" (Also known as "Journey to the Center of the Earth"). I hope you all enjoy this one, as a kid it was one of my favorites.  Cheers!

REBEL MOON: WAS IT GOOD? Alright, I finally did it, I watched " Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire " on Netflix. I actually wanted to see this one- I was looking forward to it in fact. I saw the previews and they got me curious about the concept, usually I don't get any "feels" from trailers. This one was different, it made me nostalgic.  When I heard the story behind how "Rebel Moon" actually came to be I was more intrigued, and less hopeful. As the story goes, it was supposed to be a star wars entry. The great a powerful mouse demi-god that now owns that franchise didn't like it so much and turned the pitchman, Zach Snyder , down. So Zach changed a lot of the elements, said F-you to the mouse-man and made it anyway. That, however, made it seem like he redid the paint on the car and was claiming it was brand new. This rarely works out for anyone trying to sell something, except in this case Netflix was buying, so it got made. So, was it any goo

I moved back to the woods recently. I come from the woods, somewhere way out there, in Idaho. As a kid I spent most of my time among the trees and the wildlife. Then as I grew up I decided there was more to life than that. For some stupid reason, I moved to the village, then to the town, and then to the city. There was nothing in any of those places for me.  Now that I have aged, and I am a lot older, and a little bit wiser, I realize that it’s not about the state you are in, the place you reside. It’s about the state of mind you are in. I was never in a healthy state of mind in the city. All around me was unhealthy noise. It got old as I got old.  That being said, living in the woods comes with it's own set of challenges. It can be lonely, it can be too quiet at times, there is isolation here, and isolation is not always easy to bare. One must have the tools to deal with it. Loneliness is also a very trying experience, but it helps you to recognize the value of a visit, the import

I was looking up at the stars last week and I was thinking about how far away they are. Millions, billions, trillions of miles away. So far that we look into the past  when we see them. And not just a few years, but all the way back to the birth of the universe. This weeks quote goes like this... "Even two things on the opposite sides of the universe are connected by distance." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

This next one is one I have posted before. I indulge in this story once or twice a year because it has special meaning to me. I think, for anyone who has suffered with someone who has Alzheimer's or Dementia, this one might hold a special place in the world of literature. That's right, this weeks audio book is Don Quixote   by  Miguel de Cervantes . There is something about this story that just takes me back to when I had to deal with a person who fought "giants".  Cheers!

Since Thanksgiving is coming this month, I decided to post this one a week earlier. Let's face it, the only thing anyone wants to do the day after Thanksgiving is have a comma. For all of you outside of the US, it's just going to be a bonus book, granted, I haven't been 100% consistent these last few weeks, but I can't argue with an extra read, and neither should you.  This week, it's all about science fiction. Who better to tell a story in that genre than the king of science fiction himself, that's right, Isaac Asimov . Most of us know the name, and most of us know about some of his works, such as, " The Foundation Trilogy ". But there is so much more to him than that fantastic series. He's kind of like Frank Herbert in that way. Anyway, here it is, I bring you this week's story- " The Naked Sun " Enjoy!

I missed a turn with this last audiobook, however this week I bring more stories, audiobooks... kind of. They are not so much audiobooks as spoken word stories. I did this before, last Halloween! That's right stragglers, it's time for CreepyPastas . For those of you who don't know what a CreepyPasta is, it's basically a creepy spoken-word story to be found on the interwebs. For the most part, they are stories that have become legends on the interwebs and shared around as fiction(?). That question mark was intentional because some have transcended fiction- like the " Slender Man " which inspired real-life murders. Now, I know what you are thinking, but some are actually pretty good. I am not so sure about these, I have never listened to this one- that's the thing about creepypastas; you never know what you are going to get. Cheers!

I am not sure if I have ever posted this one, feels like I should have. If I have, please forgive my incredulity. Jack London was a great author, and this book was one of the first books I read in primary school, right along with " My Side of the Mountain " by    Jean Craighead George , and  "The Red Banner" by James Ramsey Ullman . With that being said, I give you " Call of the Wild ". Down the road, I will most likely post more of his literature if I can find it. He has a number of works out there waiting to be discovered by a younger, more voracious crowd.  Cheers!

It's been entirely too long since I posted an audio book, go busy, and also got evacuated from the new place due to the fact that the world is burning this summer, and I was surrounded by massive forest fires. Sad day, but I am back now, being burned to a crisp doesn't sound like a good time. So, after a forced two week staycation at a friends house I can now resume where I left off.   This time I dug back into the classics for a refreshing jaunt into "Ol' Skool" lit.  I have always liked H.G. Wells. For some reason I don't think I have ever posted this one. I've posted " War of the Worlds ", and " The Time Machine ", but I don't think I have ever posted " The Invisible Man ". So, here it is, I hope you enjoy it.  Cheers, and keep on reading!

When I first saw " Primal " listed on HBO MAX, I didn't realize that it was a  Genndy Tartakovsky  production. If I had, I most likely would have watched it sooner. It's just so damn good. Do yourself a favor, watch it now, here's why... Usually, cartoons don't interest me, so I just pass them by. With the exception: PIXAR . I pay attention to  Pixar  releases because I have a history with them. However, they seem to have gone a little stale over the past few years. What I mean by that is they have found a formula and are sticking to it- make the audience cry. Nonetheless, they still know their craft, but I feel that they have reached a peak. I doubt they will ever come up with another " Wall-E ", or even more poignant, another " Up ". Those risks have been taken, and those stories have been told. The other major animation studios are no different, sometimes they break free of what works and come up with something truly wonderful, but rarel

There are certain authors I keep coming back to, mostly for the quality of their craft. I have talked about these authors. Much to the chagrin of the people reading this, I keep bringing up creative minds such as  Stephen King ,  Kurt Vonnegut , and Douglas Adams , to name a few. I mention these not because they are classics, plenty of authors are classics, even the bad ones.  I mention them because they resonate with the world. The words they wrote helped shape the world we live in. And even if no one knew who they were they would still stand out as great story tellers. They captured something and made it real, or at the very least inspired someone out there to bring something new into the world and make that thing a part of this place.  So naturally, I study these people, and as always, I keep an eye out for short clips and interviews with these kinds writers. Every once in a while I stumble across one or two I haven't seen before. This week I found a new one written by one of my