Saturday, September 19, 2026 →
@the So weird! Have you upgraded to iOS 27.0 that came out this week? I did both that update and the new Micro.blog update, and now the Discover tab for books is working great.
Replies
@the today’s iOS update for Micro.blog fixed this bug for me. Thank you @manton !
@patrickrhone We faced an empty nest five years (!) ago. So disorienting. In my case, I organized the tool shed. We each have to find our own way through this. Sending good thoughts!
@genegualtieri another favorite! You’ve got great taste in books!
@Cliff538 Oh man, all that GREEN! Soak it all in!
@bloftin2 @rscottjones @Cliff538 @Eyebeemania @EpiphanicSynchronicity Thank you for your kind thoughts. And I oh love this quote: “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.”
So very true.
@genegualtieri I saw that! I ended up reading The Good Life earlier this year. I enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as Brightness Falls. Looking forward to eventually reading all four. Thanks again for putting this series on my radar!
@genegualtieri Claire Keegan is really an amazing writer. I honestly don’t know how she does it either. I’m recommending Foster to everyone I know.
@bloftin2 yes! I thought this was just me!
@philbowell Thanks, Phil!
@ReaderJohn Interesting! I stopped using Readwise Reader about a year and a half ago because the interface was confusing and cluttered, though I use Readwise itself every day. I’ve been using Matter, but that app really struggles to translate articles into the read-later format, and its article discovery engine has gotten pretty awful. Might be time to look at Reader again.
@ReaderJohn Ooh, this slipped by me too. How is this helping you?
@7robots @manton Thanks for checking! I was glad to hear from @the that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this. I was using the TestFlight version of the app, so I uninstalled it, then reinstalled it from the App Store. Books on the Discover tab still won’t load. So weird!
@rscottjones Ahhhh. Very nice! I grew up in Port Angeles. Lovely part of the world!
@Cliff538 Hey! That looks like Anacortes! We’ve stayed aboard our trawler at the Cap Sante Marina many, many nights in that great seaside town. Enjoy your time!
@manton Question about this new book blogging feature: can we edit the book page that gets created to add our personal review of the book, or is this a static page like we had before, but on our own site? Thanks for all you do!
@manton fantastic!!!! Thank you for making this!
@Cliff538 We took a road trip in our RV a couple of years ago from Phoenix to Vashon Island in Washington state to escape the July heat. Our first stop was at the Space Station RV park just outside of Las Vegas. It was 110 degrees outside. We had the A/C running full blast, but it was barely keeping up. The breaker box at the park was a little sketch, and I was worried we might trip it with our A/C load. That could turn deadly. I’m glad this all worked out!
Enjoy your time in the Pacific NW!
@genegualtieri One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors! What did you think?
@manton I am so curious about this! Share more when you can.
@Cliff538 The summer heat in Arizona can be brutal. Hope you’re heading someplace cooler! We’ve escaped to Santa Barbara for the week, and the locals are all complaining at the 88 degree heat, but we are loving the ocean breeze. Travel safe!
@jsnell Ooh, that’s an expensive lock. I really love the more affordable Aqara U400 smart lock. I upgraded from a Yale smart lock that gave me nothing but problems, especially with Homekit. The Aqara really does feel like you’re living in the future.
@EpiphanicSynchronicity I know what you mean. I moved to Things from OmniFocus and missed some of the power user features and especially the Review function. I set up a weekly recurring Project in Things I use now for that weekly review every Sunday morning. It’s not the same as OmniFocus, but I’ve tailored it to suit me. I’ve been doing weekly reviews with it for seven years now. It’s kept me on the the rails for sure.
@rscottjones We can dream!
@cliff538 Great review, Cliff! Claire Keegan is amazing.
@jimmitchell I love this, Jim. It’s one thing to add so much functionality to a blog, but it’s a whole different thing to make it look so good. You’re an artist!
@cjhubbs I read Blood Meridian over six years ago, and there are parts of it that still haunt me. Powerful writing.
@cliff538 Ha! But money on books is always well spent!
@braindump This one sounds similar to Shteyngart’s most recent novel, Vera, Or Faith, which is a near-future dystopian novel told by a gifted ten-year-old girl. The mixture of perfectly normal, relatable, everyday life with a reasonable extrapolation of a concerning trend (AI, right-wing politics, government surveillance, etc.) makes books like these so alarming. Thanks for sharing this.
Great blog by the way!
@chrisd WAIT … WAIT … WAIT! You have to read Song of Susannah (Volume 6) before you climb those steps to the Dark Tower! I’m sorry, but you have forgotten the face of your father!
@rscottjones I went my entire adult life without a single rock chip, and then I moved to Arizona … just had my windshield replaced for the second time in two years. They make rocks bigger here!!!
@cliff538 Ah, that’s very cool. This makes me miss Seattle!
@timmymac ah, this was one of my all time favorites. I’m jealous you’re getting to read this gem for the first time. Enjoy!
@cliff538 I love everything about this, Cliff. So many wise words. What a way to coach and motivate yourself! I’m definitely borrowing this practice …….
@lmika I think I have the same keyboard. Are you using it on a Mac with a Bluetooth connection? If so, I had the very same problem. A firmware upgrade fixed it for me.
@Eyebeemania I hope you enjoy it!
@chrisd Ah, the Dark Tower series. Long days and pleasant nights.
@philbowell Things could not be better with my vision. I feel like I’ve been given a new lease on life. Thank you for reading the post—that was a LONG one!
@philbowell looks terrific, Phil!
@cliff538 What fun! I love the idea of sticking photos in my physical journal. I might have to get one of these … Out of curiosity, what is that ringed notebook you’re using?
@AnthonyBaker Whoa! You’ve been pushing! Have a great time on the STP!
@cliff538 Thank you, Cliff. I am not usually much of risk-taker, but this was one of those times where I had to go all in. I am so glad I did!
@jean Thank you!
@bradleyandroos happy birthday!
@cliff538 Ha! You’re the reason I picked this book up in the first place. So thank you!!!
@birming Yes, that’s a great comparison!
@brownstudy I like your approach. 50 pages every morning, plus maybe an audiobook on commutes or during chores, and a little reading before bed really adds up. A few years ago, I set out to read the 11-volume opus of Will and Ariel Durant’s The Story of Civilization. I’m a slow reader, and history has never been a riveting subject, but reading just 30 pages a day helped me finish this incredible journey in a little over two years. It’s a nice habit to form, especially when your mind is fresh in the morning. Enjoy!
@jabel Ha! That simply means you have intrinsically impeccable taste!
As a quick FYI, Edward Tufte wrote some terrific books on presenting information without all the chartjunk of modern-day PowerPoint, etc. His thinking really clicked with me. I have all of his books and attended at least three of the day-long workshops he used to put on. He’s a legend in the data analytics space. I couldn’t figure out why I loved your blog so much until I realized the connection. Good choice!!!
I had no idea there was a Tufte theme on Micro.blog. There goes my afternoon.
@jabel Ah, fond memories (now) of squirrels swinging wildly on our bird feeders back on Vashon Island. I tried all sorts of feeders to keep these clever critters out, but I never found one they couldn’t crack. It bugged me at the time, but now I miss them!
P.S. - I really love your blog. It reminds me so much of Edward Tufte’s design choices. Was that an inspiration?
@cliff538 I enjoyed this one as well, but agree it doesn’t compare to her others, particularly Foster. I bought a couple of Keegan’s older short story collections that I’m saving for special occasions. After that I guess I’ll read them all again. She’s that good!