Oh my (our) goodness, it sure is hard to get back to normal after two months of holidays but 2024 is upon us and the sisters have to return to their ABC life. We haven’t had time to do much in the way of activity so we thought we’d start out with something more passive, like reading and watching.

New book: The Outsider by Stephen King

Barbara: I’ve always enjoyed Stephen King books, but some types more than others. The ones I like the most seem to fall into 3 categories: they have a creepy element that most people can relate to like the creepy clown in “IT”, they have a “what if” element like “what if we changed history” as in “11/22/63”, or the situation could potentially happen which makes it particularly scary, like his latest book “Holly” (which had villains that actually gave me nightmares – a little TOO creepy). The Outsider did not fit into any of these categories because of its element of fantasy. Because he’s such a good writer I did finish the book and it wasn’t bad, just not my favorite of his.

New TV series: The Outsider

Laura: While Barbara tackled the book, I decided to watch The Outsider tv series, now streaming on HBO Max. I’m two episodes in and am definitely on edge trying to figure out the mystery of “who did it.” It presents a set of circumstances that are different than most whodunits so I will continue. It’s a bit slow moving but has enough elements in it that are intriguing to keep my interest. Plus, Jason Bateman is always a talent whom I admire and he has acting, directing and executive producer roles.

LEARNING CENTER

There are quite a few animals beginning with the letter O, each interesting in their own way. One is helpful, one you wouldn’t want to get too close to, and the other – well, bless her heart.

Did you know:

Oysters help purify the water they live in. One adult oyster can filter 50 gallons a day. Just remember that next time you eat a plate full of oysters.

Ostrich kicks are so powerful they can kill a lion.  

And our personal favorite – Orangutan mothers breastfeed their young for the longest time of any mammal, nursing them for about seven years. We refuse to look up how large a 7 year old orangutan is; we don’t want that image in our heads!