Penguin

“Time Management” by minilla The post Time Management appeared first on Shirtoid.

I used to have those glow-in-the-dark stars in my bedroom, and honestly part of me is thinking of bringing them back so I can see where the light switch or door is in the dark. ? Chibird store | Positive pin club | Instagram

thebristolboard: Original cover art by Jim Aparo from The Comic Reader #130, published by Street Enterprises, May 1976.

Whenever I hear someone had a chill weekend, I feel happy for them that they got rest and recovery time! ? I know some people are afraid of sounding uninteresting, but we’re not meant to be interesting all of the time! Doing nothing is great. Chibird store | Positive pin club | Instagram

Colin Farrell was completely unrecognisable as Oz (Picture: AP) Colin Farrell has spoken about why he could only go through the process of disappearing behind a pile of prosthetics and makeup for The Penguin every other day while filming. Farrell was completely unrecognisable as the DC villain in the hit HBO series, after hours in the makeup chair every morning to transform into the gangster Oz Cobb. The 49-year-old said it took around three hours to turn into the Penguin, and he would run lines and listen to music to pass the time. Farrell spoke about the transformation process in a new sit-down interview with Danny DeVito – who also played the Penguin in Tim Burton’s 1992 film Batman Returns – for Variety. Farrell explained the production would not let him work for two days in a row because his skin would start breaking out under the makeup and prosthetics designed by makeup artist Mike Marino. He told DeVito: ‘I’d come in my pyjamas every morning, because I just wasn’t willing to commit to wearing a pair of jeans. Farrrell spent hours in the makeup chair every morning (Picture: BFA/Macall Polay/HBO Max/Alamy Stock Photo)

Adélie and Gentoo penguins present a perfectly shaped pebble to their chosen mate during courtship....

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake Narrator: Gail Shalan Length: 11 Hours 58 Minutes Series: Clover Lake #1 Also by this author: Make the Season Bright Published by Penguin on May 13, 2025 Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, FICTION / Romance / LGBTQ+ / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy Pages: 416 Format: Audiobook, eARC Source: Library, Publisher Buy on Amazon Goodreads A small-town waitress and a Hollywood star’s worlds collide in this new romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star. Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things. But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light. Why Did I Listen To Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake? Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake has an absolutely fantastic cover – I found how colorful it was to be quite eye catching. With Pride month coming up and having listened to Make The Season Bright and really enjoying it, I wanted to pick up Dream On, Ramona Riley because I had this instinct that I would enjoy this sapphic rom com. Well, that instinct turned out correct. Blake’s latest is superb and quite a good listen. What’s The Story Here? It looks to me like Dream On, Ramona Riley is the first in a Clover Lake series and I am here for it! This book follows main character Ramona Riley who is working as a waitress in her small town of Clover Lake. She has big dreams but she put them on hold to help out with her younger sister when her mother abandoned the family. So, Ramona lives with her dad and sister and has what could be a smaller life than expected. She once dreamed of working in costume design and even got to go to Rhode Island School of Design for a year. Her life is about to get a curveball. You see, Clover Lake is about to be the set of Dylan Monroe’s new rom com movie. Dylan is a famous movie star with famous parents. This isn’t her first time in Clover Lake. You see, she was there as a youth for one summer and meets this girl for just one day. The chemistry was instant. Oh, that girl? Ramona. But, they never exchanged names. So, anyways, Ramona and Dylan cross paths in present day and it turns out, there’s chemistry in the present day as well. And so, the two start to navigate seeing each other. Ramona just might get a chance to pursue her dreams again. How Did I Like Dream On, Ramona Riley? After listening to this book, I can confidently say that I want to read the other books by Ashley Herring Blake that I have not read yet. Both Ramona and Dylan are compelling characters – with complicated family dynamics. If there’s one thing I enjoy in a story, it is complex family relationships. Also, Ramona’s best friend is named April and I truly appreciated that little tidbit. It feels like she may be getting a book next, I hope. There’s also an appearance from Iris Kelly. I haven’t read her book yet, but I want to after reading this. I liked how the relationship played out between Ramona and Dylan. There are moments where there is a grand gesture of apologizing. I eat that right up. How’s The Narration? Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake is narrated by Gail Shalan. It is 11 hours and 58 minutes long. Of course, I did listen to this at 2x speed. I liked that Shalan had different voices for Dylan and Ramona’s chapters. It made it very easy to keep track of the two different POV characters. I felt like there were true emotions put into the narration as well. It was a compelling, interesting listen. I cannot recommend this enough — particularly as we are going into Pride Month. @aprilbooksandwine Three books I recently picked up and sort of enjoyed – from backlist to two recently published books. Books Mentioned: You Lucky Dog by Julia London Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake She Doesn’t Have A Clue by Jenny Elder Moke #LibraryLover #LibraryFinds #ReadersOfTikTok #BookTok #Inverted #greenscreensticker ♬ original sound – April Books & Wine

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. You Lucky Dog by Julia London Narrator: Courtney Patterson Length: 11 Hours 15 Minutes Published by Penguin on August 25, 2020 Genres: Fiction / Animals, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy Pages: 352 Format: Audiobook, eARC, Paperback Source: Library, Publisher Buy on Amazon Goodreads An accidental dog swap unleashes an unexpected love match in this new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Julia London. Carly Kennedy's life is in a spiral. She is drowning in work, her divorced parents are going through their midlife crises, and somehow Carly's sister convinces her to foster Baxter--a basset hound rescue with a bad case of the blues. When Carly comes home late from work one day to discover that the dog walker has accidentally switched out Baxter for another perkier, friendlier basset hound, she has reached the end of her leash. When Max Sheffington finds a depressed male basset hound in place of his cheerful Hazel, he is bewildered. But when cute, fiery Carly arrives on his doorstep, he is intrigued. He was expecting the dog walker, not a pretty woman with firm ideas about dog discipline. And Carly was not expecting a handsome, bespectacled man to be feeding her dog mac and cheese. Baxter is besotted with Hazel, and Carly realizes she may have found the key to her puppy’s happiness. For his sake, she starts to spend more time with Hazel and Max, until she begins to understand the appeal of falling for your polar opposite. Why Did I Listen To You Lucky Dog by Julia London? You Lucky Dog by Julia London appealed to me on the basis of the combination of dogs and contemporary romance. I like dogs. I like contemporary romance. So, match made in trope heaven? As this book has been on my TBR for the longest time, I went with the audiobook because that is how I get through backlist books so quickly. This was such a cute story! What’s The Story Here? You Lucky Dog follows Carly Kennedy – a publicist – and Max Sheffington – a professor. The two cross paths when their Bassett Hounds are accidentally switched after the hired dog walker is arrested for selling weed by the bridge to an undercover cop. Carly realizes the mistake when her depressed dog seems much more upbeat and happy – oh and is now a girl. Upon switching the dogs back, Carly has a lot to say about Max’s lackadaisical approach to pet care. Afterall, he lets his dog up on the furniture and eat macaroni and cheese. Still, Carly and Max actually have some chemistry and spark and as the story unravels, you see just how right they are for each other, even if they do have very different personalities. How Did I Like You Lucky Dog? London’s book is very cute. Is it life changing? No. Did it help me relax and unwind? Yes. I liked Hazel and Baxter, the dogs — they add some wonderful comic relief to the story. Actually there is a lot of comedy here — including the wacky outfits that Carly wears to promote her young fashion designer client. Oh and also at one point Max’s dad dates Carly’s mom. But we have serious moments too – in particular around Max’s brother who is autistic and has a special interest in dogs. This was enjoyable and sweet. If you are looking for a palate cleanser read you may enjoy You Lucky Dog. How’s the Narration? The audiobook of You Lucky Dog is narrated by Courtney Patterson. I wasn’t familiar with Patterson’s narration prior to listening to this book. She has an easy to listen to, enjoyable style. I listened to this at 2x speed and could still follow quite easily. It is 11 hours and 15 minutes of breezy storytelling.  

“Penguin Island” by jasneko The post Penguin Island appeared first on Shirtoid.

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. The Counselors by Jessica Goodman Narrator: Phoebe Strole Length: 9 Hours 18 Minutes Also by this author: They Wish They Were Us, They'll Never Catch Us Published by Penguin on May 30, 2023 Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General Pages: 368 Format: Audiobook, eARC Source: Library, Publisher Buy on Amazon Goodreads "Dark secrets? Summer camp setting? Complex teen girls? Murder? Count me in." —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces * A New York Times bestseller * A USA TODAY bestseller * An Indie Bestseller * From New York Times bestselling author Jessica Goodman comes a twisty mystery about three best friends, one elite summer camp, and the dark secrets that lead to a body in the lake. Summer can’t get here soon enough; Goldie and her camp friends—who know her better than anyone else—will finally be counselors. But Goldie’s been keeping a terrible secret. And so are her best friends. When a teen turns up dead one night, Goldie knows that one of her best friends was at the scene of the crime and is lying about her whereabouts. With danger lurking, asking questions offers no answers, only cracking bonds of lifelong friendship and betrayals deeper than Goldie ever imagined. “[A] delicious and layered thrill ride.” —Marie Claire Why Did I Listen To The Counselors by Jessica Goodman? What better to get pumped for summer reading than by picking up a thriller murder mystery set at summer camp? The Counselors by Jessica Goodman had fit the bill. Goodman has some interesting young adult books about privilege and murder, so I like the niche that she has made for herself. I went with the audiobook version because I have been on a roll of listening to audiobook thrillers lately. What’s The Story Here? The Counselors is about Goldie Easton who has only ever felt that she belongs at Camp Alpine Lake. Typically, campers at Alpine Lake pay a very hefty fee to go there. In fact, there is even a test to get into the camp. It is a camp populated by campers who are very privileged. Goldie is not. She’s what you would call a townie. However, she gets to go to the camp because her parents both work there. Over the years, she’s formed very close bonds with two of the girls. She’s looking forward to this year because she will be a lifeguard. Only, her life kind of fell apart before the summer and the town that she lives in does not like her or the camp. Oh, and her ex boyfriend is found dead at the lake. They aren’t sure if the cause of death was accidental or murder. So, the story is about to get quite twisty. How Did I Like The Counselors? The Counselors was fun for what it was. I love the setting – nothing better than summer camp. Also, the intersection of privilege with how Goldie is not. I do think this book will not stick with me for any length of time. However, I wasn’t reading it expecting my life to change or my worldview to be different. Instead, I read it for entertainment and I got entertainment. Read this book when you are camping particularly if you are interested in something twisty. How’s The Narration? Phoebe Strole narrates the audiobook of Goodman’s The Counselors. If you’ve listened to Strole before, you know that she does YA very well. So, she was exactly what I expected, having listened to many of her previous narrations. I have no complaints. In fact, I would say this is one to add to your summer audiobook TBR if you like thrillers.

April 25 was Arbor Day. I went for a walk in a place with trees... and birds. I got to see a couple of spotted sandpipers and killdeer. So many killdeer. It was a beautiful birding morning.  April 25 was also Perfect Date Day because, "it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket." Jeremy and I went on a date. We stopped by the library to pick up Miss Congeniality (which we never got around to watching) and went to Deer Creek Reservoir to eat dinner in the van and look for loons.We found one that Jeremy named Claire. Think about that for a moment? Classical music fans? Claire the Loon. The weather was just right for wearing our light jackets. At home the kids ate fish sticks and watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie for National Plumbers Day, World Penguin Day, and National Telephone Day, all on April 25.