iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 13h

I guess I’m rooting for Philly in this game so we no longer have to listen to the stupid “Indian” thing anymore. Plus because it would make Linda Holmes happy.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 13h

September was a month full of mysteries. I particularly enjoyed Chris Chibnall's new mystery. I also discovered that Kerry Greenwood wrote a more modern series that I decided to try. Finally, I enjoyed the memoir of Hayley Mills whose movies I enjoyed as a child. Details on my blog. #booksky ⏳📚

alonewitheachother.blogspot.com

September 2026 Reading

Book reviews, TV reviews and general culture discussion

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 15h

Cut off the “it’s not silly.” Yes it’s silly. I wouldn’t mind being asked to pay a nominal fee to read an article or even to buy that day’s issue. But I am NOT going to subscribe to the whole publication to read one article. And if advertising isn’t a thing subscription base shouldn’t matter.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 17h

Put together a new desk chair today. I miss the days (long ago) when you bought furniture and it was delivered to you -no assembly required. And they carried it to the room where you wanted it. And the only furniture that needed assembly was for dorm rooms. Yeah, I’m old.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

👇Bluesky group read open to all.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Bummer for the Cubs but now I can unabashedly root for Milwaukee.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So the Pope beat the cheaters? Good.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Anybody interested in joining a group read of We Have Always Lived in the Castle respond below to Jedi M to join the feed. Open to all.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Is there no such thing as bad publicity?

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Channel 5 says the Senator pitches himself as the person who can fix college sports but today he couldn’t identify the Iowa Hawkeyes. Heh.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

My most totally useless senator. And remember, my other Senator is Josh Hawley.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

🎶 Those damn Yankees, why can’t we beat ‘em? He’s out! (He’s safe!) He’s out! (He’s safe!) He’s out, he’s safe, he‘s out! Yer blind ump, yer blind ump, ya must be outta yer mind ump! 🎶

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I hope tomorrow Chaim doesn’t try to gaslight the fans by saying it was a “successful season” like Ollie did. You can hit all your goals but unless you get to the playoffs you can’t claim to have a “successful season” by MLB standards. Admit it. Then say you didn’t expect to yadda yadda. #stlcards

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The only reason I know Choosin’ Texas exists is because I listen to the podcast Hooked On Pop and they talked about it. Until last week I didn’t subscribe to a streaming service and I don’t listen to music radio.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

“Thudded them right back out of it” is a perfect way to describe it.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Check this thread out. I left Meta long ago but if you still use FB or Insta, change your settings.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Looking at this “scratch off poster” to see how many I’ve read. A lot. But not all, by a long shot.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Iced coffee, job interview? No, don’t do It. The point of going on a job interview is get the job offer. Common sense says try hard to avoid doing things that might turn off the interviewer. While I personally don’t care if you drink iced coffee, bringing it shows you have no common sense. No offer.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Might get just for “I Remember”. What a trio!

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

In the NYT top 20 TV shows I saw 5 all the way through. There were 4 I started but never finished. I like TV but if I watch an hour of TV a day on average, that’s a lot for me. So I don’t stick with shows if I’m not entertained. Except during the pandemic, when I watched a lot.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Ollie should be proud. He loves losing seasons. It’s his thing. But hey let’s extend his contract.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I love this. I visited NY last year and went to the Met for the first time and loved it. And compared to Broadway prices, it’s actually affordable. But the Met needs support. So glad he’s doing this.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It has somewhat surprised me how few of the shows on the NYT top 100 shows I’ve actually watched (and I’m counting the ones where I saw at least a few episodes before saying, uh no). And the many, many I didn’t watch still don’t appeal to me enough to get me to go back and watch them.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I've read two books on the Booker Prize Shortlist and I'm not really feeling inclined toward any of the others, except maybe one. #booksky #litfic

alonewitheachother.blogspot.com

Booker Prize Shortlist 2026

Book reviews, TV reviews and general culture discussion

140

Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This incredibly long thread makes me want go never fly British Airways even though they just increased the number of flights to London from my airport. OTOH if they ban exports of diesel the economists tell me the price of jet fuel will go sky high (pun!) so maybe I‘m not going anywhere anyway.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

As a lover of historical fiction, I always like it when longlists are published. I've already read three books from the Historical Writers' Longlist (Nonesuch, The Art of a Lie and The Bookbinder's Secret) and generally liked each of them. I have the Pretender in my TBR pile. #booksky 📚⏳

alonewitheachother.blogspot.com

Crown Awards 2026 Longlist - Historical Fiction

Book reviews, TV reviews and general culture discussion

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

People didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t trust the 8th Circuit.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I don’t give a lot of credit to “best of” lists, it’s so subjective. But I can highly recommend Reservation Dogs on Hulu which is #87 on the NYT list of “best” TV shows.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Flu shot accomplished. COVID shot next week (I never get them together.)

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Masyn Winn was the only truly honest one. “Success I think is going to the playoffs and making a good run. But I think for this group, I think it's a beneficial season.”

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Reading what Europeans are saying about the Greenland deal and they say it’s basically the same deal we've always had with a different name. So kinda like what he did with NAFTA. Apparently one Danish newspaper warned everyone not to tell him before it is signed.

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Officially out of playoff contention, but if the Reds would go on a little winning streak we could still finish in last place! #stlcards

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

What’s the deal with some authors only having their ebooks available on Amazon? I don’t buy books from Amazon so they are missing out on sales to me. This is the second book in a month I’ve found this. And they aren’t available through Libby either (maybe because they are exclusive to Amazon?).

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Mary Bannister (MaryB) @maryb2004.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

There seems to be surprise that retail sales were up in August. But aren’t they usually up in August because of back-to-school, especially college? I’ve never paid attention in the past. Maybe not.

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