The collection of poems, Leaves Falling Upon the Sky, a Reflection of a Life So Far, invites the reader to examine ordinary life events such as “Mowing the Lawn” or “Peeling Potatoes” from a unique perspective. Estelle’s way of seeing is, as the title suggests, like looking at autumn leaves drifting upward towards the sky rather than falling down to earth. By looking at our shared experiences from the humorous morning weigh-in depicted in “The Scale” to the serious business of caring for loved ones in “The Sick Child”, the writer shows that we can find meaning in the routines that make up a life. In the Reflections section, the poem “On Ageing” recalls the ageing Ulysses embarking on a new quest as an optimistic view that old age can be a beginning rather than an end. Finally, some thoughts on our shared Covid isolation in “My Library Fridge” and “Acres of Time” demonstrate the variety and relevance of this Reflection of a Life So Far. The works mentioned are just an excerpt from over 50 pieces in this book that I hope you will find inspiring as well as fun to read.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Book of the Damned, Lo!, Wild Talents, New Lands. Greatest compilation of data: flying saucers, strange disappearances, inexplicable data not recognized by science. Painstakingly documented.

This Encyclopedia Forteana anthologizes the cult hero’s four classic works on the strange, the unexplained, and the just plain weird: The Book of the Damned, Lo!, Wild Talents, and New Lands. It features Fort’s complete, unabridged text and a subject index. Here are the four books that invented our understanding of the paranormal. These are cult hero Charles Fort’s defining records of bizarre, haunting, strange, and inexplicable “facts” for which science cannot account: Frogs falling from the skies. Mysterious airships in an age before flight. Monsters. Poltergeists. Floating islands. Teleportation (a term Fort invented). These are the works that moved novelist Theodore Dreiser to write: “To me no one in the world has suggested the underlying depths and mysteries and possibilities as has Fort. To me he is simply stupendous.” Now, Fort’s classic investigations are newly collected with a preface by biographer Jim Steinmeyer. Complete with a full subject index, here is the definitive Fort anthology for our times.

In Japan, teenaged Abe Sora, who is afflicted with "Lou Gehrig's Disease," finds friends online and elicits their help to end his suffering.