The Introverted Detective

 Round four has begun. I'm nearly through the pile and I'm tempted to finish it off in this blog. We'll see if I can. Here's to cleaning my shelves and finding the diamonds in the rough! Courtesy of Casper As usual, here are the rules.  1. I pick up a book at random from the pile.  2. I read at least 5 chapters.  3. I decide if I keep going or DNF (do not finish) it.  4. I review it.  The process above is what'll happen to these books. I'm trying to do at least three per blog. If I DNF two in a row, I pick five. If I'm not enjoying myself and I'm not compelled to keep reading I will put it down. Onward!  Murder Among Us by Ann Granger Courtesy of amazon.fr It started out pretty good, but not overly compelling. I'm trying to make sure I don't waste time on books I don't love. If that previous sentence sounds harsh, well, welcome to bookshelf cleaning. I have a whole pile to get through. Let's not waste time reading books I'm not compel...

 Molly Stark Sanatorium is a historical landmark in Louisville, Ohio. It may not be around for as long as you think, so I figured a nice history on the place would be worth posting. I'm not dwelling on whether it is haunted or not, because I know it is - from people who went in and from law enforcement who used to have offices in the building. Let's dive into the history.  Courtesy of architecturalafterlife.com What I know of Molly Stark is not good. Let me dump it all here, just so you know my starting point. My Great Grandfather came here for Tuberculosis and never discussed his experiences. One of my extended family (according to my mother) worked there briefly, noting that the vibe was not positive and that several people had been in comas for years in the building. On top of all that, I worked with and made friends with many people who went in (well, snuck in) and can prove it is haunted. Even law enforcement, who briefly had offices there, can confirm it is haunted. I wo...

 Oh boy, I don't know how to describe this one in words, but I can describe it in laughter. Let's talk about the controversial film The Flesh and The Devil, from 1926. It starred Greta Garbo and it was something else.  Courtesy of Fanpop I didn't know I could laugh this hard at a drama. I could see all the plot twists coming a mile away. I was right on the money with each one. This film had kissing and making out in it, which is controversial for 1926. I call it comedy, really, and it's so bad it's good. Watch this for a good laugh at a melodramatic film.  Plot? Right, let's get into it. It comes down to two best friends and starts with introducing their close, blood-brothered friendship. It establishes that they came back from the military in Germany (not Nazis, I promise). Leo (mustache) and Ulrich (clean-shaven) come home via the train. Leo has the bad luck to run into a woman (Felicitas) who is a serial cheater. He ends up getting caught with her, challenged...

 The more I promote my book, the more weird people show up in my DMs. Cold messaging out of the blue is not uncommon for book promoters with legitimate services, but scammers have the same behavior, which is annoying. Let's talk about what to do about all this, and how we can play detective to avoid giving our information to predators and scam artists.  The internet is a scary place. Most child human trafficking starts online, as grooming, when people pretend to be the age of the victim. Either they want to be a lover, a protector or father figure, or promise luxury they don't give. They figure out which by a short conversation that lasts nearly three minutes. This was what a representative from Safe Harbor told us. I will have the website for Safe Harbor right here:  SAFE HARBOR  .  Adults, too, are groomed, but it is easy to get underaged boys and girls (I said boys, you heard me) to interact with a "peer". Given all this information, we need to know if our ch...