Tag / Bones

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Book 56 (of 52) – Speaking In Bones

Speaking In Bones – Kathy Reichs

When a web sleuth visits Temperance Brennan with theories and new evidence in a cold case, she starts Brennan off on an investigation that eventually solves two missing persons cases, a decades-old murder, and a present-day homicide.  In her personal life, Brennan finally gives Ryan an answer to his proposal.

Speaking in Bones is the 18th entry in Kathy Reichs’ Temperence Brennan series and is now the seventh book in the series that I’ve read.  My enjoyment of the series only grows the further away we get from the ending of the television show, Bones, that it inspired.

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Prolific Authors – Six Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the four authors I’ve read six times, two more than two years ago.

Swan Song – Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand

The best-selling author of novels set on her home island of Nantucket added four new novels to my read shelf these past two years.

David Mack

All six of his entries come from Star Trek: The Next Generation works I’ve read on my Kindle.

Sarah Pekkanen

She has teamed up with Greer Hendricks for four novels but has branched out on her own again in recent years.

Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs

The creator of the books that were the inspiration for Bones, she has been rising steadily as I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for the novel series.

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Book 36 (of 52) – Bones Never Lie

Bones Never Lie – Kathy Reichs

Whan a cold case in Vermont matches the MO of a murdered child in Charlotte, they both seem to tie back to the same killer: a Canadian woman who escaped from Temperance Brennan in Montreal years earlier.  After a quick trip to Costa Rica to pull in her former lover, Brennan follows the clues and discovers who the actual killer is.

Bones Never Lie, the 17th entry in Kathy Reichs’ Temperence Brennan series, follows up on Monday Mourning, which I read back in 2023.  This is now the sixth book in the series that I’ve read and the fourth since the end of Bones, the television series based on the books.  My enjoyment only grows the further away from the show’s ending we get.

 

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iTunes Top 200: #71 – 77

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the four remaining songs tied for 77th place with 43 plays, the four tunes tied for 73rd place with 44 plays, and, finally, the two tracks with 45 plays apiece, good enough for 71st place since my stats began in late 2007.

#77: The Crystal Method – Bones Theme
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 11/27/2019
Previous ranking: #41

An original composition by the group for the long running FOX show, it has gone unheard in more than five years.

#77: The Cranberries – Zombie
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 2/7/2024
Previous ranking: #125

Written about the IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993, the first single from the Cranberries sophomore effort jumped nearly 50 spots on the rankings.

#77: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I’ve Got A Theory/Bunnies/If We’re Together
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 8/31/2024
Previous ranking: #60

This entry from Once More With Feeling, where we learn the truth behind the evil that is bunnies, added five new plays over the previous five years.

#77: Bad Religion – Infected
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 8/31/2024
Previous ranking: #98

The third single from the band’s eighth studio album, it peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

#73: Foo Fighters – Breakout (Live)
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 6/6/2024
Previous ranking: #60

This live version from the group’s 2006 show in London’s Hyde Park picked up six new plays since 2020.

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Book 5 (of 52) – The Bone Hacker

The Bone Hacker – Kathy Reichs

While working on identifying the bones of a Turks and Caicos native dug out of the water of a Montral harbor, Dr. Temperence Brennan is invited down to the Caribbean nation to investigate a series of similar murders and the bodies that were recently discovered.  When she arrives, the mysteries keep piling on, including a boat full of dead bodies that travelled 600 miles and the suspicious death of the investigator that invited her to the island, Brennan works with a local detective to try and tie all of the pieces together.

Published in 2023, The Bone Hacker is the 22nd Temperance Brennan novel from Kathy Reichs.  As I’ve said previously, my enjoyment of these novels has increased tremendously the more removed I am from the television adaptation Bones, now that I am able to enjoy them for what they are and not be so concerned with how they are different from the show.  With 23 total novels in the series, I have plenty of catching up to do,

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Book 43 (of 52) – Break No Bones

Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs

While working on a dig of prehistoric graves with a group of students, Dr. Temperence Brennan finds a much more recent corpse.  She calls in an old friend, the local coroner, who asks Brennan for help in identifying the remains.  When more bodies show up, she teams with the local sheriff, her ex-husband, and her Canadian boyfriend to identify the bodies and break the case.

Break No Bones, the ninth novel from Kathy Reichs to feature Temperence Brennan, was released in 2006.  After a long absence, I returned to the series last year and found that, years removed from the television adaptation Bones, I was able to enjoy the books for what they were and not worry about the differences between the show and its source material.  With 23 books in the series, I have plenty of catching up to do,

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Book 53 (of 52) – Monday Mourning

Monday Mourning – Kathy Reichs

When three sets of bones are found buried in the basement of a pizza place, Montreal police call in forensic anthropologist Temperence Brennan to determine if there is a crime worth investigating or if they have been there for a hundred years or so.  When she narrows down the victims to the 80s and 90s, the hunt is on to find the perpetrator.  Taking the investigation into her own hands, Brennan tracks down the building’s previous tenants and digs into their pasts.  Can she find the truth before she becomes the next victim?

After a thirteen-year absence, I found myself returning to the works of Kathy Reichs with Monday Mourning, her seventh entry, and my third, in the Temperence Brennan series.  That long break, along with the six years since the adaptation Bones left the air, helped alleviate the issues I had previously had with the series.  I was able to enjoy the book for what it was, rather than compare it to the show that I watched for twelve seasons.  I might even try to revisit the rest of the series sooner rather than later.

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Prolific Authors – 2 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we start things off with the now 41 authors I’ve read twice, an increase of six over two years ago.

Max Barry

An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away in 2020.

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Fate Of The Union – Max Allan Collins with Matthew V. Clemens

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Ernest Cline

The man responsible for both Ready Player One and Ready Player Two.

Bill Clinton

The former president has co-written two novels with James Patterson.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Diane Duane

Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

David Fisher Continue reading →

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Prolific Authors – 2 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we start things off with the 35 authors I’ve read twice.

Max Barry

An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away last year.

The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of  the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Diane Duane

Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

David Fisher Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200: #41 – 47

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

With three quarters of the chart finished, we enter the home stretch today, cracking the top 50 starting songs with more than 40 plays, according to my iTunes stats dating back to late 2007.

#47: 2Pac & Dr. Dre – California Love
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 10/20/2019
Previous ranking: #41

A small slip n the rankings for this team-up to celebrate 2Pac joining Death Row Records after getting released from jail in 1995.

#47: Weird Al Yankovic – White & Nerdy
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 10/26/2019
Previous ranking: #46

A parody of the song Ridin’ by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, which became Weird Al’s first ever top 10 hit.

#47: Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 12/9/2019
Previous ranking: #79

A strong rise in the rankings for this 1994 hit from Snoop Dogg, which also appears on Volume 13 of my mix tapes.

#47: Metallica – Wherever I May Roam
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 9/25/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Used by David Robertson as his entry music, which got it added to some editions of my White Sox victory playlist, enabled this Metallica tune to make an impressive debut.

#43: Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
iTunes stats: 42 plays, most recently on 10/26/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

The classic ode to large backsides, which also appears on Volume 6 of my mix tapes, makes a strong debut on the list.

#43: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band  – Go Purdue Cheer
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