1. Rhode Island was beautiful but it's good to be home. There's a ton more I could write but this isn't the place. Suffice to say, I thought my uncle would live forever and he didn't and as foolish as it sounds I hate that, I really really hate that.

2. Now onto all things bookish.

3. I have a sick stack of books to read and review for Booklist. Sick. In the next few weeks I will be all about the environment, stolen animals, social media and Amelia Earhart. And then I start the next round due in November.

4. Plus I'm reading THE PAINTED BOY by Charles De Lint for my November column. So far, that one is awesome.

5. I bought SKETCHBOOK RHODE ISLAND while in Newport on Friday. It was an impulse - but so pretty I could not resist. Plus I learned alot while reading it. I really wish I could draw something - anything.

6. Also started reading DOWN AND DERBY on the plane. This one is realllllllly awesome.

7. I saw a copy of WHAT ALICE KNEW in the Chicago airport and was happy to see the cover was as appealing as the book sounds. I've been intrigued about it since reading the Booklist review. It's about William, Henry & Alice James and Jack the Ripper. Here's a bit:

He then shares the particulars of the case with his brother, novelist Henry, and his sister, Alice, who is bedridden but feels she can still contribute to the identification of the madman. The story is told from multiple points of view, and Cohen seamlessly blends fact and fiction into fascinating looks at late-nineteenth-century London, the Jack the Ripper case, and the lives of the James siblings. In addition, she weaves in provocative details about the philosophy, literature, and art of the era and makes room for cameo appearances by such real-life figures as Oscar Wilde, John Singer Sargent, and Walter Sickert, once thought a suspect in the Ripper killings.

Sounds like perfect light reading!

8. Also from last month's Booklist, a starred review for HOWARDS END IS ON THE LANDING. The perfect sort of title for book lovers:

....but the real fascination in reading Hill's ruminations isn't about the list but, rather, about how she reads and how living with books enriches her life. Those who collect books in any fashion will be lost in their own memories as Hill muses on "things that fall out of books," or defends writing in books, or, best of all, argues against overorganizing the books on her shelves (no more wonderful surprises). Just try to read this book without nosing around your own shelves.

9. A secret of the Titanic finally revealed. This story just keeps getting better and better.

10. And the new issue of Bookslut is up. I have a lot to read over there but wanted to note my October column (excellent scary titles for this time of year) as well as a joint review of two recent Charles De Lint collections. Enjoy!

[Post pic of Van Wickle Gates at Brown University from Tm Gastel's RHODE ISLAND SKETCHBOOK.]