What the hell is with the new LJ app? First of all, I haven't even installed any updates since my last post on Monday, which was most definitely the version of the app I was used to. And yet, today, there was a new icon and that post-update-hasn't-yet-been-used dot next to it.

And I'm not seeing any I mprovement - just change for the sake of change. Thus far, I've found that I can no longer filter my friends page to show only people, not communities; I can't Select different icons in comments (and possibly not even in posts!); and I can't scroll down when I'm typing.

Also, my journal seems to have a cover photo behind the default icon. Or rather, it's a large, blurry version of my default icon, set up to look like a cover photo on FB. Well, if they're making changes for the sake of making changes, them I guess FB would be a good accurate but annoying model...

Boo, LJ. I am going to try to stick with my resolution to read and post more often, but this isn't helping. Using it on actual computers is tougher these days (not LJ's fault, just a matter of my job and schedule), so a user-friendly app was really nice. Sigh.

This year, yet again, I'm woefully behind in book reviews. But I've also read far fewer books than usual at this time of year, so there's still some hope of catching up. I'm going to give it a try, partly because I'm so excited to recommend the second and third books I read this year!

The Husband's Secret was a selection for my book club and quite a good choice. It begins when Cecilia Fitzpatrick, an Australian mother of three, finds an old letter in the attic from her husband, John Paul, addressed to her with the direction that she open it only in the event of his death. John Paul is away on business when she finds it, and he tries to make light of it when she mentions it in a phone call, but asks her not to read it. She's shocked the next evening to find him home days earlier than expected, and even more so later that night, when she hears him rummaging through an attic crawl space - which terrifies him - to find it. At that moment, she knows she has to read it...

The story is actually told from three points of view: Cecilia, Rachel and Tess. The women know each other only slightly, their only apparent connection a Catholic School with which they're all involved. But in fact, they are all connected, directly and indirectly, by the secret...

One of the best things about the book was that the Secret wasn't any of the possibilities I'd suspected. A couple people in my book club saw it coming, but I didn't. And even after learning it, I can say it was unexpected enough that I think I'd have been just as riveted by the rest of the story if I had figured it out beforehand. Another thing I liked was reading bits and pieces of the same encounters from different characters' points of view, and seeing how each character's history and insecurities altered their perception of the same events. There's an unusual and, in my opinion, fascinating epilogue. Finally, I loved what a spirited and enthusiastic discussion the book inspired at the book club meeting. I'd certainly like to read more by Liane Moriarty.

We were watching the season finale of Almost Human (have I mentioned it's awesome?) the other night and saw a commercial for The Following. There was a close-up of an actor who looks just like Aaron Ashmore, who plays Steve Jinks on Warehouse 13. I know the upcoming season of WH13 will be the last (fucking SciFi never letting their shows go past five seasons! *grumbles*), but I was so sad that Jinks might already be gone.

I jumped right on my handy IMDb app to check, but didn't see any mention of The Following on Aaron Ashmore's page. I then checked Dominic Monaghan's page, because I have noticed a strong resemblance in the past, though it's less noticeable now. And it wasn't him either. When I finally checked the Following's page, I found that the actor is actually Aaron Ashmore's identical twin, Shawn! So, that made me smile. They're both adorable, so two of them can only be a good thing :) (Though I'm not actually planning to watch the Following, which seems too scary for me.)

In other TV-related news, I'm absolutely loving Cosmos. I've never seen the original, though now we want to. But I just love how they're presenting science. It's not only visually stunning, but they've made it a story, even including some characters. The characters aren't ongoing, of course, but the story is. Really, there's no better way they could hook someone like me. The music is wonderful too. Seth McFarlane (of whom I'm generally not a huge fan) said something like they wanted to make the show into a feast for the senses, and wow, did they ever! I've never liked him more than watching his interview about the Cosmos with Jon Stewart. And of course, I adore Neil deGrasse Tyson - whom I already adored a great deal! - more with every episode. I got a little teary when he talked about Carl Sagan driving teenage!him to the bus station in a snowstorm and giving Neil his home number just in case...

I'm sad as we approach the last episode of How I Met Your Mother. I know it's time, but I'm going to miss them all so much! But more thoughts on that after the finale.

On a completely different note, we continue to adore Archer. It's just so ridiculous, over-the-top and fun!

During dinner last night, we stumbled on an SG-1 marathon on SciFi, and it was so much fun. (Well, except for Heroes Pt. 2 crushing my heart, but even so...)

Now I not only want to rewatch the entire series, but to read and/or re-read all the Sam/Jack fic! At least, all the good S/J fic, of which there is so much. I'll have to dig up the links to all my favorites from my old laptop.

I'm really pretty excited about it!