The Serum Run #SundaySalon
Happy Sunday! Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz. Check out her post and the links to see what other bloggers have been up to in the last week.
How’s the weather?
We still have white stuff on the ground. I’m not sure that the crusty frozen mix deserves the name “snow” but if you don’t look to close, it can pass for that. Between that and cold temperatures, we’re experiencing a real winter this year. The last of it will surely disappear next week with a couple of days in the 50s and a couple of nights above freezing.
What are you reading?
I’m enjoying the pure goofiness of Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. It’s set in Bath, England during the Regency — one of my favorite settings. But, with a supernatural twist.
Burns Night is celebrated in many places around the world on 25 January, the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. I celebrated with a fantasy visit to Dumfries, Scotland, a town where Burns lived the last few years of his life.
What are you watching?
I’m rewatching The Diplomat on Netflix with Rick. As you can see from my review, I enjoyed it enough in the fall to watch it again, getting a deeper understanding of the intrigue on the second round.
What are you doing?
I’m learning about the 1925 serum run to Nome as we approach its 100th anniversary next week. Nome experienced a diphtheria outbreak in 1925 at a time when it was only accessible by dog sled in the winter. Diphtheria antitoxin was needed both to cure patients and to stop the spread of the disease. The relay of dog sled teams racing to Nome to save children and families drew the attention of the national media at the time. The weather was harsh, even for Alaska, with extreme subzero temperatures, near-blizzard conditions, and hurricane-force winds. Check out the Wikipedia article — it’s one of the more exciting stories you’ll read in an encyclopedia.
One of the Serum Run teams was led by Togo and his handler Leonhard Seppala.
How are you this fine Sunday?
Our new overlords hope to bring back diphtheria and all its friends.
As a retired nurse who spent many years vaccinating, I really enjoyed that piece of history Joy. Have a great weekend.
I picked back up the Discworld series this week in search of some goofiness in this dark world. Mortal Follies sounds like a similar genre.
My grandma was Scottish and I’m always interested in knowing more about that part of the world. I wish I could read more books set there.
I reaaaally need to get round to Mortal Follies! I’ve been meaning to read it for aaaages.
I have always dreamed of going on a dog sled ride in Alaska. Might get a chance on an Alaskan cruise if the snow is still there and my bravery holds up.
Mortal Follies looks awesome! I am adding that to my TBR immediately! And I will always think of the cartoon Balto when I read about that event in Nome’s history.
Mortal Follies sounds interesting.
Wishing you a happy reading week
Wow, 100 years since the serum run. That’s an amazing story.
We’ve had snow on the ground the entire month. We are supposed to get in the forties Thursday and Friday, so we might lose it, we’ll see. Have a great week!
That’s quite a picture of the sled dogs. And the cover of Mortal Follies is pretty. We might lose much of our snow this week too as temps could be near 50. It’s crusty right now ! Enjoy your week.
Mortal Follies sounds like a lot of fun!
mortal follies has a beautiful cover! Enjoy your reading week but probably you won’t enjoy the cold..I know I am not where I am.
The cover for Mortal Follies is gorgeous!
Have a great week.
It is definitely a real winter! I had a huge block of ice in front of my porch for a week. In some spots it was 5 inches thick. My son got frustrated and finally broke most of it into pieces so it was safe. With it broken downn, it finally melted this weekend.
Mortal Follies sounds good.
Have a wonderful week!
Mortal Follies sounds really good. I love that cover. I enjoyed the first season of The Diplomat and am looking forward to watching the second. I think I have a book about the Serum Run on my TBR bookshelf. The Cruelest Mile, I believe it’s called. I hope you have a great week, Joy!