SCAM artist alert

If anyone by the name "Luigi Calloway" (or other name) contacts you about the Mount TBR challenge (or any other challenge on this blog) requesting money for participation, then please know that there will NEVER be a reason for anyone to have to pay for participation in any way for any of my challenges. This person does NOT represent me or anything associated with my blog. I DO NOT endorse anything that he claims. A message to Luigi: Please cease and desist contacting authors (or anyone) in my name or claiming to represent my reading challenge/s. You absolutely DO NOT.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

GAD Mystery Word of the Day

 


My new bookish meme for 2026: the Golden Age of Detection (GAD) Mystery Word of the Day. Whenever I find a word that I'm unfamiliar with, I'm going to actually take time to look it up and share it with mystery-lovers everywhere. 😊

Today's GAD Mystery Word (phrase) of the Day is ashtrakhan collar. A luxurious fur collar made from the tightly curled, lustrous pelts of very young Karakul sheep (also known as Persian lamb), prized for its unique, grooved texture and warmth.

An enormous coat with an ashtrakhan collar hung open nearly to his ankles, exaggerating height and bulk. ~from Shadows Before by Dorothy Bowers.

Now, have I ever heard of an ashtrakhan collar before? Well, yes. And I had an idea of what it might be from context clues. But I've never really known what precisely it was...and never bothered to find out till now.

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