SCAM artist alert

Apparently there is someone calling themself "Luigi Calloway" out there who is claiming to be associated with the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. He is contacting authors and telling them if they pay him, then their books will be used for the challenge. It's possible he's also telling people they must pay to participate in any way. Please know that there is absolutely no charge associated in any way with this reading challenge and that this person does not represent me or anything associated with my blog. There will NEVER be a reason for anyone to have to pay for participation in any way for any of my challenges. If only people who exert this much time and effort on scamming people would put it into something worthwhile....like reading their own books!

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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