It was an all day train ride from New York at 6am to Florence, South Carolina arriving at 7pm. Just a day of reading and watching movies and TV shows. The best tip is don’t watch Trigger Warning on Netflix – an absolutely garbage movie whose writers should never get to work again.

At least there was some US Open to watch once we got Florence.

Mamfa has been forgetting to list all the books he has finished for the last several weeks so the following is those completed since the last update.

• The girl who fell from the sky (Emma Carney) – 4 stars. True story of woman whose parachute didn’t open.
• The man who died twice – Thursday Murder Club #2 (Richard Osman) – 4 stars
• Penguin Bloom (Chris Kunz) – 4 stars. True story of woman paralysed on holiday and the magpie that gives her reason to live. Now a movie.
• Bridge burning and other hobbies (Kitty Flanagan) – 4 stars. Comedy memoir.
• Love Stories (Trent Dalton) – 4 Stars. Collection of stories gathered from the public while sitting at a table in Brisbane CBD.
• The bullet that missed – Thursday Murder Club #3 (Richard Osman) – 4 stars
• Fear and loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S Thompson) – 4 stars. Full-on trippy iconic story.
• The last devil to die – Thursday Murder Club #4 (Richard Osman) – 4 stars
• Autopsy – Kay Scarpetta #25 (Patricia Cornwell) – 3 stars. Just trying to get to the end of the series now.
• Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (Anita Heiss) – 4 stars. Indigenous people dislocation story in 1850s NSW.
• The hypnotist’s love story (Liane Moriarty) – 3 stars
• Two nights in Lisbon (Chris Pavone) – 2 stars. Implausible mystery.
• Minor detail (Adania Shibli) – 3 stars
• The high mountains of Portugal (Yann Martel) – 3 stars.

This day in sporting history (31 August)

1881 1st US men’s single tennis championships held at Newport, Rhode Island

1968Garfield Sobers becomes the first cricketer to hit 6 sixes in one over

1987 The Great Potato Incident: Minor league Williamsport Bills catcher Dave Bresnahan attempts to lure an opposing baserunner off third base using a potato carved to look like a baseball. Umpire calls runner safe, and the catcher is fined $50 and released by the team