Shakespeare Quiz with a special giveaway – giveaway closed

September 30, 2014October 7, 201416 Comments

quiz This is a toughie, but take a few minutes and see if you can match the quotes to the play correctly. Each title has only one quote. The person who scores the highest will win a small gift I bought when visiting the Library of Congress. If there is a tie, I’ll have Gage pick a name 🙂 Good luck!!

Take your best guesses, be entered to win a prize – you only need one correct answer to be eligible for a prize. No cheating (using the web to help find answers) or copying. All extra details can be found here.

Leave your guesses in the comment section by Tuesday afternoon.

Titles- Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Richard III, The Merry Wives of Windsor

1. To be, or not to be:that is the question. Hamlet

2. Beware the Ides of March Julius Caesar

3. A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! King Richard III

4. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Romeo and Juliet

5. This is the short and long of it. The Merry Wives of Windsor

6. Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em. Twelfth Night

7.The course of true love never did run smooth. A Midsummer’s Night Dream

8.All the world ‘s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. As You Like It

9.Double, double toil and trouble. Macbeth

10.All that glitters is not gold. The Merchant of Venice

DC Quiz – guessing closed

September 24, 2014September 30, 201410 Comments

quiz Jason and I had a great time visiting Washington DC last week. We lived there for three years eons ago and would love to move back to the area someday. Until then I’ll watch movies and read books set there! See if you can recognize these movies from their movie posters. (resist the urge to search for the images – that’s no fun!)

Take your best guesses, be entered to win a prize – you only need one correct answer to be eligible for a prize. No cheating (using the web to help find answers) or copying. All extra details can be found here.

Leave your guesses in the comment section until Monday.

1.White House Down

2.Dave

3.All the President’s Men

4.Primary Colors

5.Protocol

6.A Few Good Men

7.An American President

8.St. Elmo’s Fire

9. State of Play

10.In the Line of Fire

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

September 23, 20146 Comments

Roadside Crosses. Finished 8-26-14, rating 3.75/5, mystery, pub. 2009

Unabridged audio 16 hours. Read by Michele Pawk.

Book 2 of the Kathryn Dance series. (Book 1)

Kathryn Dance, kinesics expert with the California Bureau of Investigation, made her first appearance in the Lincoln Rhyme series (Cold Moon) and then started her own series with The Sleeping Doll. She is caught up in a string of nasty crimes that culminate with roadside crosses being left before the crime is committed nearby. It all seems to stem from a blog post and the comments section. (Oh, to have such power!) As she tries to track down all those who made a comment blaming a maybe innocent teen, she spends less time reading body language and more time relying on help from tech experts. I think that’s what made this less enjoyable than the other two books with Dance. This became a good mystery, but little to set it apart from other good mysteries.

This book was interesting from a blogger’s perspective since it showcased blogs, websites, social media and virtual gaming. Deaver likes to educate on a given topic and when this was written in 2009 it probably was more cutting edge than today. Still, for those three people still offline, this would be eye-opening. It is a cautionary tale about how much of our lives and ourselves we put online for the world (strangers whose motives we don’t know) to see. The longer I blog and comment the less I am aware of the lurking evil so this was a nice refresher for me 🙂

I like Dance and will read her next book, but I hope she uses more of her skills in reading people.

This was from my personal library.

Monday Mailbox – September 22

September 21, 201415 Comments

mmb-300x282 Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Jason and I went to Washington DC for a few days last week and surprise, surprise, not much reading was done BUT that didn’t stop Mt. TBR from growing 🙂

The Silent Sister

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain (sent by the publisher)

In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality.

Murder Strikes a Pose

Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber (a signed copy won from Vicki at I’d Rather Be At The Beach – THANK YOU TRACY AND VICKI!!!)

When George and Bella—a homeless alcoholic and his intimidating German shepherd—disturb the peace outside her studio, yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s Zen-like calm is stretched to the breaking point. Kate tries to get rid of them before Bella scares the yoga pants off her students. Instead, the three form an unlikely friendship.

One night Kate finds George’s body behind her studio. The police dismiss his murder as a drug-related street crime, but she knows George wasn’t a dealer. So Kate starts digging into George’s past while also looking for someone to adopt Bella before she’s sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer nipping at her heels, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Did anything fun show up in your mailbox last week?

Traveling!

September 17, 201415 Comments

Oh, how I miss traveling. It is difficult to plan trips with Gage because of his therapy schedule and even more, his allergies. Hopefully we’ll be taking a short family trip at the end of the month, BUT this week (like in a few hours) Jason and I are sneaking off for 3 whole nights! Jason has a conference in the DC area so I’m tagging along to visit old haunts (this is where Jason and I met 18 1/2 years ago). No quiz. Haven’t had the time or the energy. Maybe the few days away will revive me 🙂

Gage at the library yesterday. Isn’t his new haircut cute?

The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice

September 16, 20147 Comments

The Lemon Orchard. Finished 9-15-14, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 2013

Unabridged audio read by Blair Brown. Approximately 8.5 hours.

In the five years since Julia last visited her aunt and uncle’s home in Malibu, her life has been turned upside down by her daughter’s death. She expects to find nothing more than peace and solitude as she house-sits with only her dog, Bonnie, for company. But she finds herself drawn to the handsome man who oversees the lemon orchard. Roberto expertly tends the trees, using the money to support his extended Mexican family. What connection could these two people share? The answer comes as Roberto reveals the heartbreaking story of his own loss—a pain Julia knows all too well, but for one striking difference: Roberto’s daughter was lost but never found. And despite the odds he cannot bear to give up hope.

from Goodreads

Julia lost her daughter and her estranged husband in one instant and the grief is still fresh after five years. As she and her dog Bonnie start to heal in Malibu it is the lemon orchard’s manager that provide’s a connection to her daughter and the bond between Julia and Roberto is the heart of the story. As Julia tries to help Roberto find peace she also comes closer to peace herself.

I liked this gentle love story and the setting of Malibu, but I found the illegal/undocumented immigrant aspect to be somewhat overdone. Roberto’s story of crossing the border would have been enough to tell of the horror and heartbreak, but it seemed to go further than that at times. It also had a few extra perspectives in the story, family friend Lion the most prevalent and the most head-scratching. Julia and Roberto were the only stories I wanted even though Lion was a likeable enough guy. I still liked the novel and Julia and Roberto and I loved the end.

A must read for those who are interested in the border immigrant story.

I won this from Elyse at Pop Culture Nerd last year.

Sundays with Gage – A day in the life of my 3 year old

September 14, 2014February 21, 202026 Comments

I’d been thinking about doing a post like this for a while and then I saw Trish’s and was spurred into action. I hadn’t planned on using so many photos but I loved her post so much that I was clicking my iPhone all day. Hers was a day in the life of a mom and maybe I’ll do that too, but this is a day in the life of Gage. It was last Monday. Gage has no typical day, each day brings different sessions or therapy or play time, so Monday was as good a day as any.

2 am-“Daddy!” Mom comes in a stays til 2:40 when she sneaks back into her own bed.

7:05 am- Daddy got me out of bed, took me to the potty, helped brush my teeth. Mom gave me breakfast (almond milk, cereal, strawberries) and let me watch a video from the library. It was Mr. Rogers.

7:41 am- Mom and I leave for school. I like to count school buses on the way. 12 today.

7:54 am School! See the cute girl in the cubby next to mine? Snack was raisins, pretzels and juice that mom sent.

10:30 am Mom picks me up. Mom hears how I “really like” Lila and how she didn’t appreciate my chopping her head with my hands. Hey, I thought she’d like it!

10:47 am- We’re home and I get to play.

11 am-My friend Betsy comes to play and teach me stuff.

11:50 am- Mom brings lunch and visits for 5 minutes

12:35 pm-Betsy takes me outside.

12:42 pm-We come inside because I hate the sound of that lawnmower next door.

1:05 pm-Betsy leaves. (Session with Betsy was a little rough. I tend to bite or hit after we’ve gone to BW-3. They say their fries are gluten free but they are not.)

1:15 pm- Mom makes me try a nap. I try really hard.

1:40 pm- Light on! Play time.

1:55 pm-Hit mom. Timeout. I blame in on BW-3 and gluten. At least that what mom says.

2:10 Leave for Occupational Therapy

2:15- Arrive at OT and play with kids in the waiting room.He was nice but I like Max when I come on Wednesdays better.

2:30- Session with Myshl.

3:20 -Session over. I did a good job.

3:35- Arrive at the park for a snack.I wish Mom would quit taking pictures.

3:45- Nature walk/Scavenger hunt to the Community Center. I had to collect 6 blades of grass, 3 rocks, 2 flowers. 5 leaves.

4- Community Center/Kid Zone

4:30- Leave Kid Zone (There were no other kids today. I like it when there are other kids to play with.)

4:40- Get back to car.

4:55- Back home for some snacks (crackers) and trains.

5:30- Sesame Street and fun. It’s the pogo stick episode so we practice jumping and rolling 🙂

5:50- Daddy’s home early!!

6:25- Dinner

6:40-Timeout for spilling Mom’s drink all over the table. No playground tonight 😦

6:50- Done with dinner. Crying fit over not being able to go to playground.

7- iPad and Daddy time.

7:45- Cookies and almond milk and books! Tonight I chose Cat Heaven, Huff and Puff, and We Work at the Hospital. We also read my Children’s Bible.

8- Brush teeth and change for bed.

8:06- Lights out

8:16- Asleep

For the more musically inclined quiz – guessing closed

September 10, 2014September 16, 201411 Comments

quiz I’ve been working my way through 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and am enjoying it. This quiz is all about matching up the quote with the artist who made it. Sometimes these quotes were made decades after they hit it big and f it’s a band, someone in the band made it and you don’t have to know who. I know these will be guesses but I think you can do it!!

Take your best guesses, be entered to win a prize. No cheating (using the web to help find answers) or copying. All extra details can be found here.

Leave your guesses in the comment section until Sunday.

Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix Bob Dylan Pink Floyd: Musical Milestones - Reflections on the Wall Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound That's the Way It Is [Legacy Edition] Help! Beach Boys: American Band / Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits [MCA] Straight for the Sun The Essential Simon & Garfunkel

I just need the name of the band.

1. “Till death do us part.” The Beatles, George Harrison, 1964

2.”Man I was tame compared to what they do now.” Elvis Presley, 1972

3. “We got into the whole country thing-playing poker, drinking whisky, wearing cowboy hats.” The Byrds – Roger McGuinn, 2003

4. “My devotion to…social change…will go on until I fall into the grave” Joan Baez, 1993

5. “I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it” Billie Holiday, 1939

6. “I couldn’t go on being the lone folkie out there, you know, strumming “Blowin’ in the Wind’ for three hours every night.” Bob Dylan, 1978

7. ‘I dreamed I had a halo.” The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, 1990

8. “Let me live my life the way I want to.” Jimi Hendrix, 1967

9. “Paul is a very creative artist but I’m more that thorough, meticulous, disciplined nut.” Simon & Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel, 1990

10. “I don’t think I’m easy to talk about. I’ve got a very irregular head. Pink Floyd, Sid Barrett, 1971

Answers to last week’s name quiz here.

Missing You by Harlan Coben

September 9, 201422 Comments

Missing You. Finished 8-1-14, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2014

Unabridged audio read by January Lavoy. 11 hours, 54 minutes

It’s a profile, like all the others on the online dating site. But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years.

Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable.

As the body count mounts and Kat’s hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there.

from Goodreads

I can count on Harlan Coben for solid thrillers, sometimes even stellar. He always seems to have the latest cultural fad at the ready for his standalone books. In this one it starts with online dating but goes much more up-to-date than that (I don’t want to spoil anything) and the results are very good.

I loved Kat as a heroine, what made her great as a detective also make her care about Brandon, who was concerned about his missing mother. Everyone else had blown him off but Kat was willing to dig in and she already had a lot (too much?) on her plate since she was investigating her father’s death years before. There were many storylines, but Kat was able to handle them and I liked her.

With that being said, I finished this a month ago and as I sat down to write this review I couldn’t remember a thing about it. That says a lot right? And not just that my memory isn’t what it should be! After reading a few reviews I remembered but I admit that I expect more than that from Coben. I can say with all honesty that I don’t think you can go wrong with any of his thrillers, but some are better than others. This might not be one of the stellar ones (much like this review) but it was completely satisfying.

My mom bought this one and loaned it to me.

Mailbox Monday, Gage, and Football

September 8, 2014September 8, 201423 Comments

Only one book arrived on our mailbox this week and it was addressed to Gage and he thought that was very cool. It came from Kathy (BermudaOnion) and it’s a sequel to the book she sent him last year that he loved (post here). As soon as we opened it and saw that it was Lola he had to find the first Lola book immediately. And then we sat down to read them both. Gage is great at the doctor, at least until last week when he had to have his blood drawn and the woman just stabbed him and he screamed at the top of his lungs for about 10 minutes and then periodic outbursts of crying for an hour. Not good. So this book, which talks about Lola being nervous about needles and how they hurt, came at a great time. Thank you, Kathy!

Lola Goes to the Doctor by Marcia Goldman

Gage says “Read this book!”

Kathy is a Virginia Tech mom and I’m an Ohio State grad and we both love our college football. On Saturday night her Hokies came to Ohio Stadium and whooped us. Luckily, Jason and I were attending an annual Murder by the Falls fundraiser with some friends and I only got home in time to witness our last failed attempt to score that resulted in an interception and touchdown for the other guys. Congratulations to Kathy and her Hokies! It’s going to be a long season for Buckeye fans.

Stacy's Books

books, movies, and boy

Month: September 2014