First Ladies Quiz & Possible Giveaway

January 5, 2010January 6, 201018 Comments

Guessing Closed. I’ll draw a winner for the book tomorrow.

I read this book on the First Ladies and now I’m going to see if you can match up these women with one fun piece of trivia from the book. These are hard, so if you all as a group guess all 38 (only goes through Clinton) I will randomly draw one of the 38 and I’ll send that person this book for free (the guesser not the First Lady!). Leave a comment with the # and the name(s) of the First Lady. Guesses are encouraged 🙂

1. The year of her husband’s death she began a 6 year term as a delegate to the United Nations. Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan)

2. She exchanged 1400 love letters with her husband. She died of Bright’s disease in the White House. Ellen Wilson (Heather)

3. She served as president of the Girl Scouts before her death. Lou Hoover (Em)

4. She started the library at the White House. Abigail Fillmore (Nise’)

5. She got her nickname because she was born on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. Pat Nixon (Linda B)

6. She supported herself as a model before her marriage. Betty Ford (Susan)

7. She was the only First Lady to be born abroad. Louisa Adams (Kate)

8. Spent much of her White House time in mourning over the loss of her 3 sons. Jane Pierce (Heather)

9. First president-general of The Daughters of the American Revolution. Died of TB in the White House. Caroline Harrison (Joy)

10. By the time she was 30 she was an invalid who would be confined to a chair for the rest of her life. Ida McKinley (Heather)

11. Married in the first White House wedding of a President. Frances Cleveland (Em)

12. Met her husband when she was sent to interview him for the Washington Times Herald. Jackie Kennedy (Susan)

13. 1st First Lady to possess a college degree. Lucy Hayes (Nise‘)

14. Taught at the Clarke School for the Deaf until she married. Grace Coolidge (Heather)

15. 1st First Lady to die during her husband’s term in office. Letitia Tyler (Nise’)

16. She was 30 years her husband’s junior. Julie Tyler (Heather)

17. Suffered from a heart problem and Meniere’s disease. Mamie Eisenhower (Heather)

18. Performed in 11 films. Nancy Reagan (Susan)

19. Opened her home to the wounded and the refugees of the Revolutionary War. Abigail Adams (Heather)

20. Transformed a $30,000 radio & tv investment into a $5 million enterprise. Lady Bird Johnson (Linda B)

21. Graduate of Yale Law School. Hillary Clinton (Susan)

22. Prone to headaches & mood swings. In her later years her son had her institutionalized. Mary Lincoln (Linda B)

23. Taught her husband to read & write after they were married. Eliza Johnson (Nise’)

24. Helped arrange widowed President’s social engagements (not her husband). Dolley Madison (Kate)

25. 1st First Lady who was on her second marriage. Martha Washington (Nise’)

26. served as the President’s personal emissary to Latin American countries. Rosalyn Carter (Heather)

27. At her request the original walls of the White House were saved for reconstruction. Elizabeth Truman (Heather)

28. Hosted lavish dinners of 20-30 courses at the White House. Julia Grant (Kate)

29. Contracted malaria and was away recovering when her husband was shot. Lucretia Garfield (Nise’)

30. Met & married her husband at 17. Elizabeth Monroe (Kate)

31. Over her family’s objections she eloped with the future President. Anna Harrison (Heather)

32. When the President suffered 2 strokes she became the official acting president. Edith Wilson (Linda B)

33. At her instigation the first social secretary was hired, allowing her more time with her family. Edith Roosevelt (Heather)

34. Abandoned by her first husband she sought a divorce, a bold decision for the time. Florence Harding (Nise‘)

35. Her religious beliefs put an end to dancing, drinking, and card-playing in the White House. Sarah Polk (Heather)

36. Was in her 60’s when she moved into the White House and her poor health kept her mainly confined to her rooms. Margaret Taylor (Heather)

37. Suffered a stroke 2 months after inauguration, but recovered. Helen Taft (Nise‘)

38. Her son’s dyslexia encouraged her to make literacy a national issue. Barbara Bush (Heather)

Some ladies may fit with more than one, but I think they will only all be chosen once in one way. Good luck! Answers to my last quiz here.

2009 Quizzes

December 28, 2009December 27, 20092 Comments

I love quizzes and posted one almost every Monday this year. I love that you participate! That’s what makes it so fun for me, so thank you very much for playing along. I will continue weekly quizzes in 2010 although they may be on a different day. I’ll let you know when I figure it out 🙂 So, here are the quizzes I posted this year. Feel free to click on any to check them out. I do still have my Help Me Help Myself & Win a Book Card ‘quiz’ open until tomorrow.

Welcome to 2009

What’s the Best Caption?

Notable Black Writers

What Woman Am I?

Green Title

Alternate Bestsellers

Hail to the Chief

Cry Me a Quiz

Tom Hanks Was In That?

Alan Rickman Was In That?

Patrick Swayze Was In That?

First Lines (1) (2)

Common Thread (1) (2) (3)

Presidental Censorship

Presiental Movies

Hug a Veteran

Renee Zellweger Was In That?

Thanksgiving Movies

What Book is That? (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Sandra Bullock Was In That?

Last Lines

Last Lines Quiz

December 21, 2009January 5, 201014 Comments

As we approach the end of a decade I thought it would be appropriate to see what last lines of famous literature you would know. Please leave the # and the title and author’s last name. No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

1. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald – Florinda

2. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain – Susan

3. He loved Big Brother. 1984 by Orwell – AlitaReads

4. ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’ A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens – Bermudaonion

5. I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita. Lolita by Nabokov – Candice

6. Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity! Bartleby the Scrivener by Melville – Susan

7. I don’t hate it he thought, panting in the cold air, the iron New England dark; I don’t. I don’t! I don’t hate it! I don’t hate it! Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner

8. Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Carroll – Word Lily

9. Are there any questions? The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – ‘Nise

10. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. Animal Farm by Orwell – Candice

11. Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. Catcher in the Rye by Salinger – Candice

12. For now she knew what Shalimar knew: If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it. Song of Solomon by Morrison

13. “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” Gone with the Wind by Mitchell – Susan

14. He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance. Frankenstein by Shelley

15. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! A Christmas Carol by Dickens – Wrighty’s Reads

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year. If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)

Help Me Help Myself and Win a Gift Card Quiz

December 14, 2009January 8, 201073 Comments

UPDATE – Voting Closed. Click here to see results.

I’m going to be signing up for the Read Your Own Books challenge again next year. Last year I committed to 50 and finished the challenge in October. This year I have even more books in my house so I’m going to make my goal 55. That’s where you come in. I’ve taken a new picture of my tbr pile. Some of these I’ve had more than 10 years, some were gifts, some I bought, a few I won from you, some were free from when I worked for Barnes & Noble, but all of them are waiting to be read. So, here’s where you come in. I’m letting you pick 50 of the books I will read from my stacks next year and you’ll be entered to win a $20 B&N Gift Card.

Here’s how it works – Look at my tbr stacks, choose 1-5 titles you think I need to read in 2010, leave a comment telling me which one(s) and for each title you will receive one entry for the $20 B&N Gift Card. You don’t have to tell me why I should read it unless you want to, but in the event of a tie I will use the comments to help me decide. I’ll leave the voting open for two weeks (until December 29). Limit 5 titles per person. If I’ve never sent you anything in the mail, please leave your email.

Feel free to make fun of any of the titles – I am clueless how some of them made it into this house!

I think you can click on the picture to see it better. Here are some of the piles closer up so they are easier to read. If you double-click on these they will be easier to read.

Sandra Bullock Was In That? Quiz

December 7, 2009December 13, 200918 Comments

Sandra Bullock Photo Jason and I saw The Blind Side on Saturday and loved it. I love watching Sandra Bullock onscreen and this movie is one of her best. As I looked at a list of her movies I was surprised to find that I had seen 20 of them. I guess you can call me a fan 🙂 I’ve listed her characters in the order that I like the movies best. Can you identify the movie? Leave a comment telling me the # and the name of the movie. No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

1. Lucy Moderatz (1995) While You Were Sleeping – Kaye

2. Margaret Tate (2009) The Proposal – Kathrin

3. Jean Cabot (2004) Crash – Kathrin

4. Leigh Anne Tate Yuohy (2009) – The Blind Side – Em

5. Annie Porter (1994) Speed – Kathrin

6. Gwen Cummings (2000) 28 Days – Kathrin

7. Cassie Mayweather (2002) Murder by the Numbers – Kathrin

8. Lucy Kelson (2002) Two Weeks Notice – Kathrin

9. Kate Forster (2006) The Lake House – Kathy

10. Gracie Hart (2000) Miss Congeniality – Word Lily

11. Birdee Pruitt (1998) Hope Floats – Staci

12. Ellen Roark (1196) A Time to Kill – Susan

13. Sidda Walker (2002) – Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – Em

14. Angela Bennett/Ruth Marx (1995) The Net – Kathrin

15. Sally Owens (1998) Practical Magic – Wrighty’s Reads

16. Roz (1996) TWO IF BY SEA

17. Lt. Lenina Huxley (1993) Demolition Man – Bumbles

18. Judy Tipp (2000) GUN SHY

19. Sarah Lewis (1999) FORCES OF NATURE

20. Linda Hanson (2007) Premonition – Margot

Answers to last weeks Christmas Book Qhiz here.

What Christmas Book is That Quiz?

November 30, 2009December 7, 200914 Comments

Answers to last week’s Thanksgiving Movies Quiz here.

Can you identify these books by their censored titles? Leave a comment with the number, title and author or authors.

1. MURDER IN THE AIR BY ELLEN HART

2. CHRISTMAS JOURNAL BY MARY ENGELBREIT

3. The Night Before Christmas – Wrighty’s Reads

4. THE CHRISTMAS BOX BY RICHARD PAUL EVANS

5. Searching for Santa by Janet Dailey – Nise’

6. The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Calrk – Nise’

7. THE SNOW BRIDE BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

8. Deck the Halls by MaryHiggins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark – Wrighty’s Reads

9. WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

10. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – Wrighty’s Reads

Thanksgiving Movies Quiz

November 23, 2009November 30, 200915 Comments

Answers to last week’s Renee Zellweger quiz here.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and one of my favorite movies is about one man’s struggle to get home for Thanksgiving (it’s #1). So, I thought I’d feature some other movies that featured the day for giving thanks. See if you can identify these movies by their quotes or stills. Leave the # and your answer. No googling. That’s cheating and no fun!

1. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles – Wrighty’s Reads

Neal: What’s the flight situation?
Del: Simple. There’s no way on earth we’re going to get out of here tonight. We’d have more luck playing pickup sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak.
Neal: I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Del: Yeah, but by the time the airline cancels this flight, which they will sooner or later, you’d have more of a chance to find a three-legged ballerina than you would a hotel room.
Neal: Are you saying I could be *stuck* in Wichita?
Del: I’m saying you *are* stuck in Wichita.

2. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Adele: I’m giving thanks that we don’t have to go through this for another year. Except we do, because those bastards went and put Christmas right in the middle, just to punish us. (picture Anne Bancroft saying this)

3. Pieces of April – Calila

April: [discussing old-fashioned turkey shaped salt and pepper shakers that Bobby bought] We had these when I was a kid.
[pause] The one time Joy let me hold them she said, “Be careful, they’re worth more than you are.”
Bobby: Well, that’s terrible.
April: Next year they were gone.
Bobby: So, what happened?
April: A hammer I was holding fell on them.
(picture Mrs. Tom Cruise)

4. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving – Wrighty’s Reads

5. HOUSE OF YES

6. TADPOLE

(Miss Sigourney Weaver and Bebe Neuwirth are showing us their backs)

7. WHAT’S COOKING?

8. HANNAH & HER SISTERS

Mickey: I had a great evening; it was like the Nuremberg Trials.

(picture Woody Allen)

9. Dutch – ‘Nise

Dutch: Listen you little son of a bitch, you could’ve killed someone with a stunt like that. That poor bastard was on his way home to see his family and because you wanted to play some kind of a spoiled brat prank, you put his life in jeopardy. Now what gives you the right to do that?
Doyle: I guess I didn’t think about that.
Dutch: Well you better start thinking about a little something else besides your own spoiled ass! I took on this idiotic assignment because I love your mother. I gotta wonder how nuts I am. Man I’ve met some scum in my life but you beat all, man, you are absolutely worthless. You know what, this is a full blown mission, you’re not gonna beat me. I’ve had my head split open, my nose mashed, I’ve been kicked and beat and left for dead, and when I set you on your mama’s doorstep, you’re gonna be one whipped little puppy.

(picture Ed O’Neil)

10. Son-In-Law – Calila

Walter: Lets chow down and munch on some grindage!

(picture Lane Smith. Don’t know him? Pauley Shore is also in this one)

Renee Zellweger Was In That? Quiz

November 16, 2009November 23, 200918 Comments

On Friday I mentioned that I thought Bridget Jones Diary was my favorite Zellweger movie, so I decided to take a look. I’ve seen 11 of her movies and Bridget Jones’s Diary was my favorite and since I’ve just told it would be #1 that one is a given. I’ve listed her characters in the order that I like the movies best. Can you identify the movie? Leave a comment telling me the # and the name of the movie. No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

1. Bridget Jones – Bridget Jones’s Diary

2. Tami (blink and you’ll miss her) – Reality Bites – Strangelove

3. Roxie Hart – Chicago – Literary Feline

4. Ruby Thewes – Cold Mountain – Wrighty Reads

5. Dorothy Boyd – Jerry Maguire – Wrighty Reads

6. Bridget Jones – Bridget Jones Edge of Reason – Wrighty Reads

7. Anne Arden – The Bachelor – Life in the Thumb

8. Buckle Bunny – 8 Seconds

9. Lexie Littleton – Leatherheads – Word Lily

10. Betty Sizemore- Nurse Betty – Wrighty Reads

11. Irene – Me, Muself & Irene – Bermudaonion

Is there a great Zellweger film I’ve missed seeing? Let me know.

Answers to last week’s Veteran quiz are up here.

Hug a Veteran Quiz

November 9, 2009November 15, 200921 Comments

Thanks to everyone who mentioned not only my veterans, but your own.

My father is a Vietnam veteran and my husband served his time in the Navy, and Wednesday is the day to make sure we thank them and every other veteran for their service to America. That’s the theme of this week’s quiz. Leave the number and the answer and no googling – that’s cheating and no fun. All books are FICTION.

1. All this Civil War vet wanted to do is return home to North Carolina and the love of his life, but the journey was a difficult one. He was played by Jude Law in the movie version. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier – Bags, Books & Bon Jovi

2. Lee Child has written a thriller series based on this ex-military cop. Jack Reacher – Bags, Books & Bon Jovi

3. Two men return home from war in 1946 Mississippi. This book won the 2006 Bellwether Prize (recognizing social responsibility). MUDBOUND BY HILLARY JORDAN

4. A Vietnam soldier decides to go AWOL and walk to France. This won the National Book Award for fiction in 1979. GOING AFTER CACCIATO BY TIM O’BRIEN

5. This recent publication is a novel based loosely on the author’s life as a classmate of George W. Bush, marine in Vietnam, and the first Vietnam veteran to attend Harvard. LOON – A MARINE STORY BY JACK MCLEAN

6. This is the debut novel of the man who brought us Forest Gump. This is about an officer in the Vietnam War. Better Times Than These by Winston Groom – Bermudaonion

7. A son investigates his father’s life as a soldier in WWII. A surprising look at war from an author who writes bestselling legal thrillers. Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow – Under the Boardwalk

8. This series by Robyn Carr always features a military veteran as hero of the story. – The Virgin River series – Bookfan

And a few notable veteran authors

9. This highly decorated Vietnam veteran is a current Virginia senator and says this about his writing, “I’ve written for a living all my life, so writing is as much a part of me as working out.” Senator Jim Webb – Linda B

10. This author of The Painted Veil served as a secret agent for the British during WWI. W Somerset Maugham – Fleurfisher

Presidential Movie Quiz

November 2, 2009November 2, 200913 Comments

Tonight and tomorrow I’ll be working as a Polling Coordinator, so please vote and grant a smile to your poll workers 🙂

So, let’s get political. Can you identify these movies by the fictional US Presidents shown? This is an easy one, right? Leave me the number and the movie. No cheating 🙂

1. president harrison ford Air Force One – Alitareads