Teaser from I Am Number Four

"New developments have yet to present themselves. Not all the information is in. Don't give up hope just yet." He nods and the tiniest trace of a smile forms. He looks at Six, a new development that I don't think either of us could have imagined. (pg. 383, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore) I just started this one today and am no where near this point, but the story did grab me right from the beginning. I think it'll be a quick read. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I purchased my copy and the above is my honest opinion....
Read More

Short Story Monday: Stardust by Phil Lovesey

I loved this quirky little story. It's told in the first person by a thief who in on parole, again, after having been released from  jail, again. By his own admission, he's not a very good thief. (and I do count myself as competent at breaking in, it's the getting out and away with it that tends to be a little more problematic) After being released, he is set up in an apartment in a run-down building. On the top floor lives a man who spends most of his time looking out his window through an expensive, fancy telescope. This man, who people refer to as Buzz, as in Lightyear, has a proposition for our narrator. The characters make this an enjoyable story. The narrator has an off-beat way of looking at life, and he's so honest about his faults, about the system, about his outlook. Buzz is just nutsy enough to be uniqe, and I enjoyed the interactions between the two of...
Read More

Me – A to Z

Michelle had this fun little meme posted over at New Horizon Reviews the other day. I thought I'd give it a try, too. A. Age: 36 B. Bed size: Full C. Chores you dislike: Vacuuming and sweeping D. Dogs: One - Scrappy. His picture was up yesterday. E. Essential start to your day: Coffee - black F. Favorite color: Purple G. Gold or silver: Silver H. Height: 5'1" (almost) I. Instruments you play: Piano, organ J.Job title: Customer Service Rep K. Kids: 1 daughter L. Live: Ohio M. Mom’s name: Carol N. Nicknames: Suzie O. Overnight hospital stays: 1 - when my daughter was born P. Pet peeves: Text abbreviations - I never know what they mean. Q. Quote from a movie: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." R. Righty or lefty: Righty S. Siblings: 1 brother T. Time you wake up: About 7:15 on weekdays, later on the weekends U. Underwear: Cotton - no lace, no silk. Boring...
Read More

Spring project #1

I don't think the dog is thrilled with the kitchen project. So far, David's taken all the white tile off and scraped off the gluey cement stuff, which was an incredibly noisy process involving a coal shovel, and gotten down to the old linoleum that he's just going to put the new padding and floor over. To the dog, it  means he wasn't allowed in the kitchen for a couple hours on Sunday and again Tuesday, even though David was in there and the treat cabinet's there. And it was too noisy when they were scraping off the junk. We moved his food and water dishes, the fridge is blocking all the light coming in the dining room window and the big islandy thingy is right in front of the living room window, the window he always looks out of. Yeah, he can't be real happy. And of course he doesn't realize that we're doing it a lot for him....
Read More

Game Night: Cupcakes of Catan

A good game and cupcakes! Settlers of Catan is a great game, and we actually played just a couple of weeks ago. (I lost.) I don't know if I could play with cupcakes as the tiles; people may end up not getting any sheep because I ate them all. It would be fun to try though, if only I baked. Or maybe cookies. I could buy them and then just do the icing myself....
Read More