Wordless Wednesday
Check out more Wordless Wednesdays here....
Happy Ending Guaranteed
With absolute clarity Wyatt watched as Marilee calmly adjusted her earphones and spoke to the nameless, faceless entity at a control tower too far away to do more than listen and record.
There was an odd sound that Wyatt recognized in the dim recesses of his mind as wind, whistling past the plane as it hurtled toward the ground at a speed that seemed a hundred times faster than his thundering heart. (pg 99, Montana Destiny by R C Ryan)
I just started this one, but one thing I enjoy about romances is that you know true love will win out. There may be plane wrecks, fights, kidnappings, who knows what, but in the end, the two characters are going to be together. I like that predictability; it lets me relax and enjoy the story.
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...
Some Strange Experiences by Lafcadio Hearn
"Some Strange Experiences: The Reminiscences of a Ghost-Seer" by Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
I'm so glad I started reading short stories, thanks to Short Story Monday. These stories allow me to read new to me authors, or authors I've heard of but never picked up anything by, without the commitment of a full length book.
The author of the story I read today sounds like he had a fascinating life. From Greece, to Ireland, to the US and finally to Japan, Hearn was a world traveler, writing about the people, places and stories he encountered along the way. It was during his time in Cincinnati, Ohio that he wrote this article, "Some Strange Experiences: The Reminiscences of a Ghost-Seer," a chat with a girl who sees things other don't.
“They do say the dead never come back again,” she observed half dreamingly; “but then I have seen such queer things!”
She tells stories about haunted rooms and roads where ghosts roam. She doesn't seek out...
Another Week in the Books
Cecile, from All I Want and More,was kind enough to pass on a bunch of awards to a great list of blogger, a list that she was kind enough to include me on. Here are a couple of the awards that I haven't received before.
The Bodacious Blogger Award asks me to list the last five books I read, so here they are.
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Ouch! by Natalie Babbitt
And she passed on the Great Neighbor Award, too. Thanks so much, Cecile. I'd like to pass these both on to all of my blogging friends. You are all bodacious bloggers and great neighbors!
I only received one book in the mail this week, another comic strip collection.
Green Pieces by Drew Aquilina
Speaking of cartoons, my giveaway for The Knight Life by Keith Knight is open through June 13. You...
Game Night – The Great Dalmuti
The Great Dalmuti
Designers: Richard Garfield
Manufacturer: 1995
Players: 4 - 8
Time: 15 minutes
Ages: 8 and up
We tend to go on rolls with the games we play. We'll play a game a bunch of times over a month or two and then put it away for weeks on end only to pull it out again and play several weeks in a row. Lately we've been playing The Great Dalmuti a lot. It's quick, fun, a lot of people can play, and there's no score-keeping involved. Of course, we've been playing it as a group since probably about 1995, if that's not replayability I don't know what is. (Yes, I know I made up that word, but it fits.)
Here's the blurb, since it explains the game better than I could.
Life isn't fair... and neither is The Great Dalmuti! One round you're at the top of the heap, and the next you're peasant scum in this fast-paced card...
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
(Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8)
I've read many of dePaola's Strega Nona stories with Amber over the years. They are all sweet, delightfully illustrated and filled with a kind, gentle touch of magic.
Today's Fairy Tale Friday selection is the original Strega Nona, which I don't remember reading before, but it's a perfect story for me.
In a town in Calabria, a long time ago, there lived an old lady everyone called Strega Nona, which meant "Grandma Witch."
Although all the people in town talked about her in whispers, they all went to see her if they had troubles. Even the priest and the sisters of the convent went, because Strega Nona did have a magic touch.
Even though she has a touch of magic, she's so kind and considerate everyone in the village trusts her. Strega Nona hires Big Anthony to help out around her house and garden, warning him never to touch the pasta pot. Big Anthony learns, by...