Festival of Mystery

by Carol3 Comments
My husband and I went to the Festival of Mystery held by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, on Monday. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, but we did hit some rush-hour traffic. I had a great time, and my husband didn't complain at all. You have to love him. Books are not his thing and the Penguins played that night, but he knew I was looking forward to it. There were at least 40 authors there, signing books and doing short interviews. The place was packed. I got to meet a bunch of the authors, all of whom were friendly and nice. Some I had never heard of, some I've read everything by. The picture on the left is me with Leann Sweeney. The one on the right is me with Shirley Damsgaard (left) and Ellen Crosby (right).  David held the camera, the wallet and the coffee and I got to wander around all I wanted. Thanks,...
Read More

The Man’s Book by Thomas Fink with Giveaway

by Carol22 Comments
The Man's Book: The Essential Guide for the Modern Man by Thomas Fink Description: Being modern and manly in today's world isn't always easy. Do you know how to tie a bow-tie, mix a martini, or make a potato gun? Do you know when to get married and how to break up, or the difference between a bock beer and a bitter? Do you know which urinal to choose or how to start a fire with a Coke can? The answers to every man's burning questions are within these pages, from the morning wet shave to the whiskey night-cap, from hunting deer with a .30-06 to wooing women like 007. At a time when the sexes are muddled and masculinity is marginalized, The Man's Book unabashedly celebrates maleness. Organized by subject in a man-logical way, it's the go-to guide for anyone with a Y chromosome. My thoughts: My husband is planning on reading through this, but hasn't gotten around to it yet. I'll share his thoughts once he...
Read More

Teaser Tuesday

by Carol2 Comments
Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given. Please avoid spoilers! My teaser: He's about an inch taller than I, with lanky, muscular arms and a scrawny chest. His mouth is smiling, but it seem separated from his eyes somehow, which are watching me like the eyes of an animal uncertain whether to fight or flee. -pg. 340, Turning Angel by Greg Iles Tuesday Teaser is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along....
Read More

Musing Monday

by Carol2 Comments
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your tbr pile… How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this in increasing number or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile? (question courtesy of Wendy) I haven't taken an exact count, but I figure I have upwards of thirty books in my actual tbr pile, but the number gets higher all the time, and if I included my to-read list it would be out of hand. To be honest,  I don't worry about it, most of the time. I read because I enjoy it. It's not something I want to feel stress over. I do really need to get another book shelf soon, though....
Read More

Mailbox Monday

by Carol6 Comments
Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. I'm still excited every time there's a package waiting for me when I get home. Here's what arrived at my house this week.   The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama The Walking People by Mary Beth Keane North from Calcutta by Duane Evans An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage...
Read More

Game Night – Lost Cities

by CarolNo Comments
Lost Cities Designer: Reiner Knizia Manufacturers: Rio Grande Games, Kosmos Year: 1999 Players: 2 Time: 20 - 40 minutes Ages: 10 and up Description: Lost Cities is a game of exploring ancient ruins and is one of the best two player games ever designed - one of Reiner Knizia's masterpieces. A game that has been played by thousands of couples, each player is attempting to play cards in sequences that will score many points for them. Each turn, players simply play or discard one card, then draw one card. Players attempt to wait as long as possible to play high cards for themselves and hold cards that their opponents want. It is the ultimate two player game and can be finished in less than thirty minutes. This addicting game is three rounds of card laying fun! My thoughts: Sometimes, David and I want to play a game, just the two of us. Lost Cities is perfect. It doesn't take too long and we're fairly even, unlike when we used to...
Read More