Teaser Tuesday 87: To Kill a Mockingbird

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


I am rereading To Kill a Mockingbird this week, which is a group read for one of the groups at GoodReads this month. This is from early on in the novel, and is a conversation between Scout and her father, Atticus, about why he is defending a Negro.

"If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you doin' it?"

"For a number of reasons," Atticus said. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again."
(pg 75)

ABOUT THE BOOK (from GoodReads)
To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee
Genre: Classic

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel; a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice; but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

One of the best-loved classics of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It has won the Pulitzer Prize, been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. It was also named the best novel of the twentieth century by librarians across the country (Library Journal).

Random Photo: Lily of the Valley

This was a pleasant surprise sighted Friday evening as I was leaving the Arboretum. I did not notice it when I got there, but as I headed back down the road towards home, I saw a splash of white out of the corner of my eye, and turned to see a wide patch of lily of the valley growing in a shaded recess.

Convallaria majalis is a common woodland plant that grows in cool, shady areas. It is popular for spring gardens due to its fragant flowers and ground-covering abilities. Due to this penchant for spreading across large areas, some consider it a weed.

Like many attrtactive plants, however, lily of the valley is poisonous. Even the tiniest amount ingested or absorbed through the skin can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and a reduced heart rate.

Random Photo: Here fishy, fishy

Janesville Rotary Gardens, May 2008

Random Photo: Boardwalk

Janesville Rotary Gardens, May 2008
As you can see, the boardwalk was
a bit under water that spring.

Thursday Thirteen 204: Recently Read

Here's what I've been reading the last few weeks—click on any cover for info on the book...













* Books 3 and 4 of The Chronicles of Narnia. Only three more to go...

* The Book Thief and Water For Elephants were in the TBR pile a couple of years—and naturally I wondered why I hadn't got to them sooner once I'd read them. Really great fiction, highly recommend both. Read the teasers here and here.

* A Courtesan's Guide, You Belong to Me and The Bite Before Christmas are all GoodReads First Reads wins. Loved the first two, the last was just okay. A Courtesan's Guide teaser, Bite teaser.

* Protecting Plain Jane is part of a series that overlaps several books—and it's driving me nuts not knowing who the serial killer is. Sigh...three more months 'til the next installment comes out. Not that I'm counting or anything.

* At Grave's End is book three in the Night Huntress series. I have four more by this author coming my way, just as soon as a friend is done with them: the last two in the Night Huntress series, and two in the Night Huntress World spin-off. Can't wait! Read the teaser here.

* Celebrity Sudoku and Faux Finished are books six and one in their respective series. I liked the first much more than the second.

* Dick Francis is the May Featured Author in the Cozy Mysteries group at GoodReads. Although I've seen his books around for years, I'd never read him before this time last year. Now I keep an eye out for books at the library used book sale and the clearance rack at HPB. Longshot was featured as this week's Teaser Tuesday.


I have now read 42 books towards my goal of 100 for the year. I have somehow maintained at least a two-book lead ahead of where I should be, even with some pretty long books this month (The Book Thief was 550 pages!). My goal for the next two months is to finish the last three Harry Potter books before the last movie comes out mid-July. Also need to read a few of the books that have been loaned to me, as they are piling up.


Your turn: Read anything good lately that you would recommend?





LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Janice Seagraves * Kimberly Menozzi * Shelley Munro
Darla M Sands * Adelle Laudan * Suzanna Medeiros
Alice Audrey * Jennifer Leeland * Paige Tyler
Cheryl * CountryDew * Harriet

Teaser Tuesday 86: Longshot

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


Two teasers this week from the same book, one I read over the weekend and quite enjoyed. The first two sentences are between the book’s main character—a writer—and his agent. The second teaser is from a scene in which the narrator and another character go to meet someone at an old boathouse.

"Impulse will kill you one of these days."

I should have listened to him, but I didn’t.
(pg 20)

* * * * *

He turned and took a step towards the far-end balcony, the ancient floorboards
creaking underfoot.

There was a white envelope lying on the floor about halfway to the balcony and, saying perhaps it was a message, he went towards it and bent to pick it up, and with a fearsome crack a whole section of the floor gave way under his weight and shot him, shouting, into the dock beneath.
(pg 195)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Longshot by Dick Francis
Genre: Mystery

His agent has always known that John Kendall, writer of travel guides to harsh terrains, is impulsive. But taking an assignment because he needs money hardly seems a rash act, and off to rural England Kendall goes to interview his subject, a successful racehorse trainer.

Soon enough, however, Kendall realizes that he must draw upon all his ingenuity to complete his book. In fact, the perils described in his survival manuals pale next to the dangers in rural England. "Impulse will kill you one of these days," his agent had warned. Kendall should have listened, but he didn’t—not by a longshot...

Random Photo: Lilacs

The lilacs are in bloom at Longenecker Gardens
in the UW Arboretum. Heavenly!

Thursday Thirteen 203: Rain Songs

I don't know about anyone else, but like many in the central and eastern US, from North Dakota down to Mississippi and across to the coast, I am tired of the rain. Lakes and rivers are swollen, whole towns have been swallowed by the flood waters, and people are sick of it. So, here's my version of a rain dance. Maybe these tunes will bring us a break in the weather. Well, worth a try anyway, right? Click on a link to watch the vid.


1. Singing in the Rain - Gene Kelly
2. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head - BJ Thomas
3. Here Comes the Rain Again - The Eurhythmics
4. No Rain - Blind Melon
5. Raining in My Heart - Bernadette Peters (Really cute guys in this one!)
6. Purple Rain - Prince
7. Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
8. I Think It's Going to Rain Today - Bette Midler
9. Rain - Madonna
10. Have You Ever Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
11. Rain - Breaking Benjamin
12. Rhythm of the Rain - Dan Fogelberg
(Or, if you prefer, here's the original by The Cascades)
13. Let It Rain - Tracy Chapman





LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro * Brenda ND
i Beati * CounrtyDew * Paige Tyler

Darla M Sands * Skylar Kade * Kimberly Menozzi
Colleen * Ornery's Wife * KS Manning * Jana
Suzanna Medeiros * Maddy Barone * Harriet
allstarme * Adelle Laudan * Janice Seagraves

Teaser Tuesday 85: At Grave's End

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


Just started this one, so not very far into it as yet. I have a feeling that's going to change in a hurry, LOL.

Tate's supine body was a seething mass of motion. His eyes were open, every muscle strained against the clamps, and a howl so unearthly feral it rocked me back in my seat came from the speakers.
(pg 39)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
At Grave's End (book 3)
By Jeaniene Frost
Genre: Paranormal romance

Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

Masculine Birthday Card

Made for my BIL last month. The stamp is from Tim Holtz, paper DCWV, and the greeting printed on the computer.

Random Photo: Wingra Creek and Bridge

Wingra Creek and Bridge ~ Entrance to Arboretum
Madison, WI ~ May 2010

Thursday Thirteen 202: Random

A completely random T13 this week...


1. With all the rain we've had the past month, you wouldn't think a marsh would be dry enough to burn, yet there was such a fire here Tuesday afternoon, shutting down the Beltline Highway during rush hour. Thankfully, only about 100 acres burned and no buildings. Suspected cause: a cigarette tossed out a passing car window.

2. Seen on a recent walk in the Arboretum: two deer, two sandhill cranes, and one wild turkey.

3. I hope the turkey, which was wandering along the outside of the fence as though trying to figure out how to get back in, is the one my coworker hit a few days before. Hey, it wasn't our fault! Stupid bird was playing chicken during rush hour traffic, darting out between two cars.

4. Speaking of stupid birds, the annual goose debate has begun. Local parks are run a-foul of the fowl. Many parks and beaches were closed for weeks last summer due to e. coli outbreaks, plus there is the fear of them hitting aircraft. The problem is how to humanely thin the population. DNR experts say a good start is to stop feeding them bread crumbs.

5. Proving our kids are smarter than the local wildlife, a report out this week ranks Wisconsin as number one in high school graduation rates for a second year in a row, with a rate of 90.7 percent.

6. Of course, this ranking may soon change, as Governor Walker's current budget reduces funding of public education by more than $900 million. Which means fewer teachers and deep cuts in school programs.

7. Protests and rallies against Walker continue at the Capitol in Madison, the longest sustained labor movement in US history. There is another large labor rally scheduled for this Saturday afternoon, directly following the weekly Farmer's Market.

8. Okay, so maybe not all birds are stupid: Bronx Zoo Peacock Now on the Run.


9. Proof that mothers can mess with you from beyond the grave: Sunday afternoon I pulled out an old B&W movie taped off TCM two years ago, only to find that someone's mother had recorded over a clearly marked tape sometime before she passed. The movie in question? I Remember Mama.

10. I did watch two other movies over the weekend: Munster Go Home and Unforgiven.

12. This weekend is the Norwegian celebration of Syttende Mai. To learn more about it, you can read this Thursday Thirteen post I wrote in 2008.

13. A quote from my page-a-day desk calendar for this week:
One of the secrets to a happy life is continuous small treats.
~ Iris Murdoch

Those treats can be anything: a bar of chocolate, a new DVD or CD, or—best of all—a book.







LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Maddy Barone * Janice Seagraves * Alice Audrey
Shelley Munro * Kimberly Menozzi * Xakara
Darla M. Sands * Adelle Laudan * Paige Tyler
Suzanna Medeiros * Harriet * Forgetfulone

Wordless Wednesday 8

Longenecker Gardens ~ UW Arboretum
Madison, WI ~ May 2010

Teaser Tuesday 84: A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!



I read this one over the weekend and wow! What a great read it was. Absolutely loved it. A Courtesan's Guide alternates between contemporary Boston and London of the early 1800s. This book is for anyone who enjoys a steamy, titillating romance. It will be available in stores May 24, 2011.

I lifted my gaze to the sky, though the stars were hidden behind sooty London clouds. "If I am to be bought and sold," I whispered to the sky, "then I should profit from the transaction. I should be the merchant and the banker, as well as the livestock."
(pg 55)

His torso tightened and his hands fisted at his side. "You should not tease the caged beast, sweet Ophelia."
"I’m trying to free the damned beast, Sir."
(pg 93)

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man
By Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First edition (May 24, 2011)

Warning: Explicit scenes (you've been warned! *G*)

Regency London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries...

When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan’s diaries be used as a modern girl’s guide to finding love and empowerment? One curious curator—and one very lucky man—are about to find out...

Order from Amazon

Order from B&N

(Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy of this book was won through the GoodReads First Reads program.)

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing a happy day to all the moms out there!

Random Photo: Giraffe

Vilas Zoo ~ Madison, WI ~ May 2010

Thursday Thirteen 201: Madison State Capitol, Part 2

In last week's post, I shared photos taken of and from the outside of the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. This week we visit the inside.





From walls to floors, there are 43 varieties of stone used from around the world.



There are rich wood carvings found in furniture and fixtures throughout the building. Where is this eagle located?



You'll find him at the base of tall, ornate lamps.



In addition to sweeping grand staircases leading up from the center of the rotunda, there are ornate, wood-carved stairways found in each of the four wings.



Marble pillar with ornate gilded top.



The state flower (wood violet), state tree (sugar maple) and animal (badger) can be found above each of the ornate doors leading into the Assembly, Senate, Supreme Court and Hearing Room chambers.



Senate chamber doors flanked by marble pillars.



Between the arches of the rotunda, you will find four glass mosaics created by Kenyon Cox, who also painted murals found elsewhere in the Capitol. Pictured here is the "Justice" mosaic



"Government" mosaic



"Legislation" mosaic



"Liberty" mosaic.



Looking up at the dome from center of the Capitol interior. The dome rises 165 feet above the four wings.



Close-up of the mural "Resources of Wisconsin," painted by Edwin Blashfield, 1917.

* Collages made using Flickr's mosaic maker.




LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Alice Audrey * Nicholas * Journeywoman
Brenda * Colleen * Janice Seagraves * Xakara
Shelley Munro * Anthony North * Anna
CountryDew * Skylar Kade * Darla M Sands
Harriet * Kimberly Menozzi * Paige Tyler
Tatiana Caldwell * Adelle Laudan * Jennifer Leeland

Wordless Wednesday 7

Rotary Gardens ~ Janesville, WI March 2008

More Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday 83: The Book Thief

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


Started reading this one Sunday, as tribute to Holocaust Remembrance week (May 2-8). Am only a quarter of the way through so far, but enjoying it immensely. I've chosen two quotes from this book for the week—I hope you enjoy, and are intrigued enough to pick it up, if you have not read it already.

She was the book Thief without the words.

Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and would wring them out like the rain.
(pg 80)

~*~*~*~*~

Was he really a coward, as his son had so brutally pointed out? Certainly, in World War I, he considered himself one. He attributed his survival to it. But then, is there cowardice in the acknowledgment of fear? Is there cowardice in being glad that you lived?
(pg 106)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Book Thief
By Markus Zusak

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist—books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Happy May Day!