Random Photo: Boats

Boats on Lake Mendota * Madison, WI * July 2010

Random Photo: Reeeaaach!

Henry Vilas Zoo * Madison, WI * July 2010

Thursday Thirteen 212: Ice Cream!

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July National Ice Cream Month. To celebrate, I'm offering up thirteen of my favorite flavors. Feel free to grab a bowl or a cone and join me!


1. Double Fudge Brownie (Edy's Slow-Churned and my absolute fave: Chocolate ice cream with bits of fudge and brownie in it. Mmm...)
2. Mint Cookie Crunch (Edy's; basically a mint cookies 'n cream)
3. Mint Chocolate Chip (Schoep's)
4. Cherry Chocolate Chip (Edy's)
5. Badger Tracks (Schoep's: Vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and semi-sweet chips)
6. Pumpkin Pie (Edy's, only available in Autumn and soooo good.)
7. Raspberry Chip (Edy's again: Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and swirls of raspberry)
8. Cookie Dough (Edy's, Schoep's, etc)
9. Cookies and Cream (Edy's, Schoep's, etc)
10. Butter Brickle (NOT to be confused with Butter Pecan. One has toffee, which I like, the other nuts, which I do not.)
11. Mango (Edy's Limited Edition—usually only available in summer; Mango ice cream with bits of mango fruit.)
12. Moose Tracks (Schoep's: Chocolate ice cream with mini Peanut Butter cups and bits of fudge)
13. Vanilla (Best for sundaes, rootbeer floats, or pie à la mode)


So, what's your favorite flavor? Do you prefer a dish, wafer, sugar or waffle cone? (I personally prefer the dish or a waffle cone.)






LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Maddy Barone * Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro
Ron * Scarlett Sanderson * Darla M Sands
Colleen * Paige Tyler * KS Manning
Sidney Bristol * JO * Jana * Xakara

Wordless Wednesday 15: Pink Rose

More Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday 94: Destined for an Early Grave

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 have a two-for-one this week. I've been on a mini Jeaniene Frost read-a-thon, catching up on books of hers borrowed from a friend. I finished Destined For An Early Grave (book four) and am now a little ways into This Side of the Grave (book five). Never a dull moment or bit of rest for Cat and Bones. These are fun, fast-paced paranormal romances with a kick-ass heroine. Can't wait for the next book out in August!

The building hit me in the face so hard I felt my cheek fracture. And then the gunfire registered.
(pg 22)


Later that night, I'd just fallen asleep when the bed shifted. My eyes opened in alarm, then a finger pressed to my lips.
(pg 203)

His legs flashed out, knocking me off-balance. I sprang forward at once, but a hard, cool body flattened me to the cave floor in the next instant. An iron grip closed around my wrist, preventing me from raising the knife.
(pg 3)

Click on either cover for a description of the book.

Random Photo: Sunset

Looking west over the trees of the Arboretum
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Madison, WI

Thursday Thirteen 211: Recently Read

Read during June and July...













1. To the Lighthouse and To Kill a Mockingbird were group reads for July and June respectively for TNBBC group at GoodReads. The former was a first read and was okay, the latter a second or third and well-worth reading again.

2. Finishing the last three Harry Potter books crosses off one of my reading goals for this year—and I finished them before the last movie came out (which was also a goal)!

3. MC Beaton was the June featured author in the Cozy Mysteries group at GoodReads. These were the first two books in her Agatha Raisin series and were okay reads.

4. In the Woods was another June group read. It started out promising and kept me engaged throughout, but I felt let down by the ending.


Number of books read so far this year: 58 towards a goal of 100. I'm still averaging about eight books a month, despite the length of some of these (such as the Harry Potter series). Lighthouse, though only 160 pages, took nearly a week to get through, but I've quickly made up for lost time with the last couple of books read.

I also read several short stories (106 pages) in a monster anthology by Dorothy L Sayers, The Complete Stories—which helped me achieve another reading goal for this year. The book is 816 pages long. I read about 200 pages last year, and wanted to read at least that many for 2011. I am currently on page 476—I am slowly but methodically making my way through! Who knows, maybe I'll even clear 500 by year's end.


Your turn: read anything good so far this summer?

Wordless Wednesday 14: Snow Bird

Hope this helps cool off all those suffering
from this relentless heat. *wink*

Teaser Tuesday 92: Summer in the South

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 spent the weekend inside where it was (somewhat) cool and comfortable, with most of my time spent reading this book. I was especially drawn to this book after hearing the author got the idea for it during a visit to a cemetery. I have long loved visiting old cemeteries and often thought them rich in untold stories. This was a fast and engaging book—perfect reading for a heat wave.

It was one way she had found to fill her solitary childhood, but it was more than that; the act of creation gave substance and shape to her life. It made order out of the chaos.
(pg 150)

~*~*~*~

Everyone has a different story, and you have to ask yourself what motivates people to see reality the way they do.
(pg 165)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Summer in the South
By Cathy Holton

After a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava Dabrowski quits her job to spend the summer in Woodburn, Tennessee, at the invitation of her old college friend Will Fraser and his two great-aunts, Josephine and Fanny Woodburn. Her charming hosts offer Ava a chance to relax at their idyllic ancestral estate, Woodburn Hall, while working on her first novel.

But Woodburn is anything but quiet: Ancient feuds lurk just beneath its placid surface, and modern-day rivalries emerge as Ava finds herself caught between the competing attentions of Will and his black-sheep cousin Jake. Fascinated by the family’s impressive history—their imposing house filled with treasures, and their mingling with literary lions Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Faulkner—Ava stumbles onto rumors about the darker side of the Woodburns’ legacy. Putting aside her planned novel, she turns her creative attentions to the eccentric and tragic clan, a family with more skeletons (and ghosts) in their closets than anyone could possibly imagine. As Ava struggles to write the true story of the Woodburns, she finds herself tangled in the tragic history of a mysterious Southern family whose secrets mirror her own.

* Disclainer: A copy of this book was won from the author through a book blog.

Random Photo: Compass Plant Flowers

Flowers of the Compass Plant
UW Arboretum ~ Madison, WI

Which is it? Mystery, Thriller or Suspense?

The following was written in July 2004 (a year before I started blogging) after a workshop with author Barbara d’Amato at the annual Writers’ Institute conference in Madison, WI. Originally done for a writing newsletter, I pulled it out this week after a question was posed in an online group as to what the difference was between mysteries and thrillers. Seemed only right to post it here, seeing as—for some odd reason—I had not done so previously. Though it was written for writers, I feel readers can benefit from it as well. Please feel free to weigh in with your opinion.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Many writers use the terms mystery, suspense and thriller interchangeably, as if one was no different from the other, but such is not true. As similar as they can be, there are differences between the three genres, and what type of book you have will also help determine how it is marketed—first to agents, then to publishers and booksellers, and ultimately to readers. Knowing what type of book you have can also aid you in the plotting and, ultimately, the writing.

So what differentiates a mystery from a suspense or a thriller?

The easy answer here would be that, in a mystery you usually don't know whodunit (or why) until the very end; in a suspense you can know whodunit (and even why)—what makes it a suspense is not knowing how or if the villain will be caught or stopped in time; and a thriller is high on action.

There is much more to it than that, of course, and the differences can be broken down into four key components: number of characters, settings, plot, and source of reader satisfaction.

Mystery:

Characters: Few to many, depending on how big your mystery is. Think of some of the classic mystery stories. In Poe's "The Purloined Letter," there are only a few characters. In Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" we meet an entire cast of characters. Agatha Christie's books tend to have a house (or boat or train, as the case may be) full of people running around. The reader meets each character and develops a sense of who might have done it. POV is usually that of the central character and can be either first or third person.

Setting: There can be one setting (as contained as the small island in "And Then There Were None" or the boat in "Death on the Nile") or multiple settings. "The Maltese Falcon" takes the reader all over San Francisco. More recently, the Harlequin Intrigue series "Shotgun Sallys" also had multiple settings—from a ranch, to the local town and even (in one of the books) to a nearby city. Setting can be as central or as varied as is necessary to the plot.

Plot: More simplistic, with a limited number of threads. This does not mean the puzzle will be easy to solve, but makes it easier for the reader to follow along. It also allows for a few "red herrings" or false clues.

Source of Reader Satisfaction: Comes from solving the mystery along with the main character and in trying to figure out whodunit [i]before[/i] the sleuth. Do NOT introduce surprises at the end, such as the killer being someone we haven't met.


Suspense:

Characters: Can be only a few. In Iris Johansen's "And Then You Die" there are only three main characters—the hero, the heroine, and the villain and there are few minor characters. In a suspense, you know whodunit, it's the pursuit of the villain and figuring out why he did it that makes the story. You also want the main character to succeed largely on his or her own merit and grow out of the ordeal. For example, in "Ugly Duckling" by Iris Johansen, the heroine finds she has an inner strength after losing her daughter and nearly dying herself in an attack. Can she trust again? And whom will she trust? How will she overcome her ordeal and exact revenge? The POV is from that of central character(s), but also might include the POV of the villain.

Setting: There can be one main setting, or many. "And Then You Die" takes place in both South America and the US. "Ugly Duckling," takes place in Europe and across the US. "Face of Deception" takes us to the White House and across the country. “Ghost Walk” by Heather Graham has one central setting, New Orleans.

Plot: Usually linear.

Source of Reader Satisfaction: Mostly emotional, hinging on the survival and triumph of the main character.


Thriller:

Characters: Many. Think James Bond. Thrillers usually contain the POV of several different characters, which prevents an emotional attachment to any one character. The central villain doesn't have to show up right away if there is a co-conspirator who is not what he appears to be (i.e.: a bad guy who appears to be helpful and friendly, but is only doing so in order to take advantage of the central character).

Setting: Many different settings, often international/exotic. Again, think James Bond or "The Bourne Supremacy."

Plot: Usually quite complicated, with lots of action.

Source of Reader Satisfaction: Comes from defeating the villain and saving the world, but also in just being a good story. The reader doesn't want to think, he just wants to be entertained.


I hope this helps you differentiate between mystery, suspense and thriller and in determining which it is you have read or written.

Thursday Thirteen 210: Harry Potter Trivia

Unless you've been living under a rock, you all know that the final Harry Potter movie, Deathly Hallows Part 2 (or HP7.2) hits most theaters this Friday at midnight. In honor of such, I thought I'd share a bit of trivia about the books by JK Rowling and the movies based on them. You can also scroll down to this week's Teaser Tuesday post.

1. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone, in the US) was published in the UK in June 1997 and in the US in Sept 1998. In 1999, the first three books of the series (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.

2. The fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was published in July 8, 2000 in the UK, US, Canada and Australia with a record print run of 1 million copies in the UK and 3.8 million in the US—it broke all records for the number of books sold in the first weekend of publication. Each successive book has set new records.

3. The last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is the fastest selling book in both the US and UK, with over 450 million copies worldwide.

4. The Harry Potter series has been translated into 69 languages in over 200 territories around the world. The series has enchanted young and old, and new readers are discovering the books every day.

5. There are three related books to the seven volume series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. All were written by Rowling for charity.

6. The first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, opened in the UK in November 2001 and quickly became the number two film of all time. The gross revenue over the first seven films: $6,343,865,842

7. The eight films have seen four different directors: Chris Columbus (HP1, HP2), Alfonso Cuaron (HP3), Mike Newell (HP4), and David Yates (HP5, 6, 7.1 and 7.2).

8. Daniel Radcliffe was selected for the role of Harry Potter after a 7-month search. The roles of Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) were cast from among thousands of auditioning children. Although Radcliffe had prior film experience, Watson and Grint's only previous experience was in school plays.



9. Since the first movie came out in 2001, there has only been one major casting change, when Michael Gambon succeeded Richard Harris in the role of Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore in the third movie, after Harris' unexpected death in Oct 2002.



10. There has been one other character change: the appearance of Professor Flitwick (Warwick Davis) was changed after the first two movies. Davis also plays the goblin Griphook in the first and last two movies. Older viewers may remember him from his leading roles in Willow and Leprechaun.



11. Harry's famous scar has been created by make-up artists about 5,800 times, not only on Daniel Radcliffe, who has had the scar applied approx 2,000 times, but also on his doubles and stunt doubles.

12. Every wand in the film series is unique, including those by twins Fred and George Weasley. Daniel Radcliffe wore out nearly 70 wands during the making of the films. You can see more and order your very own here.



13. The actor who plays Prof. Lupin (David Thewlis) originally auditioned for the role of Prof. Quirrel. Considering how much longer Lupin's been around, I'm sure he doesn't regret losing that first part.

Have you read the books? Seen the movies? Do you plan to see the final film out this weekend?

LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Maddy Barone * Janice Seagraves * Shelley Munro
Xakara * Ron * K Taylor * Janet * CountryDew
Paige Tyler * Adelle Laudan * KS Manning

Wordless Wednesday 13: Oklahoma Grass Pink Orchids

Photos taken at UW Arboretum * Madison, WI * June 2011

Teaser Tuesday 92: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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 actually finished this book over the long holiday weekend and had intended to post this last Tuesday, but my ISP apparently had issues, which meant I had NO CONNECTION. Yeah, wasn't happy. So, I am posting it this week. I'm glad I read this final installment of the series before the very last movie comes out this Friday, and that friends and I watched HP7.1 over the weekend. I hope you enjoy the teasers I've selected from this book!

And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figures, suspended in midair, formed a vast circle in the midst of which the Order members had risen, oblivious—
(pg 55)

~*~*~*~

"Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?" asked Scrimgeour.

"No, I'm not," retorted Hermione. "I'm planning to do some good in the world!"
(pg 124)


~*~*~*~

The tethered dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flame flew over the goblins; wizards fled, doubled-up, back the way they had come, and inspiration, or madness, came to harry. Pointing his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the beast to the floor, he yelled, "Relashio!"

The cuffs broke open with loud bangs.

"This way!" Harry yelled, and still shooting Stunning Spells at the advancing goblins, he sprinted toward the blind dragon.

(pg 541)

ABOUT THE BOOK (from Good Reads):
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7)
By JK Rowling

As the novel begins, Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the run from Lord Voldemort, whose minions of Death Eaters have not only taken control of the Minister of Magic but have begun to systematically—and forcibly—change the entire culture of the magic community: Muggle-born wizards, for example, are being rounded up and questioned, and all "blood traitors" are being imprisoned. But as Voldemort and his followers ruthlessly pursue the fugitive with the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, Potter finally uncovers the jaw-dropping truth of his existence....

Undoubtedly Rowling's crowning literary achievement, this triumphant final installment not only answers any and all questions surrounding integral characters like Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort, Severus Snape, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy but also brilliantly deals with some decidedly adult themes—mortality, faith, duty, honor, etc.—with a lyrical simplicity that will touch the hearts of readers of all ages.
~Paul Goat Allen

Random Photo: Red-Wing Blackbird

UW Arboretum ~ Madison, WI ~ June 2011

Sorry So Scarce

Sorry I have not been around much the past week. My ISP is apparently experiencing some major ISSUES. There have been a couple days I haven't been able to log on from home at all, and a couple others where I was able to get online for an hour or two before the connection once again disintegrated. Hopefully they get their shit together SOON, because this is ticking me off royally!

I hope everyone is enjoying a good weekend. Mine has not been too bad so far. Had a movie night with friends last night (Friday). We ate way too much pizza, bread sticks and cinnamon sticks while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 -- in anticipation of the last movie, which opens Friday. Sooo glad we watched this one again before viewing the final installment, as I did not remember a lot of the scenes from this movie. And yes, I did recently finish reading the last book, but there is--of course--a lot of condensing and some changes from book to movie. And, I confess, I wish I could watch it at least one more time before the next movie comes out. Alas, I do not own that one...yet.

Today has been fairly low key. Ran the usual errands in the morning, then read, did some laundry, and went for a long walk after dinner. It's supposed to be unbearably hot and humid tomorrow (Sunday), so figured I best take advantage of the pleasant evening. It was still warm and mostly cloudy, with a nice breeze out of the south. Though there was no rain in today's forecast, I did feel a few rain drops on the return home, which actually felt rather nice after the walk. In fact, I was actually wishing it really would rain--lightly, of course. Alas, no such luck. I tell you, a cool shower never felt so good!

Thursday Thirteen 209: Books I Need to Read

I usually prefer to own the books on my TBR pile. There are no pressures that way to read something right away, whether you are in the mood for it or not. Occasionally, however, I will borrow books from a friend or my sister/BIL. Some books I have actually requested, while others were foisted upon me. Looking at the TBR pile, I really need to get to the following so that I can finally return them to their respective owners. As always, click on any cover for a description of the book.













1. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (Friend) -- Requested, plan on reading this month
2. Death's Excellent Vacation by Charlaine Harris et al (Friend) -- Um...I've now had this one a year. Oops.
3. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Friend) -- actually, I have books 4 and 5 of the Night Huntress Series, plus books 1 and 2 of the Night Huntress World
4. The Gift of Murder, an anthology of short mysteries (Sister/BIL)
5. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Friend)
6. Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson (Sister/BIL) -- Books 1-3 of the series
7. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (BIL) -- He brought me books 2-4, but not book 1. Sigh...
8. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Sister)
9. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Sister) -- So long as I get it read before the movie comes out, I'm good. It's said to be "in production," but no release date as yet.
10. The Third Secret by Steve Berry (Sister) -- I think this was based on our reading of the Dan Brown books
11. The Valcourt Heiress by Catherine Coulter (Friend) -- Book 7 of a series; book 6 was out way back in 2002.
12. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (Sister/BIL) -- Requested because I wanted to try some of her single title books and this one sounds good.
13. Wicked by Gregory Maguire (Sister) -- She might get this one back. Might. *g* And no, I have NOT seen the musical, though I really wanted to when it was in town last fall.


Have you borrowed a book recently that you need to finish and return? Or, is there a book that you've recently flung at a friend or family member with the admonition that they must read it?






LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Maddy Barone * Xakara * Shelley Munro
CountryDew * Harriet * Janice Seagraves * Brenda
Jennifer Leeland * KS Manning * Paige Tyler
Darla M Sands * Kimberly Menozzi * Colleen
Suzanna Medeiros * Norma * Payton Bradshaw