February 27 2011- in honor of my niece Taylor’s 9th birthday this week, here’s a book with a great message.
Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
I love childrens books, I’ve been blessed to have worked with some wonderful children’s librarians and thanks to them I discovered authors to share with my nieces….i love this book because it lets everyone know that it’s ok to be different and not like what everyone else likes… A girl named Camilla Cream loves lima beans but doesn't want to eat them because she wants to fit in. One day she wakes up to discover stripes on her body. Her parents then call the doctor, who issues his verdict: she can still go to school. Unfortunately, once there, the other kids taunt her by calling out colors so that her color changes. It goes on and on and the conclusion is wonderful!
The story and art work are endearing and delightful.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chocolate Month Books
February 20th
This is national chocolate month! These books are a must read!
Chocolate, a Sweet Indulgence by Karl Petzke and Sara Slavin
It’s divided into Sweet, Dark and Bittersweet….history, how chocolate goes with other things and great recipes and pictures!
Making Your own gourmet chocolate drinks by Matthew Tekulsky
Hot drinks, cold drinks, sodas, floats and more!
More than 100 tasty drinks fill the pages: spiced hot chocolate. Chocolate –banana blend, white chocolate vanilla shake, tea-frangelico chocolate delight
Forrest Gump: My favorite Chocolate Recipes by Winston Groom
Groovy grasshopper pie, southern mint julep brownies, bubba’s chocolate cake pudding, Alabama ice cream squares and forrest’s four-chip fudge….
This is national chocolate month! These books are a must read!
Chocolate, a Sweet Indulgence by Karl Petzke and Sara Slavin
It’s divided into Sweet, Dark and Bittersweet….history, how chocolate goes with other things and great recipes and pictures!
Making Your own gourmet chocolate drinks by Matthew Tekulsky
Hot drinks, cold drinks, sodas, floats and more!
More than 100 tasty drinks fill the pages: spiced hot chocolate. Chocolate –banana blend, white chocolate vanilla shake, tea-frangelico chocolate delight
Forrest Gump: My favorite Chocolate Recipes by Winston Groom
Groovy grasshopper pie, southern mint julep brownies, bubba’s chocolate cake pudding, Alabama ice cream squares and forrest’s four-chip fudge….
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Valentines Day Book
February 13 2011-
A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
My favorite genre of romance novels is Regency Romance, The books concentrate on traditional story lines, e.g., marriages of convenience, arranged marriages, nanny and/or governess romances. Although there is sexual attraction and tension, there is usually no sex between the unmarried hero and heroine. I found a book that was simply delightful, a young couple thrown together by seemingly unfortunate circumstances. It is the perfect pick for Valentine's Day.
Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman, but not a titled gentleman within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by scandal, branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.
Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.
This intoxicating tale is filled with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love—a story in which very little is as it seems.
A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
My favorite genre of romance novels is Regency Romance, The books concentrate on traditional story lines, e.g., marriages of convenience, arranged marriages, nanny and/or governess romances. Although there is sexual attraction and tension, there is usually no sex between the unmarried hero and heroine. I found a book that was simply delightful, a young couple thrown together by seemingly unfortunate circumstances. It is the perfect pick for Valentine's Day.
Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman, but not a titled gentleman within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by scandal, branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.
Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.
This intoxicating tale is filled with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love—a story in which very little is as it seems.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Chocolate Month and a new book to explore!
In honor of Chocolate month my mother made a special trip to the mall for Godiva! well, she did! ok, it was because of Chocolate month it was because she had gift cards that would have expired it she didn't use them and she was out of her Christmas Godiva! She even got some for me which is still sitting on the kitchen table in Lakeland, does me no good in St. Petersburg...oh well....
Here's my pick for the first Sunday in February,
Dying for Chocolate-Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Bear, really that’s her name, is a caterer with a young son and a crazy abusive ex husband. She’s friends with her ex’s ex Marla and may have romance on the horizon with either a shrink or a cop. If she wasn’t a caterer she’d be a detective! Even in her second book you come to realize Goldie will find a body, become a target and cater the perfect event!
The book is clever, funny and just delightful and there are recipes too!
Diane Mott Davidson’s 2nd book in this series is a great read during Chocolate Month!
Catering to Nobody (1992)
Dying for Chocolate (1993)
The Cereal Murders (1994)
The Last Suppers (1995)
Killer Pancake (1996)
The Main Corpse (1997)
The Grilling Season (1998)
Prime Cut (2000)
Tough Cookie (2001)
Sticks and Scones (2001)
Chopping Spree (2003)
Double Shot (2005)
Dark Tort (2006)
Sweet Revenge (2007)
Fatally Flaky: A Novel (2009)
Here's my pick for the first Sunday in February,
Dying for Chocolate-Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Bear, really that’s her name, is a caterer with a young son and a crazy abusive ex husband. She’s friends with her ex’s ex Marla and may have romance on the horizon with either a shrink or a cop. If she wasn’t a caterer she’d be a detective! Even in her second book you come to realize Goldie will find a body, become a target and cater the perfect event!
The book is clever, funny and just delightful and there are recipes too!
Diane Mott Davidson’s 2nd book in this series is a great read during Chocolate Month!
Catering to Nobody (1992)
Dying for Chocolate (1993)
The Cereal Murders (1994)
The Last Suppers (1995)
Killer Pancake (1996)
The Main Corpse (1997)
The Grilling Season (1998)
Prime Cut (2000)
Tough Cookie (2001)
Sticks and Scones (2001)
Chopping Spree (2003)
Double Shot (2005)
Dark Tort (2006)
Sweet Revenge (2007)
Fatally Flaky: A Novel (2009)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
"Car" Movies
I love NASCAR, yeah, nothing new and thank goodness the season is less then 3 weeks away! Even with that said, I still get this craving for fast cars! In an effort to amuse myself I went in search of all the “car” movies I could find, they range from comedies to suspense to cartoon to fact based movies. I also included some “truck” movies too! Oh, they are not in any order of like or dislike and I've only seen a few of these, my favorites are 31, 43, 40, 34, 19, 8, 5, 6, and 4!
1. “Driven” Sly Stallone takes on the auto racing genre with predictable results.
2. “Speed Racer” It’s auto racing eye-candy, pure and simple.
3. “Redline” Get ready for some serious car envy.
4. “Herbie Fully Loaded” Hooray for the little guy! The latest entry in the Love Bug film franchise.
5. Stroker Ace-Burt in a car sounds like a movie to me.
6. “Six Pack” a washed-up racer with a pit crew staffed by mechanically-minded orphaned kids.
7. “Days of Thunder” (1990) – Tom Cruise and NASCAR, more than enough said!
8. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006) – Will Farrell takes on NASCAR
9. “Greased Lightning” (1977) loosely based on the real-life exploits of Wendell Scott, a taxi driver and moonshine transporter who became a stock car champion in the 1960s.
10. “Grand Prix” (1966) – Four Formula One drivers are followed through the fictional 1966 season.
11. “Cannonball” (1976) – Covering an illegal cross-continent road race, the real-life material that inspired Cannonball would later be used in films like The Cannonball Run
12. “Heart Like a Wheel” (1983) – Shirley Muldowney was a real-life champion drag racer during the ‘70s and early-’80s. This is her story.
13. “Megalopolis Expressway Trial” (1988) –this influential Japanese street racing film was banned from theaters in its home country
14. “Two-Lane Blacktop” (1971)
15. “Le Mans” (1971) about the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
16. “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
17. “Bullitt” (1968) –the ultimate car chase movie
18. “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974) – A group of car thieves only have a few days to steal 48 cars, with the final prize being a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 nicknamed “Eleanor
19. “The Cannonball Run” (1981) - This madcap movie about an illegal road race across America
20. “Taxi” (1998) wanna-be racecar driver who takes a job as a taxi operator. Three sequels would follow, and it’s become one of the most successful French film franchises of all time.
21. “Vanishing Point” (1971) –former racecar driver and Vietnam vet with nothing to lose gets hired to get a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco.
22. “Christine” (1983) – a red possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury, ‘nuff said!
23. “The Transporter” (2002)
24. “Death Race 2000” (1975) – the annual running of the Transcontinental Road Race, an event where drivers can pick up extra points by running down pedestrians with their cars.
25. “Death Race” (2008) – a former racecar driver who’s framed for the murder of his wife. Sent to prison, he soon learns that the whole thing was a set-up in order to get him to compete in the “Death Race,” a brutal and often lethal competition.
26. “The Driver” (1978)-Some of the best pickup driving ever caught on film.
27. “Take This Job And Shove It” (1981)
28. “Hell Drivers” (1957)
29. “They Drive By Night” (1940)
30. “White Line Fever” (1975)
31. “Smokey and The Bandit” (1977) -The second biggest hit of 1977 behind "Star Wars." And "Star Wars" didn't feature a Kenworth.
32. “White Heat” (1949)-gang of crooks uses a tanker truck as a Trojan horse to take over a refinery.
33. “The Road Warrior” (1981) Still one of the greatest stunt fests in cinematic history, with the action centered around a few drops of gasoline aboard a right-hand-drive Mack.
34. "Convoy" (1978): based off the C.W. McCall country trucker anthem.
35. "Coast to Coast" (1980)
36. "Road Games" (1981)
37. "Joy Ride" (2001)
38. "Duel" (1971): the movie that put its director Steven Spielberg on the map.
39. "Breakdown" (1997): one of the top truck movies of all time.
40. "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986): How can you go wrong with Kurt Russell in another trucker film
41. "Sorcerer" (1977): highly intense remake of the classic "Wages of Fear."
42. "Wages of Fear" (1953): T
43. Cars-Pixar meets NASCAR
1. “Driven” Sly Stallone takes on the auto racing genre with predictable results.
2. “Speed Racer” It’s auto racing eye-candy, pure and simple.
3. “Redline” Get ready for some serious car envy.
4. “Herbie Fully Loaded” Hooray for the little guy! The latest entry in the Love Bug film franchise.
5. Stroker Ace-Burt in a car sounds like a movie to me.
6. “Six Pack” a washed-up racer with a pit crew staffed by mechanically-minded orphaned kids.
7. “Days of Thunder” (1990) – Tom Cruise and NASCAR, more than enough said!
8. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006) – Will Farrell takes on NASCAR
9. “Greased Lightning” (1977) loosely based on the real-life exploits of Wendell Scott, a taxi driver and moonshine transporter who became a stock car champion in the 1960s.
10. “Grand Prix” (1966) – Four Formula One drivers are followed through the fictional 1966 season.
11. “Cannonball” (1976) – Covering an illegal cross-continent road race, the real-life material that inspired Cannonball would later be used in films like The Cannonball Run
12. “Heart Like a Wheel” (1983) – Shirley Muldowney was a real-life champion drag racer during the ‘70s and early-’80s. This is her story.
13. “Megalopolis Expressway Trial” (1988) –this influential Japanese street racing film was banned from theaters in its home country
14. “Two-Lane Blacktop” (1971)
15. “Le Mans” (1971) about the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
16. “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
17. “Bullitt” (1968) –the ultimate car chase movie
18. “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974) – A group of car thieves only have a few days to steal 48 cars, with the final prize being a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 nicknamed “Eleanor
19. “The Cannonball Run” (1981) - This madcap movie about an illegal road race across America
20. “Taxi” (1998) wanna-be racecar driver who takes a job as a taxi operator. Three sequels would follow, and it’s become one of the most successful French film franchises of all time.
21. “Vanishing Point” (1971) –former racecar driver and Vietnam vet with nothing to lose gets hired to get a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco.
22. “Christine” (1983) – a red possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury, ‘nuff said!
23. “The Transporter” (2002)
24. “Death Race 2000” (1975) – the annual running of the Transcontinental Road Race, an event where drivers can pick up extra points by running down pedestrians with their cars.
25. “Death Race” (2008) – a former racecar driver who’s framed for the murder of his wife. Sent to prison, he soon learns that the whole thing was a set-up in order to get him to compete in the “Death Race,” a brutal and often lethal competition.
26. “The Driver” (1978)-Some of the best pickup driving ever caught on film.
27. “Take This Job And Shove It” (1981)
28. “Hell Drivers” (1957)
29. “They Drive By Night” (1940)
30. “White Line Fever” (1975)
31. “Smokey and The Bandit” (1977) -The second biggest hit of 1977 behind "Star Wars." And "Star Wars" didn't feature a Kenworth.
32. “White Heat” (1949)-gang of crooks uses a tanker truck as a Trojan horse to take over a refinery.
33. “The Road Warrior” (1981) Still one of the greatest stunt fests in cinematic history, with the action centered around a few drops of gasoline aboard a right-hand-drive Mack.
34. "Convoy" (1978): based off the C.W. McCall country trucker anthem.
35. "Coast to Coast" (1980)
36. "Road Games" (1981)
37. "Joy Ride" (2001)
38. "Duel" (1971): the movie that put its director Steven Spielberg on the map.
39. "Breakdown" (1997): one of the top truck movies of all time.
40. "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986): How can you go wrong with Kurt Russell in another trucker film
41. "Sorcerer" (1977): highly intense remake of the classic "Wages of Fear."
42. "Wages of Fear" (1953): T
43. Cars-Pixar meets NASCAR
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