Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday Salon-A Walk in the Woods

The Sunday Salon.com



My sister surprised me with an unusual day of fun. We went to the Institute of American Indian Studies to take a nature walk. We spent the day with a guide who showed us how to identify edible plants by their characteristics, what part of the plant was edible and when to harvest. Amazingly he relayed how much food is in our forests, fields and backyards and we don't even know it.

What an interesting and relaxing day with weather in total cooperation. It was one of those perfect spring days with a slight breeze, mild temperatures and spectacular puffy clouds dotting the sky. As we walked miles through the Steep Rock Park in Washington, CT our guide Andy stopped frequently to show us the wide array of edible plants abundantly available to the adventurous and hungry.

Here are some pictures I snapped along the way with my i-phone. We were rewarded at the end of our walk with a stunning sight of the "Lady Slipper" once teeming in our woods, but now a rare sighting.












If you are interested in reading more about edible plants and how to identify them and cook them, Andy recommended this book widely available.




Enjoy your reading and have a great Sunday.


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A Surprise Award!



I just won this beautiful award from Diane at The Book Resort. I am humbled by her praise as there are so many great bloggers in our cyberland. Thanks Diane for making me feel so over the moon happy, while at the same time eager to live up to the award's essence.



The Literary Blogger Award acknowledges bloggers who energize & inspire reading by going the extra mile. These amazing bloggers make reading fun & enhance the delight of reading!


The Rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.



My Literary Blogger Award goes to the truly amazing bloggers for having incredible blogs that display their love of reading:

iliana....Bookgirl's Nightstand
Naida.....The bookworm
Wendy.....Literate Feline
Gwendolyn B. A Sea of Books
Marie.....The Burton Review
alison....So Many Books, So Little Time



Second Chance Winners-Testimony & Made in the USA



Two winners from yesterday's drawing declined their prize. Therefore, the following people were chosen in another raffle drawing using the Cal Poly Random Picker.


Congratulations to:

The Book Resort who won a copy of Born in the U.S.A by Billie Letts

Congratulations to:

Wendy, from It's Only a Purple World who won a copy of Testimony by Anita Shreve.

Please send your address to my email so that The Hachette Group can send you your new book. Enjoy your reading!!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Winners!!!! Birthday Celebration Picks!!!!

The Winners have been selected by the CalPoly Random Picker.....



Congratulations to the following five winners who each won a copy of
Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts.

1. Anna, Diary of an Eccentric
2. Naida, the bookworm
3. liane 66
4. Tiffany 819
5. Anita Yancey



Congratulations to the following five winners who each won a copy of
Testimony by Anita Shreve.

1. Scottsgal
2. jemscot 425
3. The Book Resort
4. Carlene
5. Brooke

Thanks to The Hachette Group for their generosity in providing the books for this great giveaway event. Please send your regular mail address to me at
tekeygirl (at) gmail (dot) com by June 1st. so that your book will be sent direct from The Hachette Group.

Congratulations to All!!!

Mailbox Monday May 25, 2009


In my mailbox over the past month I have received a zillion books. I'll try to record them so that I have a running list. Forgive me if I have repeated or forgotten any.



















Memorial Day...Thank a Vet

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Take a moment to say,

"Thank-you!."










The Poppies Blow

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

~Written by John McCrae~





Sunday, May 24, 2009

Sunday Salon--Book Raffles Ending Tomorrow!!

The Sunday Salon.com

Happy Sunday Salon to everyone and thanks to all who have sent their words of encouragement to me. I am making slow progress where I can now read again. Yippee!!!
Although, I tire very easily. I'm optimistic and looking forward---not backward so all your messages mean sooooo much to me. You are all very special to me. Thank you for being my blogger friends. Wisteria



Hachette Group Giveaways



Don't forget the two contests that are ending on May 25th. Good luck to all who enter.


Testimony-5 Winners will be chosen.


Made in the USA-5 Winners will be chosen.


Book Review



This is a review of the book Daddy's Little Spy that was originally published in Historical Novels Online. Check out the author Pamela Strange on this site that will connect you to a short bio, her website, youtube video and more.




DADDY’S LITTLE SPY--ISABELLA


Isabella Rose, Upfront Publishing, 2007, $18.50, pb, 286pp, 9781844264728

It is unimaginable, unthinkable, unrealistic, and impossible to fathom how any mother could instill the painful abuse and verbal threats of harm to her daughter. Yet, in Daddy’s Little Spy-Isabella, that is exactly what happened to Isabella. Classified a novel, it is based on the true story of one girl’s survival during World War II in England. Her mother practices witchcraft and takes great pleasure devising clever new ways to inflict pain on her daughter and then covering up her demonic deeds. Isabella called her mother Mummy Witch, and hated her too, but in a twisted way really just wants to be loved. Her mummy offers Isabella as a child sacrifice at the tender age of six. Fortunately, the warlock of the coven sends her away until she reaches the age of nine.
Her father, at first an ally, comes back from the war a changed man. Isabella can't wait for her father’s return but when he does, he will not save her. She wonders why he has changed and why is he protecting the Mummy Witch? Isabella is tragically alone and made to look like a child with problems. Her only solace is from her Angel Feebee and her Nana who are not always there to protect her. Always on guard, forced to keep the family secret, living with the pain of bruised and battered bones and frequent bloody injuries, Isabella must learn to live with her evil Mummy Witch or she will certainly die.
The story takes place between 1939 and 1949, a time when witchcraft is against the law and the treadle sewing machine is the rage. Otherwise, this is a timeless, horrifying tale of despicable acts of hatred and evil that will keep you awake. Short, abrupt sentence structure mimics the speech of a child talking, which can be bothersome at times. It’s difficult to believe someone is capable of such acts; this book will shock even the strongest of hearts.

1/2

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sunday Salon-Glad to be back!

The Sunday Salon.com

It's great to be back on Sunday Salon. I can't wait to visit everyone's blog. It's been a rough couple of months for me, but this week I'm feeling better. Although not quite 100%, I can at least read a little and write to you. It has been unbearably difficult not being able to write on my blog and reading yours. All is good today though and that's all that matters.

Obviously, my reading has been very low for May because of my illness, but I did start a couple of books to make up for lost time.

I'm reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan-published in 1963. Wow! This is a must read about the state of women during the late 50's and early 60's. This period of time has been called the Second Wave of the feminist movement. Amazing stuff!!!

Also on the nightstand are:
Sea Changes by Gail Graham...fabulous!
Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White...riveting!
Leviathan by Eric Jay Dolin...compelling history of whaling in America.

Review: Salvos on the Backwater





Salvos on the Backwater: A Novel of the Civil War Period,Erin Wunderlich, XLibris, 2008, hc$22.99/ pb$15.99, 284pp, 1-4257-9845-4

It is 1863 on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the Apalachee Bay. Cap’n Jack Nichols and his Uncle Wiley are fishing on board the Chopee. This area of Florida is a dangerous place with constant treats of gators, panthers, snakes and other wild animals. Along with beastly harm comes the threat of Confederate pickets and Union soldiers who are crawling the countryside. It is a battleground for control. Bridges are targets. Waterways patrolled. Clear passage to ship goods is essential to both sides and at any cost. Desperate men will work for food and turn colors quicker than a the flash of a lighting hits the earth. Jack prefers fishing to any involvement in the war as he tries to remain neutral.

On this day, Jack and Wiley come upon the USS General Lyon and they frantically dodge cannonball fire. But Jack knows the labyrinth of streams, land and islands like his own name. They escape capture, possibly death and when they slip away they encounter a homestead. They meet the widow Rebecca, her father and son who have come upon tough times. Before leaving, Jack helps Rebecca get on her feet. Smitten with the widow, Wiley notices Jacks backward glancing smile as they leave. Jack continues to face peril from the Civil War and his nemesis Timber Harris. Harris, a sore looser, lost his boat to Jack in a card game and won’t rest till he gets revenge. According to Jack, “For me Harris is like a rip tide that keeps dragging my britches back toward trouble”

This historically informative action adventure provides a look at Florida in the Civil War era not often written about. Jack the manly, ingenious, Indiana Jones type main character is captivating. The plot is predictable , however that does not diminish the fine writing and imagery captured in the semantic dialect of the area.


You may want to read this one for the Southern Book Challenge 2009. This is one of my choices.

1/2

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Testimony by Anita Shreve-Book Giveaway




Wow!! Another book giveaway.



Complements of the Hachette Group, I am hosting another book raffle. This time you have a chance to win a copy of Testimony, by Anita Shreve. I am such a fan of her writing and I know there are many of you that are as well. If you have never read any of her books, now is your chance to win one.



This is the promotional summary from the Hachette Group website:



At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.


Contest Rules:



Five books will be raffled off in a random drawing. The contest will end at 7:00PM on May 25th...my birthday. You must have have a US address and no PO Box to win. Celebrate with me again and win a copy of Testimony. Yippee!!! All you have to do is make sure you are following my blog and leave a comment. The comment must include why you want to read this book to satisfy my curiosity. Good luck to everyone. :)


Contest for Billie Letts' Made in the USA



The contest for Made in the USA by Billie Letts will end the same day. Please sign up on that post if you are interested in winning one of the five copies being raffled off.

Good Luck Wisteria

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Southern Reading Challenge 2009


This will be my second Southern Reading Challenge. It is hosted by Maggie Reads so check it out and see if you would like to join in the fun. I participated in this challenge successfully last year and really enjoyed it. This challenge is perfect if you like those romantic southern settings and southern hospitality. You can spend some time this summer reading with a mint julep or cool lemonade flipping the pages of a great book. Hope to see ya'll join in. This Yankee loves to travel south for the summer.