Teaser Tuesday - A Memory of Light, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* 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, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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As The Last Battle rages, and as men fight against the minions of the Dark One, Perrin once again tracks down Slayer and confronts him.

The Tease:

"Perrin did not hold back in the fight with Slayer.  He did not try to distinguish between wolf and man.  He finally let everything out, every bit of rage at Slayer, every bit of pain at the deaths of his family--pressures which had been growing inside him unnoticed for months.
He let it out."

 -The Wheel of Time, Book 14: A Memory of Light,
by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

What's your Tease?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 25

"It came without ribbons!  It came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!  "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"  --Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Year!!

Thank you for traveling through the year with me!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 24

"...A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, 
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; 
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, 
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose, 
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; 
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, 
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, 
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
by Clement Clark Moore

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 23

"A sprig of holly lay by each plate, and nothing would do but each little Ruggles must leave his seat and have it pinned on by Carol, and as each course was served, one of them pleaded to take something to her.
There was hurrying to and fro, I can assure you, for it is quite a difficult matter to serve a Christmas dinner on the third floor of a great city house; but if it had been necessary to carry every dish up a rope ladder the servants would gladly have done so.
There were turkey and chicken, with delicious gravy and stuffing, and there were half a dozen vegetables, with cranberry jelly, and celery, and pickles; and as for the way these delicacies were served, the Ruggleses never forgot it as long as they lived."

--The Birds' Christmas Carol, by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1887)

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 22

From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other - Emily Matthews.

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 21

Assuming that we're all still here and y'all haven't gone floating off into outer space, I present, for your viewing pleasure, Christmas Ornaments!

These are a few of my favorites...

We like to pick up unusual ornaments from places that we travel to, so a few years ago when we were on Grand Cayman I had to pick up this little guy.

This pic is a two-fer!  The little mouse eating cheese is a new ornament from a trip to the coast earlier this year.  Next to it is a Disney Cruise ornament from one of our trips.  It's a little plain, but brings back good memories!

This one is hard to see, but it's a lighthouse, from another of our trips to the Oregon Coast.

 

 And last but not least - Alaskan Lumberjack Mickey!!

Do you collect ornaments from your travels, or keep hand-made ones from previous years?  What are your favorites?  Share your thoughts below!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 20

It's almost time to hang our stockings!  Are you ready yet?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 19

Christmas Decorations - Part 3

Yet another Christmas decoration that has been in the family longer than I have.  What can I say, I like old things, and traditions!  The figurines are old and faded, and most of the angels have lost one or more wings each, but this Nativity set is one of my most precious Christmas decorations!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 18

So pretty!  Anyone fancy a trip to London for Christmas?

Teaser Tuesday - The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* 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, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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So I finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and enjoyed it so much that I immediately downloaded the second book in the series, The Broken Kingdoms.  It takes place a while after the first book ends, and instead of dealing with the ruling high society, seems to be focused on the underclasses.  So far I'm really liking it!

The Tease:

"...Madding smiled sadly. "That's different. We can die.  You mortals, though...Nothing can stop you from dying.  All we can do is stand by and watch."
And die a little with you."

 -The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

What's your Tease?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 17

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. ... We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices."
- A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 16

This year was the 80th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.  The tree is very pretty.

On a side note - I really don't think it is right for anyone to travel with Muppets, while wearing Muppet skin:

Somehow it just doesn't seem fair to the Muppets.

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 15

10 more days!

Movie News - Star Trek Into Darkness Poster

Last week, this happened:

Synopsis:
"When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew."

I'm very excited about this movie, as I've been a fan of the franchise for...well...just about forever.  However, this poster is a little too reminiscent of the movie poster for The Dark Knight Rises.  I like it, I just wish it was more original.

What do you think?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 14

It's almost here! 11 more days!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 13

Christmas Decorations - Part 2

You know...for your viewing pleasure...

Here's two little guys that have been part of the family collection forever.  I have no idea where Mr. & Mrs. Santa Mouse came from, but again, I suspect that they are older than I am. And so cute!

This is one of my FAVORITES!!  He's The Christmas Dragon, and is a relatively new addition - a friend made him for me out of clay about 15 years ago.  He's actually a pin that could be worn, but I've always been afraid to wear him as he tend to be a bit fragile.  

I usually put him near my Nativity Scene so he can watch over the baby Jesus to make sure the Wise Men don't get out of control.  Plus that's where the best sheep are, in case he gets hungry.

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 12

Christmas Decorations, Part 1

We have a lot of Christmas decorations.  A lot.  Most are store bought, some are hand made, many are new-ish, and a few are older than me.  I'm sure everyone has a similar mix of beloved ornaments or decorations that make the holiday seem to be missing something if they aren't in place.  So I thought I'd share some with you guys.

So, for the moment, just ignore the Taco Bell Christmas Chihuahua and Frosty the Snowman.  These little Santas sliding down the candle to the chimney have been around longer than I have.  The one on the left get his leg broken one year, so now he's an amputee and slides further down the candle than his buddy, but he's still in it to win it!

I love these little guys and insist that they spend the holidays prominently displayed in the living or dining room somewhere every year.

What are your favorite Christmas decorations?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 11

Today, for your viewing pleasure, a Christmas Tabletop Decoration!

Other than the cords hanging down the wall I'm quite proud of this.  Bob helped with the decorating a lot this year, which was super fun.

We spent most of the day Saturday and Sunday decorating the house and the Christmas Tree while listening to Christmas music, and watching the movie White Christmas - a classic favorite in our house!

 

The final result...

King of the Lab?  Maybe?

Teaser Tuesday - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* 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, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I started reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms last week and this week I've almost finished it.  It's very intriguing and I'm quite enjoying it!

The Tease:

""You should abstain from drinking more often, Cousin," I said softly.
Relad smiled, utterly without humor.  "It wasn't intentional, I assure you.  It's just that impending death tends to sour even the best wine."
I understood completely."

 -The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

What's your Tease?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 10

For your viewing pleasure, I present, A Christmas Tree!!

 

It's a little smaller (width-wise) than what we usually get, but I think it's quite perfect.

Have a great day!!