Isabel Roman's Blog, page 48

Memorial Day

I'm a strong supporter of our armed forces whether or not I agree with the battles/wars they fight. To support our troops does not indicate support for the current campagne. That isn't the point of this post.

Today's point is generosity. Because there's always someone less fortunate out there than you. In honor of Memorial Day, in addition to the BBQs and family gatherings going on, I'd like you to take a moment and remember those who can't be with their families. Remember those who returned with wounds and those who don't return at all.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

Saturday Excerpt

The Most Unsuitable Wife by Caroline Clemmens
Available as part of her backlist, this Texas Western is part of a series currently available on Smashwords for $3.99. Look for next week's Saturday Excerpt at Slip into Something Victorian  and an excerpt from The Most Unsuitable Husband!

Wanted: One completely improper wife. Even if Drake Kincaid had placed such an advertisement in every paper in the country, he couldn't have found a better candidate than Pearl Parker, which is fine with him. After all, his parent's crazy will stipulates only that he marry by his thirtieth birthday, not that he marry well. And no one--including Drake's grandfather, the man determined to hold him to the ridiculous provision--could possibly think tall, bossy Pearl with her ragtag siblings and questionable "cousin" Belle will make a good wife. Until Drake realizes that in Pearl's startling violet eyes he sees a beautiful woman with a generous soul

Their life may not have started with hearts and flowers, but Drake and Pearl will soon learn that real love--with a breathtaking dose of passion--will overcome danger, threats, and all obstacles to make their marriage a true romance.

I love my library

Yes, yes, yes, I also work there that isn't the point! My library offers free audiobook and e-book downloads in addition to free checkouts for print books, CD audiobooks, and DVDs.

That's how I listened to Julia Quinn's The Lost Duke of Wyndham and how I checked out both Patient Zero and In the Garden of the Beasts.

Everything I want tor ead at my fingertips. Perfection.

Civil War Give-away

Today I'm over at Slip into Something Victorian  with a post on Civil War Facts. Why is this significant? Because all this week we're having a contest! The prize? The anniversary editions of Gettysburg and Gods and Generals . April 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. To learn more click here. To make a donation to preserve Civil War Battlefields, click here.
Our official press release:
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, Warner Brothers has released a commemorative set of the films Gods and Generals, and Gettysburg. The Scandalous Victorian's blog, Slip Into Something Victorian , has been chosen as a review site for the release, and Warner Brothers has given us a copy of the dvd (extended director's cut, with quite a bit of added footage!) set to giveaway.  Please come and visit us next week on May 24th (the official re-release date) and May 25th.  Comment on either blog posts and register to win the complete set!

Wednesday Review: Thor

Thor. Yum. Nuff said.
Yes it was a coherent story with very few plot holes and yes I think it's appropiate for younger children. But man oh man! Chris Hemsworth is HOT in this movie. I went to imdb.com and saw he played George Kirk (James T's daddy).
He looks yummy with the Thor hair and the scruff. *drool*

Pretty places

The pictures sold me! Of course I've only been to The Grand Canyon, which was beautiful. And I've never heard of  Plitvice Lakes National Park, but it can easily be added to my list. The last is my favorite how awesome would it be to see those?!

From World's Prettiest Places:

First off, not every pick on our list is indeed a "place," per se. One is actually a scientific phenomenon, while another is considered a massive living organism home to more than 1,500 fish species and nearly 3,000 individual coral reefs. Several are wide-open spaces, but a few are brick-and- mortar sites built for kings (and in one case, a queen). Three have been included on the listing of the Seven Natural Wonders; three were also selected for the listing of the New 7 Wonders of the World. But no matter how you slice and dice them, all 10 have something important in common: Sometimes, it is all about what pleases the eye. Here's our list of the World's Prettiest Places.

Plitvice Lakes National ParkCroatia


Taj MahalIndia

The Great Barrier ReefAustralia

BorobudurIndonesia

Grand CanyonUSA

The Palace of VersaillesFrance


Machu PicchuPeru


The Great Temple of Ramses IIEgypt

The Great WallChina


The Northern LightsArctic Circle

To Be Read next

I'm taking this week to read and recharge the brain. I'm going to see the new Pirates movie, despite the lack of Orlando Bloom, I do adore Johnny Depp. Catch up on some TV shows I've DVR'ed (Borgias, Hawaii Five-O, NCIS: LA).

But mostly I'm going to read. I have several books started that I need (and want) to finish. A couple new zombie entries like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After

When we last saw Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy—at the end of the New York Times best seller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies—they were preparing for a lifetime of wedded bliss. Yet the honeymoon has barely begun when poor Mr. Darcy is nipped by a rampaging dreadful. Elizabeth knows the only acceptable course of action is to promptly behead her husband (and then burn the corpse, just to be safe). But when she learns of a miracle antidote being developed in London, she realizes there may be one last chance to save her true love—and for everyone to live happily ever after.

What? I can't seem to help myself!

Plus I have Patient Zero to read and In the Garden of the Beasts to finish. (They're both overdue and I have to return them to the library.) And I've just finished my first ever Julia Quinn book, The Lost Duke of Wyndham so now must read the next book in that series...and possibly all her other ones. Plus I think the guy on the cover of Lost Duke looks like a young Eric Roberts. But no, that wasn't why I originally picked the book up! I swear!

Going to be a great reading week!

Saturday Excerpt

Today I'm over at Slip into Something Victorian posting an excerpt from Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex and Subterfuge . (only $10.54 in print at B&N and $4.99 in e-book form)

Donations to charity

I recently took part in a yard sale. It wasn't my idea, in fact I'm sure if I asked those friends involved no one would know who originally had the idea. But I agreed to participate and unloaded enough stuff to make me glad I did. Plus it was a lot of fun to hang out with friends. We sang (poorly), danced to a singing chicken (then gave it away to a little boy who clutched it to his chest as they walked up the street. Very sweet!), and played trivia games from the pile of to-sell items.

What's the point of this? What to do after the sale. Did I really want to take all that stuff back? Setting a date for this original yard sale was hard enough, and it took all weekend. I'm not about to go through it again!
Luckily for all parties involved, 2 days before the yard sale a postcard arrived from Big Brothers/Big Sisters requesting donations. You go online, schedule a pick-up and they do the rest! All I now have to do is keep everything on my porch until tomorrow. I think I can handle that (there are tarps in case of inclement weather to keep things dry).
Good Will picks up the items, give BB/BS money based on weight, then Good Will sells the items to people in need. It's a win-win-win situation for everyone involved and it's LOCAL! I'm a big believer in helping those in need in other places, I donated to the Red Cross for Japanese relief, New Orleans, Haiti, and several other area-specific natural disaster relief funds. But to be able to help those kids in need in my own city is a great feeling.
There are other charities that do this. After signing up for BB/BS, I got a postcard from the Vietnam Veterans of America with the same set-up. But I already agreed to one, and separating/dividing them out wasn't happening. Next time!
So when you have things to give away, take a moment to do a little research and see what options there are. many charities will take things from kitchenware to clothes, electronics to books. It helps you and it helps others in need.

Wednesday Revews: Murdoch Mysteries

Just finished season 2. I applaud the way they've developed the plots, branching out so that there's more character development on all fronts but still keeping the focus on William Murdoch as our hero. I think the later half of the season was a little jumpy and not as strong or interesting as the first half. Plus the weak and contrived addition of a new love interest for our intrepid hero, but over all I think they did a decent job leading into it. It added a little something, even if the love interest was utterly uninteresting and frankly I didn't see the so-called 'instant connection' that they seemed to push on the viewer.
Still, some of the dialog is very limited. It's almost as if they'd rather go the who show without a spoken word.
And I continue to like the secondary characters more than I do William. They're more willing to grow and see things outside the normal world. Chief Inspector Brackenreid and Constable Crabtree are a hoot and as nosy as a pair of old ladies, however they're so underused it makes William's plodding through highbrow lectures even more boring.
I can only hope that season 3 picks up more weight. I understand it's hard to continue a series from a strong and critically acclaimed start but let's not fall into cliches.