Musing Monday...Have you Been Naughty or Nice?

Time to check out this week's question from Just one more page...

With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hints – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

Oh, the dreaded gift buying season.
Without question, Christmas would be my very favorite time of year..except for the dreaded gift buying. I have no problem receiving gifts...I don't mind spending the money to buy gifts for others...I just never know what to buy! I see gift buying as sort of the ultimate proof of how well you know someone and on that I always come up short. And I know that I always will since I have a problem even deciding what to buy for myself. as the philosophers say "First, Know Thyself..."

So, why I find it very hard to buy any gift, to buy a book for a gift takes it to a whole other level. Books are very personal, what we like and dislike. I have, on rare occasion given books in the past and it has not always gone well. I have a book, one of my favorite books in the world and I gave it to a friend years ago. Not only did she not think it was the best book every written, she saw it in a way that was totally alien to my experience of it. That gave my book giving instinct pause.

And unless some one is kind enough for leave a nice wish list somewhere, hopefully printed out nice and neat and casually left "accidentally" somewhere, that is a very dangerous gift to get right. Not to mention the fact that it is very difficult to know what the receiver may have already read or own. Just in case anyone is in the dilemma as pertains to me...remember My Beloved Library Thing. Since I only started it a year or two ago it does not contain every book I have read but it does contain every book I have read in the last couple of years and every book that I own. And since I may well have forgotten most books I read before that, you would be pretty safe. An advantage of the vagary of advancing years...

But on the other hand, gift cards are just a wee bit impersonal. I will admit that I love to get them! Taking the card and going to the bookstore, spending hours looking around to make my decision, have a nice tea and a snack...it is just a lovely added part of the gift. But somehow, I don't like to give them. I feel I have given in, taking the easy way out of the gift giving test....even if the receiver loves it! After all, the point of gift giving is all about me...right?

Yes, I know, it makes no sense...

Weekend Cooking- The Black and White Cookie

For this week's Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, let's check out another sweet treat. If you are not now, nor have ever been, a resident of the New York City area, or perhaps certain parts of New England, you may not be familiar with the confection that is the Black and White Cookie! Oh, what a loss that is, because the Black and White cookie is a fine thing, the perfect accompaniment to a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea. To quote Wikipedia,

"A black and white cookie is a soft, sponge cake-like shortbread which is iced on one half with vanilla fondant, and on the other half by dark chocolate fondant. The black and white cookie is often seen as a peculiarly "New York" snack."

Yes, really more cake-like in their consistency than what we usually think of as a cookie, they are something for which at time I get a hankering. Yet, they are not something I ever tried to make myself, instead hoping to stumble upon a bakery that makes them. Which is pretty hopeless unless I take a trip an hour or so north, closer to the Big Apple.

beside the issue of finding one to eat, there also arises the issue of how to eat them. Sort of like the Oreo, there are several ways to approach them. Eat all the chocolate side first, eat all the white side first, all follow the official Seinfeld way!

A review of "Tell No One"

Tell No One by Harlan Coben
(Dell, ISBN 978-00440-24590-2)

"For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive."

Eight years ago, Dr. David Beck seemed to have it all. Most of all, the love of his life, his wife Elizabeth. They had know each other since they were children and at the age of 12 had shared their first kiss and carved their initials in a tree at the lake front summer camp of David's grandfather. Every year since, they returned to that tree for their "kiss time" anniversary. Or they had until that night eight years ago, when they were attacked at the lake, David knocked unconscious and Elizabeth dragged away to her death at the hands of a serial killer, KillRoy.

Or was she?

On the anniversary of her murder, David receives an e-mail, making a reference to something only he and Elizabeth would understand. But how could it be? Her body was found, her killer is in jail. Is this some horrible joke? Is he going mad, wishing to believe something that is impossible or could, somehow, Elizabeth possibly be alive. He is warned to tell no one. Can he trust anyone to help him find the truth? The police, the FBI, his best friend since college, Shauna...will asking for their help put Elizabeth in more danger if she is alive and what price is David willing to pay to find out the truth of what happen that night.

This is the first one of Coben's books that I have read and a fine introduction to his work it is. It is a well written, fast paced thriller with enough action and twists and turns to keep you interested from the first page to the satisfying conclusion. And he also treats us to a good cast of characters to accompany us on the journey, characters that are never one dimension. There are good cops and bad, fine upstanding citizens that may have some very nasty secrets and even our "hero" David may have a few skeletons of his own that he would rather keep unknown. But the price of truth may have a very high cost that will play out until the very last page.
Overall, a satisfying, entertaining thriller that will certainly have me checking out some others of Mr. Coben books. Tell No One is a stand alone mystery but I am also anxious to check out his Myron Bolitar series, for which he is perhaps best known.

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Wordless Wednesday- Philadelphia Flower Show 2009

...something for a chilly, rainy day.

...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Tuesday Thinger and a Terrible Tiger! Grrrrrrrr...

It's Bandit Day....and Tuesday, so let's see what question Wendi from Wendi's Book Corner has for us this week.

Welcome to another week of Tuesday Thingers! We always love to hear from regular participants as well as new people.
Tonight's Thinger is quick and simple (I hope!). As I was looking over LT features and tabs, I realized that I didn't know where people were connecting to the site from, when they were doing it, and why!

Questions: Do you connect to Library Thing from home, work, mobile, other? When do you find yourself on Library Thing (throughout the day, evenings, etc)? Why do you primarily connect to LT?

I almost always connect to Library Thing from home. My cell phone is...just a phone. And I don't really want to push things and check in from work. Afterall, I have all my e-mail to read then!

Any time is the best time to check out Library Thing! I don't have a particular time that I go to LT, because odd shift worker that I am, I don't have a particular time I do anything, including necessities like sleeping and such.
But as to how I use it, usually I use LT as a research tool. As Wendi mentioned in her answer, I will frequently go to Library Thing to check the ratings and reviews on a book I see some out there on the World Wide Web. I also usually check out the author's page while I am there, to see else he or she wrote, if it is part of a series, what books they wrote are the most popular among LT members. I also like to check the books tags...you can get a lot of information about what a book is about from how it is tagged.

Of course, I also drop in to Library Thing, maybe weekly, to add any new books that have come my way. Library books, borrowed books, bought books...or otherly acquired books. I really try to be careful about doing that because for me, keeping track of my books has always been my primary LT use. If I don't keep on top of that, a book will sneal into my life unrecorded and then chaos will take over the world. Like one of those movies where aliens take over the world and start blowing stuff up. One unrecorded book is enough to set it all in motion. I just know it!
Yes, just a little OCDish maybe.

And then there are the groups. I do read some of the threads on there, especially the Green Dragon forum, always one of the most popular posted to group on Library Thing. Silly threads, serious threads, all sort of discussions. Once I would read the threads fairly thoroughly and post the occasional comment, but since starting my wee blog, I find I don't really have the time to spend there that I once did. As much as I love Library Thing, and you know I do, there are other demands on ones time. I still scan the thread titles and will read one that sounds very interesting...but there is only so much time in the day.

But there is always time for Bandit!! Now last week we had a problem with Little Bandit showing off his naughty bits, so let's see if we can find something that does not need editing this week.
Awww...that is better. Little Bandit playing with his little tiger toy. That doggie loves his toys....and I love him! Smile Bandit. You look very serious! ;-)

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Musing Monday...and The Case of Incredible Shrinking Bookcase

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post, as always from the inquiring mind of Rebecca at Just one more page, is about your bookshelf…
Does your house have a communal bookshelf? If not, is your bookshelf centrally located so everyone has access to it?

Well, since I am the only person in the house, yes, I would consider my bookcases communal. Everyone that lives here in the domicile of caite, The Hovel, has total access 24/7/365 to all books. Of course, I do also allow my imaginary kitty, Kitty, full use of all my books, but she does not appear to be a reader. Which is probably all for the best.

Bookshelves are a nice thing in theory, but often inadequate in practice. I don't blame the bookshelves. I don't blame the books. I blame me.
I have said it before, but I really do need to get my books under control. Some time ago, I bought nice new bookcases for my family room (can it be a 'family' room if you live alone?) and took the opportunity to organize all my books, joining Library Thing at the same time. All neat and organized, all so very, very nice. That lasted a few weeks. It was a special time.

Things starting getting out of control when I started blogging. I started requesting and receiving ARCs, winning the odd contest, took authors and publicists up on their offers of books here and there. But things were still pretty much ok. Then I started reading more of my fellow bloggers, reading their reviews of books and authors I had never heard of before, reading more book periodicals online and being compelled by uncontrollable forces to search out copies of too, too many of these recommended books. I discovered the world of used books online. That was the beginning of the end.

Bookshelves gave way to overcrowded bookshelves.
Overcrowded bookshelves gave way to book piles.
A TBR pile, an ARC pile, a library book pile, read/reviewed book piles, a to-be- reviewed book pile, a received-but-yet-to-be-entered-in-Library Thing-then-to-join-the-TBR-pile-pile...
All also communally located. In fact, too communally located, in that I see them all the time. Which is the problem.

Granted, book piles are nicer than other sorts of piles, like piles of dirty dishes or piles of old newspapers, but they are piles nevertheless. I am heartened by seeing the photos and hearing the discussions of other bloggers with similar overstuffed bookcases evolving into numerous book piles. Heartened until I actually look at mine again. I have said that I find my TBR pile to be comforting, the idea that if I could not get my hands on another book, I would have enough on hand to last me for several years. That is true and it does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling...I just need to find a place to actually put them, but unless I do some creative thinking, I am out of shelf space.

Now, there is actually the options of getting rid of some of these books.
Maybe stop acquiring any new ones.
But the seems just a little extreme, doesn't it?

Weekend Cooking...You Can Never Have Too Much Chocolate

Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads "is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs."

Today I am going to share a recipe I recently saw on Giada De Laurentiis's show on Food TV. I made it with a few changed after I read the reviews of the recipe on the Food TV site, and it had three great things about it. It is easy. It is delicious. It is chocolate!!

She baked her's in a pie plate..I poured mine into one of those pre-made chocolate pie crusts, in this case an Oreo brand one, because easier is better and more chocolate is better. I added the cocoa powder..because more chocolate is again better! And I added a touch of salt because all baked things need a touch of salt to bring out the flavor. I also added the coffee powder, an idea I got from the Barefoot Contessa, who claims a little coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor, without giving a coffee taste. Since I had no hazelnuts but did have pecans in the freezer, pecans it was!

It looks, once baked, like a brownie pie, but actually has a softer, lighter texture. Giada uses a food processor but you can also make it in a blender and it only takes a couple of minutes to put together.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie:

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more to dust the pie dish
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 4 eggs
• 1 stick butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus more to grease the pie dish
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/s teaspoon instant coffee powder
  
• 1-2 TBS cocoa power
  

Vanilla Cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Position an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Put 1/2 of the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the hazelnuts are coarsely chopped. Pour the hazelnut mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Combine remaining chocolate chips and sugar in the food processor. Blend until the mixture is finely ground. With the machine running, gradually add the hot water until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, butter, vanilla, salt, coffee, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Pulse until mixture is blended. Return the hazelnut mixture to the food processor and pulse just to incorporate. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured 9-inch pie dish or the pre-made chocolate crumb crust.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Place the pie on a cooling rack and cool for 1 hour. (Top may crack during cooling.) Refrigerate for 2 hours. (Pie can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator). Allow the pie to return to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

To make the Vanilla Cream:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Continue to beat until cream holds stiff peaks.
To serve: Cut the pie into slices and dollop with the Vanilla Cream.

Of course, you could serve it with ice cream instead of the whipped cream..or even plain. Not that I suggest that!

The Perfect Christmas Gift...or a Total Waste of Money?

Okay, here is something I totally do not get. A dedicated tweeting device. Yes, you can have unlimited mobile tweeting...and nothing else.

According to the folks at CNet News"The idea behind TwitterPeek is simple. After buying the device, users need only to input their Twitter credentials to get going. The gadget lets them tweet, reply, retweet, send direct messages, and download followers. It supports one account at a time. Users can also view TwitPics by clicking the "view content" option from the TwitterPeek menu. The company claims its battery lasts three to four days with average usage.

Included in the price of TwitterPeek is a service plan."

For the modest sum of $199 you can have this device and a lifetime of mobile tweets it seems.
Or you can just tweet from your Blackberry, or iPhone or various mobile devices that do other stuff as well, right? Not sure that I see the need for this device, but if you are a serious, serious twitter fan you might...I guess.

So anyone going to get one for yourself or a special someone that is Twitter obsessed? Personally, I think I will pass it up. Especially since I am not the biggest Twitter user out there.

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a review of "Red Bones" by Ann Cleeves

Red Bones: A Thriller by Ann Cleeves
(Minotaur Books, ISBN 978-0312384340)

Red Bones is the third in Ann Cleeves's Shetland Quartet, following two I have reviewed before, White Nights and Raven Black, and a worthy followup it is indeed.

Raven Black was set in the snowy, cold winter of the Shetlands, White Nights in the long, bright, endless days of summer and this time we visit the islands in the spring, days of blossoming flowers, the birth of tiny lambs and death...always, as befits a good mystery, death.

Many of our cast of characters from the previous books are here again, especially the quiet, thoughtful Detective Jimmy Perez and his now girlfriend Fran Hunter. But one minor character from the previous books plays a more prominent role in this story, Perez's rather lackadaisical colleague, policeman Sandy Wilson. Sandy is home, visiting his family on the neighboring island of Whalsay, when there is what appear to be a terrible accident and an elderly woman, Sandy's own grandmother, is found dead. But as usual, Perez is not totally satisfied that everything is what it at first appears and when a second women dies, suspicions only multiply.

What appears to be a quiet, hardworking community reveals itself to actually be a place where feuds and bitterness and secrets go back generations and, in the present, are just below the surface, threatening to break out and injure those all around. Sandy, because of his unique connections to the island, is in a unique position to look into what is going on in Whalsay. Even given his less than stellar policing past, he is given this opportunity by Perez to help in the investigation and to prove himself. Sandy is anxious to do so, to excel in the eyes of his mentor, but soon realizes that to do so may be to expose some wrongdoing among his very closest friends and family. Sometimes the secrets just have to come to an end.

Red Bones, named for the find of some archaeologists working at a dig on the island, is another well written, entertaining mystery from the pen of Ms. Cleeves. I love the setting in the Shetlands, this time the even more remote Whalsay, with the croft houses, fishing ships, the fields dotted with spring lambs and the sea, the ever present sea. The plot is smart and interesting and once more Cleeves excels at giving us some great characters including, this time, Sandy. It is great to see him start to realize some of his shortcomings, both personal and professional and attempt to improve on them both and it is amusing to see Perez's pride as he starts to see Sandy become a better detective, even if it will have a personal cost.

Another winner from Cleeves and I must say, I anxiously await the fourth and final book in the series. According to her web site, the book, due out in February of next year, will be called Blue Lightning, after a phrase from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:

"For my part I have walk'd about the streets,
Submitting me unto the perilous night,
And, thus unbraced, Casca, as you see,
Have bared my bosom to the thunder-stone;
And when the cross blue lightning seem'd to open
The breast of heaven, I did present myself
Even in the aim and very flash of it."

It is certainly on my wish list! It seems there will even be a lighthouse!!

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Wordless Wednesday

Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park, Alaska

...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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What's The "Buzz" About Library Thing?

It's Tuesday, my favorite day of the week because Tuesday is Bandit Day...oh, and yes, of course it is Tuesday Thinger Day too. So let's check out what little know Library Thing fact Wendi at Wendi's Book Corner has found for us this week.

Questions: Were you aware that Library Thing had a Buzz page? Were you surprised by anything you saw or read on the Buzz page?

So what is the Buzz?? Again, to quote Wendi...

"This week we are looking at Buzz! That's right! Library Thing has a page to share what people are saying about Library Thing. The best part? They have areas for quotes from sites (including Wendi's Book Corner and a few others I'll bet you'll recognize), What Librarians are Saying, Prizes and Awards, Should It Be Illegal?, quotes from mainstream media, and even Tweets! So, take a peek and see what people are saying. :)"

No, I had no idea they had this Buzz page...do other people, sites, have Buzz pages too? Is this some sort of common thing here on the World Wide Web that I am unaware of. I must admit there are many thing I am unaware of, so I would not be surprised.

Now let me just say something about Library Thing. You, my dear readers, know how much I LOVE Library Thing. I am a fan. I admit it. But....I will say that finding your way around the site is sometimes not the easiest thing. I followed Wendi's link and there was the Buzz page. But then I went on the site directly and could not, for the life of me, find it. I imagine there may be many pages on LT that I am unaware of because I don't know where the heck they are!

We will see if that quote makes it to the Buzz page..lol.

I particularly like the "Well, *I* like the name..." and the "Should it be Illegal?" sections. A quote that really spoke to me is

"Introducing me to something like this is like setting an alcoholic adrift on a sea of vodka, in a leaky boat." ibts

So true 'ibts', so true.
It is a very big page, with many, many quotes. Some a bit odd, some in strange foreign languages. Some from names I recognized, many from ones that I do not. Which says a few things.
There are a lot of people out there in CyberLand. A lot.
Everything you say in Cyberland floats out there, forever and ever.
You never know who is reading what you say in CyberLand. So be careful. ;-)

So I looked and looked for a quote from caite on the Buzz page. If there is no quote, caite, the biggest fan that there is of LT after all, is going to pack up her LT toys and never mention it's name here again. Finally, I used the little "find" thingie and yes, there is a caite quote on the Buzz page. Not two like Wendi...no, just one... ;-)

"So I am happy to see I can use Library Thing once again for my one stop book needs."

Yep...truer words were never said!
Well, except that Bandit is my very favorite puppy in the whole world, so let's get our weekly Bandit fix! Bandit! Where are your pants!? There are Bandit bits all out in the open!

edited, because this is a family friendly site! lol

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I Vant To Be Alone...But Not For Musing Monday

Let's start our week by checking out what the Musing Monday question is this week from
Just One More Page...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about social reading…

How much of your reading do you share with others (outside of blogging?) Do you belong to a book or library club? Do you trade books with friends? Do you tell others what you’re reading?

Outside of blogging? Well, not much. Which sort of explains the blogging, as I think it does for a number of book bloggers. I know I have the article saved somewhere, but the figures about the number of Americans who take part in recreational reading are sad. So, really, unless you are lucky, most of the people you know will not share your obsession interest. I don't really think most of the people I know have any interest in what I am reading. Actually, many people, in my experience find reading...not to mention blogging about reading...rather odd.

I have one co-worker who is a big reader and we do exchange some books, but our tastes are rather different. Now, I do have family members that read and to a degree we trade books. My aunt is a big reader and I give her books...my niece, Bandit's mom, is a reader but is far away in the Sunshine State. But when she is home we have exchanged some books and I recently sent her the new Spark book that I had read, since she is a fan.

Then there is my sister-in-law. She is a huge reader. Once upon a time, we exchanged many books. But..then she bought a Kindle. Yes, she went to the Dark Side. And as I may have mentioned, one of my BIG issues with e-readers is the inability to loan out your books in some way. I had a brief hope that was going to change with the B&N nook...but it seems that is not really true. One loan for 14 days of each book...forever. Just Silly.

A book club sounds like a lovely idea. I am not sure it would be in reality, but in my imagination, it seems nice. I picture civilized discussions over tea and scones. Or beer and onion dip. Hot chocolate and cookies. There would have to be snacks I think.
But I have never sought one out. I am not really sure where one would find a book club in the area...a note on the bulletin board at the library? Does my library have some sort of club? I don't really know. And I guess I don't really seek it out because, blogging aside, I have always thought of reading as a rather solitary occupation.
Just me and my mind and my imaginary friends, the characters created by my heroes, authors. At heart, I am a solitary soul...just me, a big pile of books and my imaginary kitty Kitty. Who does not read.

Weekend Cooking...Time to Start Getting Ready For Christmas.

In honor of the first "Weekend Cooking", a new feature created by Beth Fish Reads, let me mention my current food project. "Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."

November is upon us, and as befits my heritage, and my sweet tooth, it is time to make the Christmas Cake! Yes, there are still a couple of months until the Big Day, but the cake must mature. Wrapped up, put in an airtight container, and every once in a while, basted with a wee dram of fine Irish whiskey. Just to keep it moist, of course. It is a fruitcake, made with the best quality dried fruits, and then 'iced' before serving with a layer of marzipan, that is almond paste and sugar, and then finally, the pretty royal icing. And often decorated with a nice ribbon, like the one I made a couple of years ago, in the photo above. BTW, that ribbon is marzipan. I mention it just because it is the best one I ever made I think.

Now, for a more humorous take on the Christmas cake, a song...

MISS FOGARTY'S CHRISTMAS CAKE

As I sat in my window last evening,
The letterman brought it to me
A little gilt-edged invitation sayin'
"Gilhooley come over to tea"
I knew that the Fogarties sent it.
So I went just for old friendships sake.
The first think they gave me to tackle
Was a slice of Miss Fogarty's cake.

chorus: There were plums and prunes and cherries,
There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too
There was nutmeg, cloves and berries
And a crust that was nailed on with glue
There were caraway seeds in abundance
Such that work up a fine stomach ache
That could kill a man twice after eating a slice
Of Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake.

Miss Mulligan wanted to try it,
But really it wasn't no use
For we worked in it over an hour
And we couldn't get none of it loose
Till Murphy came in with a hatchet
And Kelly came in with a saw
That cake was enough be the powers above
For to paralyze any man's jaws

Miss Fogarty proud as a peacock,
Kept smiling and blinking away
Till she flipped over Flanagans brogans
And she spilt the homebrew in her tay
Aye Gilhooley she says you're not eatin,
Try a little bit more for me sake
And no Miss Fogarty says I,
For I've had quite enough of your cake.

Maloney was took with the colic,
O'Donald's a pain in his head
Mc'Naughton lay down on the sofa,
And he swore that he wished he was dead
Miss Bailey went into hysterics
And there she did wriggle and shake
And everyone swore they were poisoned
Just from eating Miss Fogarty's cake!

...and if you must just hear the tune, and you must, here is a lovely YouTube version!

A Cause for Celebration

One of my very favorite lighthouses is having a birthday party and you are invited! Today the Cape May Lighthouse is celebrating it's 150th birthday and there will be a party with a Civil War feel...and cake! According to the Cape May County Herald,

"The Cape May Lighthouse, one of the oldest continually operating lighthouses in the country, was first lit Oct. 31, 1859.

In honor of the beacon’s 150th anniversary, the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) is holding a celebration from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 31 at Cape May Point State Park on Lighthouse Ave. off Sunset Blvd.

The official ceremony kicks off at 1 p.m. with brief remarks on the Cape May Lighthouse’s history and costumed re-enactors including General George G. Meade who will be accompanied by his honor guard and Dr. Emlen Physick.

Afterwards, the candles on the Lighthouse’s birthday cake will be blown out and the cake along, with light refreshments, will be served to the public.

There will also be storytelling on the grounds, music and book signings."

Sounds like a swell time..and did I mention, there will be cake!
Of course, while you are there, I recommend you climb the lighthouse's 199 steps to the top for a lovely view of the city of Cape May and out to the Delaware Bay. A visit to Cape May, with her shops and restaurants and an unrivaled collection of beautifully restored Victorian houses, is always lovely, especially in the fall. Then, maybe you can take a short drive down to Sunset Beach for a view of what remains of the concrete ship and a walk on the beach to look for Cape May "diamonds". And, as you might guess by the name, lovely sunsets.

Did I mention there will be cake?

Happy Birthday Cape May Lighthouse!

Hey! That's Sort of Cool!

I admit that I check out the NY Times bestsellers list. I like to see what is on there, see which I have read and might want to check out. But folks, let's be real. Dan Brown is locked into first place once again and we all know that I, along with a large number of readers, don't have the highest opinion of his work. So what if there was a site that melded together the NYT list and some big review site, say the star rating from Amazon. Certainly a lot of reviews there.
Well, someone has done it and the result is Reading Radar, a site created by self described "mashup posterboy" John Herren. It employs something called API, application programming interface, which I have absolutely no understanding of...but the result is cool.

By the way, you will see that Dan's book might be the #1 seller...but it only got two little stars.