Happy Earth Day!

I know I'm a day early, but I didn't want you to miss this great video that explains the event better than most I've seen. Enjoy!

Monday Mail Call

The little mailbox is peeking out from the computer monitor because that's where you can expect to find me for the next two or three weeks. I have several projects coming due around the first of the month, so I'll be busy, busy writing.

And wouldn't you know it? The weather has been gorgeous the last few days and should stay that way. Yet, here I am stuck inside.

We did manage to get out and about most of the weekend, though, so (I hope) I should be ready to work. We shall see!

My postal carrier was a very busy lady this past week. She delivered these books to my box:

1. Simply Wicked by Lisa G. Riley
2. Twilight: The Graphic Novel by Stephenie Meyer
3. Fireworks Over Taccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff
4. Eye of My Heart edited by Barbara Graham
5. The Jagged Years of Ruthie J by Ruth Simkin
6. Miss Manners’ Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding by Judith Martin and Jacobina Martin

I also received these great titles in my email box:

1. Dark Secrets of the Heart by Margaret Marr
2. The Ghost of Daemon Yarborough by Margaret Marr
3. The Deadly Thorn by Betty Sullivan La Pierre
4. Shadows in the Night by Betty Sullivan La Pierre

Have a great week, everyone! I'll have a couple reviews posted by the end of the week.

The Clouds Roll Away

By Sibella Giorello

From the back of the book:

“Closing her assignment with the FBI’s Seattle office, forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon returns to her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, expecting a warm welcome. Instead, she finds herself investigating an ugly cross burning at a celebrity’s mansion and standing in the crosshairs of her boss at the Bureau. And the deeper Raleigh digs into the case, the murkier the water becomes … until she’s left wondering who the real victims might be.”

This author hooked me into the book right away. With intrigue, mystery and keen writing, I had a hard time putting this book down.

The book revolves around a young FBI agent who seems to constantly be getting into hot water with her superiors. She has a unique sense of intuition that others find annoying, especially when it contradicts with logic.

I found myself liking Raleigh very much and there were times when I wished I could jump into the pages and tell her boss off. She truly is an annoying woman who seems to only be concerned with making herself look good at the expense of those under her, including Raleigh.

That made me cheer whenever she was proven wrong.

On top of dealing with the investigation into several murders, Raleigh also must find a way to help with her mother’s fragile mental state following the death of her husband. And, to top it off, it’s the Christmas holiday.

Then, to make matters worse, Raleigh’s ex-boyfriend is trying desperately to draw her back into his life.

Almost sounds like she should have stayed in Seattle!

“The Clouds Roll Away” is the second in a series of books starring these characters and I’m anxious to read the first one so I can get to know these folks better. I really enjoyed everything about this book and I know you will, too.

Monday Mail Call

I hope you all had a great weekend. I sure did!

For a change, I didn't spend the entire time working. I actually got to relax a little, do some extra reading and we took a drive Sunday afternoon.

To top it off, I received these great books in my mailbox this past week and there are some good ones on the list!

1. Risky Alliance by N.C. Anderson
2. The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel L. Miller
3. Eight Days in Darkness by Angela Roegner and Anita Wooldridge
4. Dream in Color by Sarah J. Bradley
5. Cain’s Version by Frank Durham
6. Night Whispers by Emmett Clifford
7. Enlightened Cakes by Camilla V. Saulsbury

Have a great week!

The Lumby Lines

By Gail Fraser

From the back of the book:

“Nearly destroyed by fire, Montis Abbey remains a ruin on the outskirts of Lumby. Once home to a resourceful order of monks, it stands abandoned, surrounded by its overgrown orchards. Then Mark and Pam Walker, a vacationing couple from the East Coast, stumble upon it – and upon the answer to their prayers.”

I’m a huge fan of Jan Karon’s Mitford series and this book is quite similar. Full of colorful characters with fun personalities, I jumped right into the pages of this story. These are folks you’d meet every day and come back again to visit.

When the Walkers arrive to begin restoring the Abbey and to turn it into a bed and breakfast, they are met with some opposition. It’s a town that doesn’t take well to strangers and “outsiders,” yet they ignore those feelings and are determined to fulfill a lifelong dream of owning a place they can call home, a place where they can work together and bring happiness to others.

We watch this wonderful project of theirs unfold as we meet the people of this quaint little town. And even though we know they will somehow become accepted, we still root for them.

The Lumby Lines is the first of a new series by this author and I can’t wait to read the next book. I loved Gail Fraser’s writing and thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go!

1. In 1992, I was back to school following my divorce.

2. There's nothing quite like a child's laughter and smiles.

3. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are able.

4. Sitting in the sun with a good book is where I'd like to be.

5. The trees and flowers are telling me warm weather is just around the corner.

6. A good song just keeps going on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching some TV with hubby, tomorrow my plans include catching up on some reading and Sunday, I want to take a nice drive in the country.

Edgar Allan Poe

This post is part of the National Poetry Month Blog Tour for 2010 hosted by Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit. Serena has been participating in National Poetry Month events for several years and is a super hostess for this blog tour.

Each blog that is part of the tour is highlighting a different poet. I've chosen Edgar Allan Poe. I've been reading his poems and short stories for more than 35 years. Each time, I find something new and interesting.

Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father and mother were both professional actors. They died before Poe was three and he was raised as a foster child by John and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia.

Poe was sent to the best boarding schools and to the University of Virginia, where he excelled. However, after less than one year of school, he was forced to leave the university due to gambling debts.

He returned to Richmond and then moved to Boston in 1827 where he enlisted in the U.S. Army. His first collection of poems was published that year.

In 1829, he published a second collection of poems, but neither volume received much attention.

Following his Army service, he was admitted to the U.S. Military Academy but was again forced to leave for lack of financial support. He moved to the home of his aunt and her daughter in Baltimore, Maryland.

He began to sell short stories to magazines and became the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond in 1835. He married his cousin Virginia the following year.

Over the next 10 years, Poe edited a number of literary journals. It was during

these years that he established himself as a poet, short story writer and editor.

After Virginia’s death in 1847 from tuberculosis, his lifelong struggle with depression and alcoholism worsened. He returned briefly to Richmond in 1849 and then accepted an editing job in Philadelphia. On his way to his new position, he stopped in Baltimore.

On October 3, 1849, he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. He died four days later and is buried in Baltimore.

Poe’s work had an impact of American and international literature. His stories mark him as one of the originators of both horror and detective fiction and he is often credited as the “architect” of the modern short story.

The Poe House, located in Richmond, is a museum dedicated to this well-known poet and fiction writer. Although he never lived in any of the museum’s buildings, it houses the world’s largest collection of artifacts and memorabilia, including bricks from the office at the Southern Literary Messenger and furniture he once used in one of his homes.

One of his most recognized poems is “The Raven.” Even those who aren’t familiar with his works can quote certain parts of this particular poem, such as “Once upon a midnight dreary” and the famous line “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”

It’s a long poem, so I’m only including part of it within this particular post.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door--

"Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--

Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore--

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--

Nameless here for evermore.

Be sure to stop by Savvy Verse & Wit to find out which other blogs are participating in the National Poetry Month tour.