A song with just one note...

Ever hear happy birthday sung in just one note? If not, you're in luck. The girls singing happy birthday to my dad on his 54th. And Cara giving grandma a shameless plug.

Now reading...

"Lucrezia Borgia" by Sarah Bradford

From BarnesandNoble.com:

The very name Lucrezia Borgia conjures up everything that was sinister and corrupt about the Renaissance—incest, political assassination, papal sexual abuse, poisonous intrigue, unscrupulous power grabs. Yet, as bestselling biographer Sarah Bradford reveals in this breathtaking new portrait, the truth is far more fascinating than the myth. Neither a vicious monster nor a seductive pawn, Lucrezia Borgia was a shrewd, determined woman who used her beauty and intelligence to secure a key role in the political struggles of her day.

Drawing from a trove of contemporary documents and fascinating firsthand accounts, Bradford brings to life the art, the pageantry, and the dangerous politics of the Renaissance world Lucrezia Borgia helped to create.

Now reading...

"The Green Mile" by Stephen King

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk the Green Mile, keeping a date with “Old Sparky,” Cold Mountain’s electric chair. Prison guard Paul Edgecombe has seen his share of oddities in his years working the Mile. But he’s never seen anyone like John Coffey, a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a crime terrifying in its violence and shocking in its depravity. In this place of ultimate retribution, Edgecombe is about to discover the terrible, wondrous truth about Coffey, a truth that will challenge his most cherished beliefs...and yours.

Now reading...

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

From Amazon.com:

Aldous Huxley is rightly considered a prophetic genius and one of the most important literary and philosophical voices of the 20th Century, and Brave New World is his masterpiece. From the author of The Doors of Perception, Island, and countless other works of fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, and poetry, comes this powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations. Brave New World remains absolutely relevant to this day as both a cautionary dystopian tale in the vein of the George Orwell classic 1984, and as thought-provoking, thoroughly satisfying entertainment.

Now reading...

"Cleveland Sports Legends: The 20 Most Glorious and Gut-Wrenching Moments of All Time" by Bob Dyer

From Amazon.com:

These are the moments Northeast Ohioans still talk about, years and even decades later—and will probably continue to debate, bemoan, and otherwise cherish for generations to come. The twenty lively stories told in this book recount the most memorable, the most sensational events in Cleveland sports history.

Many of them are known by shorthand: Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. Beer Night. Game Seven. The Shot. But beyond the immediate groan or smile the memory elicits are great sports tales infused with that curious blend of excitement, hope, and doom that feels just like home to any Cleveland sports fan.

 Some of these moments are almost painful to recall—like that one heart-stopping play in January 1981 that kept the "Kardiac Kids" out of the Super Bowl. Or Michael Jordan’s jaw-dropping shot to knock the Cavs out of the playoffs in May of 1989.

But we Cleveland fans have long feasted on a steady diet of sports misery without ever losing a taste for the pursuit of onfield glory.

And we have sampled the glory, too. Like the Tribe’s exhilarating 1995 sprint into the playoffs. Or the upstart Cavaliers’ "Miracle of Richfield in 1976. And of course the Browns’ thrilling upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game.

Glorious or gut-wrenching, each of these memories is a highlight of the shared experience of sports fans in Northeast Ohio. Together they represent a seemingly unquenchable spirit—the very spirit that keeps up late into the night, honking our horns in parking garages and exchanging high-fives with total strangers on East Ninth Street, or trudging on Sundays down to the edge of Lake Erie, wearing dog masks and carrying elaborate banners drawn on bedsheets.

These twenty stories offer a chance to relive Cleveland’s most exciting sports moments—and pass the spirit along to the next generation of fans.

Now reading...

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think... and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Now reading...

"1984" by George Orwell

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

Now reading...

"Golf Unplugged" by Jim Apfelbaum

From BarnesandNoble.com:

With sharp wit and humor, veteran golf Journalist and historian Jim Apfelbaum examines the game's oddities, rarities, heroes and duffers. A hilarious yet insightful look at how the game has bamboozled players for over 400 years...perhaps now more than ever.

Now reading...

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

From BarnesandNoble.com:

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans but her.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost.

Now reading...

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Now reading...

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

From BarnesandNoble.com:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

Now reading...

"Severed Souls" by Terry Goodkind

From BarnesandNoble.com:

From the far reaches of the D'Haran Empire, Bishop Hannis Arc and the ancient Emperor Sulachan lead a vast horde of Shun-Tuk and other depraved "half-people" into the Empire's heart, raising an army of the dead in order to threaten the world of the living. Meanwhile, far from home, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell must defend themselves and their followers from a series of terrifying threats, despite a magical sickness that depletes their strength and which, if not cured, will take their lives...sooner rather than later.

Now reading...

"Skin Game" by Jim Butcher

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day…

Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

He doesn’t know the half of it…

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town, so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It's a smash and grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he's dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance…

Now reading...

"I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star" by Judy Greer

From BarnesandNoble.com:

You know Judy Greer, right? Maybe from The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, Carrie, Arrested Development, or The Descendants. Yes, you totally recognize her. And, odds are, you already feel like she’s your friend.

In her first book of essays, I Don’t Know What You Know Me From, Greer writes about everything you would hope to hear from your best friend: how a midnight shopping trip to Walgreens can cure all; what it’s like to wake up one day with stepchildren; and how she really feels about fans telling her that she’s prettier in person. Yes, it’s all here—from the hilarious moments to the
intimate confessions.

But Judy Greer isn’t just a regular friend—she’s a celebrity friend. Want to know which celebs she’s peed next to? Or what the Academy Awards are actually like? Or which hot actor gave her father a Harley-Davidson? Don’t worry; Greer reveals all of that, too. You’ll love her because, besides being laugh-out-loud funny, she makes us genuinely feel like she’s one of us. Because even though she sometimes has a stylist and a makeup artist, she still wears (and hates!) Spanx. Because even after almost twenty years in Hollywood, she still hasn’t figured everything out—except that you should always wash your face before bed. Always.

Now reading...

"Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs" by Barbara Mertz

From BarnesandNoble.com:

World-renowned Egyptologist Barbara Mertz explores the reality behind the bestselling fiction she writes (as Elizabeth Peters) and casts a dazzling light on a remarkable civilization.

A fascinating chronicle of an extraordinary people—from the first Stone Age settlements through the reign of Cleopatra and the Roman invasions—Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs brings ancient Egypt to life as never before. Lavishly illustrated with pictures, maps, and photographs, it offers tantalizing glimpses into Egyptian society; amazing stories of the pharaohs and the rise and fall of great dynasties; a sampling of culture, religion, and folklore; stories of explorers, scientists, and scoundrels who sought to unravel or exploit the ageless mysteries; and new insights into the architectural wonders that were raised along the banks of the Nile.

Now reading...

Just started the Sherlock Holmes book, but that one will be put on the back burner for a little bit. Gotta read this one now, because of reasons.

"Seal of the King" by Ralph Smith

From BarnesandNoble.com:

The battle between dark and light rages and the world is on the cusp of a tipping point. Will an age of darkness befall mankind or will the light prevail?

David and Aurora have seen visions of each other their entire lives but never met, until now. Aurora a fearsome warrior and David a simple farmer are thrust into the heart of the battle. An ancient prophecy foretells of their final showdown with the Dark One. Will their faith be strong enough for them to prevail?

Join them as they embark on their journey to the lair of the beast knowing they may never return.

Now reading...

"The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes & His Last Bow" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

From BarnesandNoble.com:

In The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes we read the last twelve stories Conan Doyle was to write about Holmes and Watson. They reflect the disillusioned world of the 1920s in which they were written, and he can be seen to take advantage of new, more open conventions in fiction. Suicide as a murder weapon and homosexual incest are some of the psychological tragedies whose consequences are unravelled by the mind of Holmes before the eyes of Watson. That said, the collection also includes some of the best turns of wit in the series, and indeed in the whole of English literature.

Now reading...

"Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire" by Norman Cantor

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Bestselling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world -- from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 B.C. in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476. In Antiquity, Cantor covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.

 

In this fascinating and comprehensive analysis, the author explores social and cultural history, as well as the political and economic aspects of his narrative. He explains leading themes in religion and philosophy and discusses the environment, population, and public health. With his signature authority and insight, Cantor highlights the great books and ideas of antiquity that continue to influence culture today.

Now reading...

"Mysteries and Secrets of the Templars: The Story Behind the Da Vinci Code" by Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe

From BarnesandNoble.com:


Unsolved mysteries surround the remarkable men known as the Templars. Their ancient origins go back much further than their well-known adventures in the Middle East in the twelfth century. They knew that ancient secrets were waiting to be rediscovered and, perhaps, reactivated. They could generate labyrinthine codes - and decipher those that others had created in the remote past. But no real understanding of Templarism is possible without examining what became of their noble order after the treacherous attack of 1307. King Philip le Bel did not succeed in destroying all Templars - many escaped, including their fleet. Where did they go? Where are they now? What are their continuing purposes today?

Now reading...

"Leonardo's Legacy" by Stefan Klein

From BarnesandNoble.com:

Revered today as perhaps the greatest of Renaissance painters, Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist at heart. The artist who created the Mona Lisa also designed functioning robots and digital computers, constructed flying machines, and built the first heart valve. His intuitive, ingenious approach—a new mode of thinking—linked highly diverse areas of inquiry in startlingly original ways, ushering in a whole new era.

In Leonardo’s Legacy, award-winning science journalist Stefan Klein provides “an illuminating new look at Leonardo’s unique genius” (Publishers Weekly), which delves into the brilliant, complex mind of this quintessential Renaissance man.