Happy Birthday Samuel H Burket!

Today is my 2^nd Great Grandpa Samuel H Burket’s 179th birthday. He was born in April 21, 1841 to John Burket and Elizabeth Ulrich Brown. He was a lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren and resident of Hopewell, PA. Samuel followed in his father’s footsteps farming their land in Yellow Creek. Married twice to women named Mary; with the first Mary [Weaverling, 1841-1872] with whom he had three children – David, John & Elizabeth. The second Mary [Fluke Replogle, 1843-1912] a widow, also brought three children to the marriage. 

Black Beauty by Ann Sewell

A neat find while researching Samuel - he liked to read. These blurbs were in the Everett Press back in 1894.  In honor of his birthday and his liking of Black Beauty I re-read the book during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

With the 1918 Pandemic raging across the country his daughter Elizabeth died in September 7, 1918 of acute meningitis while Samuel died of a stroke on March 19, 1919 at age 77.

The Sewing Machine

Today I started "The Sewing Machine" by Natalie Fergie. It is a story spanning four generations

Review: Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mysteries, #1)

Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mysteries, #1) by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A new series by one of my favorite authors Sheila Connolly, a little mystery, a little history and a little genealogy. The heroine of the series Kate Hamilton is a hotelier in Baltimore when a childhood friend asks her to help "save" their hometown. Sheila paints a picture of a small town who's best days may be behind it unless it can be re-imagined. The old 1800 mansion the town recently acquired figures prominently in Kate's revitalization plan for the town and her life.

Best yet, my favorite character Nell Pratt and the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society from Sheila's Museum Mysteries series is called upon to help sort out some historical finds at the Henry Barton estate. Whether the treasures inside the estate will be enough to save the town only future books will tell.

Unfortunately, Kate and the police first have to solve who killed Kate's high school nemesis at the Barton estate.

Review: Hardcore Twenty-Four

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think this may be the Plum saga's jumping the shark book. I'm not sure which irritates me more, Stephanie pumping her own gas or the lack of character in this book. Ms Evanovich has lived in New Hampshire too long, she has forgotten Jersey Girls NEVER pump gas. This in NJ where it is blessedly illegal to pump gas. [Seriously, it is 7 degrees out, why in Gods name would anyone want to get out of their car to fill up?]

Years ago when the first three books were out, my friend's teenager and her girlfriends wanted to read the series. Their parents wanted to know if the series were appropriate for the girls, I said yes. The books were light and laugh out loud funny. Stephanie was working in a new field, taking the advice from a great mentor who was super sexy. She had an on again/off again relationship with a high school flame who had a good job and was super sexy. Unfortunately in the 20 books since Stephanie, Ranger and Morelli have had little character growth. Meanwhile that teenager has become a lovely woman, married and about to have her 1st baby. Where I used to purchase the book and read the Plum books the day they came out, I have lately been borrowing them from the library. Now I'm at the point, I'll read the reviews, if it looks like the characters have finally grown [adding Diesel doesn't count, he should go back to his own series] I'll consider reading Plum again.

View all my reviews

Women of Character, Courage and Commitment: Carolyn Haywood

Carolyn Haywood, was a popular author and illustrator of children's books who is best known for her ''Betsy'' and ''Eddie'' series.

Born in Philadelphia and she studied to be a teacher before turning to art and to writing. Miss Haywood's writing career began in 1939 with B' is for Betsy, she published 47 more books before her death in 1990. Her picture books and novels used humor in dealing with day-to-day school and family matters. New York Times reviewer, Phyllis Fenner, wrote “Carolyn Haywood makes the everyday doings of children exciting and funny, entering into them from a child's level. That is sheer genius and can't be done by calculation.”

After a prolific writing career, with illustrations, portraits, and murals to boot, Haywood’s stamp is all over Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. The Elementary School in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, even has a “Carolyn Haywood Corner” in its school library full of Betsy, Eddie, Penny books and my favorite Away Went the Balloons.

The book jacket explains “This ingenious book is about a very special holiday: Balloon Day that is celebrated at Blue Bell School each May. The pupils release balloons with a tag asking the finder to send a message back to the owner. The school is real; the holiday takes place”. In 1970-1971 when I was in 3rd grade, Ms Haywood, who was already my favorite author, came to my school, to write a book about my favorite event! I was over the moon! I didn’t get to meet her, but my parents did. In fact, there is a scene in the book centered around the parents blowing up the balloons with big helium tanks, a task that in the real world my mom chaired. To my young mind, I was like my parents are in the book!!

Away Went the Balloons was a nominee for Children’s Book of the Year in Germany

Babbie Nalle of Chestnut Hill recounting her children’s relationship with their neighbor said “At a very young age, she started them thinking that reading was great fun.” Through her works, that is exactly what Carolyn Haywood did for me as well.

The Witch Must Burn

The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What happens when the Good Witch goes bad? The Witch must Burn. Danielle Paige takes us into Glinda the "Good Witch"'s sickenly sweet pink palace leaving me reaching for the pepto and as happy as Jellia to escape Glinda's sugary clutches. Once my favorite with the best dress, I am looking to light the match and help the Order retake Oz from Glinda and Dorothy in The Wicked Will Rise


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Sketch of Alexander Alexander, Who Emigrated from County Down, Ireland, in the Year 1770 and Settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania: Together with ... Chart and Record of His Descendants by Walter Scott Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The life and decendants of immigrant patriot Alexander Alexander. Alexander came from Ireland and fought in the American Revolution. He is a Patriot in the rolls of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This book was used as proof for Alexander Alexander and Bancroft Woodcock applications. Ancestry charts include my grand-father Clinton Lee Burket.

View all my reviews

10 Days until the Morristown Festival of Books!

The Morristown Festival of Books inaugural One Community,One Book initiative has been a great success!  Towns throughout Morris County, Libraries in both Morris and Somerset counties and individuals have jumped aboard to support the initiative. The Town Councils and Mayors of Butler, Florham Park, Mendham Twp, Morris Plains, Morris Twp, Morristown, Mount Olive, Netcong, Rockaway Boro, Roxbury, and Washington all have issued One Community, One Book proclamations urging their residents to read Lisa Colozza Cocca’s Providence.

Many book clubs in the area have been discussing Providence.
Pictured here is the Flanders Book Club get together.

Librarians around the area have been very enthusiastic about the One Book; engaging their book clubs in lively discussions of what Becky should do. I have to take a moment to thank Lotte Newlin, Library Director of the Kemmerer Library in Harding for allowing us to hold our kick-off event at her library. The event was fantastic and what a wonderful venue. If you haven’t been to the Kemmerer Library, it is definitely worth a look. Pick a good book off the shelf, and relax in a comfy reading chair looking out on the pretty pond out back.

A wonderful group of women donated funds to purchase Providence for many local Libraries. Through their generosity, Providence is also available in e-book format in the Morris County and Somerset County Library Systems. Look for a plaque in your Library copy thanking Modern Mondays.

Morristown Presbyterian Parish House

Now we are counting down the days (10) until the Morristown Festival of Books. At 3pm on September 27 in the Morristown Presbyterian Parish House, Lisa Colozza Cocca will take the stage to talk about creating Providence, her first fiction novel.  She will be taking questions from the audience. Personally, I hoping to hear a bit about how Lisa sees Becky, Rose and Georgina’s lives evolve after the conclusion of the book, say five years down the road. After Lisa has satisfied her readers’ curiosity, the program turns to the real world implications of Becky’s decision to run-away and raising Georgia. A panel of local experts: Judge Michael Wright (yes Mendham grads, OUR Mike Wright), Newbridge Services CEO Robert Parker and Brenda Mirley LCS, former Director Spence Chapin will discuss how the Morristown social services would help Becky, Georgia and Rose.

If you still haven’t read Providence, there is still time to pick up a copy. Bookworm, the official OCOB bookseller will be at the Parish House with books to sell. See you Saturday, September 27 at the Morristown Festival of Books.

For the latest on the Morristown Festival of Books, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

Friends of the Library Open for Book Donations

Clear off your shelves and drop off your gently used books, CDs and DVDs Aug 23-29

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=4r1tm-ArFqU

Morristown Festival of Books Announces Keynote Speaker

 Morristown Festival of Books kicks off Sept. 26 - New Jersey Hills Media Group: Randolph Reporter News: William D. Cohan, author of "The Price of Silence" about the Duke lacrosse scandal, will be the keynote speaker for the inaugural Morristown Festival of Books at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 26 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, South Street, Morristown.

The Land of Oz has been turned on its head by Danielle Paige

The Land of Oz has been turned on its head and it's up to the girl from Kansas to set things to right... No not that one, she's the problem and must DIE. Danielle Paige has delved into the dark side of magic in the first of her Oz series.

The mystery of who is good, who is bad and what or who really controls Oz is fascinating with twists and turns keeping me on the edge of my seat. The reveal at the end of Dorothy Must Die leaves me intrigued and impatient for book 2.

As Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon a Time says "magic always has a price." What is the price Dorothy must pay for her use of magic? Only Daniellle Paige can say.

Wondering how Dorothy got back to Oz? Check out Danielle's prequel No Place Like Oz. No little dogs were harmed in the writing of this blog.

New Year Goal - Let's Read!

Happy New Year! The ball has dropped, the party is over. The time has come to set goals for the coming year. One goal for me is easy: a commitment to read 100 books this year. I set and achieved this goal for the past few years. It is so easy to do. To double the fun, I create a post on Shelfari.com group 50 Book Challenge. Once I reach 50, I move on to the 100 Book Challenge group. Then I start to read. Cozy mystery and family history are my current favorite topics. 

Audio is my top choice for cozy mysteries and best sellers. My Audible.com wish list is long and growing. I'm happy to see that their list of cozy authors is growing as well. The Roxbury Library is helping feed my appetite as well. Besides their audio selections available via Overdrive, they have added another option: One Click Digital. Both of these sites will also allow e-book borrowing with your library card. 

When I have run out of audio choices, my next format choice is e-book. I've got a nook for the pool, a nook for reading by the fire and a tablet for reading on the go. The last one can also read Kindle books. I finally broke down and downloaded the app after I found a great new site Book Bub for free e-books. No this is not a site that cheats authors out of royalties. This site will send you an email alerting you to free book deals being offered by Amazon, B&N and others.
 
Keeping with my fiscal conservation in regard to reading, Google Books offers up a wide array of family histories that I tap into as I do my family tree. It is amazing how many genealogy books have been digitized by Google and others. It is exciting to find documentation of my connection to generations 6, 7, 8 back. It's even neater to find my grandpa in a book on a revolutionary patriots Alexander Alexander and Bancroft Woodcock.

The number 100 seems daunting at the beginning of the year. I look forward to the challenge of reading that many different books. Besides if it really gets tough, I can always read some kiddie books to my nephew to catch up.

Friends Spring Book Sale is Here

Read all about it in the latest Among Friends.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=O209r5pEpv4#fblike

Book Club

Tonight is my book club meeting. I had been waffling about whether to attend because I didn’t have the book. Then this morning the library email notification system sent me the e-book link to this month’s selection “The Happiness Project”. Now I just have to power thru the book and I’ll be all set for tonight’s book club.

But of course nothing is that simple in my life. I replaced my original Sony e-reader (which I donated to my library) with my lovely nookColor. Since my switch I haven’t been able to download library books to my computer and my nook. Luckily a few weeks ago I attended Book Expo America (BEA) and a wonderful Overdrive rep clued me into the solution to my problem. I had to remove Adobe completely from my computer, reboot & reload. That way Adobe would forget about my Sony e-reader and embrace my nook. Well that was a few weeks ago and like all good procrastinators; I did nothing with the knowledge until this morning that is. In order to read the book club selection, I had to fix Adobe 1^st. So an hour + several reboots later  “The Happiness Project” was on my nook. Now to read it before tonight’s meeting…

Oh if you're wondering why I'm posting this when I should be reading, check Chapter 3 and the dictionary for procrastination. 

May ~ Among Friends

Thank you for your generous donations to this Spring's Book Sale! Your donations from your bookshelves allow us to offer the wide assortment of thousands of books each sale.

The semi-annual book sales generate the largest portion of the funds the Friends use to support the library. Since we 2002, we have raised over $76,ooo through the book sales. The funds we've raised have gone toward the audio & DVD collections and supporting your favorite programs like the Adult Summer Reading and more.

We want to add a special shout out to Blue Diamond Disposal for donating a dumpster for the sale. Thank you!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=XEhbrImAp1E

Steps to Home Business Success - Gathering Information

All around the country, people who want more control over their lives are starting home businesses. People are living the new American dream of owning a business, but avoiding the high overhead and start-up costs of a commercial location. If the idea of working from home is appealing, but you don't know where to begin, here is a step-by-step guide to getting started.

Step #1:  Gather information on home based businesses
Step #2:  Determine how much time you can spend on the business
Step #3:  Determine where the money will come from
Step #4:  Decide on the type of business
Step #5:  Organize the house & yourself and go 

Gather Information

Start with yourself; make a list of things you like to do, your work and volunteer experience, and items you own that can be used in a business. Search the web or visit the library for inspiration.  Look over this line-up, and using ideas from it, list possible businesses to start. Eliminate any business that isn't appealing or doesn't fill a need people have. A great book to help you with this task is Loral Langemeier's Put More Money Into Your Pocket: Turn What You Know Into Dough.

Check back for info on the remaining steps. 

A Parfait Murder ~ Appearances can be deceiving.

Wendy Lyn Watson recently sent me a ARC of her upcoming book “A Parfait Murder”. Parfait is the 3^rd serving of a Mystery a la Mode series.  We open to find Sonny Anders, Bree’s ex and Alice’s daddy, strolling up the midway at the Lantana County Fair after a seventeen year absence. On his arm is his new lady, Char. Char is an enigma dressed up like a church social lady but with a walk that would give the Devil pause. The duo is back in town with a sweet deal for the business folk of Dalliance. But first Sonny’s lawyer, Kristen Ver Steeg has papers served on Bree challenging Alice’s paternity. The stage is set for an epic battle when Kristen turns up dead with Bree holding the gun.

Meanwhile Tally, the owner of Remember the A-la-mode and Bree’s cousin, has begun to date her childhood sweetheart Finn who roared out of her life after high school only to re-appear last year.  Their romantic adventures throughout the fairgrounds leave your head spinning like a Tilt n Wheel. Riding through the Haunted House moves their relationship closer.  Then a ride on the ferris wheel serves up a scene worthy of your favorite soap opera. While at the top of the ferris wheel a romantic moment is interrupted by a life changing event. When the Tally gets off the ride her family’s lives will never be the same again.

Things are not what they seem in this tale. Is Sonny really in town to disown Alice? What’s the scoop on his and Char’s business, is it the real deal or just a scam? Just who was Kristen Ver Steeg and why would anyone want to kill her? Will her latest family drama be enough to tear Finn and Tally apart or bring them closer to the cherry on top of the sundae? It’s up to Tally & Finn to get to the bottom of Sonny’s reappearance and Kristen’s murder before Bree finds herself frying for murder.

“A Parfait of Murder” is more delectable than a fudge sundae with double whipped cream on top. It has more surprising twist and turns than a Vanilla/Raspberry Twist cone. Pick up the book this summer for a cool treat at the beach.

NJ Libraries Vying for Pepsi Refresh Grant

NJ Libraries are trying to win a $250k grant from Pepsi Refresh to create Technology Catch-up Centers at libraries throughout the state. Pepsi accepts 1000 proposals every month from groups that have ideas that can create a positive impact on their society. The public then votes and the top 2 vote getting ideas will receive $250k grants.

The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) and the NJ State Library have joined together in this proposal to bring the latest technologies to New Jersey Libraries. The “catch-up” centers will contain e-readers and a flip-camcorder which will allow patrons access new technologies. These centers will help parents “catch-up” with their digital native children. They will help the unemployed or under-employed to “catch-up” with their full-time employed counterparts.

The grant provides money for not only the hardware, but training, and downloadable books. Each center’s kit will contain an Ipad, nook, kindle, and flip ultra camcorder. The centers will open up a world of possibilities for all patrons and further NJLA’s goal of libraries being community centers where library patrons become lifelong learners.

I would love to use a Technology Catch-up Center in my library. Please vote EVERY day from now through January 31, 2011.

Changing Shoes

Today is the official release of Tina Sloan’s new book “Changing Shoes”. Lucky for me my copy arrived yesterday. Curled up in bed I began reading Tina’s journey of growing older in the spotlight of celebrity.  I barely started chapter 2 and already I’ve been inspired to get out of bed and moisturize my face. Ok, I know that sounds nuts. I have been really lax lately in my personal grooming. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve had a crappy stressful year – but that’s not a good enough excuse to wallow in self pity, ignoring my personal appearance and living inside myself. It’s time that I pull myself out of my funk and re-engage life. My short term goal is to look glamorous for Tina’s one woman show on Monday. Alright, that might be a tall stretch since I’ve probably only been glamorous about twice in my life. I’m going to have to work up to that and 4 days just isn’t going to be enough time – instead my aim for Monday will be to look pretty.

Now for the To Do List:

            Hair – color & deep condition

            Manicure – I’ve got zero talent for doing my own nails, so off to the salon I go.

            Skin – Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! It really stinks to have gone through 40 years with one kind of skin & hair and suddenly have completely different textures. What do I know of dry skin & hair? I’ve always had to worry about too much oil, detangling rinses and adult acne. Now I’m trying to figure out face creams and what to do about straw hair. Oh, and I still have adult acne. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

Clothes – What fits and what looks good rarely are the same thing for me lately. I see myself burrowing into my closet in a quest to find something appropriate. I also see a large pile of clothes that will be donated to charity come Monday morning.

            Shoes – The easy part is there won’t be any heals, sorry Tina. I’d like to enjoy the evening, not worry about my ankle collapsing.  I did get a cute pair of silver sandals; maybe I can make an outfit around them.

            Inspiration – Finish Tina’s “Changing Shoes”

I’d love to lose a 5 to 10 pound before the party, but since that’s not realistic; everyone will just have to take me as I am.

Recycle Books at the Roxbury Library

Hooray - today has arrived. In my quest to de-clutter my home and life I have been tossing, selling and giving away un-needed items from around my house the past few months. I even took a pass at my book collection, amassing 5+ bags of books to be donated. And there they've sat in bags & boxes cluttering up a corner of my guest room rather than gathering dust on my shelves. 


Professional organizers recommend removing boxed items ASAP, so why have these books been around for months? Well, the Roxbury Twp Friends of the Library (where I serve as VP) only has book sales twice a year. This year do to the Jewish Holiday schedule are well known book sale has been pushed back from the usual 1st weekend after Labor Day to the end of September. Consequently we didn't open the doors for collection until today.


So today, the car gets packed and my books will be looking for a new home. Stop by the Roxbury Library Sept 23-26 and take home a few of my books.