National Hamburger Day 2022

National Hamburger Day
May 28
Celebrating the day with Bob's burgers...


READ:

The Bob's Burgers Burger Book:
Real Recipes for Joke Burgers
by Loren Bouchard
Humor, Cookbook | Published: 2022 | Goodreads
The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book gives hungry fans their best chance to eat one of Bob Belcher’s beloved specialty Burgers of the Day in seventy-five original, practical recipes. With its warm, edgy humor, outstanding vocal cast, and signature musical numbers, Bob’s Burgers has become one of the most acclaimed and popular animated series on television, winning the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program and inspiring a hit ongoing comic book and original sound track album. Now fans can get the ultimate Bob’s Burgers experience at home with seventy-five straight from the show but actually edible Burgers of the Day. Recipes include the "Bleu is the Warmest Cheese Burger," the "Bruschetta-Bout-It Burger," and the "Shoot-Out at the OK-ra Corral Burger (comes with Fried Okra)." Serve the "Sweaty Palms Burger (comes with Hearts of Palm)" to your ultimate crush, just like Tina Belcher, or ponder modern American literature with the "I Know Why the Cajun Burger Sings Burger."

Fully illustrated with all-new art in the series’s signature style, The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book showcases the entire Belcher family as well as beloved characters including Teddy, Jimmy Pesto Jr., and Aunt Gayle. All recipes come from the fan-created and heavily followed blog "The Bob’s Burger Experiment."

WATCH:

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)
Director/Writer: Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman
Writers: Nora Smith, Jim Dauterive
Stars: H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, John Roberts, Eugene Mirman
Animation, Adventure, Comedy | imdb
The Belchers try to save the restaurant from closing as a sinkhole forms in front of it, while the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family's restaurant.

Books and Burgers

My foodie self is in search for the top three best burgers in San Francisco.

Based on my taste buds of an overall burger bite, my basic criteria includes:

beef patty
cheddar cheese
1000 island dressing (optional)

Note: descriptions are primarily from the venue menu

Rating scale:
yay - most definitely a win
kay - in a pinch will satisfy the craving
nay - don't bother

Location: Ella's American Kitchen (Presidio)
Description: Ella's Burger
ground brisket, lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheddar, tomato aioli, potato bun
comes with fries
Rating: kay
On the side: The Years by Annie Ernaux

Location: WesBurger 'N' More (Mission)
Description: The All-American
6oz patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, special sauce and cheddar cheese
side order: tots available (instead of fries)
Rating: kay
On the side: American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Location: 1428 HAIGHT Patio Cafe & Crepery (Haight)
Description: Lovin Haight
wisconsin sharp cheddar, crispy lettuce, sliced tomatoes & red onions
comes with fries
Rating: kay
On the side: Molokai by Alan Brent

Location: Eat Americana (Outer Richmond)
Description: Burger Time! All Beef Patty
cheddar cheese, 1000 island, lettuce, shaved red onion, brioche bun
comes with fries
Rating: nay
The flavor of the meat was off as it seemed to soak up juices from the grill cooking nearby - like bacon. Also, the bun did not work for me in regards to flavor as well.
On the side: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

the search continues…

~*~
*image source: books and burger

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Somewhere Only We Know
by Maurene Goo

Find out more about this book and author:
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Published: May 2019
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Romance, YA, Asian American, Korea
Hardback: 320
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
When you have a face that's recognizable by an entire continent, you have zero room to make mistakes.

10 00 p.m.: Lucky is the biggest K-pop star on the scene, and she's just performed her hit song "Heartbeat" in Hong Kong to thousands of adoring fans. She's about to debut on The Tonight Show in America, hopefully a breakout performance for her career. But right now? She's in her fancy hotel, trying to fall asleep but dying for a hamburger.

11 00 p.m.: Jack is sneaking into a fancy hotel, on assignment for his tabloid job that he keeps secret from his parents. On his way out of the hotel, he runs into a girl wearing slippers, a girl who is single-mindedly determined to find a hamburger. She looks kind of familiar. She's very cute. He's maybe curious.

12:00 a.m.: Nothing will ever be the same.

My two-bits:

Loved the Kpop/Kdrama kind of romance in this story. I wanted to continue to hang out with this couple well after I closed the book.

Also loved escaping to Hong Kong for a day and experiencing the food, sights, passions of this duo.

Got me thinking of passion for pursuing an artist/creative life.

I was taken with the hamburger mentions.

Back cover:

National Hamburger Day

National Hamburger Day
May 28
Celebrating the day with burger themed mini cookies that I found in Nijiya market in Japan town. So so cute ;-)


READ:

The Hamburger:
A History
by Josh Ozersky
-History, Food | Goodreads | my rating: 5
FUN to learn that the original Bob's Big Boy restaurant was in my home town, Glendale, CA. I remember the humongous statue of the big boy with hamburger platter in front of it.

Burgers in San Francisco:

Location: Super Duper Burgers (Metreon)
Description: Mini Burger
4 oz. beef patty, with Super Sauce
fries separate
Rating: 4

Location: The Grove (Yerba Buena)
Description: The Burger
half pound of all natural chuck & brisket house blend, toasted Acme bun, onion, tomato, bib lettuce, pickle
served with potato wedges
Rating: 4

Location: Southern Pacific Brewing
Description: House Burger
beef patty with green leaf lettuce, red onion, tomato & house pickles
served with fries
Rating: 5

SPOTTED: at Target - floating cardboard burger!

Lovely Books and Things - 6.2.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
HAPPY THINGS:

1. Spring cleaning - how nice it is to open up spaces in the closet and on the book shelves

2. National Hamburger Day on May 28 - tried the Maven Burger (angostura, house pickles, muenster ) at Maven on Haight

3. Sharing fancy latte with my kid at Home on Clement

~*~
Library:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
-Chicklit
Amazon | Goodreads
PART of the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2017 (here) - yup, going backward to do a little catchup.


Freebie:

Love Muffin and Chai Latte
by Anya Wylde
-Romance, Comedy
Amazon | Goodreads
PICKED this up for sweet giggles after reading Sophia Rose's review of the second book in this series at a Delighted Reader (here).


AND watched: on Netflix

Ugly Delicious (2018)
Netlix series, season one
Stars: David Chang, Peter Meehan
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
Chef David Chang travels around the world tasting food from different cultures.

LOVED the mix of food and food history with American Asian perspectives.


AND watched: in theatre

Book Club (2018)
Director/Writer: Bill Holderman
Writer: Erin Simms
Stars: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen
-Comedy | imdb | my rating: 4
Four lifelong friends have their lives forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club.

BOOK lover in me could not resist a book club related film. Fun chick flick with great cast ;-)

Best F(riends) 2 (2018)
Director: Justin MacGregor
Writer: Greg Sestero
Stars: Greg Sestero, Tommy Wiseau
-Comedy, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 4
As Sestero's drifter makes a run for it, he finds himself on a desert expedition, where wild characters and dark foibles intersect. As his misadventure teaches him about friendship and loyalty, Wiseau's mortician surfaces a surprise or two.

THE stories continues with lots of Tommy-isms. Love his positive vibe.

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Fall With Me by Jayne Frost

Fall With Me
by Jayne Frost

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Tumblr
Twitter @jaynefrostbooks

Just released: December 15, 2016
Publisher: Sixth Street Press
Genre: New Adult, Romance
ebook
Rating: 4

Sixth Street Bands series:
Gone for You
Fall With Me

First sentence(s):
I pulled to a stop of Hut's burgers and glanced at Logan. he gave me a wide smile, his face half-hidden under the black Batman mask we'd picked up at Party City.

As the bassist for the band Caged, the last three years have been one, long non-stop party. Sure, I’ve had some regrets. Everyone does. But getting trapped in a relationship isn’t one of them. I know good and well what happens when the attraction fades. I’ve seen it first hand. Love is a zero sum game, so why play? As long as I'm upfront about my feelings, no one gets hurt. Besides, I'm never in one place long enough to worry about tomorrow. That is, until the band decided to take an extended hiatus in our hometown. That’s when I met Melody Sullivan. She’s the full-package. Whip smart and beautiful, with enough determination to take on anything life has in store. And the best part? Melody shares my philosophy on the fleeting nature of attraction. She doesn’t buy into the whole “happily ever after” crap anymore than I do. We’re perfect for each other. For now. And now is all I want. With the expectations off the table, I can let my guard down and enjoy her company until the spark dies. And we both know it will. In a week, or a month. But until then, we’ll just keep having fun. The good kind, with lots of sex and no strings attached. And when it’s time to move on, we will. No drawn out goodbyes and no remorse. That’s the plan, at least.

My two-bits:

This is a good one to read during the holiday season as some scenes are set then.

The story is told from the male perspective which adds to the rock and roll vibe. He is not only musically talented, but can be quite brainy.

Along with hot and steamy scenes, this story develops in a gentle way. With both characters falling in love despite inner struggles.

Being part of a series, there is some development with the surrounding characters as well. Always fun to catch up with them.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Love Connection by Camilla Isley

Love Connection
by Camilla Isley

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon | Goodreads -giveaway ends Dec 6
iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
Website | Facebook
Instagram | Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter @camillaisley

Just released: October 8, 2016
Publisher: Pink Bloom Press
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Chick Lit
ebook
Rating: 4

First Comes Love series:
Love Connection
book 2 - tba

Zombie sighting:
When she's accomplished the look of a zombie bride from Dawn of the Dead, she starts pulling at the dress like a mad woman. -chapter 4

First sentence(s):
"You've been staring at those two plane tickets for almost an hour now. My role as bartender compels me to ask: what's the big dilemma?"

Have you ever wondered what might have been?

Gemma Dawson is at the airport, staring at two plane tickets to two different cities. Two different weddings. Two possible futures. She’s at a crossroads.

Be maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding or crash her ex’s?
Gemma’s decision, unknown to her, hinges on a delayed flight and a chance meeting. Now her life is about to go down two parallel tracks—will Gemma fly toward a life with her first love or a future with a man she’s not even met yet?

My two-bits:

This is a two-in-one kind of romance told with parallel story lines with generally feel good moments.

The characters are likable and stay true in each scenario. Love all around.

Lots of fun references to the 1980's. Loved the mention of the love of burgers ;-)

Got me thinking of fate and following gut feelings.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts - 5.26.16

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts
hosted by (un)Conventional Bookviews (details)
A meme to share some food and/or drink quotes found in current reads.

~*~

The Assistants
by Camille Perri
-Humor, Satire, Women's Fiction, New York
Amazon | Goodreads | my review
A wry and astute debut about a young Manhattanite whose embezzlement scam turns her into an unlikely advocate for the leagues of overeducated and underpaid assistants across the city.

Tina Fontana is the hapless but brazen thirty-year-old executive assistant to Robert Barlow, the all-powerful and commanding CEO of Titan Corp., a multinational media conglomerate. She’s excellent at her job and beloved by her famous boss—but after six years of making his reservations for restaurants she’d never get into on her own and pouring his drinks from bottles that cost more than her rent, she’s bored, broke, and just a bit over it all.

When a technical error with Robert’s travel-and-expenses report presents Tina with the opportunity to pay off the entire balance of her student loan debt with what would essentially be pocket change for her boss, she struggles with the decision: She’s always played by the rules. But it’s such a relatively small amount of money for the Titan Corporation—and for her it would be a life-changer...

The Assistants speaks directly to a new generation of women who feel stuck and unable to get ahead playing by the rules. It will appeal to all of those who have ever asked themselves, “How is it that after all these years, we are still assistants?”

QUOTE:
"And look at this." She reached across the floor to a copy of Millennium Foodie and turned to a page she'd marked with a glitter pen. "This is the FleurBurger 5000," she said. "It's a hamburger they have in Las Vegas that contains foie gras and a special truffle sauce. It's served with a bottle of Château Petrus, poured into Ichendorf Brunello stemware. It costs five thousand dollars, but we'll be able to afford it!"
-chapter 12, page 114

Books and Burgers:
at The Counter
Corte Madera, CA | website
=====> Can't afford a $5,000 burger so went out and got "the classic" burger at the Counter instead. Love burgers and usually must have one at least once a month ;-)

Stacking the Shelves - 8.29.15

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~
For Review:

Fourteen
by Leslie Johansen Nack
-Memoir
courtesy of BookSparks -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Blonde Eskimo
by Kristen Hunt
-Fantasy, YA
courtesy of BookSparks -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Great Bravura
by Jill Dearman
-Mystery, Thriller
courtesy of BookSparks -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Girl Without A Name
by Sandra Block
-Psychological thriller
courtesy of Wunderkind PR -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

A History of Glitter and Blood
by Hannah Moskowitz
-Fantasy, YA
courtesy of book tour -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Star Craving Mad
by Elise Miller
Destination: Get to know New York
-Chick-lit
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015 -Thanks!
BookSparks | Goodreads
Library:

300 Sandwiches:
A Multilayered Love Story with Recipes
by Stephanie Smith
-Memoir, Romance, Recipes
Amazon | Goodreads
“Honey, you are 300 sandwiches away from an engagement ring.”

When New York Post writer Stephanie Smith made a turkey and Swiss on white bread for her boyfriend, Eric (aka E), he took one bite and uttered those now-famous words. While her beau’s declaration initially seemed unusual, even antiquated, Stephanie accepted the challenge and got to work. Little did she know she was about to cook up the sexiest and most controversial love story of her generation.

300 Sandwiches is the story of Stephanie and E’s epic journey of bread and betrothal, with a whole loaf of recipes to boot. For Stephanie, a novice in the kitchen, making a sandwich—or even 300—for E wasn’t just about getting a ring; it was her way of saying “I love you” while gaining confidence as a chef. It was about how many breakfast sandwiches they could eat together on future Sunday mornings, how many s’mores might follow family snowboarding trips, how many silly fights would end in makeup sandwiches. Suddenly, she saw a lifetime of happiness between those two slices of bread.

Not everyone agreed. The media dubbed E “the Internet’s Worst Boyfriend”; bloggers attacked the loving couple for setting back the cause of women’s rights; opinions about their romance echoed from as far away as Japan. Soon, Stephanie found her cooking and her relationship under the harsh glare of the spotlight.

From culinary twists on peanut butter and jelly to “Not Your Mother’s Roast Beef” spicy French Dip to Chicken and Waffle BLTs, Stephanie shares the creations—including wraps, burritos, paninis, and burgers—that ultimately sated E’s palate and won his heart. Part recipe book, part girl-meets-boy memoir, 300 Sandwiches teaches us that true love always wins out—one delicious bite at a time.

=====> I heard out this woman's challenge a couple years ago and was intrigued with the variety of sandwiches she concocted. Always looking for lunch ideas...

OTHER things on my shelf: kinda book-related

DON'T miss it, I almost did...

Austen in August
hosted by The Book Rat
August 18-31, 2015
(details here)

Fall Reading Challenge 2015
sponsored by BookSparks
starts in September
check out it out (here)
join and signup (here)
IT'S COMING...

=====> SOOOO excited! Finally got the go to subscribe to Owlcrate, a monthly YA subscription (details).


~*~
* some of these may be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Facebook
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Tumblr
Twitter @morgan_m

Published: 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA
Hardback: 352 pages
Rating: 5

First sentence:
I sat on the front steps of my house and watched the beige Subaru station wagon swing too quickly around the cul-de-sac.

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend.

Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

My two-bits:

Road trip! Always love a good one and this one delivers.

This pair travels across country from California to Connecticut via the northern route. There are just the right amounts of sights, sounds, roadside attractions and food for that vicarious road trip experience.

Loved watching the growth of their friendship from acquaintance to couple by the end of the book. They both work through their individual issues with travel as a kind of therapy.

The book includes sprinklings of images of scrapbook-like memorabilia and music playlists that enhances the experience of this read.

Added a couple must-go places for foodies:
NuWay (crumbly burgers) - Wichita, KS
Brown Hotel (Kentucky hot brown and derby pie) - Louisville, KY

~*~
* added to my COYER challenge/scavenger hunt (details)

* part of my vvb32 reads book club (details)

Snapper by Brian Kimberling

Snapper
by Brian Kimberling

Visit Brian:
Website
Pinterest
Facebook
Goodreads
Shelfari
Twitter
Currently on Tour

Published: April 2013
Publisher: Pantheon
Genre: Comedy, Short Stories
Hardback: 224 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | BarnesNoble

A great, hilarious new voice in fiction: the poignant, all-too-human recollections of an affable bird researcher in the Indiana backwater as he goes through a disastrous yet heartening love affair with the place and its people.

Nathan Lochmueller studies birds, earning just enough money to live on. He drives a glitter-festooned truck, the Gypsy Moth, and he is in love with Lola, a woman so free-spirited and mysterious she can break a man’s heart with a sigh or a shrug. Around them swirls a remarkable cast of characters: the proprietor of Fast Eddie’s Burgers & Beer, the genius behind “Thong Thursdays”; Uncle Dart, a Texan who brings his swagger to Indiana with profound and nearly devastating results; a snapping turtle with a taste for thumbs; a German shepherd who howls backup vocals; and the very charismatic state of Indiana itself. And at the center of it all is Nathan, creeping through the forest to observe the birds he loves and coming to terms with the accidental turns his life has taken.

Amusing quote:
"It's not funny," I protested. "I'm part of case law now or whatever. Ten, fifty, one hundred years from now people will read about me and say oh, Nathan Lochmueller, that charlatan with binoculars."
- page 133, chapter 9

Zombie sighting:
Was there zombies climbing out of open graves?
-page 164, chapter 11

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): Oh, people. -page 210, chapter 13
Very enjoyable read that gives you the vibe of living in Indiana and bird watching details told with a fun sense of humor. Had several laugh out load moments. :-)

There are amusing references to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that tickled, too.

I read Pride and Prejudice in several installments sitting on a flat marble slab commemorating someone named Elizabeth Bennet. Kia would give me just enought time to wax wroth with Darcy over one thing or another, and then her choke chain would jingle nearby. -page 155, chapter 11

--~ Book Giveaway ~--signup to win this book

~*~* review copy courtesy of publisher
* part of event: On A Sea Voyage

Zombie update from: the Netherlands

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Sullivan McPig of Pearls Cast Before a McPig
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
Sullivan had always known the zombie apocalypse would come and had prepared for it. No one was better at making make-shift weapons and Molotov Cocktails. So when the alarms went off all over the city and radio and tv showed the hordes of moaning, shuffling undead, eating their way through the panicked city population, Sullivan wasn’t surprised. No zombie would ever catch him unaware. He roused his housemates and ordering them all to a defensive position he then ran to his stash of Molotov Cocktails……. To find they weren’t there.

“What the…?” Sullivan exclaimed and rummaged through the closet where he knew they should be one more time, but the Cocktails were truly gone.

He turned and eyed his troops. “Anyone seen the Molotov Cocktails?”

Silence…

He let his gaze wander the assembled animals one more time and frowned when he saw that his brother Angus wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Angus, where are the Molotov Cocktails?” Sullivan asked with a sudden feeling of dread.

His brother coughed and fumbled with his baseball bat a bit. Sullivan tapped his foot and shot Angus an angry look. Angus finally stopped his fidgeting and shrugged. “We did have a couple of barbeques lately,” he said as if that explained everything.

“And?” Sullivan snapped.

“Well, those Molotov Cocktails work great as lighter fluid. I used them to start up the barbeque.”

“All of them?” Sullivan almost screamed.

Angus nodded, the tip of his ears turning pink in embarrassment. “You know how hard it can be to start up a fire,” he defended his actions.

Sullivan shook his head in disbelief and put his trotters to his forehead. “And how do you think we’re going to defend ourselves now?” he asked. “We don’t have any firearms, only close combat weapons. Those Molotovs were meant to keep the zombies at a distance.” Angus kept quiet and for some minutes the two brothers stood there glaring at each other…


“I think we will need to report our situation and ask for help,” Voodoo Bride finally spoke up. “Maybe they can send us new Molotov Cocktails or better yet: some flamethrowers and Uzi’s.”

Sullivan and Angus stopped their glaring and after some debate everyone decided Voodoo Bride’s suggestion was a sound one. Sullivan ran over to the computer, relieved to find he still had internet access and started writing:

~*~
From: Sullivan McPig
To: vvb32
Subject: Zombie apocalypse Update

Out of Molotov Cocktails!
Please send help.
Flamethrowers and Uzi’s more than welcome.

~*~
As he was about to hit the send button his brother spoke up one more time: “Don’t forget to ask for some veggie burgers and corn on a cob. It looks like it will be great weather for another barbeque next week.”

~end

Guest post created for September Zombies event by Sullivan McPig of Pearls Cast Before a McPig
© 2011. All rights reserved.

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Sullivan McPig of Pearls Cast Before a McPig
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
NOW, head over to Sullivan McPig of Pearls Cast Before a McPig to check out his zombie book wish list.

Here's one of the picks to tease:

Darker Shade of Dead
by Bianca D'arc

~*~
* header image source

=== September Zombies schedule ===

Books & Nails: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff

Books & Nails
a new vvb32 reads feature
I was inspired to create this meme from The Fashion Planner's Burgers and Nails mention in her Things i Love Thursday post.


So cute, eh?

While I love burgers, I thought it more appropo to swap out the burgers for books.

Won't you join me with some fun-making and participate in a future Books & Nails post? This will be a way to share our love of books with a twist.

How to play:
1. Email me (vvb32 at yahoo.com) a picture of your Books & Nails.

2. Tell me the title and author of the book you are reading.

3. Provide a description of your decorated nails (optional).

Anyone can join!

If you prefer, you can send me a pic with nails au naturel.

AND now, my very first participant...

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by The Fashion Planner
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

I am reading Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff, which I picked up at a nearby library. The biography pieces together the few facts there are about Cleopatra and explains how she became one of the most famous women in history.


As for the nails, I am wearing Purple-Xing by Nina Ultra Pro. For the cupcake designs, I used Zoya Lo for the base, Pure Ice Super Star! for the frosting, Revelon Frankly Scarlet for the cherry, and Zoya Robyn and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet for the sprinkles. I topped off all of my nails with Nic's Sticks Top It Off Top Coat.

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by The Fashion Planner
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~

Cleopatra: A Life
by Stacy Schiff
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

~*~
* inspired to create this meme from The Fashion Planner's Burgers and Nails mention in her Things i Love Thursday post