Postcards Received from New York

2030.  Greetings from New York

I am Godfrey and I am from Guyana, a small English speaking country in South America.  I was trevelling and enjoyed visiting New Hope in PA a couple of times.  I work as a carer for an elderly man in Manhattan for many years now.  People are living longer now.  Take care, Be safe.

1902.  New York State

"Old Museum Village, Smith's Clove: One Room Schoolhouse from Monroe 1805-1840"

Hi Chris!  Greetings from the southern tier of NY!  I grew up in southeastern PA (between Valley Forge and Lancaster) and am jealous of your new digs!  PA is so lovely.  NY is pretty too, but not the same.  Hoping that you are well & happy postcrossing!  Suzanne & Charles

 

1255.  Trinity Churchyard, New York City

Monument to Alexander Hamilton - former of the Constitution, first Secretary of the Treasury, and pewholder at Trinity Church.  In 1804, Hamilton died after a duel with Aaron Burr and rests in Trinity Churchyard.

First Line of a Book Postcard

Hello Chris.  On my Kindle, I'm reading "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow.  First line is:  "Alexander Hamilton claimed Nevis in the British West Indies as his birthplace, although no surviving records substantiate this."  I'm on page 9,221 of 22,722 - it's a very long book!  Alex & I were both born on January 11th (he's older)!  This is the book that Lin Manuel Miranda used to compose and write his smash it "Hamilton."  I've yet to see it, but it's not for a lack of trying.  It's showing in Denver now and I've been in the lottery for tickets every day, but so far no luck.  In NYC I saw Alex's home, grave, and a great statue at Columbia University, too.  Take care, Carol  3/24/2018

1254.  New York: The Empire State

Hello from still cold & snow-filled Syracuse.  I hope you're well.  When I'm not working I'm usually reading or bingeing Netflix shows.  As soo as spring really starts I'll be able to enjoy time outside.  Jennifer  March 20, 2018

695.  Two Cards from NYC - Mater & the Ghostlight and MOMA's version of the Empire State Building

Hi Chris!  I know you don't want any more famous buildings, but I feel this Empire building is unique.   You can cut the card and make a building yourself.  It's from the MOMA.

532.  Long Island Sound, New York

Hello Chris

I live about a mile from this picture, on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, in the small village of Greenport.  Across the sound is Connecticut.  I like the desert scenery ad mountains.  Happy postcrossing, Bob

414.  New York City, NY

Helmann:  In His Mysterious Cabinet of Dark Seances

Courtesy of Mike Caveney's Egyptian Hall Museum

Hi Chris,

I have all these cool magic-themed postcards, but I've felt like they're a little too weird for most postcrossers.  I'm glad you mentioned Day of the Dead.  I hope you enjoy whatever Hellman is up to.  I also hope that you're having a fabulous start to your retirement...Congrats!  Happy postcrossing!  Mary in NYC

394.  Fun Facts:  New York City

"Twice a year, during May and July, a phenomenon known as Manhattenhenge occurs in New York City.  The setting sun aligns perfectly with the east-west streets of Manhattan."

Hello Chris!

This postcard isn't traveling very far!  I live in NJ across the river from Philadelphia!

Hope you like this postcard!

Peace,

Karen

386.  New York City

June 5th, 2016

Hello Chris!

Sunny greetings from NYC.   Wonder what island you live in in Maine.  I Love ME in the summer!  Also enjoy iced cold classic Coca Cola - preferably in glass bottle.

Best, Dorothy

Book Challenge Update

I am not doing well with my book challenges. I was SURE that I could read 100 books this year, but I just finished book number 70. That's 30 more to go in two months...the two months that I have a huge pile of unfinished Christmas projects to complete.

What happened that makes me disappoint myself so? Three things. I've read lots of picture books this year, and of course I don't count those. I've spent a lot of time reading well into books that I decided not to finish. (I always tell my students that there are too many books out there to spend time reading a book that we don't really care for.) And I've worked 70 t 80 hours a week since August, which allows no time for pleasure reading....or anything that includes pleasure for that matter.

My 10-10-10 Challenge means I must read at least 100 books. I know I can repeat titles (ten of them, I think), but I was determined not to do that this year. The Medieval challenge is totally bookless so far - I've got one on my TBR pile, but there are others that always call my name in a much louder voice. My 39 Clues challenge bombed because I realized that I really disliked the books and didn't want to waste my time on them. Even my Caldecott challenge his bottom because there are always so many more new books or curriculum-related books that I want to read.

Bummer.

Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

Now this is a good one! One of the things I love MOST about living in a larger city (think: Tucson) is the library system. Lots and lots to visit all the time. And I visit them all. They all have their own wonderful and unique personality. And when I travel I love to stop into a library, check it out, sit down and read a new picture book...I've done that in Las Vegas, Novato, CA, and on my cross-country trip....it's also wonderful to visit and revisit the Northeast Harbor Library, the Ellsworth Public Library, the Bangor Public Library....and the library where I shelved books for 75 cents an hour when I was in high school, Wakefield Public Library. I'm usually well over my 25-book limit, using many in my classroom. But I'll take on the 100-book challenge as long as it can include picture books!

The challenge itself is found here.

Now, I could list all the books I borrowed and read, or I can keep track of the numbers, which would make more sense. I'm going to start from my last visit, because there's no way I'm going to spend the time backtracking. I'm doing this for me. If anyone else is reading this, it's sure to be boringl. So skip this post, okay?

Current total checked out AND read since 10/24/10: 7

10-24-10 Golf Links: Returned 5, checked out 10.
(6 are new middle grade novels, which I plan to share with my students, 4 are new picture books)
Read: Tashlich at Turtle Rock, The Weaver

10-30-10 Golf Links: Returned 7, checked out 7
then drove to Wilmot and checked out 5 more!
(More new books for my class to read, a crochet book, and lots of picture books.)
I returned Angelology after reading about 75 pages, it portrays angels as mean and selfish...who needs that (though the story was interesting, I don't think I'll ever get through it), a novel about Afghanistan that I was about halfway through but it had a reserve on it so I couldn't renew it, and lots of books about Mexico that I've been using in my classroom.
Read: Grandma's Gloves, Carmen Learns English

Read: As Simple as It Seems, Dotty, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crochet Projects,

Okay, okay, it was stupid to think I'd keep up with this. I use the library...many times a week. So face it, Chris, this isn't a challenge at all. You suport your local library already!

My 2010 Book Challenges

101010 Category Challenge

1. Historical Fiction
1. Chains (Anderson)
2. One Crazy Summer (Williams-Garcia)
3. Listening for Lions (Whelan)

2. Published in 2010
1. Leaving Gee's Bend (Latham)
2. Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet (Dionne)
3. The Night Fairy (Schlitz)
4. Mockingbird (Erskine)
5. Out of My Mind (Draper)
6. The Big Swim (Fagan)
7. Drink the Tea (Kaufman)
8. The Birthday Ball (Lowry)
9. Jekel Loves Hyde (Fantaskey)
10. The Scent of Rain and Lightning (Pickard)

3. On the TBR Pile too long
1. Punished! (David Lubar)
2. Sarah's Key (Tatiana deRosnay)
3. Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher)
4. Eleven (Patricia Reilly Giff)
5. Breaking Dawn (Meyer)
6. No Talking (Clements)
7. Eggs (Spinelli)
8. Anything But Typical (Baskin)

4. Authors new to me
1. The Dream Stealer (Sid Fleischman)
2. Home of the Brave (Katherine Applegate)
3. The Abstinence Teacher (Tom Perrotta)
4. House of Dolls (Francesca Lia Block)
5. Where I'd Like to Be (Frances O'Roark Dowell)
6. Bad Luck and Trouble (Lee Child)
7. Solomon's Oak (Jo-Ann Mapson)

5. 1st in a series
1. Blue Bloods (De La Cruz)
2. The Warrior Heir (Chima)
3. The 39 Clues Book 1: The Maze of Bones (Riordan)
4. Now You See Her (Tishy)
5. Deal Breaker (Coben)
6. Dead Until Dark (Harris)
7. Eighth Grade Bites, the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1 (Brewer)

6. Sequels
1. Masquerade (De La Cruz)
2. Captivate (Jones)
3. T is for Trespass (Grafton)
4. Revelations (de la Cruz)
5. The Van Alen Legacy (de la Cruz)
6. Eclipse (Meyer)
7. Dead for the Winter (Thornton)
8. Killer Smile (Scottoline)

7. YA
1. Burned (Hopkins)
2. Right Behind You (Giles)
3. Fat Cat (Brande)
4. Opposite of Invisible (Gallagher)
5. Beastly (Flinn)
6. Linger (Stiefvater)
7. The Cardturner (Sachar)
8. Matched (Condie)

8. Where in the World?
1. Under the Persimmon Tree (Staples) Afghanistan
2. Carpe Diem (Cornwell) Malaysia
3. Song of the Whales (Orlev) Israel
4. Year of No Rain (Mead) Sudan
5. The Heaven Shop (Ellis) Malawi
6. The Forgotten Garden (Morton) Australia & Cornwall
7. The Firefly Letters (Engle) Cuba

9. Mysteries1. Dark of Day (Parker)
2. Faces of the Gone (Parks)
3. Life Sentences (Lippman)
4. The Night Stalker (Swain)
5. The Messenger (Burke)
6. Chill of Fear (Hooper)
7. Ghost Towns (Thornton)
8. Fragile (Unger)
9. Nothing to Lose (Child)
10. In Search of Mercy (Ayoob)

10. Just for the Fun of It
1. The Third Angel (Hoffman)
2. Knitting for Peace (Christiansen)
3. Reaching for Sun (Zimmer)
4. Word After Word After Word (MacLachlan)
5. I Am Number Four (Lore)
6. Yarn Bombing (Moore & Prain)
7. As Simple as It Seems (Weeks)
8. Big Whopper (Giff)

A Tournament of Reading (Medieval) Challenge
1.
2.
3.




Book Around the States Challenge
AK- Right Behind You (Giles)
AL - Leaving Gee's Bend (Latham)
AZ-
CA- (Oakland) One Crazy Summer (Williams-Garcia)
(Santa Teresa) T is for Trespass (Grafton)
(Central CA farmlands) Solomon's Oak (Mapson)
CO Nothing to Lose (Child)
DC, Washington Drink the Tea (Kaufman)
FL (Miami) Dark of Day (Parker) (Ft. Lauderdale) The Night Stalker (Swain)
MA- (Boston) Now You See Her (Tishy)
MD- (Baltimore) Life Sentences (Lippman)
ME- (Ellsworth) Captivate (Jones)
NJ- Faces of the Gone (Parks) Deal Breaker (Coben)
NM-
NV - Burned (Hopkins)
NYC- Blue Bloods (De La Cruz) Beastly (Flinn)
OH - The Warrior Heir (Chima)
PA (Philadelphia) - The 39 Clues Book 1: The Maze of Bones (Riordan)
WA- Eclipse (Meyer)

My Own Caldecott Challenge
1. Flotsam (Wiesner)
2. Peppe the Lamplighter (Bartone/Lewin)
3.



My Own 39 Clues Challenge
The Official Website
1. Maze of Bones (Rick Riordan)
2. One False Note (Gordan Korman)
3. The Sword Thief (Larangis)
4. Beyond the Grave (Jude Watson)
5. Black Circle (Peter Carman)
6. In Too Deep (Jude Watson)
7. The Viper's Nest (Peter Lerangis)(2-2-10)
8. (Gordon Korman) (4-1-10)
9.
10.

YA Through the Decades Reading Challenge
1930 -
1940 -
1950 -
1960 -
1970 -
1980 -
1990 -
2000 -

100+ Book Challenge
1. Blue Bloods (De La Cruz) YA
2. Dark of Day (Parker) Adult Murder Mystery
3. Masquerade (de la Cruz) YA
4. Who Was Albert Einstein? (Brallier) Early
5. Schooled (Korman) Mid
6. Faces of the Gone (Parks) Adult Murder Mystery
7. The Third Angel (Hoffman) Adult novel
8. Under the Persimmon Tree (Staples) Middle Grades
9. Burned (Hopkins) YA CRF
10. Right Behind You (Giles) YA CRF
11. The Warrior Heir (Chima) YA Fantasy
12. Chains (Anderson) Mid Grade HistFiction
13.
14. Knitting for Peace (Christiansen) NonFiction
15. Leaving Gee's Bend (Latham) Mid HF
16. The 39 Clues Book 1: Maze of Bones (Riordan) Mid Mystery
17. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet (Dionne) MidGrd
18. One Crazy Summer (Williams-Garcia) Mid HF
19. Life Sentences (Lippman) Adult Mystery
20. Captivate (Jones) YA Fantasy
21. T is for Trespass (Grafton) Adult Mystery
22. The Night Fairy (Schlitz) Mid Fant
23. Carpe Diem (Cornwell) YA
24. Revelations (de la Cruz) YA
25. The Night Stalker (Swain) Adult Mystery
26. Listening for Lions (Whelan) Mid HF - Africa
27. The Dream Stealer (Fleischman) MidFant
28. Home of the Brave (Applegate) Mid CRF -African refugee
29. Now You See Her (Tishy) Adult Mystery
30. The Van Alen Legacy (de la Cruz) YA
31. The Abstinence Teacher (Perrotta) Adult CRF
32. Fat Cat (Brande) YA
33. Mockingbird (Erskine) Mid CRF
34. Opposite of Invisible (Gallagher) Mid CRF
35. Song of the Whales (Orlev) Mid Fantastic Realistic Fiction (but not "fantastic")
36. Year of No Rain (Mead) Mid CRF - Africa
37. Deal Breaker (Coben) Adult Mystery
38. Dead Until Dark (Harris) Adult Fantasy
39. The Heaven Shop (Ellis) YA CRF - Africa
40. Out of My Mind (Draper) Mid CRF
41. Eighth Grade Bites, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1 (Brewer) Mid/YA Fantasy
42. Punished! (Lubar) Mid Fant
43. Eclipse (Meyer) YA Fant
44. The Big Swim (Fagan) Mid CRF
45. Drink the Tea (Kaufman) Adult Murder Mystery
46. Beastly (Flinn) YA Fant
47. The Messenger (Burke) Adult Myst
48. The Forgotten Garden (Morton) Adult HF Myst
49. The Birthday Ball (Lowry/Feiffer) Mid Grades Fairy Tale
50. Sarah's Key (deRosnay) Adult
51. Thirteen Reasons Why (Asher) YA CRF
52. Jekel Loves Hyde (Fantaskey) YA Fant
53. The Scent of Rain and Lightning (Pickard) Adult Myst
54. Reaching for Sun (Zimmer) Mid Verse
55. Eleven (Giff) Mid CRF
56. The Firefly Letters (Engle) YA Verse
57. Word After Word After Word (MacLachlan) Mid CRF
58. House of Dolls (Block) Mid
59. I Am Number Four (Lore) YA SciFi
60. Breaking Dawn (Meyer) YA Fant
61. Linger (Stiefvater) YA Fant
62. Chill of Fear (Hooper) Ad Crime Fant
63. Where I'd Like to Be (Dowell) Mid
64. Ghost Towns (Thornton) Ad Myst
65. Yarn Bombing (Moore & Prain) NonFiction
66. No Talking (Clements) Mid CRF
67. Dead for the Winter (Thornton) Ad Myst
68. Eggs (Spinelli) Mid CRF
69. Anything But Typical (Baskin) Mid CRF
70. As Simple as It Seems (Weeks) Mid CRF
71. Fragile (Unger) Ad Myst
72. The Cardturner (Sachar) YA
73. Big Whopper (Giff) Early
74. All the Wrong Moves (Lovelace) Ad Cozy Myst
75. Bad Luck and Trouble (Child) Ad Myst
76. Solomon's Oak (Mapson) Ad
77. Nothing to Lose (Child) Ad Myst
78. Matched (Condie) YA
79. Killer Smile (Scottoline) Ad Myst
80. In Search of Mercy (Ayoob) Ad Myst

Medieval Challenge - A Tournament of Reading

A Tournament of Reading Challenge

This challenge is designed to get us all reading a little more medieval literature in 2010. The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st, 2010, and will be hosted at Medieval Bookworm. Challenge gneres include history, medieval literature, and historical fiction. Medieval, for simplicity of definition, will be from 500-1500, and literature from all over the world is welcome, not just western Europe. There are three levels:

Peasant -Read 3 medieval books of any kind.
Lord-Read 6 medieval books, at least one of each kind.
King - Read 9 medieval books, at least two of each kind.

You're not required to make a list or stick to one. I've signed up for the PEASANT, because I need to diverge from my hohum path a tiny bit in this year to come!

The books I've read for this challenge are:
1.
2.
3.