Ever wonder what goes in to making the popular show Jeopardy!? It's a lot of work, which is explained in Answers in the Form of Questions: a Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy!, by Claire McNear. There's a series of tests, then the wait for 'The Call' (one contestant was in labor when it came, she was on the set three weeks later). There are chapters on strategy, and betting. And the buzzer, oh, that buzzer ... there is a skill and an art to that! And what about the audience? Who is watching? Well written and most interesting, I would have liked an index. Still, a timely read as Jeopardy! is seeing some major changes (and it's not just the passing of Alex Trebek).

When Josh and Brent saw Beekman Mansion while on a trip to upstate New York, they knew they had to have it. Once a working farm, and a stop on the underground railway, it also listed several well known people from the past as visitors .... all that history and the beautiful location ... it was just an opportunity too good to miss. The Bucolic Plague: an Unconventional Memoir, by Josh Kilmer-Purcell is how they became gentlemen farmers, raised goats (with help), much of their own food, started a new business ... all in all just a fun read. There were some tough, worrisome times, (at one point neither had a job in the city), but they persevered and became part of a wonderful community.

Reading Hermit With Dog