Friday’s Tale: “Maid Maleen” by The Brothers Grimm

by Carol6 Comments
"Maid Maleen" by the Brothers Grimm I have to say that I like Maid Maleen. Maybe I'm just in a good mood today, forgiving of the Grimm's typical love of the beautiful, sweet, obedient young woman, or maybe Maid Maleen is not solely passive. Her story's romantic and touching, but she has to rescue herself in order to get to her happy ending. Maid Maleen is the daughter of a King and of course very beautiful. A prince from another land asked for her hand in marriage, but her father refuses, the story doesn't tell us why. Maid Maleen and the prince love each other dearly, and Maleen tells her father that she will marry no one else. Her father, furious, locks her and her waiting-woman up in a tower (reminds you of Rapunzel's tower, doesn't it?) for seven years, cutting them off from the rest of the world. When the food and drink dwindles and the two young women realize that...
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“Method Murder” by Simon Brett

by Carol4 Comments
"Method Murder" by Simon Brett This short story was not impressive for me. The main character, Kenny Mountford, is an actor who wants wants to be respected. And really that meant doing more theatre. For the more obscure and impenetrable the theatre work, the higher the integrity of the actors involved. This meant, in effect, working with one of a small list of trendy directors, directors who didn't pander to the public by making their work accessible or simple entertaining. That section made me laugh out loud, but that was pretty much the high point. One of these select directors tells Kenny that he will put him in a play, but first Kenny has to "become" the character by infiltrating a London gang, which he does. The problem is Kenny is not bright, doesn't see what the director's up to, just goes along with the orders of the gang leader, but in the end he ends up better off than he was before. Maybe...
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The Best Defense by Kate Wilhelm

by Carol9 Comments
The Best Defense by Kate Wilhelm A Three Reasons Review 1. Reason I chose this book Kate Wilhelm was an author I "discovered" last year. I enjoyed the first one in her Barbara Holloway series and this audiobook was on the "always available" list through my library, so I borrowed it. 2. Reason I liked the book It kept me hooked. Barbara Holloway is defending a woman accused of killing her daughter and then setting a building on fire to cover up the crime. The media has already convicted her, but Barbara is far from sure she's guilty. There's a small group of other suspects, some of whom prove to be very dangerous. I liked Barbara better in this one. She's still not quite sure of who she is/ who she wants to be, and she is recovering from the death of the man she fell in love with in the first book, but she doesn't dwell on herself as much as she did in the...
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Teaser from Like Clockwork

by Carol11 Comments
"The man is very meticulous, too. Almost surgical in his precision. Not really a ‘slasher’ at all. Trying to understand how he thinks and what he feels about women could lead us to identify him." His partner all but rolled his eyes at the idea of plumbing the depths of a killer's mind. "Witnesses, Babbitt. I keep telling you." (46%, Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee) Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I received my copy from the publisher via NetGalley....
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Movie – Red (2010)

by Carol6 Comments
Red (2010) Retired, Extremely Dangerous David and I watched Red over the weekend. I'm not sure how I totally missed it when it was in the theaters, but it just never hit my radar. I have to say I loved it. Bruce Willis plays Frank Moses, a retried CIA agent living a quiet life in Cleveland until a hit squad shows up at his house to kill him. From then on, he's on the run. He reassembles his old team, played by the talented Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, to figure out what's going on and keep themselves from getting killed. He also has to bring along his love-interest, because her life is obviously in danger too. Great movie. Lots of action, explosions, shootings, kidnappings, but really, really hilarious, just truly enjoyable to watch. And a happy ending for all the characters you like. What more could you ask for? One of the funniest parts: (Helen Mirren's character is Victoria) Victoria (about Frank): ...
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