Carol's Notebook – Page 544

Short Story Monday: The Botathen Ghost by Robert Stephen Hawker

March 21, 2011 by Carol5 Comments

I don't read many ghost stories, but "The Botathen Ghost" caught my eye today. It was written by Robert Stephen Hawker, published in 1867. Hawker (1803-1875) was a poet and an eccentric Anglican Clergyman, who chose to make the main character in this story a Cornish minister. Pastor Rudall is requested by an older man to come to his home in Botathen. The man's son has become moody and withdrawn and the man is concerned. Upon arrival, Pastor Rudall learns that during his daily walk, the young man sees a ghost, a young woman he knows has been dead three years. The Pastor also sees the ghost. The aspect of the woman was exactly that which had been related by the lad. There was the pale and stony face, the strange and misty hair, the eyes firm and fixed, that gazed, yet not on us, but on something that they saw far, far away; one hand...

Winner!

March 21, 2011 by Carol3 Comments

Congratulations! Congratulations to the winner of a book of her choice (up to $25) from The Book Depository. andrea I’ve already e-mailed you. Just get back to me with you choice and I’ll order it for you. Thanks for all the entries!...

Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

March 20, 2011March 18, 2011 by Carol10 Comments

(Young Adult) There are some books that are meant to be savored. There are some whose characters begin to feel like your friends. There are some that keep you awake at night in terror and some whose themes stay with you long after you've finished reading. This does not fall into any of the above categories. I Am Number Four is a book to zip through, it's one to enjoy but not to think too hard about. It won't stand up to being analyzed, so if you can't just relax and enjoy the ride, don't bother picking it up. Four is one of nine Lorien children who escaped with their guardians when their planet was taken over by the Mogadorians. Now on Earth ten years later, Four has taken the name John Smith and is hiding in small-town Ohio with his guardian, Henri. All he wants is to settle in one place, make friends, be a normal teenager, but it's impossible. The...

From the nearest book

March 19, 2011March 18, 2011 by Carol2 Comments

Here's a quick quote from the book nearest to me, random page, third paragraph, second sentence. It's not a book I'm actually reading right now, it's in a stack that I'm going to be mailing out this afternoon for Paperbackswap. "Ante up, ladies. Elfkynan siasters are worth twelve to the Imperial sovereign or four colonial mints, nickel-silver, that is, for you shady types that have a pocket full of copper." (pg. 331, A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans) Just a little tidbit that doesn't reveal much about the book itself. Based on that piece, I picture a group of maybe five men gathered around a table; one, the speaker, dealing out cards. Obviously, from the coins mentioned it takes place in a different world than ours, but I still picture a version of an Old West saloon. The place is kind of dirty, the men not exactly law-abiding citizens. They're not dressed in clean white shirts, or crisp suits. They're...

Friday’s Tale: The Sea-Maiden by Joseph Jacobs

March 18, 2011March 18, 2011 by Carol6 Comments

Unlike last week's tale, this Irish story has several similarities to fairy tales I've read over the last year or so. The story opens with a fisherman who is not catching much. A sea-maiden rises out of the water and promises the fisherman many fish, if he will give her his first-born son when he turns 20. Of course, the fisherman agrees. Why do these people insists on making deals where they will lose their children? Of course, when the time rolls around the fisherman, sad and worried, tells his son about the bargain. Instead of surrendering his son to the sea-maiden, he takes him to the smithy and has a huge, strong sword made for the son, and the son goes out into the world seeking his fortune. His first day on his own, he comes across the carcass of a sheep beside the road. And there were a great black dog, a...

Movie Comments: Red Riding Hood (2011)

March 17, 2011 by Carol19 Comments

David and I went to see Red Riding Hood this past weekend. Amber was spending the night at a friend's house, so it was the perfect opportunity for dinner and a movie. I warned David before we went that I wasn't making any promises, that it might be lousy, but I really wanted to see it. I know the critics didn't like it, but I have to say that we both enjoyed it. It wasn't outstanding, but it was fun, entertaining. The story strays from the original tale, pretty far actually; it has to to make it to a full-length movie. Red Riding Hood's name is Valerie, and she lives in the medieval town of Daggerhorn, a town that lives in an uneasy truce with a werewolf. They leave out the best of their livestock every full moon and the wolf doesn't kill anyone, until one day. A girl, Valerie's sister, is found dead, killed by the wolf, and events...