A Winter’s Respite

by Carol2 Comments
I mentioned earlier today that I'm joining in on the Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict. I'm not sure how much reading time I'll get in the week, but it'll mostly be in the evening, since I work during the days. I'll just be updating this post throughout the week, with books, times, whatever. First, I'm reading The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. I'm about halfway through and want to finish it before I start on anything else. I don't have much of a plan as to what I'll read after that, but trust me, I've got plenty of possibilities. Books finished: Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton The Fran with Four Brains by Jim Benton Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden Frantastic Voyage by Jim Benton Stories finished: "Vasilissa the Beautiful" from Russian Wonder Tales by...
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Movies, a birthday, skating

by Carol7 Comments
This past week was a lot of fun. Amber had a great birthday, complete with dragon cake. She got some nice presents, books, games, a model rocket kit and some drawing supplies. We watched a couple of movies. They were both cute enough, fun but not great. The Steelers won on Saturday, somehow. And yesterday we went ice skating at Wheeling Park. I actually managed to stay on my feet the whole time. It's the first time I've been skating in like 20 years, but I really enjoyed it. For some reason, David and Amber both thought I was going to chicken out. I don't think I'm that much of a wuss, am I? Anyway, I don't have any pictures of skating because I was too much of a wuss to take my camera out on the ice. I'm sure I would have fallen then and broken it. These are the skates that Amber's borrowing from her cousin, who's still too little for this...
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The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton

by Carol4 Comments
The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton I have to admit that I have a growing fondness for steampunk, and there are lots of cool details in this fun, quick read. Julia, airship waitress and music hall dancer, wants to discover who murdered her sister and why. When the famous Lady Law offers to solve the case for free, Julia can't help but agree. After all, Lady Law has caught countless criminals, including Jack the Ripper, beating Scotland Yard to the punch every time. But Julia doesn't entirely trust her, and neither does Julia's new friend, Constable Al Grant. Al and Julia, along with an aging adventurer Horace Holly, unravel the truth. The mystery held my attention, even though I have to say I was a little disappointed in the ending, but simply it used a device that I'm not a big fan of. I truly liked Julia's character. She's a tough lady, but only because she has to be. She's waiting for...
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Game Night Quote

by CarolNo Comments
From The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino: "You know, chess really isn't my kind of game," Kusanagi muttered. Yukawa rolled his eyes. "Here he goes again." "First of all, what's all this about taking your opponent's pieces and not being able to use them? They're the spoils of war! Why can't I add them to my army?" "Don't go blaming the rules of the game. Besides, the fact of the matter is your opponent's pieces aren't spoils, they're soldiers. When you take them off the board, you're kiling them. Not much use for dead soldiers." "But you can use them in shogi!" "Well, credit the man tho though t up shogi for being so flexible. I suppose that when you capture pieces in shogi your'e making them surrender, not killing them. That's why you get to use them again." "Chess should be the same way." "I don't think going turncoat sits well with the spirit of knightood." (pg 39-40 in the ARC)...
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I don’t want a time machine.

by Carol8 Comments
I recently read a story in which the private detective used a time machine to go back in time, view the crimes in progress, so that she could the "solve" them, put the bad guy away and get some publicity. The story was fun enough, and the machine didn't really play too big a part until the end and then it confused things up some, with two versions of her running around and goons from the future with guns, but that's beside the point. Honestly, I wish they had used something else, mind-reading, paying for information, slinking through the shadows gathering information. I'm just not a big fan of time travel. And why does time travel also involve physical space too. Usually not only are they traveling through time but also across distances. Like they leave 21st-century New York and end up in Victorian England. Like it would make more sense to me to leave 21st-century London and wind up...
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