Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson

by Carol3 Comments
Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson Crispin is on the case again. This time a tavern girl comes to Crispin for help; whe has a dead man in room, killed by an arrow. It becomes even more complicated when Crispin discovers he is one of three Frenchmen bringing a religious relic to the King - Christ's crown of thorns. And someone's attempting to kill the King. I read this book while ago and had to return it, so I just have a few comments. I enjoyed this "medieval noir." Crispin, a former knight now peasant, is coming to learn what is truly important to him. He's smart, sexy, resourceful, a good hero. The book had several similarities to the first in the series - a woman in distress, a religious relic, but the story was well-plotted and did keep me guessing until the end. Once again, I love the setting, London in the late 1300's, and I'm beginning to feel like...
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Tuesday Teaser from Escapade

by Carol4 Comments
He hadn't apologized. Why should he? He hadn't done anything wrong. He couldn't do anything wrong. Ever. But I was upset, for whatever reason, and he liked me, and so he would mollify me. He was a generous man. (pg. 8, Escapade by Walter Satterthwait) This is a description of Houdini and it just struck me as really fitting, as least for Houdini as the character in this mystery. Whether or not he was like that in real life, I have no idea. This book hasn't really grabbed me yet, but I'm only on page 52. So far, there's been no murder and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hasn't shown up yet. 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 ...
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The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain

by Carol4 Comments
The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain I have to admit that even though Amber has long outgrown them, I still enjoy a visit to Bear Country occasionally. Papa Bear has grown a big pumpkin and is entering it into the annual contest during Bear Country Thanksgiving Festival. Sadly it doesn't win, but the Bear family learns a lesson about the true spirit of the holiday and about all they have to be thankful for. Papa Bear acts like a kid himself a lot of the time, this time getting so wrapped up in winning and his pumpkin that he forgets about everything else. He even trespasses on a neighbor's farm to get at peak at "The Monster," a rival pumpkin. (Can pumpkins be rivals?) So the lesson learned is for him too, not just the cubs. It's cute and just what I expected from a Berenstain Bears story. Purchase at Amazon. Purchase at an Indie Bookstore. 32 pages First published...
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Game Night – Stone Age

by Carol6 Comments
We played Stone Age last weekend. I talked a little about the game last year. At that time I said that I felt like I was getting an idea on what it took to win. I was wrong. Here's the blurb: The times were hard indeed. Our ancestors worked with their legs and backs straining against wooden plows in the stony earth. Of course, progress did not stop with the wooden plow. People always searched for better tools and more productive plants to make their work more effective. In Stone Age, the players live in this time, just as our ancestors did. They collect wood, break stone and wash their gold from the river. They trade freely, expand their village, and so achieve new levels of civilization. With a balance of luck and planning, the players compete for food in this pre-historic time. Risk and grow as your ancestors did. Only then the victory...
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“The Ear of Corn” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

by Carol2 Comments
"The Ear of Corn" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm This is one of the Grimms' shorter Household Tales. In a time when God still walked on the earth and each stalk of corn produced far more than they do now, a woman tore up a handful of ears of corn to clean mud of her daughter's dress. God was angry and threatened that the corn stalks would produce no more food, but relented when the people cried that even if they were undeserving, the birds would starve. The Lord, who foresaw their suffering, had pity on them, and granted the request. So the ears were left as they now grow. We need to be thankful for what we have, for what God's given us, because we can lose it. Definitely a good moral, but not one of my favorite stories. I read...
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