Thumbling by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

by Carol3 Comments
"Thumbling" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The story of Thumbling is an odd little fairy tale. It starts like many others with a couple wishing they had a child. At last their wish is granted, although their son is only as long as a thumb. He's not helpless however, and convinces his father to sell him to two strangers who plan to exhibit him in a town. Thumbling escapes from those two only to decide to hitch a ride with a pair of robbers. He tells them that he will help them steal from a pastor, but when the get to the home, Thumbling disrupts their plan. Not that it does him any good. He ends up getting eaten by a cow and after he screams loud enough the cow is killed because the pastor thinks it is possessed. Unfortunately, before Thumbling can escape from the stomach, the stomach is taken by a wolf who eats it. Thumbling speaks to the...
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Holiday Reading Challenge Wrap-up

by Carol3 Comments
I didn't get around to all the holiday books that I wanted to read, but I did finish several. I may read one more in January, but this challenge ends at the end of the month. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews The Fat Man by Ken Harmon A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry...
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100+ Reading Challenge Wrap-up

by Carol9 Comments
I met my goal for this challenge. Below is the list of books I read, most of  which have links to my comments. My favorites for the year are listed on my sidebar. The Touchstone by Edith Wharton The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz Rion by Susan Kearney 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr 101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle by Dawn Del Russo The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley Still Life by Louise Penny The Girl who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse The Bug Scientists by Donna M. Jackson Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep The Problem Child by Michael Buckley (more…)...
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A to Z Challenge Wrap-up

by Carol2 Comments
I completed 42 out of 52 books for this challenge. I don't think that's too bad really. Here's the list: Authors: Stop Calling Him Honey and Start Having Sex by Maggie Arana and Julienne Davis 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass The Girl who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving J Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle The Tao of Willie by Willie Nelson The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old Still Life by Louise Penny Q Montana Legacy by R. C. Ryan The Help by Kathryn Stockett Casey at the Bat by Ernest L. Thayer U Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguié The Touchstone by Edith Wharton X Johnny Appleseed by Jane Yolen Z Titles Ashpet by Joanne Compton Bayou Vol 1 by Jeremy Love Chickerella by Mary Jane and Herm Auch Donner the Western Dragon...
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India Black by Carol K. Carr

by Carol25 Comments
India Black by Carol K. Carr India Black - owner of a brothel coerced into being a spy for the British Government. I don't know if liked her, but I found her fascinating. The year is 1876. It's winter in London. Victoria is queen and Disraeli is prime minister. Sir Archibald Latham of the War department dies in India's brothel, the Lotus House. As she is disposing of the body - bad for business, you know - she is discovered by French who works for the PM. India is basically blackmailed into helping him retrieve documents that Latham had with him and that have disappeared. India falls headfirst into the deadly game of cat and mouse with the Russians. India is one of a kind. She's seen a lot in her life, knows that London is a tough city. She's cynical and carries a gun that she is more than capable of using. She's a businesswoman at heart, taking care of her tarts...
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