Simple Pleasures

by Carol11 Comments
Gamache had risen before the sun that morning. His little travel alarm said 5.55. He was always delighted when a digital clock had all the same numbers. (pg. 174-175) It was a tranquil few minutes, and Gamache appreciated every calm moment, pouring rich full bodied café au lait from the thermos into the little metal cup, and burrowing into the paper bag for a flaky croissant, still warm from the oven. (pg. 175) Gamache is the detective in Still Life by Louise Penny. He is a Chief Inspector with the Sûreté du Québec and is in the small town of Three Pines investigating the death of a long time resident. My comments about the book overall should be up in the next couple of days. What struck me about these two short passages is that even in the middle of a murder investigation, he can take the couple minutes to appreciate the little things, like the numbers matching or a delicious fresh croissant....
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The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley

by Carol7 Comments
The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley Amber (10) and I read this together and both really enjoyed it. It's a fun read, full of familiar fairytale  characters whose lives have been re-imagined in the contemporary world. Daphne and Sabrina Grimm finally start school at Ferryport Landing Elementary. Daphne's lucky and has Snow White as a teacher, but Sabrina is stuck with Mr. Grumpner and a group of sixth-graders who are either asleep or just plain mean. The mystery starts when Mr. Grumpner is found murdered, dangling in a huge spider's web. What is going on at the school? The Grimm sisters and their grandmother have to investigate, and this time Mayor Charming actually admits the town needs the Grimms' help. "This conversation must be an absolute secret," [Charming] said as he stood before them. He leaned down and pinned a shiny tin star on Sabrina's coat. It looked like the kind sheriffs wore in old black-and-white western movies. She peered down at it...
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Game Night – Orson Scott Card

by Carol2 Comments
The only book I've ever read by Orson Scott Card was Ender's Game, which I loved, but I was wandering around the internet the other day and ran across a quote from Hidden Empire. "Should I bring Ticket to Ride or have you finally bought the game?" asked Stevie. "Europe, America, German, Switzerland, Nordic countries, I think we have them all," said Cecily. "And nobody's lost any train cars or destination cards or anything?" "Lettie removed every destination card that leads to Duluth," said Cecily. "But if you bring your own set, she'll just remove them from yours during the game." (pg. 44) I think Lettie made a smart decision, personally. So, that led me to Card's website, Hatrac River. Turns out, Card is something of a game buff himself and has posted reviews of a lot of games, including some that we have enjoyed, like Small World and Scrabble. You can find his list of reviews that include games here. I also started wondering about other...
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The Touchstone by Edith Wharton

by Carol7 Comments
The Touchstone by Edith Wharton This is the only work by Edith Wharton that I've read. It was published in 1900 and was her first published novella. I probably should have started with one of her better known works, like The House of Mirth or The Age of Innocence.  The Touchstone was just not remarkable for me, not one I'll remember. Stephen Glennard is too poor to propose to the woman he wants to marry, the beautiful Alexa Trent. An advertisement in the Spectator, expressing interest in information about the famous novelist Mrs. Aubyn, catches his eye.  He actually has letters written to him by her.  Mrs. Aubyn had been in love with Glennard and the letters, although wonderfully written, were very personal and private, not meant for anyone else to see. Glennard, who had never loved her, makes the morally dubious choice of selling them for puplication, keeping his own name out of it. Now, Glennard is financially secure, but at what...
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Awards

by Carol17 Comments
I received a couple of awards this week that I wanted to share. Freda, from Freda's Voice, awarded me with the Humane Award. Thank you so much! This award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendship through the blog world. I want to pass this on to a few fellow bloggers. Bermudaonion's Weblog Stacy's Books Beth Fish Reads Book Girl of Mur-y Castell Diary of an Eccentric And Ryan at Wordsmithonia gave me this cute award. Thank you so much! But now I want icing. I'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy, then pass this on to 10 other bloggers. 10 Things that Make Me Happy Birthday cake with lots of icing Sugar cookies Days off Watching a movie...
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