Books – Page 18 – Carol's Notebook

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

March 27, 2013 by Carol12 Comments

Recommending books is always hard. I may recommend a certain book to my daughter that I would never recommend to one of my friends. And what if the person hates a book I love? Here are some of the books I tend to tell people they should read. Classic The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Yes, it's long, but it's a grand adventure and the revenge novel. Make sure you get the unabridged version. General Fiction The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Made me laugh and cry and gave me a new look at the South in the 60s. Mystery Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series - tTis is the only mystery series I've told my mother she had to read. They have more layers than the average who dunnit. Have Gun, Will Play by Camille LaGuerre - The sleuths in this Old West mystery are one of my favorite fictional couples. Fantasy Trash, Sex, Magic by Jennifer Stevenson - Unique plot, gorgeous writing, truly memorable. Childrens/ Middle School Favorite Tales...

Review: Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell

March 25, 2013April 2, 2020 by Carol6 Comments

Title: Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford #21) Author: Ruth Rendell Read by: Simon Vance Category: Mystery- Police Procedural Audio published: June 10, 2010 by Random House Audio (First published: January 1, 2007) Rating: 3½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository When the truffle-hunting dog starts to dig furiously, his master’s first reaction is delight at the size of the clump the dog has unearthed: at the going rate, this one truffle might be worth several hundred pounds. Then the dirt falls away to reveal not a precious mushroom but the bones and tendons of what is clearly a human hand. In Not in the Flesh, Chief Inspector Wexford tries to piece together events that took place eleven years earlier, a time when someone was secretly interred in a secluded patch of English countryside. Now Wexford and his team will need to interrogate everyone who lives nearby to see if they can turn up a match for the dead man among the...

Thursday’s Tale: Brave Margaret

March 21, 2013March 21, 2013 by Carol4 Comments

Today's tale is adapted from "Simon and Margaret" in West Irish Folk-Tales and Romances, collected by William Larmine and published in 1893. The version I read is Brave Margaret by Robert D. San Souce, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Margaret is an amazing heroine, a nice contrast to all the princesses out there who need rescuing. She lives alone in western Ireland and is quite content. She was hard-working and wise, but yearned to know what lay beyond the sea or behind the cliffs. One day, a handsome prince, Simon, stops at her cottage and explains that he and his men are on a voyage but need meat to continue. she agrees to give him her cattle as long as he takes her along too. She's looking forward to the adventure and has also fallen a little in love with Simon.He agrees, and reluctantly lets her join the crew. At sea, a sea serpent threatens the boat, saying they must give her the red woman. Simon refuses of...

Review: The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

March 18, 2013March 18, 2013 by Carol12 Comments

Title: The Uninvited Guests Author: Sadie Jones Read by: Kate Reading Category: Fiction Audio published: October 2, 2012 by Harper Audio (First published: January 1, 2012) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief. The cook toils over mock turtle soup and a chocolate cake covered with green sugar roses, which the hungry band of visitors is not invited to taste. But nothing, it seems, will go according to plan. As the passengers wearily search for rest, the house undergoes a strange transformation. One of their number (who is most definitely not a gentleman) makes it his business to join the birthday revels. Evening...

Review: God Is on the Cross by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

March 15, 2013April 1, 2013 by Carol4 Comments

Title: God is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter Author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Category: Devotional, Holidays - Easter & Lent Published: September 8, 2012 by Westminster John Knox Press Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository These forty stirring devotions will guide and inspire readers as they move thematically through the weeks of Lent and Easter, encountering themes of prayerful reflection, self-denial, temptation, suffering, and the meaning of the cross. Passages from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters and sermons provide special encouragement as readers prepare themselves spiritually for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Supplemented by an informative introduction to Bonhoeffer's life and a Scripture passage for each day of the season, these daily devotions are moving reminders of the true gift of Christ on the cross. The author of this devotional is listed as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but in reality it's a collection of passages from his writings, and even some from others who share his outlook, with each piece accompanied by a...

Thursday’s Tale: Fair, Brown & Trembling by Jude Daly

March 14, 2013 by Carol3 Comments

Fair, Brown & Trembling retold by Jude Daly is a traditional Irish fairytale, similar to Cinderella. It's a wonderful change-up from the usual fairy tales and would be a nice read-aloud around St. Patrick's Day. Three sisters, Fair, Brown, and Trembling, and their father live in a castle high in the hills of Ireland. Terrible names for daughters, don't you think? Their mother had died. Since Trembling was the most beautiful, her older sisters made her stay at home instead of going to church on Sundays, for fear that she would marry before them. One sunday morning, the henwife told Trembling she should go to church; when she objected that she had no suitable dress, the henwife put on her"cloak of darkness" and gae her a lily-white gown and shamrock-green shoes. Outside a horse was waiting for Trembling. The henwife told Trembling not to go inside the church door and to return home as fast as she can immediately after the service. That "cloak of darkness" is interesting. Is it a trademark...