X Marks the Spot

by Carol5 Comments
On any good treasure map, X always marks the spot, whether it be a kids game or in a pirate book. The Treasure Hunt in Andrea Camilleri's book, is not a good hunt. Not only is there no X to mark the spot, but the "treasure" is gruesome. Title: Treasure Hunt (Inspector Montalbano #16) Author: Andrea Camilleri Translated by: Stephen Sartarelli Read by: Grover Gardner Category: Mystery Audio published: September 24, 2013 by Blackstone Audio (first published 2010) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon | Book Depository A hail of bullets interrupts a period of dead calm. An elderly brother and sister open fire on the piazza below their apartment, punishing the people of Vigàta for their sins. Montalbano is hailed as a hero when news cameras film him scaling a building — gun in hand — to capture the ancient pair of unlikely snipers. Shortly after, the inspector begins to receive cryptic messages in verse from someone challenging him to go on a “treasure hunt.” Intrigued, he...
Read More

W is for Whimsey

by Carol1 Comment
Whimsey -  1. capricious idea or notion 2. light or fanciful humour 3. something quaint or unusual In Kaye Wilkinson Barley's novel, Whimsey is all those things and the name of an artists' colony on an island off the coast of Georgia. Title: Whimsey: A Novel Author: Kaye Wilkinson Barley Read by: Susanna Burney Category: Magical Realism Audio published: Feburary 6, 2014 Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon Whimsey is a novel of southern fiction with a splash of magic and a touch of fantasy, topped with a sprinkling of humor. The magic was already there when cigar-smoking matriarch Elizabeth Calhoun established an artist's colony on an island off the coast of Georgia and named it Whimsey. Elizabeth's ghost still drops in from time to time to make sure things are going as she planned. There's also a wicked pixie named Earlene who fancies tight-fitting designer clothes and Louboutin stilettos. Elizabeth's grandniece, Emma Hamilton Foley, a once-promising jewelry designer who moved away from the island, now fears...
Read More

T is for Tonight

by Carol7 Comments
Tonight is World Book Night. World Book Night takes place on April 23, 2014 and is in its third year in the U.S., after the UK launch in 2011. It's celebrated today for a couple of reasons. April 23 is the UNESCO International Day of the Book, as well as Shakespeare’s birthday. It was also chosen in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, who died on April 23, 1616. In the Catalan region of Spain, the day is celebrated by giving a book and a flower to a loved one. As part of World Book Night USA, 2,300 bookstores and libraries serve as community organizers for the book distribution to the volunteer givers. Its reach includes all 50 states, Puerto Rico, USVI, and overseas military bases. The WBN picks are by a wide array of award--‐winning and bestselling adult and YA authors, as well as classics, books in Spanish, and books in Large Print. The assortment of 39 WBN titles is based on diversity in...
Read More

P is for Promise

by Carol3 Comments
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan is the perfect book for today. P for Promise, Politics, Powder and Power. Title: Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) Author: Brian McClellan Read by: Christian Rodska Category: Fantasy Audio published: April 6, 2013 by Hachette Audio Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon | Book Depository The Age of Kings is dead...and I have killed it. It's a bloody business overthrowing a king.... Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces. Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail. But when gods...
Read More

L is for Lowcountry

by Carol11 Comments
I just finished reading Southern Heat by David Burnsworth. It's set in Charleston, South Carolina, but often refers to the area as the lowcountry, a term I was unfamiliar with, so I looked it up. The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast, that includes the South Carolina Sea Islands. Once a location that was known for its agricultural wealth, the Lowcountry today is internationally renowned for its historic cities and communities, its natural beauty, and its unique cultural heritage, which have attracted millions of visitors and thousands of new residents. The definition of what constitutes the Lowcountry varies. While it always includes the counties of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties, it usually is broadened to include Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, which is how it is used in the novel. Tourism is the current dominant economic sector throughout much the Lowcountry and is based on resort amenities, historic and cultural sites, and natural features. Hilton Head Island, Fripp...
Read More

H is for Harry

by Carol6 Comments
I can think of a few fictional Harrys. Harry Potter, of course, Dirty Harry, Harry Devlin, Harry Bosch, but today's character is just plain old Harry. Title: Harry on the Rocks Author: Susan Meddaugh Category: Picture Book Published: April 28, 2003 by HMH Books for Young Readers Rating: 3½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository An afternoon boating excursion goes terribly awry when Harry drops his oars and the tide takes him and his little yellow boat out to sea. A storm washes him ashore on an island with nothing but sand and rocks and one windblown tree. Hungry, Harry hopes to eat an egg he finds amid the rocks, but after warming in the sun, the egg doesn’t cook—it hatches! So instead of dinner, Harry finds a friend. But just what is the little, quickly growing, colorful, winged, and lizardlike creature? Harry’s in for more than one surprise as he discovers the true nature of the bizzard’s identity and the friendship they share This is one...
Read More