Review: Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol4 Comments
I am so glad this wasn't the first Marsh I had read, because I probably wouldn't pick up another. As it is, I'm just going to assume this is not one of her better offerings and that I'll like others as much as I did Overture to Death. Spinsters in Jeopardy starts off promisingly enough. Inspector Alleyn, his wife, and their son are heading to the French Riviera, for Alleyn it's business, but he brought his family along to make it into a vacation too. On the train in, he and his wife see a shocking scene through the window in a château they pass. It looks as if a woman has been killed. And it just so happens that the murder, if that's what it was, took place at the Chateau of the Silver Goat, among the very people Alleyn wants to investigate. From there it's all downhill into a melodramatic view of the leisure life of the rich and famous....
Read More

Monday Morning

by Carol16 Comments
We had a great time this weekend. Saturday we had a community carnival at our church and went to the races at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Maybe I'll post pictures somewhere later this week. Sunday my mom and I went to see The Help at the theater, which was really good. I got a few books this week. Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Leah of Amused by Books this month. India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr (Thanks to the author and her publicist) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (from Crown) Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett (from Smith Publicity via NetGalley) Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (purchased. currently free for Kindle) I didn't have a very good reading week this past week.  The only books I finished was Witch Bell by Joan Lennon. Here's my list of posts...
Read More

Review: Witch Bell by Joan Lennon

by Carol3 Comments
I love kids books that are fun, but sneak in some education at the same time. Witch Bell is a great example. The plot is full of adventure and great characters, but we also learn a little about medieval life. Pip is an orphan who has been taken in by the brothers at the Wickit Monastery in the fens of England. He has a companion that he met in the tower, a living, breathing small dragon gargoyle named Perfect. How many kids dream of having a pet like that? It's been raining for ages and many of the area residents have arrived at Wickit to escape flooding, including two strangers, the Traveler and the infamous Holy Hunter, an emissary of the Church. Through a series of events, Pip ends of being accused by the Holy Hunter of being in league with the devil. Of course Perfect and their new friend come to his rescue, but the whole adventure is fun and entertaining....
Read More

Top Ten Sequels I’m Dying to Read

by Carol9 Comments
Actually, this was a hard top ten list to make. Lately I've started several series, but just haven't kept caught up with them. Most of the books on my list have been out for several years, I just haven't gotten around to reading them. I'm waiting for a few to be published though. Here they are, in no particular order. A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Gamache 4) by Louise Penny India Black and the Widow of Windsor (India Black 2) by Carol K. Carr Hell and Gone (Charlie Hardie 2) by Duane Swierczynski Ashes of a Black Frost (Iron Elves 3) by Chris Evans Black Butterfly (Lucifer Box 3) by Mark Gatiss Desire Me (Legend Hunters 2) by Robyn DeHart The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad 2) by Tana French For the Defense (Barbara Holloway 3) by Kate Wilhelm The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies 2) by Pittacus Lore Weight of Stone (Vineart War 2) by Laura Gilman I just started using FictFact to keep track of the series I'm reading- really...
Read More

Review: “A Bridge Under Water” by Tom Bissell

by Carol3 Comments
I don't know how I feel about "A Bridge Under Water" by Tom Bissell. The writing is descriptive and just captures the newlywed couple in the story perfectly. The man loved games of all kinds. Obscure board games, video games manufactured prior to 1990, any and all word games, but he also enjoyed purely biophysical games such as rock, paper, scissors—the "essential fairness" of which he claimed to particularly admire. He was , however, miserably bad at rock, paper, scissors, the reason being that he almost always took paper. Neither the man or the woman is particularly likeable, however. I admire that they are trying, but both seem selfish at heart, and I can't really identify with either. They are on their honeymoon, married after only knowing each other for about four months. They got married because she is pregnant, although that won't admit that's the reason. Bissell portrays the tension in the relationship well. The argument is oer religion, even though neither is...
Read More

A Lazy Monday

by Carol6 Comments
It's been a lazy Labor Day Monday. I actually slept until like 11:30, decided that lunch was going to be catch as catch can. We did go grocery shoping but I think that's all I've done, well, and dye my hair. We had our cook-out yesterday, although it turned into more of a cook on the grill then eat inside event. It was too drizzly all day, but we had good food and played some board games. It was a nice day. I haven't done any reading today either, but I did post some things last week. It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Reviews: “Housewifely Arts” by Megan Mayhew Bergman Still Alice by Lisa Genova Nekane, the Lamina & the Bear by Frank P. Araujo The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny Other posts: "Beyond the Peaks" - original flash fiction I joined the RIP VI challenge I shared a couple of photos, Wednesday and Saturday Currently, I’m reading/listening to: Belladonna in Hollywood by Alex Severin Spinsters in...
Read More