Carol's Notebook – Page 105

Death by Unknown Event by Eliza Smith

January 6, 2022January 5, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I had never heard of the Cindy James case before, but Death by Unkown Event, another podcast available on Audible Plus, caught my eye. Cindy James suffered for 8 years, filing multiple reports of harassment and assaults. The podcast takes us through the events in Cindy James' life, and looks at the investigators in her case, her ex-husband, the psychiatrists, neighbors, private detective. It's a devastating story. We see all the theories and options, but at the heart of the case is that everyone failed Cindy. I think that's the writer's point. Regardless of how you see the case, Cindy asked for help again and again. And ended up dead....

The Murder of Robert Wone by AYR Media

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I don't usually listen to podcasts - I'm not sure why. The Murder of Robert Wone is available for free on Audible Plus, and it sounded interesting. I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to listen to, so free and short is as good a reason as any. It turned out to be pretty fascinating. Robert Wone was found stabbed to death in his friends' home in Washington, DC. The podcast was put together well. It took a thorough look at the people involved and evidence found that night and in the following days. I usually read crime fiction, where more often than not, we get a resolution. True crime can be messy like it is here. People may have their suspicions, but proof is sometimes impossible to get....

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder by Tina Kashian

January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 by Carol1 Comment

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder is the fifth in the series, but the first I've read. I never felt lost. The author did a good job of introducing the characters and giving me enough background to let me feel like I knew them well. At the same time, I might have cared more about the relationship between Lucy and her boyfriend, Azad, which took up a lot of the book. The mystery itself was well-done. The victim was not a nice person and there were plenty of suspects in town. Lucy had a reasonable reason to be investigating - one of her friends is the prime suspect. The clues were placed well, along with a few red herrings. The story started off well, but the middle was a bit too slow and plodding. I did have a guess who the killer was, so that might have been a bit too obvious since I'm rarely right. I think this is the last of...

A Corpse for Christmas by Rena Leith

January 3, 2022January 3, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

A Corpse for Christmas is the third in the Cass Peake series, but the first I've read. For me, it took a while to get all the characters straight, and I think if I had read the series in order, that wouldn't have been an issue. I also would have felt like I knew at least Cass and the other recurring characters, including Doris the ghost, better. Cass takes on the job of doing a new video for a local college and hires some young people to help her out. It's the holidays so the campus is pretty empty, making it easier to film locations, but while working, Cass and her crew stumble onto a murder. Her obligatory cop boyfriend, George, doesn’t like her getting involved, but Cass of course can't let it go, especially when a neighbor asks for her help. There's a lot going on here. We have the project for the local college; it's Christmas so Cass' brother...

Diversity Reading Challenge

January 2, 2022August 29, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I'm adding one more reading challenge for next year, the 2022 Diversity Reading Challenge hosted at Celebrity Readers. The basic goal is to read diverse books. The author or the main character – or one of the leads, who preferably has a POV – has to belong to a diverse group. According to the definition of We Need Diverse Books: “We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.” The mini-challenge involves monthly themes: JANUARY – diverse folktales/culture/mythology; or diverse retelling; or non-western settingPride,...

COYER Winter

January 1, 2022February 25, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

COYER Winter starts today. COYER is hosted by Berls and Michelle @Because Reading Is Better than Real Life, Stephanie @ Once Upon a Chapter, and Lillian @ Mom With a Reading Problem. Head to any of their blogs or https://www.becausereading.com/its-happening-again-coyer-2022/ for more information. As always, the hashtag is #COYER. COYER is always a little tough for me. There are rules and different ways of participating, but I'm going to give it another shot this year since it is such a great community. Winter runs January through March and it has rather strict rules. Every book you read MUST be in an electronic format – meaning eBook or Audiobook. The books must be FREE or NEARLY FREE! This includes review books, tour books, NetGalley, Edelweiss, etc. What’s nearly free? No more than $3 for eBooks and no more than $5 for Audiobooks (or the equivalent in your currency). Library books, borrowed books, or Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime books, and Audible Plus Catalog books do not qualify.Review &...