Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Challenge: Holiday Songs Crossword

Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Challenge: Holiday Songs Crossword

by Carol10 Comments
I hope everyone's enjoying the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon. Welcome to the Holiday Songs Crossword Challenge. You can enter in a few ways: print it out and take a photo of your completed puzzle and post in on Instagram or Twitter (tag me @carolsnotebook); share your answers in the comments section; or below the puzzle, there's a link to solve it on-line. Remember, the giveaway is only open to those participating in the readathon. I'll be giving away a $20 Amazon gift card or a book of your choice from the Book Depository to one random winner. Have fun! And the winner is Katherine!! Thanks for playing along everyone....
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Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon

Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon

by Carol2 Comments
The Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon starts today and runs through November 30. That's 12 days of reading holiday or winter themed books. Mine will probably mostly be mysteries. Nothing beats a good country house mystery where the party is snowed in for the holidays. If you want to join in, head over to the sign up post at Caffeinated Reviewer. There will be challenges and prizes. I'll keep my updates here, with (hopefully) links to my reviews. I'm also on twitter and instagram. The hashtag is #HoHoHoRAT. Books finished: The Diva Wraps It Up by Krista DavisThe Hour of Death by Jane Willan...
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Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James

Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James

by Carol4 Comments
Christmas at the Cornish Confetti Agency, was a sweet, fun book to read with a cup of hot chocolate or my favorite coffee, cinnamon sugar cookie, which just returned to store shelves for the season. I love a good holiday romance and this one hit all the right notes. We have a lovely, snowy setting, happy couples, Christmas trees, cookies, and mulled wine. This is the third in the series and starts right in with the lead-up to Phoebe and Sam’s Christmas wedding. This is first I've read and it did take me a little while to feel comfortable with who the characters are and their relationships to each other. Once I got to know them, though, it's a fabulous group, fun to spend time with. Lexie is, temporarily, a wedding planner, and she wants this wedding to be perfect. I loved all of the activities leading up to the wedding party, like decorating Christmas trees and making gingerbread creations....
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A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

by CarolNo Comments
I was looking for something shorter to end my October with and decided I couldn't go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes story. I'm sure I've read A Study in Scarlet at some time in the past, but didn't remember much about it. It's the first of the Holmes stories, the one where he and Watson first meet. Dr. John Watson is back from the war, in London and running a bit low on funds. He isn't able to afford a decent apartment but is introduces to Holmes through a mutual friend. Holmes, as we know, is a "consultant detective", consulted not only by private individuals, but also by Scotland Yard. Soon, Holmes is called to the scene of a murder, and he brings Watson along with him. We get to know a lot about Holmes. He's strange and brilliant and has developed his own methods of detection. Part 2 of this one goes a little amok, off into Utah and Mormonism...
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The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie

The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie

by CarolNo Comments
The setting of The Forger and the Thief is fascinating in and of itself. In 1966 Florence was hit with the most devastating flood in centuries, and as a result 101people died and countless works of art and literature were destroyed. Five strangers are in Florence, each for their own reasons: an abused wife fleeing her husband, an aspiring artist looking for a family heirloom stolen during WWII, a disgraced man in town for the wedding of the woman he loves to another man, an easily overlooked museum cleaner warped by family tragedy, and a cop on the way out. Each is introduced in short chapters at the beginning of the book and it's a bit much all at one, lots of characters, lots of motivations. It was a bit confusing, especially when none of them were interacting with each other yet. And the river is a character too, vengeful and strong. The characters, for the most part, are not...
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