Carol's Notebook – Page 157

The Black Cat Murders by Karen Baugh Menuhin

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

I'm becoming rather fond of this series. This time around, Lenox visits another country house, this time the home of a childhood friend for her wedding celebration. There are several activities leading up to the wedding including a couple of operas performed in the theater on-site. (Yeah, several of the guests find this a bit odd, too.) During one of these performances, a man is killed when a trapdoor gives way under him. It's considered an accident at the time, but the doctor thinks it's fishy and asks Lenox to do a bit of investigating while he's there. Lenox is in the difficult position of helping Scotland Yard's investigating, pursuing his own leads, and not disrupting the wedding party. I liked how everything wound together, the paintings, the various characters, the swords. I felt all the clues fell together well, although I'm not sure I actually liked who the culprit turned out to be. It made sense, but only up...

FitReaders – 1/22

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

I did not do so great with my goals this week. FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog and That’s What I’m Talking About. The hashtag is #FitReaders. Goals for 2020: Lose 12 poundsGet back to being able to run 3-5 milesEat more plant-based, whole-food meals – probably will do this more intentionally next month. With Amber home it’s not the easiest thing to do. Goals for January: 8,000 steps, 5 days per week – 6/7 Exercise at least 30 minutes, 5 days per week – 0Keep a food log – 5/7 (this week I’ll try harder to stay under my calorie count) Drink 6 glasses of water a day, 7 days a week – Totally forgot to track this. What I need to do is make exercise a priority on my calendar, but I have tons of excuses - it's cold out, I should hang out with Amber while she's home, I need to practice......

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

At heart, Lost Hills is a police procedural. Eve is new to the homicide division, having been promoted more due to sway public opinion than because of her actual skills. This is her first major case and it has the potential to make her a star or to go terribly awry. The crime is gruesome, and a lot more bloody than most books I read. Eve is tough and intelligent. She knows fate threw her a good turn with the new job and she's determined to prove she belongs. She's no-nonsense and super dedicated. She's paired with an older detective who is close to retirement. He provides some of the funnier moments, but he also supports her when it seems reasonable, lends his experience and authority to the investigation, and reminds her to do things like eat and sleep. He believes in balancing life and the job, which is an example she clearly needs. This is police work that doesn't...

Sunday Salon- 1/19

January 19, 2020January 19, 2020 by Carol5 Comments

Thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting The Sunday Salon. Stop over there or at the Facebook Group to participate. Week’s Highlight: Our week was actually pretty quiet. It's not really a highlight, but a superload got stuck in front of my office for two hours on Monday. I had to walk somewhere for lunch and the only walkable place when it's cold out is Dollar General. Ours does not have good food choices. Reading: I'm about halfway through Orlando. I might read some of it later this evening. This week's posts: The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich and Peter EvanovichPolice at the Funeral by Margery AllinghamWhy We Can’t Sleep by Ada Calhoun Watching: We watch The Irishman on Netflix last night. It was really good. I think Amber even liked although she had never heard of Hoffa before. Turns out neither she nor David has seen The Godfather, so we may have to watch that before she goes back to school. Looking forward to: I have tomorrow off work, so I think Amber...

How To Help Children Develop a Love for Reading

January 18, 2020January 13, 2020 by Carol1 Comment

Most parents can’t wait for a child to begin reading. The anticipation is so great that some begin teaching the skills to those as young as 2 years old. Success is never guaranteed, however. Some children are natural bookworms, while others rate reading only slightly more favorably than visiting a dentist. When kids regard it as more labor than love, parents may need to take a novel approach to honing a youngster’s literacy skills. Here are two ways to increase a child’s interest in reading. Make It Personal Storytelling is a great way to introduce children to reading. From spinning yarns by the fire to reading bedtime stories at night, it inspires them to explore the written word. You can further engage a child by inserting him or her, or other family members, into a story when appropriate. As children reach reading age, let the young learner pick the stories he or she is interested in. You may have beloved childhood memories of...

The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

The Big Kauna is the 6th in the Fox and O'Hare series, but can totally be read as a stand-alone. And maybe should be. It's a good adventure, just doesn't fit well with the rest of the series. Kate is FBI forced to team up with Nick, a con man/crook. Throughout the series, the relationship between those two has been the draw. They are attracted to each other, and equals in intelligence and toughness, but their different morals cause the tension. Here the chemistry wasn't as charming. It was more Nick makes a pass, Kate blows him off. I didn't buy it. They banter wasn't amusing, it was awkward. And I thought their relationship was a little close after #5 than it appears here, but I could be misremembering. In addition to Nick and Kate, we always have a rag-tag crew. Kate's dad is along to provide all the necessary explosions and big weapons. We've also got an instragram celebrity, her...