Carol's Notebook – Page 161

Reading Classic Books Challenge

December 23, 2019October 20, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

Erica from The Broken Spine is hosting a new reading challenge, Reading Classic Books. I've been loving the classics I've been reading but a bit of a push never hurts. You can find out more about the challenge at her post. Our hashtag will be #readclassicbooks2020. THE CATEGORIES: (My potential reads are in italics, but they’re open to change. Books may be used for up to two prompts.) Read a classic over 500 pages: Dune by Frank HerbertRead a classic by a POC and/or with a POC as the main character: A Rage in Harlem by Chester HimesRead a classic that takes place in a country other than where you live: The Woman in White by Wilkie CollinsRead a classic in translation: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne Read a classic by a new to you author: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa CatherRead a book of poetry: The Odyssey by Homer Read a classic written between 1800-1860: Walden by Henry...

Mailbox Monday – 12/23

December 23, 2019February 5, 2020 by Carol10 Comments

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Tell us about your new arrivals by adding your Mailbox Monday post to the linky at mailboxmonday.wordpress.com. I received a wonderful package from by Bookish Secret Santa, Adam at Roof Beam Reader. I also picked up Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke....

Sunday Salon – 12/22

December 22, 2019December 23, 2019 by Carol6 Comments

Thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting The Sunday Salon. Stop over there or at the Facebook Group to participate. Week’s Highlight: My mom and I went to a paint and sip on Friday. This is a not great photo of my painting. Amber came home on Saturday. She's going to be spending January at home painting. Reading: The Classics Club Spin landed on 13, which means I'll be reading Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I don't own a copy, so now I have to decide which edition to get. Any suggestions? All the books/novellas I posted about this week were Christmas stories: A Rumpole Christmas by John MortimerApple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne LindseyThe Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope WardCadaver on Candy Cane Lane by Leighann DobbsGrievance in Gingerbread Alley by Leighann Dobbs Playing: We played Wingspan on Friday. David won by a fair amount, but it's a fun game all about birds. It's a light engine builder at heart, and I really enjoy the theme and the bird cards. Looking...

A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

I have some books that come out every year with the Christmas decorations. Some I've read multiple times, like A Christmas Carol, and some I haven't gotten around to yet. This year I finally picked up A Rumpole Christmas from the stack and thoroughly enjoyed the stories. I'm familiar with Rumpole of the Bailey and "She Who Must Be Obeyed." I feel like I must have seen some episodes back when it was on PBS Mystery! which we used to watch almost weekly. Barrister Horace Rumpole, defender of the criminal class, loves his work. Fortunately, work finds him even during the Christmas holidays, whether it be spending Christmas at a health farm when a murder occurs, meeting former clients under interesting circumstances, or being booked into the same hotel as a judge. Rumpole character is funny, wry, and insightful, and some of his comments about terrorists and the Church could have been made now. He honestly enjoys defending his...

Femibooks Non-Fiction Reading Challenge

December 20, 2019May 15, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

So, I was looking for a non-fiction reading challenge for next year, mostly because that's the only way I read non-fiction. The Femibooks Non-Fiction Reading Challenge looks perfect. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5YDwDsA-zf/ I love the variety of categories. My goal will actually be 12 books, but since the categories can overlap, I'm not sure how many of the 24 I'll cover. Edited: So there's no rules and this year I'm apparently focusing on happiness, I may have multiple personal development books rather than trying to cover as many categories as possible. Released in 2020: Why We Can’t Sleep by Ada Calhoun Memoir from a writer who is still alive: Becoming by Michelle ObamaAbout history: The Radium Girls by Kate MooreAbout personal development: The How of Happiness by Sonja LyubomirskyAbout personal development: Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen...

The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

The Christmas Pact was a short, sweet romance with a lot of Christmas decorations in the background. On the surface, it's a fun story. The couple meet after occasionally, accidentally receiving each other's work e-mails. Riley Kennedy and Kennedy Riley - you can see how that might get confusing. Riley is pretty sure Kennedy is a jerk, he insists on actually reading her e-mails and adding his two cents before forwarding them to her. They agree to pose as a couple over the Christmas holiday. It will help them both with family issues. Surprise, surprise, they actually start to have feelings for each other. I sound sarcastic, but the story was full of tender, endearing moments when they connected well. And of course, we get a happy ending. Riley was a good character, funny, insecure, cute. Kennedy, however, I wasn't actually fond of. When he was on his good behavior, he was sweet, amusing, and of course sexy, but his...