Carol's Notebook – Page 165

Mailbox Monday

November 25, 2019January 6, 2020 by Carol12 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. Left-Handed Death was first published in 1946. I've never read anything by Richard Hull, so am looking forward to it. My review of Christmas at the Chateau is scheduled for December 5....

Christmas Spirit Readathon

November 25, 2019December 8, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

The Christmas Spirit readathon starts today and lasts though December 8!! Thanks to Michelle at Seasons of Reading for hosting again. If you're joining in, the hashtag is #CSreadathon. You don't have to read only Christmas/holiday books during the readathon, but hopefully you will pick up at least one holiday tale. I'll be keeping my progress on this post. 11/29 - Finished Lord James Harrington and the Christmas Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz 12/4 Finished an Ale of Two Cities by Sarah Fox. Read Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson. 12/5 Finished The Christmas Egg by Mary Kelly. 12/6 Started Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey. 12/8 Finished The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories edited by Martin Edwards....

British Crime Classics Challenge 2020

November 22, 2019January 14, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

Rekha at The Book Decoder is hosting the British Crime Classics Challenge. The rules are simple — read British mysteries written before 1965. And the goal is to read as many as you want. I'm starting with six, but I read a lot of classic mysteries, so will probably end up with more. The hasthtag is #BritishCrimeClassicsChallenge....

Calendar of Crime 2020

November 22, 2019April 1, 2020 by Carol1 Comment

I love mysteries, but usually only do one mystery reading challenge a year. This year, I'm going to sign up for a couple more. It may be my year of the mystery. Calendar of Crime, hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block, sounds fun. The goal is to read twelve books, one representing each month. Each month comes with several categories (see chart above) that may be selected to fulfill that month's reading. To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas must figure in some in the plot. Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. All participants who complete the challenge will be eligible for an end-of-year prize drawing. There will also be a...

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

I am a huge Claire North fan. Regardless of topic, her writing is lyrical and vivid and, at times, graphic. The Pursuit of William Abbey begins in the 1880s and continues into the first World War, while taking us around the world. North brings the era, the people, and the places alive for us, through her characters and descriptions. William Abbey is cursed. He watched a boy be tortured and burned without doing or saying anything- this scene is devastating. As the mother kills her child to end his suffering, she sends out her curse and it lands on Abbey. As the blurb says, the shadow of the dead boy starts following him and when it catches him, the person he loves most will die. The person he loves most, not the person he should love, not the person he pretends to love, the person he truly loves most. Using modern transportation, he can stay ahead of the relentless, shuffling...

Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

November 20, 2019December 31, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge starts Monday, November 25. I love reading Christmassy stories. Details:* challenge will run from Monday, November 25, 2019 through Monday, January 6, 2020 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).* cross over with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!* These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and a children’s Christmas books level! I’m aiming for the Christmas Tree level, which is 5 or 6 books. Books Finished: Lord James Harrington and the Christmas Mystery by Lynn FlorkiewiczThe Christmas Egg by Mary KellyAn Ale of Two Cities by Sarah FoxThe Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories edited by Martin EdwardsA Rumpole Christmas by John MortimerThe Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys BowenMerry Murder by C. S. McDonald Novellas Finished: Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson Grievance in Gingerbread Alley by Leighann DobbsCadaver on Candy Cane Lane by Leighann DobbsThe Ghost of Christmas Past by Angie FoxThe Christmas Pact by Vi...