Carol's Notebook – Page 172

Readers Imbibing Peril XIV Begins Tomorrow

August 31, 2019September 3, 2019 by Carol8 Comments

Bonfires. Gourds. Sweaters and seasonal socks and candles. It's the fourteenth year of Readers Imbibing Peril, or RIP. The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as: MysterySuspenseThrillerDark FantasyGothicHorrorSupernatural The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not. The goals are simple. Have fun reading.Share that fun with others. Sign up at : https://readersimbibingperil.com/. I'm planning on completing Peril the First: Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (our very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Shirley Jackson or Tananarive Due…or anyone in between....

COYER Summer Wrap-Up

August 30, 2019August 29, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

X marks the spot. I made it the 65 steps to the treasure for Summer COYER. Books read / points earned: Taste of Murder by Helena Marchmont The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi – 4 pts (at least 20 years in the future) The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas – 3 pts (strong female protagonist) The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu – 4 pts (prominently includes gaming in some way) A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper – 1 pt (cover that is at least 51% blue) Death of a Ladies’ Man by Helena Marchmont The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 5 pts – (book that one of your goodreads friends has given 4/5 stars and that another goodreads friend had given 1/2 stars. Patty gave it 4 stars and Diana from Book of Secrets gave it 2) One Summer by Bill Bryson – 3 pts (book that takes place during the summer) 99 Percent Kill by Doug Richardson – 4 pts (book with a number in the...

A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs

August 29, 2019August 29, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

In A Purrfect Alibi, the Oyster Cove Guesthouse is full of psychics, mediums, tea readers, etc. all hoping to speak to the ghost of Jedediah Biddeford and find his treasure. Josie doesn't believe in ghosts and is really just happy to have paying guests, until—surprise, surprise—one of them ends up dead. Nero and Marlowe, the guest house cats, have a case to solve, and a ghost to deal with, because Jed is hanging around now, even if Josie doesn't know it. It's a cute enough story. The cats and Jed are fun. The killer's a little obvious, even if I didn't catch the motive until it was revealed. The Oyster Cover Guesthouse series is light and breezy. The books are perfect for lazy summer afternoons. This counts as 4 pts in the COYER Treasure Hunt (the last book in a series)....

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino

August 28, 2019January 23, 2023 by Carol6 Comments

I have been a fan of Higashino's for years, but the order his books are translated into English seems rather haphazard. Thankfully the ones I've read have all been able to stand on their own, including Newcomer. The newcomer is Detective Kaga, who has been newly transferred to the district. He is investigating the murder of a divorced woman who lived by herself, also a relative newcomer to the area. Kaga is like Sherlock Holmes in a way, picking up on the tiny, seemingly insignificant clues, but he's friendly and nice and puts people at ease. And he doesn't have a sidekick. He works with others in his department, but only when he needs to, he does his best work when he's on his own. This is a puzzle-type mystery. We have an odd assortment of clues and a large batch of potential suspects, but no good, solid possibility. The way the book is set up is a bit unusual. Each section...

Mailbox Monday – 8/26

August 26, 2019January 6, 2020 by Carol8 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 picked up a Kindle freebie, after reading Yvonne's review at Socrates' Book Reviews....

Sunday Salon – 8/25

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

Thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting The Sunday Salon. Stop over there or at the Facebook Groupto participate. Week’s Highlight: Amber and I went to Oglebay on Friday. We did the zoo, including the train ride, and the glass museum. It was a fun afternoon. My mom and I went to the Shaker Woods Festival on Saturday. I bought a couple of cute things and had Smores sweet potato fries. I was going to get a cute denim jacket with lace around the bottom, but someone bought the one I was looking at. :( Reading: I started listening to Bleak House. It's long, but so far I'm enjoying it. Have you read it? What did you think? This week’s posts: It Burns by Marc FennelBread by Scott Cutler Shershow Playing: So, we’ve been participating in a #gameadaychallenge on Facebook for August. It’s been pretty fun actually. We got Kingsburg to the table for the first time this year. Looking forward to: Amber's heading back to college on Labor Day, which means this is her last...