Carol's Notebook – Page 206

2018 Audiobook Challenge Semi-annual Update

July 10, 2018 by CarolNo Comments

We're halfway through the year! I'm actually on track for the Audiobook Challenge, which is hosted by Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer. I've listened to 18 and my goal is 30. Here's my list so far: Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri The Innocents Abroad: Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress by Mark Twain The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy Artemis by Andy Weir I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson Lock In by John Scalzi The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Head On by John Scalzi The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie The...

Readers’ Workouts – 7/10

July 10, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

I did pretty good hitting my step goal this week and I even made it to the gym once. I have not been so great at getting 8 hours of sleep though. This Week's Activities: Thursday - Elliptical Sunday - Yard work Current Audiobook: Finished The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. I think next up might be American Eden by Victoria Johnson. Meal ideas for next week: This week is tough for dinner. We have VBS at church, which means my husband heads straight over there after work. I made pizza pockets for tonight which are easy to grab and go. I'm thinking about making some taco pockets or veggie pita sandwiches for later this week. What do you eat when you don't have time to sit down? Then this weekend, we're heading to the lake, which usually means burgers and hotdogs on the grill and pizza. Maybe I'll see if we can rent canoes one day. 2018 Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 25 lbs. -...

The Annotated Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

July 5, 2018May 5, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I read a lot of crime fiction and mystery stories, both modern and classic, but somehow I've skipped over Philip Marlowe. In this introduction to Marlowe, a dying millionaire hires him to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in. As the annotations show, even though this is the first in the series, it's not really the first time we may have met Marlowe, although under other names. Chandler apparently often took earlier short stories he had written for pulp magazines like Black Mask, and combined and expanded them into the Marlowe novels. The Big Sleep is a complicated story, set in 1930s Los Angeles, involving blackmail and a bookstore that is a rental library for pornography. The annotations provide lots of information about the time period, about Chandler's writing, and about some of...

Readers’ Workouts – 7/3

July 3, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

I didn't quite make my steps this week, but I came close. I need to get back to doing yoga and going to the gym or, even better, running. Current Audiobook: (It is Readers Workouts after all) The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz Meal ideas for next week: These are the same as last week, since I didn't actually cook any of these. Sloppy joes with zucchini apple hash Chicken parmesan soup Sweet and sour pork Chicken tacos 2018 Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 25 lbs. - Run 4 races of any length - Hit my weekly step goal (average 8,000 steps/day) for 36 weeks. (Current total: 12) How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog...

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

July 2, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is definitely one of Agatha Christie's best, but it was a reread for me, so I knew who the killer was. And the whodunnit is what makes this such a great mystery. Hercule Poirot has "retired" to the peaceful village of King’s Abbot, keeping his former career as a detective a secret, but of course someone - Roger Ackroyd - is killed. Ackroyd was actually a friend of Poirot, one of the few who knew his work, and the niece, Flora, asks Poirot to investigate. Poirot doesn't have his Hastings here, so the part of narrator/sidekick is covered by Dr. Sheppard, Poirot's neighbor and the one who discovered the body. Poirot is his usual silly, brilliant self. I like that we meet him before he takes the case and I love that they assume he used to be a hairdresser. "Look at that moustache of his." The mystery is well-plotted with plenty of suspects and red herrings. I enjoyed...

Head On by John Scalzi

June 29, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

Head On could work as a stand alone, but I think it's best to read Lock In first, to get a full feeling for the world and the main characters Chris and Vann. In the near future, a portion of the population has been affected by Haden’s syndrome, leaving some “locked in,” awake and aware, but unable to move or respond without computer/mechanical help. Our mystery this time around centers on the death of a Hilketa player. The player, like almost all Hilketa players, is a Haden, piloting his specialty threep remotely. Since the crime involves a Haden, it's FBI territory and this case falls to Chris and Vann. It doesn't hurt that Chris was at the game when the player died - Chris's father is potential investor in the Washington franchise. The world Scalzi has created is well-done - believable and possible, but t heart, this is a police procedural with a cool sci-fi backdrop. Chris and Vann make great partners...