Carol's Notebook – Page 211

Old Misery by James Sage

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I admit it. The drawings are what drew me to Old Misery, along with the title. The blurb above gives a good summary, but I will say I found it amusing who all managed to get stuck in her tree. The illustrations are perfect for the story, simple and amusing but grim too. But we all know that wishes can often be double-edged swords. The "surprise visitor" who really probably wasn't much of a surprise to the old woman, ends up stuck in the tree and Old Misery learns why you have to be so careful with your wished. It's a cute re-telling of the Auntie Misery folktale. It's dark and a reminder that there will always be Misery and Death in the world, but I'm pretty sure there are certain kids, some of whom may or may not be in my family, who will love it....

Fish-Boy by Vanita Oelschlager

May 1, 2018May 2, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I wanted to love Fish-Boy. It's a re-telling of an Inuit tale and the illustrations are gorgeous. It has several good lessons about acceptance, hospitality and fear. It also shows that people with handicaps can be full contributors to a community. There's a bit of magic and like in any good tale, the bad guys get punished and the good guys get rewarded. My problem was it was a little confusing and perhaps a touch long. The legend is being told by an elder to a boy during a trading expedition. I like that the emphasis here is on passing down stories. The legend itself is about Fish-boy and his adoptive father and tells why there are so many puffins near the Bering Strait. There were a couple bits that I didn't quite understand why they happened, but I liked the fish-boy's attitude and his father's kindness. The illustrations are lovely and may be worth picking up the book on their own. Here's...

It’s Readathon Time!!

April 28, 2018April 29, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

It's Read-a-thon time! It's Read-a-thon time! I actually probably won't get to start reading for a couple of hours - because I'm probably still asleep right now. I'm not good at waking up on Saturdays, even for readathons. Opening Meme 1 What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I'm in eastern Ohio. 2 Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I'm actually winging it today. I'm going to start by finishing The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. After that I'm not sure. 3 Which snack are you most looking forward to? I'm on my own for most of today. I'm having spaghetti and sauce for dinner and maybe an apple turnover. I also picked up some crackers and cheese. 4 Tell us a little something about yourself! I read mostly mysteries, with the occasional romance or fantasy. 5 If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different...

Readathon Mini-Challenge: Artful Covers

April 27, 2018April 29, 2018 by Carol36 Comments

Hello, Readathon participants! Welcome to the Artful Covers Mini-Challenge! Find an artsy image that you think would make a great cover for your current read. Please make sure your selection is free and legal to use, and be sure to credit the artist/photographer. You can also take a photo or draw a quick picture yourself, if you're artistic. Share your cover on your blog, Twitter, or Instagram. If you don't use social media (or if you're too focused on reading), you can post it in the comments here. An example: Picked Off by Linda Lovely is on my stack for today. The main character lives on a goat farm. I wish I could take credit for the picture, but I had my daughter paint it for me. I found this image on pixabay.com. I think it could make a beautiful book cover, just not for anything I'm reading right now. Now it's your turn! Find or create a cover and share. We'll use the hashtag #artfulcovers...

My Favorite . . Game

April 25, 2018 by Carol13 Comments

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme. I don't play video games and I could care less about sports, but we bowl once in a while and play lots of board games. It's actually tough for me to pick my favorite game. It's kind of like choosing a favorite book. It's just too hard, so I'm going to list a few favorites. Classic - Scrabble Cooperative - Mysterium Tile placement - Castles of Mad King Ludwig Deck building - Ascension (and its expansions) Worker placement - Viticulture Dice - Roll for the Galaxy Press your luck - Celestia Dexterity - Suspend Party Game - Codenames What's your favorite game? Join in at Maureen's Books....

Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

April 25, 2018May 2, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

Not Quite Narwhal is a sweet little story. Kelp is born at the bottom of the sea with the narwhals. Now, we know he's a unicorn with a kind of bubble around his head, but he thinks he's a narwal. All the narwhals love and adore him, even if he's not like them. Then one day he sees a unicorn and realizes that he's a unicorn, too. Only he still has bubble around his head on land too. Okay, so the bubble probably bothered me more than it would a kid. All the unicorns accept him and the narwhals greet his announcement that he's a unicorn with well, of course he is, they knew it all along. And they never gave him the chance to meet any other unicorns? The story's about accepting each other, differences and all, and about being yourself. The illustrations are whimsical, soft and lovely. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but I'm...