Carol's Notebook – Page 212

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intro

April 24, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

Every Tuesday Vicki at I'd Rather Be At the Beach hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or two of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon. Mine comes from The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan. It's still free for Kindle til the end of the day as part of Amazon Crossing's World Book Day celebration. The House sits on the outskirts of town. The neighborhood is called the Comb. The long buildings of the projects here are arranged in jagged rows, with empty cement squares between them—the intended playgrounds for the young Combers. The teeth of the comb are white. They stare with many eyes and they all look just the same. In places where they haven't sprouted yet, there are the fenced vacant lots. The piles of debris from the houses already knocked down, nesting grounds for rats and stray dogs, are much more appealing to the young Combers than the...

Readers’ Workouts – 4/24

April 24, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

I got my steps in this week. Nothing else though. This week's activities: Tuesday: Yoga Thursday & Friday: Campus tours. Amber's going to Oberlin in the fall and we spent Thursday and Friday at an admitted student event, which involved lots of walking. Monday: Walk with the dog Dinners: We didn't even eat at home much this week. Tuesday - Chicken stir fry Wednesday - Chili mac (church) Thursday - Sweet potato cavatelli with mushrooms (restaurant) Friday - Chicken strips and dumplings (restaurant) Saturday - Chicken patty sandwich and mashed potatoes (mom's) Sunday - Pizza (take out) Monday - Leftover spaghetti and sauce Goals for April Gym – 4 times (current: 1) Yoga – 12 times (current: 2) 92 pts in the #AprilAbs Challenge (Current: 48) Meal ideas for next week: Turkey Cheddar Tacos Pasta with eggplant and mushrooms Thai chicken salad Turkey burgers 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: 10) How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at...

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

April 23, 2018May 2, 2018 by Carol5 Comments

Codename Villanelle stars two women, a top-level assassin and the former MI6 operative whose job it is to find and eliminate her. Both women are strong and well-drawn. Villanelle is a psychopath, but one who knows she's different and uses the knowledge as a strength. Eve is a tough, but has more connections. she has a husband and subordinates; her choices effect not only her life, but theirs too. This is an action story, full of violence and sex, but happily it never quite tips over into graphic or gratuitous. It's a quick read and I enjoyed it, right up until the end. I guess this a collection of 4 novellas. It felt seamless to me, but then it ended with more or less "to be continued," which always just annoys me. If your series is good enough, I will continue to read it without a middle school book trick. Give me a semi-conclusion and leave it there. I'll know the...

My Favorite . . . Upcoming Author

April 18, 2018 by Carol10 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 read many "new" authors. Most that I read have been around for quite awhile. But looking at the books I've enjoyed recently there was one debut novel, The Italian Party. Christina Lynch was the author. She's far from new to writing, but this was her first novel and I loved it. The setting was well-done and the character interesting. This is her bio from her website: Christina Lynch is a novelist, television writer and professor. A former Milan correspondent for W and Women’s Wear Daily, she has written on staff for television shows such as The Dead Zone, Encore! Encore!, Unhappily Ever After and Wildfire. A devoted educator, she has taught television writing for UCLA Extension, and is a full-time tenure track Professor of English at College...

Planning the Perfect Book Club Meeting

April 18, 2018April 16, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

I would love to have a real life book club. Unfortunately I just don't know that I have the time right now - or friends I could convince to join in. If you're like me, you've probably thought about starting your own book club. It would give you a chance to meet with other people who love to read as much as you do and to talk about your favorite books with other people who have read them. However, you may not be sure how to start your own book club or how to run a meeting of one. If that's the case, I did find a few tips to help you get started running your own book club meeting today and to help me if I ever actually do try to start one. First, think about what you will serve at your book club meeting. While some people simply have tea, coffee, and light snacks, if you're planning a large meeting...

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

Every Tuesday Vicki at I'd Rather Be At the Beach hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or two of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon. Mine comes from Picked Off by Linda Lovely. I shrank into a tight crouch and crept along the fence line. The gate sat twenty-five yards away. It felt like a mile. My nerves jangled. Who could blame me? Yesterday's assault would have scared the beans out of a bowl of chili. Mist shrouded the hilly field in the skimpy pre-dawn light. A dark silhouette moved. He was awake, alert. Could I reach the gate before he noticed?...