Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

by Carol6 Comments
Meddling Kids was my "scary" read for October and I have to say I loved it. In full disclosure, we are huge fans of Scooby-Doo; we own all the original episodes on DVD and some of the newer ones; we read tons of the paperback kids books when Amber was younger. Also, Amber and I have read a fair amount of Lovecraft and we play at least two Lovecraft themed board games occasionally; she even did a report in school on him. So, I feel like I am this book's target audience. I have not read any of Edith Blyton's Famous Five stories, but I feel like I should. This book is fabulous on its own, but it's also a kind of tribute and it knows it, if that makes sense. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes, it's fan fic, but the best kind. You can read the blurb. The Blyton Summer Detective Club "solved" their last mystery back in 1977,...
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My Favorite . . Book Character I’d Like to Go Shopping With

by Carol14 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 mostly read mysteries and the main characters seem to attract murders. I'm not sure that I'd really want to go shopping with any of them, for fear of being the secondary character who ends up dead or in jail. Also, most of them are not really into shopping. They're more likely to work in a bookstore than shop in one, to interrogate the store owner instead of trying on dresses. Instead, I'm going with where I would like to shop. Okay, I'm skipping the obvious ones - New York, Paris, etc. and going with a purely fictional town, Three Pines from Louise Penny's Gamache series. There's the bookstore, the boulangerie, and the bistro and...
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Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome by An Swerts

by Carol6 Comments
Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome is a sweet little Christmas story. I love how Tess' grandparents play along, building furniture and making a blanket for the gnome that Santa will surely bring. Of course, Santa doesn't bring a gnome, but he does bring a darling little hamster who needs a home. And the becomes her best friend of course. The illustrations are sweet and gentle, like the cover. It would be a nice read to book to share with kids. But I'm not a big fan of animals as Christmas presents. It made for a heart-warming ending here, but animals, even hamsters, are a big commitment not something to buy on impulse because your daughter is expecting a gnome on Christmas. But kids won't look at it that way, they'll just enjoy the story and maybe ask for a gnome or hamster of their own....
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Readers’ Workouts – 10/24

by Carol3 Comments
I actually hit my weekly step goal this time!   This week's activities: Tuesday - Walk with the dog, Pilates Wednesday - Pilates Thursday - Walk with the dog, walk on my own Saturday - Walk Meal ideas for next week: Chicken parmesan Chicken casserole Pork tacos Chicken soup (Hmm - maybe too much chicken?) Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. (Currently at -15.6) - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - 1 10K; 1 5K - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed: 30 How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog....
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24-Hour Readathon – Closing Survey

by Carol4 Comments
The Readathon ended this morning, but I was sound asleep by then. Closing Survey! 1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Most of the first half I wasn't able to read much, which was a bit disappointing. Then, I gave in and went to bed around hour 17 or 18. 2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! I finished Bones to Pick by Linda Lovely, Santa, Please Bring Me a Gnome by An Swerts, and Sinbad the Sailor. I also read part of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. 3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? Cozy mysteries are usually shorter, fun reads. 4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? The readathon always makes me smile. 5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I'll definitely participate again. One of these days I'm going to make the...
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