Thursday’s Tale: The Dog and the Shadow

by Carol1 Comment
My poor puppy has a nasty hot spot. I'm picking up some prednisone and powder for him this afternoon, so it should be cleared up in a week or so. But that's why I was thinking about dogs today and I knew Aesop has several fables featuring dogs. A dog had stolen a piece of meat out of a butcher's shop and was crossing a river on his way home, when he saw his own shadow reflected in the stream below. Thinking that it was another dog with another piece of meat, he resolved to make himself master of that also. But in snapping at the supposed treasure, he dropped the bit he was carrying, and so lost all. It is not wise to be too greedy. Can't you just see a dog doing that? Not my dog, of course, because he's not a big fan of water and probably wouldn't have been crossing the stream in the first place. Of course, he...
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WTF by Cathy Yardley

by Carol1 Comment
Amber and I were talking yesterday about what makes me a geek - because I'm obviously a geek. Just the fact that I write book reviews for fun probably qualifies me, but add in our weekly board game night and the fact that we literally had a 45 minute discussion on monster types the other day and there's little doubt. But I don't have any geeky female friends like the women of Geek Actually. I do wish I had a group of friends like them. In this episode, we meet all the women and learn a bit about where they're at in their lives. We see their jobs, husbands and lovers. It's fun and sexy but it also touches on some heavier topics  like body image and sexism. I love the diverse cast of characters and people who I have something in common with (not that I ever go out of my way to swing by a PokeStop). I have read serial...
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My Favorite . . Evil Book Character

by Carol4 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. My favorite evil character is probably the White Witch from The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe. She's powerful, strong and cunning. She's terrifying - she can turn animals and people into stone and plunged Narnia into an endless winter with not Christmas. Have I mentioned I hate cold weather? She's also gorgeous, in an icy way. Who's your favorite evil book character? Join in at Maureen's Books....
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Readers’ Workouts – 6/20

by Carol5 Comments
I made my goal this week. Saturday was Relay for Life, so we spent most of the day walking at the track. This week: I really need to get back into Pilates, weight training and running. Walking is great, but not quite enough for me. And I'm paying for a gym membership that I need to be using more. Tuesday - Walk with the dog Thursday - Walk Friday - Walk with the dog Saturday - Relay for Life Sunday - Pilates Monday - Walk with the dog Meal ideas: Grilled chicken with potato wedges Shrimp with penne Corn and black bean salad Pizza Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. Current: -9.4 - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - 1 10K - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed: 20 How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog....
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The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

by Carol2 Comments
The Collapsing Empire is my first Scalzi book, but since it's the first in a new series in a new world that wasn't a problem.  I have to say I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was getting good review and I needed an audio for the Sci-Fi Readathon. Now, I'm a little upset that I have to wait for the next in the series, which, at least according to Goodreads, isn't expected until 2019. :( The Flow has allowed humans to build a far-flung empire, the Interdependency. The Interdependency is set up so that all the colonies must depend on each other, hence the name. The problem is the flow is changing, moving, becoming inaccessible - outposts will be cut-off, unable to send or receive supplies or people. Eventually, it's going to be a matter of survival, but now it's a political issue, one that the brand-new Emperox has to handle. It's clearly the first in...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Old Woman in the Woods

by Carol1 Comment
It's been a while since I featured a tale by the Grimms. "The Old Woman in the Woods" may be titled after an old woman, but the heroine is more of the standard Grimm type. A poor servant girl, who I assume was lovely and humble and kind, was once traveling through a great forest with her master and mistress, when robbers came out of the trees and murdered everyone they found. Everyone died except the girl, who had jumped out of the carriage and hidden herself behind a tree. After the robbers had taken all the valuables and left, she came out of her hiding place and saw the horrible disaster. She began to weep, and said, "What can a poor girl like me do now? I don't know the way out of the woods. No humans live here, so I'll most certainly starve to death." She walked about looking for a path, but couldn't find one. When evening fell she...
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