Thursday’s Tale: Sila Tsarevich and Ivashka with the White Smock

by Carol1 Comment
"Sila Tsarevich and Ivashka with the White Smock" comes from Russia, as you can probably tell from the title. The version I read was from Robert Steele in The Russian Garland of Fairy Tales: Being Russian Folk Legends Translated from a Collection of Chapbooks Made in Moscow in 1916. It's a type of helper story, in this case categorized as "The Grateful Dead." There was once a tsar, named Chotei, who had three sons -- the first, Aspar Tsarevich; the second, Adam Tsarevich; and the third and youngest son, Sila Tsarevich. All three got their father's permission to travel and see the world. the three set sail, each on his own ship. When they were out on the open sea, the eldest brother's ship sailed first, the second brother's next, and Sila Tsarevich sailed last. On the third day of the voyage they saw a coffin with iron bands floating on the waves. The two oldest brothers sailed past without paying any attention...
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The Dying Alderman by Henry Wade

by CarolNo Comments
The Dying Alderman is the first mystery I've read by Henry Wade; he's not a writer I'd heard of before, but it looks like most of his are out for Kindle now, so I'll probably pick up more. The Dying Alderman is a well-plotted mystery with characters who are nuanced and believable. There are three cops working the case, Race who is new to the job, Vorley who is steeped in local gossip and prejudices, and Lott, the outsider who can be a bit heavy-handed in his questioning of suspects. Each of the men brings something to the plate. My favorite was Race, but Lott's goading of Vorley is rather amusing at times. Lott and Vorley are focussed on two different suspects and each seems reasonable. Wade does a good job with the police procedural aspect, but doesn't leave us with the impression that police are perfect, instead we know some may have their own agendas that don't necessarily fit with finding the truth. The...
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Readers’ Workouts – 10/4

by Carol5 Comments
Here are my steps for the week. A work week challenge helped me stay close to on track. My current plan is to do cardio on Tuesday (60 mins), upper body on Wednesday, cardio on Thursday (60 mins), a total body workout on Friday, cardio on Saturday (60+ mins), and a core workout on Monday. I'm also trying to do a 10 minute-ish Pilates workout each day. Tuesday - 60 mins elliptical. 30 mins Pilates Wednesday - 15 mins arms. 10 mins Pilates Saturday - Walk with the dog. Dance class was cancelled. :( Monday - 10 mins Pilates I usually listen to a book while I'm walking, jogging, whatever. This week I finished Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. I'm challenging myself to do 21-days with no junk food. Yesterday was day 1 and I survived. How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog ....
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Bangkok 8 by John Burdett

by Carol2 Comments
Bangkok 8 has been on my to-read list for a while, and I finally got around to picking up the audio from the library. Let's be honest, it was an obvious choice for me. It's a mystery in an exotic locale and the detective has a philosophical streak. The murder itself was unique - the snakes in a locked car- and although it's a shame that Sonchai's partner was killed too, it was the only reason the crime was actually investigated thoroughly. The cops in Bangkok are mostly corrupt and add in that the US government would really rather at least one of the suspects not be looked at too closely, they likely would have let it drop. Sonchai can't though and his search for the truth leads us across the city and has us meet drug dealers, prostitutes, and business owners from a variety of backgrounds with a variety of vices and interests. Sonchai is a complicated man. He's the son of a prostitute and American...
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A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

by Carol3 Comments
I love Penny's Gamache series and this one was even better than the last couple. Gamache has taken the position of Commander of the Sûreté academy, the last bastion of the corruption that has plagues the Sûreté and a place to stop the corruption in its earliest stages, with the training of the cadets. And of course, there's a murder. One of the professors is killed, and no one at the academy is above suspicion, including Gamache  and the cadets. It's a very personal mystery for Gamache and a complicated situation. Is murder sometimes justifiable? Is anyone beyond redemption?\ As always, it's the characters the drive the mystery. With several trips to Three Pines and the homicide at the school, we meet most of the old familiar characters we know and love, but the new folks are well-drawn. The people here are real, even Gamache. They have strengths, but faults too, loyalties and habits. There's also the mystery of the old map, why it was...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Bogie and the Farmer

by Carol1 Comment
It's time to get the last of the veggies out of our garden and wrap up for the year, which made me think of looking for a harvest of farming tale. This one comes from England and was told by Thomas Sternberg in The Dialect and Folk-lore of Northamptonshire (London: John Russell Smith, 1851). One of these spirits, a Bogie, once asserted a claim to a field hitherto possessed by a farmer, and, after much disputing, they came to an arrangement by agreeing to divide its produce between them. At planting time, the farmer asks the Bogie what part of the crop he will have, "tops or bottoms." "Bottoms," said the spirit. Upon hearing this, the crafty farmer sows the field with wheat, so that when harvest arrived the grain falls to his share, while the poor Bogie is obliged to content himself with the stubble. The next year the Bogie, finding he had made such an unfortunate selection in the bottoms, chose the "tops," whereupon the...
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