Kill and Run by Lauren Carr

by Carol3 Comments
The mystery in Kill and Run was good. Carr lets you think you know who the bad guy is, right up until you're wrong. Everything tied together, although some of the coincidences were a little tough to swallow. I don't know why I thought this was going to be a cozy mystery, because it's got a harder edge than that, which is not surprising considering Murphy is with NCI and a member of an elite secret force called the Phantoms. The tone of the narrator made it seem more like a thriller and less cozy, too. It does have a bunch of quirky animals, though, which is a cozy trait and the amateur sleuth - Jessica - who puts herself in dangerous positions. There are a lot of characters in this. From Murphy and Jessica's families to the military folks, it's a lot to keep track of. I listened to the audio, I guess print and ebook versions have a cast of...
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Thursday’s Tale: Little Broomstick

by Carol1 Comment
With Beauty and the Beast coming out in theaters this weekend, I though I'd look at a variation of the story. "Little Broomstick" comes from Germany. The tale was told by Ludwig Bechstein in Deutsches Märchenbuch, 5th edition, 1847. I read D. L. Ashliman's translation on his website. According to Ashliman, Bechstein was Germany's most widely read collector and editor of folktales during the nineteenth century. In Germany, his popularity surpassed that of his more scholarly contemporaries, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The story starts with a merchant who had three daughters. The two older ones were proud and haughty. The younger one, however, was well-behaved and modest, although her beauty greatly surpassed that of her sisters. She dressed simply, and thus unconsciously enhanced her beauty more than her sisters were able to do with the most expensive clothing and jewelry. She was pretty much the standard fairy tale heroine. Her name was Nettchen. Nettchen had a dear friend who was very poor, but equally...
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My Favorite . . Bookstore

by Carol5 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. The Paradox Bookstore is my favorite bookstore. It's in Wheeling, WV and is stacked full of used books, all genres. I just love it there. There isn't even a cat to make me sneeze. I assume it's still open - it has to be, right? I haven't been there in a while. Maybe I should make a trip down and stop at Coleman's Fish, too. What's your favorite bookstore? Join in at Maureen's Books....
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Readers’ Workouts – 3/14

by Carol2 Comments
I did not make my step goal this week, but I was close. I'll tell you though, between my allergies and the time change, it's been a little rough around here.   This week: Wednesday - Pilates Thursday - Elliptical Sunday - Walk with the dog Monday - Walk with the dog Meal plan: This week: Dinners: spaghetti, chicken fettucine alfredo, shrimp tacos, pork chops, veggie noodle stir fry, grilled cheese and tomato soup. Four of those meals are going to be from Home Chef, which I've decided to give a try. And, since the only serving options are for 2 people or 4, I went with 4, hoping to have left-overs for my husband's lunches. Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. Down 1 lb (starting 141.6) - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - none, but am registered for the Campbell-Dickinson Fun Run on March 18. It's going to be so cold, though, I may back out. - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed:...
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Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

by Carol3 Comments
We woke up this morning to more snow and cold temperatures. Ohio's weather has been crazy lately. I swear it was almost 60 yesterday. I needed some spring and Argyle Fox provides just that. It's a windy spring day and Argyle Fox wants to play outside, but the wind ruins everything he tries to do, until he comes up with a solution. It's a fun cute book. I like the ingenuity it encourages. On the other hand, I don't think wind should really ruin playing pirate or knight and I don't think it was nice for the other woodland creatures to discourage his imaginative play. You don't need a cardboard castle to pretend to fight a dragon. Or a paper hat to be a pirate. And I'm pretty sure building a tower of cards outside is never a good idea. But, if the wind hadn't made him grumpy during his other games, he wouldn't have been able to figure out the perfect...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Little Mermaid by Metaphrog

by Carol2 Comments
I'm always a little worried about re-workings of The Little Mermaid. So many of us have seen the Disney version and expect the happy ending for the prince and the mermaid. Metaphrog isn't giving us a happy ending, they are sticking closer to the original by Hans Christian Andersen. Our Little Mermaid does fall in love with a human prince and does make a deal with a witch, but the witch is not scary. The Witch is helping and warning our mermaid, but the mermaid still wants to have legs and the witch obliges at the cost of the mermaid's voice. The mermaid does get to live in the prince's palace, but the prince marries someone else. In the end, the little mermaid jumps into the sea, dissolves into foam and will live forever in the water. It's a sad story really. Metaphrog does cut out the more religious aspects of the original, which should make it appeal to a larger audience....
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