Thursday’s Tale: Cinderella (2015)

by Carol5 Comments
Cinderella is a lovely movie. Cinderella is told by her dying mother to have courage and be kind, and that's the motto she lives by, even after her dad dies and her step-mother and step-sisters are just horrible to her. At least her reason for hanging around makes some sense. It's pretty faithful to the 1950s cartoon version, which on the one hand is nice. It's a sweet story with a happy ending, but I would have liked to see a little something different. I guess I've become used to re-tellings that twist the stories a bit. Lily James is a nice choice for Cinderella. She's not a tough girl, but she's strong, she keeps going no matter what life throws at her and tries to be positive. Yes, she talks to animals. And I loved her first meeting with the prince. They were both sweet and kind and smiling. Cate Blanchett is perfect as the evil step-mother. She's nasty, but at...
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Three Strategies Every Writer Should Be Implementing

by Carol2 Comments
The following is a sponsored post. I did receive compensation. Three Strategies Every Writer Should Be Implementing These days, many individuals have chosen to pursue careers as freelance writers. If this is the case for you, it's important to note that there are a plethora of strategies you can and should implement to ensure that your career takes off. Here are three of them: 1. Network With Other Writers. One of the most effective strategies you can implement to get your writing career going is networking. Thanks to the rise of the internet and technological advancements, there are a plethora of simple ways you can put this strategy in motion. For example, there are numerous writers who schedule web chats in which they speak with aspiring writers and fans regarding their work. Recently, writer Daniel Handler did a web chat regarding his new novel We Are Pirates. Daniel is the author of several critically acclaimed works and would be a wonderful writer to interface...
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Top Ten Tuesday – Books from My Childhood/Teen Years I’d Like to Revisit

by Carol5 Comments
Today's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted at The Broke and the Bookish, is about books from our childhoods/teen years that we loved and would like to revisit. This is a list of books/series I remember loving. Some I've re-read since, some I haven't, and some I know would lose a lot if I re-read them now. It's funny, though, overall the genres I leaned toward then are the same ones I enjoy now. I tried to arrange my list in time-line order, more or less. 1. The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan Berenstain - All of the Berenstain Bear books were good, but this was a favorite. 2. Favorite Tales of Monsters and Trolls  by George Jonsen -  I still pull this one out on occasion for Thursday's Tales. 3. The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall - Adventure, magic and "rebels" who save the day. 4. Nancy Drew mysteries by Carolyn Keene - Who didn't want to be Nancy? 5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine...
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Readers’ Workouts – 3/24/15

by Carol4 Comments
So, here are my steps for the week. I forgot to wear my fitbit to work today. :( And here's my current workout plan. I just finished week 8, more or less. Tuesday - 4 mile run on the treadmill followed by 20 minutes on the arm machines Wednesday - 1 mile walk with the dog. 30 minutes of weights, crunches and stretches at home Thursday - 1 mile walk with the dog. 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes on the recumbent bike Saturday - 1 mile walk with the dog Sunday - 5 mile run on the treadmill I almost always listen to audiobooks while I'm walking and running. This week I finished Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and started Shadow and Light by Jonathan Rabb. How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog. Thanks!...
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Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly

by Carol3 Comments
I've been having some good luck with light romances lately. Love in a Nutshell is just fun - and guess what, Kate and Matt are actually honest with each other, well more or less. They make a good couple - instant attraction but a few issues keeping them apart, like he's her boss and owns the mortgage on her house, the one he had been planning to foreclose on. Matt is another almost -perfect guy, good business sense, sexy, protective of the people he cares about. Kate is a bit down on herself, but is making a go at starting a new life. Love in a Nutshell has funny moments, a slow courtship between Matt and Kate as far as romances go, and some danger. It's not a wonderful book, but it's enjoyable. It's definitely PG thanks to an overly possessive poodle, one of two dogs who are great characters in and of themselves. The narrator does a good job differentiating the...
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The Case of the Glamorous Ghost by Erle Stanley Gardner

by Carol4 Comments
Sunday evening I had a bit of a cold and when I'm not quite feeling up to par, I tend to pick up vintage mysteries. The Case of the Glamorous Ghost was the first I saw sitting on my shelf and since it's been a while since I've read a Perry Mason story, I picked it up. My daughter saw it and said something along the lines of "isn't that a tv show?" She watches that retro channel sometimes. I told her that yes, but the books actually came first. I'm not sure if I ever watched a full episode of the show. The Glamorous Ghost was what I expected - an interesting court case, some good dialogue, a slightly convoluted mystery. I think part of the reason I like mysteries from that era because they tend not to be overly violent. In general, they're also short, coming in at under 300 pages and while the characters are fun and well-drawn, they're not too depressed, they...
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