Feature & Follow Friday 10/03/2014

by Carol2 Comments
Question of the Week: Book looks - Your favorite fashions from the books you've read - Suggested by Go Book Yourself I'm told my husband and daughter picture books in their head as they read them, almost like a movie I think. I don't. This is a tough question because I don't really see the outfits as I read about them. In general, though, I love the Victorian gowns and the '20s flapper look. Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of the hop is to gain new followers and make new friends. All my "follow me" links are on the sidebar....
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

by Carol4 Comments
I know "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is not actually a folk tale, but it has become so familiar to us, so much a part of our culture, that I think it still fits in my rather loose Thursday Tales collection. I've read the story of the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane several times and I love the descriptions of the area and the locals. It really sets the stage for the story. They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequesntly see strange sights and hear music and voices in  the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. The dominant spirit however that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the...
Read More

Books to Movies Giveaway Hop

by Carol2 Comments
Who doesn't love a good movie- sitting in the darkened theater, watching the big screen, eating popcorn? But I do love a good book more. Today, happily, I'm participating in the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop - a perfect hop for those of us who enjoy both. Earlier this year I watched The Monuments Men and really enjoyed it, perhaps a bit more than most people, at least based on some of the reviews I saw at the time. I do think that the book is probably even better; they usually are. So, I'm giving away a copy of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edseil with Bret Witter. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer...
Read More

Book Blitz: Married One Night by Amber Leigh Williams

by Carol3 Comments
Book Excerpt: Before Olivia could shoulder her way through the door, it opened quickly. She felt herself pitch over, tripping over the edge of the bedsheet. Cursing, she fell against the lean, chiseled chest of the man on the other side of the bathroom doorjamb. She heard his surprised whoosh just before his arms snagged her under the shoulders and curled around her to keep her from falling at his feet. Her cheek pressed tight against his sternum. He was so warm. The deep timbre of a chuckle trebled beneath the ear pressed to his chest and words, rough around the edges, came floating from his mouth. “Ah, she wakes.” When she tried to pull herself back, he held her fast to him for a moment longer to make sure she had her footing. With a murmured, “Easy there, love,” he released her and she stepped away, seeking his face. He was smiling. The soft expression was tense around the edges, probably from what...
Read More

Fitness Tuesday #11

by Carol8 Comments
Here's my plan, more or less. (SS stands for strength training/stretching; CT stands for cross-training) Since last check-in, I finished Week 9. Tuesday I ran four miles at a pace of 11:18 min/mile. Then, I did the workout from Self that uses a 10-lb weight plate. I also took the dog for about a ½mile walk. He's likes this cooler weather much better than the hot summer temps. Wednesday I skipped, but made up for it Thursday. I went out to the gym. First I did 30 mins of the weight machines, mostly arms, then I did 50 minutes on the elliptical. I know, it was supposed to be 60 minutes, but I was feeling close on time. I ran out of time Friday, and Sunday we went fishing, but I did my six mile run on Monday. My pace was 11:28 min/mile. I'm a bit sad. I went to finally register for the race I want to run in November and it's sold out. :( I didn't...
Read More

The Paradise of Devils by Franco Di Mare

by Carol2 Comments
I enjoyed the rather meandering quality of The Paradise of Devils. The story centers around Carmine Cacciapuoti, but skips around in time from his present, to his childhood, to defining moments in his life. Carmine is a lot like Naples itself. He's a philosophical former scholar, who has become a hit man. His girlfriend Lena, a teacher, thinks he's a computer salesperson of some type and he is trying to keep the two parts of his life, his home and his job, separate. Of course, you can only keep secrets like that for so long before the whole thing starts to unravel. The book is translated from Italian and as far as I could tell it was done well enough. There are a couple of odd Americanisms, like Lena wondering if Carmine would say he was working with the Secret Service or FBI - of course not, he's in Italy; that would be a stupid lie to tell. Carmine is many...
Read More