Carol's Notebook – Page 399

Movie Night: The Wolverine (2013)

January 31, 2014January 31, 2014 by Carol6 Comments

Title: The Wolverine Director: James Mangold Writers: Mark Bomback and Scott Frank In theaters: July 26, 2013 by 20th Century Fox Genre: Action, Fantasy Rating: PG-13 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Purchase: Amazon DVD | Amazon Instant Video In modern day Japan, Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before. Amber didn't have school three days this week because of the cold and on Tuesday night we decided to watch a movie. We all like the X-Men movies and none of us had seen The Wolverine yet, even though David was sure he had. They all do get a little confusing, I admit, between the X-Men movies and the two Wolverine ones. At the...

Thursday’s Tale: Dando and His Dogs

January 30, 2014January 30, 2014 by Carol2 Comments

The Grimm episode last week was titled "The Wild Hunt," and I mentioned to David and Amber that it's been a while since I read a Wild Hunt story. Today's story isn't really about "The Wild Hunt," but it's got a similar feel. "Dando and His Dogs" was told by Robert Hunt in Popular Romances of the West of England; or, The Drolls, Traditions, and Superstitions of Old Cornwall, 1865. I read it here. Dando is a priest, a regular "jolly friar," who definitely enjoyed the good life, the best food and drink available. The people liked him though, since he was good-natured and freely forgave all of his parishioners, just as he freely forgave himself his own vices. As a man gets older, "he becomes more deeply dyed with the polluted waters through which he may have waded," and Dando certainly did, becoming more selfish and putting his own gratification above all else. The priest was an excellent huntsman, chasing game far and wide,...

Review: The Line by J. D. Horn

January 29, 2014February 3, 2014 by Carol9 Comments

Title: The Line (Witching Savannah #1) Author: J. D. Horn Category: Fantasy Published: February 1, 2014 by 47North Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | Audible | Book Depository Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.Despite being powerless herself, of course.Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she...

Audiobook Review: Gone Missing by Linda Castillo

January 28, 2014January 28, 2014 by Carol5 Comments

Title: Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder #4) Author: Linda Castillo Read by: Kathleen McInerney Category: Mystery Audio published: June 19, 2012 by Macmillan Audio Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon | Book Depository Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end, and fear spreads through the community like a contagion. A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has to give not only as a cop, but as a woman...

Review: The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi

January 27, 2014January 27, 2014 by Carol11 Comments

Title: The Lost Girls of Rome Author: Donato Carrisi Category: Mystery Published: November 19, 2013 by Mulholland Books (first published 2011) Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | Audible | Book Depository A grieving young widow, seeking answers to her husband's death, becomes entangled in an investigation steeped in the darkest mysteries of Rome. Sandra Vega, a forensic analyst with the Roman police department, mourns deeply for a marriage that ended too soon. A few months ago, in the dead of night, her husband, an up-and-coming journalist, plunged to his death at the top of a high-rise construction site. The police ruled it an accident. Sandra is convinced it was anything but. Launching her own inquiries, Sandra finds herself on a dangerous trail, working the same case that she is convinced led to her husband's murder. An investigation which is deeply entwined with a series of disappearances that has swept the city, and brings Sandra ever closer to a centuries-old secret society that will do anything to stay in the shadows. I...

Weekend Cooking: Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors by Susanna Hoffman and Victoria Wise

January 26, 2014February 3, 2014 by Carol10 Comments

Title: Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors Author: Susanna Hoffman and Victoria Wise Published: December 31, 2013 by Workman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository Bold is nourishing. Bold is inspired. Bold is food that means business. And Bold is big as in 250 recipes filled with big flavors to be served in big portions. From the culinary team of Susanna Hoffman and Victoria Wise who between them have authored or coauthored more than fifteen cookbooks including The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook and The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook, Bold brings together the beloved American tradition of delicious, plate-filling meals with the lively global flavors that infuse our culture and cuisine. This is comfort food that's been given an exuberant 21st-century makeover slow-cooked roasts and braises, generous steaks, brimming soups, heaping platters of salads and vegetables, hearty pastas and grains, wild game, and rich desserts. This is Bold Stuffed California Pork Rolls. Buffalo Chili with Black Bean and Corn Salsa. Meat and...