Audiobook Review: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

by Carol3 Comments
Title: Casino Royale (James Bond #1) Author: Ian Fleming Reader: Simon Vance Category: Thriller Audio published: February 9, 2011 by Blackstone Audio (First published 1953) Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon Introducing James Bond: charming, sophisticated, handsome, chillingly ruthless, and licensed to kill. This, the first of Ian Flemings tales of Secret Agent 007, finds Bond on a mission to neutralize a lethal, high-rolling Russian operative called Le Chiffre by ruining him at the baccarat table, forcing his Soviet spymasters to retire him. It seems that Lady Luck has sided with 007 when Le Chiffre hits a losing streak. But some people just refuse to play by the rules, and Bonds attraction to a beautiful female agent leads him to disaster and to an unexpected savior. I think I may have been somewhat spoiled by the Bond movies. The James Bond in Casino Royale is just not the sexy, dangerous 007 I know. Bond in this does not making the smartest decisions, lets his guard down too easily for...
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Mailbox Monday

by Carol11 Comments
It's certainly feeling like fall today - and the Pirates are still playing baseball! It's been 20 years wince we had October baseball here. I don't have any tickets to the games :(, but I'm watching them on TV. At least the ones that aren't on the MLB channel. Alright, most of you probably could care less about baseball, so let's move right on to the books that found their way to my house over the month (or two). Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued.  Gina of Book Dragon’s Lair will be hosting the meme for the month of October. Print/E-books Leaving Annalise by Pamela Fagan Hutchins (review) - from the author and Pump Up Your Book A Cruise to Die for by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins -  from Thomas and Mercer The Back Road by Rachel Abbott - from Thomas and Mercer Secrets and Lies by Christine Amsden - from the author and Pump Up Your Book The Case of...
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Saturday Snapshot

by Carol4 Comments
I thought I'd share a couple of Instagram photos from my week again. The first is All-Band night when the 7th and 8th graders get to play with the high school band during pre-game. The second is from Oglebay Park today during their OglebayFest. Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads....
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Thursday’s Tale: The Man and the Satyr

by Carol3 Comments
Today's tale,"The Man and the Satyr," is one of Aesop's fables, but it's different from most I've read. I usually think of animal stories that have a lesson to teach. This one includes a mythical being and made me laugh at the end. A man who was lost in the woods met a satyr who offered to let him stay at his home for the night and to guide him out of the forest the next morning. The man thankfully Man had lost his way in a wood one bitter winter's night. As he was roaming about, a Satyr came up to him, and finding that he had lost his way, promised to give him a lodging for the night, and guide him out of the forest in the morning. The man was thankful and followed the satyr home, blowing on his hand to keep him warm. The satyr asked why he was doing that and the man told him that his...
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Game Night: Love Letter (2012)

by Carol2 Comments
Designer: Seiji Kanai Artists: Andrew Hepworth, Jeff Himmelman, Noboru Sugiura Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Year Published: 2012 # of Players: 2 − 4 Mfg Suggested Ages: 10 and up Playing Time: 20 minutes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Purchase: Amazon All of the eligible young men (and many of the not-so-young) seek to woo the princess of Tempest. Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the palace, and you must rely on others to take your romantic letters to her. Will yours reach her first? Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and luck for 2–4 players. Your goal is to get your love letter into Princess Annette's hands while deflecting the letters from competing suitors. From a deck with only sixteen cards, each player starts with only one card in hand; one card is removed from play. On a turn, you draw one card, and play one card, trying to expose others and knock them from the game. Powerful cards lead to early gains, but make you a target. Rely on weaker...
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Audiobook Review: The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

by Carol9 Comments
Title: The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen #1) Author: Ellery Queen Reader: Robert Faas Category: Mystery Audio published: September 15, 2013 by AudioGo (First published 1929) Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon A murder in a crowded theater leaves a pack of suspects, but only one clue. Despite the dismal Broadway season, Gunplay continues to draw crowds. A gangland spectacle, it’s packed to the gills with action, explosions, and gunfire. In fact, Gunplay is so loud that no one notices the killing of Monte Field. In a sold-out theater, Field is found dead partway through the second act, surrounded by empty seats. The police hold the crowd and call for the one man who can untangle this daring murder: Inspector Richard Queen. With the help of his son Ellery, a bibliophile and novelist whose imagination can solve any crime, the Inspector attacks this seemingly impenetrable mystery. Anyone in the theater could have killed the unscrupulous lawyer, and several had the motive. Only Ellery Queen, in his...
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