Thursday’s Tale: Rip Van Winkle

Thursday’s Tale: Rip Van Winkle

by Carol5 Comments
Do you ever just stare at your bookshelves, not necessarily looking for anything to read, just enjoying all the spines? I might do it more than I care to admit. This morning, I was looking at some of the kids books we have downstairs and saw this retelling of Rip Van Winkle retold by Kay Brown that my grandma and grandpa gave to me in 1980. I would have been 5 years old. Rip Van Winkle was written by Washington Irvin in 1819. This version is simplified, making it a good read for children. The original takes place before and after the Revolutionary War, but Brown simply tells us that it happened a long time ago in a village surrounded by the Catskill Mountains. Rip Van Winkle was a kind man, well-liked by all the villager and especially the children to whom he told stories and played marbles. However, he was lazy and escaped work around the house by sneaking out and going to...
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Top Ten Words That Make Me NOT Pick Up A Book

by Carol17 Comments
We watched National Treasure again last night. I really enjoy that movie, it's not good, but it's fun and it has a lot of the things that draw me to movies. It's clue driven, even if not a mystery. There's a bit of romance, but it doesn't overwhelm the plot. It's got action, a clear good guy versus bad guy, and the geeky computer nerd. Books are similar, there are things that make me want to pick up a book. Mysteries, especially historical, draw my attention. Steampunk, a touch of paranormal, the art world, pretty covers. There are also some words and topics that make me want to avoid a book at all costs. Now, granted there are some good books that would fall into this list, but I'm talking in generalities here. Top Ten Words/Phrases That Make Me NOT Pick Up a Book Zombies Coming of Age Stephen King Chick Lit New Adult Love triangle Horror Time Travel World War 2 Emotional Family Drama What would be on your list? Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by...
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Audiobook Review: Now and Then, Amen by Jon Cleary

Audiobook Review: Now and Then, Amen by Jon Cleary

by Carol3 Comments
Title: Now and Then, Amen (Scobie Malone #5) Author: Jon Cleary Reader: Shaun Grindell Category: Mystery Audio published: May 1, 2013 by AudioGo (First published 1988) Rating: 3½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Amazon | AudioGo A nun is found murdered on the steps of the Quality Couch, Sydney's most expensive house of ill repute. She is Sister Mary Magdalene, an idealistic young woman who previously had worked at a mission in Nicaragua. Detective Inspector Scobie Malone, that most human of cops, picks up the trail when he discovers that her real name was Teresa Hourigan--the illegitimate granddaughter of Fingal Hourigan, one of Australia's most powerful businessmen, who is currently entertaining some rich contras at his palatial home. The case leads Malone deep into Hourigan's murky past and threatens to expose the secret the old man has kept since 1929: the reason he hurriedly left Chicago in fear for his life. It also threatens to destroy his ambitions for his son, Archbishop Kerry Hourigan, to become the first-ever Australian...
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Thursday’s Tale: Crow-Head

Thursday’s Tale: Crow-Head

by Carol5 Comments
We watched The Lone Ranger in the theater last weekend. It was a fun movie, but I think my mom, David and Amber liked it amore than I did. I love Johnny Depp, but there was a part in the middle that was just a little too serious for me, especially considering the rest of the movie. Happily, it picked up at the end, otherwise I would have been disappointed. I did learn, while wasting time before the movie started, that Depp's look was based on a painting that was based on a Native American legend, Crow-Head. The painting by Kirby Sattler is shown above. I thought the legend would make a perfect Thursday's Tale post for today. You can read the legend at the Manataka American Indian Council website. It comes from the Chipewyan people in Canada. Crow-head's father dies soon after he was born. One day,  while Crow-head and the others were fishing, one of the medicine men said something that led...
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