Thursday’s Tale: The Six Swans

Thursday’s Tale: The Six Swans

by Carol4 Comments
The sister from the Grimms' story, "The Six Swans," was mentioned several weeks ago as another favorite character, and I can understand why. This girl is of course beautiful, but she's also strong, loyal, dedicated, honest. In the beginning of the story, the girl is the daughter of a King and has six brothers. Their mother is dead and the king is tricked into marrying the daughter of a witch, a lovely woman on the outside, but even the King knows she is evil. The King sends the children to live in a secluded castle, but the evil step mother discovers where they are. She turns the six boys into swans and they fly away. They can only turn back into their human forem for fifteen minutes each night, but during the second evening of their curse, one tells the sister how she can break the spell. She must not speak or laugh for six years and during that time must sew six shirts...
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Review: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly

Review: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly

by Carol7 Comments
Angels Flight is an LA landmark, a funicular (new word for me) railway in the Bunker Hill district.  I would call it an incline, since it's similar to the two in Pittsburgh. There are two cars, Sinai and Olivet, that travel the 298 feet up and down the hill. It's on one of these cars that the mystery in Angels Flight by Michael Connelly begins. Two people are found dead, shot, in the car at the end of the night. One is a woman who works cleaning people's apartments. The other, Howard Elias, is the most likely of the two to be the true target. He's a prominent black civil rights attorney hated by most of the LAPD, because his reputation was built bringing lawsuits alleging racism and brutality by police officers. Enter Harry Bosch, who has never been sued by Elias and also conveniently has two black partners. The political dangers of the case are huge and the potential of a public outcry turning into rioting...
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Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday

by Carol7 Comments
It's been a while since I posted a Mailbox Monday, so this is way more than a week's worth of books, probably more like a couple of months. Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia and hosted this month by Sassy Brit of Alternative Read. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (bought) The Akhenaten Adventure by P. B. Kerr (bought) Starting and Closing by John Smolz with Don Yaeger (for review from William Morrow) Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms by Judy Christie (for review from the author and Pump Up Your Book!) The Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint by William Shakespeare (won from Allie at A Literary Odyssey. Thanks!) How to Seduce A Scoundrel by Vicky Dreiling (won from Mary at Bookhounds. Thanks!) Lady of Seduction by Laurel McKee (won from Mary at Bookhounds. Thanks!) Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom (won from Mary at Bookhounds. Thanks!) Rotten Apples by Natasha Cooper (won from Mary at Bookhounds. Thanks!) Murder in Moscow by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain (won...
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Review: Nevermore by William Hjortsberg

Review: Nevermore by William Hjortsberg

by Carol7 Comments
I so wanted to love Nevermore by William Hjortsberg. It's a historical mystery starring Harry Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edgar Allan Poe's ghost. A killer is loose in New York, basing his murders on Poe's works, and true-life friends Doyle and Houdini must work together to outwit the killer before they become victims themselves. Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? I found the mystery itself pretty interesting. The idea of someone recreating Poe's decidely disturbing stories is fascinating in and of itself. I even liked the tension between Doyle's belief in a spiritual world and Houdini's need to expose mediums as frauds. It was all the sub-plots I could have done without. Actually, it was just one sub-plot that bothered me. Houdini in this novel is pretty arrogant, which is fine. I don't actually know much about Houdini, aside from that he was an amazing escape artist, but how he was portrayed here didn't really make me want to learn more about...
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Playing Catch-Up in June

Playing Catch-Up in June

by Carol8 Comments
Summer's here! Softball games Ice cream Picnics Swimming in the pool Fireworks Jogging in the park Trips to the Lake Fishing Fresh veggies from the garden Grilling out And Playing Catch-Up I've got several reviews I should write and a whole batch of books sitting on my shelves or hanging out on my Kindle, both review copies and personal reads that I want to get to. So this month I've decided to focus on catching up- writing those reviews, clearing off my shelves, reading and giving away books. Here's my starting list. I know I've got a bunch more books, but these are what comes to mind. I'm not sure how much I'll get done, but might as well be ambitious. I do have a week off work when hopefully I'll have a lot of extra time to read. Reviews to write: Always a Princess by Alice Gaines A Plain Death by Amanda Flower Nevermore by William Hjortsberg Angels Flight by Michael Connelly Books to read: Seattle Cinderella by Gail Sattler The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge Winged...
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