Excerpt: The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell

by Carol1 Comment
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I'm only a tiny bit Irish and don't really do any special celebrating today, but I did want to share an excerpt from an interesting, amusing, odd little story that takes place in Ireland. I read it about a year ago, but Open Road media is sharing several excerpts in honor of the holiday. You can find the links to the others and a couple of videos on their blog. from The Pig Did It  by Joseph Caldwell “Pigs! Pigs!” Aaron heard the taunt through the heavy glass windows of the bus. Two teenagers coming toward them on their bikes repeated the cry as they wheeled past the windows. “Pigs! Pigs!” Aaron didn’t doubt that this was some social commentary aimed at those who sat passively and were carted comfortably from one place to another in adjustable, upholstered seats. “Pigs!” The shout faded in the distance. Aaron twisted in his seat to catch some final glimpse of the insolent...
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Flash Fiction: Fleeing the Party

by Carol6 Comments
"Fleeing the Party" She felt trapped. The people were closing in on her, she couldn't breathe, her heart was pounding. She dropped her champagne glass and, when it shattered on the flagstone path, everyone turned to stare at her, their faces fading in and out of focus. She could think of nothing but escape. She slipped out of the garden, skirted around the edge of the house hoping no one would notice her disappearance, and practically ran to the edge of the woods. In the trees, she took slow, deep breaths, calming herself. From here, the music could still be heard, but it was a gentle whisper on the wind. The voices settled into a low drone. It had been a long afternoon, tiring. It was too hard to keep her smile in place, to accept all the congratulations and well-wishes, to hold Jacob's hand through it all. Jacob. He would be wondering where she was, and she had no doubt that he...
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Thursday’s Tale: Penta with Maimed Hands

by Carol2 Comments
"Penta with the Maimed Hands" is an Italian tale, written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone. Interesting, the is not the first story I've read about a girl whose hands get chopped off, but this one is entirely different from the Grimms' "The Girl Without Hands." The Pentamerone is a collection of 50 stories, told within a frame story of a deceitful queen who has demanded that her husband tell her stories, and he in turn has hired a group of ten female storytellers who each tell five stories over five days. "Penta with Maimed Hands" is the second story of the third day. The king of Pietrasecca lost his wife and fell in love with his sister, Penta. He implored her to marry him. When she refused and he continued to implore her, she asked what attracted him, and he praised her beauty, but most highly, her hands. She tricked a slave into cutting off her hands, and...
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Top Ten Mystery Books

by Carol17 Comments
It's so hard to make any top ten list, but especially one for mysteries, since I love so many. I'm mixing some classics and some new ones that I adored on this list. I'm sure I'm leaving out many great ones, but that's the joy of making my own list, I can add the ones I want. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A Sherlock Holmes novel has to be on this list and this is one that sticks in my head even years after my last reading. Of course, I'll probably reread it again sometime anyway. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins -  Another classic, dealing with love, murder, social class, opium. It's got a lot going on, but it suspenseful, funny and definitely readable. (review) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Featuring Lisbeth Salander, this one just grabbed me and kept me reading. It wasn't until I had to turn on a light...
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