Review: A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

by Carol9 Comments
In A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is once again called to the small village of Three Pines to investigate a murder. The deceased is Lillian Dyson, killed in Clara Morrow's garden during a party. The celebration is in honor of Clara's solo show at the famed Museé in Montreal and the art world has descended on the town, a world full of jealousies and hidden agendas. As secrets are exposed, Gamache and his team have to sift through the evidence, lies and suspects to find the truth. Reason I chose this book: This is the 7th of Penny's Inspector Gamache mysteries, a series I love, so I had no choice but to read it. Listen to it actually, read by Ralph Cosham. Reasons I liked and/or disliked this book: While this is not my favorite in the series, I had a hard time putting it down. I kept looking for more chores to do around the house,...
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Reading Shakespeare: Sonnet 18

by Carol3 Comments
Sonnet XVIII by William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. This is certainly one of  Shakespeare's most famous sonnets, justifiably so. The first line of the poem tells us what it will be about, comparing the young man to a summer day, but immediately the poet realizes that the comparison will be inadequate,...
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Reading Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

by Carol14 Comments
It's no wonder I enjoyed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Aside from the language, it could be a contemporary romance. Granted it's a play and therefore shorter than most novels, which means there's not as much lead up. You can fall in love fairly quickly in a play. There are two couples. The first, Benedick and Beatrice, are familiar characters. Both have sharp tongues, love to play with words, and have announced their scorn for marriage and, of course, for each other. Just like in any story, though, they belong together and their friends and family trick them into revealing their love for each other. The second couple, Claudio and Hero, are sweet, young and obviously in love. Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero, thinking her unfaithful, but of course it works out in the end, thanks to Dogberry, a constable who is constantly using the wrong words which is rather amusing. He discovers that the villain is Don John....
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Stuff I’ve Been Doing Recently

by Carol17 Comments
10 Things: Stuff I've Been Doing Recently 1. Eating this:Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. I've been on quite a kick with it recently. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. So easy and just delicious. 2. Reading this:I'm reading a few of Shakespeare's plays this month. 3. Browsing this site:Some of the stuff is just so cute, or useful, or yummy. I wish I was as talented as some of the artists and crafters. 4. Writing this: This. As in the stuff you read here at my notebook. I don't really have any other projects going on right now, but one of these days I'll start my book. Maybe. 5. Drinking this:I think I may be addicted to this stuff. 6. Using this:Excuse Moi! nail polish. It's sparkly and pink and Miss Piggy. Thanks, Santa! 7. Watching this:It's one of the few tv shows we've been watching. I like the mix CSI- fairy tale mix. And the werewolf sidekick is perfect. 8. Buying this:Amber's having a friend over tonight, so we've...
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Flash Fiction: “The Panther Growled”

by Carol9 Comments
"The Panther Growled" The panther growled, its golden eyes shining in the darkness. I turn back and raise a hand, reminding the beautiful creature to remain calm. We don't need to advertise our presence, at least not yet. Coming around the corner hugging the shadows, I see Awayne, as unpredictable and dangerous as the cat that always accompanied him. I motion that we need to catch up to the others and he nods, not speaking. We hurry through the old, unused tunnels and see the rest of our small party ahead, the lantern glowing dimly as they rest and wait. The plan is clear. The Queen is at her summer palace, just on the other side of this mountain, with only a small guard and a few maidservants. Our archer's arrows will surprise the watchers. They will not have seen us approach and by the time they are aware of us it will be too late. Each of the six of us...
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Thursday’s Tale: King Thrushbeard by The Brothers Grimm

by Carol13 Comments
The princess in "King Thrushbeard" is a bit unusual for the heroine in a Grimm tale. She's beautiful, naturally, but not good and kind. She was proud and haughty and no matter how many suitors her father the King presented to her, she found fault with each one, ridiculing them and mocking them. She was exceptionally mean to one good king who had a slightly crooked chin, saying his chin looked like a thrush's beak, of course earning him the nickname King Thrushbeard. Finally the King is so angry that he vows to marry her off to the first beggar who shows at his door. A few days later, a fiddler comes and plays under a window, begging for alms. The King holds true to his word, forces his daughter to marry the beggar and then to leave the palace to go and live with her husband. On the trip to the beggar's home, the couple passes through a beautiful wood and...
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