Carol's Notebook – Page 470

Happy New Year

January 1, 2012 by Carol6 Comments

Amber said she'd draw me a special New Year picture, but she ran out of time, so I decided to post her most recent dragon drawing. So far it's a rainy, cold New Year's Day. And it just doesn't feel like New Years without the Tournaent of Roses parade or having the guys hanging out watching the Winter Classic. Mom's coming over for dinner, though, so I need to go clean-up from last night and start cooking....

Feast of the Seven Fishes

December 31, 2011December 30, 2011 by Carol8 Comments

A while ago I posted a bucket list of things I wanted to do/see/learn. One of those was celebrating Christmas Eve with a Feast of the Seven Fishes. We are neither Italian nor Catholic, but my family was great about going along with the idea, so we had seven fishes on Christmas Eve this year. I have to thank my brother for doing most of the cooking. Our seven fish dishes certainly tasted good, but, man, was I stuffed. Crab Dip Seafood salad Cioppino Oysters, Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta Gratin Baked Cod Linguini with Clam Sauce Fried smelts And we had cookies for dessert, of course. I think my favorite dish was the linguini. Clam Sauce with Linguini Serves 4 Ingredients 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta 1/2 cup butter 3 cloves chopped garlic 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams with juice 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Directions Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to...

End-of-the-Year Book Meme

December 31, 2011December 31, 2011 by Carol10 Comments

I like having an end of the year post that summarizes my reading for the year. Jaime, at The Perpetual Page-Turner, posted this great survey that really helps highlight some of the good ones, and bad one, of the year. 1. Best Book You Read In 2011? It's so hard to pick a favorite. This is my top-ten, in no particular order. Have Gun, Will Play by Camille LaGuire Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards In the Woods by Tana French The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny The Butterfuly Cabinet by Bernie McGill The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder The Honey Month by Amal El-Mohtar Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West 2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did? Room by Emma Donaghue. It had gotten so much hype that I expected it to be truly amazing. Turned out that all the build-up had told me all the things that made the book special. I already knew the...

Flash Fiction: Searching for Treasure

December 30, 2011 by Carol8 Comments

I actually wasn't going to do a story today, but I know David at least looks forward to them. So I wrote a quick one kind of up his alley. Searching for Treasure We rowed deeper into the swamp, the water green and murky. Logs floated by us, or perhaps alligators. We chose to ignore the rumors of other, more dangerous creatures living here. Snakes thirty-feet long, reptiles whose teeth could rip through our heavy wooden boat like it was paper, birds capable of swooping down and picking a man up in their talons, flying off with him. Folktales, we had assured ourselves before beginning the trip upriver, designed to keep out visitors. But here in this oppressive sticky air, out of sight of the last village, anything felt possible. We didn't speak and tried not to listen to the rustlings along the banks. The locals had thought we were crazy and maybe we are, but we know it's here. The treasure, buried...

Thursday’s Tale: The Elves’ Dance on New Year’s Eve

December 29, 2011December 29, 2011 by Carol7 Comments

Folk tales that take place on or around New Year's seem are a little tough to find. I did come across "The Elves' Dance on New Year's Eve," a tale from Iceland. The story introduce two brothers, one who believes the Hidden People, elves, exist and the other who denies it. The argument continued and eventually the one who didn't believe in them stated he would leave home and not come back until he knew for sure one way or the other. Nothing of note occurred until, on New Year's Eve, he came to a farm where all the people were gloomy. He asked them why they were not celebrating and they explained that nobody would stay and guard the farm while the family went to the midnight church service, as anyone who kept guard on New Year's Eve disappeared. The traveler told them not to worry, that he would stay. The people gratefully accepted and hurried off to church. They were...

Review: Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh

December 28, 2011March 27, 2012 by Carol9 Comments

Ngaio Marsh is an author I just discovered this year, thanks to Bev's Vintage Mystery Challenge (which she's hosting again, by the way. Sign up here.) Died in the Wool is the third I've read by her, although the first that takes place in her native New Zealand. It's reminiscent of an English country manor mystery, although it takes place on a sheep farm. Florence Rubrick, a member of parliament and the owner of the sheep farm is found murdered after missing for three weeks, encased in a bale of her own wool. Roderick Alleyn, Marsh's series detective, is called in by a family member to investigate after the local police have gotten nowhere in over a year. Apparently Roderick is a distant relation to the dead woman. Also, he is doing War duty in England and there is some suspicion that the death is connected to a case of espionage. Died in the Wool was first published in 1945, right at...