Flash Fiction: Her Island

by Carol5 Comments
Not much of an actual story today, more of a scene, but here you go anyway. Her Island She loved and hated this time of the year. The season was over, the tourists had all returned to their homes, even the staff were gone for the most part, off on vacations or visiting family. The island was just so quiet. She gazed up at the moon, trying to relax and enjoy the tranquil scene, even as she noticed the water rising above the dock. The island had a tendency to drift back towards this mist at times like these, when she was lonely or contemplative. It had been five years since she had pulled this island through the veil separating this world from hers, from where seasons came and went, but years never did. It had taken so much energy and will, a lesser one could never have done it, but she had fought and pushed, bargained with the Queen, given up everything...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Girl without Hands

by Carol10 Comments
Image credit: Kristy Barlow "The Girl without Hands" is very religious for  a Grimm tale. A poor miller is approached by a mysterious man who promises the miller to make him rich if he gives the man what's behind the mill. The miller quickly agrees, thinking he is only giving away the apple tree, but he learns later from his wife that their daughter, innocent, beautiful, "pious," had been sweeping the yard. It must have been the devil, the wife asserts. The man has promised to come back in three years to retrieve what is his. For three years, the girl lives "in the fear of God and without sin." On the appointed day the girl washes herself and stand in the center of the chalk circle. The Devil seems to ignore the circle, but yells at the father to keep water away from the girl, if she's clean, he can have no power over her. So dad, great guy that he...
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Review: The Muppets (2011)

by Carol11 Comments
I adore the Muppets, so of course, on November 23, my family and I headed out to the theater to see the new movie. We were first in line when they started seating folks, because yes, I'm that much of a geek, all ready with our popcorn and coke. And I loved it!! Gary lives in a small town with his brother, Walter, a puppet who dreams of being one of the Muppets he's seen on TV. Gary decides to treat His girlfriend, Mary, with a trip to LA. Walter of course has to tag along, since that's where the Muppet studio is. When they arrive at studio it's more or less falling down, and a creepy, evil millionaire, Tex Richman, is planning to tear the theater down to drill for oil. I don't quite understand the whole contract bit, but the Muppets have to raise $10 million to buy back the theater, and they only have a few days to...
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Review: Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell

by Carol13 Comments
Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell is one of those books that hooked me and kept me reading, but that I probably won't remember in six months. Anne  is used to her mom being on long business trips,  but when her mom is days late coming home and Anne can't track her down, she lets her grandparents know she is worried. They give her a letter from her mother, written before she left, and as Anne reads it, her whole world is torn apart. No one is who they claim to be and now her life may be in danger. And that's on top of the regular teenage girl concerns, like boys. This is a YA thriller and the plot just keeps going. Anne, strong, independent, mostly level-headed, just never gets to stop and take a breath. Everything she knows to be true turns out to be a lie and she's got two sets of bad guys after her, but at least...
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Review: Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards

by Carol13 Comments
Who would have thought I'd love an A is for Alligator book? Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards is simply gorgeous, magical; I could get lost in the illustrations. Edwards takes on a tour of an ornate Victorian mansion, introducing us to all the menagerie that lives there, from the alligator awaking from a dream to the zebra soaking in the bath tub. Along the way, we meet some out of the ordinary animals, like the ibis, a mandrill, a quetzal, even a narwhal. Each of the animals stars in a richly-colored scene filled with tiny details, a portrait that makes me at least wonder what the rest of the story is. Take for example the alligator from the cover. What was he dreaming of, why is he propped in the armchair like that? And I love the cat who stares into the mirror and sees the reflection of a tiger. I wish I had a picture of the octopus changing the light in...
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Saturday 9: Turn Back the Hands of Time

by Carol7 Comments
I'm doing the Saturday: 9 again this week. Every Saturday, 9 questions are posted. Sometimes the post has a theme, and at other times the questions are totally unrelated. Saturday 9: Turn Back the Hands of Time 1. There's a Time Genie. She can put you back in time to relive a day that you loved. If you could turn back the hands of time, what day would you relive if given this opportunity? I think I would pick my wedding day. It's was a wonderful day, and I'd love go back and enjoy it all again. 2. What did you do yesterday? Let's see. Yesterday was Black Friday, and yes I went shopping, but not until afternoon. Got a couple of birthday presents exchanges and bought a couple of things for my husband for Christmas. Then a couple of friends came over to watch hockey and play boardgames. 3. You've been given 3 parachutes, but there are 4 people who need them. Who will you not...
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