Thursday’s Tale: How Indian Corn Came into the World
Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I'm thankful for family and friends. And for the wonderful dinner my mother-in-law will prepare this afternoon. (I'm hoping for sweet potatoes and applesauce.)
Looking for an appropriate tale to share today, I came across this Ojibwa legend, "How Indian Corn Came into the World."
Wunzh, the eldest son of a kind, poor Indian, is the age when boys in his tribe fasts so he can see a vision of his Spirit Guide. Wunzh is a good boy and wishes, more than anything, that he could do something great for the people of his tribe. Wunzh withdraws to a small lodge apart from the village and begins his fast.
On the first day, he walks though the forests and meadows, filling his mind with the flowers, trees, all the growing things in hopes that he will dream of them in the night.
"Truly,'' thought he, `"the Great Spirit made all things. To Him we owe our lives. But could He not...
Review: After You with the Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli
I don't know even where to start with this review. After You with the Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli is in theory a crime novel, but it's too fun, and silly, and improbable to really be taken as such.
Charlie Mordecai is an art dealer, although in this novel he doesn't do much actual work. Instead, his life is saved in the opening of the story by some kind of secret government agency under the condition that he marry a certain rich American, Johanna. When the loving Johanna asks him to kill the queen of England, Mortdecai sets about to do it. The attempt goes awry, and he is sent on a mission of international intrigue that is simply absurd, but pleasurably so. He attends a vicious, feminist-run training camp for secret agents, combats an all-powerful union of Chinese waiters, poses as a priest, smuggles heroin from China to America, and survives a shootout in a slaughterhouse.
Mortdecai is the show-stopping star here. As...
Announcement
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I've got a bit of news. As you can see, I've moved my notebook to a new address: http://carolsnotebook.com. If you follow me in a feed reader, I would love it if you updated it. Also, if you receive e-mail updates, I'm sorry, but you'll have to subscribe again. Thank you all for being such loyal readers and bearing with me during this switch.
And don't forget about my giveaway that's still open....
Review: Two and a Half Dead Men by Jason Krumbine
Two and a Half Dead Men by Jason Krumbine is a quirky paranormal adventure featuring two brother, Mort and Thane Grym, who work as Grim Reapers, a job they inherited from their father who has gone missing. The two brothers are as different as night and day. Thane is neat, responsible and seems to honest care about the souls they collect. Mort is a drunk, a poor gambler and a womanizer. They fight, a lot, but they love each other and are doing a difficult job the best they can, and for what seems to be not much money. This time they've got a doozie of a case on their hands. Two dead guys souls have gone missing and there's a third dead guy, who's not actually dead, running around. And to top it off, there's a new Grim Reaper outfit in town, competition that the Grym brothers are not looking forward to. Thane and Mort need to figure out...
Guest Post: Jason Krumbine, author of the Grym Brothers Series
I'd like to welcome Jason Krumbine, author of the Grym Brothers series to my notebook today. I found the following post touching and a story I'm sure many of us can relate to.
“Things Left Unsaid”
Two years ago my father died. It was sudden. There was no warning, no preamble. We never found out the exact cause of death. Quite simply, one minute my father was living and then the next, he was not.
The last time I spoke to him was that previous Sunday. I was trying to get his advice on how to fix a plumbing problem my wife and I had. He called back between performances at the local theater where he was handling the lighting. It was a conversation no different than other conversations I’ve had with my father. There was nothing special about it, but then, neither of us knew that it was going to be the last time we spoke. Although, I wonder, would it have...