I Love Autumn

by Carol22 Comments
Today is officially the First Day of Autumn, so I thought I'd make a quick list in honor of the season. 20 Things I Love About Fall Knee socks Hot drinks like apple cider and cocoa Sitting around a campfire Colorful leaves It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Candy corn Apple dumplings Decorating the house for Halloween Sweaters Snuggling under a blanket Our anniversary Spooky reads Windy days Conneaut Lake Pumpkin Fest Pumpkin pie Corn mazes My birthday Wearing boots again Caramel apples Spending time with family and friends...
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“Exiled”

by Carol6 Comments
Exiled 356 words Damn the prophet! "I warn you. She who controls the wind will bring destruction." When that man had wandered into her town, they had welcomed him with open arms, after all he was a traveller simply looking for a room for the night. With his long, stained robe, his gnarled walking stick, and the small pack, he had not seemed like a threat, but he had stayed and stayed, and every day his clear blue eyes seemed a little more threatening, his demeanor a little more commanding. The elders listened to him, knowing that he had seen more of the world than they had. They believed his stories of fights among the dukes, of invaders gathering in the north. He frightened them and they allowed it. Shyla's mistake had been to contradict him, to announce in the square that she didn't trust him, to allow her anger to escape into a tempest that whipped through the town. That man, that self-proclaimed...
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Thursday’s Tale: Fisherman and His Wife by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

by Carol2 Comments
Image credit: SurLaLune Fairy Tales When I think of fairy tales, the Grimms immediately pop into my head. Today, I read a story that I've heard before but never realized it was one of theirs. A fisherman and his wife live in a run-down shack by the sea. Everyday the man went out fishing, and one clear day he catches an amazing flounder. The flounder explains that he is in fact an enchanted prince and that the fisherman should let him go. The fisherman replies that he's a talking fish, of course he'll let him go, the fact that he may or may not be a prince is irrelevant. The fisherman goes home and tells his wife about the fish. Now the pair become a typical fairy tale couple - the husband turns out to be a wimp, and the wife is domineering and greedy. She tells the fisherman that he should have wished for something, that the flounder would surely have granted...
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Review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

by Carol20 Comments
Can I review The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths without talking about the mystery? Probably not, but the plot is not what kept me engrossed in the book, it was the setting and the main character that held my attention. I listened to this on audio, read by Jane McDowell. That's the one thing about going fishing, it gives me plenty of time to listen to books. I can fish and listen easily enough, especially when I'm not catching many fish. McDowell did an excellent job, but I will give a small warning. The book is written in the present tense, which is rather unusual. I'm not sure if I would have noticed if I hadn't been thinking about tenses already. I actually tend to write in the present tense myself, but I know it can be off-putting for some people. Ruth is an archaeologist, a single woman closing in on 40 who lives with her cats in a remote area of...
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First Paragraphs – India Black and the Widow of Windsor

by Carol4 Comments
"Alafair, you stupid girl. It's First Samuel. First Samuel, for goodness' sake." Mrs. Evangeline LeBlanc rustled to the table in her black silk gown, taking up the heavy Bible from the table and flipping rapidly through its pages until she'd found the correct chapter and verse. "First Samuel, chapter 28. You had the pages turned to Second Samuel, chapter 24." Her daughter shrugged. "Really, Mama, do you think any of these people will notice whether it's First Samuel or Second Samuel or a page from Mrs. Gaskell? It's so dark in here you can't see your hand in front of you face." There you have it, the first two paragraphs from the prologue to India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr. Would it grab your attention? I really wish the bit had featured India. I love her brashness. Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea....
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