Carol's Notebook – Page 503

Review: After You with the Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli

November 23, 2011 by Carol4 Comments

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

November 23, 2011November 26, 2011 by Carol7 Comments

(This is a sticky post. Scroll down for new content.) 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

November 22, 2011November 18, 2011 by Carol9 Comments

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

November 21, 2011November 21, 2011 by Carol7 Comments

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...

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

November 20, 2011January 4, 2012 by Carol13 Comments

I love Christmas stories, and though I don't really need an excuse to read them, I had to join in Michelle's The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. I'm aiming for the Christmas Tree Level, which is 5 or 6 Christmassy books. And adding on Visions of Sugar Plums, books I read with my daughter. November 21, 2011 - January 6, 2012 "Dakota Christmas" by Joseph Bottum Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Geringer Tentative Reading List Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn A Clockwork Christmas anthology Twas the Night Before Christmas by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes and Trish Jensen Honky Tonk Christmas by Carolyn Brown And to read with Amber Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Geringer If you want to join in, head over to The Christmas Spirit to sign up....

Happy Haul-idays

November 19, 2011March 20, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

The folks at Chronicle Books are having their annual Happy Haulidays giveaway, in which one blogger – and one person who comments on their Happy Haulidays post – wins up to $500 of Chronicle Books. Sounds sweet, right? Well, the generous Chronicle people have added another dimension to the giveaway this year. Each blogger who enters gets to name the charity of their choice – and if they win, their charity also wins $500 worth of Chronicle Books. For my charity, I have chosen Packages From Home. This is a bit about their mission: Our sole purpose is to provide food, personal care, and recreational items to deployed American troops, at no cost to the them. Since March 2005 we have averaged 1,000 to 1,500 packages a month being shipped to our heroes. Our goal is to ship many more. We collect donated items from generous patriotic citizens who live all across America. These items include non-perishable food, personal toiletries, and recreational...