Carol's Notebook

The Thrill Ride Questionnaire What is your favourite genre out of Thriller, Mystery, Suspense and Horror? Why? My favorite is Mystery. I don't really know why, I've just loved mysteries since I was a kid, starting with Nancy Drew and quickly moving up to Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. I like the strong personalities the detectives usually have, whether they're professional or amateurs. I like the who dunnit, even if I can never figure it out. Who are your top 3 authors in those genres? It's so hard to choose. I'm picking three  that have stood the test of time. Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ngaio Marsh Tell us who your favorite male and female authors are in the genre? These are my current favorites. This list could look very different at the same time next year. Male: Brian M. Wiprud Greg Iles Female: Louise Penny Kate Wilhelm What book do you remember loving but don't remember the details? Maybe you should read it again now. Dracula. I know I've read it,...

Still Alice by Lisa Genova is  a heart-breaking, but still hopeful novel.  Alice's story is compelling and made me think about how important it is to spend time with those I love. Alice is a brilliant, healthy 50 year-old woman, a Harvard psychology and linguistics professor who is happily married and has three grown children. She notices that she is beginning to forget things, lose words, get lost in her own town. At first, she blames it on menopause, but is soon diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. The novel follows her through that next year as her condition deteriorates. Alice's story is devastating and Genova has made her feel so real. It's an honest portrayal of what it must feel like to have Alzheimer's, to know that you will eventually lose your mind, how scary it can be, how alone you can feel. I can't say I liked Alice. In the beginning of the book, I felt like she put her career...

I can't believe summer is almost over. It just flew past. I'm not much of a planner when it comes to my reading schedule, but here's a list of the top ten books on my fall t-read list. Now whether or not I'll get around to them, we'll just have to wait and see.  This is a mix of books I'm wishing for and ones I already have sitting on the pile at home. I could list more, but I held myself to ten. Between the Thames and the Tiber by Ted Riccardi- I love Holmes! Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite - A ghost story for October. Dragon Blues by Edie Ramer - I have to have a paranormal romance on the list. The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe - The eastern Tennessee setting and the mix of magic and reality call to me. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy - I don't read many historical novels, but Theodora sounds...

I am so tired this morning. I wish I had taken the time to heat up some coffee before I left. I only got one book last week, which means I finished more than I picked up, a good thing. The book is Hell and Gone by Duane Swierczynski, from Mulholland Books via NetGalley. It's the second in the Charlie Hardie series and I have to know what happens to him. Mailbox Monday is taking a blog tour. This month’s host is Staci at Life in the Thumb. It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Here’s what I wrote about last week. Reviews: Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski The Bat Scientists by Mary Kary Carson "Bluebeard’s Ghost" by William Makepeace Thackeray A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny “The Witness for the Prosecution” by Agatha Christie Other posts: "In Need of a Champion"- original flash fiction Currently, I’m reading/listening to: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny Belladonna in Hollywood by Alex Severin Still Alice by Lisa Genova So I actually finished a few, all...