Cooling Down with AC: 4:50 from Paddington

by Carol9 Comments
Mrs. McGillicuddy saw someone murdered on a train that passed the one she was on. She is positive that she saw a man strangling a woman, but after reporting it to the authorities, no body is found. No one seems to believe her, so she turns to her dear friend Miss Marple. Miss Marple listens to the whole story, goes to the local police who find nothing, and then assures her friend that she has done her duty. Mrs. McGillicuddy then goes on her way, but Miss Marple hasn't done all she can. As an older woman, Miss Marple cannot do al the necessary running around herself, so she calls on some old friends to help her. She sends Lucy Eyelsbarrow, a professional housekeeper to Rutherford Hall, the place Miss Marple is sure the body is. Of course, Lucy does find the body hidden in a sarcophagus in a barn, putting the Crackenthorpe family who live in the hall under the...
Read More

Teaser from Soul Surfer

by Carol8 Comments
I found that I was competing against the same kids as before, which was great, because we all got to know each other, and I made some great new friends. These contest, while competitive in the water, are actually fun, happy events where winning is secondary to enjoying the surf, the beach, and all the companionship. (Tuesday Teaser from pg. 43 of Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton)...
Read More

Review: “Trail of the Lonesome Stickpin” by Camille LaGuire

by Carol10 Comments
I mentioned a while ago that I have developed quite a fondness for Mick and Casey McKee, a young married couple who are gunslingers in the Old West. And tend to do a bit of detecting while they're at it. Over my vacation, I read a few of the mysteries starring the pair, including the short story "Trail of the Lonesome Stickpin." The story opens with Mick waking up on the floor, half-undressed, and the memory of a pair of beautiful brown eyes and soft blond hair. His wife, by the way, has hazel eyes, brown hair, and is quite a sharpshooter. Needless to say, he's desperate to figure out what happened before he's in more trouble with Casey than he can handle. I still love this couple. They make me smile, it's that simple. Mick's the talker, the one who figures things out. Casey's more likely to shoot first and ask questions later, but she has a soft side that shows...
Read More

Giveaway: Breaking Up with God by Sarah Sentilles

by Carol4 Comments
I have one copy to giveaway, US and Canada only. Here's the blurb. I broke up with God. The breakup was devastating. It was like a divorce when all the friends you had as a couple are forced to choose sides and end up not choosing yours. Sarah Sentilles's relationship with God was not casual. When it began to unravel she was in the ordination process to become an Episcopal priest, a youth minister at a church, and a doctoral student in theology at Harvard. You might say they were engaged and that the wedding was all planned. Calling it off would be more than a little awkward. But in the studying of the religion she'd been raised on and believed wholeheartedly, one day she woke up and realized . . . it was over. In this powerful memoir of faith, Sentilles reveals how deep our ties to God can be, and how devastating they can be to break. Without God to mold...
Read More