Short Story Monday: Dolly’s Trash and Treasures by Lawrence Block

by Carol7 Comments
I've read at least one full-length book by Lawrence Block before, one of his Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but I don't remember which one. I also enjoyed his story in the Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop collection, so I expected to like this one too and I wasn't disappointed. The subject of hoarding is popular lately, from tv shows to books. It seems to both fascinate and repel people, and this story is Block's contribution to the phenomena. The story is told in a unique format. It's all dialogue and short passages giving us the inner thoughts of the main character, Dorothy, or Dolly to her friends. In the beginning of the story, two representatives of Child Protective Services show up at Dorothy's door, telling her that the neighbor's are worried about her children. Dorothy explains that her children left, they couldn't stand living with her stuff anymore so they took off, maybe went to live with their father. After seeing the state...
Read More

Weekend cooking: My favorite stuffed shells

by Carol16 Comments
They're not pretty, but these stuffed shells are absolutely delicious. They are from my Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics cookbook, probably my favorite of all my cookbooks. They're not the standard shells stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture and marinara sauce, they're kind of tacoey. Stuffed Pasta Shells Makes 6 servings Ingredients: 12 uncooked jumbo pasta shells 1 medium onion 1 pound lean ground beef 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature ¼ cup taco sauce Cooking spray ½ taco sauce 1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese ½ cup crushed corn chips 1 medium green onion with tops ½ cup sour cream Directions Boil the pasta shells uncovered for 11 to 13 minutes until tender. Drain. Peel and chop the onion. Cook the ground been and onion over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned; drain. Stir the chili power, cream cheese, and ¼ cup taco sauce into the beef. Heat over medium-low hear 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Heat oven to 350º. Spray a 8-or 9-inch...
Read More

Worst Drive Ever

by Carol20 Comments
I don't really have a favorite place to drive. To be honest, I don't care about driving and am more than happy to let my husband take over the wheel most of the time - as long as he's not yawning. When I do drive a long distance by myself, I put a book in the CD player and stick to the highways. I do remember the worst drive I ever made. We were on our way back from North Carolina. Amber was 3 or 4 at the time, so it must have been 7 or 8 years ago. The way we went took us over the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. I don't remember who though of it first, but we got the brilliant idea to drive down to the bottom. And of course I was the one driving at the time. It was this steep narrow winding road and I must have been white-knuckled on the steering...
Read More

Friday’s Tale: Beauty and the Beast by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

by Carol11 Comments
In my Monday post I mentioned that I debating what story to feature this Friday and blodeuedd seconded my suggestion of "Beauty and the Beast." There are many versions of this classic fairy tale. I read the version by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont from 1756. It can be found many places, including here. The first version of the story was written in 1740 by Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve. It's novella length and is actually the one I wanted to read, but I had trouble finding a copy of it. I have a book on-hold through our inter-library loan system that I think will have it, but I won't know for sure until it comes in. So maybe I'll have a chance to compare the two in the future, but in the meantime I'll look at de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast." The story starts out with a merchant who has six children, three sons and three daughters, and he actually...
Read More

Review: In the Woods by Tana French

by Carol15 Comments
I was meant to read this book. Honestly In the Woods had everything I adore – a murder mystery; moody, quirky characters; long, descriptive sentences; a unique setting that becomes a character in and of itself. First the mystery. A twelve year-old girl is found dead at an archaeological site that is about to get bull-dozed to make way for a new road. She was popular and had recently been accepted to ballet school, but her father is an outspoken opponent of the highway. The clues are there, but it’s a meandering investigation for the detectives in charge of the case. There are a lot of dead ends and many potential suspects. I liked how the story took it’s time, explored all the options. For a thriller, I found it a slow read, not because I was bored, but because the writing forced you to rake your time. It wasn’t one I could have rushed through. There is a second mystery, too....
Read More

Abandoned: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

by Carol10 Comments
I had to give up on Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I adored her The Cinderella Deal, and expected a similar type romance, fun and predictable. On the one hand, I was right. The two main characters Min and Calvin are so cute together. Of course, neither thinks the other is right  for them, but we know different. They enjoy each other, bantering, playing, relaxed even though Min thinks he's only dating her because of a bet. It would be quite an enjoyable story if Crusie had kept these two and Calvin's friends and dumped all of Min's friends and family. They are the reason I had to abandon this one. Min's family is just mean to her. First, they think she's overweight and are constantly harping on it. Thank heavens Calvin loves how much she relishes food and gets her to eat all kinds of goodies, from chicken marsala to brats to donuts. And they give the impression that they think...
Read More