Favorite Word

by Carol6 Comments
It's hard to choose a favorite word. Is it meaning that's important - passion, faith? Is it the way the word sounds - mellifluous, opulent? Is it a word with a special, personal meaning - sunshine, amber? What about a favorite word as motivation - believe, flourish? A couple of weeks ago during our mid-week praise service at church, the speaker asked people to share their favorite words.Words like love, trust, forgiveness were mentioned. So was beautiful, an interesting choice I though. I didn't share my favorite word, mostly because I couldn't come up with one. And to be honest, I still can't. There are several words that I could claim as my favorite and even write a fairly convincing reason why, but none that I feel attached to. Maybe extravagant. Not as in spending more than is wise, but as in "going beyond," "exceeding the bounds of reason." Love extravagantly, give extravagantly, live extravagantly. I'm not good at extravagant, actually, but...
Read More

Friday’s Tale: “Maid Maleen” by The Brothers Grimm

by Carol6 Comments
"Maid Maleen" by the Brothers Grimm I have to say that I like Maid Maleen. Maybe I'm just in a good mood today, forgiving of the Grimm's typical love of the beautiful, sweet, obedient young woman, or maybe Maid Maleen is not solely passive. Her story's romantic and touching, but she has to rescue herself in order to get to her happy ending. Maid Maleen is the daughter of a King and of course very beautiful. A prince from another land asked for her hand in marriage, but her father refuses, the story doesn't tell us why. Maid Maleen and the prince love each other dearly, and Maleen tells her father that she will marry no one else. Her father, furious, locks her and her waiting-woman up in a tower (reminds you of Rapunzel's tower, doesn't it?) for seven years, cutting them off from the rest of the world. When the food and drink dwindles and the two young women realize that...
Read More

“Method Murder” by Simon Brett

by Carol4 Comments
"Method Murder" by Simon Brett This short story was not impressive for me. The main character, Kenny Mountford, is an actor who wants wants to be respected. And really that meant doing more theatre. For the more obscure and impenetrable the theatre work, the higher the integrity of the actors involved. This meant, in effect, working with one of a small list of trendy directors, directors who didn't pander to the public by making their work accessible or simple entertaining. That section made me laugh out loud, but that was pretty much the high point. One of these select directors tells Kenny that he will put him in a play, but first Kenny has to "become" the character by infiltrating a London gang, which he does. The problem is Kenny is not bright, doesn't see what the director's up to, just goes along with the orders of the gang leader, but in the end he ends up better off than he was before. Maybe...
Read More

The Best Defense by Kate Wilhelm

by Carol9 Comments
The Best Defense by Kate Wilhelm A Three Reasons Review 1. Reason I chose this book Kate Wilhelm was an author I "discovered" last year. I enjoyed the first one in her Barbara Holloway series and this audiobook was on the "always available" list through my library, so I borrowed it. 2. Reason I liked the book It kept me hooked. Barbara Holloway is defending a woman accused of killing her daughter and then setting a building on fire to cover up the crime. The media has already convicted her, but Barbara is far from sure she's guilty. There's a small group of other suspects, some of whom prove to be very dangerous. I liked Barbara better in this one. She's still not quite sure of who she is/ who she wants to be, and she is recovering from the death of the man she fell in love with in the first book, but she doesn't dwell on herself as much as she did in the...
Read More

Teaser from Like Clockwork

by Carol11 Comments
"The man is very meticulous, too. Almost surgical in his precision. Not really a ‘slasher’ at all. Trying to understand how he thinks and what he feels about women could lead us to identify him." His partner all but rolled his eyes at the idea of plumbing the depths of a killer's mind. "Witnesses, Babbitt. I keep telling you." (46%, Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee) Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I received my copy from the publisher via NetGalley....
Read More