The Story of the Two Devils

by Carol5 Comments
"The Story of the Two Devils" Today's folk tale comes from Tibet, a land whose stories I am completely unfamiliar with. A long time ago, there was a plateau high in the mountains on which were situated several cites, all ruled over by a king with seven sons. One day, when the sons were playing in the forest, they found a beautiful girl who was herding a yak. "The seven sons thought that she was very pretty to look at, so they proposed to her that she become the wife of the seven, which was the custom of the country." (pg. 70) The girl consented and went home with the brothers, bringing her yak along. Every year, one of the brothers died, starting with the oldest until only the youngest was left. He of course became very ill and the head-men of the villages decided to send for a fortune teller. The fortune teller they chose may have been a fake,...
Read More

Write the Right Words by Sandra Lamb with a Giveaway

by Carol20 Comments
Write the Right Words by Sandra E. Lamb I'm a believer in sending good old-fashioned greeting cards. E-mail notes and texts and even phone calls have their places, but nothing beats a card for the big happy occasions, like birthdays, holidays. Card can also express sympathy, thanks, and love. But while I may spend hours searching for just the right card, or at least it seems like that to my husband, Lamb has reminded me that what matters even more is the handwritten note that, sadly, I usually don't include in the card. I don't know what to say or feel like I don't need to bother. A quick scribble of my name is so much easier, but not nearly as personal. The challenge comes when you are the sender. How do you write a greeting-card message to someone that will infuse your words with that special bit of care? With your own voice? With a hug that's warm and beating and...
Read More

A Horse Named Dragon created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

by Carol3 Comments
A Horse Named Dragon created by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Suggested grades: 3-6) I have to say this is one of my favorite Boxcar Children Mysteries that Amber (10) and I have read together. The four Alden children are spending a week at the Dare to Dream Ranch while their grandfather is away on business. The Aldens have gone riding at the ranch many times and know the place and the owner, Cookie, well. But horses start disappearing, including Jessie Alden's favorite Dragon, and the kids are determined to find out what's going on. There are plenty of clues sprinkled throughout the story, clues that kids can catch and can put together to solve the mystery before the Aldens. And the horses are definitely being stolen, it's not some innocent misunderstanding. This was actually a little more exciting than some of the Boxcar books. There were several possible suspects and a point where the children actually were in a bit of true danger. I think...
Read More

Same Book, New Teaser

by Carol12 Comments
Some idiot hollered, "Awooooo!" from the rooftop across the street and dropped some flaming paper that spun a bright orange swirl until it burned itself out halfway down to the sidewalk. These were healthy reminders that this would be a good time to get off the street. (pg. 94, Heat Wave by Richard Castle) I'm still reading this one. I'm thinking my free time should pick back up once school starts. 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 borrowed my copy from the library and the above is my honest opinion. I am an Amazon associate....
Read More

Cambric Tea by Marjorie Bowen

by Carol2 Comments
"Cambric Tea" by Marjorie Bowen A young physician, Bevis Holroyd is called down from London to the bedside of a new patient on Christmas Eve. The man makes the astounding accusation that his wife is poisoning him, lacing his cambric tea with arsenic. Cambric tea as described in the story sounds disgusting by the way, a drink made up of half milk and half warm water. Anyway, the doctor is familiar with this type of case, having just solved assisted in solving a murder mystery involving the same style of poisoning. It's not quite as clear cut a case as it seems at first, however. We slowly learn that the wife and the doctor knew each other previously, had actually been in love at one time. This short tale is full of treachery, jealously, distrust, all the essentials of a good mystery boiled down into just a few pages. It had me engrossed, wondering who was telling the truth, what was actually going...
Read More