Fiction from Fiction

by Carol5 Comments
"This is a homicide investigation. I am not only going to ask you some questions right here and right now, I expect you to answer them. And I'm not worried about whether you have your figures," she snapped her fingers, "right at hand." (pg. 30, Heat Wave by Richard Castle) I'll be starting this one later today. I like Castle the few times I've seen it on TV, mostly because it's a mystery show that makes me laugh to. I'm wondering if the book will have the same type of humor. 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. [tweetmeme source= "carolsnotebook" only_single=false http://carolsnotebook.com/2010/08/03/fiction-from-fiction/] I borrowed  my copy from the library and the above is my honest ...
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The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva

by Carol8 Comments
The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva Instead of the usual review, today I'm answering questions inspired by the book. The questionnaire was provided by the publisher for this TLC book tour. If you were to write a blurb in fewer than three sentences for The Rembrandt Affair, what would it be? Gabriel Allon, spy, assassin and art restorer, is asked to recover a stolen Rembrandt. The painting's past is covered in blood, and following its trail leads Allon back into the world of international intrigue. Gabriel Allon is a talented spy and assassin, but also a master art restorer.  If you could have two careers that seem to be complete opposites, what would they be? Since we're talking fiction, I'm going to assume I don't actually need to have the skills or knowledge, right? I would love to own a bookstore and be a photographer. Of course, I would like some danger and adventure thrown in their somewhere, but I guess that might go along...
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The Story Bag

by Carol5 Comments
"The Story Bag" I love today's story, which comes from Korea. It's about a boy who always wanted to be told new stories by everyone he met. He kept all the stories in a bag, never letting them out. Eventually, the boy grows up and is about to be married. The stories, tired of being trapped, conspire together to kill the boy, each deciding what they will turn themselves into. One decides to be poisonous berries, another a red-hot iron skewer, a third dangerous snakes. Each would position himself along the trail to the bride's home or in the bridal bed itself. A loyal servant overhears their plans and saves the young man, telling him what happened only after the last of the threats has been defeated. That is why when stories are heard they must never be stored away to become mean and spiteful, but must always be shared with other people. In this way they are passed from one person...
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The Time Pirate by Ted Bell

by Carol7 Comments
The Time Pirate by Ted Bell (Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8) I read this aloud with Amber (10), and she and I have entirely different opinions of it, and, David, who listened in on most of it, pretty much agrees with her, which makes me think that I just wasn't the right audience. It's 1940, Nick McIver, a 12 year-old boy must defend his home, a small British island, against the looming Nazi invasion. But the Nazis are not his only enemies; using a time-travel device invented by da Vinci, he also battles 18th-century pirates who've kidnapped his sister. To further confuse things, the pirates, who are equipped with a time-travel device of their own, threaten to change the outcome of the American Revolution. Nick feels compelled to help General Washington and his troops, even though doing so makes him a traitor, because he knows that the support of the United States will become crucial...
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