The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton

by Carol9 Comments
The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8 Folktales of little men who help women spin thread or straw into gold are told with different variations throughout the world. "Rumpelstiltskin" is probably the best known, but this book retells a West Indian version. Quashiba and her mother are spinning thread in the shade of a tree when Big King rides past. Quashiba's mother brags to the king that her daughter can spin fields of fine gold thread. The king decides that he will marry Quashiba, but warns her that after one year and one day of marriage she must begin spinning the golden thread and fill three whole rooms. Of course, the time eventually comes and he locks her into the room one night. He actually padlocks the door, telling her that if she doesn't do it she will stay locked in forever. A tiny, ugly man floats into the room and tells...
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Tooth Fairy (Movie- 2010)

by Carol7 Comments
Tooth Fairy was a great choice for our family to watch. My husband is a major hockey fan, and my daughter enjoys watching games with him, so a kids movie involving hockey was a sure winner. Derek Thompson is a hockey player whose hard-hitting playing style has knocked out a few opponents' teeth, earning him the nickname "Tooth Fairy." He tends to be a dream-crusher, though, telling kids that they'll never make it to the pros, or that the Tooth Fairy doesn't really exist. As punishment, he's sentenced to be a real tooth fairy for a week, a job that's a lot easier said than done. This was simply a fun movie. It honestly had me laughing out loud a lot of the time. Now I'm not saying it's a good movie, but it is really enjoyable. And it has a good message, to believe in dreams. We all loved it, including Amber (10). On a side note, Amber has a loose tooth now....
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Bad Boys

by Carol10 Comments
Problem is, much as I love the Lord, church-going man never do all that much for me. Kind a man I like ain't the kind that stays around when he done spending all you money. I made that mistake twenty years ago. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett, pg. 22) So many women are attracted to men who are just not good for them. What is the allure of the "bad boy?" Rebellion, a hint of danger, the hope of being able to "help" him? The confidence, the sexiness? Even now, I love a good romance with an alpha hero, strong, independent, confident, assertive, but not steeping over the line into abusive. At least in the teaser above, Abilene realizes that she's attracted to the wrong men and therefore has made the decision to "shut the door on that kind of business." (pg. 22) Her life is too tough without the added complications a "bad boy" brings with him. Personally, I'm thankful to...
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A Scandal in Bohemia by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

by Carol10 Comments
"A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle When we watched Sherlock Homes a while back, I mentioned that it made me want to reread the Sherlock Holmes adventures. I started with "A Scandal in Bohemia" simply because Irene Adler was featured so prominently in the movie. "A Scandal in Bohemia," the first of 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories, was published in The Strand Magazine in July 1891. In the story, the King of Bohemia hires Holmes to recover a photo for him. He is engaged and afraid that the photo of him and his former lover, the adventuress Irene Adler, will ruin his future if it is sent to his fianceé's family. I won't tell you the ending, in case you don't know, but Irene Adler is one of the few people, male or female, who manages to outwit Holmes. Irene herself is as sexy as she was portrayed in the movie. She's a singer, prima donna of the Imperial Opera...
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January Wrap-up

by Carol6 Comments
January was cold. That about sums it up. I read nine books this past month, one short story and one fairy tale. The Touchstone by Edith Wharton The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz Rion by Susan Kearney 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr 101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle by Dawn Del Russo The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley Still Life by Louise Penny "Hansel and Grethel" from Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm and Willhelm Grimm "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I did read one classic which is one of my personal goals, to read more classics. My favorite of the month was definitely Still Life, although they all had their good points. I received a few books in the mail that I haven't gotten a chance to read yet. Soulless by Gail Carriger and On the Edge by Ilona Andrews, thanks to...
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Tomorrow’s Groundhog Day!

by Carol5 Comments
The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Wendie Old, illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye (Suggested reading level: Grades 2-5) Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up to hear whether or not Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. I'm hoping, as always, that he doesn't. I'm not a winter lover. But why groundhogs and why February 2nd? This fun little book answers those questions and has a lot of other info packed in. It starts off with a description of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the event has turned into a three day festival. It also gives facts about groundhogs, their lives and mating habits, and discusses hibernation. I found the most interesting chapter "The Beginnings of Groundhog Day." The author traces it's history, beginning with the spring festival, Imbolc, celebrated by the Celts in ancient Ireland through the day becoming St. Brigit's Day, eventually known as Candelmas. An old German saying is, When the bear sees his shadow at Candlemas, he will craw back into his hole for...
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