The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald

by Carol10 Comments
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, illustrated by Mercer Mayer (Suggested reading level: Ages 9-12) Amber (9) and I read this together. It was first published in 1967 and set in Utah in 1896, but if Amber's any example, today's kids will still find plenty to enjoy. The Great Brain is Tom D. Fitzgerald and the story is told by J.D., his admiring younger brother. Tom is an expert at making money from his friends, but he does help a lot of people along the way, even if his motives are not entirely unselfish. Each chapter is like a mini-adventure. Tom gets a mean teacher fired and then rehired, finds two kids lost in a cave, helps a Greek immigrant boy fit in, saves a friend from committing suicide by teaching him that he's not useless even after the lower part of his leg is amputated. Tom really is a brilliant kid, and it's a fun book. As soon as it was...
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Sherlock Holmes

by Carol9 Comments
I have to admit that I was totally prepared to love Sherlock Holmes from the minute I had heard it was coming out, and I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. This may be an action-hero Holmes, but he jived well with the image I had in my head, and Robert Downey, Jr. was the perfect actor to bring him to life. He's tough, sarcastic, doesn't care about social niceties, and is certainly not above a makeshift costume. Watson is right beside Holmes throughout the adventure, and they encounter Irene Adler, who is dangerous in her own right. It also made me want to get out the Holmes stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that I have around the house. I read "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" right before Christmas, but it's not my favorite of the lot. I especially want to reread "A Scandal in Bohemia," the story that features Irene Adler. To Sherlock Holmes she is...
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V is for Virgin

by Carol10 Comments
Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is V. This week I've got another from my to-read list. This book won the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel in 2007. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard Small Plains, Kansas, January 23, 1987: In the midst of a deadly blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger scours his father’s pasture, looking for helpless newborn calves. Then he makes a shocking discovery: the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl, her skin as white as the snow around her. Even dead, she is the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. It is a moment that will forever change his life and the lives of everyone around him. The mysterious dead girl–the “Virgin of Small Plains”–inspires local reverence. In the two decades following her death, strange miracles visit those who faithfully tend to her grave; some even believe that her spirit can cure deadly illnesses. Slowly, word of the legend spreads. But what really...
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Teaser Tuesday

by Carol7 Comments
Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given. Please avoid spoilers! My teaser: A throb of anger rose in him, but suddenly it fell, and he felt, with a curious sense of relief, that at bottom he no longer cared whether Flamel had told his wife or not. The assumption that Flamel knew about the letters had become a fact to Glennard; and it now seemed to him better that Alexa should know too. -pg. 61, The Touchstone by Edith Wharton Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. My copy was borrowed from the library. I am an Amazon associate....
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The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by RaeAnne Thayne

by Carol7 Comments
The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle by RaeAnne Thayne The term "cowboy" is a little misleading. Carson McRaven is no ordinary cowboy. He does own a new ranch with horses and cattle, but he also owns a billion dollar multinational tech company. Jenna Wheeler, a widow with four children, is his neighbor and the former owner of his land. The two manage to live near each other in relative peace, although the kids always run amok on Carson's land. But, when Carson has business associates come in to town right before Christmas, he needs some help, and Jenna is the perfect chef to turn to. Of course, sparks fly, gazes are lingering and passion-filled. Carson learns to open his heart and Jenna learns that he's the perfect man for her. She smiled against his chest, even as she fought tears of joy. "I get it now. You just love me for my snickerdoodles." He laughed softly and it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard....
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