Carol's Notebook – Page 651

Game Night- Incan Gold

October 17, 2009January 14, 2010 by Carol2 Comments

Incan Gold Designers: Alan R Moon, Bruno Faidutti Manufacturers: FRED Distribution Artist: Matthias Catrein Year: 2009 Players: 3 - 8 Time: 20 - 40 minutes Ages: 8 and up Incan Gold is a quick, fun game of bluff and daring in which explorers push their luck while exploring an old Incan temple in search of gold and treasure. In each round, you decide whether to delve deeper into the temple, adding to your riches, or escape with the share you’ve acquired so far. Every time an explorer braves new territory, more gems and dangers appear. Giant spiders, mummies and fire can cause you to lose everything. Is it worth the risk? You decide. But if you leave, those who remain in the temple may acquire a bigger share of each stash of jewels yet to be found. After five rounds of exploration, whoever has the most treasure is the ultimate explorer and the winner! This is a fun little game. It seems to work better with a group of...

Giveaways in Blogland

October 17, 2009May 17, 2010 by Carol3 Comments

I thought I’d let you know a few of the giveaways I ran across this week. As always, my current giveaway is listed on my sidebar. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, at Trish's Book Nook (ends October 18) Devil's Trill by Gerard Elias, at Number One Novels (ends October 18, Continental US) A Climate for Change by Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley, at Freda's Voice (ends October 21, US and Canada) Only Milo by Barry Smith, at Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia (ends October 23, US and Canada) Can God be Trusted? by Thomas D. Williams, at Freda's Voice (ends October 26, US and Canada ) The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl, at S. Krishna's Books (ends October 26, US) Four favorite books, at Life or Something Like It (ends October 31, US and Canada only) Knit the Season and Knit Two by Kate Jacobs, at Peeking Between the Pages (ends October 31, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Only Milo by Barry Smith, at Beth Fish Reads...

Dan and Judith Greenburg

October 16, 2009October 16, 2009 by Carol2 Comments

Each year, Amber's school has an author come visit to talk about their books and about being a writer. They do assemblies for each of the elementary schools in the district and then have an evening program for the kids, parents, and friends. This year the guest authors were Dan and Judith Greenburg and we headed over to school last night to hear their presentation and have some refreshments. No photos, because Amber wouldn't let me. Sorry. Dan Greenburg is the author of The Zack Files (the main character is loosely based on his son), and he discussed how he came to write children's book. It sounded like a long path, from being in art school, to selling pieces to Esquire, to working in an advertising company. Eventually, he decided that writing is what he loved and he could actually make a career of it. I guess during his talk at the assembly earlier that day, he had also told the...

Ansel Adams in Color

October 15, 2009May 17, 2010 by Carol8 Comments

Ansel Adams in Color edited by Harry M. Callahan with John P. Schaefer and Andrea G. Stillman I'm sure most everyone in America is familiar with Ansel Adams' work, whether they recognize it as his or not. His gorgeous black and white scenic photographs are simply breathtaking. This book, however, contains a collection of his color images and I think they're beautiful, too. The colors are vivid in some, more subtle in others. However, color in itself has a profound emotional potential. (pg. 154) This book includes an essay discussing Adams' sometimes conflicting views on color photography and a selection of Adam's writings on the subject in the back. These were fascinating and gave me a better perspective on photography in general and Adams in particular. I also didn't realize that Adams was a pianist, either, which I found particularly interesting. Toward the end of his life, Ansel wrote a letter including some thoughts on color photography. I can truthfully say I can remember...

Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains by Dawn Mende

October 14, 2009 by Carol3 Comments

Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains by Dawn Menge, illustrations by Bobbi Switzer Queen Vernita is visiting the Blue Ice Mountains and each month she invites a different friend to join her. She and her friend then spend the month doing special things together. Amber and I were actually pleasantly surprised by this book. First the illustrations are bright and charming, but beyond that the book does teach a lot. It covers the months of the year, how many days are in each month and the days of the week. For us, though, the highlight was how much we learned about plants and animals from such a short, simple little book. It could be a great "interest sparker," encouraging a child or parent to want to learn more about some of the subjects, like whales, wildflowers, or the aurora borealis. It was educational, but in a fun way. "The whales are so huge and magnificent. Isn't nature incredible?" exclaimed Judy. "I could...

J is for Jacob

October 14, 2009October 14, 2009 by Carol7 Comments

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is J. I read this book in May of 2008. At the time I wrote, "I honestly couldn't put this book down. I loved it- sex, love, adventure, danger, magic, all rolled into one." Jacob (The Nightwalkers, Book 1) by Jacquelyn Frank Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers——the races of the night who live in the shadows of the moonlight. Love with humans is absolutely forbidden, and one man makes certain to uphold this ancient law: Jacob, the Enforcer. Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total...until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses...