Carol's Notebook – Page 652

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

October 13, 2009October 13, 2009 by Carol13 Comments

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen Becca has been enchanted by her Grandmother Gemma's story of Briar Rose since she was a child. At Gemma's deathbed, Becca makes a promise to her, a promise leads Becca to Poland, discovering Gemma's past and the truth behind Gemma's claim to be Briar Rose. "That castle is yours. It is all I have to leave you. You must find it. The castle in the sleeping woods. Promise me." (pg. 19) This is a powerful, touching retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. Before reading it, I couldn't imagine how Yolen would connect the fairy tale with the Holocaust, but the wall of thorns becomes barbed wire, the prince has a real-life counterpart and the truth of the sleeping spell is a horrible reality. I shy away from Holocaust literature in general. I'm always worried that it will be too depressing, although so many of the stories, like Briar Rose, end in redemption and hope. Gemma, as the princess, is...

Teaser Tuesday

October 13, 2009May 17, 2010 by Carol13 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: I took my leap when my friend told me, "If it was all about stability, you wouldn't need faith." Your dreams might be different now than when you were a kid, but they're still there, waiting to be believed in. -pg. 96, Permission Slips by Sherri Shepherd with Laurie Kilmartin Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along....

Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge

October 12, 2009January 14, 2010 by Carol6 Comments

Becky is hosting this mini-challenge. The challenge began on October 1, 2009 and end December 1, 2010. The goal is to read and/or watch two works by Wilkie Collins. I'm finally going to read The Woman in White and The Moonstone....

From Amber’s Sketchbook

October 11, 2009October 8, 2009 by Carol8 Comments

Amber had this in an art show about a year ago. It's her pet gecko, Gene....

Game Night – Killer Bunnies

October 10, 2009October 12, 2009 by Carol2 Comments

Ryan listed a bunch of movie monsters the other day including the rabbits from Night of the Lepus, which is what reminded me of this game. Killer Bunnies Designer: Jeffrey Neil Bellinger Manufacturer: Playroom Entertainment Artist: Jonathan Young Year: 2002 Players: 2 - 8 Ages: 12 and up Description: Killer Bunnies is a fast paced, action filled card game, in which you must try to keep as many Bunnies alive as possible, while eliminating your opponents' Bunnies. The problem: Your opponents are armed with weapons and will stop at nothing to keep you from winning the game, which can get dreadfully vengeful, horribly nasty, hilariously messy, and just plain fun! Can you keep from being attacked by the whimsical Whisk or the torching Flame Thrower? Defend your Bunnies with the Magic Spatula, or use a Feed The Bunny card to starve out an opponent! It's off-the-wall strategic fun, where the goal is to survive and claim the Magic Carrot to win the game! My...

Giveaways in Blogland

October 10, 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 and make sure you check out West of Mars- Win a Book! where there's always a ton of links to great contests, interviews and guest posts. The Listeners by Gloria Whelan, at She Is Too Fond of Books (ends today, US and Canada) Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs, at Lori's Reading Corner (ends October 15, US) You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning by Celia Rivenbark, at Booking Mama (ends October 22, US) Crossing Washington Square by Joanne Rendell, at Peeking Between the Pages (ends October 24, International) Detectives Don't Wear Seatbelts by Cici McNair, at A Sea of Books (ends October 24, US and Canada, no PO boxes) The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton, at The Tome Traveller's Weblog (ends October 26, US and Canada, no PO boxes) By the way, if you...