I is for I

by Carol8 Comments
Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is I. I read this novel in the summer of 2007. I don't remember many of the details, but I do remember loving it. It's not actually on my shelf anymore, but I still wanted to share it. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family--beautiful sister Rose, brooding father James, ethereal stepmother Topaz--is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. She writes, "I have just remarked to Rose that our situation is really rather romantic, two...
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The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

by Carol13 Comments
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia Graves When I purchased this book, I was expecting to fall in love with it. I was hoping it would be the best book I would read all year. I thought it would enthrall me. I was disappointed. The story is fascinating. Daniel's father takes him to the Cemetery of Lost Books, where he discovers The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. Daniel loves the book, but when he begins to search for other books by Carax, he discovers that someone is systematically burning every copy of every book Carax has written. Daniel is drawn into the mystery surrounding the author's life, a story of murder, lost love and madness. In the meantime, Daniel himself falls in love, his own story in a way echoing Carax'. I told her until that moment I had not understood that this was a story about lonely people, about absence and loss, and that...
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Teaser Tuesday

by Carol12 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: But the glorious absurdity of one of rock 'n' roll's greatest icons, the leader of my favorite band, my Jew-Rock idol, attempting to cut me down like a marauding moyel was so surreal, surprising and bizarre that it made me palpably giddy. Somehow, despite every molecule in my body commanding me to unleash gales of joyful laughter, I managed to stay stone-faced. That was the moment I knew I was a professional. -pg. 76, "The Professional" by Jacob Austen in Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection edited by Shana Liebman Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along....
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Penny and Rio: The Locked Doghouse Mystery by Jennifer Swanson, with Giveaway

by Carol20 Comments
Penny and Rio: The Locked Doghouse Mystery by Jennifer Swanson Amber and I enjoyed the first Penny and Rio mystery, so when Jennifer contacted me about reviewing the second, I was thrilled to agree. Penny and Rio are on another case. Squeaky, a mouse, has a treasure. The problem is the treasure is in a locked dog house and Squeaky can't get in. With the help of a new friend, Penny and Rio find a solution. You'll have to read the book to find out what Squeaky's treasure is, though. This was just as cute as the first. The dogs try several plans before they actually manage to get into the doghouse, emphasizing team work and perseverance. The importance of friends and family is also shown, with Penny and Rio realizing that even though they are different, being sisters is special. This is a good one to read aloud or for elementary readers just starting on short chapter books. It's fun and talking animals...
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