Game Night – Betrayal at House on the Hill

by Carol4 Comments
I was having trouble deciding what game to spotlight this week. This one's out of print, but you might still be able to find it at a yard sale or on E-Bay. Betrayal at House on the Hill Designers: Bruce Glassco, Rob Daviau Manufacturers: Avalon Hill Artist: Scott Okumura Year: 2004 Players: 3 - 6 Time: 60 minutes Ages: 10 and up Build a house of terror -- tile by tile. It's never the same game twice. As one of the twelve mysterious characters, you'll explore a house filled with deadly secrets. As you play, you'll build the house. But beware! One of your fellow players will betray you. The traitor will test your sanity as you use all your skills to survive. With fifty fiendish scenarios, Betrayal at House on the Hill puts you face to face with legendary monsters, modern nightmares, and ... your friends. This is one of those games where you just have to relax and enjoy the theme. It's kind of a B-horror movie in a box. You...
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Giveaways in Blogland

by CarolNo 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. Cleopatra's Daughter and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran, at Well-Mannered Frivolity (ends September 14, International) The Treasures of Venice and The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary, at Booking Mama (ends September 17, US and Canada) The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons, at She Is Too Fond of Books (ends September 19, US and Canada) The Treasures of Venice and The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary, at Drey's Library (ends September 22, US and Canada, no PO boxes) The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard, at The Tome Traveller's Weblog (ends September 24, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Not books Ozone socks, at Lipstick to Crayons (ends September 22, US...
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Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

by Carol4 Comments
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey I've mentioned before that a book's setting can be just as important to me as the plot or characters. This is one of those books. The culture, history,  and landscape of Ghana are integral to the storyline. Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is from his station in Accra, the capital, to a small village to investigate the death of a female medical student. Darko's not thrilled about leaving his family, a wife he loves and a son with a medical condition, but he knows the area's native language. His aunt lives in the village and it was the last place his mother was seen before she vanished years ago. As he investigates the murder he also learns the truth behind his mother disappearance. Darko is torn between his modern sensiblities and the age-old customs that still persist, like the trokosi, girls who are given as wives to the local priest in exchange for good fortune for their families. He steps on a lot...
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Guest Post – Barbara Bretton, author of Laced with Magic

by Carol5 Comments
Yesterday, I reviewed Laced with Magic which I enjoyed a lot. I have a soft spot for paranormal romances. Today, I want to thank Barbara Bretton for taking a page in my notebook to share her thoughts on finding "your voice." Thanks so much!   The Writer’s Secret Weapon --Guest Blogger Barbara Bretton, LACED WITH MAGIC First the good news: if you’re looking for information on how to develop your author’s voice, you can stop reading right now. Your own true writer’s voice is already firmly in place and has been ever since you opened your mouth and spoke your first words. The bad news? You’ve been trained over the years to do everything in your power to suppress it. Most of us mistrust our true and genuine voice. It seems too easy, too uncomplicated. Too much like sitting across the kitchen table from your best friend and telling a story. A friend of mine named Deborah Hecht first used the Kitchen Table analogy one day at our...
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My Fishing Journal by Louis Gary Lamit

by Carol2 Comments
My Fishing Journal by Louis Gary Lamit is a journal for children to track and record their fishing experiences. This journal is for those who want to detail their fishing trips and also save it for later in life to better recall these special times. There are 50-pages of full color sheets that are divided into categories for writing down the time, date, moon phase, weather conditions, water conditions, fishing gear, types of fish caught, fishing companions, etc. There is also a longer 100-page version that is not colored but has more sheets for older children or adults to document fishing trips. More than 75 fish types have been described in information blocks at the end of each set of facing pages so that you and your child can learn about the fish they will be encountering during their trips. I am really excited about these journals. Not only do they have places for all the details of the trips, there is...
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Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton

by Carol3 Comments
    Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton Even if you're a sorceress-in-training, finding your true love does not guarantee your problems are all over. In fact, it's just the opposite in this follow-up to Casting Spells, which I reviewed last week. This story picks up where it left off. Bretton does a good job of giving enough of the background, though, that readers new to the sereis could catch right on. Chloe Hobbs, sorceress-in-training and owner of Sticks & Strings knitting shop, has fallen head-over-heels for Luke MacKenzie, a human cop staying temporarily in Sugar Maple, Vermont. Of course, he's the only human in Sugar Maple, but for the most part he manages to get along with vampires, werewolves, etc. But trouble's just around the bend. Luke's ex-wife shows up talking about their dead daughter, Steffie, trying to contact her. Another human is exactly what the townsfolk don't want. To top it off, Luke's daughter's spirit is being held hostage by a Fae leader we already know...
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