Carol's Notebook – Page 661

Game Night- Small World

July 25, 2009July 25, 2009 by Carol2 Comments

Small World Designer: Philippe Keyaerts Manufacturer: Days of Wonder Year: 2009 Players: 2 - 5 Time: 40 - 80 minutes Ages: 8 and up Description: In Small World, players vie for conquest and control of a world that is simply too small to accommodate them all. Small World is inhabited by a zany cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and even humans; who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands in order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires -- often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory. Small World's design emphasizes the playful fantasy theme with rich details and components that beg to be played. My thoughts: One of our friends brought this over about two weeks...

Giveaways in Blogland

July 25, 2009July 24, 2009 by Carol3 Comments

I thought I’d let you know some of the giveaways I ran across this week. As always, my current giveaways are 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 Sword, The Wolf, and The Master by Jean Johnson, at Bibliophiles 'R' Us (ends July 28, US only) Tamed by a Laird by Amanda Scott, at Bibliophiles 'R' Us (ends July 30, US and Canada only, no PO Boxes) Dial Emmy for Murder by Eileen Davidson, at Booking Mama (ends July 31, US and Canada only) Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani, at A Reader's Respite (ends August 4, International) Graceling by Krisin Cashore, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, at Today's Adventure (ends August 8, International) The Lost Dog by Michelle deKretser, at Tutu's Two Cents (ends August 12, US and Canada only, no PO boxes) The Juror, The Caveman's...

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

July 24, 2009July 24, 2009 by Carol8 Comments

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith From the back cover: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty & arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism...

Winner! And More Winners!

July 24, 2009 by Carol3 Comments

Congratulations to the winners of The Woman Who Named God by Charlotte Gordon. Marie Tina Shawana Lewis Freda Mans Lisa Also, I've got a couple new winners for previous contests. The original winners already got their hands on copies. Congratulations to the winner of Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons. Lee Congratulations to the winner of How to Score by Robin Wells. Miranda I will be e-mailing all of you soon. I'll just need your addresses to pass on to Hachette Book Group. Enjoy the books!...

Booking through Thursday

July 23, 2009July 23, 2009 by Carol7 Comments

Join in at Booking through Thursday. Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date) Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Frivolous, at least usually. Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Paperbacks, because they are easier to carry around in my bag. Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Fiction. Poetry? Or Prose? Prose. Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Autobiographies. History? Or Historical Fiction? Historical fiction. Series? Or Stand-alones? This is a tough one. I honestly don't know, since both have their benefits and drawbacks. Today I'll say stand-alones. Classics? Or best-sellers? Bestsellers, generally. Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Straight-forward, basic prose. Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots, definitely. Long books? Or Short? It depends on my mood. Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Non-illustrated. Borrowed? Or Owned? I prefer owned, but I tend to borrow a lot from the library. New? Or Used? Used is cheaper, new is somehow funner. What about you?...

Wondrous Words Wednesday

July 22, 2009 by Carol7 Comments

Thanks to Bermudaonion's Weblog for hosting this weekly event. Head over there to play along. I only ran across one new-to-me word this week. It's from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. manky- inferior and worthless "to attend a demonstration of a new carriage that boasted of being impervious to attacks by the manky dreadfuls." Any new words for you this week?...