Game Night- Mag Blast

by Carol1 Comment
Mag Blast (Third Edition) Designers: Christian T Petersen, Anders M Petersen Manufacturer: Fantasy Flight Games Artist: John Kovalic Year: 2006 Players: 2 - 8 Time: 10 - 20 minutes Ages: 10 and up Description: Mag-Blast is a space-themed card game in which each player tries to blast the other players from the universe. Each player assumes command of a race of beings whose powers are signified by the Flag Ship card at the center of their battle formation. The Flag Ship is surrounded on four sides with attack ships from the Ship Yard, up to 3 ships per side. On your turn you discard cards, draw back up to five, call for reinforcing ships (by playing combinations of 3 cards), and then play as many attack and defense cards as possible. Once you blast away an opponent's outer ship protection, you may attack his Flag Ship, hopefully destroying it, and eliminating it from the game. In the third edition,  the unique "Make a Silly Noise or Miss!" Blast Targeting...
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Turning Angel by Greg Iles

by Carol5 Comments
Turning Angel by Greg Iles Description: After winning the most dangerous case of his career, prosecutor Penn Cage decides to remain in his Southern hometown to raise his young daughter in a safe haven. But nowhere is truly safe -- not from long-buried secrets, or murder....When the nude body of prep school student Kate Townsend is found near the Mississippi River, Penn's best friend, Drew Elliott, is desperate for his counsel. An esteemed family physician, Drew makes a shocking confession that could put him on death row. Penn will do all he can to exonerate Drew, but in a town where the gaze of a landmark cemetery statue -- the Turning Angel -- never looks away, Penn finds himself caught on the jagged edge of blackmail, betrayal, and deadly violence. My thoughts: It turns out Penn's friend, Drew, was sleeping with the murder victim, which is the shocking confession. Unfortunately, that's not the only shocking revelation that occurs in the book. Drugs, racism, adultery,...
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Larryboy Versus the Volcano by Doug Peterson

by CarolNo Comments
Larryboy Versus the Volcano by Doug Peterson From the cover: When Larryboy and his superhero buddies are invited to Superhero Island, they are in for a surprise of volcanic proportions. Trouble erupts when Larryboy discovers he’s a second-class citizen, because he doesn’t have "super" powers like his buddies. Bumblyburg’s newest supervillain, Chili Pepper and his henchman Coconut, are cooking up a plot for disaster to destroy all superheroes. Will Larryboy help after his vacation is ruined and his friends treat him poorly? Kids will enjoy the adventure of finding out as Larryboy tumbles into a secret hideaway and uncovers Chili Pepper’s tourist trap. But is it too late when the volcano explodes? Will Larryboy save himself or will he save the day before the island is covered in hot, molten chili? How will Larryboy learn that everyone is important in God’s eyes, even after being excluded from his friends? My thoughts: This is a cute, short chapter book. The characters are classic VeggieTales, and...
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Wondrous Words Wednesday

by Carol3 Comments
I'm sorry I'm a day late on this, but I do have a few new to me words to share.These are all from Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, which I'm still working my way through. The essays, meditations and poems give you a lot to reflect on.   clamant: 1. clamorous; loud. 2. demanding attention; pressing. His own despair at the prospect of the obliteration of his clamant ego... (pg. 282, "Impending Resurrection" by Malcolm Muggeridge) chiaroscuro- the use of deep variations in and subtle gradations of light and shade, esp. to enhance the delineation of character and for general dramatic effect the one that I would choose to paint this scene is Rembrandt. I would want it done in chiaroscuro, in terms of light and shade... (pg. 287, "The End Is Life" by Frederick Buechner) The following are from a poem, "The Everlasting Mercy" by John Masefield. coulter- a sharp blade or wheel attached to the beam of a plough, used to cut the ground...
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Lie By Moonlight by Amanda Quick

by Carol1 Comment
Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick, read by Anne Flosnik Description: The curriculum for Miss Concordia Glade's classroom has expanded from languages and social graces to explosives because that's the only way she can think of to get her charges out of their castle/prison before something terrible happens. Concordia not only destroys the building but also has to kill a thug who attacks her and her girls as they try to escape. Gentleman thief turned private investigator, Ambrose Wells, who's at Aldwick Castle to look into other matters, can't believe what he's seeing, and spirits Concordia and the four teens away to the safety of his London townhouse. Concordia, like other heroines created by Quick, is a strong feminist who gets herself into a plethora of trouble and is equally adept at saving herself. These traits frustrate alpha male Ambrose, even as he reluctantly admires her courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. As the heinous tale unfolds, villains appear at every turn, from the...
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Festival of Mystery

by Carol3 Comments
My husband and I went to the Festival of Mystery held by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, on Monday. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, but we did hit some rush-hour traffic. I had a great time, and my husband didn't complain at all. You have to love him. Books are not his thing and the Penguins played that night, but he knew I was looking forward to it. There were at least 40 authors there, signing books and doing short interviews. The place was packed. I got to meet a bunch of the authors, all of whom were friendly and nice. Some I had never heard of, some I've read everything by. The picture on the left is me with Leann Sweeney. The one on the right is me with Shirley Damsgaard (left) and Ellen Crosby (right).  David held the camera, the wallet and the coffee and I got to wander around all I wanted. Thanks,...
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