Carol's Notebook – Page 687

Wondrous Words Wednesday

April 1, 2009April 1, 2009 by Carol3 Comments

I only have one word to share this week. It's from The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. amontillado- a pale, dry Spanish sherry "coming back with some sweet sherry, a dusty Armagnac, and some amontillado." See what words others found, or share your own, at Bermudaonion's Weblog....

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

March 27, 2009 by Carol13 Comments

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghettiby Giulia Melucci My copy is an ARC. It is scheduled to be published April 8 by Grand Central Publishing. Description: From failure to fusilli, this deliciously hilarious read tells the story of Giulia Melucci's fizzled romances and the mouth-watering recipes she used to seduce her men, smooth over the lumps, and console herself when the relationships flamed out. My thoughts: I have to start by saying I was prepared to fully enjoy this book. I love spaghetti, and with a title like I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, this was on my must-read list. I wasn't disappointed. It turned out to be a fun, quick read. Guilia has had a series of disappointing relationships, all men I would consider losers, but manages to make it funny. I love the way she places the recipes inside the narrative, at the point she served them to her love at the time or to her lonely self. Some of the recipes sound delicious, and...

My Little Red Book edited by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff

March 25, 2009 by Carol2 Comments

My Little Red Bookedited by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff Published: Feb 2009 by Twelve Description: My Little Red Book is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today's teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl experiences or expects, she'll find stories that speak to her thoughts and feelings. Ultimately, My Little Red Book is more than a collection of stories. It is a call for a change in attitude, for a new way of seeing periods. In a time when the taboo...

Backyard Bird Watching for Kids

March 21, 2009March 21, 2009 by CarolNo Comments

Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds by George H. Harrison Published May 1997 by Willow Creek Press From the back: This book provides a fascinating opportunity for children to learn how to attract birds to their own backyards. Backyard Bird Watching for Kids is filled with entertaining and fulfilling projects that allow young bird watchers to interact with nature while learning about the needs and behaviors of wild birds. And there's no better teacher than "Mr. Backyard Bird Watcher" himself, expert birder and author George H. Harrison. This book will kindle in readers a healthy, enduring interest in birds and other wild animals. My thoughts: As I've mentioned before, I'm not exactly a nature lover, but I do enjoy watching the birds at our backyard feeder from our kitchen window. I know this book is geared for kids, but I found the pages on identifying birds especially useful. It only lists about 20 birds, so it was easy to...

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

March 20, 2009 by Carol7 Comments

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman From the dustjacket: Women of the Sparrow family have unusual gifts. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter, Jenny, can see people's dreams when they sleep. Granddaughter Stella has a mental window on the future—a future that she might not want to see. In The Probable Future this vivid and intriguing cast of character confronts a haunting past—and a very current murder—against the evocative backdrop of small-town New England. By turns chilling and enchanting, The Probably Future chronicles the Sparrows' legacy as young Stella struggles to cope with her disturbing clairvoyance. Her potential to ruin or redeem becomes unbearable when one of her premonitions puts her father in jail, wrongly accused of homicide. Yet this ordeal also leads Stella to the grandmother she was forbidden to meet and to a historic family home full of talismans from her ancestors. My thoughts: First of all, the current murder plays very little in the story. It really functions to being the whole...

Master (with a giveaway)

March 16, 2009March 16, 2009 by Carol7 Comments

Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo by Colette Gale From the back: Edmond Dantès spent years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Once free, he returns to Paris in the guise of the powerful Count of Monte Cristo, seeking vengeance on those who sent him to jail. But his plan also includes a different king of revenge—on the woman he has never forgotten, the lover he has made it his mission to possess. Mercédès Herrera Mondego was devastated when the man she loved disappeared. Now she is trapped in a loveless marriage, but her passions are reignited by Edmond's return. She realizes soon enough that his plan to avenge himself on the men who incarcerated him also includes another sort of revenge—on her. From the seaside town of Marseille to the exotic caves of Monte Cristo Isle, an erotic battle of wills unfolds in the most electrifying game of love ever played between man and woman, between master...