Wicked Widow

by Carol2 Comments
Wicked Widow by Amanda Quick Description: Award-winning author Amanda Quick weaves a tale of a man and a woman who understand just what it means to be haunted. Artemis Hunt, the mysterious master of a secret society, has been obsessed by the knowledge that he was unable to protect his mistress from a brutal death, and has spent the last five years plotting her revenge. Madeline Reed Deveridge, known as the infamous Wicked Widow by polite society, is rumored to have murdered her husband. But now Madeline is afraid that her dead spouse has returned from beyond the grave to terrorize her. In fear for her life and that of her beloved aunt, Madeline blackmails Artemis into aiding her by threatening to expose his ownership of the Dream Pavilions, London's premier pleasure garden--an association, if revealed, that would destroy his reputation and put his long-held plans of vengeance at serious risk. The two are drawn together at first by necessity, but Artemis...
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Tuesday Teaser

by Carol6 Comments
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. 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! Pease avoid spoilers! My teaser: It was an obvious solution. After all, the unicorn had been ambling hugely behind them for most of the morning, occassionally nudging the star's shoulder with its big forehead. -pg. 170, Stardust by Neil Gaiman Check out some other teasers and see what grabs you....
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Musing Monday

by Carol3 Comments
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about boys and reading…  When reading do you read every word? Do you ever skip chapters or skim over parts?     It does depend on the book, but I’m horrible about skipping ahead and reading the ending or a portion of the book that’s ahead of where I am. I usually go back, though, and read the parts I missed, but sometimes I skim through them, since I already have a pretty good idea of what is happening. Some book are just overly-wordy, too, and I find myself skimming through paragraphs or, occasionally, even pages. I don’t know why this questions is about “boys and reading,” but my husband always complains when I read the ending early. I don’t know why he cares; it’s not like he reads the same books I do or anything. Head over to Just one more page… to share your thoughts.  ...
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Game Night

by Carol2 Comments
Rat-a-Tat Cat designed by Ann and Monty Stambler, published by Gamewright Description: A game of suspense, strategy, and anticipation. Get rid of the rats and go for the cats! Sneak a peek, draw two, or swap cards for an added twist.  In Rat-a-Tat Cat, less is always better, and you want to go out with the lowest score. Can you remember the numbers on the other players' cards? Can you keep a poker face, but notice when another player looks pleased? Sharpen your memory and your timing, and have fun with the cool cats and bad rats of Rat-a-Tat Cat.   My thoughts: This is a great family game, recommended for ages 6 and up. Basically at the beginning, each player is dealt four face-down cards. You can only look at two of them though. By drawing and replacing the cards, swapping, and peeking, each player tries to get the lowest score they can. When someone calls Rat-a-Tat Cat at the end of their turn, each...
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My Goodness: My Kids

by Carol1 Comment
My Goodness: My Kids by Nesta A. Aharoni published: April 1, 2008 by Grassroots Publishing Group, Inc. From back: Raise good kids and save the world! Kids who are raised to be good—above and beyond any other characteristic—mature into adults who display honor and integrity in their daily lives. Children who value goodness don't cheat on a test to get into the college of their choice. They don't steal candy from the grocery or grow into adults who steal office supplies from the workplace. They treat others with respect and kindness, and they don't hurt innocent people through violence, manipulation, or cruelty. My thoughts: Aharoni doesn't claim to be an expert on child-rearing, but she is a mom who raised three kids, devoping ideas and strategies along the way. The book is divided into 30 chapters, each dealing with some aspect of raising children, like punishment, food and friends. These chapters have good solid advice in them and would definitely be helpful to people trying...
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Walking with Dinosaurs

by Carol3 Comments
Caite at a lovely shore breeze... tagged me for this photo meme. The rule is to find your 5th photo file folder, then the 5th photo in that file folder. Here's my photo: This was taken at the Walking with Dinosaurs exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA about a year ago. That's my husband and daughter looking at the stegasaurus in the remodeled dinosaur exhibit. The museum is one of my daughter's favorite places and we visit it several times a year. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to share a picture, please do so and let me know....
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