A Fistful of Divas by Camille LaGuire

by CarolNo Comments
So I love Mick and Casey McKee. I wish there were more stories in the series. They are a gunslingers in the old west, a young married couple. And I do mean young. She's maybe 17. He's the talker, she's the shooter and they make a great pair. This time around, the couple want to see singing at the local opera house. There's a cute story why, involving Casey's dad. Anyway, with these two nothing is ever simple. Just as they walk in to see who is warming up, there's a shot, apparently aimed at one of the women on stage. If the ladies are going to feel safe enough to perform, Mick and Casey need to figure what's going on and stop it. The mystery was good, for a short story. The actual shooter's identity is quickly established, but who hired him and why is the question. There are a couple clues and a nice, small list of suspects. Like I said, I...
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

by Carol3 Comments
How can I really write any comments about Pride and Prejudice that haven't already been written? This is probably my third time reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dialogue, and the story relies on its dialogue, is sparkling and fun. Elizabeth and Darcy are a wonderful couple and complement each other well. This time around I actually chose to read it because my daughter is reading it for her English class and it's nice to be able to discuss the books she's reading at dinner or on car rides. I didn't read A Tale of Two Cities with her, and I only partly remembered Dracula, but I'm glad I joined her in this one. Amber and I have talked about the story some. It's interesting, since she's looking at it from a different perspective. She's 17 and it's the first time she's read it. Neither of those things can be said of me. I think the thing that struck me...
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Cozy Christmas Shorts from Gemma Halliday Publishing

by Carol3 Comments
This was my last Christmas read for the season. Like most anthologies, it has its ups and downs. Each of these short stories fits into a series, but the only series I had read before is the Southern Pasta Shop mysteries. I will say that each story gave a good feeling for the main character and style of mystery and I'd like to read more of a few of them. Most of the mysteries were cute and fun, but I did have a few favorites. I didn't really hate any of them, but there were a couple that I wasn't fond of. Favorites: "Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas" by Leslie Langtry - The Bombay family may be assassins, but they are funny, pragmatic, inventive and really care about each other. And I loved the spin they took with And Then There Were None. "A (Gingerbread) Diorama of Death" by Gin Jones - Helen, the main character, seems like an interesting lady, even though...
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Told After Supper by Jerome K. Jerome

by CarolNo Comments
Apparently telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve was a tradition in England. This is a funny little book. I found it because I was looking for Christmassy ghost stories for a Thursday's Tale post, but this is more of a parody of ghost stories. "Christmas Eve is the ghosts' great gala night. On Christmas Eve they hold their annual fete. On Christmas Eve everybody in Ghostland who IS anybody—or rather, speaking of ghosts, one should say, I suppose, every nobody who IS any nobody—comes out to show himself or herself, to see and to be seen, to promenade about and display their winding-sheets and grave-clothes to each other, to criticise one another's style, and sneer at one another's complexion." The narrator tells us that it is Christmas Eve at his Uncle John's house. Gathered together are of the narrator, old Dr Scrubbles, the local curate, Mr Samuel Coombes, Teddy Biffles and Uncle John. At the party goes on and they more of the...
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Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon

by Carol2 Comments
The dog and I were home one Saturday night when Amber and David went off to watch a hockey game. I hadn't been able to dig out my box of Christmas books yet, but was in the mood for a vintage seasonal mystery. Someone, somewhere said good things about Mystery in White by Farjeon (if it was you, thank you) so I picked it up. I love how many old mysteries have been re-released as e-books in the last few years. As the blurb says, a train gets stopped by a blizzard on Christmas Eve and a mismatched group of people decide to leave the safety of the train and attempt to make it to the next station on foot. Of course they get lost, but happily stumble upon a house - that is empty but has fires roaring and tea set out. "“Don’t disappoint me? Don’t tell me you cannot supply the corpse? A bread-knife on a floor, a boiling...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Corn People

by Carol1 Comment
The Corn People, illustraded by José Carlos and translated/edited by Kelly Carlos, is a mix of Aztec and Mayan mythology, and presents a lovely creation story. It's available on Amazon. It's a bilingual book, the Spanish on the top of each page, the English translation on the bottom, which I like, even though I can't pronounce the Spanish at all. In the beginning there was silence and Heart of Sky was very lonely, so he made planets to keep him company. Heart of Water was his favorite. He asked Heart of Water whatshe thought of their world and she asked that her oceans be opened, allowing land to rise. The land became mountains, valleys and hills covered with tall pines. Heart of Sky made fish, mammals, reptiles, and birds. Both Hearts were happy with so much company, but the creatures couldn't praise them. Heart of Sky, with Heart of Water, first created mud people and the wooden people, but neither would praise their makers...
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