Mystery! edited by Chantelle Aimée Osman

Mystery! edited by Chantelle Aimée Osman

by Carol2 Comments
The Origins Game Fair in Columbus is something we like to do every year, but this year we didn't make it due to my new job. I did have a friend who was nice enough to pick up this year's anthology - with the Mystery theme, I didn't want to miss is. He also got several of the writers to autograph it. Mystery!, like most anthologies, is a bit uneven. Some stories were excellent, some fine, and one didn't fit at all. There were 14 stories in all, but I'll only mention a few that struck me. "The Abomination of Fensmere" by Lucy A. Snyder was the first story in the collection, but it felt more horror with a Lovecraftian bent than mystery. I don't think it was the best way to start. Timothy Zahn's "(Ms.) Taken Identity" was good, both the mystery plot and the world he created where doppels are people who can look like anyone they want, until they're dead, then they...
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Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim

Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim

by Carol4 Comments
Comfort Food by Julia Bettelheim has a wonderful variety of recipes, from soups and main dishes to desserts and cookies, even some specialties from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The author has lived and worked in a variety of places, which shows in this collection. A lot of the dishes sound delicious and I want to try them, like the potato pancakes with mushroom sauce, pastitios, and hummingbird cake. I do wish it had a few more photos, though. Last night I made the "Perfect Tuna Rolls" and was very happy with how they turned out. I served them with mashed potatoes and peas, as the recipe suggested. Perfect Tuna Rolls 1 tub of ricotta cheese (250g) 1 can flaked tuna (440g) 2 eggs salt and pepper 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 packets puff pastry ½ cup grated cheese ¼ cup milk Makes about 8 rolls. Preheat the oven to a moderate temperature. Mix the ricotta cheese, drained tuna, one of the eggs, grated cheese, salt and pepper and lemon juice in a bowl all together...
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On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

by Carol2 Comments
My Kindle needed re-charged last night, so even though I really wanted to finish my current read - I'm ready to be done with it, I had to pick up something else. I'd been planning on reading On Tyranny soon, so I grabbed it off my shelf and settled in. It's a quick read, more of an essay than a full-fledged book, but full of good nuggets. Snyder opens the book with “History does not repeat, but it does instruct,” and goes on to give us 20 mini-lessons we can learn from history, most notably from the Hitler, but also from Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and Putin’s Russia. The warnings and lessons are well-presented, easy to read and understand and they're important. Some quotes I want to share: "Take responsibility for what you communicate with others. (72)"  "Since in the age of the internet we are all publishers, each of us bears some private responsibility for the public's sense of truth. If we...
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Christmas Picture Books

Christmas Picture Books

by Carol4 Comments
I read a few books with my niece and nephew over Christmas. The Snowy Day is a sweet, simple little story about enjoying the snow. The illustrations are warm and inviting and go along with the text well. It's never been one of my favorites, but is still a classic worth reading. I like that The Biggest Snowman Ever encourages teamwork. It also encourages creativity, no two snowmen are alike, they can be traditional or a princess or a martian and they're all good. The Littlest Christmas Tree makes me tear up a little in the middle, when the tree is sad and lonely and afraid it will never get to be a Christmas tree. Thankfully it has a happy ending and the tree gets to go to the perfect home.  ...
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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

by Carol8 Comments
I had wanted to read Murder on the Orient Express again before watching the movie, and was lucky enough to win a copy in a Goodreads giveaway. This is at least the third time I've read it, but it's one of those ones that I wish I could re-read for the first time. The solution is so perfect, but also so memorable. Poirot is one of my favorite all-time detective and this particular mystery showcases his reasoning skills. The setting is perfect, a group of people are trapped in a train stuck in the snow, and clearly there is a killer on board. There is no access to people's records, no way to check on their true identities, not contact with the outside world at all. I'll grant you he manages to make some leaps in his deductions, but that's part of his charm. It's by no means a fair mystery, the reader can't solve it, but I do love how...
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The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

by Carol11 Comments
I picked up The Daughter of Time at the local used bookstore a year or so ago. i had no idea what it was about and had never read anything by Josephine Tey before, but it's one of those mysteries - the ones that make it onto the "best" lists, the ones that any true mystery lover should read. The title refer to a quote from Francis Bacon: "Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority." It's the same idea as history is written by the victor. Not all "history" is strictly truth, it's a version someone has told that has stuck. I wish I knew more about British history, particularly Richard III, or that I had read Shakespeare's play. If I go back to read this again, I may do a little research first. That being said, it is truly an enjoyable book on its own. Our detective, Alan Grant, is laid up in the hospital and a friend, Marta,...
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