Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol9 Comments
This was Marsh's last book and it seems appropriate that she returns to the theater as her backdrop. We know her as a mystery writer, but probably her great passion was the theater, and it shows. The real strength in this story is the play production. The murder actually doesn't take place until may two-thirds through the book with Alleyn only entering the story then. The play is Macbeth and the director is making it a memorable performance. The characters are wonderful, some maybe stereotypical, gabby and egotistical and "actory." But they all manage to work together. Apparently there are a lot of superstitions revolving aroung Macbeth and the story plays off them well, with some believers and some clearly not. I enjoyed seeing how they did scenes and practiced fights, witnessing the bickering and wooing. Alleyn is not a detective who lets us in on every little clue he sees, but he does pay attention to everyone, even children. He's a gentleman...
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Thursday’s Tale: Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

by Carol7 Comments
Love, love, love this Halloween kids book! We read our copy so many times when Amber was young that it started falling apart. We went to the pumpkin patch this Sunday and while we were picking out our pumpkins, we had to repeat the catch phrase - "It’s big and it’s mine, but it’s stuck on the vine, and Halloween’s just hours away.” The rhythmic, repetitive text is perfect and I love the monsters. There’s the must have Halloween visitors, the witch herself, a ghost, a vampire, a mummy and a bat, but the story focuses on how they all end up working together. It's got a great message of teamwork and friendship. And then they all get to share the pie. A definite Halloween treat. It's a perfect read-aloud with plenty of repetition and rhyming and fun voices. Just then, along came a vampire. “Big pumpkin,” said the vampire. “It’s big and it’s mine, but it’s stuck on the vine, and Halloween’s...
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