Paperback – Page 9 – Carol's Notebook

Not a Creature Was Purring by Krista Davis

December 12, 2018December 14, 2018 by Carol10 Comments

This was my first visit to Wagtail, Virginia, but it is an awesome place, a perfect vacation spot to take your pets. My Secret Santa gave me Not a Creature Was Purring last year, but it took me until this December to get around to reading it. Wagtail is a perfect little pet-friendly tourist town. All the stores welcome cats and dogs, as does the inn. Dogs get to go sled-riding and pets can go to the nicest restaurant in town with their people. It really is a pet-centric town, my dog would love it. Holly Maple and her grandmother run the Sugar Maple Inn (and her grandmother is mayor of Wagtail). This year the inn is booked solid for Christmas - the only problem is that it's mostly the family of Holly's best friend/love interest's fiancee. Holly wants to be nice, but fiancee is a pretty terrible person. Thankfully, because clearly Holmes and Holly belong together. But of course, since this...

Scampy Doodle and the Reindeer by G. J. Barnes

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by CarolNo Comments

Scampy Doodle is a happy dog who has helped his best friend Jemima get ready for Christmas. They decorated and set out treats for Santa and his reindeer and they went to bed, Jemima to her room and Scampy Doodle to his bed in the kitchen. Then, Scampy Doodle gets woken up by a strange sound. This is a fun little Christmas story. It's about helping and giving and the magic of Christmas. I do wish they had left hot chocolate for Santa instead of a whiskey, but that's just me. I liked when Scampy Doodle decided to be brave and pushed the door to the living room open to peer around and see there the noise came from. It reminded me of my dog, Scrappy, who is also bigger than a snowball and smaller than a snowman. The illustrations were bright and simple and cute but there were more words than pictures. The print was odd for me. It was bold, fun...

Schmuck the Buck by EXO Books

December 1, 2018October 18, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

I'm not quite sure who the audience is for Schmuck the Buck. It seems like a children's Christmas book. We have a cute rhyming text and bright colorful illustrations. We have the underdog (or under-reindeer) who saves the day. There's even a lesson: Schmuck said, "We have our differences, that's for sure, But we're all the same at the core. Christmas isn't just about gifts, but the love underneath, So it really doesn't matter your religious belief. We give because we care, we love, and want to please, So there's room for every one of us under out Christmas trees." I'm not sure it's a good lesson. I think it probably depends on the family. I know a lot of people celebrate Christmas, even people who don't call themselves Christian. In our house, however, it's definitely a religious holiday. It's about love and giving and family too, but this is not a book I personally would buy. So, on the one hand it seems like a kids book,...

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

October 11, 2018 by Carol4 Comments

Thanks to RIP and FrightFall, I tend to read a few scarier than usual books in October each year. It's probably the one time of the year when I actually read horror books on purpose anymore. I read way more back in the days of Anne Rice's vampires and witches, but not so much recently. When I was thinking about what books I might read this month, I decided to include We Have Always Lived in the Castle - it's a classic so I can use it as my Classics Club Dare book, people love it, and while it's horror it's not monster or gory horror. That's what I love about reading challenges and events, they encourage me to pick up books I wouldn't normally read and sometimes I love them. The opening paragraph is an amazing introduction to our narrator, Merricat. My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often...

Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

August 22, 2018 by Carol6 Comments

I'm late to the Cat in the Stacks series. I'm not sure that starting with Twelve Angry Librarians was really the best choice. Maybe I would have enjoyed the story more if I knew Charlie and his family and girlfriend better. And the cat was more of a conversation piece than actual character. The story was fine, just not as good as I expected based on other reviews. Charlie is interim library director and the Southern Academic Libraries Association is holding their convention at the college. When the keynote speaker is killed, it seems like everyone at the conference had a reason to hate him, including Charlie. There's lots of gossip and "we hated him but had to work with him." I don't understand how such a terrible man ended up as the keynote speaker when the audience was full of people who actively disliked him. Maybe I haven't been to enough conferences, but there was so much gossip and the one...

A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by Carol2 Comments

A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell shows up on several "best mysteries" lists, which is why I added it to my to-read list. I had read several of her Inspector Wexford series, but none of her stand-alone novels. And then it was my Classic Club Spin book for the month, which pushed it to the top of my stack. From the opening sentences, the book had my attention. "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write. There was no real motive and no premeditation; no money was gained and no security." We know from the first chapter, which is only two pages long, who was killed, when they were killed, and who the murderers were. The rest of the book relates what led up to the crime and the aftermath. Eunice Parchman is illiterate, a fact that she is desperate to keep secret. The Coverdales are a decent enough family, intelligent, a little snobby, but overall well-meaning....