November 2011
15 posts
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck: Review →
A gang of ne’er-do-wells in California after the Great War hang out in the house of their friend avoiding work and the law. Danny inherited two houses from his grandfather. One of those…
The Lunenburg Werewolf and Other Stories of the... →
I live in a province with a rich storytelling history. Nova Scotians have been swapping stories to impress their neighbours for ages. The more preposterous the story the better,…
Friday Bookish Buzz: Quiet Buzz →
It’s been quiet on my blog with all the Americans eating all the turkeys yesterday, but maybe I can distract them from leftovers with links and pictures of evil cats.
*Does your
Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto: Review →
Shelley’s husband Max died in an explosion (I’m assuming it was terrorism) a few years ago. She’s still trapped in her grief. One day a stranger with her husband’s face shows up and…
Mind Over Mussels by Hilary MacLeod: Review →
Another trip to The Shores and another murder. This time washed up actor Lance Lord is found on the beach with an axe wound to the head. With a hurricane barrelling down the coast, it’s a…
Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale by Joseph Sheridan Le... →
Often when people think of modern vampire fiction they think of a seductive male leading females astray. In Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale, it is a female who attempts to lure another young…
Short Story: Susan and Father Christmas →
I mentioned Persephone Books Biannually yesterday and after reading one of the stories in it, “Susan and Father Christmas” by Mollie Panter Downes, I had some thoughts I wanted to…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Little Bits →
Happy Sunday, All! I’m recharging after a very long, stressful weekend. Now it’s back to normal and time to get back on track.
I didn’t get much reading done but the husband and I did get out…
Friday Bookish Buzz: Teeny Buzz →
That’s me but replace ‘marshmallows’ with ‘Halloween candy.’
This is going to be a brief one today. There was a death in the family and I must go to a funeral. Fun times. Also…
India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K... →
India Black, don’t ever change.
In the second book of the series, India Black and the Widow of Windsor, India and French are undercover once again this time to save the life of…
Zone One by Colson Whitehead (audiobook): Review →
Thankfully an audiobook version of Zone One by Colson Whitehead, a post-apocalyptic zombie novel, does not involve sound effects of brains being munched. Actually I’m not sure if…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: More Time →
If you’re like me, you live in a part of the world that participated in Falling Back this morning. By setting back our clocks, we gained an extra hour today. How will you spend it?…
Friday Bookish Buzz: November Rains →
I don’t think much of that will be happening at my house this weekend, we’re all fighting colds. It’s supposed to be a rainy one anyway. Maybe I’ll get some reading done. Halloween…
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy:... →
In times where political candidates try to outshine the other guy with their claims of purity, it’s hard to imagine a world leader not just admitting to a scandalous sexual past…
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Review →
Aldous Huxley, what is your deal? I don’t know what happened during that whole last half of Brave New World. It was just…weird. And not in a good way.
I’ve read some classic…
October 2011
21 posts
Soggy Sunday Thoughts →
It’s a cold miserable rain out there today. A good day to stay inside and bake the girl some cookies for her class Halloween party, Chocolate-Ginger cookies specifically. Thankfully, that snow…
Friday Bookish Buzz: Scary Buzz →
Just a couple more days and the zombies, vampires, and superheroes will be knocking at the door. Scary stuff for little kitties. Here’s another scary thought: it’s 57 days until…
Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley: Review →
Mina is a typical teen. She has a bff, a crush, and her parents are vampires. I guess that last one isn’t so typical. Mina’s parents are just like everyone else’s, except for the blood…
That's Not My Name →
Are there some authors whose name, no matter how many times you write it, you just can’t get right? I have a few. I have to look them up every time. Their names just won’t stick in my head. Not…
The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons: Review →
Spooky castles, damsels in distress, evil villains, murder, seeeeecrets, and even a pirate, these are the gothic elements you’ll find in The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons.
Readathon Mini-Challenge: Survey Says →
Even ostriches are joining the Read-a-thon!How is the Read-a-thon going for you? I’m doing okay. Here’s a look at how:
1. What are you…
2 tags
Readathon Hour ?
It’s nearly 2pm here. I had a fight with itunes over my audiobook but threw in the towel. I had to resort to an old mp3 player. The new update has f’ed up a lot of stuff on my ipod. This audiobook thing is a new development. Anyway….
I did get The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson downloaded onto it. So I’m good to go. I’m about an hour in. It’s pretty good...
Book Art: Paper Mobile →
I haven’t had a lot to write about lately so here’s a little project for you. This homemade paper mobile for my daughter’s room was inexpensive and easy.
What You…
Couple of Things... →
Hello all! If you’re looking for me today, I’ll be over at Jenn’s Bookshelf dealing with Murder, Monsters and Mayhem. Mostly Monsters, actually, as I’m reviewing H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shunned…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Into the Woods →
The weather actually turned around this weekend. It went from driving rain to beautiful sun and warm temps in a couple of hours. The family and I took advantage of this and went for pumpkins and a…
3 tags
The Friday Bookish Buzz: En Garde! →
Maybe they are really The Three Musketeers and that other guy.
Looks like it’s going to be a rainy weekend. That’s too bad since the leaves are looking impressive this week. It…
The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill: Review →
I made a grave mistake when I read two Susan Hill books, The Man in the Picture and The Woman in Black, back-to-back. Even though I’ve procrastinated let my thoughts percolate…
4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie: Review →
Mrs McGillicuddy has just witnessed a murder, only no one believes her. While on her way home from Christmas shopping, she sees a man straggling a woman on a passing train. She does her…
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian: Review... →
I finished The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian a couple of days ago and I’m still trying to digest it. He had me hooked until the finish and, well, I’m trying to make up my mind about…
Everything I Know About Revenge I Learned From... →
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I first saw the trailer for ABC’s Revenge. As I watched it, saw the girl with the secret identity, the bucketloads of money, the complicated…
Friday Bookish Buzz: Turkey Edition →
There will be unbuckling of belts here this weekend as it’s THANKSGIVING!!!! Or as Americans like to call it, Canadian Thanksgiving. Or the rest of the world, Monday. Anyway I love…
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by... →
Jacob’s grandpa tells stories. Real whoppers about an island of peculiar children and monsters. Jacob doesn’t really believe these stories. Then his grandfather is killed in a way that…
Everything I Know About Love I Learned From... →
Full disclosure: I’m a Smart Bitches fan. Caption that Cover? Love it, even participate. Help a Bitch Out? Love reading the plots of some of those long lost novels. I’ve enjoyed…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Challenge Roundup for... →
I haven’t done a Challenge Roundup in ages. Mostly because I haven’t read any challenge books in all that time. This month I finally did.
RIP VI Challenge
September 2011
15 posts
Revenge of the Lobster Lover by Hilary MacLeod:... →
The Shores has been cut off from the rest of Prince Edward Island after a chunk of ice removed the only land link. The village is even more isolated than it ever was. It’s the perfect…
2 tags
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Review... →
Gulp! I hear the shocked gasps as I write this because The Night Circus did not rock my world as it has so many of my book friends.
First up, the synopsis: Celia and Marco…
Kerfol/The House of the Dead Hand by Edith... →
Edith Wharton takes us to foreign lands in Kerfol and The House of the Dead Hand.
In Kerfol (1916), a man is interested in buying a house (how many of her stories start out…
3 tags
Friday Bookish Book: Sleepy Edition →
It’s Word On the Street in Canada this weekend, sadly I will not be attending. Things just didn’t work out this year but I did have fun last year so I hope you attend if you can….
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway: Review →
Hemingway. Your manly, mannish, macho prose always disturbed my feminine sensibilities. All that fishin’, and bull fightin’, and crocodile wrastlin’ (ok, I made that last one up). Then…
Spam Haiku →
Spam. Most of the time it’s incomprehensible goobly-gook, but sometimes I read it and think, “hey, that’s almost pretty.” I’ve taken some prize phrases from recent blog spam comments and mashed…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Playing Catch Up →
Today I feel like I’m playing catch up. Over the last couple of weeks I read more than I reviewed and now I’m in a race to write my reviews before I forget everything. I tend to start forgetting…
3 tags
BBAW: Community, the Sequel →
From the BBAW website:
The world of book blogging has grown enormously and sometimes it can be hard to find a place. Share your tips for finding and keeping community in book…
3 tags
Friday Bookish Buzz: Back to School →
The first week of school. Oh my nerves! Children are a constant worry. Constant. Someday she’ll be grown and I can stop worrying, right???! Yeah, I know, lies we tell ourselves. Anyway,…
Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Frogs & Nostalgia →
Happy Sunday, Peoples!
I had every intention of catching up on my reading this weekend. I haven’t been very successful at it. So far I learned to play Texas Hold Em (badly),…