Sunday, May 31, 2009

A Note to Self: The Cat Who Robbed a Bank

The Cat Who Robbed a Bank by: Lilian Jackson Braun
fiction: mystery 242 pages
Book Count; 35

This is another book in the series on the mystery solving cat and his owner. In this one they are solving a murder in their small town. Also, there is the area's Scottish games and the town's inn is reopening.

Friday, May 29, 2009

A Note to Self: The Godwulf Manuscript

The Godwulf Manuscript By: Robert B Parker
fiction: mystery 204 pages
Book Count: 34

First, this book was written in the 1970's and the author's use of detailed discriptions means that you can tell. Besides the constant discriptions of differnt types of bell bottoms that book was a nice read. It is a P.I. mystery with an unusulal amount of litterary quotes for one. This is becase the first case is to find a medevial manuscript. But, the main story is a murder mystery. And mostly it fits into the P.I. style of a mystery novel.

Sale update:

If you missed our first sale. (And you must have as no one came in talking about the blog!) There will be another one. As wear it is being held will have a neighborhood sale at the start of next month and we still have tons of stuff! So, come to this one! Maybe we will have space for all of the stuff this time.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

A Note to Self: Flynn's In

Flynn's In By: Gregory McDonald
fiction: mystery 262 pages
Book Count: 33

Flynn is a detective in the Boston PD. He gets a mysterious call in the night from the commissioner and with a retired cop friend he investigates a murder at the very exclusive "The Rod and Gun Club". One murder becomes more and all of the rich and powerful men of the club are covering up the murders, destroying evidence, and moving the bodies to protect the dead men, themselves, and the club. He can't trust anyone and is having a hard time investigating, unable to get any help from within the club or outside of it.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Book in Review: A Cook's Tour

A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal By: Anthony Bourdain
Non-Fiction: travel, food 274 pages
Book Count: 32

This book is the companion of the TV series on Food Network with the same name. It also seems that some of the footage became part of his other series on the Travel Channel as a lot of it reminded me of events from that show too. Anyway this is a book on his search around the world for great food. It has a lot of the same voice as the TV series, but it has a lot more deeper moments of the "kinder, gentler" Anthony Bourdain. And then he gets drunk and insults anyone he can.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A Note to Self: "That Scottish Play"

"That Scottish Play" By: "That Shakespeare Dude"
Non-fiction, classic literature, plays 93 pages
Book Count: 31

OK, I don't actually have a fear that if I say "Macbeth" horrible things will happen, I just like calling it "That Scottish Play". And for those who wonder, I actually have never read the whole play before. My 12th grade AP English class had the choice between reading "Macbeth", one of Shakespeare's shortest plays and "Hamlet" one of the longest ones and they picked "Hamlet"! I was not one of the people in the majority, as A, shorter play, B, witches, ghosts and insane people, verses only ghosts and the insane, and C, Hamlet is an adult and the king is dead, why in the world is he not the king or at least trying to be at least Macbeth had some ambition, he wasn't moping around his castle the whole play.

Anyway, as anyone who doesn't know what this play is about can find out in 5 minutes I'm not going to summarize it here.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Busy, busy month

May has been a very busy month, and that is why there have been so few post. For those that didn't already know the month started out with a road trip 1/2 across the country. Next there was the garage sale. This week was my birthday and also the little one's. So there is her party. And after that maybe I be able to plant my garden and write more then a sentence or two.

NYR- Note to Self

Faith mag 15 pages
NYR page count: 660

Friday, May 15, 2009

A Book in Review: Midnight Mass

Midnight Mass By: F. Paul Wilson
Fiction: 403 pages 2004
Book Count: 30

This book is a vampire novel using mostly traditional European beliefs on vampires. As such it is a well written novel, that was a good read. The main problem is that as a traditional vampire novel it must include a lot of Catholic things in it. (Or, it could also have a lot of Orthodox Church things in it, but this one doesn't) This author adds to the necessary crosses and crucifixes, holy water, and Communion a priest and a nun as main characters. And that is where the issues come in. The author is an ex-Catholic, and like many ex-Catholics think that they know the religion, but there are things that they do not completely understand the Catholic beliefs on. The main characters are meant to be good Catholics trying to live in a time when vampires rule, but the inner thoughts of them often don't ring true. For example, murder is a mortal sin. However, there are times when killing is not. One would think that a nun that is killing people that help the vampires by protecting them and finding people for them to eat, would not only think about how she is committing a mortal sin, but questioning if she really is. As one: she thinks she may have gone crazy (which, would make any thing she did not a mortal sin) and two, you could see the situation as either a war or self defence situation. This would have been a lot more interesting to me to read. As then it would be a deeper thinking look into themselves. But, besides that I enjoyed the going back to the vampires being the soulless evil that have haunted the night since ages past. Also, I liked how it included some of the questions that have been asked about vampires for years. Things like, why don't they cast a reflection in a mirror, according to the laws of nature even if you are soulless and undead you should reflect light, they aren't invisible. Not, that this book answers all these questions, but it was nice how they pointed out the questions that a modern person would have about vampires.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sale update:

Well the garage sale starts tomorrow. So, remember to look for our sale by talking about the blog at every sale you go to. Also, you can look at craig's list for our listing. Then, talk about how much you like this blog at all the sales listed there. Remember, to know the full web address! ;)

Sunday, May 10, 2009

A Book in Review: Angels and Ages

Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life By: Adam Gopnik
Non-Fiction: History, biography, science
Book Count: 0 (audio book)

I listened to this book on CD on a reasont trip I took. This book is on the life of Lincoln and Darwin, who were both born on the same day 200 years ago. The author feels that they both have a lot in common in the way that they shaped modern life. He divides his chapters into one on one and the next on the other giving biographical information and then analyst on what this means, how it was scene at that time and how this changed life. The parts that were only going over the life of each person were interesting. The other parts were often long, boring, some what confusing in the logic behind it and otherwise not that great. I still don't understand what the two have in common besides their birthday and that they both changed history in distinctly differn ways that change the way we think today. Towards the end the parts on Darwin were rather offencive, even if you believe in evolution, unless you are an atheist. Basically, from what I could tell, the author thinks that no one no matter what their religion is should have a problem with evolution because religion should be some things that you do that makes you feel good, or is fun like Santa giving gifts at Christmas, and shouldn't affect your daily life in any way as it shouldn't change your beliefs or morals. Any way, even with out that the book doesn't offer anything new and interesting besides the parts on the title, mainly the question that on the death of Lincoln was it said that, "Now he belongs to the Ages." or "Now he belongs to the Angels." As each has a distince meaning connecting to peoples beliefs at that time.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Also:

Remember that our garage sale is also coming up. It's your chance to buy some of the books that we have reviewed on this blog over the years. Of course, for safty reasons we aren't going to say where its at, even though, it's not at our house. So, go out an go to all the sales that you think might be ours, and talk about how much you love this blog. If your at our sale, maybe you'll get a discount for it.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Reminder:

Our birthday is coming up soon. Start your gift buying now!!!

A Book in Review: The Greatest War Stories Never Told

The Greatest War Stories Never Told : 100 tales from military history to astonish, bewilder, & stupefy by: Rick Beyer
Non-fiction, history, war 199 pages
Book Count: 29

This book is much like the other book by the same author that I wrote about here.

This book is written in much of the same way. With short one to two page stories on a event and then a couple pics relating to it. These one deal only with war. Some of the chapters were on such unusual things as how farm animals helped to make gunpowder, how two young women stopped an army, and a good Nazi, who helped save people in China. This one had more stories that I didn't already know in it.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Happy Cinqo De Mayo!!!

Let's all remember the day that the Mexicans defeated the French. Now, if you're done laughing, lets remember at one time people were actually afraid of the French military. Now, lets eat "Mexican" food!!!