Gone Dormant

You can find me at Anna Marie's Corner.

at least for a while....

Etsy Shop

Ode to my poor neglaticed blog. I've been playing in other waters. As proof I offer up my newly created Etsy Shop: MadMadamsMasks.etsy.com

Fangland

Fangland: A Novel by John Marks

rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first three fourth of this book are really good. There is an ever increasing tension mounts as all the major character spiral closer and closer to a collision. Then, inexplicable the books starts to meander. The tension leeches out in fits of bumbling until the conclusion with is barely satisfying. It is a conclusion, and over all I liked the book. But, it was a there wasn't enough meat at the end to make it a good meal. I do like most of Marks dialogue and some of his descriptions where laugh out loud funny. I certainly hope that was intended, because a lot of what I liked here was the humor.

Bog Mummies

Bog Mummies: Preserved in Peat by Charlotte Wilcox

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good overview for age group, but wanted more detail explained in a simple manner. Also some of the juxtaposition of facts seem to confuse. Such as cold climates of Northern Europe is needed for mummification next to an insert about bog brain in Florida. And the fact that scientist believe many of the body were criminals and then all their examples have smooth hands of respected individuals. I'm not saying they are wrong, I don't believe that. I just mean without extra details it is confusing to me because I want to know more. I get there with adult books. But I always start with children's books to provide an overview and an introduction to basic concepts.

Stirring the Mud

Stirring the Mud: On Swamps, Bogs, and Human Imagination by Barbara Hurd

rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an elegant collection of essays. Hurd will make you want to go out and play in the swamps, investigate the bogs, and find some way to express it as eloquently as she does. This was a book with dreamy sentences and evocative words that bear rereading and investigation.

Black Orchids

Black Orchids by Rex Stout

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This particular adventure is actually two unrelated cases tied only by the presents of the Black Orchids. I must admit I enjoyed the mystery of the first story, Black Orchids a bit more then the second story, Cordially Invited to Meet Death. Though I did like Archie's commentary at the end of Cordially Invited. The Nero Wolfe novels are great. I haven't read a bad one yet. I love the way Archie and Nero talk. The way Nero sometimes leaves all the details floating about for Archie to puzzle over and maybe take actions. Wolfe hates leaving the house, which he was compelled to do in the first of these stories. The copyright info on this Goodreads entry says first published in 1972, which is wrong. I've the 1972 edition and it says the stories are from 1941 and 1942. The only reason any of that matters is Rex Stout wrote Nero Wolfe stories for a long time and even those the 'times' changed Archie and Nero never aged (at least not in any of the titles I've read so far). I don't read the books in order so I always like to know when they are set.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford

rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was cute and laugh out loud funny at times.