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101 Ways is a cute fast book with tips on how to live your days enjoying your fashion, your every spare moment, and your life. These tips are simple and easy: “Wear what you love—don’t always go for designer names. Look for splendid pieces in undiscovered boutiques.” and “Take a bath—luxuriate in a warm bubble bath, step out feeling like a million bucks.” My favorite was # 16—“Pick up a book. Knowledge is power. and power is chic.” They’re the kind of thing that you read and follow just to give yourself a quick break, and a refreshing change, with tons of easy, fool-proof fashion tips.

The illustrations are beautiful! Here’s a photo of one of the pictures: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-sER6e5xCaQ/S2ouqKKFpjI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/xxzMonyChU8/s1600-h/tip%2016%5B5%5D.jpg

Recommendation: Ages 12+ for lovers of fashion, bubble baths, and being themselves in a chic stylish way!
  
The Other Typist
The Other Typist
Suzanne Rindell | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars...I received this book from the publisher for review. I was given the uncorrected proof....

Rose Baker is a typist with the New York City Police Department. She is a very plain woman who does what she is supposed to and never what she shouldn't.

One day, a new typist is hired and from the start, Rose was mesmerized by Odalie. Odalie dressed and acted quite differently than Rose. Quite differently from most people that Rose knew.

Odalie and Rose became fast friends. Even moving Rose into her hotel apartment. She immersed Rose in her world and it was that immersion that sent Rose's life into a tailspin.

Set in the 1920's when there was very little work for women and even fewer things for them outside of the home, this book will have you wondering what is going to happen next.
  
<b><i>The Curse of the Pharaohs</i></b> is a fast, fun, and humorous second outing with Amelia and her husband Emerson. The first half isn't quite as good as the second, but it quickly picks up and is enjoyable until the end. Amelia's outlook is a joy to read and I love how Elizabeth Peters writes her, which to me, seems like it would be very hard to do in a first person narrative (particularly with a character like Amelia Peabody Emerson!). There are some truly hilarious lines and passages, especially between Amelia and Emerson.

One line I just have to keep for posterity: <i>"It is impossible for any rational mind to follow the peculiar mental convolutions that pass for logic among the male sex."</i>

That is the genius of Ms. Peters writing and I look forward to the rest of the series.
  
TM
The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody, #3)
8
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Yet another fun mystery featuring Amelia Peabody. While I have to admit the mystery didn't interest me much, the repartee between the indomitable Amelia and Emerson, and Ms. Peabody's (or Mrs. Emerson's) narration, more than made up for it. Ramses can be amusing also, but he can be a bit too much sometimes, probably because he is too precocious and smart to be believed. How many languages does this five-year-old know? Although I do think this specific example is the whole point of these books and how they should be seen: as a farcical look on adventure books in the Victorian era, but that's just a guess. Also, the book was a bit too long and would have been a better book had thirty or so pages been taken out. However, Amelia and her exploits are still a fast and fun way to pass the time.
  
Pandemic
Pandemic
2008 | Medical
No player competition (4 more)
Teamwork element
Fairly easy to play along and learn
Saving the World
Could be played solo
If you have a dictator in your group they might try making all the decisions (0 more)
Great co-op team building game
I decided to purchase Pandemic due to its co-op gameplay. With so many games having you compete against each other I thought it would be really nice to get some friends together to work as a team. It didn't disappoint! I like it that each player is assigned a role and you get to make the decisions for that player. The game is fairly fast paced with an increase in tension the further through the game you get. You don't always succeed based on the decisions you make and that's okay, it's just leaves you hungry for another game. Good luck! The world rests in your hands.
  
Moxie: A Novel
Moxie: A Novel
Jennifer Mathieu | 2017 | Gender Studies, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jennifer Mathieu has written a strong book featuring a quiet girl, Vivian and her aversion to bullies. One day Viv, cannot put up with it anymore and takes it upon herself to make a stand, starting with a ‘zine she creates herself and distributes anonymously. It’s a small step with a big effect, because it doesn’t take long for things to snowball and soon Moxie becomes an empowering voice to be heard! And I’m not just saying fictional characters here. Every young girl should read this awesome, inspiring and captivating read!

Good for all of you who love the whole ‘girl power’ attitude, and like books which inspire and encourage you in real life to be the person you should be and stand up for yourself. For fledgling feminists everywhere! A fast-paced, bad-ass read full of action and great characterisation. Join the Moxie Movement! Have your say!
  
Skyscraper (2018)
Skyscraper (2018)
2018 | Action
Its nonsense! (0 more)
Its nonsense! (0 more)
Spider-rock spider-rock!!
This film is completely ridiculous but I really enjoyed watching it and laughing at the ridiculousness of it. The rock is a former FBI/army person who gets injured and is looked after by doctor Neve Campbell. Fast forward they're now married with 2 kids. He now has a prosthetic leg and does some sort of security. He's tasked with checking out the security of a bloody massive 'supertall' building. Queue armed assailants, a big fire and rocks family in danger. Then theres the rock climbing a 200ft crain and jumping through a window, abseiling 220 floors up using duct tape and curtain chords and best of all using sticky side of duct tape to wall crawl on the outside of the building. It's ridiculous, it's stupid but I did enjoy it. Turn off your brains and enjoy some nonsense!!
  
Mallory Marlowe is attempting to get her life back together after her husband's accidental death. Her new job is as a travel writer, and her first stop is Orlando, where she is part of a press tour. Their first night there, the obnoxious member of the group is found floating in a fountain. Even though she just met him, Mallory is the prime suspect. Can she figure out who really did it? I found Mallory a charming travel companion. Occasionally the bits about the tour were a little long, but the mystery moved along as a consistently fast pace even if it did rely on coincidence a little more then I would have liked. This was my first book by Cynthia Baxter, but I will be reading more.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-packs-suitcase-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
TW
The Wrong Girl (Jane Ryland, #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the second book about reporter Jane Ryland and Boston detective Jake Brogan. This time around, Jane is helping a former co-worker find out if she was sent to the wrong woman while trying to track down her birth mother. Meanwhile, she is also covering a murder that Jake is investigating. A woman is found murdered. Two kids under 3, both alive, are in the next room. It looks like a simple domestic dispute except the woman has no ID anywhere in the apartment.

I loved the book. It started fast and never let me go until I reached the end. The characters were great as well, and I had a blast spending time with all of them.

I got the book via Amazon Vine.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-wrong-girl-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
DB
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jaine takes on the job of writing the song lyrics for a beauty pageant contestant and finds herself in the high passion world of local beauty contests. Things are so heated that it’s hardly a surprise when a dead body turns up. But with her client at the top of the suspect list, Jaine will have to act fast to find the killer.

As always this book is a pure delight. The many sub-plots keep things moving right along, and the mystery is wrapped up in a logical fashion. The characters are a little out there, but that is definitely part of the fun of the series. They contribute to the laughs, which are plentiful. This is definitely light reading but lots of fun.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-death-by-tiara-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.