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Your Mathematics Standards Companion: What They Mean and How to Teach Them: Grades 3-5
Linda M. Gojak and Ruth Harbin Miles
Book
Transforming the standards into learning outcomes just got a lot easier In these brand-new versions...
Your Mathematics Standards Companion: What They Mean and How to Teach Them: Grades 6-8
Ruth Harbin Miles and Lois A. Williams
Book
Transforming the standards into learning outcomes just got a lot easier In these brand-new versions...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Final Fondue in Books
Nov 15, 2020
Fatal Festival
The town of Bayport, Maryland is holding a festival to celebrate their tri-centennial. Val Deniston is participating with a booth featuring food from her café, while her grandfather is hoping to win one of the contests with his chocolate fondue. And Val has talked Grandfather into renting out some rooms in the house they share to visitors in town for the weekend. These particular guests are there to start work on planning a wedding to take place in the area the next spring. When one of them turns up dead in the backyard, Val begins to question if the killer got their intended victim, or if someone else was the target. Can she figure out what happened?
This book has a solid mystery with great clues sprinkled throughout. Even so, I only began to piece it together about the time that Val started figuring it out. Val’s former life in New York City pops up in a big way in this book, and, while I enjoyed the way this cozy trope played out in this book, I did feel it slowed things down a little. The more I read this series, the more I’ve come to love the characters, especially Val’s grandfather, who is a lot of fun. The suspects are distinct and kept me guessing. At the back of the book are six recipes, including a couple of chocolate fondue recipes, all of which have five or fewer ingredients. This is another fun entry in a tasty series.
This book has a solid mystery with great clues sprinkled throughout. Even so, I only began to piece it together about the time that Val started figuring it out. Val’s former life in New York City pops up in a big way in this book, and, while I enjoyed the way this cozy trope played out in this book, I did feel it slowed things down a little. The more I read this series, the more I’ve come to love the characters, especially Val’s grandfather, who is a lot of fun. The suspects are distinct and kept me guessing. At the back of the book are six recipes, including a couple of chocolate fondue recipes, all of which have five or fewer ingredients. This is another fun entry in a tasty series.
The Wicked City (The Wicked City #1)
Book
In the first book of a breathtaking new trilogy by bestselling author Beatriz Williams, two...
fiction
Siraj Wahhaj
Podcast
Siraj Wahhaj was born as Jeffrey Kearse and raised in Brooklyn. His mother was a nurse and his...
Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style
Book Watch
Suits that pop with loud colors and dazzling patterns, complete with a nearly ubiquitous bowtie,...
fashion
Bag Man
Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz
Book
Is it possible for a sitting vice president to direct a vast criminal enterprise within the halls of...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Bake Offed in Books
Dec 1, 2022 (Updated Dec 1, 2022)
Mystery at the Mystery Convention
Val Deniston and her granddad are going to the Maryland Mystery Fan Fest to help her friend Bethany with it. And Granddad, aka the Codger Cook, is participating in the mystery themed baking competition the first night. One of his fellow contestants is Cynthia Sweet, the woman that Granddad feels stole his shot at turning his Codger Cook recipe column into a book. But when Val finds Cynthia dead in the middle of the night, the two of them start to discover that other people didn’t like Cynthia either. Can they figure out who killed her?
Since the fest is out of town, we don’t see much of the other series regulars, but the series usually focuses on Val and Granddad, so it’s not too big of a loss. This also gives us plenty of time to get to know the new characters, who rise to the occasion. And there is a return appearance by a character from early in the series that is fun. The plot is wonderful. It is intricately plotted, yet it holds together at the end. As someone who complains about the timelines in books when they don’t work, I have to praise this one for holding together perfectly. I got a kick out of the mystery fest setting. The recipes at the end are great fun as well, but I’ll leave that for you to explore on your own. Fans of the series will be happy with this book. If you are looking for a fun culinary cozy series, I definitely recommend you check this one out.
Since the fest is out of town, we don’t see much of the other series regulars, but the series usually focuses on Val and Granddad, so it’s not too big of a loss. This also gives us plenty of time to get to know the new characters, who rise to the occasion. And there is a return appearance by a character from early in the series that is fun. The plot is wonderful. It is intricately plotted, yet it holds together at the end. As someone who complains about the timelines in books when they don’t work, I have to praise this one for holding together perfectly. I got a kick out of the mystery fest setting. The recipes at the end are great fun as well, but I’ll leave that for you to explore on your own. Fans of the series will be happy with this book. If you are looking for a fun culinary cozy series, I definitely recommend you check this one out.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Edible Front Yard in Books
Sep 8, 2017
A gorgeous book about growing edibles while maintaining a beautiful appearance
I would definitely give this book the full five stars. It’s filled with gorgeous, full-color, glossy photographs that really show off the concepts illustrated in the book. Soler describes both some common vegetables (corn and beans, for example) as well as some things I didn’t even know were edible, like daylilies and nasturtiums! She includes a lot of unusual edibles, like artichokes and bananas, the latter of which I can’t grow outside here in Maryland. She lives in LA, though, and I completely understand how it must be complicated to write a book applicable to the entire United States!
Her chapters range from “Curb Appeal” – WHY should we care what our yard looks like, and what actually looks good? – to “The New Front Yard Plant Palette” which is all about classic edibles that also look great. Another chapter is about helper plants – plants that aren’t necessarily edible (though some of them are), but that serve other purposes in the garden, such as pest repellant or predatory bug attractants. Both of these chapters list a TON of plants, with short descriptions about why they’re on the list, how to take care of them, and what to use them for. EXTREMELY useful.
Soler has her own blog – The Germinatrix – but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s been updated since 2012. Her Twitter seems to have died about the same time, and her Facebook hasn’t seen a post since early 2013. I’m still hoping to find her presence online, as I love her writing style and would love to find more of her work.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Her chapters range from “Curb Appeal” – WHY should we care what our yard looks like, and what actually looks good? – to “The New Front Yard Plant Palette” which is all about classic edibles that also look great. Another chapter is about helper plants – plants that aren’t necessarily edible (though some of them are), but that serve other purposes in the garden, such as pest repellant or predatory bug attractants. Both of these chapters list a TON of plants, with short descriptions about why they’re on the list, how to take care of them, and what to use them for. EXTREMELY useful.
Soler has her own blog – The Germinatrix – but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s been updated since 2012. Her Twitter seems to have died about the same time, and her Facebook hasn’t seen a post since early 2013. I’m still hoping to find her presence online, as I love her writing style and would love to find more of her work.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Silver Girl in Books
May 10, 2018
Meredith DeLin has just found out that her husband has stolen billions from their friends and his business associates. Now she and her son are being investigated by the Federal Government as well, although Meredith has told them, she didn't know anything. With no where else to turn, she calls her friend Connie and asks to stay with her. Connie is on her way from Maryland to Nantucket for the summer and feels even though her relationship with Meredith hasn't been the best in the past few years, she could use the company. A series of strange events directed at Meredith, draws the two closer together as the deal with the past and make plans for their futures.
I listened to this book, so if names are spelled wrong that is why. I really enjoyed this story and could feel for the characters. I know how it feels to be friends with someone your whole life and then as adults, with marriage and kids and life, that friendship drifts apart. The fact that Connie was there for Meredith, despite their distance, physically & emotionally, speaks volumes to her character. And Meredith was there for Connie as well. Even though Connie may not have been going through a scandal like Meredith was, she still had her own demons she was facing and despite her reservations about getting involved with Meredith, she was grateful to have to her by her side for this difficult summer.
Both women learned a lot about themselves and each other during the summer they spent together. Elin Hilderbrand writes a wonderful novel about female relationships and I can't wait to read or listen to more of her books.
I listened to this book, so if names are spelled wrong that is why. I really enjoyed this story and could feel for the characters. I know how it feels to be friends with someone your whole life and then as adults, with marriage and kids and life, that friendship drifts apart. The fact that Connie was there for Meredith, despite their distance, physically & emotionally, speaks volumes to her character. And Meredith was there for Connie as well. Even though Connie may not have been going through a scandal like Meredith was, she still had her own demons she was facing and despite her reservations about getting involved with Meredith, she was grateful to have to her by her side for this difficult summer.
Both women learned a lot about themselves and each other during the summer they spent together. Elin Hilderbrand writes a wonderful novel about female relationships and I can't wait to read or listen to more of her books.