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November 2020 – Lioness at Large

Month: November 2020

Cats Fun and Games Lifestyle Literature Reviews

2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We’re still a month away from the end of the year, but my reading will probably consist mainly of Christmas books in December, and I hope and pray that life won’t come up and throw anything else at me in the final month of the year, either.  So I might as well post my “Year […]

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Literature Reviews

Arthur Conan Doyle: Tales for a Winter’s Night

This is a group of stories originally published individually in Strand Magazine (and other magazines), and in book form, together with nine other tales, first as as a 1908 collection named Round the Fire Stories.  Conan Doyle’s preface reads: “In a previous volume, ‘The Green Flag,’ I have assembled a number of my stories which […]

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Fun and Games Literature

A Short Book List for Jonathan Harker

24 Festive Tasks: Door 6 – St. Nicholas’ Day / Sinterklaas, Task 1: Create a book wish list for one of your favorite book characters, or pick 3 books for that character to receive from St. Nick. Here’s a list of books that Jonathan Harker might have found useful before embarking on his trip to […]

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Fun and Games Literature Reviews

Paul Doherty: The Nightingale Gallery

24 Festive Tasks: Door 2 – Guy Fawkes Night, Book: Read a book set in the UK, a political thriller, a book involving any monarchy or revolution, a book about arson or related to fires and burning, or a book that is self-published.   As my book for Guy Fawkes Night I’m claiming the one […]

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Fun and Games Literature Reviews

Deborah Crombie: Dreaming of the Bones

24 Festive Tasks: Door 4 – Japanese Culture Day, Book: Read a book that is set in Japan or featuring Japanese characters; or read a graphic novel or a book set in a school or academic setting.   I’m claiming the audiobook I listened to yesterday and the day before, Deborah Crombie’s Dreaming of the […]

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Blog

To my American friends …

… and to everyone who celebrates: It’s been a difficult year for many of us, but I hope you all still have things to be thankful for! And for being my friends and for making a difference in my life, this year perhaps more than ever.

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Cats Fun and Games Lifestyle Literature

Hygge!

24 Festive Tasks: Door 8 – St. Lucia’s Day, Task 1: Get your Hygge on — light a few candles if you’ve got them, pour yourself a glass of wine or hot chocolate / toddy, roast a marshmallow or toast a crumpet, and take a picture of your coziest reading place. Post a picture.   […]

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Cats Fun and Games Lifestyle Literature

Reading by Flashlight … with Feline Accompaniment

24 Festive Tasks: Door 19 – Hanukkah, Task 2: Read by flashlight or candlelight.  Post a picture. Reading by flashlight was the plan for last night — but I had barely gotten comfortable with Paul Doherty’s first Friar Athelstan mystery … … when Charlie showed up, sat down on my book and made it clear […]

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Cooking - Food - Drink Fun and Games Lifestyle

Red Thai Curry

24 Festive Tasks: Door 7 – International Human Rights Day, Task 2: Cook a dish from a culture other than your own or something involving apples (NYC = Big Apple) or oranges (for the Netherlands, seat of the International Court of Justice & International Criminal Court). Dinner tonight was red Thai curry. Curry and coconut […]

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Fun and Games Lifestyle Linked Items

Three Wishes (Again)

24 Festive Tasks: Door 6 – St. Nicholas’ Day / Sinterklaas, Bonus Task: You are King / Queen for the day and can have 3 wishes (not book related): one for yourself, one for your community (any version) and one for the world: What are they? I recently refurbished the WP blog version of my […]

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Fun and Games Linked Items Literature Reviews

Book Characters Turning Over a New Leaf

24 Festive Tasks: Door 4 – Japanese Culture Day, Task 2: Japanese Culture Day was first held in 1948, to commemorate the announcement of the country’s post-war constitution on November 3, 1946, which was to make a new start for Japan.  Which book did you read this year where someone was searching for or starting […]

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Cats Cooking - Food - Drink Fun and Games Lifestyle Literature Reviews

Battle of the Books Goes Feline: Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management vs. Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace

24 Festive Tasks: Door 20 – Festivus, Bonus Task #2: Battle of the Books: pick two books off your shelf (randomly or with purpose); in a fair fight, which book would come out on top?  The fight can be based on the merits of the books themselves, their writing, or full-on mano a mano between […]

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Fun and Games Literature Reviews

Ian Rankin: A Song for the Dark Times

24 Festive Tasks: Door 5 – Bon Om Touk, Book: Read a book that has the moon, or an ocean, river, lake, or other body of water (larger than a puddle) on the cover, read a manga, or read a book set anywhere in Asia.   As my book for this square, I’m claiming Ian […]

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Fun and Games Literature Reviews

The Medieval Murderers: The Deadliest Sin

24 Festive Tasks: Door 6 – St. Nicholas’ Day / Sinterklaas, Book: Read a story involving children or a young adult book, or set in the Middle Ages, or a book whose cover is primarily orange (for the Dutch House of Orange) or red (for St. Nick’s robes / cloak), or a book with oranges, […]

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Fun and Games Lifestyle

The Gifts of the Magi, Modernized

24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Christmas, Task 2: Modernize the three gifts given to Baby Jesus by the Magi.  Instead of myrrh, frankincense, and gold – what would the Magi give as baby shower gifts in 2020-21? Well, if the Magi were counseled by a mother, they just might go the sensible / practical […]

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Fun and Games Lifestyle Linked Items Literature

Heinzelmännchen

24 Festive Tasks: Door 23 – Hogswatch, Task 2: A Cologne legend dating all the way back to the Middle Ages has it that once upon a time, there was a race of busy little household gnomes called Heinzelmännchen who would come at night and secretly do all your work: If there ever has been […]

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Fun and Games Literature Reviews

Julian Symons: The Progress of a Crime

24 Festive Tasks: Door 11 – International Children’s Day, Book: Read a middle grade book (any genre), a book written by an author under 18 years old at the time of publication, or a book prominently featuring a child, juvenile, or young adult character.   I had been planning to use Julian Symons’s Progress of […]

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Cats Fun and Games Literature

The Belgian Flag, from Book Spines

24 Festive Tasks: Door 17 – Armistice / Veterans’ Day, Task 2: Create the flag of one of the countries that fought in either World War out of book covers.  If your country was one of the participants, make it the flag of a country other than your own.   Not the German but the […]

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Fun and Games Literature

2021 Book Buying Plans

24 Festive Tasks: Door 16 – Melbourne Cup Day, Task 2: The odds-on favorite to win this year is Anthony van Dyck, with a betting amount of $8.50. If given that amount of money, what anticipated book(s) coming out in 2021 would you spend it on? (Note: Pony name(s) and betting amount(s) to be added once the […]

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Cooking - Food - Drink Fun and Games Lifestyle

First Day of Carnival in the Rhine Valley: Dinner

24 Festive Tasks: Door 10 – First Day of Carnival, Task 1: Carnival – including its first day in the Rhine Valley (Nov. 11; officially beginning at 11:11 AM sharp) – is essentially one big party; fuelled, wherever in the world it is celebrated, by traditional local food / snacks and drinks.  In the Rhineland, […]

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