Rachel Kovaciny's Blog, page 93

"Dressed for Death" by Julianna Deering

I've been wanting to read Julianna Deering's mysteries starring Drew Farthering for several years now, but I've just never gotten around to them.  And now I've read the fourth book in the series first, which is a bit topsy-turvy, but I fully intend to go read the first three books soon.  Possibly later this summer, as this was a fast and enjoyable read.

Drew Farthering and his wife Madeline attend a house party at the home of one of Drew's old classmates, Tal Cummins.  A week-lo...

"Destry Rides Again" by Max Brand

If you have ever seen the movie Destry Rides Again  (1939), you  might think you know what this book is about.  I know, because I love that movie, and so I picked up this book at a cute little used bookstore up in the Shenandoah Valley thinking it would be similar to the movie.  After all, the cover even touted it as the basis for the movie, as you can see.

Um, yeah, not so much.  Now, the main character in both the book and the movie does have the last name 'Destry,' a...

Great Gatsby Read-Along Link-Up

Let's have a link-up!  If you've written any posts on your own blog for this read-along, or reviewed the book as a whole now that we're finished, or reviewed one of the movie adaptations, please link to those posts here so we can all check them out!  If you've previously reviewed the book or a movie and want to include that, by all means, go right ahead :-)

I'm going to kick things off by linking to my own reviews of two different movie versions.


And don't forget to enter the giveaw...

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (again)

I know I've spent nine whole posts nattering on about this book, delving into all the things I find interesting or odd or cool or confusing.  But I'd like to do one final post to put down a few of my final thoughts on the book as a whole.

Why do I like this book?  I didn't like it the first time I read it.  I admired it the second time.  But this time through, yes, I liked it.  Quite a lot, really.  Which is odd, because I don't really want to be friends with any...

The "Great Gatsby" Giveaway

We have finished the Great Gatsby read-along!  And in less than a month, just as I'd hoped.  Time to celebrate with a giveaway.  PLEASE NOTE: This is open to everyone, world-wide! Not just participants of the read-along :-)  Here are the prizes:



TWO sets of THREE Art Deco-style postcards showing three lovely flappers.  I will draw TWO winners who will each receive three postcards as shown above. 



TWO sets of THREE greeting cards featuring something to do wi...

Great Gatsby Read-Along: Chapter IX

After Gatsby dies, people go right on making up crazy stuff about him.  Nick says most of the reports about his murder were "a nightmare -- grotesque, circumstantial, eager, and untrue" (p. 173).  That sounds just like all the stories people told about him at his parties, doesn't it?  But somehow, it's kind of fitting, isn't it?  James Gatz made up Jay Gatsby, so why shouldn't other people make up their own stories about him?  Kind of that "what goes around comes arou...

2017 INSPY Award Winners!

 
The winners of this year's INSPY Awards have been officially announced!  I had such a great time judging the Mystery/Thriller category, and I absolutely love the book that we chose as the winner:  If I Run by Terri Blackstock.  I'll be posting my review of it in a few minutes.

"If I Run" by Terri Blackstock

How is it I've never even heard of Terri Blackstock before?  Oh my word!  This book is a freight train barreling into the night.  I know there's a sequel coming, and I am definitely going to read it.

Casey Cox's good friend has just been murdered, and she's being framed for it.  Doesn't help that she's the one who discovered the body, and her DNA is all over the crime scene.  She runs, convinced that she'll either go to jail for a murder she didn't commit or else get k...

"Waiting for Normal" by Leslie Connor

I very nearly loved this book.  I certainly love the girl it's about, Addie.  She's one of the coolest, gutsiest, realest YA characters I've read in a very long time.  I will re-read this book.

However, I will not be letting my kids read this book until they're in their teens.  First, because the protagonist, a girl named Addie, gets her period and starts wearing bras, and I'm pretty sure they won't be comfy reading about that until they're older -- especially Sam, heh...

Great Gatsby Read-Along: Chapter VIII

As I write this post, I am treating myself to a moonshine truffle bar from the Chocolate Moonshine Co. in honor of Jay Gatsby.  Supposedly, this truffle bar has real moonshine in it.  Supposedly, Gatsby made money selling moonshine.  It's all good.  Especially the chocolate, which I have to say is WAY better than actual moonshine.  Which I have also had, and not the stuff they sell in gift shops along the interstate in Appalachia, but real white lightning that was con...