Beth Overmyer's Blog: The Blog of Beth Overmyer, page 41

Books I WANT to Read in the New Year

In no particular order, here is the list:

1. Shadow of the Unicorn
2. The Hundred-Foot Journey
3. My Sister's Reaper
4. Godland
5. Book 2 of the Mistborn trilogy
6. Book 3 of the Mistborn trilogy
7. Dorothy Must Die
8. Misery
9. Little Dorrit
19. The Giver
20. The Great Gatsby
21. Uglies
22. Dead Poets Society
23. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
24. Jurassic Park
25. Fight Club
26. Schindler's List
27. The Bourne Identity
28. Life of Pi
29. The Devil Wears Prada
30. Inkheart
31. Finding Alaska
32. Paper Towns
33. Anna and the French Kiss
34. The Paris Wife
35. Across the Universe
36. Hidden in Paris
37. Cuckoo's Calling
38. The Mists of Avalon
39. This Weakness for You
40. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

I would LIKE to finish reading:

1. Emma
2. Bleakhouse
3. Shatter Me
4. Mistborn (book 1)
5. The Once and Future King

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What's on your TBR (to be read) pile?

I am Thankful for...

- My Mom, who has been a great source of support (and tolerance) as I scratch out my novellas/shorts/whatevers. And, yes, she is forgiven for the novel deletion from 18 or so years ago.

- My sister, Rachel

- My brother-in-law, Ben

- My niece, Miss B.!

- My writerly friends and acquaintances, in person and online (especially Ruthie, Julene, Victoria, Rob, and Debbie)

- My non-writerly friends who put up with me anyway :)

- The Cat

- Water Cat

- My church family at New Community

- A warm house

- Samwise (my computer)

- Every good thing God has given me

What are YOU thankful for? I'd love to hear how you've been blessed =) With so much negative in the world, focusing on our blessings is CRUCIAL.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
^The mess from last year...

For the Potterhead in Your Life: A Gift List

A fan of Harry Potter? Know someone who is? Here's a list for you:

A box set of the books

Harry's wand (you can also get Hermione's, Ron's, Dumbledore's, Snape's, Draco's, Sirius's, Voldemort's, Fred and George's, Bellatrix's, Luna's, Narcissa's, Ginny's, McGonagall's, Neville's, Tonks's, Parvati's, Slughorn's, Cho's, Lupin's, Cedric's, Mad Eye's, Lucius Malfoy's, random Death Eaters', Gregorovich's, Flitwick's, Seamus', Madam Pomfrey's, one of the Carrows', Katie Bell's, Fleur's, Xenophilius's, Grindelwald's, Mr. Weasley's, Goyle's, Oliver Wood's, Professor Sprout's, Trelawney's, Lav-Lav's, Pius Thicknesse's, Rufus Scrimgeour's, Yaxley's, Dean's, Crabbe's, Percy's, Bill Weasley's, Mrs. Weasley's, James Potters's, and a few more. All are replicas of the wands used in the movies and come with a cool box and a collector's box.)

The Marauder's Map (Mischief Managed!)

Time-Turner

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Are you a Potterhead? Anything I should add to the list? Let me know!

P.S. This will be the last gift list before Christmas! Need an idea for the perfect gift still? Drop me a line and I'll do my best to help you! bethovermyer@gmail.com 

Is Your Weather Frightful?

For all of my friends and family getting snow this blustery season: May you stay as snug as my cat "Bug" in a bag. (Doesn't he look happy?)
As for us in northern Ohio...
54-degree HEATWAVE!

Lord of the Rings Fans: A Gift List

A box set of the books

A map of Middle Earth

Sting letter opener (this is seriously cool! I got one for my cousin many years ago...)

Eleven brooch

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Just a note/reminder: I am not paid to write these suggestions, and I don't own all the items on the list (though, I have read all the books I recommended in last week's post.)

Good Books: A Gift List

Fantasy - The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) boxed set, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (YA), Harry Potter series (MG-YA) boxed set

Dystopian (YA) - The Hunger Games (trilogy) boxed set

Gothic Romance: Jane Eyre

Cookbooks: No Whine With Dinner

Historical: Girl With a Pearl Earring (some crude, graphic stuff), A Jane Austen Daydream

Light (historical) horror: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Phantom of the Opera

MG lit: Wonder, A Monster Calls

Short story: Leapling

Mystery: And Then There Were None, N or M?, A Pocket Full of Rye

Gifts for the Christian(s) in Your Life

Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado - Twice a day for 365 days, read a short message along with a corresponding Scripture verse. Available from Barnes and Noble for $17.98 (as of 9/16/14.)

Music Inspired by The Story - 2 discs, 18 songs from about different characters/events in the Bible. For the first listen, I had fun trying to figure out who was the point of view character in each song. $11.52 from Amazon (as of 9/16/14.)

God's Not Dead (DVD + Blu Ray) - I found this movie somewhat cheesy but encouraging, nonetheless. $17.99 from Family Christian stores (as of 9/16/14.)

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BTW - I'm not getting paid to do this, and these aren't really ads. Just trying to help ease the holiday stress B-)

Congratulations to...

Susanne Drazic!
You have won not only the calligraphy set with sealing wax and seal, but the notebook as well!
Please email your address to bethovermyer@gmail.com so that I can ship you your prizes!
Congrats, and thanks for reading and commenting on As a Dog Returneth.
~Beth

As a Dog Returneth (a Serial): Part VII or the End

With the slightest of smug sneers, Ackerman slipped into his dressing gown and poured himself a small sherry. As the lukewarm amber trickled down his throat, he pocketed his bedside revolver.
"Blasted fools better not interfere," he said. One quick look around the room was now in order. The door to his flat was bolted. Check. The eastern window was open a crack. Check. All he had to do now was hide and wait.
With a chuckle he looked down at the dummy stuffed in his bed. If that didn't confuse his prey, then, well, perhaps he was finished. Ackerman toasted his nemesis and downed the last of the bottle.
As he blew out the lights, he heard a faint rustling noise coming from what he assumed was the window. This was it. Quietly as he could, Ackerman slipped between the wall and his bed.
The old window slid open with barely a creak, blowing in rain and cold air. There was a soft footfall on the window seat, then the creaking of floorboards.
Ackerman prepared his revolver.
Then someone laughed a laugh he had not been expecting to hear. It was a high laugh, much too high a laugh to belong to his man.
"Inspector Ackerman," said a familiar voice. "Please, don't get up."
"Betsy?" he asked. "But I thought… Surely it can't be—"
"Instead of drawing this out with much gloating, giving you the chance to escape, I might add—"
"It had to have been Vervain! He wouldn't touch the punch! Made the excuse that he couldn't drink alcohol. He was taking quinine for malaria, just as Miss Smithe was; that's how he knew about her. You can't be the X—"
A gunshot rang through the night, and feathers flew up in a cloud. Ackerman leapt from his hiding place and tackled the woman to the ground, wresting the pistol from her hands.
     "Tell me," he said between ragged breaths as he pinned her hands to her sides, "tell me how and why, and I might let you live to see the gallows. Are you truly the X Murderer?" He could feel her glowering at him in the darkness, felt her body wriggle as his nails dug into her wrists. "You blasted, vile creature. You cost me my career, my wife, my life!"
"How's that?" she demanded.
“Tell me why Miss Prewitt? Mr. Keefes? Mr. and Mrs. Miller? Why Miss Smithe? Why? I had a theory," he interrupted her. "I had a theory, and the Chief thought it was ludicrous. It's the reason I suspected Vervain."
"Let me go, you—"
"A religious fanatic, on the loose, trying to convert the 'lost souls,' condemning the wicked to their 'rightful' damnation."
Betsy tried to break in, "I don't know what you're—"
"It all fit," said Ackerman. "Every last one of the X Murderer's victims were into witchcraft; and I suppose Miss Smithe, God rest her poor soul, will be found to have had such ties. But what would have been your motive? It makes no sense. No sense at all."
They were quiet for a moment. Or, at least, Ackerman was. Betsy continued to whimper and writhe.
"Well," he said at long last, "I suppose that's for the judge and jury to discover. Of course, if you cooperate, I might convince the judge to show some leniency."
"The girls!" Betsy said at once. "It was me who told them to dress as they did. Or, rather, their maids. I'm good friends with both. I dropped a few hints, and they took them."
"Then you laced the punch with poison."
"Yes, yes. But I didn't commit no other murders! I swear it, on my honor."
"On the honor of a woman who just attempted to murder an aging man in his bed?" Ackerman shook his head. "Never mind that, yet. Tell me, it was you who attempted to frame Boyette?"
"Y—No. It wasn't! I swear it. I didn't think I'd get in no trouble for this. He told me I would be taken care of. I did this for him, for love, and now he is—"
Whatever he was, Ackerman didn't find out. A second gunshot rang through the night, this time piercing him in the back, above his heart.
He could just register Betsy screaming as he fell sideways off her. And as he slipped into unconsciousness, the face of Reverend Martin Vervain swam in front of his face.
#

"You were right," said King, looking down at his old friend. "It was Vervain all along. He came quietly, of course, once we stormed your house. He definitely wanted the credit this time." He patted Ackerman on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner, my friend. We were following the maid, my suspect, you understand. Who knew it was a diversion?" King gave a mirthless laugh. "You knew, probably. But he fooled us all, hiding under your bed like that. Really, you should have headed straight home and not for the pub. Blasted cockiness on your part, I'm afraid." He saluted the casket as it was closed and whispered, "Rest in peace, Eugene."

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Your final opportunity is here! Comment for a chance to win some a calligraphy set! (US only)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, y'alls! Are you going to any parties? Dressing up? Trick-or-Treating? Huh? Huh? HUH!?!

...ahem.

If it's not raining, I plan to dress up in my green medieval-y dress. I also have a domino mask I could strap on, but it's molting :-/

And here, for your terror: a creep-tastical selfie of yours truly...

BOO!