Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Monthly Archives: September 2024


by Leave a comment

Unlikely(?) Heroine Rides Tall in ‘Lost Girls’

Blessing of the Lost Girls

By. J.A. Jance

Genre: Fiction/Murder Mystery/Thriller

Pages (print): 328

Via: Library

Rodeos. Barrel racing. A serial killer. A heroine named Hazel.

A heroine named Hazel? Say what? you say.

Yo! Her Momness and I will get to that shortly. So kindly keep your hair on, Cookie. First a little back story:

I was waiting outside The Book Place the other day with the patience of Job while Mom was inside, skipping merrily through the stacks looking for something to nab. She skidded to a halt in front of the Lucky Day shelf. For you young whippersnappers, this is an actual, physical shelf near the checkout where lots of the latest releases live. So if you find one that’s available for checkout it’s like, “Whoa Nellie*! It’s my Luck Day!” (*Mom Speak for “Whoa, Nellie.” Super excited.)

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Picture Books & ‘A Little Bit of Pixie Dust’

One of us – the one who’s been around since the Ark made landfall – is old enough to remember this super cool TV show called Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Remember that one? Hosted by Walt Disney. Came on Sunday nights. Right after Lassie, Kimber’s alter ego. (Arf! Arf!) Had some of the best family entertainment around.

But the real hook? The opening where Tinkerbell flies around Sleeping Beauty’s castle, waves her fairy wand and splashes Living technicolor all over the logo. It was like magic. Repeat for you young whipper-snappers: It was like magic. (This was waaaay before the days of cheating with CGI and all that jazz.)

What If…?

Anyway. What if you could find storybooks with that kind of magic for your littleun? Well. Thanks to Storybug, you can.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

eBook or Hard Copy?

We’ve all heard about ’em.  Seen ’em.  Some of us own more than one.

We’re talking about the latest and greatest in communication technology: iPhones, smart phones, iPads, texting.  Handy-dandy little items, these, especially when it comes to capturing creative genius on the fly.  Right?  Uh, right?

Being all magnificent and everything.

Put another way: what recording device does Her Momness use to lasso that creative blogging gem before it stales and staggers into the overcrowded corral of busy forgetfulness? What’s her preferred reading format – print or ebook?

Kindly keep your shirt on, Toots. We’ll get to all of that in a min. But first things first:

Continue reading →


by 4 Comments

35 Most Memorable Opening Lines Ever

Opening lines. They can pull you into book and urge ya to go further, or turn ya off so’s ya move on.

Mom and me, we’ve been around long enough to know some good opening lines when we see ‘em. So we made a list. Checked it twice. And came up with our 100% unscientific, totally subjective list of 35 Most Memorable Opening Lines Ever. From books we’ve actually read.

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

Hark! Her Grumpiness Speaketh! (I’d Listen Up ‘Fize You)

Her Royal Grumpiness is all grumpified today. For two reasons: 1) Glasses; 2) The Book Place.

Short version: New prescription eye glasses ain’t working. Only way Her Momness can read a computer screen is by tilting her head up and looking through the bottom of the lenses. So not happenin’. What was that optometrist thinking? So annoying.

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

‘Stubborn Positivity’ Shines in ‘Craig and Fred’

Craig and Fred

A Marine, A Stray Dog, And How They Rescued Each Other

By Craig Grossi (Harper Collins, 2017)

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Via: Library

Pages (print): 266

“Looks like you made a friend,” his Marine Corps buddy quipped of the short-legged, floppy-eared stray dog who wandered into the USMC compound in Afghanistan.

But what author Craig Grossi heard was, “Looks like a Fred.” The name stuck. What unfolds next is one of the most touching, heartwarming and remarkable true animal stories we’ve ever read.

Even Kimber Her Royal Magnificence was impressed: “Fred is my new best bud! He’s like, Totally PAWsome!”

“Kimmi, you say that about everyone,” chirpeth Her Momness.

“So?”

Continue reading →


by 12 Comments

3 Blogging Truths Nobody Tells You

Red And Blue Parrot · Free Stock Photo

Kimber’s buddy Rosencrantz.

The response to a prior post on why you don’t need to blog every day was really positive and kind of surprising. So we decided to do an encore-ish thing. Sort of. Like this:

Ever wish someone had told you how to get from Point A to Point B as a blogger? What to do and what to avoid? What works and what’s a waste of time?

Mom and I? We wish someone had told us some things when we first started blogging (shortly after the discovery of fire). After many, many fits and starts and enough mistakes and mis-steps to choke a camel, Her Momness finally started paying attention to me.

Well. You know Mom.

So today we’re sharing some essential blogging truths we learned away. Hope you find these three truths helpful:

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

‘Stable Weight’ Balances the Scales

Stable Weight: A Memoir of Hunger, Horses, and Hope (Hopewell Publications, 2021)

By Lisa Whalen

Biography/Memoir/Health, Mind & Body

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever gingerly opened a book, unsure where it may head, or how?

Stable Weight was one of those books. When Mom and I sat down to read it, she let me in on a secret. I’ll explain at the end of this review. So stay tuned. And don’t tell Mom. Let’s just keep this our little secret, okay? Meanwhile, on to the review:

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

‘No Ordinary Day’ Packs a Wallop

No Ordinary Day

By Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books, 2011)

Genre: Children’s

Pages: 160

Via: Library

“The best day of my life was the day I found out I was not alone in the world” begins this slim, no-nonsense tome by Deborah Ellis, followed by, “This is how it happened.”

The Deets

Easily read in a day or two, No Ordinary Day is narrated by the protagonist, Valli, a young orphan girl who escapes the coal pits of Jharia, India to roam the highways and byways of Kolkata, India.  The story unfolds through Valli’s eyes, ears, and feet.  Yes, feet.  Feet that have been burnt, cut, and injured without an “Ouch!”

Continue reading →


by 2 Comments

30-ish Favorite Authors of All Time

Hold on to your bacon, friends! Cuz Her Royal Momness has come up with a Royal Doozie this time! Yes sirree, Lassie!

You know how the more you read, the more you begin to get favorite authors? Realize that no matter what they publish, the way they write and structure their work is going to pull you in every time? Like that nice, juicy burger left unattended on the backyard barbecue, so when no one was lookin’…

What?

Oh, right. Favorite authors of all time.

This is harder than you may think. And think. And think. And think again. But some hoomans asked about our fave authors the other day. So we’re up to the task. Or the Royal Doozie, as the case may be.

Continue reading →