A True Story: The Otter Pop Bandit

It was a hot summer day in August. The temperature was hovering around 104 in the shade. Everyone, including Mouse, was trying to stay cool inside. Dressed in her lightest onsie, Mouse lay on her stomach in the middle of the play mat, propped up on her elbows.

Miss S was busy with Howler and Sunshine who were playing not too far away. That left Rosie, sitting pretty eating a red Otter Pop*. A mighty cool looking stick. In fact, as Mouse looked around, she noticed everyone was sucking or chewing on an Otter Pop, each one a different color. Why wasn't she given an Otter Pop? She was always being left out. At nearly six months old, she was just as capable as the rest of them. Hrmphf.

Well, she'd show them. Mouse took one last look around to make sure no one was watching and made her way on all fours over to Rosie. Quick as she could, Mouse snatched the cold wet stick out of Rosie's hands, intent on finding out what she was missing.

Rosie let out a howl almost as loud and painful as one of lil' Howler's cries. Miss S rushed to her aid, swiping the Otter Pop right out of Mouse's hand. Miss S called Miss C over and both were laughing. At what exactly, Mouse didn't know. All she knew was that it wasn't fair.

She eyed Rosie, who was now sitting on Miss S's lap on the other side of the play mat, with that irresistible red Otter Pop. Determined to get that Otter Pop one way or the other, Mouse half crawled, half scooted her way across the mat, right up to Miss S's leg. She pulled herself up onto Miss S's thigh and snatched the Otter Pop right back. Ha!

Peels of laughter came from both Miss S and Miss C, who was standing near the mat. Miss C took the Otter Pop out of Mouse's hand before Mouse could take a bite.

Foiled again.

*Otter Pop = Ice Pop = Popsicle

---

© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Review: The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt

The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt

Berkley Prime Crime, 2006

Crime Fiction; 261 pgs

I am not sure how long The Trouble with Magic has been sitting in my TBR collection. A long time, I'd guess. That seems to be the fate of many of my TBR books. Sitting and waiting. Books are very patient, did you know? At least mine have been.

I can't remember how I first came to discover this gem of a book or where I bought it. All I know is that I am glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Maggie O'Neill. She's much older in my mind than she is in the book--probably because I put her at my age, a bad habit of mine. She's smart (are heroines these days ever not smart?), skeptical and a do it yourself-er. I liked her right away. I'll forgive her for her love for all things Magnum, although I have to admit, it fit with Maggie's character, and I think it was great how the author continued that tiny thread throughout the book.

As you can guess from the title, this cozy mystery has a bit of magic in it. After losing her office job, Maggie takes a job working at an eccentric antique store in town. Maggie takes to the owner immediately, a nice woman named Felicity Dow. Felicity just happens to be a witch. Maggie puts on her amateur sleuth hat when Felicity becomes the main suspect in Felicity's sister's murder. In the course of her investigation, Maggie begrudgingly acknowledges that she may have a little something magical in her veins too that opens her up to the spirit world. She's plenty skeptical though and doesn't come to accept it easily--something I really appreciated as a reader.

There's a teeny weeny hint of romance, some action and humor mixed into The Trouble with Magic. The reader is likely to figure out the whodunit before Maggie does but that doesn't detract from the novel. The Trouble with Magic is a great start to a series I'm looking forward to continuing in the future.

You can learn more about Madelyn Alt and her books on the author's website.

Source: From my own personal collection, bought and paid for by myself.

---

© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Sunday Salon: Hello, October!

Outside my window: Fog. Beautiful, glorious fog. Only pleasant because I'm not driving in it.

I am listening to: The wind dancing with the trees. I love how quiet it is outside. At our old house, the traffic and trains were a constant. Here, we have the occasional jet, sometimes the laughter and screaming of kids playing in the neighbor's pool, but mostly just quiet.

I am watching: We've completed the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother and are just waiting for the first disk of the fifth season to arrive in the mail via Netflix. Or Quickster. Whatever their name is now. I saw the first episode of the new Charlies' Angels show. Just because. Anjin and I also saw the first two episodes of the new season of Supernatural. We're finally all caught up! So far, it looks like it will be a good season.

I am thinking: That I need to get started on the laundry. Actually, I have been giving my blog a lot of thought. Ideas are starting to pop into my head for future posts, however fleetingly. Not all of them are as good as they seem upon first thought.

I am grateful for: Hot water.

I am reading: I finished Madelyn Alt's The Trouble With Magic early last week, a witchy cozy mystery. Now I've moved onto Bossypants by Tina Fey, an unusual choice for me for two reasons. Number one, I don't especially care for celebrity memoirs and so rarely read them. And number two, it's in audio book form. Yeah. It's hard to believe, isn't it? I found the perfect time to listen finally. Not sure how long it will last though as the situation is only temporary.

Around the house: So much still to do! When does the unpacking end??

The child this week:
Plans for the week: Mouse had her doctor's appointment last week and I have mine this week. I am a strong believer in making those annoying female exams less painful by turning them into a fun day. So, I will be taking the day off from work and will be treating myself to a little shopping, including a visit to the bookstore, picking Mouse up from daycare early and spending the afternoon playing and cuddling with her. The rest of the week will be filled with the usual: work, sleep, eating. You get the idea.

On the blog: This past week I managed to post a review of Cover-Up by Michele Martinez and talked about the top five songs currently playing in my head. This week look for my review of Madelyn Alt's The Trouble with Magic and the story that's made Mouse quite famous--afterward you will be able to guess what she'll end up with lots of on her first birthday (because I'm the mean mommy who won't let her have it just yet)!

Thanks to Suey from It's All About Books for sharing this format with me, and to Ibeeeg of Polishing Mud Balls for inspiring Suey's use of the format.

---

© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Review: Cover-Up by Michele Martinez

Cover-Up by Michele Martinez
Harper Suspense, 2007
Crime Fiction; 368 pgs

In the process of donating books to my coworkers this past spring, I turned one of them onto Michele Martinez's Melanie Vargas series. Melanie is a federal prosecutor, raising her young daughter alone. My coworker enjoyed the first two books I'd given her so much she went out and bought the third and fourth books in the series. She was kind enough to loan me the third book (and if she can find the fourth, she will pass that along to me as well).

Melanie is not a hard as nails type character nor is she sassy. Instead, she's your average hard working woman who strives to do her best for both her daughter and her career. Melanie has her hang ups, especially when it comes to men, and she is not always sure of herself. She is smart--most of the time. It's rare you come across a suspense novel where the heroine/hero doesn't throw himself/herself in the line of fire despite it not being the brightest idea, and this one is no different.

In Cover-Up, Melanie lands herself a career making case, investigating the murder of a well known investigative reporter. The victim had a lot of enemies and Melanie must wade through the politics and scandals to get to the truth.

Cover-Up was an enjoyable read. Fast paced and suspenseful--just what I've come to expect from Michele Martinez. It's one of those books that is good in the moment but not necessarily memorable.

You can learn more about Michele Martinez and her books on the author's website.

Source: I borrowed a copy of the book from a coworker.

---

© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Top Five: Songs That Got Stuck In My Head

I am a words woman. It's a given then that I love to read. Give me directions, and I prefer them written out as opposed to being handed a map. And yet, even as I describe myself as a words person, I confess that words alone do not always convey emotion, desire and thought quite as well as music can. It is a powerful medium, quite expressive, and can say so much in a single note or a simple lyric. I am not always good at saying what I want when I need to say it--but somehow, music rarely fails me.

What of those songs that get stuck in my head? Sometimes it's a song's catchy tune or lyric. Occasionally I hear a song so often that it just sticks with me no matter how hard I may try to shake it off. There are also those songs I keep replaying on my iPod or in my mind that become sort of temporary anthems.

My darling husband came up with a list of five memorable songs that have gotten stuck in his head. I decided to give it a try as well. Songs speak to me at differing times--depending on the time of day or year, my mood and what is going on in my life. Do I need inspiration, a little push, am I feeling melancholy or romantic? And the songs that I am drawn to change constantly over time.

Here is a list of five songs that I've got stuck in my head most recently:



Particularly when I am going through a rough patch, Rodney Atkins song, If You're Going Through Hell, pops into my head. It's an uplifting song both in music and lyrics, making me feel like I can get through just about anything. Given events in my life lately, this song has been playing in my head a lot.



Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol became a fast favorite of mine when I first heard it several years ago. To this day, when it's on the radio, I turn up the volume and sing along. The melody is simple and beautiful. It's a love song to be sure, one that evokes a feeling of wishing time could stop so that I can revel in the moment. I often catch myself singing or humming Chasing Cars without even realizing it at first.



Several months ago a popular song caught my attention, Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are. The song is yet another love song (I'm partial to love songs, what can I say?). There isn't anything particularly profound about the lyrics or music, but it is a song that I imagine speaks to many of us. Who doesn't want to be loved for who they are? While this song is about a man's love for a woman, it has, in part, come to mean something else entirely different to me. I can't help but think of my daughter when I hear (and sing) the song. So, not all the lyrics are fitting for a love song from a mother to her daughter and some probably take offense to the focus on outward appearance, but when I hear the song, all I see is my daughter and I feel an overwhelming sense of love for her. I can't take my eyes off her. She is perfect to me--inside and out. And I do love that smile--as far as I'm concerned, it's impossible not to stop and stare for awhile.



The movie Beaches starring Bette Midler is one of those movies that never fails to bring tears to my eyes. I enjoyed the movie, but I fell in love with the soundtrack more. While Wind Beneath My Wings is an awesome song, I confess to fancying a couple of others from the album much more. I adore Bette Midler's version of I Think It's Going to Rain Today. But perhaps my favorite is Otto Titsling about the invention of the brassiere. How can you not laugh when you hear that song? It's silly and not at all true, but oh so fun. Not to mention it's a story in a song--and I do love a story!

The most recent song to enter the ear worm stratosphere is not one that has especially deep meaning or influence over my life, but there it is. I hear the song every day, Monday through Thursday, at least twice in the span of an hour. Teeter Totter is a children's song by Tanya Goodman. It's got a sweet, gentle melody with very simple lyrics. It's part of the lullaby album my daycare provider plays for the children during their afternoon nap time while I am there to nurse Mouse. I find the entire album relaxing--a break from my hectic work day and a chance to settle in and enjoy my lunch hour with my daughter. Teeter Totter is the one song though I have playing in my head when I return to the office each afternoon.

So there you have it. Hop on over to Bullet Points to see what songs ended up on my husband's list.

---

© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.