His wings are like a shield of steel!

I used to watch Popcorn Playhouse on CFRN, the local CTV affiliate, when I was a kid in Alberta.
It was a 90-minute program, locally produced, which was THE destination for kids' birthday parties. The kids would be interviewed by "Klondike" Eric Neville, and between the interviews would be short cartoons like Batfink (which few people who didn't grow up in Edmonton in the 60s would recall).

For your viewing pleasure:

Flowers for my Mom...

...and a new item in Marlyn's Corner.

I like to send Mom flowers on Mother's Day (which, btw, is two weeks from today, folks!) But despite the fact that flowers are beautiful, I've come to the decision that they're kind of a cliche, so I'm trying to be a little bit more creative than just plain old flowers.

Last year, I sent her a sampler of blooming teas.

(My apologies, but I don't remember which shop I ordered them from. It was a tea shop in Eastern Canada, and I had the sampler shipped directly to her.)

I thought about sending her flowers again this year. What I'd really like to do is send her some roses from my own garden, but obviously that's not a realistic option.
Or is it?

Just finished reading

Peter Robinson's latest Alan Banks novelis a little bit different than most.
When the story begins, he's on holiday with his new girlfriend Sophia. Annie Cabbot, now a Detective Inspector, is instructed to call him back when the murder-suicide case they are dealing with appears to involve some people with important connections. When Banks discovers that the connection may have to do with MI6, he's warned off, and told to resume his leave. But his "copper's instinct" won't allow him to let it go, and he begins to investigate on his own, with Annie helping him out in the background.
The international espionage storyline is certainly unusual for Robinson, and though some of the characters (and at times, the reader) express their skepticism at Banks' theories, he manages to keep it credible.
As usual, Robinson's writing is superb, and the story is compelling. The biggest problem with this book is the length of time we'll have to wait for the next one.

Just finished reading...

Jan Burke's latest book is a standalone that could best be described as a paranormal mystery. Tyler Hawthorne was born in 1791, and died in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. While he lay dying on the battlefield, he spoke to a mysterious person who gave him a ring, and a dog, and the task of Messenger.
The Messenger carries the wishes of the dying who can no longer communicate verbally to their living loved ones.
When we meet Tyler, he is living in present-day Los Angeles. He lives a solitary life, with only his dog Shade as a real companion. Somehow,Tyler knows when dying people need his services, and he goes to them to offer comfort and more. Yet, after over 200 years, having outlived all his peers and being unable to die, he wishes he had given a different answer to the being who approached him on the battlefield.
He buys a mansion in the hills, and befriends Ron, the grandson of the previous owner. Ron's friend Amanda, a "trust-funder" who lives nearby, is suspicious of Tyler's Samaritanship, but is unsure what to do about her misgivings.
Driving home from a party in the desert, she witnesses a truck running him down on his motorcycle, and is pretty sure he's dead. But he's still alive, despite what Amanda saw. Now the men in the truck are after her, too, and Tyler has to tell her about himself so he can protect her.
Jan Burke has crafted another spellbinding tale. She is an amazing writer, and has obviously done painstaking research for this book. Don't pass it by because it's not part of the Irene Kelly series!

Recent reads

When I was at Left Coast Crime, we were given book bags filled with books. One of the books I received was an ARC of Mary Stanton's Angel's Advocate, the second book in her Beaufort and Company series. Of course, being the way I am, I had to pick up a copy of the first book. Our heroine, Bree Winston-Beaufort inherits a law practice in Savannah from her uncle. Her first night in town, as she is unpacking, she receives a call from billionaire Benjamin Skinner, who just happens to have died earlier that day. She is as confused by this as she is by the fact that most people are unable to find her office, until she talks to one of her old law professors, who informs her that she is to try this case in the Celestial Courts, where Skinner has been charged with greed.
This is somewhat of a departure for Stanton, who has written several childrens' fantasies (and as Claudia Bishop writes traditional mysteries) but I think she's done a splendid job. I stayed up very late one night to finish Defending Angels, and completed Angel's Advocate (release date June 2, 2009) the the following day.
Since Advocate hasn't even been released yet, I realize that I have a long time to wait for book 3, but it will be hard. Well, at least I'll have plenty of other stuff to read.


Another book I finished in one day is Laura Lippman's latest.This standalone is the story of Cassandra Fallows, a well-known author of two memoirs. Her third book is a novel, not as successful as the first two, and she decides to go back to writing non-fiction when she stumbles across a news story about a woman named Calliope Jenkins, with whom she went to elementary school. Calliope has been released from prison after serving seven years for contempt of court, because she refused to reveal the whereabouts of her toddler son, whom she was suspected of killing. Cassandra returns to her old neighborhood and interviews many of her elementary schoolmates, discovering in the process that the memories she published in her books aren't necessarily the same as those of her old friends.
This is an absolutely stunning novel, well-written and with well-constructed characters.

Surprise, surprise...

Time Out New York has a quiz which determines whether or not one is a food snob.
Apparently, I am:

Sorry to break it to you, but you’re a Bona Fide Foodie Elitist. Looks like your love of fancy foods has given you a bit of a tude, hasn’t it? Go sit in the corner with your shad roe.



(Thanks, Kat!)

Being a librarian

Because the City of Long Beach is having budget problems (is there a city in the US that isn't), we substitute librarians aren't getting much work. Six months ago, I could work 20-25 hours a week, if I wished. I worked 5 hours last Saturday, my first shift since well before I left for Hawai'i.
I'm luckier than many people, since my husband has a good job, but it's very difficult for me to not be bringing home any paycheque at all.
I am looking around for additional work, but since most places are in the same financial straits, there just isn't much out there.

Don't worry, the complaining is over. I read Unshelved every day, and just had to post today's comic, because it expresses just how I feel.