Frivolous Companion

A quick companion to my blog at www.carleenspry.com

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It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I have been busy with various projects and responsibilities, so I didn’t have much time to read and review. However, that has changed. I am back to reading and reviewing. AND I am expanding. I have decided to branch out to YouTube and Patreon. I have found that it is much easier to do my reviews in video format rather than writing. I’m getting old, and my joints…

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REVIEW: "Moonlight Avenue" by Gerri Hill

REVIEW: “Moonlight Avenue” by Gerri Hill

Whew! It has been nearly 11 months since I’ve written a review. Gotta say…that’s a long time. And it isn’t because I haven’t been reading. No, no. I have been reading. I’ve just been going back to some of my old, comfort books. Recently, however, I have fallen into some of the newer 2019 releases. I realized that my favorite authors had been just publishing away and I hadn’t been keeping up. So…

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REVIEW: Thorn by Anna Burke

REVIEW: Thorn by Anna Burke

After reading and reviewing Anna Burke’s debut novel, Compass Rose, I was really excited to see what she had up her sleeve for her sophomore offering. I knew it was too soon for a sequel to Compass Rose – though I really can’t wait for that sequel – and I was aware that she had a few works in progress. So it was a pure delight to learn that Thorn, Burke’s second book, was released by Bywater…

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A Family That Dances Together...

A Family That Dances Together…

So there is this article that has been floating around social media lately about a group of Moms and Dads who joined their kids at dance class. Siblings joined in the fun, too.

What’s interesting about, not only this article, but some of the comments that come about with the sharing, is how critical those comments are. Even the author of the article gets in a barb or two: “Bet these young ladies…

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Well, we’ve reached November 30th and this will be my 30th blog post for the month. That means I have completed the National Blog Posting Month challenge.

Yay!

I was able to get through a number of book reviews, which was a goal of mine. I still have some left on my list, but I checked of a good portion. Admittedly, some of those posts were super boring – as I have no doubt this one is.…

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Favorite Performances from Musicals

Favorite Performances from Musicals

There’s a meme going round Facebook right now that challenges people to post images of movies that have impacted them in some way – one movie per day for 10 days. Just the image. No explanation. I was tagged to do the challenge today, so I posted my first image. As long as I remember to do it each day, I shouldn’t have a problem coming up with a movie a day.

That sort of inspired me to write…

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Fading history

I rarely watch the local news. I stick to national cable news channels and reading from selected sources on the internet. But, tonight, I decided to turn on the NBC news. I don’t know what prompted me to do so – I was in the middle of a new Hallmark Christmas movie. (And people who know me are well aware of how I feel about those movies.)

Quite honestly, I sort of wished I hadn’t turned it on.

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REVIEW: 2° by Bev Prescott

REVIEW: 2° by Bev Prescott

It’s been four years since Bev Prescott has published a book. That book was Blowback and it was pretty amazing. Needless to say, I’ve been anxiously waiting for Prescott’s next offering. We’d been hearing about it for a while. Prescott teased us as we waited – updates, excerpts, cover reveals, etc. It was maddening, I say! Maddening!

But, oh, it was so worth the wait.

Bywater Books released

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REVIEW: A Proper Cuppa Tea by KG MacGregor

REVIEW: A Proper Cuppa Tea by KG MacGregor

I was introduced to KG MacGregor’s writing back in the heyday of the Xenaverse. Her fan fiction was/is some of the best out there. Luckily for all of us, she worked on those stories, expanded them, fixed them up, and got them published. And now, we have MacGregor’s 25th published novel. She is the embodiment of the wise saying “Write the book that you want to read.” In MacGregor’s case, she wrote…

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GCLS Annual Conference: Why Pittsburgh?

GCLS Annual Conference: Why Pittsburgh?

The Golden Crown Literary Society’s Annual Conference is held in a different city each year – except for that 3 year period when we were in Orlando. (That whole “let’s go to the same city in consecutive years” thing won’t be repeated.) Since I’ve been a member, we’ve been to Orlando, Minneapolis, Dallas, Portland, New Orleans, Washington DC, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Prior to that, the conference…

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REVIEW: My Lady Lipstick by Karin Kallmaker

REVIEW: My Lady Lipstick by Karin Kallmaker

Karin Kallmaker has often been called “The Queen of Lesbian Romance.” Of her twenty-eight published novels, I’ve read twenty of them. So, I have a pretty solid basis for saying the title is well deserved. (Three of those books are on my “comfort” pile – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read them.)

Now, this is not to say that each of those twenty books has been an all-out winner in my…

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Author Spotlight - Tammy Bird

Author Spotlight – Tammy Bird

Some of you who follow my blog are writers. Here’s something of interest to you and, potentially, your networks. Feel free to share!

(This isn’t my daily post for NaBloPoMo. More to come later.)

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If you’ve ever felt compelled to share one of my blog posts, I urge you to please share this one. Share it far and wide! Ask your friends to share it, too. If you’ve ever gotten even the slightest bit of pleasure or knowledge from something I’ve written about on this site, please do me the favor of sharing this. 

One of the things that the Golden Crown Literary Society is known for is the…

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'Tis the Season....Now

‘Tis the Season….Now

Anyone who knows me is aware that I have a ban on Christmas music until Thanksgiving is over. I’ll watch Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies all year long, if given the opportunity. So, those channels are immediately put on my “favorites” list once their seasons start – usually just before Halloween. But, when it comes to tunes, I hold fast. After. Thanksgiving.

Now that Thanksgiving dinner…

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Redolent with Memory

When my grandmother passed away, my mother took over responsibilities for Thanksgiving dinner. Well, she took on all of the responsibilities. She always helped Gram. They shared duties. I helped Mom then. I took the entire week of Thanksgiving off so that I could help with the shopping and cleaning and cooking. Since Mom passed away, Thanksgiving dinner is held at my aunt’s house. But, I’ve taken…

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If you follow my blog at all, you know that I write a number of reviews. The majority are book reviews. I’ve always loved to read. I started reading on my own when I was around 3-years-old. No, really. I did. When I was 9, we lived about a block away from the public library. I had my own library card. I went to the library every chance I got. I was a latch-key kid, so after school, I would just…

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Staying Sane, Being Kind

Staying Sane, Being Kind

Here it is, the Monday before Thanksgiving, and this is the day that I decided to go to the store. 

I contend that I am a smart person. But I’ve never said, in earnest, that I’m brilliant. Days like today prove that. 

In general, it wasn’t too bad. I only needed to go to two stores: the grocery store and Costco. Usually I can get in and out of the grocery store in about 30 minutes or so. I know…

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