Postcards 2019: Gander

2019, this year I have highlighted postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. Gander is one of those places. I am looking forward to 2020 and all the traveling that I have yet to do! 

Postcards 2019: North Dakota

The only state that I have not yet visited is North Dakota. Maybe next year will be the year that I can cross that off my to do list!!

Christmas Ornaments 2019

Christmas Ornaments I like to pick up ornaments from my travels. Each one reminds me of a place I have visited!

This squid came from an Art Gallery in Stuart, FL

I got this cute little outhouse at a Street Fair

I got this Pelican on our trip to Cuba in 2017

Got this one on a trip to Whidbey Island last year I LOVE Dungeness Crabs!

The best part of this Krispy Kreme ornament is that it does LIGHT UP! and it reminds me of North Carolina

Hawaii Quilt Square Girl from a trip to Oahu

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mysteries for Christmas!

Crime for Christmas and New Year's Evil

I am going to lump both of these books together, because there is really not anything remarkable about either of them. Not so super...."Crime for Christmas" written in 1988 is set in New York City and "New Year's Evil" from 1991 is set in Quebec, Canada.

In "Crime for Christmas", the chief of police of New York City asks the Hardy's to help in an investigation because no one on the force is young enough to pull off this undercover assignment. This book was written at about the same time that the TV show, "21 Jump Street" was popular, so this angle makes a lot of sense in that context.  For those of you unfamiliar with "21 Jump Street", it starred Johnny Depp as a youthful police officer, part of a group of similar officers who went undercover as teenagers. It was one of Johnny Depp's first major roles after "Nightmare on Elm Street" and a small part in "Platoon".  The Hardy's ask Nancy Drew to join them in the investigation.
The two mysteries in this book are a pair of cat burglars who have been stumping the police (If you have already read the Paris Connection, you will immediately be able to solve that mystery)  and the abduction of the Prince of Sarconne. Much of the book centers around a possible romance between Bess and the Prince. This part reeks of a Hallmark Movie or one of those Disney Princess Diaries movies. One of the most fantastic things in the book is a chase done by forklift! They drive a forklift 10 Blocks from 136th St to 125th St, I am still trying to rationalize that scene in my head.

Onward to "New Year's Evil," this book takes place over the border in Quebec, Canada. Nancy, Bess and George are in town because Bess's cousin Emily is working on a film shoot about race car drivers and invited them (sabotage on the set.) The Hardy's are being hosted by Dussault Motors, the company that sponsors the Ice Racing during the Winter Carnival.  Ice Racing is racing cars on the frozen St. Charles River. However, I cannot find any evidence that they ever did race cars during Winter Carnival.  This book was written in 1991 and I have researched as far back as 1985 and I cannot find any evidence that they ever raced cars on the river.  The race that they do is done with canoes, called Ice Canoes. Dussault Motors is also filming. They are making a TV commercial.
This book did include one of my favorite quotes.  Joe says, " Solving mysteries is our favorite kind of vacation." Another quote that could apply to any super mystery is, "suspects are easy, it's proof that is hard to get." I was disappointed in Nancy. At one point, she says that she has been an idiot. I kind of agree, she has enough French language skills to translate Pierre Desmoulins to Peter Mills, but she calls the circumflex over the a, " a funny little hat."  Now I know that they do call the circumflex a little hat to describe it to English readers, but it would have helped if Nancy used the proper term and described it also to educate the super mystery readers.

I was again disappointed in these super mysteries, but if you want some winter time atmosphere, they could be fun.

Postcards 2019: Salzburg, Austria

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet! I have stepped foot into Austria, but only just! I need to go back and really tour there. 

Postcards 2019: Letchworth State Park, NY

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet!

Letchworth State Park is a 14,427-acre state park located in New York. The park is roughly 17 miles long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several large waterfalls.

Postcards 2019: Terezin

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet!

Terezín is a former military fortress composed of citadel and adjacent walled garrison town in the Czech Republic.

There was a concentration camp here during WWII

Books I read in November 2019

Dancing in the Dark by Caryl Phillips a novel about a black entertainer in the early 1900's. A look at racism and identity from an perspective that we do not often see. I enjoyed it.
The Armchair Esquire ed. by Arnold Gingrich and L. Rust Hills A collection of short stories that were originally published in Esquire Magazine. Fabulous stories by Steinbeck, D. H. Lawrence, J. D. Salinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, Evelyn Waugh, John Dos Passos and more! Treasures!!
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum (library) about a bored housewife living with her husband in Switzerland and the affairs she has to make herself feel anything.
CopTown by Karin Slaughter (library) 1970's Atlanta and women police officers hunting a cop killer. Very interesting 1970's sexual harassment etc of women doing a man's job. Also enjoyed the Atlanta locations.
Angel's Flight by Michael Connelly (library) Since I was recently in LA and rode on the Angel's Flight, I thought I would read this murder mystery about a murder that takes place on the funicular.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (library) sequel to the Handmaids Tale. I really liked the different points of view that she visited in this book.
The Beautiful Ones by Prince with Dan Piepenbring (library) Memoir that was left unfinished at Prince's death. Finished by Pipenbring and includes wonderful photos and information about Prince's first albums and Purple Rain etc. Great for fans.
Food Matters by Mark Bittman (library) great book talking about how the meat industry is draining our resources and we should look to a more plant based diet. Meatless Mondays here I come!
Big Sky by Kate Atkinson (library) I love the Jackson Brodie mysteries and this one is awesome too, I highly recommend  You probably should read them in order since the relationships change with the characters, but they are good as stand alone mysteries.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (library) Thriller with estranged sisters trying to solve a mystery, serial killer type stuff, so don't read if that bothers you.
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey  a classic mystery, if you have not read any by Josephine Tey then you need to get out there and read her books NOW. Love her!!
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (library) recently made into a movie about a woman opening a bookshop in a small town and the changes it brings.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie Great to revisit old favorites when I am flying and want a good book.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mysteries Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving   Evil in Amsterdam and At All Costs Super Mysteries





















Evil in Amsterdam was published in November of 1993. Nancy and George are traveling to Amsterdam to meet George's friend Merissa, who is a freelance reporter.  Frank and Joe are being sent to Amsterdam as couriers in a sting operation concerning stolen WWII Dutch gold.  When Nancy and George arrive, Merissa is missing.  Frank and Joe find that the person that they were supposed to deliver papers to has been murdered.
I loved the travelogue aspect of this book. There are lots of great descriptions of Amsterdam and the weather during November. We are told that Frank and Joe are there for Thanksgiving vacation.
Nancy and George's mystery takes center stage and the Hardys assist them in their detecting to find Merissa. Frank and Joe are told not to investigate the stolen gold because it is too dangerous. So they hang out with Nancy and George and work on that mystery together.  Merissa is engaged to a prince, so they get to visit a castle and Joe romances a princess.  They check out an investigative reporting story that Merissa was working on concerning a famous Dutch resistance fighter and art dealer.
I liked this super mystery because the Hardys and Nancy Drew were treated like equals. I liked the setting and the mystery of missing gold stolen by the Nazis.  So Evil in Amsterdam gets 2 thumbs up from me!
At All Costs was published in 1997 and has the Hardy Boys traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah during Thanksgiving to track down dangerous saboteurs. Nancy and George are visiting a friend, whose eco-terrorist boyfriend, a major suspect in the sabotage, is missing.
At All Costs is definitely a "ripped from the headlines" story. It involves the building of a winter sports park in Utah for the 2002 Olympics.  Utah had lost the bid for the 1998 Olympics, but they went on with plans to build their Olympic venues despite opposition from citizens concerned over traffic and environmental effects.   In December 1998 allegations of a scandal involving Salt Lake Organizing Committee members, and members of the International Olympic Committee concerning the 2002 Olympic bid surfaced. This supermystery precedes the real Olympic Scandal coming to light and it is amazing to think that this author predicted this kind of drama surrounding the 2002 Olympics.
Both Frank and Joe and Nancy and George take time to go sking. The Hardy's are involved in an avalanche and must build a snow cave and wait for Ski Patrol to rescue them. Meanwhile Nancy and George are sking at a resort and their friend is forced off the slope and is dangling off the side of a cliff. The teen detectives act together to rescue the eco-terrorist boyfriend from an abandoned silver mine.
They all get together for a Thanksgiving meal.   George is depicted as always being hungry and Nancy even comments. " You're beginning to sound like Bess."  After solving all the mysteries and catching all the bad guys, "we've got an even bigger challenge -- fresh powder in the Wasatch Mountains."  Once again, the detectives were pretty much given equal amounts of action and responsibilities, so I was also happy with this super mystery.  So much to be thankful for with these super mysteries!

Postcards 2019: Faroe Islands

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet!

The Faroe Islands, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges.

Postcards 2019: Greece

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet!

Greece

Postcards 2019: Moscow

Yes, I have been to Russia, but I have only been to St. Petersburg. I would love to see Moscow

Postcards 2019: Egypt

2019, this year I am highlighting postcards from places that I have never visited!! I know many of you think that I have traveled all over the world and I have been to many places, but there are places here in the USA and all over the world that are still on my bucket list. So this year, I am sharing postcards from places that I have not visited yet!

Egypt