The Literate Kitty

When your sweet tooth demands that you satisfy it ( since all of us know a sweet tooth never asks politely, right? ), the choices available to do so run the gamut... from something like the lowly vending machine Twinkies or bag of M&Ms (cheap and found everywhere), to fancy-schmancy wrapped bon-bons or an exquisitely-decorated cupcake (requiring a bit more searching and considerably more than the spare change jingling around in your pocket or the bottom of your bag).  Either way, though, you’re unlikely to make a meal out of the sweet you’ve chosen; it’s small--a snack, something to have with tea or coffee, or for dessert--and eating too much would probably leave you with a tummy ache ( yes, I do know about that first hand ).  The same principle applies to sex in books (or movies), as far as I’m concerned. A little nookie at the right time--meaning, where it makes sense in the story--is great... I just don’t want that to be all there is. So why (you’re bound to...

Picture, if you will, the bucolic English countryside... traveling along a narrow road as it wends its way along verdant hills and valleys... making the occasional detour through a small, picturesque village—the sort comprised entirely of quaint buildings and... well, let’s go with interesting townsfolk, shall we? It’s all quite lovely, really.   Ah, but something vital is missing from this picture. What’s that, you say? Why, a murder, of course! (I’ve never figured out exactly why these charming little places are such hotbeds of murder most foul, but they clearly are , as anyone up on his/her Agatha Christie—or the works of any number of other British authors, not to mention rather a lot of TV shows—can attest.)  So, then... let’s say we also happen to have a recent murder to pique our avid curiosities. Surely now the stage is set, yes?    Well, not quite... at least, not in this case. The final piece of our tableau involves a bear, you see... and not ...