Ornament Review: The Perfect Gift - Spotlight on Snoopy #29 - 2026 Hallmark Release

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Cute scene with good friends

Cons: Could be part of regular line

The Bottom Line:

Friend giving a gift

Makes for a cute ornament

But a series piece?

Not a Perfect Addition to the Series

As I’ve long stated, I’ve been collecting the Spotlight on Snoopy series long before I started collecting Hallmark ornaments in general.  It’s why the newest addition to the series is always the first one I review each year.  But not every ornament grabs me, and The Perfect Gift, the 2026 entry in the series, is one of those.

As always, the ornament features Snoopy and Woodstock.  They are both wearing red hats, and Snoopy has a red and white striped scarf on as well.  Woodstock is holding a present wrapped in green paper with a tiny red bow on it.

Now, it isn’t that the ornament is bad.  It’s a cute scene.  But it is a bit simple, and that’s definitely one thing that doesn’t make it stand out.  Granted, the ornaments don’t always include something big to help tell the story, but I do enjoy the ones that do.

But I think my biggest issue is that this feels like it would be a regular line ornament and not part of the series.  Yes, we have had ornaments with a Christmas theme over the years, like the very first ornament.  But most of them have other themes, and that’s what makes the series so fun for me.

Again, it’s not that the ornament is bad, but it isn’t a top ornament in the series.

Snoopy and Woodstock are standing out in the snow, so the ornament has a nice flat base.  You could set this out to be displayed without any worries about it falling over.  And you’ll find the 29 in a Christmas tree series marker on the back.

Looking at the picture, I thought the ornament would tilt.  I was basing this on where the hook for hanging the ornament is.  But I am happy to report that it hangs straight.

The Perfect Gift is cute.  But it’s not going to be an ornament I regularly pull out from this series.

Shine the light on the rest of the Spotlight on Snoopy series.

Book Review: Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Belinda in a good mystery

Cons: A couple of niggles, but nothing big

The Bottom Line:

Body in garden

Overcomes a shaky start

A good beginning

How did the Body Slither into Belinda’s Garden?

In the first half of the year, I’ve been very focused on continuing series I’ve already started.  But I finally decided to break into some new to me series.  I have collected multiple books by Heather Day Gilbert, so I figured it was time to start one of them, specifically, Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass, the first in the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries.

As we meet Belinda, she’s just moved from New York City to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she is renting the carriage house behind the Carrington estate.  And she is currently pet-sitting the python of one of her clients.  But she’s barely settled in when she finds a young woman dead in the flower bed outside her cottage.  The victim was a friend of the handsome Stone Carrington the Fifth.  With the body being so close to her new home, Belinda starts to investigate.  Will she figure out what happened?

As I was starting the book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it.  Belinda found the dead body quickly enough, but the first couple of conversations with suspects seemed rather short and shallow to me.  However, as the book got going, I soon began to be pulled further into the story, and those conversations became more substantive.  The ending was a little weaker than I tend to like, but it did keep me turning pages and answer all my questions.

I did enjoy meeting Belinda.  I am curious to see who the regulars are going to be based on how this one ended.  I don’t think the series will go in the direction I initially expected, which would be a fun surprise.  Since there are only three books, it hopefully won’t take me long to find out.  Either way, the characters we met here were fun and developed enough to make me care about the outcome.

And yes, the snake does play a part in the story.  I wouldn’t say I have a phobia of snakes, but if you do, you might want to keep that in mind.

I enjoyed this book enough to be planning to revisit the series soon.  Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass has a bit of a different hook, but it is one that worked for me.

TV Show Review: Wings - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: A promising first six episodes

Cons: Characters are still pretty broad here

The Bottom Line:

A short first season

Just the basic set up here

But still solid laughs

“Offering That Man a Job at My Airline Would Be the Stupidest Thing I Could Do.” “So Why Are You Going to Do It?” “I Have No Idea.”

Somewhere along the way, I caught reruns of the sitcom Wings.  I enjoyed the ones I saw, but I never followed the show regularly.  A few years ago, I decided to get the complete series DVD set, and then it sat on my shelf for a while.  I finally pulled it out and enjoyed season 1.

Season 1 of the show was a late replacement in spring of 1990.  It must have done well since it would go on for seven more full seasons before flying off the air.  It came from the creative team of David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee who had worked on Cheers and would also create a little show called Fraiser. 

The show is set around a small commuter airport on the island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts.  In the first episode we meet brothers Joe and Brian Hackett (Tim Daly and Steven Weber), who are both pilots.  They’ve been estranged ever since Brian ran off and married Joe’s girlfriend.  Newly single, Brian winds up taking a job for Joe’s small airline, Sandpiper Airline.  The other employee is Fay (Rebecca Schull), who works the counter for the airline.  Of course, the brothers have competition in the form of Roy (David Schramm) who owns a larger airline, Aeromass.  There’s also the mechanic, the slow-witted Lowell (Thomas Haden Church).  And then there’s Helen Chapel (Crystal Bernard).  She was a childhood friend of Joe and Brian, and both brothers seem to be interested in turning that friendship into something more even though Helen wants to remain friends.  She is currently running the lunch counter in the tiny airport.

Season 1 consisted of six episodes.  In this day and age, that’s the norm, especially on streaming, but back then, that was extremely low.  Of course, it helps that it premiered on April 19, 1990, so there wasn’t long before the season ended.  (Again, when the networks had true TV seasons.)  In a lot of ways, these episodes are just setting up the characters.  The first episode reunites the brothers and sets up them working together.  We learn that Helen is trying to get a career playing cello to take off.  And, honestly, those three characters are the main focus of the episodes, especially when Brian’s ex-wife (and Joe’s ex) returns to their lives in a two-parter.

Even though it’s hard to fully judge a show in only six episodes, you can see why this would become a show that lasted.  There are plenty of great laughs.  While the main trio is beginning to develop, they are still fairly flat here.  And the other three characters, while promising, definitely show room for growth.  Most shows having growing pains in their first few episodes, so none of this is surprising.  Still, it is easy to see why the show was back in the fall.  It may not be a classic thought about frequently today, but it has solid laughs, especially for the first few episodes of a show.

And the actors are already stepping into the characters they would play for the next several years.  I’m sure I’ll see their performances and comedic chemistry improve, but they are off to a great start here.

In my DVD set, season 1’s six episodes share space with the first couple of episodes of season 2 (which I didn’t watch yet).  We don’t get any extras.  The stereo sound is good, but the picture leaves much to be desired.  I get it, the show is older and was filmed, so things are going to lose something as they age.  But this is pretty consistently poor quality, especially on the wider shots.  But the show is still enjoyable.

I’m hoping my push to watch more of the TV on DVD sets I’ve bought will mean I can get back to Wings soon.  Season 1 may be short, but it teases more great laughs to come.

Book Review: All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron (Golden Motel Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and mystery with plenty of fall atmosphere

Cons: No cons got on board

The Bottom Line:

An autumn murder

Showcasing California

Another fun book

Dee is Tracking Another Killer

Ellen Byron has long been a favorite author, but the setting and characters for her Golden Motel Mysteries couldn’t have been better tailored for me if she tried.  So, I was anxious to dive into All Aboard for Murder, the third in the series.

Ellen used to write sitcoms in Hollywood, a past she gave to her main character here, Dee Stern.  But Dee has given all that up and bought and restored a motel in California’s Sierra Nevada’s gold country right on the boarder of Majestic National Park (a thinly disguised Yosemite).  Between my love of sitcoms in particular and TV in general and being a California native, you can see why this series appeals to me so much.

Every October, the community of Goldsgone, which is near Dee’s motel, celebrates the birthday of Angus Sprockles, the man who made sure they got designated a historic landmark.  Of course, they are also celebrating Halloween.  Among the events is a Halloween themed fundraiser for the historic society on the railroad that Angus’s only living heir runs.  But the event ends with Moses Sprockles dead.  It originally looks like an accident, but there are things that don’t add up.  Dee’s father had become friends with Moses, and he asks Dee to poke around even though this murder doesn’t appear to have anything to do with her motel.  Can Dee find the killer?

Anyone familiar with Ellen Byron’s books will know there is plenty else going on.  The subplots are woven in and out of the main mystery expertly.  The result was that I was never bored, and the mystery was never sidelined.  Some of the storylines impact each other, which adds to the fun.

Speaking of adding to the fun, we also have some former child actors joining the plot of this book – again, Dee’s background coming into play.  I really liked that aspect of the story.

Anyway, everything comes to a logical climax that I didn’t expect, and I appreciated how Dee was able to figure a couple of things out.  This is a case where only she could have solved things, which I always appreciate.

As always with an Ellen Byron book, there are a lot of characters, and there’s a helpful list of characters at the beginning of the book.  Some of the characters feature more prominently than others, of course, but I enjoyed whatever time the characters got on the page.  I also appreciate how one relationship developed.  Dee is an entertaining main character, and the suspects did a good job of keeping me confused.

There’s also some great humor in this book, with parts that made me laugh and smile.  Yes, some of that comes from skewering Hollywood as well as some funny interactions and a few funny moments.

At the end of the book, you’ve got a tip for making a road trip memorable and a bonus recipe.

I mentioned the location earlier.  While I haven’t spent as much time in that part of California as I should, I still really enjoy getting to visit it fictionally via this series.

And yes, the story does play into the Halloween season more than I’ve teased so far as well.  Whether you read it now or wait for October, it will give you fall vibes.

All told, All Aboard for Murder is another winner for Ellen Byron.  This is one mysterious trip you’ll enjoy.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

I'm reviewing this book as part of a blog tour.

Come visit the other stops here.

And be sure to enter the tour wide giveaway below.

July 19th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

The biggest news of excitement around here was that I spend Friday with my brother and his family at an amusement park.  Had lots of fun on the rides, but unfortunately, I lost my dark glasses on the last ride.  They aren't prescription glasses and I hadn't spent much money on them.  But the style I like to wear is hard to find these days, so that will be the hardest part of replacing them.

But other than that, it was a successful day.  We hit all the rides we wanted to and had plenty of fun along the way.

I also played ultimate Frisbee this morning for the first time in a long time.  Like at least a year.  I had lots of fun.  And I only had two missed connections all day, which is great for me.  I'd argue one wasn't my fault, and my brother and I are sharing blame on the second one.

Joke of the Week:

My grandmother reached 100 yesterday!  That's the last time I get in the car with her when she's late for bingo.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: The Golden Girls - Season 1

Tuesday - Book Review: Strong Medicine by Steve Hockensmith

Wednesday - Ornament Review: Christmas Is...A Warm Hug

Thursday - Book Review: Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Post featuring All Aboard for Murder

Saturday - TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 50

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron

Tuesday - TV Show Review: Wings - Season 1

Wednesday - Book Review: Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert

Thursday - Ornament Review: The Perfect Gift

Friday - Book Review: The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian

Saturday - TV Show Review: R.J. Decker - Season 1

Book Haul:

Would you believe I only have two books to talk about this week?  I don't either.

The first is Murder at Crossways by Alyssa Maxwell.  This is book seven in the Gilded Newport Mysteries, which just happens to be the next in the series I need to read.  I'm not sure when I will get to it, but I'm hoping it will be soon.

The other book is the next in Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series, Talking God.  I was a little surprised to see I am up to book nine when I looked it up just now.  Anyone I got this one from the library.  I know I'll be listening to it soon.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I type this, I'm working on A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker.  I'd debated long and hard before I requested an ARC of this book, and I'm kind of regretting that I did.  It's a long book, and the writing style is using one of my pet peeves.  I'm only about a quarter into it, so hopefully, I'll find myself fully invested in it before I reach the end.  I do find it compelling when I sit down to read it, so there is that.  We'll see what I think of it when I am done.

Have a great week!

TV Show Review: Survivor 50 - In the Hands of the Fans

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun seeing favorites playing again

Cons: Cut back on the twists and celebrities

The Bottom Line:

Milestone season

Lots of returning players

But too many twists

In the Hands of the Fans?  Maybe, Sort of…

I was all in during the buildup to season 50 of Survivor.  After all, I’ve missed one episode of the show since it premiered 26 years ago (stupid VCR malfunction).  But, I’ve got to say, while I enjoyed it, this wasn’t the celebration of the series that I was hoping for. 

The season featured all returning players from many of the 49 previous seasons.  The show started out with 24 constants, which is the largest cast they had featured yet.  And here’s the first time I am going to contradict myself.  I felt like they could have had more players from older seasons.  Yes, they did have someone from season one, but they had too many from the new era, in my opinion, including two from season 49.  At the same time I’m saying they needed more of a certain type of player, they had too many players to starts with.  24 players and 26 days means they have to cut people constantly.  Several episodes featured twists that involved multiple people being voted out on the same night and in smaller groups.  That’s not my choice at all.

Speaking of choices, during the airing of season 48, fans were given the chance to vote on multiple things, including the color of buffs, design of the immunity necklace, supplies, twists, etc.  All the twists went the way we’ve been seeing in the new era.  I get it, we need some of these twists and idols to keep the show from being too predictable.  But, wouldn’t it have been fun to have a twist were there weren’t twists?  That would really keep everyone on their toes.

The bones of the show are the same as always.  We start with three tribes of eight survivors playing challenges to win rewards or immunity, then each week, at least one person is voted out of the game.  Eventually, the tribes merge, and the people voted out form the jury that vote on who wins the game.

This was definitely not a season to jump into since it featured all returning players.  There are backstories from their previous times in the game that factor into how they play and their thoughts on some of the other players.  Additionally, there are just so many people to keep straight at the beginning that it helps if you have some idea who they are.  Even then, I’ll admit I’d forgotten who a lot of them are, but it did come back relatively quickly.

Then there were the celebrity fans.  If I had to hear “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol” one more time….  Two celebrities showed up on the island and didn’t add much to the proceedings with their presence. 

And really, there were so many twists it was hard for anyone to have a strategy.  Yes, I get that it keeps the show from getting too predictable, but there needs to be a balance, and the show went in the wrong direction here.

On the other hand, it was nice to see some of my favorites playing again.  And the players pulled off some fun things given the parameters they had to work with (you know, the too many twists).

Yes, fans will still mostly enjoy season 50 of Survivor.  Despite my critiques, I did enjoy it.  But I hope they pull things back for the seasons airing soon (not that it sounds like they plan to).

July 17th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday!  It's time for a Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will be coming from All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron.

This is book three in her Golden Motel Mysteries.  It's a fun series set in the California Gold Country.

I'll admit, the first sentence had my scratching my head.  And the next paragraph didn't necessarily help.

“Happy Angus Sprockles Birthday!”
Sam Stern issued the cheery greeting to his daughter, Dee, who was cleaning up the breakfast detritus left by guests in the Golden Motel’s midcentury, redwood-paneled lobby.

It doesn't take too long before we get the context - Angus Sprockles is someone important in the local area, and they still celebrate his birthday.  Maybe I was just being dense when I first read that sentence.

Anyway, on page 56 of my ARC, we find this:

Raul ended the call. He pocketed his notebook. "We have a pillar of the community who appears to be the victim of a homicide. A valuable antique someone could've stolen is un-stolen. What exactly is going on here?"

That's an excellent question isn't it?  Of course, it is answered by the end of the book.  The book comes out on July 28th, but I'm part of a blog tour for it, and my review will be up on Monday.

Meanwhile, let's move on to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Do you read one book at a time, or juggle a few at once?

I stick to one book.  Otherwise, I start to get plot points confused, or one book gets forgotten for a few days.  The exception is when I am listening to an audiobook.  I'll have a book I'm reading with my eyes as well.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery with characters I love

Cons: Listing cons has gone to the dogs

The Bottom Line:

Changes for our leads

Set up compelling story

Curl up and enjoy

Changes Comes Racing at Jim and Sally

It’s always fun to see an author’s interests show up in their books.  Via her social media and newsletters, I learned that Liz Milliron has a retired greyhound dog.  So, when greyhound racing showed up in Lie Down with Dogs, the fifth Laurel Highlands Mystery, I smiled as I added it to my to be read list.

This series features Pennsylvania State Trooper Jim Duncan and defense attorney Sally Castle, who have started dating a few months back.  And they are both going through some job changes.  Jim has just transferred from regular patrol to the investigations division.  Meanwhile, Sally is taking a job with a law firm that her friend is starting, leaving behind her job as a public defender.

On Jim’s first day in his new job, he and his new partner land a case.  The victim has been dead in his house for a couple of days already, but they also find a greyhound in a cage in the back of the house.  They are able to learn that the dog has retired from racing, but they can’t figure out how the victim got him.

Meanwhile, Sally has taken on her first client in private practice – an accountant accused of taking money from one of her clients.  That client?  A greyhound adoption nonprofit.  Are Jim and Sally working two cases?  Or is there a connection?

As always, the book is told from both Jim and Sally’s perspectives, which allows us to see the story as it is unfolding and allows us to get to know them both better.  I really do like the characters, and I’m enjoying watching their relationship continue to grow.  And yes, they are dealing with something on that front as well.

Change is never easy, and that is reflected here.  I actually really liked how those storylines played out in relation to the larger mystery.  They felt realistic, and I appreciated how both Jim and Sally were there to support each other.  And yes, we still get to see some of the supporting players we’ve met in earlier books who bring fun to the series.

The plot was strong.  I was drawn into the book and had a hard time putting it down.  I wasn’t complaining when some time opened up in my schedule and I was able to read the second half in one day.  I needed to know how things were going to end.  And yes, things did make sense once we reached the climax.

I also learned a little something about greyhounds along the way, which added to the fun.

Lie Down with Dogs proves to be another entertaining mystery with great characters.  If you aren’t reading Liz Milliron, you are missing out.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries.

Ornament Review: Christmas Is...a Warm Hug - Christmas Is #2 - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Cute Peanuts ornament

Cons: A bit simple for the price; size; tips

The Bottom Line:

Hug that brings a smile

Ornament does have issues

Still appeals to fans

Simple…but Still Warm

I caved.  I wasn’t going to get the second in Hallmark’s Christmas Is… ornament series.  In fact, I was ready to start reviewing 2026 ornaments this week (watch for that first 2026 ornament review to come next week).  But I decided to go ahead and get Christmas Is…a Warm Hug, the second ornament in the series.

This series features Peanuts characters enjoying heartwarming Christmas traditions.  Not all of them are the traditional traditions.  And that’s what we’ve got here.  Lucy is kneeling on the floor giving Snoopy a huge hug.  Her arms are around his neck, and both of them have smiles on their faces.

Considering how little use Lucy has for Snoopy, this is especially heartwarming.  It’s enough to make this Peanuts fan smile.

So, why didn’t I get it right away?  Part of that is price.  With the jump in prices last year, I cut back.  (I should stop since I was out of room years ago, but that’s another discussion).  The other reason is that this one is very simple.  It’s just the two of them.  And the ornaments in this series are a little larger than I would like.  Plus, outside the writing on the base, there is nothing to connect this to Christmas at all.

But that hug.  It’s just so cute.  It even warmed my heart.

Lucy and Snoopy are on a large circular base.  Around the front, we have “Christmas is…a Warm Hug” written.  And, on the bottom, we not only have the series marker, but a graphic celebrating the 75^th anniversary of Peanuts, which was in 2025, when the ornament came out.

Unfortunately, when you go to hang this ornament, it does tip quite a bit to the left.  Yes, you can use a tree branch to support it, but it’s a shame they couldn’t figure out a way to balance the ornament fully.

Christmas Is…a Warm Hug is a cute ornament.  Any Peanuts fan will find themselves warmed by getting it.

See more of the Christmas Is… series.

Book Review: Strong Medicine by Steve Hockensmith (Holmes on the Range #8)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery, the leads, and the humor

Cons: None – you’ll want to take this Medicine

The Bottom Line:

Blackmail and murder

Brothers continue to shine

Brimming with laughter

Time For Your Dose of Fun Medicine

It’s always a treat when Steve Hockensmith has a new Holmes on the Range book.  So, when I was offered an ARC of book eight in the series, I jumped at it.  I’m happy to say I took my dose of Strong Medicine and every page was a delight.

If you aren’t familiar with this series, you are truly missing out.  The series focuses on Gustav “Old Red” and Otto “Big Red” Amlingmeyer.  They are brothers who were making their living as cowboys when we first met them.  But thanks to the stories of the famed Sherlock Holmes, Old Red has started using Sherlock’s methods to solve cases the brothers have found themselves part of.  At this point, they have helped start the A.A. Western Detective Agency.

This book finds them in Galveston, Texas, in 1894.  They aren’t on an official case, but they have gone down to help their friend Olivia Pertwee.  Her family has suffered from a blackmailer, but their business partner just died in a fire in his warehouse.  Is someone out to destroy the family’s business?

I must admit, I didn’t remember Olivia, who we met in the previous book in the series, but that didn’t matter.  I really liked getting to know her as the book went along.  The book is filled with suspects, and they are a colorful lot, and that made it easy to keep them straight.

Old Red and Big Red are the only returning characters we see here.  I really liked the development they both got.  Old Red’s arc was a bit of a surprise, but I’m not complaining.  And Big Red, while the narrator of the stories (in a Dr. Watson role), is beginning to gain some skills of his own, which I loved to see.

And the mystery itself?  I called one part early on, but the rest kept me guessing until the end.  Yet, when Old Red explained things, it all made perfect sense.  Yes, I do find the use of a prologue set during the action of the book frustrating as I do with many authors, but at least we don’t have to wait too long to get back to that scene.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that this isn’t a cozy series.  It’s mostly language that would keep it from that category, so as long as you are expecting that when you pick it up, you’ll be fine.

What I’d forgotten about with the series is just how funny it can be.  The main characters are brothers, after all, and they act like brothers do.  But there are some funny interactions with the suspects, and Big Red infuses his first-person narration with humor.

Strong Medicine is another strong mystery from Steve Hockensmith.  As always, I’m anxious to find out where his imagination and pen will take us next.

Roam with the rest of the Holmes on the Range series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.