July 2026's Reading Summary

It's time for July's reading summary.  I didn't get the index updated this month, so I'll try again in August.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).  The links will take you to my full review.

 

Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell (Gilded Newport Mysteries #6) – 4

It’s July of 1898, and Emma Cross has spent the last year in New York City working for the Herald.  Sadly, she is still relegated to the society column.  And that’s what has brought her back to Newport – she is covering the biggest social event of the season, the coming-out ball of Cleo Copper-Smith.  But the night ends in shocking fashion, when someone is electrocuted.  The electrician who worked on the cottage is a friend, so Emma dives in to help clear him when people accuse him of shoddy work.  With a variety of motives, can Emma figure out the truth?

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about the reactions to new technology today and how some characters were reacting to the new technology of electricity for houses.  I appreciated how that played into the mystery, providing just one motive that kept me engaged.  As is often the case, I felt like the mystery was a little too complex when we got to the ending.  While things made sense, there was a bit too much exposition.  But I expect that at this point.  I am tiring of the love triangle, so I am hopeful that this particular storyline is wrapping up.  Overall, I do like the characters and love seeing them grow as the real and fictional rub elbows so seamlessly.  I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Newport.

 

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #5) – 5

This book picks up exactly where the last book ends, which means Judith has just been accused of killing her husband by her step-daughter, who just showed up at Judith’s front door.  Meanwhile, someone has killed a big football star who lived in Marlow, and Tanika seems to be trying to get Judith, Becks, and Suzie involved in the case.  Why is she doing that?  Can the ladies solve the case and help Judith at the same time?

After that cliffhanger at the end of book four, I was anxious to read this book, and it didn’t disappoint.  The book juggles the two storylines well, and I was engaged the entire time.  The suspects helped keep me confused.  I did feel the ending was a bit convoluted, but the more I read and thought about it, the better it seemed to me.  While Judith is the focus, Becks and Suzie get plenty of page time as well.  And I laughed the entire way through at the character’s reactions and antics.  While new fans might not want to start here, established fans will love every page.

 

Death on the Back Nine by Caleb Wygal (Myrtle Beach Mysteries #6) – 3

Clark Thomas’s brother is coming for a visit.  He hasn’t seen Bo in several years.  One thing Bo wants is to play golf on one of the fantastic golf courses throughout the area.  Clark arranges for the two of them to join Detective Moody for a round early one Saturday morning.  But, the foursome directly ahead of them isn’t the most fun to follow around the course.  When they get to one hole with a wicked dogleg, one of that foursome hits their ball into the woods…and never returns.  Someone has hit him with a golf club.  With Clark on the spot and Moody’s partner out of town, the mayor asks Clark to help out.  Will he be able to find the killer?

The mystery in this book was solid, but it needed some good editing.  We got too much set up, and there were other passages that could have been shortened or removed.  The subplots got short changed as well.  There was also too much foreshadowing.  But the mystery kept me confused until Clark figured it out.  And I do continue to like him.  We get a cliffhanger to lead us into the next book which will resolve a major ongoing storyline, and I’m anxious to see what is going on there.

 

Strong Medicine by Steve Hockensmith (Holmes on the Range #8) – 5

It’s the summer of 1894, and brothers Old Red and Big Red have traveled to Galveston, Texas. 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?

It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book in this series.  I found the suspects perfect for keeping me confused, but I really liked the growth we saw in the brothers.  I did figure out part of the plot out early, but the rest kept me guessing until the logical climax.  This series isn’t a cozy series, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.  I laughed so often, both at the relationship between the brothers and the antics of the suspects.  As always, I am looking forward to seeing where the author will take us next.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #5) – 5

Jim Duncan has finally made the switch from patrol to investigations, and he and his new partner have landed a case on his first day.  The dead body has been in the house for a few days before it is found, but they also find a greyhound in a cage in the background.  Meanwhile, Sally Castle is making the leap from the public defender’s office to a private law firm.  Her first client is an accountant accused of taking money from a greyhound nonprofit.  As Sally and Jim investigate, will they find that their cases connect?

There are plenty of changes afoot in this book, and I enjoyed how that changes provided some added storylines.  All of this let us get to know Jim and Sally even better without losing the supporting players I’ve come to love.  The story is strong and kept me engaged all the way to the logical climax.  In fact, I wasn’t complaining when I got to read the second half in one day.  I even learned a bit more about greyhounds.  If you aren’t yet reading Liz’s books, you are really missing out.

 

All Aboard for Murder by Ellen Byron (Golden Motel Mysteries #3) – 5

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?

This series continues to be so much fun.  The plot is strong, with several subplots strengthen the story.  The California setting and the Hollywood elements add to the fun for me.  I love the cast of characters no matter how much page time they get, and I appreciated how one relationship moved forward.  Everything did reach a logical climax.  And the story had appropriate autumn vibes with a fun Halloween element included as well.  At the end, we get a road trip tip and a bonus recipe. I also smiled and laughed at the character’s antics and a few of the scenes.  All told, this is another winner you’re sure to enjoy.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass by Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #1) – 4

Belinda has 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?

I have quite a few books from this author, so I thought I’d start with this three-book series.  Despite the quick start, I thought the first couple of interview scenes were a little short, but the book got over that.  The ending was a little weaker than I would have liked, but it did answer my questions.  I like Belinda, and the rest of the cast were developed well.  I’m hoping to see where the series goes next soon.

 

The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries #6) – 5

Jaya Jones is thrilled when her favorite author, Rick Coronado, asks her to look at his new manuscript.  The chapters she receives are about a murder in a locked room in a haunted mansion and a missing statue.  Her instincts that there is more to the story prove accurate when she starts making connections to a murder that happened seven years ago.  But another death ups the stakes.  Can Jaya separate fact from fiction and find the killer and the missing statue?

If that description seems a bit complicated, don’t worry, the book lays everything out very easily.  There are multiple twists that up the stakes along the way.  It takes some concentration, but things do make sense at the end.  While I do wish we saw more of one of the supporting characters, I really liked a subplot involving Jaya’s personal life.  While the book is set at Christmas, the holiday vibes are minimal.  The new characters are good for their roles in the book.  I felt like I was traveling along with Jaya as we visit Paris and Cambodia before the story is over.  This is another page turning novel that is hard to put down.

 

Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #17) – 3

As this book opens, Annie thinks the biggest problem she is facing is keeping the surprise birthday party she is planning for Max a secret, especially given how Laurel, Max’s mother, keeps thinking for herself.  But that’s before Max vanishes.  He’d taken a new case that Monday afternoon, and he let Annie know he’d be home late.  But he never comes home.  The search uncovers a dead body.  What does it mean?  Where is Max?

Being a fan of the series, the premise pulled me in right away.  Sadly, it stalled out in the middle before picking up again for the third act.  Even so, one major question I had was left unanswered.  The series regulars were their usual charming selves, even getting a laugh or two from me at times.  One character undergoes a transformation here that fit his personality from earlier in the series better.  The suspects don’t get much page time until the end, but they are good for the page time they have.  There are hardly any references to other mysteries; I hope we get more in the following books.  While this won’t be my favorite in the series, it is one that fans will still be glad they read.

 

“Robber Crabs” by Joan Druett (A Wiki Coffin Short Story) – 2

The story (and I use that term loosely) takes place before the series and finds Wiki in the South Pacific of the 1830’s looking to make his way to America.  As a 19-year-old, he’s now at the bottom of the pyramid on his new ship, something that makes him willing to jump ship after a stop at Christmas Island.  What might happen before he does?

You’ll notice the issue with that teaser.  And that’s the problem with the story.  Nothing really happens.  The little bit that Wiki figured out, I figured out early on myself, and there are some things that were left opened.  Meanwhile, we don’t really get to know anyone else in the story.  Half of the length here is a teaser for book five in the series.  There’s a bit of sailing history that is interesting, but that’s about it.  Don’t use this as a sample of the series, and most series fans can skip it.

Short Story Review: “Robber Crabs” by Joan Druett (A Wiki Coffin Short Story)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A few interesting tidbits about sailing

Cons: No real story

The Bottom Line:

A quick short story

But very little happens

Easy to skip this

Missing a Mystery.  And a Story

I stumbled on the Wiki Coffin Mysteries years ago in my local library and enjoyed them.  I discovered a few years back that the author had released a short story, “Robber Crabs” with the character, so I thought I’d give it a try.  It wasn’t worth my time.

The story (and I use that term loosely) takes place before the series and finds Wiki in the South Pacific of the 1830’s looking to make his way to America.  As a 19-year-old, he’s now at the bottom of the pyramid on his new ship, something that makes him willing to jump ship after a stop at Christmas Island.  What might happen before he does?

You’ll notice a problem with my teaser – where’s the story?  Yes, a couple of things do happen, but they happen and are resolved without pages.  We spend more time talking about what the giant robber crabs do and the story behind the Mutiny on the Bounty than anything else.  I figured out what Wiki did early on, but there are still some questions that remain.

And there really isn’t time in this story for us to get to know any of the characters either.

This story makes up half of the length of the digital book.  The other half is an extended preview for the fifth book in the series.

Those who enjoy sailing history might be glad they picked this up.  I enjoyed those aspects of the story.

But, honestly, most people can just skip this.  “Robber Crabs” is a fast read, but it’s not a good feel for the series and won’t entertain anyone looking for a mystery.

Do consider the books in the Wiki Coffin series.

Movie Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Action, entertaining enough

Cons: Plenty of flaws in just about every department

The Bottom Line:

Aquaman returns

In this uneven sequel

Don’t rush to see it

“Are You Calling Me One in a Million?”

I always intended to watch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.  I just wasn’t interested enough to watch it in the theater.  After all, by the time it came out, we already knew that the DC Superhero movies were getting a reboot, so there was no rush.  But thanks to cable I finally got to see it.

The movie picks up several years after the first one, and we fortunately get brought up to speed, which also helped me remember who all the characters are.  Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, (Jason Momoa), has married Mera (Amber Heard), and the two have a baby.  He’s finding fatherhood very rewarding.  And yes, they are living on land.  Arthur is finding his job as the king of Atlantis to be much less rewarding than he’d hoped, mainly because he keeps getting tied up in bureaucracy and meetings.  Seems life under the sea isn’t that different from life here on land.

But, over the course of five months, greenhouse gases rise to the point that they are greatly disrupting weather on Earth, both for land dwellers and Atlanteans.  What Arthur doesn’t know is that it is the word of David Kane, aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).  He’s out to get his revenge of Arthur.  But to track him down, Arthur will have to turn to an unlikely ally.  Will it be enough to defeat him?

I enjoyed the first one, so I had hoped to enjoy this one as well.  Sadly, it wasn’t nearly as good as I hoped it would be.  I did appreciate the run time of just over two hours.  There wasn’t much wasted time, and the action scenes, while still frequent, weren’t overly drawn out.

Unfortunately, they could have cut out one action sequence to given the characters a bit more time to be developed.  That said, I did like how one relationship grew, but most of the characters felt like pieces being moved around by the plot instead of fully fleshed out characters.  This is a script problem instead of an actor problem.

Not that all the acting was good.  It seemed just about everyone had a moment where the acting was off.  Yes, some of that was definitely the writing, which was weak all the way around.  Some of the lines the characters had?  They were cringe worthy no matter how they were delivered.

Which brings us to the climax.  Much of it worked, but there was one aspect that had me rolling my eyes.  Hard.

Plus, we had to get a couple of lectures in about climate change.

Even the special effects are a mixed bag.  Once again, I loved the illusion when they were under water.  But some of the effects looked downright cheesy.

Now, all of this sounds like I hated the movie.  That’s not true.  It was entertaining enough to keep me engaged the entire way through and get caught up in the third act.  I’m glad I finally watched it.  But, it’s just a case of the flaws being obvious and distracting, which kept me from getting fully invested.

I’m not sorry I finally watched Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.  But it’s not a movie I’ll be rushing back to watch any time soon.  Only if you are trying to keep up with superhero movies would you need to seek this one out.

Book Review: Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand #17)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting mystery and characters we love

Cons: One aspect left dangling; slow middle

The Bottom Line:

A disappearance

Pace is sadly uneven

Fans will still enjoy

What Happened to Max?

I got tripped up a bit this year since none of the library systems I have access to had the next couple Death on Demand Mysteries on digital audio.  Heck, I had to dig out my hardcover of the previous book in the series.  But I was able to find Dead Days of Summer, book seventeen, on audio CD, so I just got it listened to.  While I enjoyed it overall, it did have flaws.

The series is set on the (fictional) island of Broward’s Rock off the coast of South Carolina, where Annie Darling runs a mystery bookstore.  Her husband, Max, runs an inquiry agency, which is helpful given the number of mysteries the two seem to get involved in.

As this book opens, Annie thinks the biggest problem she is facing is keeping the surprise birthday party she is planning for Max a secret, especially given how Laurel, Max’s mother, keeps thinking for herself.  But that’s before Max vanishes.  He’d taken a new case that Monday afternoon, and he let Annie know he’d be home late.  But he never comes home.  The search uncovers a dead body.  What does it mean?  Where is Max?

While I knew what the ultimate outcome of the book would be, I was quite caught up in the story at the beginning.  I needed to know what exactly was going on as well.  However, the story stalls out in the middle, with nothing new happening for quite a while.  Fortunately, it picks up as the story heads into the final act.  While the ending does make sense, it leaves a big why unanswered.  It was a pretty big question I had early on, too.

The usual characters are all here, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with them.  But I did feel that one character seemed to be pretty different from the last time we saw him.  It was a change I was happy to see since I felt his personality transplant last time was out of character.  But I do feel like the series relies a little too much on the trope of hostile authority figures, and that has driven some of the changes in the series, not necessarily for the better.  We don’t really get to know the suspects until the third act, but they are good for the page time they get.

Despite the more serious plot, I did feel we got some laughs, still, usually thanks to Laurel.  I really have come to love her character as the series has gone along.

While the language has calmed down from earlier books in the series, there is still more than you would usually expect in a cozy.

And Kate Reading did her usual great job bringing the story to life with her narration.

The early books in the series went overboard in the references to other mysteries.  Now that we are in 2006, I was looking for references to books I was reading back then.  Sadly, these references seem to be mostly gone with only a handful.  I liked the happy medium we had for a while and hope that comes back.

While Dead Days of Summer won’t be my favorite in the series, I’m still glad I got to read it.  Fans of the series won’t want to miss it despite the flaws.

Check out the rest of the Death on Demand Mysteries.

July 26th's Sunday/Monday Post

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

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

If you hadn't guessed, I'm actually been out of town for the last two weeks.  I spent the first week working from my parents' house for four days.  Then I went to the amusement park with my brother and his family I talked about last week.

This week, we went camping in the redwoods at the state park we all love.  It was so nice to be there again.  We walked around the groves and played lots of games.  Roasted s'mores over the fire.  It was a great time.

Friday, I went to a different amusement park with my brother and his family.  We had a great time.  This is one they like better, and it's easy to see why.  It was pretty quiet while we were there, so we got to hit all the big rides with hardly any wait, which was awesome.

Then I drove home on Saturday, stopping to visit a friend and his family along the way.

Monday will be back to work and back to working from my current home.  Sigh.  Reality is overrated.

I'm glad to be home, but it was a fantastic trip.

Joke of the Week:

Have you heard the rumor about butter? Never mind, I shouldn't spread it.

This Past 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

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart

Tuesday - Movie Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Wednesday - Short Story Review: "Robber Crabs" by Joan Druett

Thursday - July Reading Summary

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I don't have any books to talk about this week.  I do believe this is a first.  But I was off my laptop most of the week, which really was nice.  But I have a preorder releasing this coming Tuesday, so I'll be back with at least that next week.  There's a physical ARC I'm expecting pretty soon as well, so hopefully, I get that.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm working on my August books and reviews, which I'm sure isn't a surprise.  At the moment, that means Hell Hath No Fury, the fifth Detective Honeywell Mystery from Annette Dashofy.  I'm loving it, which isn't at all a surprise.  Annette is a fantastic mystery author.

I did listen to Talking God by Tony Hillerman on the drive home Saturday.  Look for my full review soon (after I get it written), but for now, know that I enjoyed it.

Have a great week!

TV Show: R.J. Decker - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good characters and fun mysteries

Cons: Still room to build the characters

The Bottom Line:

Ex-con detective

Rebuilding life in freedom

It’s a solid start

“I Got Work to Do.  Try Not to Get Sent Back to Prison Today.” 

When I first heard about the show R.J. Decker, I was hesitant to watch it.  It is based on a book by Carl Hiassen, and I didn’t particularly like the book of his I read.  Still, I didn’t have much else on, so I decided to give season one a try.  I’m glad I did because I wound up enjoying it.

R.J. Decker (Scott Speedman) has just gotten out of prison after serving several years for assault on a young man who stole his camera.  You see, R.J. was a photographer.  Now that he’s out, R.J. is changing careers, becoming a P.I.  He’s returned to Miami, where’s he connecting with his ex-wife, Catherine (Adelaide Clemens).  In fact, he’s crashing in Catherine’s garage, much to the dismay of Catherine’s new wife, Mel (Bevin Bru).  And Mel?  She just happens to be a homicide detective that R.J. just keeps crossing paths with.  Then there is, Wish (Kevin Rankin), R.J.’s former cellmate who is now the owner of a bar.  Rounding out the cast is Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz), who R.J. doesn’t know if he can trust since she had a hand in sending him to prison.

Since this was a spring replacement show, we got nine episodes in season one.  Along the way, R.J. helps a friend of Wish’s who has been accused of murder, discovers why a little league coach’s family is being targeted, and helps a woman find out what happened to her boyfriend.  He also starts to learn what really happened the fateful day that got him sent to prison in the first place.

The cases on this show are a bit bizarre, but in a completely entertaining way.  By the time we reach the end, everything makes sense, even if you think “only in Florida” a time or two.  There’s definitely some laughs as we head toward a logical climax.

We also get to know the main cast better.  I’m still not completely sold on them and their relationships.  Some of their friction seems forced to me.  Hopefully, that will smooth out in season two.  With only nine episodes, there is plenty of room for them and their relationships to grow, which makes me glad we are going to get a second season this fall.

The cliffhanger is another reason I’m glad the show is coming back.  I’m very anxious to find out what is going to happen next.

The cast is getting to know their characters still.  They are doing a good job bringing them to life each week, and I’m sure they will grow into their roles as the writers get a better handle on things.

While the show does have some ongoing storylines, it doesn’t rely on them.  It features more case of the week with a few updates to the ongoing stories in most of the episodes.  This is my favorite kind of story telling for most shows.

R.J. Decker takes itself just seriously enough to make us care while still having plenty of fun along the way.  I’m hoping season two builds on the success of season one.

Book Review: The Glass Thief by Gigi Pandian (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries #6)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Another engrossing story

Cons: All cons shattered like glass

The Bottom Line:

A locked room murder

Plus a missing statue make

For compelling book

Treasure, a Ghost Story, and a Locked Room Murder

In recent years, author Gigi Pandian has become known for locked room mysteries.  That wasn’t as much the case with her early Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries, but she did weave a locked room into the excellent sixth entry, The Glass Thief.

In case you aren’t familiar with the series, Jaya is a history professor living in San Francisco, but she’s discovered a talent for finding historical treasures lost to time.  In fact, she’s made a name for herself doing that.  But it is still a surprise when she gets a package from reclusive author Rick Coronado.  Her love of his best-selling Gabriela Glass novels is well known, but he hasn’t written anything in seven years.  Now, he’s working on his next book and wants Jaya’s feedback on it since it is written in her honor.

The story involves a man murdered twice in the family’s supposedly haunted mansion days before Christmas.  Along with the impossible crime, the statue of the Serpent King was stolen.  Yet, no additional footprints were found in the snow.  As Jaya begins to realize the story is heavily based on something that really happened, a dead body turns up in San Francisco.  Can Jaya sort truth from fiction, solve two murders, and figure out what happened to the missing statue?

If my teaser was a little confusing for you, don’t worry.  My summary may not be good, but the way the book unfolds, everything happening is very clear.  I was caught up in the story from the beginning and there are some twists along the way that just upped the stakes.  I couldn’t wait to see how it would all unfold.  Yes, a couple of twists were a little sudden in their reveal, but we do get explanations and everything does make sense if you are paying attention.

As always, this book is part travelogue, with stops in Paris and Cambodia.  I enjoy that part of the book as well.  It makes me want to go visit those places.

And yes, we do get some updates on the supporting players in the series, although I would have liked more than a brief mention for one of the characters.  A subplot involving Jaya’s personal life feels earned.  Meanwhile, the new characters feel real no matter how much page time they get.

Despite the story being set at Christmas time, that element isn’t a huge feature of the book.  So don’t expect a cozy Christmas story.  But the few touches that were there made me smile.

While I do still have a collection of Jaya Jones short stories to go, this does feel like a nice ending for the character.  If her adventures did end here, I would have been satisfied.  However, knowing that Jaya will be back in a new book next summer makes me very happy.  I can’t wait to see what she and her friends are up to next.

The Glass Thief mixes elements so seamlessly, you won’t even think about it.  Instead, you’ll be caught up in another whirlwind story.

Enjoy the rest of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.

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.