Book Review: Wreathing Havoc by Julia Henry (Garden Squad Mystery #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters, nice mystery

Cons: Mystery has a bit of a slow start, but we are gathering important information

The Bottom Line:

Death in theater

Grows into great mystery

Thanksgiving setting

The Drama of Theater

Just like in real life, Thanksgiving is forgotten in many cozy mysteries.  We get a lot of cozies set at Christmas, and a some set at Halloween, but not as many set around November’s holiday.  Wreathing Havoc is an exception to the rule since it opens in the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving week has opened on a somber note since it starts with the funeral for Leon Tompkin, the owner of the local theater.  Just about everyone in Goosebush, Massachusetts, knew and loved Leon, so Lilly Jayne and the rest of the Garden Squad are hardly alone in attending his funeral.  However, Lilly alone is aware that the chief of police thinks Leon’s death might be from something other than natural causes.

Leon’s death has brought some of the people who used to work for the theater company back to town, but it isn’t all warm nostalgia.  When one of the out of towners is murdered, Lilly begins to wonder if Leon’s death really was murder as well.  If so, are the two deaths connected?

Now, I do have a backpedal a little bit.  Since much of the book takes place after Thanksgiving, the beginnings of Christmas creep into the story.  But that makes sense.  After all, I break out the Christmas music myself the day after Thanksgiving (if I haven’t already started it a little by mid-November).  Still, this isn’t a heavy Christmas book, and we definitely get the sense of Thanksgiving and late fall.

Like any good garden, this book takes a little while to start to grow.  We are getting background during this time, like a seed growing underground.  It’s obvious something is happening, but we can’t quite see where it is going.  However, once the out of towner is murdered, the plot does pick up, and we can see how the early parts of the book were the roots for the story.  I loved how things came together at the end.

These books are called the Garden Squad Mysteries for a reason.  While Lilly might be the main character, the rest of the group of friends are prominent characters.  I love spending time with them, and this book was no exception.  I wonder if the squad might be getting a new member, too.  There’s definitely a new character here I wouldn’t mind seeing again.  We meet plenty of other new characters here, naturally, so we have a group of suspects.  I liked them, which made it hard to pick out the killer.

Late fall isn’t the biggest gardening season, but the theme is still worked into the book in a few creative ways, and there are some appropriate gardening tips at the end of the book.

Wreathing Havoc builds into another strong entry for the Garden Squad.  This is an entry fans will be thankful for.

Enjoy the rest of the Garden Squad Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Giveaway: I have a physical copy of this book to giveaway.  Since it is a physical copy, US entries only, please.  To enter, please leave a comment with your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I'll pick a winner on 10/5, so please enter before midnight on 10/5.

Disney Pin Review: Stitch Crashes Sleeping Beauty - Stitch Crashes Disney #7 - 2021 Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Humor, captures famous moment

Cons: Does look a bit weird, but grew on me

The Bottom Line:

Stitch changing colors

Captures great movie moment

Grew on me, now smile

This Pin is a Psychedelic Dream

The pins in the Stitch Crashes Disney series have been a mixed bag.  My first thought when I saw the seventh entry was that it was weird.  But, as I’ve looked at the pictures released early online and now the pin itself, Stitch’s take on Sleeping Beauty has grown on me.

For this pin, Stitch is a weird combination of pink and blue.  He’s got splotches places since this isn’t a straight down the middle split.  On top of his head, he’s got three pink candles glowing.  Of course, this look is inspired by the famous scene where Aurora’s three fairy godmothers are working on her birthday cake and are arguing about what color is should be, pink or blue.  If you look closely at his ears, you’ll see the words pink and blue written as well.

I think what makes this pin for me is Stitch’s expression.  He’s got his hands on his face, and he’s looking at us with a “What in the world has happened to me?” expression on his face.

Aesthetically, it’s a bit weird to look at, which is why the pin had to grow on me.  But I love the humor of it, especially with Stitch’s expression.  And it does capture an iconic moment from the movie wonderfully.

Once again, the card adds some magic to the pin.  Behind Stitch, we can see Aurora’s castle and some of the grounds.  It’s a beautiful picture, which is no surprise since the artwork for the movie is beautiful.

The card has changed from the cards in the first half of the series.  The sides of the card are supposed to represent old fashioned film, and in the first half of the series, they had holes in the sides like the holes in film to thread it through the projector.  This card has white squares over on the side instead of the holes.  Since the edges of the cards were getting bent and broken easily, I’m okay with this change, although it doesn’t look quite as nice.

If I weren’t collecting this series, I might have passed on Stitch’s take on Sleeping Beauty, but I’m glad I got it.  I appreciate the humor of the pin and how it captures that famous scene.

Book Review: McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Imagination takes on the world under the sea

Cons: Banned, not one of Dr. Seuss’s best books

The Bottom Line:

Imagining fish

Creativity displayed

Rhymes could be better

You Never Know What You’ll Find in McElligot’s Pool

Growing up, we had a couple Dr. Seuss books that were free as part of a promotion.  They were paperback, but the covers were cheap.  Still, I remember loving those books.  One of them was McElligot’s Pool.

The book opens with Marco, the protagonist from To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, fishing in a pond on the McElligot’s farm.  He’s warned that there’s nothing in the pond but junk that people have thrown away.  Marco, however, takes a more fanciful outlook on the pool.  After all, maybe it’s connected to the sea but a tunnel no one knows about.  And, if that’s the case, you never know exactly what you could catch.

The heart of the book is really Marco’s imagination of what he might catch if he keeps fishing.  It’s quite imaginative, and covers a wide range of fish from the real to the almost real (I don’t think catfish look so much like cats) to the absurd.  But it’s that imagination that Dr. Seuss is best known for, and it is on full display here.  There are things that will make adults grin and entertain kids.  And it might just help spark the imagination of kids.

This is one of Dr. Seuss’s early books.  That means the rhymes aren’t quite as sharp as they would be in his classics.  The drawings are much more detailed than in some of his easy readers.  They are all pen and ink.  Some pages are just black and white while others are full color.

I wouldn’t categorize this as one of his best books.  As I said, the rhymes aren’t as sharp as they could be, and the list of fish Marco might catch seems to be a little repetitive.  Still, it is fun.  I enjoyed it as a kid, and the nostalgia factor makes me smile still as I read it.

This is one of the six books that has been banned this year.  The reason is because of one page where Marco imagines Eskimo fish making their way from the arctic to McElligot’s pool.  Yes, they are dressed in the stereotypical Eskimo way.  But here’s the thing – yes, they are caricatures, but everything in the book is based on caricature.  The picture isn’t meant to be offensive, but is perfectly in the style of the rest of the book.  To single out this page is to not look at the pages in the context of the rest of the book.  And that’s sad.  (I will also only say that if this book truly went out of print because of the lack of sales, it wouldn’t have needed a press release to announce it.)

It’s a shame that today’s kids won’t be able to enjoy the magic of imagination captures in McElligot’s Pool.  It may not be one of the best from Dr. Seuss, but it still has it’s charm.

TV Show Review: The Equalizer (2021) - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action and adventure with characters we love

Cons: When the show decides to preach, it’s bad

The Bottom Line:

Helping those in need

Action, danger here in spades

Kept me tuning in

“I’m the One You Call When You Can’t Call 9-1-1.”

 As the good TV watcher I am, I pay attention to the show that gets the post Superbowl spot each year.  Normally, it’s an episode of an established show that the network is hoping to boost, but this past year, it was the pilot of a new take on The Equalizer.  Having never watched the original show or the movies based on that TV show, I had no expectations, but the premise sounded fun, so I tuned in for the pilot.  I was hooked and enjoyed the first season.

The show follows the exploits of Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah), an ex-CIA agent who has tried to leave that life behind to raise her daughter teenage Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes) with the help of her Aunt Viv (Lorraine Toussaint).

However, Robyn finds she can’t just turn off her CIA training and settle into domestic life.  When she runs across a teen on the run after being framed for murder, she steps in and helps.  And thus begins a secret life working with her friends Mel and Harry (Liza Lapira and Adam Goldberg) to help those who are facing overwhelming odds.  Over the course of the season, she gets involved in kidnappings and murders, trying to help those whose cries to the police are going unheeded for whatever reason.  Occasionally, she turns to her old CIA handler William Bishop (Chris Noth) for help.  Unfortunately, her activities have caught the attention of Detective Marcus Dante (Tory Kittles), who wants to arrest her as a vigilante.  Meanwhile, she’s also trying to keep her past and her new activities a secret from her family.  Can she juggle everything, help those who a relying on her, and stay one step ahead of Dante?

This shows airs on CBS, and to a certain extent, it fits into their procedural formula.  There’s usually a mystery that Robyn needs to solve to truly keep her client of the week safe.  While there are some ongoing story arcs, they are light and generally revolve around her relationships with her aunt and daughter and Detective Dante.

But don’t dismiss the show so fast.  The stakes of each episode are high, and that keeps us engaged the entire time.  Nothing is ever as easy as it first appears, and things rarely appear simple at the start of the episode.  We may feel that things are going to end a certain way, but trying to figure out how keeps us going.

The show includes some action each week.  It’s an action light show – this is a TV show, after all, and can’t go for the big budget action sequences we would see in a movie.  Still, those scenes are always well done and enjoyable.

And we love all of the regulars.  Robyn is fantastic whether she is foiling the plot of the week or trying to raise a daughter she’s mostly left behind while working for the CIA.  We like the rest of the regulars because of how they are reacting to her.  Yes, even Dante is likeable.

The credit for that goes to the actors, naturally, who are doing a great job bringing their characters to life each week.

The down side is that the show gets preachy a couple of times.  Unfortunately, today, I expect it, but it is still a turn off when it happens.  Those episodes don’t even try to hide what they are doing either, but go all in on preaching, with stereotypical characters instead of trying to show nuance.  What’s a real shame is that goes against the usual light nature of the show, so it is especially jarring.

And, despite the fact that we are dealing with some pretty hardened, nasty criminals, this show still finds the balance that makes it fun and enjoyable.  There’s some humor, and the characters and their relationships also help soften the darker elements of the show.

Because this show was a mid-season replacement, season one consists of only ten episodes.  They ended on a cliffhanger, and I can’t wait to see where the writers are going to go with things next season.

The first season of The Equalizer was fun.  I looked forward to seeing what danger Robyn would get into and out of each week.  If you are looking for a fun crime show, be sure to check it out.

Book Review: "T" is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #20)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters, strong plot

Cons: Plot is slow to start; one plot hole

The Bottom Line:

Helping a neighbor

Slow start but book turns thriller

You’ll race to finish

Can Kinsey Save Her Neighbor?

With “T” is for Trespass behind me, I’ve rounded the final corner in the Kinsey Millhone series.  Yes, I still have 5 books to go, but the end is in sight, and I find I’m not anxious to ending the series.  Even though this book wasn’t Kinsey at her best, it grew into a book with several heart pounding scenes.

It starts innocently enough when Kinsey and her landlord, William Pitts, discover their elderly neighbor, Gus Vronsky, lying on the floor in his house one morning after falling and injuring himself.  Gus only has one relative left, a great-niece who lives on the other side of the country, so she is intent on hiring someone to help Gus recover.  The great-niece asks Kinsey to do a background check on Solana Rojas, the woman that she has hired, and nothing jumps out at Kinsey.  Still, something seems off about Solana.  Will Kinsey figure out what it is in time?

It’s obvious early on that Solana is bad news, partially because we get a few chapters from her third person point of view.  However, it takes Kinsey longer to really begin to put the pieces together.  I’ll admit to getting a bit impatient at times, but things got very tense as we got closer to the end.  The last quarter has several thrilling scenes that are almost impossible to stop reading in the middle.

It doesn’t help that, early on, Kinsey is working on another couple of cases.  One of which does wind up bumping into the main case, while the other stays a secondary plot.  That story seemed to have a bit of a quick wrap up, and it felt like it was there more to create the opportunity for a public service announcement than to be a good mystery.  Not to say it wasn’t a good sub-plot, but not as strong as it could have been.

Since much of the action takes place around Kinsey’s neighborhood, we get to see plenty of the regulars in Kinsey’s life, especially her landlord.  That is a wonderful thing.  Next to Kinsey, William is my favorite character, so I loved that aspect of this book.  I don’t remember meeting Gus before.  He’s a crank, but we can’t help but root for him.

Which brings us to Solana.  One reason this book works is because of how well this character is drawn.  While I never really sympathized with her, I understood her, which is all you can ask for with someone this evil.  She makes a great villain.  And no, I’m not giving anything away by naming her as the villain.  This is a thriller.  The suspense comes from seeing if Kinsey will catch Solana in time.

I mentioned earlier that we get scenes from Solana’s point of view throughout the book.  That leads to a plot hole at one point as Kinsey does something based on information that we have, but I have no idea how Kinsey could have figured it out.

This is where I issue my usual “this isn’t a cozy” warning for the series.  As long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine.

I listened to this book, as I have been with this series, and I realized that Judy Kaye, the narrator, got a bit breathless in her narration when we got to the tensest scenes.  I could have done without that, but it is a minor complaint in an otherwise fantastic narration.

It would have been nice if “T” is for Trespass were a bit tighter, but patience at the beginning is rewarding with a page turning end.  Fans new and old will be glad they picked it up.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries.

Ornament Review: A Snuggly Stocking - Petite Penguins #6 - 2021 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute, warm ornament

Cons: Snowflake design doesn’t wrap around stocking

The Bottom Line:

Penguin in stocking

For cute mini ornament

Small but filled with joy

Someone’s Found a Warm Place to Spend Christmas Eve

Hallmark’s Petite Penguins series has perfectly captured cuteness on a miniature scale.  I’m very happy to say that 2021’s A Snuggly Stocking is no exception.

This year’s penguin is hiding out in a stocking.  Okay, so maybe hiding is the wrong word since his head and flippers are peaking out over the stocking.  He’s got a lavender scarf around his neck.  The stocking itself is red with green trim and white snowflakes on it.

At least on the front.  The back of the stocking is plain.  Maybe that’s because that’s where the copyright information and series marker are.  It is already hard to see them, but it would be even harder if the design were paint back there.  But it does look a bit odd when you turn it around.

But from the front, this is another cute addition to the miniature penguin series.  The idea of a penguin snuggled down in a stocking is just so warm.  I almost feel like I’m snuggled up in something just looking at it.

This is one of Hallmark’s miniature ornament series, so the entire ornament is just over an inch tall.  But that makes the detail included that much more impressive.  The expression on his face, for example, is wonderful.

Being a stocking, the ornament isn’t designed to be set out.  However, when you go to hang it, you’ll find that it hangs at the perfect angle.  The stocking looks like it is hanging on a mantel, but the penguin is still completely upright.

A Snuggly Stocking really is a cute ornament.  If you are looking for something small to add to your tree, be sure to check it out.

You’ll also want to see the rest of the Petite Penguins series.

Book Review: A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James (Beloved Bookroom Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delightful characters, engaging plot, unique premise

Cons: A couple characters that annoyed me

The Bottom Line:

Secret library

Complicates an inquire

Creative and fun

The Body Behind the Library

The Beloved Bookroom Mystery series has such a unique premise – a librarian has a secret room filled with the books that her library was planning to discard as they changed to a completely digital and electronic space.  Of course, the key word there is secret, so as murder happens near the library, Tru Beckett has to jump into the investigation to keep her hidden library a secret.  A Perfect Bind is the second book in the series, and it’s another winner.

It’s been a few weeks since Tru had to open the secret bookroom in the basement of the library, and just when she thought things were going well, someone has started breaking into the basement after hours and knocking the books off the shelves, destroying some in the process.  One patron is certain that there is a poltergeist in the library, something Tru doesn’t want to believe.  But how else can she explain what is happening?

However, the situation goes from bad to worse when the town drunk, Owen Maynard, is found dead behind the library.  He could often be found sleeping one off back there, but someone took his bottle and killed him with it.  Tru can’t help but wonder if the break ins to her secret library are related to Owen’s murder.  But to tell the police that means revealing her secret.  Can she figure out what happened to Owen to keep her secret safe?

I always love it when a series offers a unique twist on a familiar cozy set up, and that’s what the secret bookroom offers this series.  Likewise, this story has a few unique twists on other cozy mystery staples.  I’m not going to say any more than that, but I was pleasantly surprised a few times as the events of the book unfolded.  There are plenty of clues and red herrings to keep the reader engaged.  I had the killer figured out before we were told, but I figured it out about the same time Tru did, so I was very proud of myself.

The characters are mostly enjoyable.  I say mostly because Tru’s mother still annoys me, and I found one more of an annoying caricature than a true character, but those are both minor complaints.  Over the course of the book, we get to see a bit more to the majority of the cast of characters which adds depth to them.  I really love how Tru and her relationships are growing from the first book to this book.

I remembered enjoying the first book in the series, but I somehow didn’t remember the humor of the first book in the series, so it was a pleasant surprise to find myself grinning and laughing as I read this.  The romantic sub-plots in this book were the source of much of it, but some of the character interactions were just as funny.  That also speaks to the characters I mentioned I found annoying.  I’m sure they were supposed to be funny as well, but they fell flat for me.  Other will probably love them.

A Perfect Bind is perfectly delightful.  Pick this book up for a unique and fun mystery.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

TV Show Review: Batwoman - Season 2

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Alice, Characters and stories mostly entertain

Cons: Lectures, still a bit dark for my taste

The Bottom Line:

Changing characters

Transition does go smoothly

Still could be better

“There’s No Shark Repellant on the Utility Belt.”  “Why Not?!”  “Because it’s Stupid.”

While I was debating whether I wanted to come back for the second season of Batwoman, they announced that original star Ruby Rose was leaving the show.  Ironically, that was enough to get me to tune in for season 2, curious to see how they would write out Kate Kane and fold the new character into a show where all the characters were centered around Kate.

This season opens to find all of the characters in turmoil.  Kate Kane was in an airplane that had an accident mid-flight.  While most people would assume that Kate had died on board, her family and friends aren’t willing to believe she might be gone.  Her dad, Jacob (Dougray Scott), and step-sister Mary (Nicole Kang) are leading the charge, but right behind them are her friend Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) and her ex-girlfriend Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy).  However, it is Kate’s twin sister Alice (Rachel Skarsten) who is the most upset about Kate’s disappearance – in her own sick, twisty way, of course.

In the fallout from the accident, Kate’s Batwoman suit lands next to Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie).  Ryan is a young woman in trouble, a parolee who can’t find a job and has taken to living in her van.  She views the suit as a chance to get her revenge on the people who killed her foster mother and possibly even clear her name of the bogus charges that sent her to prison.  However, her activities catch the attention of Kate’s family and friends.  How will they take to Ryan?  Will she step into the role full time?  Is Kate alive?

The first season of the show was cut short due to the pandemic, so that made the transition even more awkward.  They had to try to wrap up the storylines they had left hanging while also introducing Ryan.  They did a decent job of juggling everything they had to juggle.  I was fairly impressed.

I wasn’t as impressed to see the lecturing continue.  Not that I was surprised.  Once again, we have a lesbian as Batwoman, but we also now have several minorities in prominent roles, so that gives them lots of options to lecture us.  A few times it overtook the show, even making one episode’s cliffhanger obvious early, but it isn’t as bad as it is over on Supergirl.  Still, I wish they’d tone it down.

And yes, the show continues to be dark.  I’m not only talking about lighting since so much of the show takes place at night, but thematically.  I get it, this is Batwoman – it’s supposed to be dark.  Still, it wasn’t quite as disturbing as the first season was.

There was plenty I enjoyed this season, or I wouldn’t have kept watching after the first two or three episodes.  Several of the storylines continued to intrigue me, and I had to keep tuning in to find out what was going to happen next.  The action is always entertaining and well done.  The cast is all great at bringing their characters to life, which is important for making me care about what is happening on screen.

I have to once again give a shout out to Rachel Skarsten.  Her Alice makes the show.  Alice is crazy, and Rachel’s portrayal hits that sweet spot of being fun and entertaining without being over the top and annoying.  When she is on screen, I don’t want to look away because every look and gesture is wonderful.  If they write her off the show, I will be more tempted to drop it.

Season two was shortened a little thanks to pandemic production issues, but the eighteen episode order was known early, so the writers were able to give us a satisfying conclusion to the stories told here while teasing us with what is to come in season three.  In other words, it feels like a normal season of a modern TV show.

Batwoman’s second season was entertaining enough that I’ll keep watching this fall.  It’s not much watch TV, thanks in part to the lectures, but I’m still enjoying seeing what happens to the characters – both old and new.

Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide by Liz Ireland (Mrs. Claus #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters, setting, mystery

Cons: None, although the timeline is unclear in one scene

The Bottom Line:

Holidays collide

Causing chaos at North Pole

Charming, delightful

Introducing Halloween Has Consequences

One of my favorite books last year was the first Mrs. Claus mystery from Liz Ireland.  The combination of fantasy and mystery was purely delightful, especially for a Christmas fiend like me.  Naturally, I was looking forward to the follow up, Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide, and I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s been ten months since we last checked in with April Claus, but she is still trying to settle into her new role as the wife of Nick, the current Santa Claus.  In the North Pole, that comes with a certain level of responsibility, after all.  In an effort to liven things up in the fall, she’s introducing Halloween, another holiday she’s always loved.  Santaland has always been a one holiday community, but many of the residents are taking to the new holiday with gusto.

However, not everyone is open to new ideas.  Someone has smashed the pumpkins that one of the elves was growing behind the Claus Castle.  An elf has left threatening comments about the upstart holiday on the community page for the library.  But then a murder takes place, and April begins to question if introducing Halloween was worth the trouble it is causing.  Or was there another motive for the crime?

While the murder might come a little late in the book for some, that wasn’t an issue for me.  There is plenty of action to keep us engaged.  Things only heat up when the body is discovered, and everything comes together for a fantastic climax.  I loved how things came together in the end.

Meanwhile, the world building is also wonderful.  Clearly, we aren’t dealing with a world we are used to reading about, but author Liz Ireland does a fantastic job of tweaking things we know and building a world that seems plausible.  Heck, the elf’s names alone are a delight.  As much as I hate the cold, I would gladly enter this world if it were real.  That’s how carefully it has been constructed and how delightful it is.

Being the timeline fanatic that I am, I do have to mention a potential timeline issue.  I actually read through the scene a couple of times before finally deciding I was misreading things.  Still, it could have been a little clearer.

While not all the characters are human, they all seem like real people.  And that’s the key that pulls us into the book.  We care about April and her friends and want them to figure out what is going on so they can enjoy this special place they call home.  We get to see some growth in April and her relationships with those around her, which I really enjoyed.  In fact, there is a hint at something that I really can’t wait to read about – hopefully in the next book.

And yes, Halloween at the North Pole is as delightfully wacky as you might expect.  If you are a fan of either holiday, you’ll find something you’ll enjoy here.  Mixed in with all the mayhem is some delightful humor, too.

If you are looking for a cozy mystery series with a different premise, you need to check out this series.  Whether you read Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide now for Halloween or save it for Christmas in December, you will be swept away to a wonderfully delightful world.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Disney Pin Review: Talk Like a Pirate Day - Celebrate Today #9 - 2020 Release

Stars: 5 out o' 5

Pros: Fun holiday combines wit' a scene from a fav'rit film

Cons: Ye’ll be walking the plank fer even suggestin' cons

The Bottom Line:

Peter Pan 'n Hook

‘Minder natter like pirate

Pin be such great fun

Ahoy, Matey!  'Tis the Pin Ye Needs t' Celebrate Today

O' the fun holidays that Disney has highlighted in the Celebrate Today pin series, the only one I’d heard o' afore was Natter Like a Pirate Day.  Nah only am I thrilled they included it, but the characters they chose are perfect.

'Tis one holiday I feel fairly confident most scallywags 'ave heard o'.  It’s fun.  It’s jus' a time t' add a few colorful expressions t' yer vocabulary.  Jus' how colorful be up t' ye, o' course.  Personally, I am a swab pirate, 'n I typically only remember it fer about 5 minutes durin' the day anyway.

'Ave ye guessed the characters in the pin?  O' course, it’s Cap'n Hook 'n Peter Pan.  They’ve used the scene in the movie set inside Skull Rock when Peter Pan be imitatin' Hook’s voice.  In the pin, we see Peter restin' in some rocks 'n usin' his hat t' help disguise his voice.  Howe'er, behind 'im, Hook be sneakin' up on 'im wit' his hook raised.  “Arrrrrrr!” be written across the scene.  Nigh the bottom, we get “Natter Like a Pirate” be an ole lookin' font.  As always, in the lower right-hand corner we get the wee square wit' September 19 in it.

I didn’t start collectin' this series right away in 2020, 'n 'twas this pin more than any other that made me buy it.  Which means that I love it.  O' course, I love Peter Pan, so that helps.  'N I also love the day, so the combination o' the two was perfect.  The fact that 'tis based on a scene from the movie wit' Peter Pan natterin' like a pirate makes it even better.

If only I’d remember t' natter like a pirate more when this day furl around each year.

Maybe this pin will help me remember t' natter like a pirate.  Even if it doesn’t, I’m thrilled t' 'ave it in me collection.

Many thanks t' https://pirate.monkeyness.com/translate fer helpin' me translate this review from English t' pirate.  Needs t' read it in English.  The original version be below the jump.