May 31st'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
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

We've got a lot to cover, so let's get to it.

Let's start with the reason I didn't post last week.  I went out of town for Memorial Day.  I met up with my parents a couple of hours away from me.  We did do a little bit of touristy stuff one day, but other than that, we stayed around their trailer playing games.  It was wonderful!

This past week, I went from being a hybrid employee to being fully remote again.  My company told us that we could work from home full time.  I've got to admit, it has been a bit more bittersweet than I was expecting.  I am going to miss seeing people in the office three days a week.  But I'm not going to miss the drive to and from the office or getting ready for work.  And I don't have a long or bad commute to really complain about.

I also know that I need to make a point to get out and do stuff on weekends.

Which is what lead me to head to an art festival about 30 minutes from me on Saturday.  I went because a mystery author organization was taking part, but they never posted a schedule, so I don't know who was signing when.  I did stop by while I was there, but I didn't stick around all day to potentially say "hi" to other authors I know.  Instead, I came home after a couple of hours.  I enjoyed looking at some of what was for sale, but I didn't wind up buying anything.

And my blog passed 8 million hits in the last couple of days.  Now, if you are thinking to yourself, "But Mark didn't brag when he passed 7 million hits," you'd be right.  That was about two months ago.  The bots sure have found my blog, and they continue to hit it.  I don't think the numbers are remotely accurate, but I do still want to mark the milestone.

I think that pretty much catches you up.

Joke of the Week:

The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.  He acquired his girth from too much pi.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - TV Show Review: Cheers - Season 2

Monday - Movie Review: Jaws 3

Tuesday - Book Review: My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

Wednesday - Book Review: Hollywood Kills, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

Thursday - Short Story Review: Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

Friday - Friday Post featuring One Final Turn

Saturday - Movie Review: True Justice - Eye for an Eye

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - May Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

Wednesday - Movie Review: Superman III

Thursday - Book Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montlciar

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I'm sure it's not surprise when I say I have books to tell you about.  Specifically, four of them.  What is surprising to me is that I have none from this week.  They are all from the week before.

The first is my preorder of Newsboy by John James.  John was the first lead singer of the Christian band Newsboys, and this is his memoir.  I've only ever been a casual fan of the band, but thought I'd pick it up.

I placed a couple of orders recently, and purchased the next couple of books I need in Sally Carpenter's Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries to get free shipping.  Ironically enough, book six, The Notorious Noel Caper, arrived before book five.  I'll probably save this one for December, although my December is getting a bit crowded.  I definitely won't read this one before I get and read book five.

Switching over to the library, I got the audio version of Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes.  I had to have something to listen to last weekend while driving to see my parents, right?  (We will ignore the fact that this audio book was much longer than my drive, okay?)  I've finished this one.  It wasn't quite what I expected, but it's been on my radar for a while, so I'm glad I listened to it.  More to come when I get my review written.  (And I'm behind on reviews.)

Finally, I got an eARC of Pour Choices, the second in Adrian Andover's Mixology Lounge Mysteries.  Since I enjoyed the first so much, I'm looking forward to reading this one.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm currently working on Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink.  At the rate I'm going, I'll probably finish it on Tuesday, but we will see if I get to it faster than that.  I'm enjoying it so far.  The main character is part of a traveling circus.  I'm curious to see where it is going to go.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

Movie Review: Eye for an Eye - A True Justice Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery

Cons: Took a while to remember characters; what season is this?

The Bottom Line:

Sequel finally

Murder among parents’ group

Overall, I liked

“We Are Going Back to High School.”

I was a bit surprised when I saw that we were getting a second True Justice movie on Hallmark.  Then again, I was also surprised to find that it had been two and a half years since the first one aired.  Somehow, I was thinking it had been longer.  Anyway, we revisited these law student detectives in Eye for an Eye.

For them, it’s been a few months since the four friends cleared Casey’s (Katherine McNamara) brother of murder.  They’ve been filling their time with true crime shows and their school work when Liam (Alexander Nunez) finds them another case.  Seems that a parent association in a small town about half an hour away has erupted into murder.  The president was killed, and another mom has been convicted of the crime.  But as the friends start looking into things, they find evidence that makes them think justice hasn’t been served.  Can they figure out what really happened?

There was one thing that bothered me.  It was small.  But it kept driving me crazy.  The murder happened three months before our characters got involved.  The body was found in the snow.  During that time, the trial had already taken place.  Granted, right there, that is very fast.  But it was just as snowy in the present day as it was during the flashbacks.  Now, granted, I don’t live where in snows, but the characters (and production) acted like it was a few weeks at most instead of months.

I do wish we’d had a bit more of a reintroduction to the characters in this movie.  The assumption was made that we remember exactly who everyone was.  Now, I could have rewatched the first movie, but I didn’t, so it has been almost two and a half years since I met the characters.  I think I got everyone and their relationships figured out as the movie went along, however.

The mystery itself was good.  There were enough suspects to keep me engaged.  The characters’ attempts to gather evidence was fun without being too cartoonish.  Realistic?  No.  But I’m not watching these movies for realism.  The ending made sense, and I liked how the subplot wrapped up.

The acting was decent as well.  If you are familiar with Hallmark movies, you’ll know what to expect here, and you’ll be able to get lost in the story.  I should mention that Hallmark staples Benjamin Ayres and Nikki DeLoach reprise their supporting roles.  And Nikki DeLoach helped write the movie once again.

It was nice to revisit the True Justice characters with Eye for an Eye.  I hope if we get a third movie, it doesn’t take as long to get to us.

May 29th's Friday Post

It's Friday!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, I will be sharing teasers from One Final Turn, the last Electra McDonnell Novel by Ashley Weaver.

This series features a safe cracker who finds herself working for British Intelligence during World War II.

And here's how the book begins:

No one could ever say I'd lived a dull life. I was, in fact, a biographer's dream.

That makes for a fun and honest beginning, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, over on page 56, we find this:

"And you didn't notice anyone following you back form the cafe?" he asked instead.
"No. Archie was very careful about making sure no one followed us back."

I'll be sharing my thoughts on this book on Tuesday.  I hope you'll come back to see what I thought then.

Meanwhile, let's look at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Does the headline “Must-Read Books” grab your attention?

No, it usually doesn't.  Ironic, since I used that phrase to promote the short story I reviewed on Thursday.  But it is such an overused phrase that I don't pay any attention when someone says that.

Have a great weekend!

Short Story Review: Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Pitch perfect short story send up of cozy mysteries

Cons: Nothing worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

Welcome to murder

Laughing at the cozy tropes

Genre fans must read

Pitch Perfect Send Up of Cozies

Obviously, I love cozy mysteries. At the same time, I’m very aware of the absurdity of them and the abundance of tropes. So when Marla Cooper released Welcome to Cozy Town, a short story that is a loving spoof of the genre, I knew I had to read it. And it’s exactly what I hoped it would be.

Marla Cooper has been out of the mystery scene for a few years, but she is the author of two cozy mysteries that I read and loved when they came out. She’s working on rereleasing those two books this year and giving us a third in that series. All this to say that this short story is coming from someone familiar with the genre and someone who loves it.

The story introduces us to Violet, who has just inherited a bed and breakfast from a great-aunt she didn’t know she had in a town she’d never heard of before. But, considering she’s in need of a fresh start, the timing is perfect. However, when her first guest is found murdered in his bed, Violet can’t help but wonder what is going on. Especially since everyone in town seems to be taking it in stride. What kind of town has Violet moved to?

Honestly, my teaser doesn’t do this story justice. The mystery serves as a great host for the humor. There are laughs on every page, as Violet encounters the tropes that the residents of the new town take for granted. Her reactions are priceless. And we get some explanations that made me laugh as hard as Violet’s reactions.

All of this is done with love. This isn’t a mean-spirited jab but a playful wink and nod to the ridiculousness of a genre we all love. That makes it all the more fun as far as I’m concerned.

The mystery doesn’t suffer from all the humor. Oh, it is a bit ridiculous, but it perfectly fits the story and I’m not sure I would have had it any other way.

If there is any criticism it’s the characters. We have so much going on here we don’t get a real feel for them. But it’s a short story, so I’m being nitpicky.

This is a longish short story - it took me about an hour to read.

And, of course, there’s a recipe at the end.

Cozy fans will laugh their way through this story. Put on your bullet proof vest and relax with Welcome to Cozy Town.

Book Review: Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Sixteen well written stories

Cons: There is a sameness to the stories

The Bottom Line:

Stories for good cause

But feel the same by the end

Space out to enjoy

Stories for a Good Cause

While I wasn’t directly impacted by the wild fires that hit the Los Angeles area in January of 2025, I have friends who were.  So, the idea behind the Hollywood Kills short story anthology appealed to me.  The authors wrote stories, agreeing to donate their royalties to a recovery fund.  And, since I keep saying I am going to start reading the short story collections I am buying, I decided to start with this one.

This book contains sixteen stories set in and around Hollywood.  Over the course of the series, we meet just about everyone who works in the entertainment business from writers to character actors to caterers to directors to casting directors.  Unfortunately, for all of these people, they are about to find themselves playing some deadly games.  And yes, we do occasionally leave the Southern California area to find murder and mayhem on location.

I was already a fan of a couple of the authors in this anthology, and I enjoyed both Ellen Byron and Wendall Thomas’s stories.  I also found it fun that Ellen’s story features the main character from her Golden Motel series, making it a prequel.

Individually, each of these stories were good.  The plots were entertaining and kept me on edge.  The characters were fleshed out for the page time they had.  And the writing was always engaging.

The problem was, when I took the book as a whole, it started to feel the same, which took away from my enjoyment.  I haven’t run across this in the admittedly few other anthologies I’ve read.  I think it’s because this anthology was rushed out to start raising funds, and the authors were pre-selected.  I suspect some of these stories might have been left out of this book had been opened to submissions instead of asking authors to write stories and taking what they submitted.  This might have taken care of my feelings.

Now, let me be perfectly clear.  None of these stories are bad.  It’s just that, when read back-to-back, they don’t stand out.  And there are some creative stories here that broke the mold.

So, pick up Hollywood Kills.  But, instead of sitting down to read it, maybe read a story or two every week.  It will take longer to get through, but you’ll enjoy it more that way.

Book Review: My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere (Madison Night #13)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Madison in another entertaining mystery

Cons: I didn’t find any nightmares - I mean cons

The Bottom Line:

Retro studio

But star client is murdered

This was dream for me

I Found This Book a Dream Not a Nightmare

One of the pluses when a series runs for a long time is that supporting characters from one book can show up again further into the series, starring for another time in the main plot. That’s what we get with My Nightmare is Yours, the thirteenth Madison Night Mystery from Diane Vallere. 

For those not familiar with the series, Madison is a decorator in the Dallas, Texas, area who specializes in mid-century modern designs. She grew into this specialty because of her lifelong love of Doris Day movies. Over the course of the series, we’ve watched her overcome quite a bit personally and professionally and build a mostly solid relationship with police captain Tex Allen. 

Several years (and many books) ago, Madison worked for Ned and his then wife, Connie, redesigning their house. While Connie and Madison have stayed friends after the divorce, Madison hasn’t had much to do with Ned. But now he is back, wanting to hire her to turn a 1950’s ranch house into a period recording studio as he hopes to transition from music promoter to music producer. Unfortunately, the morning he hires Madison, Madison and Connie find the dead body of young singing sensation Vanessa Wright, one of Ned’s two clients. With the evidence pointing at him, Madison finds herself in a unique position to find the truth. What will she uncover?

Those familiar with Doris Day’s career with notice a similarity between this book and Doris’s second movie. As always, that is intentional. I did my homework and watched My Dream is Yours before reading this book. While it isn’t necessary at all, it might help you spot an Easter egg or two hidden in the book for added fun. 

As I said at the outset, Connie and New appeared in an earlier book in the series, and Connie has popped up several other times since then. However, my memory of their earlier cases was a little rusty, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of this book at all, so I can confidently say you can jump in here if you so desire. 

As always, we are treated to an entertaining mystery. The plot kept me guessing until we reached the logical climax. There was plenty going on here to keep my interest the entire way through with some fun new characters. 

Each book also features opportunities for Madison to grow, and this one is no exception. I really like seeing how she matures with each case. That includes her relationships with the other regulars, most noticeably Tex. We’ve got a great cast of supporting characters in the series. 

This was another winner from an author I always enjoy. When you pick up My Nightmare is Yours, you’ll find the book anything but a nightmare. 

Enjoy the rest of the Madison Night Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Jaws 3

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A few decent scenes

Cons: Too many bad one and laughable effects

The Bottom Line:

Shark in water park

A few sequences are good

But it’s mostly bad

“Let’s Go Swimming.”  “No, I Hate the Water.”

I knew fans point to the Jaws franchise as one where quality declines all the way through, but especially in the third and fourth films.  I’ve always been curious just how far things dropped.  Having now watched Jaws 3(D), I can say they fell pretty far with this one.

While none of the actors from the first two are back, we do get two of the characters.  We catch up with the Brody Brothers in Sea World in Florida.  Mike (Dennis Quaid) is working there building the various enclosures the park needs.  He’s also dating Dr. Kathryn Morgan (Bess Armstrong), who is in charge of the animals in the park.  Sean (John Putch) wants nothing to do with the water.  In fact, he’s visiting while on break from college in Colorado.

The park is connected to the ocean, although the animals and performers are usually in a lagoon that is fences off from the ocean proper.  However, unbeknownst to everyone, a great white has gotten into the lagoon.  How long will it be before anyone realizes what has happened?

I will give the movie this.  Yes, it took a little bit of time before the characters realize they are dealing with a shark, but they weren’t dumb for long.  Yes, so they make a few dumb choices once they know, but that’s a different discussion.  But I appreciated that they didn’t drag out this early part of the story.

I do think the idea of a shark in a water park has potential.  And, it was nice to get away from Amity.  That poor island needs a break.  It also allows them to not have to bring back any of the actors, who weren’t interested in returning.  But fans of the franchise will struggle since we have nothing familiar here.  This really is a sequel in name only.  The Brodys mention a few of the events from the first two movies, but it really could be anyone.

Anyway, as I was starting to say, I did like the water park setting.  I’m a bit surprised that Sea World allowed their name and location to be used in the film.  I wouldn’t think this would be the kind of publicity the park would want.  Even saying there is no such thing as bad publicity, I wouldn’t think they’d want to be associated with this film.

But back to my main point.  The setting had some creative touches that brought some new action sequences and set pieces to the movie.  I enjoyed them for what they were.  Usually, we could see them coming, but they were still entertaining.

I will also give the cast credit.  While it appears Dennis Quaid was high the entire time they were filming (he’s admitted as much), I found the performances fine.  A couple of real-life animal handlers and trainers were in the film, which is fun.  Among the cast I haven’t mentioned already are Louis Gossett Jr. and Lea Thompson.  This is actually Lea Thompson’s debut.

So far, it’s sounding like I mostly enjoyed the film.  Sorry to mislead you, but that’s not the truth at all.  The original Jaws is famous for not showing the shark early on.  That’s a wonderful story telling choice, as long as the director knows how to handle it well.  That’s not the case here.  We get a few good sequences, but most of the time, we don’t get the buildup and tension we need to actually be in suspense.

There’s a reason I put the D in quotes earlier.  Yes, this movie was originally released in 3D back in the 1980’s, so the technology was very different from what we have today.  I watched the movie on TV, and it was converted to 2D.  Yes, we could definitely see some of the 3D shots and what they would have been.

But here’s the problem.  Some of the regular shots just don’t look good because of the conversion.  We got cloudy and out of focus scenes as a result.  It’s distracting and takes away from the film.

And some of the effects?  Even by 80’s standards, they are pretty cheesy.  I’m thinking especially of the climax, which had me laughing.  Frankly, I have several questions about how realistic most of the climax was, in fact.  Yes, I’m nitpicking over a movie about a killer great white shark.  I realize that is just crazy, but it made me roll my eyes as I was watching.

Unless you are looking for a D monster movie, there’s no reason to see Jaws 3(D).  It adds nothing to the legacy of the franchise and the couple of entertaining sequences aren’t enough to justify sitting through it.

TV Show Review: Cheers - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs from an excellent cast

Cons: We have too few great comedies like this on TV any more

The Bottom Line:

A romance begins

As writing, cast get stronger

Be prepared to laugh

“Every Family Has Their White Sheep.”

It had been longer than I intended between when I first watched season 1 of Cheers for review and when I sat down to watch season 2.  I’m glad I finally did because I laughed through this season.

If you aren’t familiar with this classic sitcom from the 80’s into the mid-90’s, it is set in a Boston bar, focusing on the relationships of the staff and regular customers.  Cheers is owned by Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former baseball pitcher.  Also bar tending is Coach (Nicholas Colasanto).  The waitresses couldn’t be any different from each other.  There’s salt of the earth Carla (Rhea Perlman) and sophisticated intellectual Diane (Shelley Long).  As far as the bar patrons go, there’s Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger).  John Ratzenberger is the only cast change this season.  After appearing in all but one episode in season one, he finally joins the opening credits cast, where he deserves to be.

This season picks up exactly where season one ended.  After a year of flirting and fighting, Sam and Diane have finally admitted their attraction for each other while in Sam’s office.  What we learn in the opener is that the rest of the bar has at least heard some of what was happening in there.  Anyway, as Sam and Diane embark on their new relationship, they find plenty of bumps in the road.  Of course, it doesn’t help when Diane decides to help her former homicidal blind date prepare for an audition.  And Diane’s best friend comes to town, causing quite a stir.  The two take a break when Sam throws out an “I love you.”  And the duo tries to set up Coach on a blind date in order to get some alone time.

While watching the season, I felt like Sam and Diane took up a lot of story time.  And, if the writers had written to that, they’d have good reason.  The two leads have amazing chemistry and play off each other so well.

But in looking back at the season, we get quite a bit for the rest of the cast.  Carla has a baby, and while she’s out on maternity leave, Cliff falls for her sister.  Norm continues to struggle to find a new job, landing one doing Sam’s taxes.  And Norm has to deal with an old rival for his wife, the unseen Vera.  Coach takes on coaching a little league team.  And Carla struggles when her ex-husband gets remarried.

The show also gets a new set this season.  After spending all of season one in the bar, we finally travel to Diane’s living room.  We are there in several episodes, but that’s the only set we visit outside of the bar.  When you think about all the stories we get from characters talking around a bar, and all the laughs, it’s pretty amazing.

And the laughs are plentiful.  Yes, sometimes, the punchlines are obvious, but the cast makes them feel fresh and get laughs out of me.  And others?  They go in a direction you never expect, eliciting laughter.  They also aren’t afraid to go for the physical humor, which is fantastic.  The writing is sharp, with the writers making the best use of the cast.

I know that I praised Ted Danson and Shelley Long earlier.  Honestly, the entire cast is fantastic together.  They play off each other perfectly, getting so many laughs.  There is no way the show could have worked this well with others as these characters.  Yes, we get some cast changes and additions coming in future seasons, but this is a fantastic start.  Notable guest stars include Dick Cavett as himself, Fred Dryer, Markie Post, Harry Anderson, and Christopher Lloyd.

Fortunately, audiences found the show this season.  Cheers was famously extremely low rated in season one.  Today, it would have been canceled by the end of season one at the latest.  But the ratings picked up this season on the way to being the juggernaut it was later in its run.

Season two consisted of twenty-two episodes and they are all part of this DVD set in their native full screen and stereo.  Nothing super fancy, but it’s in keeping with the way the show was produced and aired.  And it sounds and looks great.  Extras are just okay, however, with most of them being great moments from the season centered around specific characters.

Cheers is already firing on all cylinders in season 2.  If you haven’t watched this classic sitcom yet, you are truly missing out.  I have a feeling I will be moving on to season 3 before too much more time passes.

March 23rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Quiz with Balls – Ralph’s bits were pretty funny when the life guards were up.  And those questions were hard!  I think I struggled with most of the categories.  Often, there are some that are easy for me, but not here.  I’m impressed anyone made it to the end, to be honest.

Survivor – I would have been okay with any of the final three winning.  Or Tiff for that matter.  Sorry, Rizzo, but you really rub me the wrong way, and calling yourself god doesn’t help.  I am happy with got some moments with others along the way, but seriously, can we get a real reunion again?  Please?  I miss those.  Happy for Aubrey.  And I laughed about the slip up with letting out the results of the fire making challenge too early.  Jeff handled that so well when he came back.

May 22nd's Friday Post

Welcome to this week's 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 this week will be coming from My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere.

This is lucky number thirteen in a series from one of my favorite authors.  And Diane has lots of series she juggles, so her name is familiar if you spend any time around here.  This book is from her Madison Night series.  Madison is a decorator specializing in Mid-Century Modern decor.  And she is a huge Doris Day fan.

The quotes this week are short and sweet.  For example, here's how the book begins:

The photo was unfortunate on many levels.

That definitely caught my attention.  Meanwhile, at 56% into the book, we find this:

“What about Kingston?” I asked.
“For a blind date, he was very attentive.”

The book will be out on Tuesday, and I'll have a review then, so I hope you'll come back.

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

What do you think about rising prices for hardcovers, paperbacks, and eBooks?

EBook prices are outrageous, especially since it is a license for the book and not actually purchasing it.  

Having said that, I do also respect that authors should be paid for their hard work.  And editors and publishers do need money as well.  I don't feel like the other book formats are rising significant above general inflation.  Still, it does hurt to see how expensive books are.  It makes me more selective at what I buy, unless I can find it on sale.

That's it for me.  Have a great weekend!