December 21st's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wipeout – My TV claimed that episode was new, but it clearly wasn’t.  The obstacles were all old school, and a reference was made to 2022 (or was it 2023).  Either way, it does prove my point last week that the final course used to be harder.

Poppa’s House – Once again, the first scene is the funniest (it often is, but not always).  Some of those scenes were just painful as he was trying too hard.  I will give them this, the wigs looked great and were funny.

Night Court – So I was wrong two weeks ago when I thought we were breaking until the new year.  We had this Christmas episode still to go.  And what a fun episode it was.  Ridiculous, over the top (in the best way) and fun.  If the writers can go back to this more often, the season will be top notch.

LegoMasters – When I heard fire hydrant, I wasn’t that impressed.  I guessed what they were going for stability wise, but they really brought the character.  That was a clear winner.  All the scenes in the second hour turned out well.  And the stories were great.  Sorry to see the fun ending already.  The new regular season can’t come soon enough.

Survivor – They had four hours, yet they still barely had any time for a real reunion.  I want that!  Give me more of that!  With the entire cast from the season!  Not too surprised that Rachel won.  I felt sorry for Sue since it was obvious she was going to be ignored based on the questions she wasn’t getting.  But to go out and do that at 59?  I’m impressed.  I couldn’t do that at my age.  And Sam staying until the end despite the odds against him.  Three great finalists.

The Challenge – I’m glad Tori had to go into an elimination.  Would have been nice if she had lost, but at least she had to do one.  Has everyone been in at this point?  I’ve lost track.  What an elimination, too.  I would have been okay until the arms had to come out.  Very curious to see what the elements of the elimination are and how the voting is going to impact things.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – I think I was expecting the other team to win.  Not that either team was bad.  Just going in, I felt like the other team was stronger.  But both of those show pieces were amazing.  This series has been fun.

December 20th's Friday Post

'Twas the Friday before Christmas, and here on the blog, it's time for a Friday Post.  (Sorry, I'm not a poet, at least a rhyming one.)  I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

I've got another Christmas cozy for you this week.  This time, it's I'll Bee Home for Christmas, the fourth Fatal Food Festival Mystery from Cathy Wiley.

These books are always fun, and this book was no exception.  And it pulls you in from the beginning:

I’ve done many crazy things in my lifetime. This one might take the cake.

Just what is the main character up to?  You'll have to pick up the book.  Meanwhile, here's this quote from 56% into the book.

“Where’s Emily?” Anna Brooks asked. “And your niece, April?”
I winced, realizing no one had told her about the murder. I bit the bullet. “Emily was talking to the police.”
“The police!” She repeated shrilly. “What’s going on now?”

This is a mystery, so I bet you can guess what's going on.

My full review will be up on Monday, so I hope you'll come back then.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at this week's Book Blogger Post.

In December, many people like snuggling up with a nice book and a warm beverage. What kind of reading environment do you prefer during the winter?

During December, I enjoy reading with my Christmas trees twinkling.  But I continue to read anywhere I can.  I read in my car at lunch time on days when I have to work in the office, and I park on the top of the garage so my car isn't too cold.  A perk of living in So Cal is that this is even an option for me, right?  The rest of the year, I park on lower levels where I get the shade to keep it cooler.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Book Review: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #36)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Meg and the characters, good plot, Christmas spirit, fun

Cons: Why aren’t we singing religious Christmas carols?

The Bottom Line:

Conference troll killed

Which attendee is guilty?

Christmas spirit, too

Who Should Be Presumed Guilty?

I’ve come to really look forward to the Christmas entry in the Meg Langslow series. Reading it in December has become something of a Christmas tradition for me. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee, this year’s Christmas entry and the thirty-sixth in the series, was another fun entry. 

This December, Meg’s grandmother is putting on the Presumed Innocence conference at the inn in town the weekend before the holiday. Since it is local, many of Meg’s friends and family are giving presentations, and Meg is doing her best to help out. 

However, one of the attendees is well known for his stance that the justice system never makes any mistakes. He’s made his position on some of the newly exonerated attending clear, and he goes out of his way to disrupt things on the first day. The next morning, his dead body is found behind Meg’s barn. Who killed him? And why was he located there?

 Obviously, the plot of this book has little to do with Christmas and really could have been set at any time of the year. That’s become the case with other recent Christmas books. Yes, there is so discussion of the timing of the conference in this book, which I appreciated. And let’s be honest, with the number of books set during Christmas we’ve already gotten, I’m not sure what else we could get that was holiday dependent. 

Now, don’t take that to mean that there isn’t plenty of Christmas in these pages. No one does a Christmas set story better than Donna Andrews, and that holds true again here. The talk of decorations and carols alone are enough to make it feel like the holiday is right around the corner. Okay, so the fact that the holiday was right around the corner as I was reading the book helped, too. 

Having said that, I do have a bone to pick with the Christmas in the book. At one point, the choir from the Baptist church puts on a concert. Among the songs they sing at many of the secular songs of the season and even a couple of Hanukkah songs. Not one religious Christmas carol is mentioned by name. There is a reference to them doing some the next morning, but again, none mentioned by name. Now, hear me out. I have no issue with them singing any of the songs that are listed in that scene. But why couldn’t some of the religious carols be listed as well. A true mix. Especially if this is a Baptist church choir. 

Okay, deep breath. Because, honestly, this was a minor annoyance in an otherwise enjoyable book. 

The plot was great. It does a good job of setting up suspects before the murder happens, and we are pulled along for the ride as Meg attempts to figure out what is really going on. The climax wrapped things up well. 

And it’s always a joy to visit with Meg and the large cast of characters. I appreciated how many of the regulars were involved in one way or another. The suspects were interesting and fit perfectly into Meg’s world. I’m wondering if a couple of them might pop up again in later books. 

In addition to the Christmas cheer, we also get some laughs. One scene in particular had me grinning as I read it. It played out perfectly. 

Those who are looking for a light Christmas cozy mystery will enjoy Rockin’ Around the Chickadee. Meg’s many fans will not be disappointed in the least. 

And do check out the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries. 

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Action scenes are great

Cons: Confusing story points; depressing overall

The Bottom Line:

One last Indy quest

Sad way to leave character

More of a downer

“Indiana Jones, Out with a Bang, Back in the Saddle.”

I knew I was going to see it at some point, but all the negatives I heard about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny made me put off seeing it.  I finally sat down and watched it a year after it landed on Disney+.  It’s a sad way for the franchise to go out.

During an extended opening scene in 1944 (it’s about twenty minutes of the two hour twenty minutes film), we see Indiana Jones (a de-aged Harrison Ford) as he attempts to steal an object from the Nazis.  When that item turns out to be a fake, Indy winds up with a different prize, half of Archimedes’ dial of destiny – a relic that would give whoever has all of it the power to rule the world.

From there, we move to 1969, where a much older Indy (still Harrison Ford, but now showing his true age) is leading a sad life.  He’s about to retire from teaching at a university in New York City.  However, his plans are interrupted when his goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up asking about the dial.  Before Indy knows it, Helena has taken off with the half he found all those years ago.  Indy is right behind her, but too many people are also after it.  Can Indy once again find the relic and save the day?

I will give the movie this – it does a good job of making us believe that Indy could still be involved in the action despite his age.  Yes, we get the occasional comment about it, but for the most part, the film carries on like a typical Indiana Jones movie.

And there is plenty of action.  As usual, the dial is just an excuse for globe-trotting and action.  Some of the scenes are quite creative and fun to watch.  Oh, they are completely unrealistic, but isn’t that the way things always go in these movies, both Indiana Jones and action movies in general?  I had to remind myself of that a couple of times.

However, I do have to wonder exactly how the villains manage to always turn up when they need to so they can cause problems.  I would get it if we saw them deciphering clues, but they seem to follow Indy around even when it makes no logical sense how they followed him around.

Then there’s Helena.  The movie can’t quite decide what it wants or needs her to be.  As a result, I wanted to like her, but I just couldn’t.

We do have the usual cross over to science fiction near the end.  For some reason it bothered me more here than in other movies in the franchise.  And we also get a few encounters with creepy crawlies.

I do have to ask, was Indiana Jones retiring mid-semester?  That’s sure what it looked like to me.  But maybe I missed a line that explained it.

But my biggest issue with the movie is that it just isn’t fun.  The earlier movies in the franchise were ridiculously over the top, but we didn’t mind because they were campy with plenty of humor and an Indiana Jones we enjoyed spending time around.  Here, he’s an old man who has been beaten down by life.  And it’s just depressing.  Yes, there’s some humor, but overall, the mood is sour.

And it’s not helped by the fact that the bad guys go around killing people indiscriminately.  It just gets to be depressing pretty quickly.

Also, I never did understand how one group of bad guys fit into the overall plot.  They just overcomplicated things.

Ironically enough, when I was watching the movie, I felt like the opening scene went on too long since it was obvious how that particular sequence would end.  By the end of the movie, I wished we’d spent the entire time back in 1944 because that was the most fun of the entire film.

Overall, the acting was fine.  It’s the script that gives us the gloomy movie.

Now that I’ve watched this film, I’m quite happy to forget that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ever happened.  Fans of the franchise will want to enjoy the earlier movies and forget that this is how someone thought the character’s life should go.

Book Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery; holiday setting

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Holiday murder

With very personal stakes

A page turning read

Delilah’s Friends and Family Find Themselves in Deep Dish for the Holidays

I always enjoy reading Christmas cozies during December, so I was happy to see that the fourth Deep Dish Mystery was set during the month. I picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza expecting another tasty mystery, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

As the book opens, it’s the first night of Hanukkah and Delilah and the crew from her restaurant are catering a combined Hanukkah and Christmas party. Delilah’s evening takes a surprising turn when she runs into her brother-in-law and college aged niece among the guests. She didn’t even know they were in town. 

However, the next day is when things really take a turn. Delilah is nearby when a dead body is found in a snow pile for the town’s snow sculpting contest. The victim was one of the guests at the party, and Delilah finds that the best suspects are her employees and her visiting family. Can she figure out what really happened? Or is one of them guilty?

Earlier, I referred to this as a Christmas cozy. And that’s certainly part of the book since that is the holiday that Delilah celebrates. However, I wasn’t surprised to see that Hanukkah gets its due here as well since Delilah’s best friend/sou chef is Jewish. I enjoyed seeing both holidays involved in the background of the story. As a Christian, I celebrate Christmas this time of year, and I got the Christmas cozy vibes while reading.

I was also really drawn into the story. This book doesn’t unfold like many of the mysteries I read since Delilah is so focused on her own friends and trying to learn the truth from them. Yet when everything came together at the end, it made perfect sense. In fact, I couldn’t help myself from saying “Of course,” a couple of times as I read this section. 

The characters obviously helped draw me into the story. If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t been as captivated as I read. We also got some great growth in several relationships and in Delilah herself. All this without slowing things down at all. And yes, the new characters feel real as well. 

There is plenty of talk about food, so don’t read this book hungry. We don’t get quite as much pizza as normal, and the recipes at the end reflect that. They definitely sound delicious. 

Whether you read this book during the holidays or some other time during the year, you’ll be glad you picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. This is the culinary cozy you’ve been hungry for. 

Do check out the rest of the Deep Dish Mysteries. 

Ornament Review: Santa Mickey - All About Mickey #3 - 2024 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mickey looks good as Santa

Cons: We’ve gotten similar ornaments in the past

The Bottom Line:

Mickey plays Santa

Familiar ornament theme

Now part of series

Mickey’s Looking Merry This Year

I almost didn’t add the third All About Mickey ornament to my collection.  It’s not that I didn’t like the ornament, but I was sure I already had an ornament with Mickey dressed up as Santa in my collection.  But when I realized I didn’t, I was happy to get Santa Mickey.

Just as it sounds, Mickey is dressed up like Santa.  While he doesn’t have a fake beard over his face (it’s under his chin like he’s just pulled it down), he is decked out in Santa’s red outfit and hat.  He’s got a green bag of presents over one shoulder, and he’s got a present in his other hand.  In a nod to classic Mickey, his ears are sticking out of the hat, and he’s still wearing his white gloves and yellow shoes.

My initial hesitation in buying the ornament had nothing to do with whether I liked it or not.  It’s cute, and Mickey makes a great Santa.  I can just imagine him working hard to make Santa proud with his portrayal.

Because of how his feet are positioned, Mickey doesn’t stand on his own.  Or maybe it’s the bag throwing off the balance.  Either way, you’ll have to hang this ornament.  However, when you do hang it, you’ll find that Mickey hangs straight.

And you’ll find the series marker on his foot.

If you don’t already have Mickey dressed as Santa on your tree, you’ll enjoy adding Santa Mickey to your collection.  However, if you’ve got a similar ornament, this might be one to skip.

DisNerd?  You’ll want to check out more ornaments in the All About Mickey series.

December 15th's Sunday/Monday Post

That time of the week again.  Time for my Sunday/Monday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

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

This will probably be my last Sunday/Monday post for 2024.  I'll be spending time with my family for Christmas and won't have time to craft a post.  I will still have reviews on my blog, so please stop by and visit.  I just won't have time for one of these posts until 2025.  At this point, I'm worried about when I will get to go my reading challenge wrap up and sign up posts, which always go live on 12/31 and 1/1 respectively.  But I'm sure I will get it figured out.

And how weird is it to think we are almost to 2025?

Let's see - this past week.  Not too much going on, honestly.  I'm almost done with all our fiscal year end deadlines at work.  It's been interesting trying to juggle everything this past week, but it wasn't as crazy stressful as it could have been, which I'm thankful for.

Christmas presents I'd ordered for people arrived this week.  Got to purchase the Kindle books for my aunt (to be delivered on 12/26), and then start wrapping presents.  Got a lot to do this coming week.

But I'll start on that on Sunday.  As I'm typing this Saturday morning, I've got game day in a couple of hours.  And some reading I want to do before that.  So let's get to it.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #3

Tuesday - Book Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Superman & Lois - Season 4

Thursday - Book Review: Shock and Paw by Cate Conte

Friday - Friday Post featuring Sleep in Heavenly Pizza

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Santa Mickey

Tuesday - Book Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

Wednesday - Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Thursday - Book Review: Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Teasing What's Coming on the Blog:

Sunday the 22nd - Book Review: Unraveled by Shannon Messenger

Monday the 23rd - Book Review: I'll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley

Tuesday the 24th - Ornament Review: Noelle T. Klaus

Wednesday the 25th - Merry Christmas!

Tuesday the 31st - 2024 Reading Challenge Wrap Ups (multiple Posts)

Wednesday the 1st - 2025 Reading Challenge Sign Ups (multiple Posts)

Thursday the 2nd - Book Review: Irish Soda Bread Murder

Book Haul:

I do have two books to tell you about.  Well, one short story and one book.

I've been keeping in eye on Gregg Hurwitz's short story "The Recital" for a while now.  It's in his Orphan X universe, but focuses a bit more on some of the side characters.  It's free from now until Christmas, so naturally, I snagged it.  It's ebook only.  Of course, I've had another similar short story from him for a while and haven't gotten to it yet.  So hopefully, I can change that soon.

I just got an ARC for I'll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley last night.  No, that's not a typo.  It's the fourth Fatal Food Festival book, and it involves a honey festival.  I really like this series, so I'm looking forward to this book.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As teased last week, I'm now reading Unraveled, book 9.5 in Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities.  It's middle grade fantasy, and a short book from her - only 400 pages.  I'm hoping to get a bit more read before I leave for game day with the goal of finishing it up tomorrow before I start wrapping presents.

If that happens, Monday, I'll start on I'll Bee Home for Christmas.  Told you I was looking forward to it.  Plus, I need to get started on it if I am going to get it reviewed before Christmas, which is the current plan.  Fortunately, these books are usually fast reads, so that helps.

That's it for me.  If I don't talk to you in the next couple of weeks, have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday if you celebrate something else.  And have a Happy New Year!

December 14th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wipeout – Is it just me, or does the final course seem a little easier?  Definitely the first half.  Of course, if I were on it, I’d probably fall off multiple times trying to cross that beam.

Poppa’s House – I kind of liked that episode.  Still some things that went on way too long, but there were some good laughs a long the way.  Hopefully, the writers can find what works and make the show funnier.

LegoMasters – How I’ve missed this show.  Will is so silly that it makes it fun, and I love seeing what the teams come up with.  The two winners were obvious in each challenge, so I’m glad the judges agreed with me.  Seriously, I was very impressed with what both teams that won came up with.

Survivor – Not sorry to see either of them go.  Andy has been bothering me for a while, and the fact that he was such a flip flopper was also pretty bad.  Geneiveve was a bit too arrogant.  Honestly, I’d like to see Rachel gone for the same reason, but my gut says she is going to be in the final three.  Speaking of which, next week, with all they still have to cover, I bet we hardly get any reunion.  Again.  Seriously, stop it already.  We like to see that.  Trim elsewhere.

The Challenge – So, who sponsored the episode?  I didn’t quite get it.  As annoying as the sponsorship stuff is on The Amazing Race, this seemed so much worse.  Having said that, the challenge itself looked terrifying, but I’m not a fan of heights.  And the difference in the strategies in the elimination certainly paid off.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – Considering I had no idea what I would have done with a time turner, I’m very impressed with what that team came up with.  Obviously, the judges were, too.  I agree with the results.  I feel both of those teams needed more time to make the pieces look their best.

Happy’s Place – Considering the episodes where they focused on the sisters have been some of my least favorite so far, I was a bit worried about this one.  I shouldn’t have been.  It was very fun and funny.  I think they’ve finally found the dynamic between those characters to make them funny and not cringe worthy.  And the subplot was fun, too.   I still think last week’s is my favorite episode of the season so far (and why wasn’t the Christmas episode this week?), but this was still very fun.

December 13th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday and this week's Friday Post.  I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three this week come from Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley.

Yep, I'm in the middle of my Christmas cozies for the year.  This is the fourth book in the Deep Dish Mysteries, and I really enjoyed it.

We start out with a first line that helps set the scene:

Melody Schacht bounced into the kitchen, her springy blond curls accentuated by an enormous reindeer antler headband.

Melody is one of the recurring characters in the series.  Meanwhile, page 56 brings us this conflict:

"How dare you show your face in public?" the woman yelled.  Her breath formed little clouds in the glacial air, making the anger emanating from her almost tangible.
"Don't touch me," Adrian hissed.  "I'll call the police."

What does this conflict have to do with the plot?  You'll have to read the book to find out.

As I said earlier, I enjoyed it myself.  My review will be up on Tuesday next week, so I hope you'll come back to read it.

Meanwhile, let's close things out with this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Are there any winter or holiday-themed novels you eagerly anticipate reading every December, either as tradition or to get in the Christmas spirit?

I haven't reread books on a regular basis in years.  Sadly.  There are some I'd really like to reread.  There just isn't time with all the books calling out to be read and reviewed on my blog.

However, most years Donna Andrews releases a Christmas set entry in her Meg Langslow series, and reading those in December has become something of a tradition I look forward to every year.  In fact, I'll be reviewing the latest in that series on Thursday next week.

But for now?  Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Shock and Paw by Cate Conte (Cat Café Mysteries #8)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a good mystery

Cons: Mystery takes a while to truly focus

The Bottom Line:

Murder at Christmas

Pacing on this one is off

Still good overall

Murder During an Electric Christmas Season

A few years ago, we got to visit the fictional Daybreak Island during the Christmas season. Since I love a Christmas cozy, I was happy to see we got a repeat visit for the eighth entry in the series, Shock and Paw. 

If you haven’t yet started the Cat Cafe Mysteries, they feature Maddie James, who has returned to her home off the coast of Massachusetts. She has transformed part of her grandparent’s house into a cat cafe, and she lives there with her grandfather and assorted other relatives in the rest of the house. Her return to the island coincided with a murder, and she seems to have the bad luck of getting involved in more over the last year and a half. 

This year, the island’s chamber of commerce is really trying to draw visitors to the island for the holiday with extra events. They’re also upping the stakes on the holiday decorating contest. Maddie is trying to avoid getting pulled in to helping plan things, focusing on the cafe instead. 

However, she still finds herself getting pulled into the drama surrounding a subpar electrician the city hired to help people prepare for the contest. Other pockets of drama pop up over town as well. But Maddie isn’t expecting for someone to be murdered. Since someone she cares about is the prime suspect, Maddie starts trying to find the killer. Can she cut through the noise to figure out what is going on?

Yes, I’m trying to be a bit vague here.  The book takes a while to truly come into focus.  We have a bit of this and a bit of that going on, and it seems chaotic.  It doesn’t help that the murder happens a little later than is typical in the books I read, and it wasn’t easy to get a read on who the victim would be.

But I had faith that all of this was leading somewhere, and I was right.  Once the murder happens, the book really focuses, and everything became part of the investigation.  I was quite caught up in the action at this point and had a really hard time putting the book down.  And the climax, while a little weaker than I like, did answer all my questions.  Still, I feel like there was a better way to pace things that would have fully engrossed me in the story sooner.

I did enjoy getting to spend time with Maddie and the rest of her family and friends again.  We have quite a large cast of characters, and some of the more minor ones do tend to fade into the background, at least for me, but the core cast are strong and help pull me in.  The suspects are a varied bunch, and I felt they were strong as well.  And there are several cute cats, which is always fun.

Plus, we had the Christmas spirit.  With one of the storylines involving a Christmas decorating contest, there is plenty of time spent with holiday traditions.  We even get some snow on the island to help put us in the festive mood.

While I did have my issues with the pacing, overall, I did enjoy Shock and Paw.  Fans of the series will find this one puts them in the Christmas mood.

Book time for the rest of the Cat Café Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Superman & Lois - Season 4

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Everything fans have loved continues here

Cons: These ten episodes are the end

The Bottom Line:

Season to wrap up

Show never misses a beat

And wraps things up well

“What Do You Think Superman and Lois Lane Will be Remembered For?” “I’d Like to Think Truth and Justice.”

I went into the fourth season of Superman & Lois sad because I knew it would be the final season.  But I was grateful that they were given ten episodes to wrap things up.  I expected it to be quite a ride, and I was right.

The season picks up exactly where season three ended.  Clark as Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) is fighting the monster that Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) had sent to attack the superhero.  It doesn’t go well, and that leaves Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) and the couple’s twins Jonathan and Jordan (Michael Bishop and Alex Garfin) to not only pick up the pieces but also figure out how to fight Lex, who has set his sights on destroying Smallville on his way to getting his complete revenge on Lois Lane.  Will anyone be able to fight what is coming?

I was a little worried going into this season since, when the show was renewed for a fourth and final season, we learned that only the characters I’ve mentioned so far would be coming back as series regulars for the final season.  As much as I love the entire Kent family, I also love the supporting characters we’ve gotten to know over the first three seasons.  However, the producers quickly assured us that we would see plenty of them over these final episodes.  And they were right.  While not everyone was in every episode, we saw enough of them to get meaningful wrap ups to their storylines.  And, their appearances felt meaningful, too, not just one offs to wrap things up.  Yes, it was noticeable that not everyone was in every episode like we’d gotten used to seeing, but it wasn’t painfully obvious.

That’s because the things we loved were still here.  The characters were all still fantastic no matter how many episodes they were in.  I’ve always loved that the characters were so well drawn and made us want to root for them.  They reacted to things in a realistic way even if we were yelling at them to do something different.  And their relationships were the key to everything.  Yes, there is conflict between them at times, but when it matters, they are there for each other, which is what I have loved about this series so much.  That holds doubly true for Clark and Lois.  They are such a dynamite couple.

And the story is suspenseful.  Given that we are dealing with Superman, the way the writers keep us on the edge of our seats is remarkable, and that was the case here again.  Granted, we are dealing with a villain who is smart and out to destroy Lois using cunning instead of brute strength.  We do get a couple of lighter episodes which was great breathers, but they were just as exciting to watch for what they showed us about the characters.

All this is held together with phenomenal acting.  The writers put the characters through their paces, and actors never missed a beat.  The special effects are also well done.  I bought what I was seeing on the screen.

Which brings us to the finale.  I’m not going to spoil anything.  I know lots of people who loved it and are praising it (and some who didn’t).  I liked it, but the bittersweet tone it took wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  Still, I did find it satisfying.  I think this may be the best series ender we got from an Arrowverse or Arrowverse adjacent show.

I think Superman & Lois might have spoiled me for other iterations of Superman.  I definitely won’t want to jump into anything else with the character too quickly.  Instead, I want to live in the glow of this show’s take on the world’s most famous superhero.  If you’ve been enjoying the show, you’ll definitely want to see how it ends.

Book Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss (Cheese Shop Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a complex mystery

Cons: A very small niggle with the climax

The Bottom Line:

Nearby festival

Is new setting for murder

Characters still charm

A Pageant Proves that Murder is Anything but Beautiful

Sometimes, I forget just how much I enjoy a series until I pick up the next entry.  That was the case with Korina Moss’s Cheese Shop Mysteries.  Don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to revisiting the characters in Fondue or Die, but when I picked up this book, I was surprised just how quickly I was smiling at getting to spend time with these characters again.

If you’ve missed the previous four entries, the series revolves around Willa Bauer, who owns a cheese shop in the fictional Yarrow Glen in Sonoma County, California.  Even though Yarrow Glen is a small community, she seems to find herself getting caught up in quite a few murders, and her employees and friends come together to help her solve them.

This book moves the action slightly.  Lockwood, the next town over, is hosting their annual Dairy Days Festival.  Naturally, Willa is hosting a booth for Curds and Whey, her shop.  But one of her employees, Mrs. Schultz, won’t be in the booth much since she also helps with the Miss Dairy pageant that closes out the festival on Monday.

However, Willa has just barely finished setting up for the weekend when she finds the body of Nadine, the pageant director.  The police don’t seem that worried that it was murder, and that really bothers Willa.  Especially since, if someone is targeting the pageant, Mrs. Schultz might be in the line of fire.  Can Willa figure out what happened?

I already mentioned loving the characters, so I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I saw that I really did love getting to watch them interacting again here.  Their relationships are just so heartwarming.  Yes, we do still get a few scenes in Yarrow Glen, but most of the book takes place on the grounds of the festival, so we don’t see as much of the neighborhood and neighbors as usual, but that’s a minor complaint.  We also got a couple of charming new characters.  That’s in addition to the suspects, who did a great job of keeping me from guessing.

If you are up to date on the series, I’m sure you’re wondering about a certain relationship.  Yes, I’m being vague on purpose, but fans of the series will know exactly which one I’m talking about.  How things progressed was logical, and I really liked how it all played out.

Speaking of logical, the mystery was very well done.  I thought I had things figured out a time or two, but then I’d start second guessing myself.  Yet when we reached the ending it all made sense.  I had one niggle with how the climax played out, but it’s minor overall.

When I’ve talked about these books in the past, I’ve mentioned growing up in Sonoma County myself.  No, Yarrow Glen isn’t real, but I have an idea where it might be if it existed.  Either way, it’s also fun to be in a part of the country I actually know even if the locations are all fictional.

Naturally, there’s lots of talk about cheese as the story unfolds.  If you like cheese, it will make your mouth water.  (And if you don’t like cheese, what is wrong with you?)  You’ll also want to check out the three recipes at the end of the book.

Fondue or Die is another delicious entry in this fun cozy series.  If you haven’t started it yet, do so today.  You’ll find yourself hooked.  If you are already a fan, you’ll savor the latest entry.

Here are the rest of the Cheese Shop Mysteries.

Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #3 - Playing Santa - 2024 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun beach twist on Santa

Cons: A couple of details had to grow on me

The Bottom Line:

Sandal goes Santa

Includes some fun beachy twists

Have a warm Christmas

Sandal's Playing Santa This Year

As much as I love Christmas, I do not do snow.  Fortunately, it's rarely an issue where I live in Southern California.  But that makes Hallmark's Sandal the Sandman series even more fun for me since it is a beachy twist on Christmas.  Take, for example, the third, which finds Sandal playing Santa.

For his role this year, Sandal has put on a red coat with lots of white trim.  However, the buckle on his belt?  It's a seashell, of course.  Likewise, Sandal is still wearing his normal floppy beach hat instead of Santa's hat.  Oh, and Santa's bag is a blue fishing net.  He's greeting a turtle friend, who is standing on his two back feet.

That's it.  But that's all we need to capture the fun of this ornament.  I'll admit, I hesitated when I first saw the picture of the ornament (unlike the unofficial piece we are getting this month).  The turtle is very cartoony and it took me a bit to really like the fishing net as bag.  But I liked it enough in person to go ahead and add this third ornament to my collection.  As I said, I do enjoy this beach twist on Christmas traditions.

Once again, this scene has a nice base of some very white sand that Sandal and the turtle are standing in, so you can set it out to be displayed if you so desire.  Meanwhile, the series marker is on the bottom of the ornament.

When you go to hang Sandal, you'll find that the ornament tips forward ever so slightly.  But once you get it in amongst the tree branches, you'll never notice.

Sandal the Sandman continues to be a fun series.  If you want a beach twist on Christmas on your tree, you'll be glad you got this ornament.

Enjoy more tropical Christmas with more of the Sandal the Sandman series.

December 8th's Sunday/Monday Post

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

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

I went to visit my family in Northern California for Thanksgiving, which was why I didn't post last Sunday.  Actually, I spent Sunday driving home again.  I left early enough that traffic wasn't horrid, but I still hit a few slow spots.  Anyway, I had a great time visiting them for the holiday and the couple of days after that.  So much fun that I am going to do it again for Christmas.

This last week was crazy busy at work.  As I've shared, we have a slightly off fiscal year, and our year end is November 30.  Since I work in the accounting department, that meant this past week was super busy.  But I think we closed and I got our extra reporting done - at least the extra reporting I'm responsible for.  It feels nice to have that behind us.  We'll still have a bit of work to do this coming week, but it should be more like normal.

That took most of my focus this week.  I did get a lot of my Christmas shopping done Wednesday after work.  I'm feeling like I have the month under control, which I didn't when the week began.  Hopefully, I'm not forgetting anything.  Or missing something.  That's always the way, right?

Joke of the Week:

RIP, boiling water.  You’ll be mist.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Book Review: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Monday - November's Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney

Wednesday - Book Review: A Summit in Shadow by Sarah E. Burr

Thursday - Movie Review: A Christmas Castle Proposal

Friday - Friday Post featuring Fondue or Die

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #3

Tuesday - Book Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Superman & Lois - Season 4

Thursday - Book Review: Shock and Paw by Cate Conte

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I took advantage of some of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals to get a few discounted Kindle books.  The first of those was Case of the Bayfront Murder by S. K. Derban.  It's the first in a series set in San Diego involving a food truck.  I do love my culinary cozies, and I enjoy books set in placed I've been.  Hopefully, I'll enjoy it.

From one side of mystery to another, I also got Jekyll and Hyde: Consulting Detectives by Tim Major.  I've been fascinated by Jekyll and Hyde since I read the book in high school, so this take on them really peaked my interest.  I suspect it will be much darker than I usually read, so we'll see what I actually think of it.  As of my typing this Saturday night, this one is still on sale.

Jumping back to the lighter side, I also snagged There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene.  I do love theater, so a mystery series set in a community theater sounds like something I will enjoy.

Finally, I got a preorder this week.  And we are changing genre up again, this time going to kid's fantasy.  The newest Keeper of the Lost Cities book, Unraveled, arrived.  I hadn't paid any attention, and I was surprised that it was only 400 pages.  Shannon Messenger has written much longer books in the series recently, although this is really book 9.5, not an official/full novel in the series.  Yes, you read that right, 400 pages isn't a full novel.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what we learn in this book.  I have a feeling it will be very different.  I was hoping to knock it out this month, and, given the size, I think that's likely to happen.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I'm just over half way through Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigly.  Yep, I've started on my Christmas cozies.  I'm enjoying this one.  It's not unfolding like a cozy usually would, but I'm very hooked by everything going on.  Got to make some time to get more of it read.

If my plan to finish that book up on Sunday works out, I'll start on Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews on Monday.  It feels a little weird to be talking about reading this book so soon since I usually try to save her Christmas book until closer to Christmas, but that's how my reading is falling at the moment.

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great week.

December 7th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Survivor (11/27) – As soon as Kyle lost, I knew who was going home.  Not that I’m surprised.  It was the smart thing for the other players to do.  But I’m sad to see that because I really liked him.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking (11/28) – As always, my hat is off to the contestants.  The creativity they used to make those desserts is incredible.  And to create so many of them, too.  With two wins under their belt, do we have a frontrunner for the overall winner of the competition?

Tracker – What a case!  I couldn’t figure out what they were doing with a 9 month time jump and then trying to find a dead guy.  I was really intrigued the entire way through.  Glad we got back to the case we started the season with.  I hope we get a resolution to something soon since we seem to have dropped the family mystery.  As much as I enjoy the show, there are some flaws like that (and the lack of development for the supporting cast).

Wipeout – I don’t remember having two good singing teams on in the same episode before.  I was rooting for the acapella guys to win.  And they had a good run.  But it’s hard not to be impressed with the team that beat them.  Such a great run at the end to get the win.

Superman & Lois – I was blown away like I had hoped I would be, but I liked it.  I am glad we got the year flash forward for sure.  They kept their promise of giving everyone satisfying endings.  I’m not sure we really needed the last act.  I certainly would have been happier without it.  However, I do appreciate the message, and it was sweet in a way I wasn’t expecting.  Overall, an excellent final season.

Poppa’s House – I enjoyed some of the jokes.  And I really liked the ending for multiple reasons.  Still, at times it can feel a bit over the top, and not necessarily in a good way.  It feels like sitcoms are a lost art these days.  I hope we get it back.

Press Your Luck – The Whammies were certainly in the mood to come out for the holidays, weren’t they?  I figured the bonus round must be short when the early round went so long, especially with so few spins.  I’m impressed with her walking away when she did.  So few people show that lever of restraint.  Especially with no Whammies.

Night Court – First, I have to comment.  What was the point of coming back for three episodes and then going on break again until January?  Especially if there’s no Christmas episode.  Just wait and start in January.  I am liking Wendi Malik in the cast.  She definitely brings something that was missing.  Still, I feel like the show is uneven.  Some stuff is just too wacky.  But some of the jokes land.  Yep, still a mixed bag for me.

Survivor – Teeny was so bitter after the reward challenge it wasn’t even funny.  I’m impressed that Operation Italy actually worked.  But now, I’m curious to see how it is going to play out next week.  Will everyone turn on Andy?  It’s three on three, so it could be a stalemate as well. 

The Challenge – I was sorry to see another two friends in the arena.  Yes, I was celebrating the others but not these two.  I’ve felt like the others were a bit arrogant, and I didn’t get that vibe from these.  Probably more editing than anything else.  Or my biases from last season.  Honestly, the fact that they were sad about it but didn’t break down crying actually is why I was on their side.  Anyway, I’m wondering how far we are from the finale at this point.  The cast seems to think we are close, and the numbers are certainly smaller.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – Once again, those cakes looked and sounded amazing.  I wasn’t surprised about the team that went home.  If their spider hadn’t had issues, I suspect they would have stuck around.  If only they’d had more time.

Happy’s Place – This show is getting better every week.  The laughs aren’t feeling forced, the comedy just works, and the characters are getting stronger.  Plus they give us a chance to breath, not everything is trying to force a joke.  And it was great seeing Steve Howie on the show.  I loved it when he revealed he knew everyone was lying all along, and the scene in the kitchen was fantastic.  Take note other sitcoms – this is how you do it.

December 6th's Friday Post

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

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

I'm not sharing teasers from a Christmas book this week.  Instead, my teasers for the first three will come from Fondue or Die by Korina Moss.

This is the fifth book in the Cheese Shop Mysteries.  As a result, the opening sentence usually revolves around cheese, and this book is no exception.

"Harbison!" Archie, my cheesemonger-in-training, called out in triumph.
"That's the one," I replied from the opposite side of our Dairy Days festival booth.

That opening may not throw us into the action, but the book doesn't waste any time getting us there.  On page 56, we find this interaction:

"What's going on?" he asked, immediately ascertaining Mary Ann was upset.
"Pete!" Mary Ann cried, reaching out to Chief Womack. "You told me she was dead. You didn't say she was murdered!"

I really enjoy this series, and this was no exception.  My review of this book will be up on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back to see what I thought of it.

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

Can you recommend a book that catches the spirit of year-end thoughts or generates a sense of nostalgia in you?

I'm not sure about year-end thoughts, but I've been thinking about Narnia a lot recently.  And The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does have that Christmas scene.  The series does give me nostalgia as well.  So we'll go with that one.

Have a great weekend!

Movie Review: A Christmas Castle Proposal

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: The leads, the growth of the last quarter

Cons: Low budget cheese, one cringe worthy storyline

The Bottom Line:

Christmas set sequel

Proposal on horizon

Worth it if liked first

“How Do You Get Used to This?  I’ve Had Easier Times Finding My Way Out of Escape Rooms.”

When I watched A Prince in Paradise earlier this year, I fell under the charm of the characters even if the plot was fairly predictable.  When I found out that there was going to be a Christmas set sequel, I couldn’t wait.  While I struggled a bit more with A Christmas Castle Proposal, I did wind up enjoying it.

When the movie opens, it’s been a year since Olivia (Rhiannon Fish) and Prince Alexander (Mitchell Bourke) met on an island vacation.  In that time, their love has only grown even though they struggle to find time together.  Alexander especially is busy as he tries to run his foundation and fulfill his royal duties.  Still, they are looking forward to spending Christmas together.  They will be traveling to Alexander’s country of Torovia.  And Olivia’s parents will be joining them.  It’s the first time Madeline and Henry (Claire Weller Price and Andrew Buchanan) will meet Alexander.  Plus, they’ll be meeting his mother, Queen Patricia (Andrea Moor).

When Olivia arrives, she learns about the big state dinner, and her expected role in the evening.  Preparing for that is taking away from her parents, who are expecting to carry on their own family traditions.  Meanwhile, Alexander is trying to find the best time and place to ask Olivia a very important question.  With all this potential drama going on, will anyone have a merry Christmas?

Given what the first movie did with the familiar formula, I was looking forward to seeing what this movie would do to advance the story.  Sadly, it fell more fully into some Christmas movie tropes and didn’t rise above them.  Most noticeably for me was Olivia’s parents’ storyline.  Yes, I get that they needed some conflict, but really?  You are going to a castle in a foreign country, and you are going to expect to carry on all your own traditions?  Seriously?  Fortunately, this was a minor part of the film, but it really did make me scratch my head.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the first movie because I loved Olivia and Alexander and watching their relationship grow.  It was a pleasure to see the next chapter in their relationship unfold here.  I especially appreciated some of the realistic fears that Olivia was dealing with.  While I wish the story had developed that a bit more, I did like that it was addressed.  I did miss their sidekicks from the first film, but we did get to check in with them occasionally.

Sadly, this movie does suffer from some low budget cheese, both in the writing and the acting departments.  But I did expect that going in.

Do note that this doesn’t apply to either lead.   Rhiannon Fish and Mitchell Bourke were outstanding once again.  There are some very subtle moments both had that really stood out in a good way.

And I have to praise the last quarter of the movie.  It did a great job of resolving some storylines, and I loved that we got to see some growth in various relationships from the first movie.  That aspect was really well done.  I did find myself tearing up as I watched this part.  It made some of my other complaints worth while to get to this part because I love the characters so much.

Yes, the Christmas elements was wonderfully done.  I finally got a chance to watch it right before Thanksgiving, and it put me in the Christmas mood with the snow and decorations and soundtrack.

I do have to say that I think you’ll appreciate this movie best if you’ve already watched the first one.  You need to know the characters and their relationships to fully get invested in this movie.  Otherwise, you’ll probably see the weakness more than the thing the film got right.

Like the first movie, this one appears to have been released under a couple of names.  While I watched it as A Christmas Castle Proposal, I’ve also seen it referred to as A Royal Proposal.  You know, just to confuse things.

If you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll be happy to catch up with the characters in A Christmas Castle Proposal.  If you haven’t met this yet, start with the first movie so you’ll fully appreciate this Christmas entry.

Book Review: A Summit in Shadow by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mystery #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a solid mystery

Cons: The book takes a bit longer to get to the mystery than I liked

The Bottom Line:

Summit of leaders

Murder interrupts the talks

Series transitions

Duchess Jacqueline Graduates to Full Novel Length

The first three stories in the Court of Mysteries series are all novellas.  I was anxious to get to A Summit in Shadow, the fourth story, since it was the first novel in the series and the first novel that author Sarah E. Burr had written.  While the transition had a couple of bumps, overall, I enjoyed this book.

If you haven’t checked out this series yet, it has a different setting for a mystery series.  The stories take place in the Realm of Virtues, a land of kingdoms with a Medieval feel.  It’s not quite fantasy, but there are references to unicorns again here.  The focus is still on the mystery, so fans of that genre will feel right at home.

And if you haven’t read the series don’t start here.  There are major spoilers for the earlier stories.  Given what happens, there isn’t any way around it.  But with as fun as this series is, you’ll want to read them all anyway.

Our main character is Duchess Jacqueline, who has taken over the kingdom of Saphire after her parents’ death.  This story finds her and her closest friends and advisors traveling to the kingdom of Lysandeir.  A summit of other rulers is meeting to decide the fate of a region that has been lawless for as long as anyone can remember.  Jacqueline is hoping to lead the others to reach a decision that will most benefit her kingdom.  But when a young woman dies before the talks even get started, everything is thrown into chaos.  Are the rest of the attendees in danger?  Can Jacqueline figure out what is going on?

My biggest question going into this book would be how the pacing went as the stories transitioned from novella to novel.  Sadly, the book took a bit of time getting into the story.  I get that the book was setting up some political intrigue, but I still felt like the set up took a little too long.  Yes, everything that was set up did have a payoff before the story was over, so I’m not quite sure how to make it better in this case.

Not that I’m exactly complaining.  I love the characters, so I was excited to reach the novels since it meant spending even more time with them.  As expected, the growth all of them got was great, with some surprises along the way.  The new characters were strong by the time the book was over, and I’m expecting we’ll see some of them again, which I’m looking forward to.

I do want to be clear, there is a strong mystery here.  It took a bit of time to get to the heart of it, but once we were there, I was impressed with the clues that Jacqueline followed to solve things.  There were some nice red herrings as well.

Once again, I listened to the audio.  I’ll admit that narrator Melissa Green did start to bother me a couple of times as she got overly involved in the story.  But most of the time, she did a good job of bringing it to life.

Given I’ve loved some of the author’s novels written after this book, I’m sure the pacing will even out soon.  If you are looking for a mystery series with a creative setting, check this series out.  You’ll be enjoying A Summit in Shadow before you know it.

Do check out the rest of the Court of Mystery series.

Book Review: Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney (Braxton Campus Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Kellan solves another good mystery

Cons: A bit too much conflict with the series regulars

The Bottom Line:

Fundraiser murder

Kellan works to unravel

Next compelling case

Murder at the Masquerade Ball

The problem with having multiple series you are behind on is that it becomes impossible to balance catching up.  I truly had intended to get back to the Braxton Campus Mysteries from James J. Cudney sooner, but I’m glad I finally had a chance to pick up Flower Power Trip, the third in the series.

This series features Kellan Ayrwick, who has recently returned to his hometown in Pennsylvania with his daughter.  He’s reconnecting with relatives and working as a professor at the college in town, at least temporarily, as he tries to figure out what to do with his life.  And how to deal with the murders that seem to keep popping up and the other dangers in town.

When this book opens, it’s been a few weeks since we last checked in with Kellan.  It’s the beginning of summer, and Kellan is teaching a class.  Meanwhile, the Mendel Flower Show has decided to use the campus for this summer’s exhibit, which has brought added conflict to campus.

But the summer is kicking off with a masquerade ball to raise funds for the library renovations.  Kellan’s friend Maggie oversees the library, so Kellan is going to support her.  However, the night ends with one of the guests dead in a part of the library that is off limits to the public.  With the police looking at Maggie’s sister, Kellan once again finds himself trying to figure out what is going on.  Can he do it?

If you’ve been reading this series, you know there are some strong storylines that continue from one book to the next.  Those storylines do border a bit on the soap opera, I’ll confess.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not invested.  And yes, we do get updates on them, including the cliffhanger from the end of the last book.  But I’ll let you read them yourself to see what is going on.

The mystery here is pretty strong, with plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep us engaged as we read.  Yes, this does have a tinge of the soap opera about it, too, but honestly, lots of classic mysteries do as well, when you stop and really think about them.  It didn’t dampen my enjoyment that much since I was wondering exactly who was the killer.  And yes, things do make sense when we reach the ending.

I like Kellan, so it is easy to root for him to figure out what is going on and hope he can figure out the larger things that are going on in his life.  But that does bring up my biggest issue with this book.  It seems like there are multiple people who want to pick on him, and even his own family has lots of drama in it.  Some of the stuff is rather mean spirited, too.  Maybe if I’d read these books closer together, I’d be more forgiving or remember the reasons why better.  As it is, we aren’t given enough context to remember why the characters interact this way, and it grated.  I felt like it went beyond the need to create conflict, too.  Since one of the main things I love about cozy books are groups of characters that I want to see interacting, maybe that’s one reason why this bothered me so much.

Obviously, this does mean I found the characters real.  I just wish they were a little nicer to each other.  Hopefully, that will come as relationships continue to grow.

And let me be clear, I did enjoy the book overall.  I’m glad I have the next several books already since I do want to finish the series.

And those on-going stories?  You guessed it, we get another cliffhanger.  Must find time to read the next book soon.

This is a series I definitely recommend you read in order because of the ongoing storylines.  There will definitely be spoilers in them if you don’t.

For those who have been reading these books, they’ll find Flower Power Trip a compelling next chapter in the series.

Here are the rest of the Braxton Campus Mysteries in order.