August 31st's Weekly TV Thoughts

American Ninja Warrior – Joe made it!  His runs always make me the most nervous.  I really want him to win it all.  I think his chances have gone by.  The kids are too good.  But I still hope he can pull it off.  I’m not that impressed with the legacy runners.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of both of them and was happy to see them there.  But everyone needs to go through the same process.  And maybe get rid of the racing, which favors the younger competitors over the legacy ninjas.  And yes, if I’m this upset by the format changes, maybe it’s time for me to watch something else.  If it were on opposite other things, I probably would.

The Challenge – The paddling during the challenge looked like fun.  I could identify with the woman who said she could paddle well on her own but not with others.  The food?  Could have skipped that.  Not surprised there was a memory challenge at some point.  I’m a little surprised they did it so early.  Okay, I’ll admit, I wasn’t paying close attention during the conversation/drama part of the episode, but come on.  You never go into elimination if you don’t have to.  That’s reality show 101.  And, sorry, but I’m not going to blame the man (again, I might have missed something) because it takes two people to not be able to reach a decision.  Both of you are to blame.

Press Your Luck – They got me.  With the title and the previous on (the guy I think about every so often), I assumed the winner was going to win the million.  Got to say, what she did instead was pretty legendary.  No whammies in the bonus game and all those prizes?  What strength to walk away, recognizing that if she lost it all, she would hate herself for a long time to come.

August 30th's Friday Post

We made it to another Friday!  For those of us here in the US, it's even a long weekend since Monday is Labor Day.  But before we get too far into the weekend, how about a Friday Post?  Once again, I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three will be coming from A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair.

This is the second Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery.  It features a couple of friends who have started a matchmaking agency in London in 1946.  They are meeting with a client as the book opens, and we get this exchange:

"Men find me intimidating," boomed Miss Hardiman. "That's the problem."
"Surely not," Sparks protested.

Yes, that made me laugh, and there is plenty of humor in the book as it goes along.

We find more humor on page 56 with this exchange:

"Good night, sweet ladies," he said, rising and walking them to the door. "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, won't you?"
"But those are my favorite Greeks," protested Iris.

Not much about the plot in either of these quotes.  Granted, I didn't have much to work with on page 56 since was only a couple of paragraphs to finish a chapter.

Anyway, I'll be back Tuesday with my full review, but for now, know that I enjoyed it.

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

Are you a member of any book clubs, and if so, what has been your most memorable book to discuss with them?

I'm not a member of a traditional book club.  While I think I would enjoy discussing books with other, I don't have time in my reading schedule for someone else to pick a book for me to read.

However, I am in a walking book club a library about 30 minutes from me puts on.  Not that we've met this summer because of the heat.  We meet up a couple of times a month and walk while talking about books we've been reading recently.  I enjoy it, and the fact that I don't have to fit another book into my schedule is wonderful.

That's it for me.  Have a great weekend no matter how long it is.

August 2024's Reading Summary

 Yes, I'm jumping the gun a couple of days with my reading summary.  But with the long weekend, I wanted to get it up now.  So, let's take a look at everything I read in August.

Yes, I got the index updated this month.

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

 

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish Mysteries #3) – 5

Delilah O’Leary is thrilled that she’s been asked to cater the posh fund raiser for the library since she needs events like this to help her restaurant get through the lean winter months.  The event is being held at a remote mansion on the outskirts of the town.  Unfortunately, the first big storm of the season is due in that night.  Even worse, someone dies during the event, and the storm traps Delilah, Detective Capone, Delilah’s staff, and some of the guests, at the mansion.  As it becomes clear that the death was a murder, Delilah begins to poke around.  Are they trapped with a killer?

This is a mystery trope we don’t see very often any more, and I was a little concerned about the author pulling it off when I sat down to read it.  I need not have worried.  There was plenty here to keep me engaged and confused as we worked toward the logical climax.  We do see most of the regulars (only one gets a cameo as a result of the set up), and it was nice to get updates on them.  Meanwhile, the suspects kept me guessing.  The atmosphere of the storm also added to the fun of the story.  There are some recipes at the end, and the focus on creating a pizza with alternative ingredients.  This is the best book in the series to date.

 

A Voyage of Vengeance by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mysteries #3) – 5

Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier is thrilled to be joining the maiden voyage of Rose of the Sea, a luxury vessel.  The voyage is also a birthday celebration for one of her friends, Lady Carriena, the future ruler of Isla DeLacqua.  But Jax is surprised to find that her fellow passengers are an odd assortment of people, more for the political gain of her friend’s duchy than a true celebration.  Then the weird things start happening.  Can Jax figure out what is going on?

I was so happy to be back with these characters for the third novella; they already feel like old friends.  While we get all the suspects introduced to us at once, it wasn’t long before I felt like I knew them well.  The plot wandered a bit, but my patience was rewarded with a strong mystery and a great revelation.  I also appreciated that the plot felt appropriate for the length of the story.  The setting has just hints of a fantasy world to it while still being mainly about the mystery, and I love it.  There are some hints at what came before, so know that going in.  I enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see how the series transitions to full novels.

 

The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver (Electra McDonnell Mysteries #2) – 4

Ellie McDonnell is happy when Major Ramsey walks back into her life with another case he needs help with.  A young woman has recently been found in the Thames, and she was wearing a bracelet locked to her wrist.  Ellie successfully takes it off, but what the two find inside just leads to more questions.  Soon, they realize they are on the trail of spies for Germany.  Can they find them to stop them in time?

I enjoyed the first in the series, and I was happy to see the second one is just as fun.  Ellie has a logical reason to be involved in the case, and the story unfolded in a logical way while keeping me fully hooked until we get to the suspense climax.  On the other hand, I’m already frustrated by the love triangle, especially since I suspect I know where it is going to wind up, and I’m not going to be happy about it.  The characters are loads of fun, probably because most of them are on the shady side of the law, and I enjoyed spending time with them.  I also appreciated how real history from 1940 was woven into the book.  Overall, I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the third.

 

Please Don’t Push Up the Daisies by Diane Vallere (Madison Night #11) – 4

In the time that Madison Night has dated Tex Allen, she hasn’t met his sister.  Until now.  Lily and her four sons are moving to Dallas now that her husband is finally granting her a divorce.  However, when Madison goes with Lily to pick up the papers, they find him dead in his office.  With Tex out of commission thanks to his nephews, can Madison figure out what really happened?

This is another great mystery that jumps right in and keeps us guessing until the end.  I did find a couple of things that could have been a little clearer, but nothing that truly impacted the plot.  What I really loved is the character growth we got for Tex and another series regular.  But Madison really shines in her moment; it was my favorite part of the book.  There are some funny moments as well, and fans of Doris Day’s movie will find some fun nods.  If you’ve been enjoying this series, you’ll be glad you picked up the latest in the series.

 

Death in St. George’s by M. A. Monnin (Intrepid Traveler Mysteries #3) – 4

Stefanie and Thomas are taking a week’s vacation in Bermuda.  At least that was the plan.  They’ve hardly arrived when they get pulled into a case.  A bracelet that had recently been uncovered in a dig on the island was stolen.  Stefanie and Thomas agree to join the dig for a day in hopes they can figure something out.  But then a murder happens.  Will they figure things out?

The mystery started well, and I was intrigued.  Unfortunately, I did find the pacing was uneven as our leads spent quite a bit of time theorizing.  Still, there was a strong mystery underpinning the book, and I was impressed when I reached the end.  I love Stefanie and Thomas, so I enjoyed spending more time with them even if a sub-plot involving their relationship made me roll my eyes.  The suspects became strong characters by the end of the book.  I’ve definitely got some sights I want to see if I ever make it to Bermuda in person.  Until then, I enjoyed this virtual vacation with murder.

 

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack (Vacation Mysteries #1) – 2

Eleanor Dash’s first book was an instant best seller.  It was inspired by a trip she took to Rome, and she fictionalized parts of it.  She just didn’t change the hero’s name, and ever since, her ex, Connor Smith, has been worming his way into her life.  Ten years later, Eleanor is planning to kill him off – at least in her next book.  However, someone seems determined to do it in real life on a trip they are both on to celebrate ten years of her series.  Can she figure out what is going on?

The premise of this one sounded fun, and I was intrigued when I heard that there are footnotes in the book.  Sadly, the footnotes didn’t add anything; in fact, they came across as self-indulgent at times and lazy at others, like when the author put character descriptions in them.  And I’ll call out the foul language, which was especially excessive at the beginning.  (See your footnote complaining about calling out foul language didn’t work.)  The characters were shallow, and some of their relationships and issues seems like issues that could have been resolved quickly.  Eleanor herself doesn’t seem to fit her backstory.  Yes, the characters grew, but it wasn’t quite enough for me.  The pacing in the book was off as well, although there were some good twists.  I did enjoy the virtual trip to Italy.  In the end, this book wasn’t nearly as clever as it thought it was, so the result wasn’t as entertaining as I hoped it would be.

 

The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews (Irish Bed & Breakfast Mysteries #1) – 4

When Kate Buckley gets a text from her sister, Colleen, she packs up her daughters and heads home to Shamrock, a town that has become an Irish themed tourist destination.  Before Kate can find out what is wrong with Colleen, the two find the dead body of Colleen’s best friend, Deirdre, who was a famous Irish dancer.  Kate finds herself drawn into the mystery of what happened.  Can she solve the case?

I’m a little surprised we haven’t seen an Irish touristy town as a series theme before now.  While I did feel things and characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, I enjoyed what we got here.  The theming is fun and made me smile multiple times.  The characters are, likewise, charming, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.   The mystery got off to a strong start, and the book kept me engaged, even with some things that might have annoyed me in lesser hands.  You’ll dance through this debut and be left anxious for the encore.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Starlit Bookshop Mysteries #2) – 3

It’s the final week of the year, which means it is time for the annual fundraiser for the library in Silvercrest, Colorado.  Like the rest of the town, Emma Starrs is thrilled that the cast of Chasers, the popular mystery TV show, is coming to town to headline the events.  However, when murder threatens the event, Emma is asked to step in and help make sure the gala on New Year’s Eve goes off without a hitch.  Can she do that?

It's been a couple of years since the first book in this series came out, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d remember about the characters.  Fortunately, I was able to slip back into their world without too much effort.  Sadly, the mystery was disappointing.  The emphasis was more on the planning for the event, and those scenes grew repetitive.  We did reach a solution, but parts of it felt forced to me.  On the other hand, the characters were charming.  I really did enjoy seeing Emma and her family and friends again.  I wanted to like this more than I did, but it was mixed for me.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #3) – 4

Joe Leaphorn is tackling several cases that have grown cool over the last few months.  At the forefront is the case of the double murder or an old man and a teenage girl who were murdered near the man’s hogan.  The only witness is the teenager’s aunt, a listening woman, who is blind.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much she can add to the case, but Joe follows the few pieces she has given him.  Will that be enough for him to figure out what really happened?

I wasn’t surprised when the various cases Joe was investigating played into this case, but I did feel like things were a little unfocused early on.  Still, everything came together well, and the last third is a page turning thriller.  While I like Joe, we still know very little about him or his personal life.  Likewise, the rest of the cast isn’t fully developed, but they are real enough given the page time they have.  I do appreciate how Joe balances the Navajo myths versus the reality of police work.  It’s easy to see why these books are so well loved, and I’m glad I’ve picked them up.

 

Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #35) – 4

The new home renovation TV show Marvelous Mansions has come to town and made a less than stellar impression.  Meg, in her job as special envoy to the mayor, is on her way to try to keep everyone happy when she discovers the neighborhood has a new problem – feral turkeys.  Naturally, Meg gets involved in trying to round them up, while Chief Burke works on trying to figure out who put them there.  Then Meg stumbles on a dead body.  Are the two events connected?

Those familiar with the series will be delighted with the latest entry.  Yes, the antics with the turkey keep the mystery in the background for a while, but I was having so much fun I didn’t much care.  It helped that I was laughing at what was happening.  When Meg finds the body, the mystery does pick up and lead us through some great twists to a logical climax.  The characters are their normal charming selves, and the new characters fit right into the series.  If you haven’t met the characters yet, these books standalone well enough that you can jump in here.  And if you are a longtime fan, you’ll be happy with the latest release.

 

French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron (Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #3) – 5

Ricki James-Diaz is leading the efforts of the Bon Vee staff to put on the best haunted house New Orleans has seen this Halloween.  Those efforts are being hampered by their new next-door neighbor, who is constantly making complaints about them.  Ricki is shocked when she learns who has bought the house – mega movie star Blaine Taggart, the best friend of her late husband.  Ricki had hoped to never see Blaine again, but things get complicated when another dead body turns up on Bon Vee property.  Can Ricki once again figure out what happened?

I’m so glad that a new publisher picked up this series.  It was wonderful to visit Ricki and her friends again.  I enjoyed getting to see some of the relationships grow in this book, even if Ricki’s relationship with the detective isn’t really realistic.  I also enjoyed seeing Hollywood pop up here.  The mystery itself is strong with some nice surprises before we reach the logical ending.  It was fun to visit the city during Halloween.  As always, I laughed several times while reading.  We also get some recipes inspired by vintage cookbooks at the end of the book, including several appropriate for the season.  Fans will be just as happy as I was that Ricki and her friends are back.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron (Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Ricki and the rest in a third strong mystery

Cons: All cons frightened away

The Bottom Line:

Fresh body in crypt

Hollywood moves in next door

Glad series is back

Frightful Time with the New Neighbor

Since I’m a fan of Ellen Byron, I was disappointed when her Vintage Cookbook Mysteries were canceled after two entries.  That also means I was happy when a new publisher picked them up.  French Quarter Fright Night is the third overall and the first with the new publisher, and it was another great book.

This series is set in New Orleans, where Ricki James-Diaz runs a vintage cookbook and kitchenware shop at one of the stately homes in the city.  The home itself, Bon Vee, is a museum because it was owned by one of the culinary families of the city.  We’ve learned a bit about Ricki’s backstory in the previous two books, so that would be a reason to read those books first, but this book does give you the bare bones version, so you could jump in here.

This book opens in October, and Ricki has a great idea for Bon Vee – a haunted house.  In a city that goes all out for Halloween (and any excuse to party), this will be a draw.  The rest of the staff is on board, and soon they are plotting ways to turn the downstairs of the manner into the event of the season.

However, whoever bought the house next to Bon Vee is less than happy.  Granted, this person is complaining about everything that happens at Bon Vee.  When Ricki goes to try to reach a compromise, she discovers that the new owner is mega movie star Blaine Taggart.  Ricki and Blaine have a history – in fact, Ricki blames Blaine for her late husband’s death.  Ricki isn’t happy about Blaine being back in her life, but she tries to ignore him as much as she can.  That is until a body from next door turns up in the crypt that Bon Vee has created for their haunted house.  With Ricki and her friends on the suspect list, can she clear them of yet another murder?

I was so happy to slip back into Ricki’s world.  She has a good group of co-workers turned friends, and I enjoyed getting to hang out with all of them again.  We saw some progressions in a few of those relationships as well, which was nice.  The suspects fit in well with the other characters.  And, while not all of Ricki’s relationship with the detective is realistic, I found the progression in their relationship nice as well.

As an entertainment junkie, I always enjoy it when Hollywood shows up in a book.  Since Ellen Byron was a sitcom writer before she started writing mysteries, I feel like there’s a hint more realism to that aspect of the book than in some of the mysteries that try to include it while acknowledging that I’m sure some aspects are exaggerated for fiction.

And the mystery itself was great.  It had a few twists I was not expecting and it led up to a logical climax that answered my questions.

As I mentioned, Ellen used to write sitcoms, and she works humor into all her books.  I laughed multiple times as I was reading, mostly from the characters and their interactions.

Ellen also has quite a collection of vintage cookbooks.  She’s chosen five recipes from various books in her collection to feature here.  She’s updated the directions some to make them easier for us to use today.  Yes, we have a couple of pumpkin themed recipes, but they aren’t all seasonal.  (And yes, there is a sixth recipe, but, well…I’ll leave it for you to see why I didn’t include it in my count.)

Speaking of the season, I did enjoy getting to visit the city during October.  While the action was centered around Bon Vee, we got a glimpse of the other fun happening in New Orleans during the month.

Fans of the series will be just as happy as I was that the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries are back.  French Quarter Fright Night is a welcome return.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: A Fatal Engagement - Nelly Knows Mysteries

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Decent characters and mystery

Cons: Attempts at comedy fall mostly flat; Nelly’s official involvement in the case

The Bottom Line:

Meet new characters

Overplayed for comedy

Decent mystery

“Nelly’s Got a Knack for Advice.”

Hallmark is giving us plenty of mystery movies recently, but they seem more focused on creating potential new franchises than on giving us second movies with characters we’ve already met (with the next movie to premier being a notable exception).  We got to meet another new batch of characters with A Fatal Engagement, the first Nelly Knows Mysteries movie.

Nelly (Pascale Hutton) is the advice columnist in her small town.  In fact, the town is so small that just about everyone knows everyone, so even though the letters she gets are anonymous, she can often figure out who is sending them in.  This particular morning, she’s gotten a letter from someone who thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her.  Thanks to the hand writing, Nelly identifies the letter writer as her friend Dahlia (Sarah Grey).  Instead of penning a response in her column, Nelly sets out to talk to Dahlia’s boyfriend Blake (Julian Haig).

Only, when she arrives at Blake’s, she finds him dead.  While the new detective in town, Michael Hogan (Kavan Smith) wants nothing to do with Nelly’s help (or interference, depending on who you ask), Sheriff Brahm (Andrea Reindl) insists that he accept Nelly’s help.  Can the two of them figure out what happened?

There seems to be a couple trends with some of the recent Hallmark movies.  The first is the amateur detective getting official sanction to be part of the investigation from a higher up in the police department.  Now, I get that none of these movies, or the cozy mysteries I read, are remotely realistic.  And the main character would get in trouble for their actions in even the more realistic stories.  But this stretches things too far even for me.  Let’s at least pretend that the police aren’t encouraging them to sit in on interviews and gather clues.

The other trend I’m seeing is the attempts at humor.  Now, I love a good comedy, and I read plenty of comedic mysteries (both of the books I’m reviewing this week, for example).  However, the comedy mostly fell flat for me in this movie.  It seemed to rely on characters acting over the top to exaggerated effect.  I will give the movie a few lines that were actually funny, but the rest could have been toned down.

I’m not blaming the actors for this since it was clearly a directorial choice.  The acting was fine for a Hallmark movie, overall.

And this isn’t to say I disliked the movie.  The characters were charming and I enjoyed meeting them.  I’d certainly enjoy spending more time with them.

The mystery was decent as well.  I didn’t figure out where it was going until the end, with some nice surprises revealed along the way to the logical climax.

Will I watch another Nelly Knows Mysteries movie?  Yes, I’d give the franchise another chance.  I just hope the attempts to create comedy is toned down from where it was in A Fatal Engagement.

Book Review: Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #35)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming characters, plenty of antics, laughs

Cons: The mystery takes a bit of time to get started

The Bottom Line:

Turkeys on the loose

Home renovation, murder

Charming as always

Meg’s Latest Case is Not a Turkey

I’m always ready to dive into the latest Meg Langslow Mystery, so when Between a Flock and a Hard Place arrived, I made it my next read.  And I’m glad I did because it was delightful as usual.

This is book thirty-five in the series, but these read more as standalones, so it is easy to jump in anywhere.  Yes, there are some books that have been more impactful to the series than others, but for the most part, the characters and their relationships are easy to glean from what is on the page.  It also helps that not every character we’ve met along the way is in every book.

This book finds the town of Caerphilly dealing with a reality show.  Marvelous Mansions is a new home renovation show, and they are working on the Smetkamp home in a track home neighborhood.  The neighbors are frustrated and the town council is less than impressed, and the show has just started.  Meg, in her part time job as special envoy to the mayor, is up early this particular Monday to try to keep the crew in line.

She’s in for a surprise when she arrives, however.  The town’s feral flock of turkeys has descended, causing even more chaos for the residents.  While police chief Burke attempts to figure out who helped the turkeys that over the neighborhood, Meg gets involved in the plan to clear them out.  Then a dead body turns up.  Are the two events connected?

Fans of the series know to expect lots of antics.  This book is no different.  Not that I’m complaining since I was laughing at some of what took place over the course of the book.  Turkeys descending on a neighborhood is something that would only happen to Meg, and it is why we love these books.

Having said that, I did feel like we were a bit more focused on antics than on the mystery in the early part of the book.  Yes, we were meeting suspects and the victim, but it still felt a little like it was focused on the turnkey problem.  Having said that, I was have a wonderful time, so I’m not truly complaining.

And once the murder took place, the plot picked up.  We had some nice surprises along the way to the logical climax.

Really, the reason I love coming back to these books are the characters.  They are like old friends at this point, and this series is a comforting read.  The familiar characters were their usual charming selves, and the new characters we met along the way fit into Meg’s world perfectly.

Each new Meg Langslow Mystery is a reason to celebrate, and Between a Flock and a Hard Place is no exception.  Any fan will be happy they picked this book up, and if you haven’t started the series yet, now’s the time to fix that.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries.

August 25th's Sunday/Monday Post

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

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

Yes, I missed last week again.  But I have a great excuse again.  I was up in Northern California with my family.  My parents had been away on vacation for several weeks, so it was great to see them and hear about their trip.  Saturday, I went with my brother and his family to Great America, an amusement park in the San Francisco area.  I feel like I had been as a little kid, but I hadn't been there in decades.  They have passes and love to go, so it was a great day hanging out with them.

Unfortunately, now that I'm home, I have come down with a cold again.  I thought I might be getting sick before I went up to see them, but I was feeling better while on vacation.  But now that I'm home it's hit me hard.  Congestion, cough, the usual fun stuff.

What's most frustrating about this is I seem to be getting sick every two months or so right now.  And it's summer.  I should be out enjoying the warm weather while I still can.  Trying to take it a little easy this weekend to see if I can shake it.  Hope it doesn't linger like my recent colds seem to like to do.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Movie Review: Manhattan Murder Mystery

Monday - Book Review: The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews

Tuesday - Ornament Review: Cookie Cutter Halloween 2024

Wednesday - Book Review: In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn

Thursday - TV Show Review: Wild Cards - Season 1

Friday - Book Review: Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

Tuesday - Movie Review: A Fatal Engagement - Nelly Knows Mysteries

Wednesday - Book Review: French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron

Thursday - August Reading Summary

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

It's been two weeks.  Of course, I have lots of books to tell you again.

Three of them come from James J. Cudney.  I've read the first two of the eight books in his Braxton Campus Mysteries, and I plan to get to the third soon.  I was thinking I should watch the price of the rest of the series to see if he lowered the price on them.  Almost immediately, he dropped the prices on books 4 and 5, Mistaken Identity Crisis and Haunted House Ghost.  Naturally, I bought them.  You know me and passing up a deal by now.  Then, he dropped the price on the sixth book as well, so I snagged Frozen Stiff Drink.

Death and Wedding Cake by Nova Walsh had crossed my radar recently.  I couldn't even tell you where at the moment.  But then the price on the Kindle version dropped to free.  Of course, sign me up for that.  (It's not free any more, but it looks like it is 99 cents.)

Speaking of free, I also won an ARC from author K. B. Jackson.  It's Until Depth Do Us Part, the first in her Cruising Sisters series.  I bought the first in her other series recently, so I need to pick up one of them and see what I think of her writing.

Finally, there's 26 Below by Kimberly Woodhouse.  I actually bought this book months ago when I was trying to get free shipping on my brother's birthday present.  Yep, he's had it all this time, but I got it while I was visiting my family.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm about to play that game where I lay down on my couch and see how much reading I get done vs. napping.  I hoping to get a nap in, but I'm also hoping to get more read in A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair.  This is the second in a series about two match makers in London directly after World War II.  I'm very curious to see where the book is going to go.  We just hit some fun twists.

By Monday, I should be working on A Scape Goat for Murder the sixth Frankie Chandler Pet Psychic Mystery from Jacqueline Vick.  One of my goals for the year is to catch up on this series, and this is the latest book.  Frankie is getting married in this one, so I'm anxious to see how that goes.

That's it for me.  Have a wonderful week.

August 24th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Press Your Luck (8/15) – Wow that one guy had no luck with the Whammy.  I was impressed with how the winner walked away with all her prizes at the end of the game.  So few people do that.

American Ninja Warrior – So many great runs.  Not surprised at most of the people who moved on, but surprised at a couple of people who didn’t.  Still so impressive to see who the athletes do.

The Challenge – As expected, this episode was about nothing but the eliminations.  I appreciated how they covered the rivalries without dwelling on them.  If they can keep to that, I’ll be more on board with this season.  Otherwise, maybe I’ll fast forward through stuff.  I don’t know enough about most of the contestants to have too much of an opinion on who left.

Press Your Luck – The Whammies were out in full force for the first half of the game.  Glad to see they backed off in the second half.  The winner didn’t have a big haul from the competitive round, but he cleaned up in the bonus rounds.  Only the one prize, however, which is a little surprising.  Seems like they at least land on other prizes.

Book Review: Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting mystery; great final third

Cons: A few minor things

The Bottom Line:

Multiple issues

Keep Joe moving toward climax

That keeps you reading

Solving a Stalled Case

Most of the mysteries I read involve solving cases that are currently happening.  Occasionally, I get caught up in a case that has gone cold, usually from years ago.  But Listening Woman, the third Joe Leaphorn Mystery from Tony Hillerman, involves solving a case that is a few months old.  Yes, it’s stalled when Joe gets involved, but I found that difference interesting.

The case involves a brutal double murder.  An old man was brutally murdered in his hogan on the Navajo reservation along with a teenage girl, the niece of a listening woman who was there to try to diagnose the man’s problems.  The old woman herself was left alive.  Sadly, since she is blind, she saw nothing.

While Joe wasn’t on the case initially, he picks it up several months later and tries to piece together what happened.  His conversation with the woman leaves him with more questions.  But as he digs, he begins to figure out what her words mean.  Can he solve it?

Actually, Joe is working on several older cases as this book opens, although this one is his focus.  As expected, everything comes into play, although I must admit it felt a bit unfocused at first since the events seemed completely unrelated.  Fortunately, the resulting tale felt logically constructed without any of the events feeling forced.

And the last third is a rush.  I’m not going to say any more than that, but you won’t want to put the book down from that point on.

Once again, I feel like Joe is a bit of a mystery to us.  We’ve learned a little about his backstory over the course of these three books, but we never see him outside of work at all.  It’s a different style of storytelling, than most of what I read from contemporary authors no matter the sub-genre.  This isn’t to say that I don’t feel like he’s a real character, he’s just a character who has focused on his job.  He’s also the star of the book.  The rest of the characters don’t get enough page time to be developed too much, but they are developed enough to make the story work.

One thing I do like about Joe is that he has a knowledge of Navajo myths and legends.  He takes them seriously while still looking for a logical, human answer to the crimes he is facing.  It’s a nice way to bridge the gap between the culture of the world he’s policing while also giving us human villains.  It’s all done with respect, too.

George Guidall is continuing to narrate the audiobooks at this point in the series.  I’m glad because I enjoy his work.

It’s easy to see why Tony Hillerman’s books are so well loved.  I’m enjoying finally reading them myself, and Listening Woman is another good entry.

Check out the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Wild Cards - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun, light hearted mystery show

Cons: A little low budget feel

The Bottom Line:

Opposites on case

Familiar set up but fun

You’ll be hooked quickly

“Call Me Crazy…” “You Say That Like It’s Supposed to be a Leap of Logic.”

Wild Cards wasn’t on my radar until right before the season one premier.  I started reading about the banter and chemistry between the leads, so I decided to give the pilot episode a chance.  I’m so glad I did.  I was hooked right away and looked forward to it each week.

Cole Ellis (Giacomo Gianniotti) is a policeman who was been demoted from detective to patrol.  Max Mitchell (Vanessa Morgan) is a con woman who gets picked up for her latest con.  However, when she offers some advice on a case she sees when she is in the police department, she is offered a deal.  Team up with Cole and she will be her sentence commuted.  The incentive for Cole is to get his job as a detective back.  Max jumps on the deal, but Cole is much less enthusiastic.

Together, the two tackle a number of cases.  There’s the missing butcher in a nearby small town.  Ellis tries to help a friend find a kidnapped witness.  Threats on the set of a long running vampire TV show end in murder.  And Max becomes a hostage in a bank robbery gone wrong.

If you are thinking the premise sounds familiar, you’d be completely right.  The show even jokes about it in the first episode.  It knows what it is doing, and it isn’t ashamed to imitate those earlier shows at all.

And I didn’t mind because it works well.  As I was promised, Giacomo and Vanessa have great chemistry together.  It feels like they are having fun even if their characters still haven’t completely warmed up to each other.  But you can see those relationships changing as the episodes progress.

The cases of the week are entertaining as well.  Even if I can guess where the story is going, I enjoy the ride to the end.

As with most modern shows, the characters have some baggage that helps create some ongoing storylines.  In Cole’s case, his brother was murdered, and the case is still opened.  In Max’s case, her father (recurring guest star Jason Priestly), also a con artist, is in jail.  And she has some bigger thing she is working on.  One of them sees some resolution in the season 1 finale.  The other storyline?  That provides the cliffhanger.

Yes, that means I was thrilled to see the show was picked up for season two.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the show feels a little low budget.  There’s nothing specific I can point to, but it just is slightly off.  But that’s a minor issue.  And it’s not a slight on the actors, who are all working hard to pull us in.

All told, we got ten episodes in season one.

The show isn’t too deep or dark.  It’s a light concoction that goes down smoothly.  But that’s what it is trying to be.  If that sounds good to you, give Wild Cards a watch.  You’ll be pulled in by the characters before you know it.

Book Review: In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Starlit Bookshop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Emma and the rest of the characters

Cons: Weak mystery

The Bottom Line:

Event needs her help

Also, there is a murder

In uneven book

More Event Than Murder

It’s been a couple of years since we first met the characters in the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries from Cynthia Kuhn.  Since that was the case, I was interested to see how well I’d remember them when I picked up the second, In the Event of Murder.  It didn’t take me long to be back in their world, but sadly, the book struggled a bit.

The book opens on December 26^th as the town of Silvercrest, Colorado, is preparing for the annual fundraiser for the local library.  Since this is a huge part of their budget for the year, it’s a big deal.  And headlining the event this year are three of the stars of Chasers, an extremely popular mystery television series.  Emma Starrs, who is helping run her family’s bookstore in town, is as thrilled as everyone else at the events for the upcoming week, which end with the gala on New Year’s Eve.

However, the week has just started when murder rears its ugly head.  With the events for the rest of the week in question, Emma is asked to use her event planning skills to make sure the gala runs smoothly.  Emma agrees even though that means working for her nemesis.  As more problems pop up, Emma begins to wonder if even she can pull off the event.  Will she succeed?

As I said, I was back in Emma’s world pretty quickly when I picked up the book.  While there were a few references to things I didn’t remember, they weren’t critical to this book, so it wasn’t an issue.

You’ll notice my teaser was more about the event than the murder.  Sadly, there’s a reason for that.  The book focuses on the event and all the drama that Emma is dealing with trying to make sure it happens.  Unfortunately, some of those scenes were repetitive.  We do get a solution to the murder, but it feels rushed with some twists coming out of nowhere.

On the other hand, the characters are charming.  Well, mostly charming.  There are a couple that annoy, but it’s fine since they are supposed to annoy.  But Emma, her sister, and her aunt, are a great core cast, and I really enjoyed spending time with them.  The new characters came to life well for me as well.

I enjoyed spending more time with Emma and the other regulars.  However, the plotting of In the Event of Murder missed the mark for me.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Ornament Review: Cookie Cutter Halloween 2024 - Witch Taking Flight - 2024 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Cute, creative ornament

Cons: A bit deep and narrow

The Bottom Line:

Witchy mouse takes off

Cute Halloween ornament

Series companion

The Second Halloween Cookie Cutter Ornament Put a Spell on Me

It’s been nine years since we got a Halloween companion ornament to Hallmark’s Cookie Cutter Christmas series.  I wasn’t expecting to get a second Halloween piece, but I’m not complaining because it is fun.

This time, the cookie cutter shape that forms the outline of the ornament is a witch’s hat.  Inside the scene, we see some pumpkins in the front left corner.  In the background, we have our mouse friend dressed at a witch on a broom ready to fly away.  Behind him, you can see a bit of the moon and some stars in the night sky.  As always, there are some details that are candy, and, in this case, the broom is actually a piece of candy corn.

The mouse was dressed as a witch in the first Halloween ornament we got with him.  It’s not the same costume, however.  And I shouldn’t really complain since I recycle the same costume pretty much every year.

My more serious complaint about the ornament is how deep it is.  Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but because of how the top narrows, it makes it a little hard to see the mouse.  Or maybe that’s just me.  But it doesn’t feel as open as many of the ornaments in the series are.  Or maybe it’s just the fact that it makes the scene more shaded.  If you are looking at it in direct light, it doesn’t seem so tunneled.

Since this is an unofficial companion piece to the series, we don’t have a series marker on the ornament.

The hat shape has a nice flat bottom, so you can easily set this out to be displayed, if you want.  If you do hang your Halloween ornaments, you’ll be happy to hear that this ornament hangs straight.

This is a cute ornament overall.  If you decorate for Halloween in a not super spooky manner, you’ll want to consider adding this one to your collection.

Check out more Cookie Cutter ornaments for the rest of the year.

Book Review: The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews (Irish Bed & Breakfast Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Main cast; interesting mystery; fun setting

Cons: Could be a little more fleshed out, but I’m sure that will come

The Bottom Line:

Irish dancer dead

Can Kate solve the mystery?

Dance through this debut

Kate Must Dance Fast to Find a Killer

I was happy when I learned that Lisa Q. Matthews had a new series coming out this year since I’d enjoyed the three mysteries she’d written a few years ago.  The Jig is Up introduces us to a new community I’m looking forward to visiting again.

The book is set in the town of Shamrock, which has turned itself into an Irish themed touristy town.  Naturally, the town goes all out every March for St. Patrick’s Day.  However, Kate Buckley wasn’t planning to return home until she got a text from her younger sister that said Kate needed to come back as soon as possible.  So Kate packs up her two daughters and heads to the family’s B & B.

Before Kate can find out why Colleen said Kate needed to come home, tragedy strikes.  Kate and Colleen find the body of Deirdre, Colleen’s best friend.  Deirdre was world famous for her Irish jig dancing, and she’d returned to Shamrock to take over her mother’s dance school.  The question is, who would want to kill Deirdre?  Kate finds herself pulled into the case.  Can she figure it out?

I’ve got to admit, when I first heard this premise, I couldn’t quite believe that we haven’t seen a series set in an Irishy tourist town before.  We got so many other themed towns in cozies.  There are plenty of fun touches in this book that fit in with the theme that made me smile.  Still, I felt like there were things that could have been a little more fleshed out to anchor me in the book.  I’m sure that will come with more books in the series.

The book doesn’t waste any time at the beginning.  It introduces us to Kate and her family and then we find Deirdre’s body.  The pace from there was steady.  I’ve got to say, I was impressed with how it handled a few things.  In lesser hands, I would have been frustrated by what happened here, but in this case, it got me to keep reading.

We get to know the series regulars the best in this book, and I liked them.  Again, we could use a bit more to flesh them out, but they are good for the first book in a series.  I definitely want to visit them again.  And this isn’t to take away from the suspects, who did their job of confusing me.

The Jig is Up gets this series off to a promising start.  I’m looking forward to dancing my way into book two soon.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Manhattan Murder Mystery

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful mystery

Cons: Most of the rest of the elements don’t work for me

The Bottom Line:

Murderer next door?

Great mystery, rest lacking

Allen fans only

“We Could Be Living Next Door to a Murderer, Larry.”  “Well, New York is a Melting Pot.  Get Used to It.”

Since I love mysteries, I had been interested in seeing Manhattan Murder Mystery since it came out in the early 90’s.  I was hesitant since I’d heard that Woody Allen was someone you either liked or didn’t like, but when I saw the movie on TV, I figured that was the perfect time to watch it.  I’m glad I didn’t spend more than my time on the film.

Larry and Carol Lipton (Woody Allen and Diane Keaton) are your typical middle age couple living in Manhattan.  With their son in college, they are trying to figure out the next stage of their lives.

One day they meet Paul and Lilian House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen), the charming couple who have moved in just across the hall from them.  Paul is a little boring, but Carol really likes Lilian, which makes it even more shocking just a couple of nights later when they arrive home to see Lilian being wheeled out of the apartment.  She’d just died of a heart attack.  Carol suspects that there is more to the story than Paul is saying, but Larry takes everything at face value.  Who is right?

The problem with this film was obvious in the first few minutes.  In an effort to depict a couple that bickers with each other, Larry and Carol are often talking over each other and repeating themselves.  We’re supposed to find this funny, I’m sure, but it was just annoying.  Especially the repetition.  And did I mention that they repeat themselves?  It might be realistic, but completely realistic dialogue is annoying and boring.  And, in this case, repetitive.

(Yes, I’ll move on now).

As a black comedy, this film didn’t quite work either.  I found a couple of the lines funny, but I didn’t find most of it that funny.  Frankly, that doesn’t bother me too much, but it was another strike against the film.

The actors were all fine in their roles.  I wouldn’t say that anyone stood out to me, but their performances never took me out of the film.  The dialogue did that all by itself.  (No, really, I’m moving on.)

Which is a shame because the plot was actually very good.  It is a cross between the cozies I normally read and the noir films of old, several of which are referenced in the film.  It’s brilliant and I have a feeling that in the hands of different director, I would have loved it.

Despite the murder mystery element, I obviously wasn’t the target audience for Manhattan Murder Mystery.  I’ve gotten it out of my system now and will stir clear of Woody Allen’s films in the future.

August 17th's Weekly TV Thoughts

American Ninja Warrior – Sorry, I will never like these races.  I felt like some good Ninjas who might have done better if they hadn’t been racing were eliminated.  But I am mostly happy with who is moving on.  Happy we are going to the finals next week.

The Challenge – Yeah, I know what I said in the spring.  But I was curious about the eras the are doing for the 40th season of the show.  I only know a handful, and most of them are from last season.  Yes, the drama is already bothering me.  We’ll see how far I get before I switch over to recaps or give it up completely.  I give myself at least a month – until Survivor comes back.

August 16th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday!  It's time for another Friday Post, where I link up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

For the first three, I will be pulling quotes from The Jig is Up by Lisa Q. Matthews.

This is the first in a new series set in an Irish themed tourist trap.  We jump right into the theme, as you can tell in the opening line:

“Mommy, the shamrock’s not smiling.”

And yes, that is all I'm going to tell you about it.

Meanwhile, at 56% into the book, we get this fun exchange:

“Brought you lunch,” I said to Colleen, holding out the lunch bag. “Turkey.”

“Ooh, thanks.” 

I held the bag a little higher, just beyond her grasp. “What’s this about the piano?” 

She snatched the bag and grinned. “I was hoping my musical-genius sister could accompany Conor on his accordion for a few numbers in the show, like Deirdre wanted.”

The book is coming out on Tuesday of next week, but I'll be reviewing it on Monday.  I hope you'll come back to see what I thought.

Meanwhile, let's finish things off with the Book Blogger Hop.  This week's question is:

What are your thoughts on book-to-book comparisons (for example, "It's the next Harry Potter")?

For me, it depends on the source.  Sometimes, I have made those comparisons myself.  Obviously, I'd trust my judgement on this.  Seriously, if it was someone I trusted, I'd probably take it seriously.

But quite often, I feel like those are just hype from the publisher whether it turns out to be remotely true or not.  If it's from the publisher or part of the marketing, I take it with a huge grain of salt.

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

TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 46

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great twists and overall entertaining

Cons: A few of the contestants were a bit much

The Bottom Line:

Another season

Ramps up drama just a bit

But good overall

Another Enjoyable Season

Why I’ve decided to start reviewing seasons of reality shows now when so many of them are so familiar they really need no introduction is beyond me.  (Okay, it actually has to do with the fact that I’m no longer waiting to see if a DVD set for TV shows is released.)  I feel like fans are going to watch and the rest avoid a reality show at this point.  But here I am, sharing my thoughts on the latest season of Survivor, which is season forty-six.  Hard to believe it, even for someone like me who has been watching since season 1.

The seasons starts as we once again see 18 new people who have agreed to be stranded in Fiji for 26 days.  Yes, we are still on the compressed timeline but fewer things to start with that they instituted after coming back from Covid.  We start out with three tribes, and one of them seems cursed.  Granted, we’ve seen this kind of thing before, but this is the worst we’ve seen in a while.  Once the merge happened, there was some interesting choices made.

Here's where I was a bit frustrated by the game play.  There was someone I wanted out early on since I felt like he deserved to go.  And yet the tribe kept using him as a shield.  Yes, I get that it made sense strategically, but I really didn’t like him.

There also seemed to be a few more moments of drama.  Again, I get it.  I’m one of the people defending their actions on social media.  They are out there hungry and tired and paranoid.  But it still does take away from the show when we are watching these uncomfortable moments unfold.

I still enjoy listening to the On Fire podcast, where Jeff, a fan, and a former player, talk about the show each week after the episode has aired.  Jeff talks about how he loves to have some of the players on Survivor they do because they provide drama and are interesting people.  I agree up to a point.  Some of the people are fun to watch.  But others are so over the top they are annoying.  That was a case with a few people this season, at least for me.

But, overall, I still enjoyed this season.  The challenges are consistently great, and I enjoyed watching the politics of who to vote out when.  I always find that fascinating, and it’s easy to yell at the TV from my living room to try to get them to do what I think they should do.  After all, I have all the facts.

If you want to see how hard it is to know for sure what is happening on the island, watch this season.  That’s all I’m going to say.  If you know, you know.  It creates some great twists.

As to the finale, I still wish they’d allow more time for a reunion and talk to some of the players voted out in the first half.  I miss that.  The reunion is now so rushed it isn’t nearly as fun as it used to be.

While not one of the best seasons of Survivor ever, season forty-six was still a solid season that will entertain fans of the show.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in season forty-several.  (Again, if you know, you know.)

Book Review: Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack (Vacation Mysteries #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Some good twists; setting

Cons: Pacing slowed down by drama from shallow characters; not as clever as it thinks it is

The Bottom Line:

Killer vacation

Characters I did not like

Book thinks it’s clever

Don’t Bother Booking This Vacation

When I first heard about Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so I pre-ordered it. Then I started seeing early reviews, which were decidedly mixed. So it was with a little trepidation that I sat down to read it. Sadly, I wasn’t that impressed. 

The book follows Eleanor Dash, an author who had a runaway best seller when her first novel debuted ten years ago. She’d based it pretty closely on something that had happened to her while on vacation in Rome, just changing the names to protect everyone. While almost every name. She couldn’t bring herself to rename Connor Smith, the hero of the story and now her ex-boyfriend. The result is that he is still a part of her life whether she wants him to be or not. 

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the debut, Eleanor’s publisher is sending her on a promotional tour through Italy with fans as well as people associated with the books. Including Connor. While Eleanor contemplates ways to kill Connor in her next book, someone else is contemplating ways to kill the real Connor in real life. Will Eleanor figure out what is going on? Does she even want to?

To be honest, one of the first things that drew me to this book was the fact that it had footnotes in it.  Yes, footnotes in a novel.  The only other time I had run across this was in Lisa Lutz’s Spellman Files books, which I absolutely loved.  And the footnotes in those books were funny and creative, so they were one of my favorite parts.  That wasn’t the case here.  Yes, a handful of them were clever.  However, the rest, were pointless and self-indulgent.  At times, they took us away from the story.  Other times, they were things that should have been in the text, like character descriptions.  The ones that worked for me were snarky asides.

Since our main character is an author, writing the book in first person, we get comments about writing throughout the book.  Most of these are in the footnotes.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a meta moment or comment as much as the next person.  In fact, those can be some of my favorite moments in somethings when they are done well.  Here, they just didn’t work.  We get things like footnotes that said, “This is foreshadowing.”  Yes, I knew that.  Thanks.  Since the humor was supposed to come from things like this, it didn’t work for me.

Then there’s the fact that I didn’t care for many of the characters at the beginning.  Eleanor could have gotten rid of much of the drama in her life by simply changing Connor’s name in her first novel.  Then there’s her relationship with her sister, which gets hung up over literally nothing.  And let’s not talk about the fact that Eleanor herself seems to have a personality that is at complete odds with her backstory.  Sorry, but I’m just not buying it.  Yes, the characters did grow over the course of the novel, and I liked them better near the end of the book, but that wasn’t enough to truly make up for how they were at the beginning.

So let’s talk plot.  Yes, there were some good twists to it, but they were buried in too much else.  The mystery itself was rather slow.  Instead, we got all kinds of character drama that stemmed from the shallow characters.  Even as we enter act three (which, of course, is pointed out to us), we still get sidetracked by all the talk about writing.

In the end, this felt like a book where the author felt she was being clever, but it didn’t actually work that way, mainly because it was drawing attention to how clever it was.

I also have to call out the foul language in the book.  It seemed a bit too much at the beginning of the story, but it did get a bit more realistic later on in the book.  And I especially have to do this since the author used a footnote to complain about people who call out foul language in reviews.  I hope you are happy that someone did it for this book.  Also, this keeps the book outside of the cozy realm.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the virtual trip to Italy.  The locations were fun.

I was curious enough about Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, that I’m glad I picked up the book.  But I won’t be continuing on with the teased sequel.