TV Recap: Castle 7-6 - The Time of Our Lives

I’m going to go on record as saying I’m still not a big fan of the Castle kidnapped storyline.  I may still change my mind, and they have done a good job of getting things relatively back to normal, but overall, it’s one of my least favorite things they’ve done on the show.

However, I keep comparing this storyline and the interrupted wedding to the other one I’ve experienced – the one from Lois and Clark almost 20 years ago.  (And by the time I watched the show on DVD, I knew what was coming before I saw it and it still bothered me.)  For those who aren’t familiar, the duo were set to marry during February sweeps of season 3.  However, the Lois that Clark married at that point was a clone.  That took several episodes to resolve, and then the real Lois developed amnesia.  From there, Clark almost left in order to take his place as a leader of a colony of his people.  And that was the May cliffhanger.  The duo finally did marry, but not until the November sweeps of season 4.  By then, many of the fans of the show were upset and had stopped watching.  Really, who can blame them?  So by comparison, Castle has done well.  Even though I don’t like what they did in May and what it has set off, it’s still better than what it could have been.  For that I am thankful.

And yes, I did kind of already spoil the ending of last night’s episode, although I think the previews pretty much had given it away a couple of weeks ago.  But keep reading to see how we got there.

See, there actually was a mystery last night.  A man with a briefcase attached to his wrist is riding in a car.  A van intercepts them and men with masks shoot the driver and the man with the briefcase.  They then steal the briefcase.

Book Review: Bluffing is Murder by Tace Baker (Lauren Rousseau #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great and interesting main character

Cons: Mystery could have been stronger

The Bottom Line:

Body while running

Thrusts Lauren into danger

Good second entry

A Good Book – And That’s No Bluff

Just after I bought the first Lauren Rousseau mystery, the author of the series contacted me about reviewing Bluffing is Murder.  I never turn down a book I was planning to buy anyway, so naturally, I said yes.  The good part of that is that I already got to enjoy the book.  The bad part is, I have to wait that much longer for the next story.

Summer break has finally started at her college, and Lauren Rousseau can’t wait to have a more relaxed schedule.  Yes, she has some papers to write, but she has no classes to teach for the first time in years.  And after the events of the spring and messing with a killer, Lauren needs a break.

And then she goes for a run on the beach and finds the dead body of Charles Heard, a member of the Trustees for a land trust in town.  Unfortunately, Lauren had argued with Charles in front of the police chief just the day before, so she finds herself a suspect.  Desperate to clear her name, she starts investigating.  Is the controversy over the trust to blame?  Or is there another motive for the murder?

Before I go too much further, I should point out that the book (but not my review) contains a minor spoiler for the first in the series.  It’s mentioned in passing and doesn’t reveal the killer, but it is there.  Just keep that in mind when you decide what order to read the series.

I’ve read these two books in back to back months, something I rarely do.  Usually, I let more time pass between books in a series.  In this case, it really worked out well for me because it allowed me to better appreciate the character growth in Lauren and the rest of the main characters.  They have definitely grown as a result of some of what happens in the first book, and I appreciate that.  Lauren is still having issues with her boyfriend, and I’m looking forward to see how that relationship develops in future books.  All this means the characters are strong and complex, and I enjoyed spending time with them.  Even the new characters brought in for this book were well developed and made me care about them.

Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t as strong as it could be.  The pacing was pretty good, and I always felt like things were moving forward.  However, I did figure things out earlier than I would have liked.  Still, I kept turning pages to see if I was correct.  And the climax was certainly suspenseful.

This is not a book to rush through.  The writing invites you to come get lost in Lauren's world.  Overall, the tone isn't as light as most of what I read, but that seriousness also gives the book a bit more depth.

In addition to being a linguistics professor, Lauren is also a Quaker.  I must admit, I know little about this religion, so I found that part of the story very interesting.  There is no preaching (which the Quakers wouldn’t like anyway) or anything else that would turn off potential readers.  It is part of Lauren’s character and something that makes her even more interesting as a lead.

This complex lead character makes Bluffing is Murder well worth reading.  I will definitely be back for Lauren’s next case.

NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SECOND NOTE: Tace Baker is the pen name of Edith Maxwell and not related to me.

Ornament Review: Santa's Happy Helper - A Year of Disney Magic #5 - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Warm and friendly looking Mickey decked out for the holiday

Cons: Tips back a bit but still looks good in that position

The Bottom Line:

Hey there, Ho Ho Ho

Jolly Mickey as Santa

Fun decoration

Mickey is Ready to Take on His Role as Santa’s Happy Helper This Year

I didn’t track the numbers either year, but I would think that the December ornament from last year’s Peanuts series and this year’s A Year of Disney Magic would be the most popular from either series.  Why?  Obviously, those collecting the entire series would want it, but additionally, those who just like cute Christmas ornaments would want to get it.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to buy Santa's Happy Helper?

For that matter, can you believe we are five months into the series and just now getting Mickey?  He does have three appearances in the series, and this is the first one.  Since he’s being Santa’s helper this year, he’s decked out in a red Santa suit and hat.  Slung over his back is a green toy bag with a red patch on it.  He’s got one hand raised in the air, and he’s smiling warmly.

And that’s what makes this ornament so appealing.  Mickey is obviously enjoying himself, and that just makes you want to smile back at him.  He looks very good in the Santa suit, too.  When you consider how jolly both Santa and Mickey are, it’s like Mickey was meant to play this part.

Unfortunately, the balance on this ornament is off, but it’s not that bad.  When you slip a hanger through the loop between Mickey’s ears, you find he tips back some, but this is a base where he still looks fairly straight.  You’ll only notice if you really look closely.  This is especially true if you are using the optional Mickey Head Stand Hallmark sold back in July and put Mickey in the last spot.  The base of snow he is on is big enough that is hits the side of the stand, which actually helps prop him just a little straight.  I’m sure you can do a similar thing if you hang him on your tree.

Speaking of that base, it is perfectly flat on the bottom, so Mickey as Santa can be used in any display you want to include him in.  You’ll also find the 5 in a Christmas tree, Hallmark’s series symbol, on the bottom.  And honestly, without this base, you’d never know Mickey wasn’t hanging straight.  That’s how well the sculpt works in either position.

Whether you hang it or set it out, Santa's Happy Helper is a fun ornament to enjoy as part of the yearlong Disney series of as a special Christmas decoration.  Really, how can you go wrong?

What could be more magical than the entire Year of Disney Magic?

Original Price: $12.95

TV Recap: Once Upon a Time 4-7 - The Snow Queen

It seems like right now, when we get answers, it just leaves us with more questions.  And I still have no idea where this storyline is going on Once Upon a Time.  The friends I watch with expect me to have all the answers already, or at least some, but I just plain don’t.  So please share some speculation with me so I have some ideas I can work off of next week.

As always, we’ll start with the flashback, which focused on Ingrid.  We saw her discover her powers when she saved her two younger sisters from a man who intended to kidnap them.  She accidentally froze a branch and it fell on him.  She is horrified, but her sisters are grateful and in awe.  They take a ribbon from the kite the man had used to lure the girls to him and each take a piece.  It is proof of their bond and their sisterly love, and they will never take it off.

Book Review: Nick and Tesla's Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith (Nick and Tesla #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of humor and great characters in this fun mystery

Cons: Mark Carstairs isn’t on every page!

The Bottom Line:

Robots on rampage

In delightful mystery

With science projects

Sabotage at the Learnasium

If I hadn’t already been a fan of Steve Hockensmith, I might never had picked up the Nick and Tesla books he’s writing for middle graders with “Science Bob” Pflugfelder.  However, I’m very glad I did because I’ve been enjoying them.  I got the first three via Amazon’s Vine program, but the fourth never appear that way, so I had to get Nick and Tesla's Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove on my own.  I enjoyed it just as much as the first three.

Nick, Tesla, and their friends DeMarco and Silas are spending the day at the X-Treme Learnasium.  The science museum in town is holding a grand reopening that night as they rebrand themselves and open all new exhibits.  One of those is the Hall of Genius featuring animatronics of many famous scientists.  Nick and Tesla’s uncle is trying to do the last minute things to make sure these figures are all ready for the opening.

However, a test run results in the figures going haywire.  Tesla is certain is was sabotage and leads Nick and their friends on a quest to figure out what is happening while Uncle Newt tries to repair the figures in time.  Who would want to see the new learnasium fail?  Will the exhibit be ready in time?

Each book in the series features Nick and Tesla building gadgets with objects around the home to help them solve the mystery.  (Okay, so some would need to be purchased, but they are fairly easy to find at Radio Shack.)  There are then instructions for building those gadgets yourself after you’ve finished the book.  I know as a kid I would have loved that.  This time, all the gadgets fit on a glove, and DeMarco and Silas’s reactions to the glove are pretty funny.

But this glove is also extremely helpful in solving the mystery at hand.  There are twists and some nice red herrings along the way to the perfect solution.  The climax is fun as well, with one of the best confrontation scenes I’ve read recently.

I’ve really come to like the characters in this series, and they continued to charm me here.  They are a little better developed than the characters in some of the old series I read as a kid, and there’s even some growth in Nick and Tesla in this book.  The cast of new characters is great as well.  I especially loved the learnasium’s new director, who speaks in such jargon it never failed to make me laugh.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, there’s a lot of humor in this book.  I know I was laughing at plenty of the scenes, and I’m sure kids will laugh as well.

So let’s talk the flaw of this book.  One of the suspects is a man named Mark Carstairs.  And this absolutely wonderful character wasn’t on every single page!  Can you believe this oversight?  It would have made the book perfect!!  On a serious note, I didn’t know about the character’s name until I was reading the book.  The first time he was mentioned, I had to stop and make sure I was reading it correctly I was so surprised.  Obviously, I enjoyed it any time my name sake was on the page.

Even without that brilliant character, I still would have enjoyed the book.  It was creative and fun with a great mystery that kept me turning pages.  Heck, I finished Nick and Tesla's Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove in one day and can’t wait for the sequel.

And you'll enjoy reading all of the Nick and Tesla's Science Mysteries in order.

This review is part of this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.

November 8th's Weekly TV Recap

Hey, look at this.  I've got the post up on time again.

With the election on Tuesday and another preemption on Monday, I had three fewer shows earlier in the week.  But then the USA Network brought back White Collar and Covert Affairs for the first of six episodes, making the back part of the week fuller.

All I want to know is why they couldn't have done this next week when I'll be busy at work and out of town at Bouchercon?  (Don't worry, I'll put the link up before I leave.)

Anyway, preamble now out of the way, here's what I thought of what I did watch this week.

Once Upon a Time – So the Snow Queen is looking to get her sisters back.  But what happened to the middle sister?  And how did she get that prophecy about Emma?  The mystery just keeps growing, and I love the show as a result.  You can read my full recap here.

Dancing with the Stars – Well, one of the bottom two finally fell this week.  Seemed like a nice guy, but his dancing just isn’t at the level of everyone else.  There were some very good dances out there, and the duos theme was fun.  The dance off was a nice new twist as well, and it really does show how those teams all stack up against each other.

Gotham – Even though the mobsters were back, I still enjoyed this episode.  The payoff for Gordon not killing Penguin was very well done, and I loved how they twisted some things on their ear.  Maybe there is hope for the show yet.  Not completely sold, but certainly intrigued for the next episode.

Arrow – I was hoping that Felicity’s back story would prove to be good.  I was a little surprised the flashback involved college, well until the end.  Still, I thought we’d see more with her mom early on.  That part was very predictable, but still good.  I loved how she disarmed the villain in the end.  But that twist at the end?  I know Roy didn’t do it, but what is giving him dreams thinking he did?  Yikes!

Survivor – Well that was just crazy.  I think that’s the most scrambling I’ve seen post merge in a long time.  They’ve definitely got the Blood vs. Water battle they wanted this time.  But to end with someone just quitting was a bit anti-climatic.  I really, really wanted to see how it would turn out.  That might make it more obvious for the next few weeks, although they sure are trying to muddy the waters with that promo.  It’s usually a sure sign that the outcome is predictable, however.  (Now what, this will be the one time it isn’t.)

Big Bang Theory – That episode had the potential to be so much more, and I’m not quite sure where it failed.  There were some great moments, mainly between Penny and Leonard.  And I am loving them this season.  Of course, everyone is going to be talking about Sheldon and Amy saying “I love you” to each other.  Such a great moment, the way they handled it, too.

White Collar – Part of me is surprised they found Neal already, but with only six episodes, they kind of had to.  Loved seeing Mozzie working so closely with the FBI.  And Elizabeth pregnant!  Love that, too.  Still not sure how I think this series will end, but I am planning to enjoy those final five episodes.

Covert Affairs – So, Auggie has another friend murdered this season.  It can’t be a coincidence.  That can’t bode well for him.  Otherwise, this felt like a fairly typical episode, although now that I’m reminded what the balls are, I’m curious how things will be resolved.  Although you know the hooker is totally dead.  They might as well have flashed it from the roof tops it’s been set up so well.

The Amazing Race – I thought when they gave out “The Save” that it would mean they’d be less generous with the non-elimination legs.  That hasn’t been the case at all.  I mean, this is our second one.  Of course, it doesn’t look like the Save will come into play since the Dentists are back on top and look like they’ll stay that way.  They’re getting cocky again, so I’d like to see them brought down a peg or six (since there are six teams left).  And the Soul Surfers had better up their game as well being at the back of the pack.

Book Review: Acadia by Sandy Dengler (Jack Prester #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Real characters and a complicated mystery

Cons: A few dated elements reflecting when it was originally written

The Bottom Line:

Beauty mixed with death

Jack navigates politics

Searching for killer

Harsh Death of a Beauty in Acadia

While I had been to Death Valley, the location for the first book in the Jack Prester series, I hadn’t even heard of Acadia National Park before I picked up the second in the series.  Hey, give me a break, it was 20 years ago and I was in college.  After reading Acadia, I was ready to go visit.  While I haven’t made it there yet, my desire to visit was just as strong after rereading the book.

Jack Prester is a trouble shooter at large, going to whatever National Park needs his help to solve a problem.  This new job finds him solving all kinds of murders at various parks, and it’s a great way to visit if you can’t go in real life.  Originally published in the early 1990’s, the author has recently rereleased them in the Kindle format.

Modeling is not as glamourous as it might appear.  The four models on this shoot for Sitting Pretty are modeling spring and summer clothes against the beautiful backdrop of Acadia Nation Park in Maine.  The problem?  It’s the middle of October and the temperatures are dropping.  And that’s before one of the models is found floating face down in the bay, the object of foul play.

With local police and National Parks personnel fighting over jurisdiction, Jack Prester, is brought in to try to smooth things over.  His job is to help hunt for the killer while making sure that the various agencies are sharing all pertinent information with each other.  Since he wants someone on the inside, he requests that Ev Brant, his partner in the recent case in Death Valley, go under cover taking the place of the dead model to assist him.  But with the personalities of the crew and other models, is Ev now a target?  Will the warring jurisdictions leave the killer free to strike again?

There is lots happening in this book, and the pages just fly by as a result.  I did remember who the killer was going into the reread, but I was completely stumped when I read it the first time 20 years ago.  Knowing who it turned out to be, I spotted clues I had missed before, although I also appreciated the red herrings along the way.  There are several sub-plots that are just as interesting as the main plot, and the conflicts between the various agencies also adds to the mix well.

The result is a lot of characters, all but three of them new, yet I never had a hard time keeping all of them straight.  They are all real people, which just adds to the fun of the book.  This was really driven home to me half way through the book, although that passage didn’t affect me quite as much as it did the first time I read it.  We get to see some real growth for Jack and Ev, which is nice as well.

This is a Christian mystery, meaning some of the characters, including Jack, are Christians, while others aren’t.  I found that it added some depth to the characters and the story.  I also never felt like I was being preached at by any element in the book.

Having originally been published 20 years ago, there are some dated elements.  There are no cell phones (although something tells me that cell phones wouldn’t work in this park anyway).  And the photographers on the shoot use cameras with real film.  Just keep the original publication date in mind and you’ll be fine.

I’ve been enjoying revisiting Jack and Ev and looking at their cases years later.  The books are just as good as I remember them being.  Now, I just need to find time to visit Acadia in person.  If only it wasn’t on the other side of the country.

NOTE: This book was originally published in paperback as A Model Murder.

You enjoy visiting a variety of National Parks with the Jack Prester Mysteries in order.

This review is part of this week's edition of Friday's Forgotten Books.

November 7th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

First Friday of November, which means it is time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56.  (Okay, so if we want to get technical, every Friday means that.)

This week I'm featuring Murder on the Bluffs by Edith Maxwell.

I just finished the book tonight.  Actually, this is an ARC and the real book doesn't come out until Tuesday.  My review will also go live that day.

The book starts with:

I turned away from the teller when a man in work clothes pushed open a frosted glass office door in the Ashford Credit Union and stalked with heavy feet back into the main lobby of the bank.

Moving ahead to page 56, we find:

As we passed the house, a man emerged from the back and slammed the screen door behind him.  He glanced at us but didn't seem to recognize me.

Want to know more?  Come back on Tuesday!

Movie Review: Fun and Fancy Free

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The stories are still entertaining

Cons: Dated elements will lessen kid’s enjoyment

The Bottom Line:

Dated elements

Might keep some from enjoying

Two simple stories

Dated but Fun and Fancy Free

While none of the package features that the Disney Studios released during the aftermath of World War II have stayed very popular intact, elements from them are actually quite popular.  In fact, it might be a surprise to learn that a few of their popular mid-length releases started out in these features.  That’s certainly the case with one of the two segments from Fun and Fancy Free.

Jiminy Cricket is our host for this movie, and he opens it with the title song (a song that was written for him and then cut from Pinocchio.)  After that song is over, he transitions into the two stories, but his overall part in the film is very small.

Up first is “Bongo”, the story of a circus bear who is trained to do all kinds of acts.  He’s the star of the show, but when not in the big top, he’s a prisoner of the owners.  All that changes when he discovers his cage is unlocked one day and makes a daring escape into the wild.  But will the bear be able to survive on his own?  And what will happen when he meets up with other bears?

This portion is told by Dinah Shore, who sings a few songs that go along with the film.  There’s no spoken dialogue between characters.  Animals in a Disney film not talking – shocking isn’t it?  Still, the story is fairly entertaining and contains some great physical comedy as only a cartoon can do.  As it turns into a romance, the comedy keeps coming, and that part of the story is just as entertaining.

I’d guess that most kids would actually enjoy this short with the exception of the music.  While popular for the 1940’s, the style is definitely dated today.  If kids are young enough, they probably won’t care.  Still, it’s probably not something they would be clamoring to watch over and over again.

The second feature is “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” and this is the one that I was surprised to learn had originated in a longer film the first time I watched this movie.  It’s Disney take on the classic tale with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the roll of Jack and a giant who possesses some magic.  DisNerds will be interested to note that this was the last time Walt regularly provided the voice of Mickey.

Yes, the characters actually talk here, and the voice casting is perfect.  In addition to our three heroes and the Giant, there’s also a singing harp.  That means we get several new songs, but they seem to fit typical Disney movies of the era, and I would guess that kids will actually enjoy them.  I know I did when I was a kid.

This story is told by Edgar Bergen, a ventriloquist of the day, and it cuts away occasionally to him, his puppets, and a little girl who is celebrating her birthday.  This is the only live action in the film.  Parts of it are certainly fun, but I feel it slows down the story overall.  Or maybe it’s just the fact that I grew up watching “Mickey and the Beanstalk” without those live action interruptions.  Either way, I feel this part is dated and might turn off kids.  I wish for DVD releases they had included just the animated portions as an extra.

While both of these stories have the ability to entertain kids, I think the dated elements will keep them from requesting Fun and Fancy Free on a regular basis.  However, die hard Disney fans will still enjoy having it in their collection as a stepping stone from World War II into the animated films of the 1950’s.

Ornament Review: Queen Elsa - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun sculpt and popular character

Cons: Head seems very small, very hard to find

The Bottom Line:

Popular Elsa

Makes popular ornament

If you want, buy now

No Frozen Fan Will Want to Let Queen Elsa Go

It’s hard to predict what will create wild frenzies of popularity and what won’t.  Even as big a DisNerd as I am, I am still surprised by just how wildly popular Frozen has become.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the movie myself, but everything related to the movie just flies off the shelves.  Hallmark is jumping into that popularity by releasing not one but two ornaments related to the movie this year.  The second of these is Queen Elsa, and fans will be delighted to add her to their collection.

As you’d expect from the title, this ornament features Elsa, the character from the movie that made everything freeze.  She is wearing her trademark blue dress, and she has her hair in a braid.  She’s looking over her right shoulder and smiling while her dress trails out behind her.  She is standing on a giant snowflake base as well.

As is usually the case, it’s the details that make this ornament so special.  Elsa has a smile on her face that is truly heartwarming.  There is a design to her dress that looks like ice crystals sticking up plus she’s got snowflakes at the bottom of her dress.  There are snowflake designs on the six sided snowflake she is standing on, plus the snowflake is slightly translucent.  I can easily imagine light looking great highlighting parts of it when you have this hung on your tree.

As much as I like this ornament, unfortunately it isn’t perfect.  Between the dress and the snowflake, they are just too big, and it makes it feel like Elsa’s face is too small.  If you just focus on the upper part of the ornament, it doesn’t feel that way, however, when you view the ornament completely, the lower portion just overwhelms Elsa’s head.

The advantage of the snowflake base is it gives us a nice solid base.  You can display this ornament on any flat surface year round if you so desire.

Unfortunately, the ornament isn’t quite balanced.  The loop for hanging the ornament is on the top of Elsa’s head, and that’s located near the front of the ornament.  As a result, it tips back slightly.  But the tip isn’t bad, and you can easily hide it by the time you’ve got it in a branches of your Christmas tree.

This ornament was not originally part of the 2014 line from Hallmark, but they announced the November release right before Ornament Premier back in July.  The result was a feeding frenzy, and most stores filled up their wish lists for the ornament by the end of the weekend.  As a result, the secondary price for this ornament is already climbing and only going to get worse.

However, there is a solution.  Hallmark has a B line of ornaments they sell in various stores like Toys ‘R Us, Wal-Mart, and CVS across the country.  Elsa is one of the ornaments they are selling in their B line as well.  I have not personally seen this version of the ornament in a store, however, from pictures I have seen, it looks like the only difference between the two ornaments is the snowflake base.  Now I do like that snowflake.  However, since you can find the B line version of Elsa is stores and the secondary price is half that of the official ornament, that is certainly a viable option.  If I hadn’t gotten one already, I would certainly consider this route to get this character in this pose.  Of course, as that variation dries up, the prices for it will probably rise as well.

If you decide you need the official Hallmark Queen Elsa ornament, you’ll want to act fast to get it.  However, the B line version is almost as good.  Either way, if you catch her quickly, she will bring a touch of magic ice to your tree for years to come.

Original Price: $14.95