August 15th's Weekly TV Recap

Wow.  Only four shows this week, and I know two of them are winding down before the month is over.  Kind of hard to believe it's the end of summer already, isn't it?  Wait, we're only half way through August.  Let's not rush things too much.

America Ninja Warrior – Only two finishers.  I would have definitely failed at the monkey bars.  I can’t do monkey bars, much less floating monkey bars.  Okay, fine, I would have failed long before that, but still, I had to laugh when I saw that new obstacle.

Scream – I couldn’t believe it when they found Will and he wasn’t already dead.  And the killer there and everyone made it out of the bowling alley.  Then they got me with that final scene.  And for Emma to cause it (indirectly) and see it.  Oh man, next week is going to be brutal.

Suits – I’d like to change my answer on the cliffhanger.  Someone else is going to learn Mike’s secret, and this person will be turning him in as the episode fades to black.  This s not going to be good.  Having said that, it’s an amazing season with some much great tension going on.

Girl Meets World – I didn’t figure out who Jack was until much before they told us (as in why he was visiting Eric).  But seriously, what are they doing with Riley and Lucas?  I like them together.  They just need to create a better character for Lucas.  Don’t write him off the show in favor of another love.  And Maya needs a different love interest.  Oh, and I could have lived without that tag.

Congrats to the Winner of Crushed Velvet

Before I head off to bed, time to announce the winner of Crushed Velvet.  And that lucky person is...

...Diana, aka SecondhandRose!

Congrats.  Be sure to check your e-mail so I can connect you with your prize.

Movie Review: Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action and ending

Cons: Formulaic despite efforts to break from the formula

The Bottom Line:

Machines still hunting

Sci fi, action, formula

All mix in this film

Premise Becoming a Bit Familiar

It’s been sitting on my DVR for a while, but life has gotten busy, so I finally got a chance to sit down and watch Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.  I’m definitely beginning to feel the familiarity in the franchise, but it was still a fun movie.

We are once again set in the “present” (read 2003) as a young 20’s John Connor (Nick Stahl) is doing his best to live his life off the grid, afraid of the future his mother has constantly told him about.  He stumbles into his past when he meets up with Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), someone he knew in Jr. High but lost touch with after taking off with his mom after the events of the last movie.

And just as the two of them meet up again, two Terminators are sent into the past.  In addition to the old model (Arnold Schwarzenegger), we also get a female terminator (Kristanna Loken) this time.  John immediately assumes he’s the target that the machines have been sent into the past to kill him and begins to figure out a way to survive.  But are his assumptions correct?  Can anyone survive as we inch closer to the doomsday we’ve been expecting for so long?

Yes, they tried to shake things up with a female terminator this time, but let’s be honest.  This is the third film in the franchise, and the premise is familiar.  There were a couple of interesting twists on the formula this time around, but they were small.  Big picture, if you’ve seen one of the first two Terminator films, you know what to expect here.

Not that the film doesn’t deliver.  We get plenty of action throughout the entire film and some great suspense early on as the evil terminator does a bit of stalking.  Ironically enough, the special effects don’t seem quite as elaborate as the second film, which was filmed a decade earlier.  Don’t get me wrong, the effects are all great, but they aren’t as breathtaking or creative.  Likewise, the acting is fine, especially from the leads.

What propels this film up a bit in my mind is the ending.  I wasn’t expecting it, and how it was executed made it powerful.  It actually left me wondering what would happen next to the characters, so obviously I’ve come to care about them more than I expected.

While Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is not classic cinema, it is still entertaining.  If you are looking for some action with a science fiction bent, you’ll enjoy it.

August 14th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

It's late, and I'm tired, so I'm not going to be too creative.  Time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm reading Death by Tiara by Laura Levine.

This is the latest in the Jaine Austen mystery series.  It's a favorite series because it's very funny and always fun and delightful.  I'm about 100 pages into this book, and so far this one is no exception.

Here's the first sentence of the Prologue:

It's ironic, really, when I think of how optimistic I was when this whole mess began - how rosy everything seemed, how rife with possibilities.

And the beginning of Chapter 1:

I should have known something was amiss when I checked the address Heather had given me and saw she lived in Orange County.

Finally, there's this exchange on page 56:

"Bri, say hello to Scott's friend, Jan."
"Um.  Actually, it's Jaine."
"As if I give a rat's patootie."
Okay, so what she really said was, 'Oh, right."  But I could read between the lines.

Have a great weekend.

Book Review: Shunned and Dangerous by Laura Bradford (Amish Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery

Cons: Claire cries a bit too easily and her action to Jakob’s shunning feels recycled

The Bottom Line:

Murder close to home

Characters continue strong

Engrossing story

Don’t Shun This Book

When Shunned and Dangerous came out in 2014, the reviews of the book made me decide I had to give the series a try.  Sadly, I didn’t get to the series until this year, but I’ve been enjoying it greatly.  I was very much looking forward to seeing what I would think of this book when I got to it.  Once again, it was a good read.

Claire Weatherly loves puzzles, so corn mazes are a special delight.  She is really looking forward to the one put on by Mose Fisher in his corn field, and is down there on a Friday night all ready to find her way out.  When she hears about a more advanced section, she quickly heads there to make it even more challenging.

Unfortunately, before she can find her way out of the maze, she finds the dead body of Harley Zook.  It was the murder of Harley’s brother sixteen years ago that led Detective Jakob Fisher to leave the Amish community, which resulted in his shunning.  All this time, Harley had been the lone advocate for Jakob in the Amish community, which had infuriated Mose, Jakob’s father.  With the close ties to the case, Jakob will have a hard time investigating it, especially when the evidence seems to point to Mose.  How can Claire help him solve the case, especially when she is dealing with her own problems?

Once again, the emotions of this book and these characters are front and center.  It is hard not to hurt for Jakob, especially as he is forced to deal with evidence that points to a man he still loves even if they have a very complicated past and present.  This is even more moving since we see everything from Claire’s third person point of view.  The writing draws you in and lets you get lost in that world.

That cast of characters is vivid.  I never have any trouble remembering who everyone is and their relationship to each other, and I love watching those relationships grow.  The new characters are just as strong, which makes it easy to care about the outcome.

I did figure out the direction the plot was going early on, but I didn’t have the specifics worked out until Claire figured everything out.  The climax was great, and what it revealed about the characters involved was amazing.

I do have some slight issue with this book.  Claire seems to be ready to cry very easily, and I did find it a bit tiring by the end.  Additionally, Claire speaks her mind a little too freely about how Jakob is being treated by his family.  While I happen to agree with her, she needs to come to terms with the Amish beliefs because at this point it is feeling like a recycled plot element.  Then again, maybe the problem is me since I have read the first three books in the last six month and the books only take place over the course of two months.  Either way, I do hope these aspects are toned down some in the next in the series.

And I certainly plan to read more books in the series.  I love this cast of characters, and I need to know what happens to them next.  If you want to get pulled into a great story, Shunned and Dangerous is for you.

To get more of these characters, be sure to read the Amish Mysteries in order.

Ornament Reivew: Cookie Cutter Halloween - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute scene creatively presented for Halloween

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Mouse trick or treating

Halloween decoration

Non-scary and fun

Wonderful Halloween Series Compliment

I don’t not collect Halloween ornaments.  And denial is just a river in Egypt.  Hallmark has been slowly sucking me into collecting Halloween ornaments the last few years since they’ve been releasing compliments to series I already collect that are Halloween themed.  Cookie Cutter Halloween marks this year’s addition to my collection, and I just had to buy it.

In case you aren’t familiar with the popular Cookie Cutter Christmas series, each ornament features a mouse participating in some Christmas tradition.  The twist?  The scene is actually inside a different shaped cookie cutter.

They’ve kept that idea alive for this series compliment.  The cookie cutter is shaped like a pumpkin.  No surprise there, right?  Inside, the mouse is out trick or treating.  She’s dressed up as a witch in black cape and hat and is approaching a door in a tree.  One thing I love about this series is the way they incorporate candy into the design.  In this case, the door is made out of a reddish cracker, there is licorice around the door, candy corn on either side of the door, and the step up to the door is an Oreo cookie.

All of the designs in this series are so incredibly cute, and this one is no exception.  It’s why I knew I had to buy it.  The picture is wonderful and the way it is presented in the cookie cutter shape is just so creative.  I could certainly never do that.  While I don’t really decorate for Halloween, I had to get this ornament.  Yes, it is partially the completest in me - I must have all of a series.  But I could skip this one if I didn’t like it, which means I really do like it enough that I had to buy it.

Looking at this ornament, I never would have guessed you could set it out to be displayed since there is a small bump at the bottom of the ornament.  However, the cookie cutter is wide enough that it actually does stand up.  It makes me wonder if the rest of the series can be displayed standing up like this.  Since I don’t have any way to hang Halloween ornaments, this is nice since it gives me a way to display the ornament in October.

Of course, if you want to hang the ornament, there is a loop at the top of the pumpkin’s stem.  The ornament does tip back slightly when hung, but that’s a minor issue.

I knew as soon as I saw a picture that I’d want to get Cookie Cutter Halloween, and the final result was perfect.  This is an ornament to enjoy for Octobers to come.

Be sure to check out the other cute ornaments in the Cookie Cutter Christmas series.

Original Price: $14.95

Fudging the Books Winner is...

Time to start drawing some names for the giveaways around here, right?  Up first is the winner of Fudging the Books.  That lucky person is...

...JHolden!

I have just e-mailed you, so be sure to check for that so we can connect you with your prize.

And there is still plenty of time to enter to win Crushed Velvet and Malice at the Palace.

Book Review: Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen (Royal Spyness #9)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, good story, amazing atmosphere

Cons: One recycled sub-plot

The Bottom Line:

Avoiding scandal

While still solving a murder

Makes history fun

Who is Trying to Involve the Royal Family in a Scandal?

I always say I enjoy reading historical fiction, but I wind up reading very little actual historical fiction.  One of the few historical fiction authors I follow is Rhys Bowen, and both of her historical mysteries series are top notch.  She transports you to another time and place while still telling a great story.  Malice at the Palace is the ninth in her Royal Spyness series, and it’s another perfect example of her wonderful storytelling.

For this book, we are transported back to London in 1934.  Our tour guide is Lady Georgiana.  Georgie, as she is known to her friends, is the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, so a minor royal.  The problem is she’s poor, so she has to find ways to provide for herself until she marries.  Along the way, she manages to find herself in some interesting situations.

As this book opens, she is once again trying to find a place to live, but Queen Mary comes through in an unexpected way.  Prince George, the youngest of the three princes, is getting married in a month, and the queen wants Georgie to spend the month with Princess Marina, the bride-to-be, helping her adjust to London.  Georgie will be living with the Princess in Kensington Palace.  It all sounds wonderful, and Georgie gladly accepts – not that one can really say no to the queen.

Things are going well until the night Princess Marina arrives. She and Georgie have just returned from dinner at Buckingham Palace when Georgie stumbles until the body of Bobo Carrington in the courtyard of Kensington Palace.  Since Bob had been linked to Prince George in the past, a full blown investigation could lead to a royal scandal and a broken wedding, so Georgie is asked to discretely ask questions to find the killer.  But why was her body at Kensington Palace?  What part of her past lead to her murder?

My favorite kind of historical fiction is when an author is able to take historical fact and weave it seamlessly into their story.  Based on the historical note at the end of the book, that’s exactly what Ms. Bowen did here.  Yes, the murder victim and everything Georgie unravels in the book is completely fictitious, but it’s not as far out there as you might think.  Save the historical note until you reach the end so you avoid any spoilers.

It won’t take you long to get to the end.  No, I’m not saying the book is short.  It’s that engaging.  I was constantly turning pages because I couldn’t wait to see how it would all end.  Yes, the book starts a little slowly, but that’s a feature of the series and it gives us a chance to catch up with a few series regulars as the plot is being set up.  Once the body is discovered, things progress at a steady clip until the end.  I do have a small niggle about how the climax unfolded, but the solution to the mystery was logical and satisfying and all the clues were there.

Likewise, the characters are fantastic.  The series regulars are as sharp and real as ever, and they are a pure delight.  The new characters introduced, real people and fictitious, are just as well drawn.

My only real complaint was a snag in the relationship between Georgie and her fiancée Darcy.  It felt like something we’d seen in books past.  However, based on how the book ends, I have high hopes that this sub-plot is behind us for good.  In fact, based on how this book ends for several characters, I’m anxious to find out what will happen next to many of them.

I knew nothing about this period of British history before I started reading the series.  I’ve actually learned quite a bit as a result of picking them up because I’ve done research to see what happened to these people in real life.  As a result, I’ve actually found these books more satisfying since I’ve gotten glimpses of the bigger historical narrative unfolding.  Since so much of this book involves the Royal Family (not always the case in the series), we get to see more of Prince Edward and Mrs. Simpson, and those scenes were fantastic.  It’s so interesting watching the characters reacting to things knowing what would eventually happen in real life.

Unfortunately, I’ve never made it to London (but I’d love to one day).  However, while reading this book, I felt like I was right there traveling the streets with Georgie.  The descriptions are wonderful at bringing the location and the time period to life.

As usual after reading one of Rhys Bowen’s books, I’m left wondering why I don’t read more historical fiction.  Malice at the Palace brings 1930’s London to vivid life.  I’m already waiting for Georgie’s next adventure.

Looking for more of Georgie's adventures?  Check out the Royal Spyness series in order.

NOTE: I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway:

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, August 18th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 8/18.

TV Show Review: Boy Meets World - Season 4

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Lots of fun and some serious moments

Cons: A few inconsistencies from earlier seasons

The Bottom Line:

The characters age

As some transitions are made

Show still going strong

“Cory, You’re Missing a Really Funny One.  The Curly Head Kid Keeps Digging Himself in Deeper and Deeper.”

I’m so thankful for Girl Meets World.  Yes, the show itself is fun and I love watching it, but it is also making me go back and watch the seasons of Boy Meets World that I missed when it first aired.  I’ve now passed the half-way point with season 4, and I’m still really enjoying it.

When last seen, Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his older brother Eric (Will Friedle) were heading out on a cross country road trip.  As the season opens, the brothers are heading home, but Eric is having a hard time with the idea.  In a thread that will continue across the season, Eric is trying to figure out what to do since he didn’t get into college.  He’s not the only one having a crisis since father Alan (William Russ) is tired of managing a grocery store.  Fortunately, they both find that next step when the family buys a sporting goods store.

Meanwhile, Cory, his girlfriend Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel), and his best friend Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong) are entering their junior year of high school.  (Wait, weren’t they in sixth grade in season one?)  Shawn is living with his father (Blake Clark), and it isn’t too long before his mother (Shareen Mitchell) moves back in as well.  Over the course of the season, the Hunters and the Matthews get together for a shared Thanksgiving meal.  Topanga cuts her hair to make a point to Cory.  Cory tries to attend Topanga’s Sweet Sixteen party and a wrestling match at the same time.  And house sitting for neighbor (and principal/teacher) Mr. Feeney (William Daniels) turns into a business opportunity.

A couple of things struck me as I watched this season.  First, it tackled more serious subjects than some of the earlier seasons.  One episode deals with an abused girl.  Topanga’s family moves to Pittsburg.  And Shawn joins a cult, meanwhile, his mentor at school, Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn), gets in a serious bike accident.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of laughs, but the more serious stories are definitely there.

Speaking of Jonathan, this brings up something else.  This is his last season on the show, which isn’t a surprise considering how many episodes he missed over the course of the season.  Instead, Mr. Feeney begins to take on more teaching again and less time as the principal.

This is also the season where the characters begin to talk about Cory and Topanga being lifelong true loves.  That was definitely not the case in the first couple of seasons, but it is a change I knew was coming from the later seasons I had watched.

Oh, and the show manages to poke fun at itself and being a TV show in several episodes.  I always love it when a show winks at us like this, so I enjoyed those moments.

The actors do a great job in a season that calls for quite a range from them.  Whether the episode is pure comedy or filled with more serious moments, they always pull it off perfectly.

The season consisted of 22 episodes, and all of them are presented here in their native full frame and stereo sound.  This was the 90’s, after all, so that’s how they were originally presented.  There are no extras, although we did get an audio commentary of one of these episodes on the season 1 set.

In some ways, season 4 of Boy Meets World feels like a show in transition.  However, it is still a wonderful show filled with funny and serious moments.  Fans of the show will be thrilled to revisit these moments with their favorite characters.

Season 4 Episodes:

1. You Can Go Home Again

2. Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow

3. I Ain’t Gonna Spray Lettuce No More

4. Fishing for Virna

5. Shallow Boy

6. Janitor Dad

7. Singled Out

8. Dangerous Secret

9. Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred-Pound Men

10. Turkey Day

11. An Affair to Forget

12. Easy Street

13. B&B’s B ‘N’ B

14. Wheels

15. Chick Like Me

16. A Long Walk to Pittsburgh (Part 1)

17. A Long Walk to Pittsburgh (Part 2)

18. Uncle Daddy

19. Quiz Show

20. Security Guy

21. Cult Fiction

22. Learning to Fly

Book Review: It's a Magical World by Bill Watterson

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: “I’d Say Some Promotions, Awards, Medals, and Advanced Degrees are in Order!”

Cons: “Should We Get Them Before We Get in Trouble, or After?”

The Bottom Line:

This one last wild romp

Proves the strip still going strong

Thanks for all the laughs

“If You Couldn’t Find Any Weirdness, Maybe We’ll Just Have to Make Some!”

Sadly, all great things come to an end.  That was the case 20 years ago for fans of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, and we are still mourning the loss.  Fortunately, we get one last hurrah with It's A Magical World.  And the book is proof that the strip was still going strong even at the end.

By now, everyone is familiar with the world of Calvin, a six-year-old with a very active imagination.  For example, Hobbes is his stuffed tiger – at least to the rest of the world.  To Calvin, he’s very much alive and his best friend (when they aren’t arguing just like best friends do at that age).

This book contains some classic stories as Calvin and Hobbes hold an emergency meeting of G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) when their neighbor Susy spends the afternoon at their house when her mom is out.  Calvin’s standard conflict with his babysitter Rosalyn meets his favorite game – Calvinball.  His father tries to teach him how to ride his homicidal bike.  And, of course, he has to worry about whether he’s been good enough for Santa to bring him any presents.

There are about nine months’ worth of strips in this book, but what actually surprised me the most was how many of them either stood alone or were only stories that covered two or three days.  The epic stories are definitely in the earlier strips.

However, that’s not to say the humor is any less funny.  I still laugh every time I read the book, and I can’t remember how many times I’ve read these strips at this point.  Some of the jokes definitely work best if you know the characters since they are running gags that had been around for years at this point, but most of the punchlines everyone will still get.

As the strip went on, creator Bill Watterson took some swipes at the culture of the 1990’s.  We get some of that here with Calvin’s subscription to Chewing magazine which feeds into his constant desire to improve his hobby of chewing gum.  Then there’s his take on art with Calvin and his snowmen.  Finally, there’s his take on the political discourse of the day.  Sadly, that still rings true today as well.

The pictures that go along with the dialog are brilliant as well.  In fact, the sight gags are sometimes as hilarious as anything anyone says.  This book is a complete treat in every sense of the word.

The one thing I haven’t touched on is possibly the biggest storyline of the last few months.  Calvin has a leaf project for school that he procrastinates on.  No surprise there.  What is a surprise is when two aliens show up and Calvin sells them the planet for 50 leaves.  Why bring this up now?  Bill Watterson has said that he almost had this story play in to the end of the strip.  I’m so glad he didn’t.  Instead, the final strip leaves things open for Calvin and Hobbes to have many more great adventures together.  As sorry as I am that the series ended, the last strip is perfect just the way it is.

So if you have never found Calvin and Hobbes, you really do need to fix that today.  It's A Magical World might not be the best place to start since it is the end of the series, but it is a wonderful book that fans of the strip will treasure.  I know I do.

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