Here Today, Gone Tamale Winner

We have one last winner for the year, and that's the winner of Here Today, Gone Tamale.  And that winner is...

...Katherine!

Congrats!  I've sent you an e-mail to confirm your address, so please get back to me so we can connect you with your prize.

Ornament Review: Admiral Ackbar - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great ornament of a popular supporting character

Cons: Looking for cons is the trap

The Bottom Line:

Admiral Ackbar gets

His turn to be ornament

It’s a … victory

No, It’s Not a Trap for Your Christmas Tree

I must admit that I am hit or miss with Hallmark’s limited edition Star Wars ornaments.  Sometimes I know the characters right off, and sometimes I have to do some research to figure out who it is.  (I love the movies, but I don’t have every aspect memorized since I’ve only seen them a few times.)  Admiral Ackbar was not one of those I had to research, however.  Who could forget such a memorable looking character with such a famous line.

Yes, Admiral Ackbar appears in Return of the Jedi as the leader of the rebellion.  He’s back at headquarters directing the battle in the space around Endor, helping coordinate things so the Empire can finally be defeated.  As part of that, he utters the line “It’s a trap!” as the characters realize things aren’t as they first appeared.  (Why that line has become so well known, I don’t know, but it does seem fairly universally loved by fans.  I know I do.)

Of course, who can forget someone with his looks, either.  They must have used a ton of prosthetics and make up since his face looks so alien.  It might just be me, but I always think of him as a wall-eyed fish on a walrus face.  He’s probably supposed to just be a fish face, but I think of him that way.  Of course, the rest of his body is human looking arms and legs (if alien looking hands and feet), but that face!

Hallmark does a great job of capturing him.  In this ornament, he looks just like he does in the movie.  He’s even wearing his white uniform as he stands before us with his hands on his hips.  And that alone is going to make this ornament a must own for Star Wars fans.  I can’t imagine a better ornament of the character.  He looks fantastic!  And he’s not someone you’d rush to make an ornament from (look how long Hallmark has been making Star Wars ornaments, and this is a first), so we might never get another chance.

Akbar is standing up, meaning the ornament only has his two feet to use for balance.  It’s not super steady and will fall over backwards quickly, but you can set it out on a flat surface to be enjoyed year round as long as the surface is not likely to get bumped.  The loop for hanging the ornament is on his head, and you’ll find that he hangs straight as well.

While I haven’t bought all of the Star Wars limited ornaments that Hallmark has created, I knew I’d have to buy Admiral Ackbar as soon as he was announced, and I don’t regret the decision at all.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you’ll be glad you bought him as well.

Original Price: $14.95

Book Review: The Humbug Murders by L. J. Oliver (Ebenezer Scrooge Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting take on Dickens’ classic character

Cons: Mystery wanders a bit at times; dark

The Bottom Line:

Scrooge sees his first ghost

Leads him down murderous path

In dark mystery

Scrooge’s First Encounter with a Ghost was Murder

My mom loves A Christmas Carol, so I’ve grown up very familiar with the story and love it myself now.  Every year, I still usually see a couple of different versions of it, in fact.  So when The Humbug Murders crossed my radar, the first in a series with Ebenezer Scrooge as the sleuth, I was naturally very curious.

It’s the week before Christmas in 1833, and Scrooge is in his favorite place in the world – his counting house.  His old mentor and friend, Fezziwig, pays him a visit, and his entire world changes.  Fezziwig claims that he has been murdered.  Then he issues a warning – three more will die before Scrooge himself is murdered.

Just as Fezziwig vanishes, the police show up and take Scrooge to the crime scene.  Sure enough, Fezziwig has been murdered and quite brutally.  The body was found by four people who were all summoned by Fezziwig to show up that morning.  They claim to not know each other.  Do they have anything in common?  Why would someone want to kill Fezziwig?  Can Scrooge figure out what is happening before the ghost’s warning comes true?

While this book is set long before A Christmas Carol with a Scrooge who is in his 30’s, there are plenty of references that those familiar with the classic Christmas tale will love.  Those references never felt forced into the story and we often went a long time without any, but they were a complete delight when they showed up.

I must confess that my knowledge of Dickens outside this book is very limited, but I did know enough to recognize some of the other supporting players who showed up, including Pickwick, Fagan, and the Artful Dodger.  In a much larger role, we get a young investigative reporter name…Charles Dickens.  That was another fun touch.

The mystery did seem to wander a bit, but most everything came back into play by the end of the mystery.  There was one development that didn’t seem to lead anywhere, but maybe it will be played up in the sequel.  While I don’t know for sure what the plot of that one will revolve around, I have a feeling it was set up in the closing pages of this book.  (But no, the ending isn’t a cliffhanger.)

I did find Scrooge wasn’t quite the cold hearted man I expected him to be.  I guess I was expecting the man at the beginning of A Christmas Carol, but it is more logical that he hadn’t quite grown into that mantel yet.  Still, we can easily see him growing into that man from what we get here.  The other characters were all good and well-rounded by the end.  I don’t know how faithful any of the other Dickens characters were to their real personas, but they certainly fit into this book well.

Many years ago, I had listened to a radio drama that involved all the classic characters from A Christmas Carol in a murder mystery – one with Scrooge as the victim.  I hated it because it really twisted some of the characters into people I didn’t like.  I was a bit worried about that here, but I am glad to say I didn’t feel that happened.  I am a bit sad at the idea of Fezziwig being murdered, but I had no problem moving past that as the book progressed.

Having said that, this book is definitely darker than I normally enjoy.  The violence is more graphic, and some sex comes into play as the story progresses.  Honestly, that was the part of the story that bothered me the most.  This isn’t a fun, light Christmas mystery but a darker, grittier mystery.

The Humbug Murders is an interesting take on a classic literary character.  I’m glad I read it to satisfy my curiosity.  And if you are okay with a darker take on the character and darker mysteries, you might enjoy it as well.

Game Review: Bubble Talk

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Creative idea executed perfectly for big laughs

Cons: Only if you don’t like to laugh

The Bottom Line:

Funny pictures and

Funnier captions match for

Game filled with huge laughs

Match Pictures and Captions for Huge Laughs

I’m always up for new games, so when some friends mentioned Bubble Talk at a party they were hosting, I was anxious to give it a try.  Within minutes, I was laughing so hard I was crying, and I knew had to buy my own copy.  The game is really that fun.

In reality, this game is a variation on Apples to Apples (which is another game I love).  There are 75 double sided picture cards (so a total of 150 pictures).  These pictures feature things like a boy not so sure about getting his first haircut, a cow straddling a fence, a dog and a cat raiding a frig, somebody doing a sky jump in scuba gear…you get the idea.  Honestly, some of these pictures are hilarious on their own.

Then there are the 300 caption cards.  They are things that someone in the picture might be saying.  You get such captions as “Okay, this isn’t my first time,” “Wait…are we related?” “I hate the new dress code,” “I’m going to need a time out,” or “Let’s hope this looks like an accident.”

When you sit down to play the game, one person is the judge.  They flip over a picture card.  The rest of the players then have to select which of the seven caption cards in their hand they feel best fits the picture and play it face down.  Once everyone has played, the judge reads the captions, laughter ensues, and the judge picks the one they like the best.  Everyone draws a new caption card, and the potion of judge moves around the circle.  The first person to win 5 picture cards wins.

Obviously, there are times a picture comes up and you don’t have anything in your hand that comes close to fitting.  And then there are times that what you think is the perfect caption isn’t because the cards everyone else played are just as funny.  I’ve played this game twice now, and both times there was plenty of laughter.  Maybe not quite laugh until you cry laughter, but everyone was having a fabulous time.

The second time I played was over Thanksgiving with my family.  We had about 8 adults playing, and we played two games (first person to get 5 picture cards wins).  We went through all the caption cards by the second game so had to reshuffle that deck, but there were still plenty of picture cards we didn’t get to see.  Even once you’ve gone through them all, the way they mix and match will change every time, so the laughs will always be fresh.

The makers of the game recommend it for ages 8 and up.  Obviously, it will depend more on how good a reader your child is.  Obviously, I haven’t seen all the pictures yet, but from what I’ve seen, this is a family friendly game.

So if you are ready to laugh, this is the game for you.  Get a copy of Bubble Talk and enjoy over and over again with your family and friends.

To Brew or Not to Brew Winner

We have a couple of winners to pick this week, and the first of those is for a copy of To Brew or Not to Brew.  And the winner is...

...Prentiss!

I've sent you an e-mail so we can get you connected with your prize.  Please be watching for that and get back to me ASAP.  And congrats!

Book Review: Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy #15)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Christmas mystery with plenty of holiday spirit and twists

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Historic Christmas

Filled with mystery, danger

A page turning read

Helping Children at Christmas

Over the past few years, I’ve started saving some Christmas stories to read in December.  Of course, it is easy to do that when one of your favorite authors releases a new Christmas book the middle of November.  That’s what happened this year since last month, Rhys Bowen released Away in a Manger, the fifteenth in her long running Molly Murphy mystery series.  Those looking for a great mystery with Christmas spirit will be delighted with it.

It’s mid-December 1905, and Molly is hoping to enjoy a nice quiet Christmas at home with her family, including her fifteen month only son.  Since her husband, NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan, has been coming home for dinner on time, it looks like this could happen, too.

While out doing some Christmas shopping, Molly and her ward Bridie hear a little girl with a beautiful voice singing Christmas carols.  Bridie can’t get the girl, Emmy, out of her head, and insists they do things to help her since she is out in the cold.  But on each return visit, Molly learns more about this girl and feels compelled to help her.  Her mother left her and her brother Tig with a stranger months ago, saying she’d be back soon.  With very little to go on, can Molly figure out how to help them?

Never fear, if you are new to Molly’s world but want to jump into a Christmas book, you could easily do that here.  Yes, there are references to a few of the previous books, especially the last couple, but there is nothing that will spoil them.  Instead, you’ll find everything you need to understand the characters and their relationships in this book.

And you’ll find Christmas spirit to spare.  There is talk of holiday foods and snow and shopping and windows, even a few traditions from 110 years ago that we don’t have any more.  It’s exactly the kind of book that will make you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and read long into the night next to your Christmas tree.

Of course, there’s also a good mystery.  It might start a tad slowly, but that’s a minor quibble.  Molly’s investigation takes us to a solution I never expected and a climax that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would all play out.  In many ways, the book has some bittersweet elements to it, but that is balanced out by the Christmas tones for a richer read.

Fans of the series will be delighted to spend the holiday with all their favorite characters.  They are in fine form, and I think we might have seen a shift in one relationship, or at least the potential of a shift.  The new characters are wonderful as well and help pull us into the story.

At 250 pages, the book is a little shorter than a normal entry in the series, but that’s not an issue at all.  In fact, any longer, and the book would have felt padded.

So whether you are new to Molly’s world or a longtime fan, buy a copy of Away in a Manger and then build a fire and settle back for an engrossing Christmas mystery.

Missing one of Molly's adventures?  Here are the Molly Murphy Mysteries in order.

Book Review: The FunJungle Collection by Stuart Gibbs

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great mystery, laughs, characters

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Mysteries at zoo

Three entertaining novels

Fun for kids and up

Zoo Full of Exotic Animals, Danger, and Mystery

Sometimes, I hear an idea, and I’m surprised that no one has don’t it before.  That was the case with the FunJungle series by Stuart Gibbs.  I mean, a mystery series for middle schoolers set at a giant zoo?  Brilliant.  And his execution is just as great.  If you’ve missed these wonderful books, you can get caught up with the recently released FunJungle Collection.

The series started out with Belly Up.  Our main character is Teddy Fitzroy, who is living at FunJungle, the giant zoo theme park that has just opened in the middle of nowhere Texas.  He gets to live there because his mother is one of the zoologists in the park and his father is a famous nature photographer working for the park in between assignments that take him all over the world.  He’s learned all the ways to sneak around the park, and that’s why, late one night, he sees something that makes him think that Henry Hippo, the park’s mascot, has been murdered.  When no one will believe him, he starts investigating on his own.  Is he right?

Next up is Poached.  FunJungle has a new koala exhibit with the koala on loan from the Australian government.  When Teddy finds himself needing to hide out in the park (long story I’m not going to spoil), he ducks into the koala exhibit only to be accused of kidnapping the koala the next day.  Can he clear himself and keep an international incident from getting worse?

The most recent (for now) is Big Game, and the animal this time is a rhino.  In fact, someone has just taken a shot at the zoo’s pregnant rhino.  With the rhino’s horns worth a lot of money, the odds are the hunter will be back.  Can Teddy help stop him or her before one of these rare creatures gets killed?

With animals being that target of the crimes, it’s probably not too big a surprise that there are themes of conservation in the books.  That’s a wonderful theme because we should be taking care of the world and not needlessly and pointlessly destroying it and these animals.

However, these morals never once slow down the story.  The plots always start quickly and move along at a brisk pace until Teddy has figured things out.  And yes, the solution to the crime is always logical based on the clues Teddy has gathered.  I must admit that I’ve felt my heart start to race at some of the danger Teddy’s found himself in along the way.

But there are also laughs along the way in all three books.  In fact, Poached has one of my favorite openings lines ever, and that opening scene will definitely make you laugh.

The characters are wonderful as well.  They are fully developed and we’ve gotten to see them and some relationships grow over the three books.  Plus Teddy is blessed with a rarity in middle grade books – fun, caring parents who are responsible and try to keep him from getting into trouble.  Yes, Teddy still solves the case and gets into plenty of danger, but it’s nice to see parents who take their jobs seriously.

This set contains all three books published to date (Stuart is working on a fourth to feature Pandas) in hardcover.

So if you haven’t already found these wonderful books, buy the FunJungle Collection today.  Even if you don’t have a middle grader to justify the purchase, you’ll be glad you read them since they are enjoyable no matter your age.

Enjoy one, you'll enjoy all of the FunJungle series.

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

Ornament Review: Packing Up the Toys - Once Upon a Christmas #5 - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great look and sound

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Toys are in his bag

Santa is ready to fly

Happiness on tree

Santa’s Getting Close to His Midnight Flight as He Packs up the Toys

As you may have noticed I have a slight Hallmark ornament series addiction.  (It’s a subset of my Hallmark ornament addiction.)  But it wasn’t the Once Upon a Christmas series that got me to start buying Hallmark’s magic cord ornaments.  Still, I’m enjoying watching Santa get closer and closer to his Christmas Eve mission with this series, and this year, he’s Packing Up the Toys.

The ornament features Santa in his red coat and hat and his bag of toys.  It’s full to the brim with the presents he’s going to leave for the good little boys and girls.  We can see a teddy bear, a train, a football, a horn, and a drum sticking out of the top of the bag.  And someone is getting a pony for Christmas since there is a small toy pony with a stuffed bear by Santa’s left foot waiting to go in the bag.

Since this is a magic cord ornament, we get light and sound when the ornament is plugged into a magic cord (sold separately).  Most of the light comes from the circular base (red and green), but there is a light (blue) in the drum as well.  The lights flash slowly whenever the ornament is plugged in, and they flash in time with music when any of the ornaments are controlling the show.

When you press the button on this one to start the sound aspect, you get to hear Santa talking about how many toys he has this year, which is great because of all the good boys and girls that means he gets to visit.  I still don’t know who is voicing Santa, but he is wonderful.  It’s a rich, deep voice just like I picture he would have.  After about 15 seconds, he stops talking, but the music continues to play for another 45 seconds so you get a full minute show.  The song this year is “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and the instruments present a wonderful upbeat version of the song.

As I already mentioned, all of this resides on a circular base.  That allows you to put it out on any flat surface.  In fact, it would be fun to have this series on display somewhere like a mantel sometime.  You’ll also find the series marker, in this case a 5 in a Christmas tree, on the bottom.

Or, like me, you can hang the ornament on your tree.  You’ll find the loop on the top of Santa’s hat, and when you slip a hook through it, you’ll find that the ornament hangs straight.

This series has always been detailed, and that continues here.  There’s a design on the bag, you can tell Santa is standing on a wooden floor, and there’s a design around the base as well.

Magic really does describe Packing Up the Toys.  This is a fun ornament that will bring a smile to your face when you hang it on your Christmas tree.

Original Price: $29.95

Enjoy all of Santa's preparations for the big day with the rest of the Once Upon a Christmas series.

December 12th's Weekly TV Thoughts

It is going to start getting really dead for TV for the next couple of weeks.  Maybe I can finally watch that final season of Boy Meets World.

Once Upon a Time – Wow, what an emotional episode.  And yes, I knew Hook wasn’t truly evil.  It’s easy to give into those weaknesses/desires, however.  I absolutely get that.  But his final scene was just gut wrenching.  Great performances from everyone.  Can’t wait until March to see what happens next.  And speaking of which, Gold is back to being the Dark One?  I actually wanted to see them explore him as him again for a while instead of being evil.  So far, I still love the character, but I hope they don’t drag it too long without finding ways to keep him fresh.

The Librarians – You know what I love about this show?  You never know where you will wind up.  Dorian Grey?  What a great twist on the character and a great plot.  Just great fun from beginning to end.

Supergirl – So the father really is dead.  I don’t like that.  I was so holding out hope that he’d still be alive.  But now we know Hank’s real identity, so at least one story line has been advanced and possibly put to rest.  The character growth for Kara as Kara was pretty amazing this week as well.  I am truly loving this show.

The Muppets – I hope those scenes mean that we will be aiming forward a Miss Piggy/Kermit reunion in the new year.  My understanding is that the new focus/format will be in play when we return in February.  I hope I like it.

The Flash – Really loved some of the character moments.  For example, watching what his girlfriend was going through.  And the scene were Joe gave him the watch?  And then Wally showing up at the end?  Wow.  Some of the best stuff of the season to date.

Agents of SHIELD – I am seriously considering cutting back on shows come January, and this one is topping my list.  Ward is now back as that creature?  Really?  Yawn.  I just don’t care about this show any more.  I really truly don’t.

Scream Queens – I got spoiled as to who the final killer was, but not to that ending.  That was just wild!  I’m a little curious about where they would go for a second season, but I doubt it will be renewed.  Either way, I won’t be back.  The parts that were fun were outweighed with the parts that were too graphic and over the top.

Arrow – So last winter break, they killed Oliver as the cliffhanger.  I was almost expecting it to be Felicity this time around.  I doubt she’s in the grave, however, unless it is a fake to throw Damien off.  Felicity is such a huge part of the show, I can’t imagine it without her.

Survivor – Finally, they got rid of Abi!  Granted, it’s been weeks since she annoyed me, but I’m still hugely thrilled.  I have a feeling watching it all play out next week will be very very interesting.

The Big Bang Theory – I honestly wish I hadn’t known how the episode was going to end before it started.  It would have made the ending that much more satisfying.  I did like how they got Sheldon there, although I thought it might be Amy’s ringtone.  Great episode, but the spoilers kind of ruined the desired emotional outcome.

The Amazing Race – I know I’ve been rooting for the Green Team all along, but I found myself rooting for the reporters tonight.  They’d had so many second place finishes it was nice to see them win the leg that truly matters.  And the Green Team’s reaction to coming in second didn’t help me feel for them.  I don’t see them as sore losers, but more over emotional.  I’d probably be doing the same, but still, it was a bit much.

Book Review: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good characters in a well put together mystery

Cons: Flavia and her rabbit trails can be a bit too much at times.

The Bottom Line:

When gypsy attacked

Flavia takes on new case

A tad long but fun

Can Flavia Sift Through the Red Herrings?

An eleven-year-old who solves murders.  That might not seem like a normal protagonist for a series aimed at adults, but Alan Bradley has done a remarkable job of doing just that with Flavia DeLuce.  A Red Herring Without Mustard is her third case, and it’s another enjoyable read.

When a gypsy woman pulls into town, Flavia can’t resist getting her fortune read.  It turns out this woman has visit the village of Bishop’s Lacey in the past and has even stayed in the pasture behind the de Luce family home.  After Flavia accidentally burns down the woman’s tent, she feels responsible for giving the gypsy a place to stay and suggests that she once again camp in that pasture.

Hours later, the gypsy has been attacked and is fighting for her life.  Flavia’s feelings of responsibility only grow, and she sets out to find the person responsible for the vicious act.  With the path seeming to lead through a dead body and several competing theories, can Flavia separate what really is happened from the red herrings?

Actually, seeing how everything came together in the end was one of my favorite things in the book.  No, I’m not going to spoil anything, but this really is a well plotted novel with a few things I thought were superfluous actually tying in to the main story in the end.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few passages that couldn’t have been trimmed.  Flavia’s inner monologue at times distracts from the story as it is unfolding.  A little of it is fun and cute and realistic for an eleven-year-old, but it could have been used more sparely in the book.

Likewise, I must say that Flavia herself can become a bit annoying.  There were times I wanted to smack some sense into her, which is probably proof that she is a realistic eleven-year-old.  Fortunately, she did get some talking to by other characters a couple of times that covered much of what I wanted to say to her.

The rest of the cast are equally as well developed and interesting to spend time with.  Since Flavia is our narrator, we see them through her eyes, but the result are characters we come to care about.

The series is set in 1950 England, and I enjoy getting a visit to another time and place.  Bishop’s Lacey is a small village, so this is very much a different time and place, and that is evoked completely in these pages.

Having now listened to three of the books this year, I find watching some threads that carry through the books quite interesting.  While nothing is resolved yet, something that was mentioned in book one becomes a bigger sub-plot here.  Meanwhile, Flavia has been involved in three murders in three months.  I’d worry if she weren’t enjoying herself so much.

As I just hinted, yes, I listened to the unabridged audio again.  Jane Entwistle is still narrating them, and if she ever stops I don’t know what I will do.  Even if I were to pick up a book and read it, I’d still hear her voice in my head.  And that’s a good thing because she provides such enthusiasm in the narration you can’t help but picture Flavia as you listen, yet she never goes over the top.

I definitely plan to continue visiting Bishop’s Lacey and Flavia de Luce next year.  I’m curious to see where the family and other characters we’ve already come to know go next.  And if you are looking for a different mystery, be sure to pick up A Red Herring Without Mustard today and get lots in a good story.

You'll want to follow along with the rest of the Flavia de Luce mysteries in order.