Book Review: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski (Whatever After #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun twist on a familiar story

Cons: Only for the Evil Queen

The Bottom Line:

Snow White gets twisted

By two kids trying to help

Happy ending still?

The Importance of Eating Poisoned Apples

Fracturing fairy tales seems to be a popular sub-genre these days with many book series dedicated to twisting and mashing these familiar stories.  And, of course, there are a couple TV series based on that idea right now, too.  Still, I can’t seem to get enough of the genre, which brings us to Fairest of All.  This book starts an early chapter book series, and I’m enchanted.

Abby is not adjusting well to the recent move her family has made from Chicago to Smithville.  Everyone does things differently, and she hates change.  But then her brother, Jonah, wakes her up because the mirror in the basement is acting funny.  Yes, you read that right.

And Jonah is right because the next thing Abby knows, the two of them are in a forest.  They stumble upon Snow White just in time to keep her from eating the poison apple.  But now that they’ve changed the story, will Snow get her happy ending?  And how can Abby and Jonah return home?

This book is about 170 pages, with larger print and short chapter.  Translation – I read it in roughly two hours.  Of course, I’m not the target audience; it’s those just graduating to longer chapter books, and I think for them it would be a perfect length.  The chapters are short enough they’ll feel like they are getting somewhere and the book isn’t so long to discourage them.

The characters are developed enough for the audience.  While they aren’t super deep, there are some good character moments that really let them shine.  Plus their characteristics contribute something to the twists of the plot.  What more do you want in such a short book?

The plot is wonderful.  It takes a few interesting twists that caught me off guard.  And yes, one part of the climax did make me bark out a laugh, too.  It was perfect.  No, this isn’t the fairy tale you know and love, but that’s the point.  In fact, it is fun because it twists in ways you don’t expect.

There is a definite girl power theme to the story, but the book never turns preachy, and it just shows that women are capable of helping themselves.  No man hating here at all.  Frankly, considering Snow in the original version of the tale, I’m okay with her taking a more active role in her happy ending.  And the scene between her and the prince at the end of the book is a riot.

Yes, I found the humor in the book to be delightful.  It wraps the entire story in a fun shell that kept me turning pages, too.

I will be picking up the next in the series soon.  Fairest of All is a fun take on a story we all know that will please fairy tale fans of all ages.

NOTE: I won this book in a contest.  My opinion is my own.

This book is part of this week's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.  Follow this link to read more entries.

February 15th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Olympics, Olympics, Olympics!!!

Fortunately, I only had one new show on this week because I was busy watching the Olympics with every spare moment I could find.  Actually, I was able to watch most of the prime time coverage this week, which has been a lot of fun.  The human stories make this so much more interesting than normal sports, at least for me.  And honestly, I do wish they would show some of these events more than every four years.

But I did have one new show….

Melissa & Joey - Melissa and Joe are both fairy loud mouthed, so it was fun having that brought to the surface.  And I do like how they are working on their relationship.  But I'm most curious about Ryder.  Where are they going with the story of his new girlfriend having a baby?

February 14th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Last week, I lost internet and TV for two days, including Friday, so I missed Book Beginnings and Friday 56, but I'm back this week.  Plus it worked out well since I can now highlight the book I was reading last week.

And why is that appropriate?  Because in honor of Valentine's Day, I will be showcasing Killing Cupid by Laura Levine.  This her the latest in her comedic mystery series, and it was another winner.

And here's how it begins:

There it was, waiting for me on my bedspread.  An early Valentine's gift from my Significant Other.
Gingerly I picked it up.
"A hairball.  How very thoughtful."
My cat, Prozac, looked up from where she was lolling on my pillow, beaming with pride.

And moving to page 56 we get:

Good Lord.  Did she actually think I was the kind of woman who'd pimp myself out and date a man I had absolutely no interest in for a few extra dollars?
If so, she knew me well.
Oh, don't go shaking year head like that.
Somebody had to pay to keep Prozac up to her furry little neck in Hearty Halibut Guts.  And I don't see you opening your wallet, do I?

As you can see, this is a very fun book.  If you want to hear more about it, here's my review.

Book Review: Mayhem at the Orient Express by Kylie Logan (League of Literary Ladies #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and humor

Cons: Plot pacing a little uneven but still good

The Bottom Line:

Classic mystery

Parallels to modern plot

Plenty of fun here

Loving Homage to Christie is a Fun Series Debut

At some point in my life, I need to go back and read the Golden Age mystery writers.  Yes, I have a passing familiarity with Agatha Christie and her two most famous sleuths.  However, there are many of her books I’ve never read.  One of them gets the homage treatment in Mayhem at the Orient Express.  Despite my lack of knowledge about the original, I still enjoyed this debut.

Bea has left her life in New York to open a bed and breakfast on South Bass, an island on Lake Eire.  Unfortunately, her new life isn’t off to a great start since she already has running feuds with her two neighbors, Chandra and Kate.  When their latest squabble lands them in court yet again, the judge sentences them to one year as a weekly book club.

Their first choice is Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, but all their first disastrous meeting does is make them hungry for orange/peanut chicken from Orient Express - the new Chinese restaurant in town.  When they arrive for a late dinner, they find Peter, the owner, dead behind the counter.  With events that remind them of the book, will they be able to work together to find the killer?

Any similarities between the Christie classic and the story unfolding in this book are pointed out for the reader – something I was very thankful for.  Yes, the ending of the original is spoiled, but I did know that much going into this book.  Even so, all the discussion made me want to track down a copy and read Christie, which isn’t a bad thing.

Despite the allusions, the plot of this book is all original.  The pacing seemed uneven to me.  Part of that was because this book was setting up the series, the characters, and how the book club got started.  Even after they find Peter’s body, things could have picked up a little.  Still, there are some good clues and twists along the way before we reach a great conclusion.

And the characters?  I loved them.  While the main trio starts the book fighting, it is nice to see them slowly building a friendship.  They are very different women and their personalities are already strong with each contributing something to the story.  There is a large cast of supporting characters, and they were strong as well, making it harder to tell who really was the killer.

The book is filled with a nice dose of humor.  Sometimes, it’s in Bea’s first person narration as she comments on events.  And sometimes, it’s in the exchanges between the characters.  There are some clever turns of phrase that are also good for grins.  This added a delightful feel to a book I was already enjoying.

And make no mistake about it, I did enjoy Mayhem at the Orient Express.  I can’t wait to pick up the sequel and find out what kind of danger classic literature leads these ladies to next.

You'll definitely want to spend more time with the League of Literary Ladies in future books.

Ornament Review: Under the Sea - 2013 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good sculpt and fun sound clip

Cons: Too big and tips forward when hung

The Bottom Line:

Yes, size matters here

Sebastian just looks too big

Still fun ornament

Is Sebastian in Search of a Greener Christmas Tree?

While I'm not a die hard fan of Disney's The Little Mermaid, I absolutely love the music from the film.  So how could I pass up Hallmark's 2013 ornament Under The Sea?

The ornament focuses on Sebastian the crab in a big way.  In fact, the ornament is pretty much just Sebastian.  He's standing on a closed oyster shell with his right hand sticking straight out and his left hand up in the air.  His mouth is open like he's singing, which makes sense since this is a magic ornament.

Yep, that's right.  Just add the two button batteries, and you get to hear Sebastian sing "Under the Sea."  It's about a 20 second clip from the first chorus of the song.  (And yes, I do know the song well enough to know that.  The laugh at the end was the final clue, but I suspected already.)  It's short as far as sound clips go, but anything longer would just lead to a weird cut off at the end.  And the battery hiding compartment?  In a fun twist, it's actually in the back under Sebastian's shell.

Despite the fact that Sebastian is sitting on a shell, this ornament does a pretty good job of sitting on any flat surface.  It's will rock a bit, and it wouldn't take much to knock him over, but if you set him on a shelf or other sturdy flat surface, he's not going anywhere.

Unfortunately, he tips forward quite a bit when you hang him.  There's a loop in the back of his head, and the tip you get when you hang him is noticeable.  Once he's at eye level, he looks okay, but if he's down near the bottom of your tree at all, you'll notice.

But I have a bigger problem with Sebastian himself - his size.  Don't get me wrong, this is a great sculpt of a great character, and the sound clip is very, very fun.  And ornament is about the same size as most Hallmark ornaments.  However, for just Sebastian by himself, he turns out to be too big.  I wouldn't want him as small as a Hallmark mini ornament, but somewhere between half his current size and three fourths of his current size would have been much, much better.

Yes, size matters, but I couldn't pass up this chance to own Sebastian in ornament form, especially with the added fun of the Under The Sea sound clip.  While not perfect, I really like this ornament.

Original Price: $17.95

Waiting on Wednesday for February 12th

It's Wednesday!  And, that means it is time for another Waiting on Wednesday.

This week, I'm highlighting The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.

Now, I don't normally read Janet Evanovich (which is shocking since I like light comedic mysteries), but I've been a fan of Lee Goldberg for a while.  I realize that is backwards in how most people are coming to this series, but there you go.

Anyway, this series focuses on an FBI agent and a con man who team up to take down other criminals.  Yes, there is a huge element of White Collar to it, however the stage for these books takes them all over the world.  And, since the FBI agent is a woman and the con man is a man, we've got romantic sparks as well.

This time around, they are racing the clock to steal back a Chinese artifact stolen from the Smithsonian by a former White House Chief of Staff before the theft becomes public and an international incident ensues.  Sounds like lots of fun to me.

And we don't have long to wait since the book will be out on February 25th.

Game Review: Qwirkle

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Creative mix and match game for big score

Cons: Many colors are too similar except in bright lights

The Bottom Line:

Line up tiles by their

Colors and shapes scoring points

For addictive fun

Mix and Match Shapes and Colors and Score Big Points with Qwirkle

Qwirkle is the new popular game in my family.  I hadn’t even heard of it, but both my parents and my brother and sister-in-law asked for it for Christmas.  Over the time I was there for the holiday, we played it quite a bit because it is lots of fun.

The game consists of a bunch of blocks with colors and shapes on them.  There are six colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple) and six shapes (from circles to stars and diamonds).  There are three sets of all color and shape combinations, so there are 108 blocks in the game.  While the game comes in a box, it also includes a bag for drawing, which is very helpful.

The point of the game is to score big points.  You do this by matching color or shape to create lines.  There can only be one of each color or one of each shape per line.  You get points for how many your play creates in a line.  For example, if you play two pieces to create a line of four, you get four points.  You get extra points if your play can count for more than one line.  And if you complete a line of six (called a Qwirkle), you get a bonus.  Once you’ve played, draw the number of tiles you played from the bag.  Once the tiles run out and someone runs out of tiles in their hand, the game is over and the high score wins.

It sounds complicated, but it is actually very easy to pick up.  Once you’ve played a turn or two, you get the strategy and the ways you can play things.  The score starts to add up, too.  Don’t worry if you fall behind because things can change.

Part of that is strategy.  Do you block a potential Qwirkle and potentially hurt yourself later?  Do you hang on to a tile you can play in hopes of getting a Qwirkle later?  Do you play the other tiles in your hand here or there?

And that’s what makes the game fun.  We played multiple games over the course of three or four days, and no two tables were close to looking the same when we’d finished.  It obviously depends on which tiles are drawn when and then which are played.

The strategy also makes the game fun.  With every turn, I’m looking over the board and trying to play to get the most points without setting up my opponents to get bigger points.  Since this is an individual game, it helps that you don’t have to try to second guess what your teammate has.  You are only playing for yourself.

The box recommends the game for ages 8 and up.  While younger kids could certainly match the colors and shapes, they might miss out on the subtle strategy involved.  Obviously, that age is a guideline, but it seems like it’s probably about right.

Likewise, they recommend the game for 2-4 players.  The first time I played, we played with 5 people.  I don’t see where it makes too big a difference, although too many people playing would make the game to hard to win.  I think six might be the max that would make the game fun.

The one problem with the game is the colored tiles.  They are too similar to each other unless you are in bright lights.  Green is about the only color that doesn’t look like its neighbors in the rainbow.  It’s something to watch out for, although it’s not bad enough to ruin the game.

It amazes me how people keep coming up with fun games, but Qwirkle proves that there are still creative people out there creating new, fun games.  You’ll be hooked after your first game.

Book Review: Moriarty Returns a Letter by Michael Robertson (Baker Street Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and an interesting plot

Cons: I couldn’t find any; I was too busy having fun

The Bottom Line:

Sherlock’s legacy

Finding others in danger

Mystery from past

Moriarty’s Past Revealed

While I am not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (in fact, I’ve read very few of the stories at all), I do know just enough to appreciate books like Moriarty Returns a Letter.  It takes the Sherlock legacy and puts a different spin on things with plenty of nods to the original to please fans.

For those who haven’t read the first three books in the series, it follows Reggie Heath, a barrister who happens to be renting 221B Baker Street as his office space.  Part of his lease is dealing with the letters that people write to Sherlock Holmes, a task that keeps putting him in danger.  Obviously, these books are not directly connected to Holmes, but they are fun books that dabble in his legacy in our world today (or at least the late 90’s when they are set).

However, if you haven’t read the earlier books, don’t jump in here.  You have to read the second book in the series, The Brothers of Baker Street, first.  While this is book four in the series, it acts as a direct sequel to book two and spoils much of that book.  I was happy with the refresher since it's been a couple years since I read it, but still, you’ll want to read them in order.

All that Reggie Heath is focusing on is his upcoming engagement trip with Laura to her family estate to officially announce their upcoming marriage.  Unfortunately, the Sherlock letters rear their head again as he needs to help prepare a special display with many of the old ones before he can go.

However, one of the old letters he unearths contains a secret connected to Moriarty, and events begin to unfold that might bring the secret to light.  By the time it all settles, who will be left standing?

I’m being a vague as possible in my description of the book because the fun is watching how the plot unravels.  We actually start in the past, so we know much of what is happening even if the characters don’t.  The question then becomes how will they figure it out?  As a result, this isn’t the traditional one dead body plus five suspects kind of a mystery, but the plot works well.  I always had a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to see if the characters would figure it out.

Plus the characters are great.  While Reggie still isn’t a huge fan of the letters, he has softened a lot since book one.  Much of that is due to Laura, who really does bring out the best in him.  Reggie’s brother Nigel shows up again as well, although I wish he had a bigger part.  The rest of the returning characters are good and the new ones are great.  They feel like real people and are a joy to be around.

So for something different, pick up Moriarty Returns a Letter.  This is a fun book that anyone can enjoy no matter how much you know about the Holmes legacy.

Need to read in order?  Here's Baker Street Mysteries in order.

Ornament Review: Big Box of 64! - 2013 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Colorful representation of a childhood favorite art supply

Cons: Few minor ones but none worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

Relive coloring

With fresh new box of crayons

Nostalgic on tree

Relive the Joys of a Colorful Childhood

One of the simple joys of childhood is coloring.  I can remember many happy hours of coloring in my coloring books or even making picture on my own.  (Trust me, I was much better coloring in books.)  That joy is recalled in Big Box of 64!, a delightful and popular 2013 Hallmark ornament.

When the lid on this ornament is closed, it honestly don’t look like much.  It’s a plastic box.  But it is painted to look like the outside of a box of Crayola Crayons.  The painting looks right to me – just like the boxes I had as a kid or at least how I remember them.  There’s even a hole in the back to represent the crayon sharpener they used to have in some of the boxes.  I remember it being on the side and this one doesn’t have anything to actually sharpen with, but I’m nitpicking.  It’s a nice detail that I love.

The lid of the ornament is hinged, and when you open it, you can see a full box of new crayons waiting to be used.  And as the title of the ornament suggests, there are 64 different colored crayons represented there.  If you look very closely at the crayons, you’ll see that they are only half of a cylinder, but most of the time you’re eye sees it as fully round.  I know once I discovered that fact, I didn’t truly see that again unless I was looking for it.

Obviously, you’ll want to keep the lid open so you can see the crayons.  With the lid closed, this ornament is just okay, but when you are looking at the crayons themselves, it becomes quite fun.

And that’s why the brass ring for hanging the ornament is actually located on the front of the lid.  You have to have the lid open to hang it on your tree.  The ornament actually tips forward quite noticeably, but with the branches on my tree, I didn't notice at all last year. Those branches made up the different and it look straight to me.

Since the base of the ornament is the base of a box of crayons, it should not be a surprise that you can display it on any flat surface as well.  It's a little back heavy, but as long as you leave it alone, it will stand.  It would certainly work as a year round decoration reliving memories of childhood.

I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at it.  The hours of coloring came back quickly, and I loved the nostalgia this ornament brought.  Today’s kids would enjoy it, too, because they are enjoying coloring right now.  As a result, this is definitely an ornament all ages could love.

And all ages must have loved it because Big Box of 64! was a big seller last year with many Hallmark stores selling out early.  If you are interested, track it down quickly before it gets rarer.

Original Price: $17.95

February 8th's Weekly TV Thoughts

This was an interesting week for TV watching.  My internet and TV router died Wednesday and I didn't get my new one until last night.  As a result, I had to catch up via On Demand, the internet, and a rerun, but I've caught everything.

USA Network also announced that this is the final season of psych.  It was pretty obvious to everyone it was coming for a while now, so I'm only surprised it took them this long to announce it.  I'll miss the show for sure, but I could tell the show was beginning to slide in quality, so I'd rather seem them go out while still near the top of their game.  I'll definitely enjoy these last few episodes, of course.

But on to program specific comments.

Arrow - Not that happy with Sara's story arc at the moment.  Just how many people is she going to kiss?  I absolutely get Laurel's reaction, although I think there is some mixed emotion below the surface.  I'll be interested to see where they take Laurel next.  And Oliver's reaction to his mother's secret was definitely over the top.

Melissa & Joey - All I can think is why haven't I gotten to try flaming cheese yet?  And is it a real thing.  And I wonder why Ryder really wasn't in the episode.

Psych - I always love it when shows twist the conventions of the series, and with Gus driving the plot this time around, it was a natural to do.  And it delivered.  Decent mystery, too.

The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon and Amy kissed!  And he seemed to like it.  That's probably the big relationship moment between the two of them this year, but it was such an unexpected and fun moment.  I really liked it.

The Crazy Ones - That was quite a funeral at the end.  And it was fun to see Woody from psych pop up somewhere else, although his character here was almost as out there as the one of psych.

Enlisted - Definitely a funny episode, and that video at the end was great.  The way the three brothers interact was just so perfect this week.  Still charming and funny.