Book Review: The Abominable Snowman by R. A. Montgomery (Choose Your Own Adventure #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Unique format and idea executed well

Cons: I choose not to see any cons

The Bottom Line:

Story dictated

By choices you make.  Choose it

And have fun reading

Where Will You Wind Up When You Search for the Abominable Snowman?

Growing up as a reader in the 80’s, I naturally found and read some of the Choose Your Own Adventure Books.  In fact, I’ve still got a few in my garage somewhere.  I was thrilled recently to learn that they have been updated and are back in print for a new generation.  I’ve read one of these updated books, The Abominable Snowman, and these books are just as fun as they were before.

If you’ve never read a Choose Your Own Adventure book, there are some things you have to know before you begin.  First of all, you are the star of the story and the main character.  Also, you can’t read this book straight front to back since the story jumps around the book.  Every page or two, you will be presented with two choices.  Decide which one you want to pursue, and then flip to that page to find out what happens next to you.  Just keep going until you reach “The End.”  Don’t like that ending?  Back up and try again.

In this book, you are a mountain climber, one of the best in the world.  You and your best friend Carlos have decided to go to the Himalayas and find proof of the existence of the Abominable Snowman, also known as the Yeti.  Carlos arrives a few days before you, and by the time you arrive, he can’t be reached on the radio.  What do you do?  Choose carefully because your choices could make your career with proof of the Yeti, lead to an encounter with poachers, get you kidnapped by aliens, or give you a new blissful home in Shangri-La.

There are a total of 28 different outcomes based on the choices you make, so I’ve just given you a small sample.  As you can see, this book clearly crosses into the fantasy realm, but that is much of the fun.  You never quite know what will happen based on the choices you make or where you will end up.

When I read these books as a kid, I would stick my fingers in at various choices, using them as bookmarks so I could easily backtrack.  After all, I had to be sure I read everything.  I found myself using the exact same method as an adult.  If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?

Of course, reading the entire book in one sitting can lead to whiplash at times.  A character who is your friend based on one set of choices becomes your enemy based on another set.  I don’t remember having that issue as a kid, but it was a good exercise in flexibility for me as an adult.

This series is the one time I’ve read a story in second person, present tense that actually makes sense.  After all, the story is driven by what the reader decides to do.  I never even thought about how unique it was as a kid, and it felt just as natural to be reading it as an adult.

The book is just under 120 pages, and it has pen and ink illustrations on some of the pages, which adds to the fun.

I didn’t think I’d read this book as a kid, but a few of the endings seemed familiar to me.  I guess that’s what happens to books you read 30 years before.  Anyway, I can’t speak to changes or updates to the story directly, although I did notice you are taking pictures on a digital camera.  I know that wasn’t the case in the original version.  There’s nothing here that is dated at all, so the updates were successful.

Reading The Abominable Snowman was a fun trip down memory lane to my childhood.  If you are looking for something unique for the special kids in your life, pick it up today.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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

Book Review: I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Very funny story, great pictures, good moral

Cons: Try it, You’ll Love It!

The Bottom Line:

Gerald tries some slop

Which is Piggie’s favorite

Hilarious book

I Really Like This Book

I’ve got to admit, I was quite curious what would be happening in I Really Like Slop!, the newest Elephant and Piggie picture book by Mo Willems.  Yes, I was trying to judge this book by its cover and title, and I wasn’t coming up with anything concrete.  Now that the book is out, I’ve read it, and I can say with certainty that this is another classic book in the making.

It’s lunch time, and Piggie is making one of her favorite treats – slop.  She really likes slop, and she wants her friend Gerald to try some.  Gerald isn’t interested because of the smell, but Piggie is his best friend.  Will he try it?  What will he think if he does?

Now if you are getting the Green Eggs and Ham vibe, you aren’t alone.  I’m sure everyone who reads it will be thinking of the classic Seuss book as well.  And while that book is wonderful, this book offers a fresh (pun intended) spin on the classic dilemma of trying something you never have tried before.

When Gerald does decide to try slop, his reaction is hilarious.  Plus Piggie has a classic line during those pages as well.  The ending is sweet with one final joke in there to get you laughing again.  The moral here is subtle – it’s okay if you don’t like something as long as you try it.

All this is told in Mo’s classic style.  We’ve got wonderful pictures that will make you laugh and assist the dialogue in telling the story.  The entire story is told via dialogue between Gerald and Piggie (with one line from a fly).  And the dialogue is filled with words that most early readers should be able to read for themselves.

I’ve been using my niece and nephew as an excuse to read these books, but I can tell you that even when they outgrow these books, I will enjoy catching the latest adventures of Gerald and Piggie.  As I Really Like Slop! proves, they are fun books for all ages.

November 14th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Notice how many shows are on this list.  Yes, I'm watching way too much TV right now.  Fall break is coming soon, which will cut this number down significantly.  I just hope I can make it that long.

Once Upon a Time – I think I like that twist with the Grail and Excalibur.  Frankly, there were several good twists upon expectations in this episode including the reveal of the first Dark One.  Now I am wondering how many Dark Ones there had been before Gold and how that fits the timeline since Gold had to be the Dark One for at least 100 years.  And I’m wondering if Emma is all Dark One or if she has Merlin’s good inside her and is trying to hide that fact.  I don’t think that quite fits with what we’ve seen before, but it’s a theory I’m working on.

The Librarians – I wouldn’t say any of that character development was unexpected or surprising, but I certainly enjoyed it.  And the episode didn’t tie in directly to the storylines started last week, at least not yet.  Still, overall a fun episode.

Supergirl – I’m fully on board with this show now.  A bit campy fun, but the characters are growing on me.  I do wish that they’d lighten up the girl power speeches, but that’s about my only complaint at this point.

Dancing with the Stars – No!!!!  I’m so disappointed with Alexa going home especially after that week she had.  I get it with her low scores last week, but still, it hurt.

Castle – I wasn’t that excited that Adam Baldwin was coming back, but I actually warmed to Slaughter as the episode went on.  There were some pretty funny lines as well.  But I’m still not liking this separation between Castle and Beckett.  They need to fix that pronto.

The Muppets – That might have been my favorite episode to date.  The way things fell apart on the show was pretty funny.  Not perfect, but if they can go more toward those type of moments, I’ll enjoy it more.  I loved seeing “The Rainbow Connection,” too.

The Flash – I did not see that ending coming.  Barry’s paralyzed?  That’s going to be quite the change for everyone.  I can’t wait to see that play out.  And I seriously wonder how we can take down Zoom.  That felt like something much closer to the end of the season, although they’ve been doing a lot with him already this year instead of the slow build they did in season one.

Agents of SHIELD – I thought they’d play out the secret longer.  Instead, they resolve that one and give us another.  And what might Fitz have found and how will that impact the rest of the season?

Scream Queens – Jamie Lee Curtis totally got the best line of the episode.  I mean, how could they not reference Psycho?  Pretty decent fight scene, too.  I’d suspected that three people were involved, but now we know for sure.  So the question is, who is the third and what exactly is the motive?

Arrow – Yes, I know they are just setting things up for Legends of Tomorrow right now, but I’m still have a blast with these episodes and what they are doing with the characters.  I think I’m enjoying this show more than The Flash so far this season.  And I’m thrilled that Felicity’s mom is back, too.

Survivor – Wow, what a time to play the idol!  I wonder how that might change things next week, although with only three of them vs. the rest of the tribe, it’s not looking good.  Oh, and just because they don’t want to play with you doesn’t mean they aren’t playing the game.  You might not see it, but they could easily still be playing.

Chicago PD – Tuned in for the first time ever since my friend Mike Peebler was guest starring.  Not sure I followed all the sub-plots, but I followed the main mystery and it was fun seeing him on a show.

Heroes Reborn – You know, after not seeing them for three weeks, I lost a few of the plot threads there.  I picked them up again before the episode was over.  So what is Parkman doing working for Erica?  That’s can’t be good!  And she has one of the twins now.  I’m very worried about what that will mean for the future.

Big Bang Theory – I knew what they were leading up to at dinner.  I felt so badly for Amy, I really did.  Although you knew the trio would get caught spying on her, that was still pretty funny as well.  And that girl that showed up to answer Sheldon’s ad?  Wow!  Leave it to him to turn her away because she was late.

The Amazing Race – I guess they will have non-elimination legs.  And what a leg to have one on.  The Texans have grown on me, and I thought it was such class at the end to see them work with the Cheerleaders and then not pass them during the roadblock.  Of course, they didn’t have time to pass them after that.  They were true gentlemen.  Plus, they had such bad luck, and I hate to see a team leave when they have such horrible bad luck.

Girl Meets World – As a Christian, I have major issues with that episode.  There is so much more to beliefs than they covered while trying to make it sound like all beliefs are equal.  Yet it was more respectful than I was expecting, which was something I actually did like.  The end result, I’m kind of torn on that one.

Book Review: Free Fall by Robert Crais (Cole/Pike #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting, fast paced story

Cons: Joe Pike still a weak character

The Bottom Line:

Cop with a secret

Cole and Pike land in danger

Still page turning read

The Bottom Drops Out from Cole Fast on This Case

When I first tried the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels almost 15 years ago, I stopped after the dark second book in the series.  Now that I’ve pushed past that, I’m finding I’m enjoying my visits with these characters.  Free Fall is the fourth book in the series, and it’s another good mystery.

It’s a pleasant spring day when Jennifer Sheridan walks into Elvis Cole’s PI office.  She is concerned about her boyfriend.  They’ve been together for years, but suddenly Mark Thurman is hiding something from her, and she’s afraid he’s been involved in a crime.  Since he’s a police officer, Jennifer wants Cole to look into it.

Cole initially finds a simple, obvious, and believable explanation.  However, Jennifer just isn’t buying it.  She convinces Cole to look again, and he begins to find things that point to Mark being in serious trouble.  What has Mark gotten himself into?  Can Cole and his partner Joe Pike get him out of it?

The book was first published in 1993, in the shadow of the Rodney King trial.  It’s interesting to look back at that considering the issue is back in the news today.  It’s also interesting realizing just how much our lives have changed in some other ways in the last 20+ years.  In the age before wide spread internet and cell phone use, investigations happened differently.

Those elements aside, this is an interesting case, and watching it unfold kept me quite entertained.  There are some surprises, both good and bad, along the way, and the stakes keep going up for Elvis, Joe, Jennifer, Mark, and the others in the book.  I was left wondering just how things would be resolved until the very end.

There aren’t too many recurring characters in this series, so the focus is on the new ones.  They are all sharp, and I liked watching them and our opinions of them develop along the way.  Elvis is a good main character, and I love spending time with him, which is important since he narrates the book first person.

Of course, I do have to issue my normal complaint.  Joe Pike still comes across more as a superhero deus ex machina than a real character.  This also cuts down on the suspense in a few scenes.  Oh, and I really don’t want to ride in the car with author Robert Crais.  He must drive like a maniac given some of the travel times he gives for his characters in this book.

The book has more language than I would normally read, although I didn’t feel it got gratuitous given the characters involved.  Likewise, the violence is more graphic than I would normally read but fits the PI genre perfectly.  These are issues to note if you tend to stick to the cozy end of the spectrum like I do, but they didn’t lower my enjoyment of the book.

Once again, I listened to the audio version with Mel Foster as the narrator.  He continues to do a wonderful job bringing the characters and story to life without getting in the way of the events.

So if you’ve overlooked the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels, go back and give them a chance.  Now that I’ve finished Free Fall, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to this duo next.

And the next adventure can be found by read the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series in order.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.  Follow the link to read more entries.

November 13th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Welcome to another Friday and another Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm reading Fillet of Murder by Linda Reilly.

This is the first in a series that came out a few months ago, but I'm finally getting to read it.  I'm just over half way done, so I'm making good progress.

Here's how it begins:

"Don't do it, Bea.  He's not worth it."  Talia Marby clamped her hand firmly around her employer's wrist, preventing Bea from pitching a chunk of fresh haddock at the man on the opposite side of the counter.

And jumping ahead of page 56, let's go with the first couple of sentences from the page:

For the second time that day, visions of a wardrobe designed around a single color scheme - orange - flashed through Talia's head.  "Jill, we have got to get out of here."

And that's it for this week.  Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

And the Winner of The Chocolate Falcon Fraud is...

It's time to announce the second winner of the week.  This time, the prize is The Chocolate Falcon Fraud, and the winner is...

...Jullian!

I've just sent you an e-mail, so please be sure to reply to me ASAP so we can connect you with your prize.

Ornament Review: C-3PO and R2-D2 - Star Wars #19 - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Two great characters finally together in a good sculpt

Cons: They don’t hang straight at all

The Bottom Line:

Ornament combines

Dynamic duo of droids

Sadly, it does tip

This Droid Dynamic Duo is Together Again – For the First Time

When you stop and think about it, it is pretty amazing that Hallmark’s official Star Wars series has been going so long.  There are only so many characters they can pull from, especially since they have stuck with the original trilogy (except for one misstep) and have reserved the supporting characters for limited edition ornaments.  One way they keep the series going is by pairing characters together in new ways, which brings us to this year’s entry in the series – C-3PO and R2-D2.  These droids have already appeared in the series solo and paired with different characters, but fans will definitely want to get this ornament.

The ornament really is as simple as it sounds.  It features C-3PO and R2-D2 standing next to each other.  C-3PO is mostly gold (just his right leg is silver) and it looks like he was just polished.  R2-D2 is white and looks like he’s been cleaned up as well.  Their only point of contact is C-3PO’s arm, which is resting on R2-D2’s head.

So, why do we need this duo together as an ornament?  Because I can’t help but think of them together.  Yes, they do act alone at times in the films, but most of their best scenes are scenes they are in together and interacting with each other.  In fact, they are often the comic relief of a scene, especially during some of the battles.  Frankly, I’m a bit surprised that it’s take this long for us to get the duo together.

Sadly, this ornament is not without its faults.  As you’d expect, the two droids are standing side by side, so you can place it out on any flat surface to enjoy side by side.  Unfortunately, their feet aren’t connected.  This makes the ornament feel more fragile than I was expecting since they are only connected by C-3PO’s arm.  That second point of connection would make for a much more solid ornament, and any time I’m touching it, the fact that they separate a little bothers me.

Meanwhile, the loop for hanging the ornament is on C-3PO’s shoulder.  Slip a hook through it, and you’ll find that they tip.  We’re not talking about a small amount either but a major lean forward.  Hopefully, the branches on your Christmas tree will help straighten them up some, but it’s a disappointment.

Being a Hallmark series ornament, you’ll find a 19 in a Christmas tree on the bottom of R2-D2 since this is the nineteenth in the official series line.  (Not to mention all the other Star Wars ornaments Hallmark has released over the years.

Even though the balance is far from perfect, it is nice to finally have C-3PO and R2-D2 together in one ornament.  Fans of Star Wars will snap this one up.

And if you are a Star Wars fan, you'll want the rest of the Star Wars ornament series.

NOTE: Before I bought this ornament, I discovered I could get it via Amazon’s Vine program for free in exchange for a review.  Since I own the rest of the series, I would have bought it like normal if this hadn’t been an option.  My opinion is still my own.

Original Price: 17.95

Book Review: A Body to Spare by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Odelia Grey #10)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Amazing characters, great set up executed well

Cons: Um, um, um….

The Bottom Line:

New body pops up

Odelia still delightful

Book ends way too soon

Odelia Delights Again

Some ideas are so obvious jumping off points, it’s a wonder we don’t see them more often in mysteries.  A Body to Spare, the latest Odelia Grey mystery by Sue Ann Jaffarian has one such great idea.  The set up for the mystery is wonderful, and the execution is even better.

Odelia’s day was filled with miscellaneous errands including a quick stop at the car wash.  When the attendants pop her trunk, however, that all changes.  Back there, they find the naked corpse of a man.  Taped to him is a note with two words on it – “Found Me!”  Who was the body in her trunk?  And why would someone leave it for Odelia to find?

While the set up may be that simple, the places this mystery bends and twists are much more complicated.  I’m avoiding saying more so I don’t spoil the surprises.  I did guess one plot point early, but that hardly mattered since there were so many more I didn’t anticipate.  And yet, the plot unfolded in a logical manner leading to an exciting climax.

The characters in this series are absolutely wonderful.  It may be the Odelia Grey series, but it is so much richer than that.  There’s her husband, Greg; her half-brother, Clark; her mother; a couple of police detectives; her best friend, Zee; and the list goes on and on.  All of these characters are real and as much a part the patchwork quilt of the series as Odelia is.  I absolutely love them, and the love and support they show each other is a huge part of that and the appeal of the series.  Of course, the characters we meet along the way in this book are just as vivid and real to us.

Fans of Sue Ann’s Ghost of Granny Apples series will be delighted to learn that Emma Whitecastle, the main character in that series, has a cameo here.  Yes, it does introduce a very slight paranormal element to this book, but it plays a minor part in how the mystery unfolds.  And for fans of both series (like me), watching them interact was a blast and actually helped develop them both a bit.  (And if you aren't a fan of paranormal mysteries, I sympathize.  Granny is an exception for me, and I'm so glad I made the decision to read it even though it includes ghosts.  I highly recommend you give it a try as well.)

As I was reading this book I realized something – this series is a comfort read for me.  This is the second time over the years that I’ve been reading about Odelia when I’ve had a bad day.  (Nothing drastic, just bad), and I’ve found my mood significantly improved thanks to escaping into Odelia’s world.  It’s just that much fun to visit.

The fact that Odelia has my level of sarcasm certainly doesn’t hurt.  Plus, Odelia’s mom steals just about every scene she is in.  It’s not possible to sit and read this without cracking a smile if not laughing out loud.

I was so hooked on this book, I read almost all of it in a 24 hour period.  Now comes the long wait until I can visit with Odelia again.  Odelia’s fans will be thrilled with A Body to Spare.  And if you haven’t met her yet, I cannot recommend highly enough that you drop everything and fix that today.

To fully appreciate the characters and their relationships, I highly recommend you read the Odelia Grey novels in order.

Olive and Let Die Winner!

I almost forgot to draw a winner for Olive and Let Die.  But thanks to random.org, we have a winner, and that winner is...

Julia!

Congrats!  I've sent you an e-mail to confirm your address, so watch for it.

TV Show Review: The Crazy Ones - Complete Series

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Actors and performances, some funny scenes

Cons: Predictable characters, not as many laughs as you’d expect.

The Bottom Line:

Strong start with good laughs

Devolve as season goes on

Could have been better

"Don't Forget to Grab a Scone As You're Fleeing."

Like so many others, I had to tune in to watch The Crazy Ones.  And yes, I was watching just as much for Sarah Michelle Geller and I was for Robin Williams.  The first few episodes of this sitcom were fantastic, but then it slowly began to head downhill.  While I stuck around until the end, many didn’t, leading to its cancelation.  I would have kept watching if it were still on the air, but I wasn’t sorry to see it go.

The comedy comes to us from Chicago as we visit the advertising agency of Roberts and Lewis.  The firm is run day to day by Simon Roberts (Robin Williams), a genius of an advertiser who has been involved in many famous campaigns in his day.  Coming with his genius is a heavy dose of wacky.  He’ll explore every idea, usually trying the craziest ones himself.  Balancing him out is his daughter Sydney (Sarah Michelle Geller), who is straight laced and determined and serious.  And she is determined to make a name for herself so she can come out of her father’s shadow.  Also in the agency are Zach (James Wolk), Simon’s smart protégé, Andrew (Hamish Linklater), the neurotic art director, and Lauren (Amanda Setton), the much smarter than she appears assistant.

Over the course of the season, Sydney’s campaign for a local coffee shop goes horribly wrong, procrastination is the name of the game when they have to come up with an ad for a breakfast burrito, a conflict might lead Simon to have to give up his first client, the company softball game features too huge stakes, and Zach has to figure out a way to deliver on a huge overpromise.

Now I’m not a fan of single camera comedies.  Call me what you will, but I much prefer the multi-camera sitcom when I sit down to watch a comedy.  Still, this sitcom started out with some great laughs in the early episodes.  They let Robin Williams have free reign at times, and the rest of the cast improved off of him.  Some of the results were pretty funny.

However, as the season wore on, that began to lose its charm.  Maybe it was just that the actors were trying too hard to come up with new material.  Or maybe the writing around the improv wasn’t as good.  Either way, it wasn’t nearly as funny as the first few episodes.  I’d call it more amusing at times.

Not helping is that, as the series progressed, the character development fell flat.  What could have turned into interesting people instead turned into the predictable types.  When they did go for character development, it was always perfectly predictable, meaning we often saw the ending of an episode coming from the first commercial break.  A few of those moments were touching, but for the most part, they weren’t as creative as they wanted to be.

I’m not blaming the actors for this.  Robin Williams can certainly get over the top, but for the most part he was good as Simon.  Sarah Michelle Gellar had the unenviable roll of being the straight woman to all the antics going around.  She got her share of laughs at times, but she was always great whether delivering the setup for the punchline.  The rest of the cast was wonderful as well and easily kept pace with Robin’s antics.  On the guest star side, look for several appearances as Brad Garrett as the mostly unseen partner Lewis, and Pam Dawber, Mindy of Mork and Mindy fame, also appears in one episode.

The show has been released as a MOD demand release by Amazon.  They seem to be having issues getting the three discs in this set to work, so if you buy the set, be sure you try it right away to see if it works.

I know the show had fans who were disappointed when it was canceled.  However, if you’ve missed The Crazy Ones, you might not want to rush out to buy the set.  There are some great moments, but the series didn’t live up to its full potential.

Series Episodes:

1. Pilot

2. The Spectacular

3. Bad Dad

4. Breakfast Burrito Club

5. She’s So European

6. Hugging the Now

7. Sydney, Australia

8. The Stan Wood Account

9. Sixteen-Inch Softball

10. Models Love Magic

11. The Intern

12. The Face of a Winner

13. Outbreak

14. Simon Roberts Was Here

15. Dead and Improved

16. Zach Mitzvah

17. March Madness

19. Danny Chase Hates Brad Paisley

20. Love Sucks

21. The Monster

22. The Lighthouse