November 17th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

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

I've got another Middle Grade book tonight, this time a fantasy book - Nightfall by Shannon Messenger.

                                                       


I've been reading this book all week.  I hope that's excused since it in 800 pages.  I'm almost to page 600, so I should finish it this weekend.  It's the sixth in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, and it is so good.  Not that I'm surprised since I've enjoyed all the books in this series.
The previous book ended with a cliffhanger, and this one picks up moments later.  Don't worry, this isn't really a spoiler:

"You remember me?"
The question slipped from Sophie's lips before she could stop it, and the weighted words seemed to hit the floor of the messy bedroom with a thud.

Moving on to page 56, we find this:

"I can't let anything happen to you," she said quietly.  "I could never live with that guilt."

If you are looking for a great middle grade series and you haven't checked out this one yet, I highly recommend it.  I'll have my full review up next Sunday (the Sunday after Thanksgiving).

City of Lies Winner

I just pulled the winner for City of Lies.  And the winner is...

...Laura!

I've sent you an e-mail, so please watch your inbox and get back to me so I can connect you with your prize.

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect 2

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The music; the second half

Cons: More cringes than laughs, especially in the first half.

The Bottom Line:

More A Cappella

Mixed with jokes that make me cringe

Mostly mindless film

More A Capella Antics

Sometimes, I have a short memory.  When I watched Pitch Perfect a couple of years back, I wasn’t as impressed as I hoped I would be, so I had decided to give the sequel a pass.  But with the third coming out, I stumbled on the second on TV recently, so I recorded it.  Watching Pitch Perfect 2, I remember my complaints with the original.  Yet, somehow, I found myself drawn in by the end.

As this movie opens, we join the Barden Bellas on a night of great triumph.  They are performing at the Kennedy Center for the President as part of their celebration tour for their third national A Capella title.  However, when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is lowered down from the ceiling, something goes horribly wrong, and the group is embarrassed.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the end of their embarrassment.  They are forbidden to perform any more.  They can’t even hold any auditions to recruit new members.  Their only hope is to win an international competition they are automatically entered into because they are the current U.S. college champs.  But no team from the United States has ever won.  Can the Bellas do it?  Or will this event mark their swan song?

So I know this is a light comedy, but I do have to get one complaint out of the way first.  Just about everyone we’ve met in the first movie is still here in college, which is fine, but the group is all now seniors and they’ve recruited no new members?  And they are worried about the group continuing on?  Maybe you should have some younger members already.  Just saying.  Oh, they do pick up one new member thanks to a loophole, but is that really going to be enough to keep the group going after everyone graduates?

Okay, on to some of my more serious complaints.  The first half of the movie consists of the characters, especially Fat Amy, making fools of themselves.  Since I don’t like that kind of humor, it is painful to watch.  And yes, some of it gets crude at times.  And don’t get me started on the commentators of the A Cappella events.  The movie would be so much better without John Michel Higgins and Elizabeth Banks’s supporting characters at all.

Somewhere along the line, the tone of the movie shifts, and I started to like it.  It happens as we start to get to know the characters again and are actually given things and people to root for.  If they’d made the characters more human from the beginning, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

The plot?  It’s nothing too surprising, to be honest.  But this is a case where I don’t mind too much since the movie never pretended to be anything too original.  It’s just a light, mindless comedy, which is all it is wanting to be.

And yes, there’s plenty of A Cappella music, which is another draw for me.  Even when the songs are a style I normally don’t like, I still enjoyed listening to it because of the harmonies.  We get cameos (and I do mean cameos) by a couple of real A Cappella groups in this movie, including super group Pentatonix.  And yes, those really were Green Bay Packers doing their own singing in one scene.

So far, I’ve only managed to mention actors and characters I’m not a fan of.  (Rebel Wilson’s characters always grate on me.  I’m ready for her to pick a different character to play.)  Much of the action does still center around Anna Kendrick’s Beca, who gets a music internship in this movie that adds a nice sub-plot to things.  Most of the ladies in the Bellas only get a scene or two to truly stand out, but they make the most of them, and these supporting players get some of the funnier moments in the film, too.

While Pitch Perfect 2 will never be one of my favorite films, I’m ultimate glad I watched it.  I just wish the franchise found a better way to make us laugh for the entire length of the film.

Music Review: Faith Hope Love Repeat by Brandon Heath

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Well written songs of encouragement

Cons: Most songs have repeated lines

The Bottom Line:

Encouraging songs

Mixed with some honest lyrics

In fun pop music

Need Encouragement?  Listen to this CD.  Need More?  Repeat

I know that CDs take a long time to come out.  There’s the writing and recording and mixing.  So that makes it so remarkable that Faith Hope Love Repeat is hitting shelves right now.  With the natural disasters we’ve had in our country in the past few months, I know I could use a little encouragement.  We get that encouragement in spades from Brandon Heath’s latest project.

The disc starts off with an upbeat pop number that reminds us that “The Future is Bright.”  In keeping with a song about the future, there are even some robot effects in the song.  And how can he be promising us this?  Because we know that Jesus is coming back and this world is not our home.  It’s always a great reminder.

I can definitely identify with the sentiments in “I Run.”  Like Paul before him, he’s using the idea of running a race as a metaphor for living the Christian life.  As a runner myself, I get exactly what he’s talking about here.  The struggles with running echo so much in the struggles to live life like God has called us to live.  And yet, the song encourages us with the reminder that Jesus is waiting for us at the end.  If I ever start listening to music while I run again, you can bet this one will make my playlist.

Then there’s the title track.  It’s a song written from a parent to a child about the world.  The verses paint such a warm picture of a parent/child relationship, but the song admits that struggles will come.  And when they do come, turn to God for “Faith Hope Love Repeat.”  It’s a mid-tempo pop song that could easily cross across charts.  And the song takes on more meaning when you read in the notes that Brandon will be welcoming his first child in just a few weeks.

“A Little Faith” is another upbeat song written from God’s point of view that reminds us that He can use just a little faith and He will do the rest, including growing our faith.

Brandon gets honest in some of these songs, too.  “Whole Heart” admits that he doesn’t always give God his whole heart, but God already knows that is there and wants to heal the scars and help Brandon grow more.  “Someone Like Me” marvels that God would save sinners who constantly turn their backs on Him.  While Brandon uses some examples from the Bible, he also includes himself in the number of those who don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy.  That’s certainly true for me.

The disc closes out with the slower “Only One in the World.”  At first glance, this might seem like a downer to end on, especially when I’ve been talking about encouragement this whole time.  Brandon is talking about the days of struggle that come with living in a sinful, fallen world.  Frankly, I find it encouraging to know others struggle like this, and the song is so poetic and beautiful to listen to.  However, at the end, he brings in God’s love and how that changes his view of life.  It’s just one line, but it really changes things.

I have to touch on the fun “Got the Love.”  This song has a very fun, 70’s retro vibe to it, and the description of love certainly fits some of the songs from that decade as well.

My only real problem with this disc is one of repeated lyrics.  Even the songs I’ve praised above suffer from lines or phrases that get repeated.  I do find it a little wearying on repeated listens, but that’s my only real complaint.

Brandon Heath has proved he is a gifted song writer and singer, and Faith Hope Love Repeat shows it off once again.  If you are a fan of his music, you’ll enjoy this latest release.  And if you need some encouragement in your life, I would definitely encourage you to pick it up today.

CD Length: 39:46

Tracks:

1. The Future is Bright

2. Whole Heart

3. I Run

4. Got the Love

5. Don’t Be Afraid

6. Faith Hope Love Repeat

7. A Little Faith

8. Lighthouse

9. You’ll Find Love Again

10. Only One in the World

Assault and Buttery Winner

It's time to announce a giveaway winner.  The book is Assault and Buttery.  And the winner is...

... Amanda!

I've just sent you an e-mail, so keep your eyes open for it and get back to me with your address.

Thanks everyone for entering.  There's still time to enter the drawing for City of Lies.

Book Review: Seeds of Revenge by Wendy Tyson (Greenhouse Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Deep mystery with strong characters

Cons: Dark for a Christmas mystery but worth it

The Bottom Line:

A death at Christmas

Leads us into mystery

Darker but so good

Revenge is on Someone’s Mind this Christmas

Christmas is the season of love and joy and peace on Earth, goodwill to men.  The fact that I enjoy so many mysteries set during the season each year is rather ironic.  But somehow it hit me fresh with Seeds of Revenge since someone’s desire for revenge is such a driving force of the book.

Megan Sawyer is returning to Winsome, Pennsylvania, one night in the middle of a storm when she spots a woman walking on the side of the road.  That woman is Becca Fox, and she is heading into town to spend the upcoming holiday with her aunt and launch her business – The Love Chemist.  Becca’s car crashed in the storm, and she is grateful for the ride.  When Megan drops Becca off at her aunt’s home, she witnesses a tense scene between Becca and Paul, her very estranged father.

A couple of days later, Paul dies in the home he is renting in the area.  At first, this looks like an accident, but the police investigation turns up evidence that it was murder.  Naturally, Becca is a person of interest, but Megan is struck by the similarities to one of the books Megan’s aunt Sarah has written.  Is that a coincidence?  Or is there a message there that will lead to the killer?

This series leans to the traditional side of the cozy spectrum.  No, there isn’t anything too graphic here, but it is more serious than many of the series I read.  This book is no exception.  In fact, the Christmas setting really drives that home since it provides such a stark contrast to the events of the book.

The plot of the book is strong.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on until we reached the end, at which point I could see how everything had been leading to the climax.  Those who have read the first two books in the series won’t be surprised by the tight plotting at all since it’s been a staple of all three books in the series.

But it’s the characters who really make this book so powerful.  As we get to know the suspects and learn exactly what Paul was like when he was alive, we get a sobering picture.  It seems everyone we talk to had a different take on him, so this is one time where the victim becomes a fully fleshed out character.  The suspects are just as strong.

And the series regulars continue to shine.  We don’t see as much of some of the regulars as we might have in the first two books, but those we do get to see are still delightful to spend time with.  Since Sarah is part of the plot, she and Megan have to spend time together, furthering an ongoing storyline, which I appreciated.

Megan works on a small farm and owns a café in town.  The first couple of books in the series have featured a recipe, something that is missing here.  True confession time: even though I love looking at the recipes in all the culinary cozies I read, I haven’t made any of the recipes for years, so this is something I am noting only in passing.

Don’t pick up Seeds of Revenge expecting a light Christmas mystery.  But do pick up Seeds of Revenge.  This is a strong mystery that will stay with you after you are done.

Enjoy more trips to Winsome with the rest of the Greenhouse Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

TV Show Review: 24 - Legacy

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mostly good thriller pulls you in

Cons: Predictable plot “twists” if you know the franchise

The Bottom Line:

Time ticks once again

New characters; same old thrills

Familiar; still fun

“Right Now, I’m the Only Person I Can Trust.”

Back in the day, I was a 24 addict.  I never missed an hour of a day in the show’s original run.  So, when they announced plans to do a spin off focusing on an all new cast of characters, I was intrigued.  The ratings and reaction to 24: Legacy, weren’t that great, but I mostly enjoyed it.

Our hero this time is Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins), a retired U.S. Ranger who was lead the team responsible for taking down a notorious terrorist.  However, the past is coming back to haunt him when someone attacks him and his wife Nicole (Anna Diop) in their home.  Eric manages to get them out of it alive, but that’s when he learns that the rest of his team and their families have all been brutally murdered.

And so he turns to CTU where outgoing director Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto) was involved in Eric’s mission.  But Rebecca is trying to get out of the counter terrorism game since her husband, John Donovan (Jimmy Smits) is running for President.  Eric and Rebecca quickly realize the scope of the threat, but can they find a way to stop it?

Let’s be perfectly honest.  This show may feature an all new cast of characters, but it isn’t really anything new.  We’ve seen this story before, and we’ve seen the plot complications and twists before as well.  Now, this isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the ride, but it was rare that the twists took me by surprise.

The familiar also extends to the stupid sub-plot.  Every season had at least one, and this time that honor goes to Nicole, who gets parked with Eric’s brother and her ex-boyfriend Isaac (Ashley Thomas).  Seriously, this was definitely a time filler, and rare intrigued me at all.

However, the harshest critics of the show seemed to come from the “24 is the Jack Bauer show, how dare you try to have this show without Jack” camp.  And the fact that one character from the original show did show up for a few episodes did nothing to satisfy them.  Honestly, I missed the character as well, and I’d love to see him get out of where we left him at the end of 24: Live Another Day.  But I also tried to watch this with an open mind.

And the result is, I enjoyed it very much.  Even with the predictable “twists,” I was on the edge of my seat just about every episode.  These creators and writers know how to tell a compelling story, and they hooked me once again.  As always, the ticking clock is the main thing, and the plot and characters serve it, but they do a good job of making us care about the characters that we truly do get invested in the story and the outcome.

The acting and stunts have always been wonderful, and this spin off season was no exception.  The actors even made the time killer storyline as believable as possible.

While the show did cover 24 hours, it only had twelve episodes.  Yes, they skipped some hours, but all twelve episodes are included in this disc.  Extras include one featurette and some deleted scenes.

No, this isn’t the best thing the 24 franchise has offered.  But if you are willing to go into this with an open mind even thought Jack Bauer isn’t in it, then you just might find yourself caught up in the 24: Legacy thrill ride.

Ornament Review: Merriest House in Town - 2017 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delicious and fun

Cons: Didn’t you see the pros?

The Bottom Line:

Fancy gingerbread

That puts on quite a fun show

Result?  Pure delight

Whoever Created This Gingerbread House Went All Out

A staple of Christmas fun is the gingerbread house.  While I was never that good at creating them, I’ve seen some that were wonderfully elaborate.  However, I’ve never seen any that have gone to the lengths of the one in 2017’s Merriest House in Town.

When you first look at this ornament, you easily see a cute gingerbread cottage.  It’s got brown walls, but it has peppermint candy columns and ice cream cone trees, and wafer cookie steps.  There’s even a gingerbread man standing outside the front door waving at us.  It looks scrumptious as well and completely decked out.

However, this is a Magic Cord ornament, which means it comes with lights and sound.  When you plug it into the cord, you’ll see that the lights in the roof and windows and some outside decorations start to flash.  And when you push the button, the lights in and around the house blink in time to a song.  What song?  “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” of course.  Could there be a better song for this ornament?  The show only lasts about 25 seconds, but it is a lot of fun.

Really, this is a combination or a completed series and an unofficial series.  This takes the Noelville series, a town of gingerbread houses and adds in the crazy decoration elements that Hallmark has incorporated in several of their Magic Cord ornaments.  The result is fantastic.  I’ve loved all of these pieces.  How can you go wrong with dramatic music and lights flashing in time?

Being a house, this has a nice flat base, so you can set it out anywhere to display if you want.  Or you can hang it on your tree.  You’ll find that it tips forward slightly, which is a bit of a surprise.  The hook is near the front of the roof, and it seems they could have placed it back so that it would hang level.  But this is a minor issue overall.

Truly, I’ve loved all of the ornaments like Merriest House in Town that Hallmark has released, so as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it.  And I’m not disappointed in the slightest.

Original Price: $34.95

November 11th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Once Upon a Time (11/3) – So “Ivy” is awake.  And she is plotting against her mother.  Someone doesn’t want Hook to find his daughter.  (I’m assuming that this is who his missing person really is.)  And Henry and Regina are about to figure out who they truly are.  This is getting very interesting and it’s getting better as it goes along for sure.  Flashback were an interesting take on part of The Princess and the Frog as well.  I love how they are working bits of that into the present story, plus the Wreck It Ralph shout out was great.

Supergirl – So here’s what I don’t get about the Maggie storyline.  They’ve known they had 5 episodes with her, and that was all.  So why, back in the spring when it was first announced she wasn’t going to be a full time regular, did they say the fans wouldn’t notice she was gone.  Hello.  We are going to notice big time!!!  I’m definitely loving Adrian Pasdar as the villain.  And how perfect were Lena and Jimmy’s scenes?  Yes, they may still not get along, but they are building respect.

Dancing with the Stars – I would have been okay with Terrel leaving after last week, but he was amazing in that first dance tonight.  And how fun were having the trios with the former stars?  I absolutely loved that.  Nothing against the troop, but this was much more fun.  They need to do this every season.

Lethal Weapon – Leo was back!  I’d heard he was coming back, but I’d forgotten.  Poor Roger now having two losers in his life like this.  Fortunately, his wife is very patient.  I’m sorry that Martin’s trailer isn’t going to be on the beach any more.  I liked that location.  But inside the garage is a pretty cool location for it.

The Flash – I was completely on board with this episode when I first heard about it.  Loved the idea of the ladies getting a chance to shine.  Heck, I’m fine with them doing it more often.  But did we have to have the lecturing?  Seriously, that is such a turn off.  Just show the women kicking butt, don’t puff yourself up that this is what you are doing.  But overall, it was fun.  I even found drunk Barry funny, and drunk characters usually annoy me.  I’m no fan of Katee Sackhoff, but I even found her fun.  As long as that is all they expect of the character, I won’t be too annoyed by her.

Legends of Tomorrow – That felt like Halloween episode part 2.  A little freaky for sure, and can’t we just let Darkh stay dead please?  However, I liked seeing Arthur get his just desserts so to speak.  Seriously, what was he thinking letting them do their ceremony?

This is Us – Kevin is so right.  He’s not the big romantic guy.  But that doesn’t mean he and Sophie can’t make it work.  They just need to know this going into a relationship.  So I’m wondering if they are truly over or if they will realize this, too.  Glad we are getting the big wedding.  And I hope that Randall is doing the right thing.  Interesting watching the Pearsons and his dad in the flashbacks, and that last scene with the judges were so good.

Survivor – Still really don’t like Joe.  Still really, really hope that he goes soon.  That feast?  I so want in on that.  Yum!  I’m surprised some of those people didn’t eat themselves sick.  And that challenge was pretty creative, too.  I don’t think any alliances are truly formed – at least big ones, so it will be interesting to see how everything shakes out next week.

The Big Bang Theory – I’m actually a little surprised that they broke up Sheldon and Bert already.  I could see them getting two or three episodes out of this secret working relationship at least.  But it would have always ended with Sheldon being a jerk.  So how long will Raj be able to truly keep this relationship he’s in casual.

Young Sheldon – Anyone besides me think that wasn’t not at all the way Meemaw had been portrayed on The Big Bang Theory, either via memories (which granted can be wrong) or in her one appearance?  That’s been the one note that didn’t ring true so far.  Also, this episode had another reason I feared I wouldn’t like the show – Sheldon mocking religion.  They keep it to a minimum on Big Bang Theory, but if they are going to keep going with it here, I’m out.

Arrow – I could have done without the extended fight scene.  Definitely saw the end twist coming, but I’m curious what this will mean for Slade next week.  Meanwhile, this FBI agent is going to be a serious issue.  I don’t get why Dina became Black Canary with her right there.  I wouldn’t have risked it.  She was trying to keep everyone else safe, after all.

The Orville – I wasn’t too surprised when I saw they were bringing the guy Kelly cheated with back.  It was an obvious plot point at some point.  I wasn’t expecting the hilarity that ensued.  Yes, I did find the flirting funny, although they obviously took things too far.  I could have done without some of those scenes.  But that final scene?  What does it mean that Kelly “might” have been under the influence of these hormones before?  I mean, Ed has now seen firsthand how they affect you.

November 10th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

It's Friday, which means it is time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56!

I'm switching things up a little and sharing from a Middle Grade book this week.  Still a mystery, however.  This week's book is the delightful Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs.

                                                    

If you haven't discovered his books yet, you need to fix that today.  I'm talking for yourself.  And if you have any kids in your life, you should get his books for them, too.
Here's how this book starts.

"SPYDER is back!"
Zoe Zibbell's exclamation rang out through the spy school library.  In her excitement, Zoe had spoken a bit too loudly - and since we were in the library, it was quieter than any other place on campus.

Fans of the series know that SPYDER being back is indeed bad news since they are the evil organization who our main character, Ben Ripley, always seems to be facing.

I must admit that page 56 isn't super exciting.  Ben is being given a tour of the White House on his way to meet up with [Redacted].  And no, it isn't the President.  He's already met the man by that time.  But we do have this fun exchange by his tour guide who is taking him to meet [Redacted].

Kimmy ducked left and led me up a staircase.  "This is one of eight staircases in the white House.  There are also three elevators, twenty-eight fireplaces, one hundred and thirty-two rooms, and four hundred and twelve doors."
"Why are there so many more doors than rooms?" I asked.
"Er..." Kimmy said, thrown.  "I have no idea.  But I do know that it takes five hundred and seventy gallons of paint to cover the entire exterior!"

I'm hoping to finish the book today.  As always, it's lots of fun and almost impossible to put down.