December 9th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Many more mid-season finales this week.  It's going to start looking pretty bare around here for the next couple of weeks.

Supergirl – So we are going to slow play Reign even knowing who she is.  I still feel so sorry for her since she really is a nice person.  And it is going to kill Kara when she learns the truth.  And was it just me, or did this episode seem to pretty much ignore anything from the crossover, which none of the rest of the shows can do.

Lethal Weapon – That was a very fun episode with some great lines.  But I guess I am not a tourist here since I don’t remember ever seeing any of those double decker buses.  I’m interested to see if Riggs makes this relationship last.  I really didn’t see it going this far a couple episodes ago.

The Flash – I did not see any of that ending coming.  We’ve got a new look to the villain.  And Barry is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.  Although, mystery reader that I am, as soon as he picked up that knife, I knew it meant trouble.

Legends of Tomorrow – Jax is leaving, too?  That one I didn’t see coming.  I’m sorry to see both of them leaving the show since I liked their characters.  Not quite as emotional as last week, but still did pull on the heart strings some for sure.

Survivor – I have a winner for dumbest challenge on Survivor ever.  Match rocks to spend time with your loved one?  That’s the best you could come up with?  Really?  Crissy and Ben both need to leave now.  Although I have to give him credit for having a real necklace.  Everyone voted for him, yet he didn’t go home.  Wow!

Designated Survivor – They certainly didn’t take into account any travel time.  I mean, wasn’t the one case supposed to be in Florida?  And where were the bee farmers?  All that aside, I enjoyed the episode and seeing how the three letters played out.  They’ve been slow playing this investigation, and I’ll be glad to see some big action on it next week.

The Big Bang Theory – That was such a fun episode.  Honestly, I’d love to go to that wedding that Sheldon and Amy were planning.  It sounds so funny.  And this Raj/Howard split has been a while coming and provided some great laughs.  Glad to see they are going to play this out.

The Orville – That was a bit of a disappointing episode.  Okay, so there was the part where they preached at us about the evils of religion.  But really, the solution seemed to be anti-climatic.  And something that happened off screen.  I’d call it one of the weakest of the season.

Arrow – I actually thought that Rene was going to die out there in the field at one point, proving his worth again.  Instead, we’ve got two teams at odds with each other, and that means we’ve got someone who is willing to testify against Oliver mad at him.  Meanwhile, Caden James has a strong team all out to get Oliver.  And we don’t get the next chapter for five weeks.  I’m glad it will be a busy five weeks.

December 8th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

I took a couple of weeks off from Book Beginnings and Friday 56, but it's time to get back into it.

I'm getting in the Christmas spirit this week with Purring Around the Christmas Tree, the sixth Pawsitively Organic Mystery by Liz Mugavero.

                                                   


The instant I read this first line, I knew I had to use it for Book Beginning.

The whole night could've been straight from a Norman Rockwell painting, if only Santa hadn't dropped dead in his sleigh as he rode up to light the Frog Ledge Christmas tree.

Grabs you attention, right?  Let's see what we find on page 56.

"I don't want to think they're in trouble."

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.  Me?  I need to get some Christmas shopping done.

Book Review: And Death Goes To... by Laura Bradford (Tobi Tobias #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, twisty mystery

Cons: Strong sub-plot takes over at times

The Bottom Line:

Award show murder

Mystery is filled with great twists

Characters you’ll love

Award Winning Fall

You’ve heard of deadly competition, of course, but that’s usually just a figure of speech.  However, things really do turn deadly at an awards show in And Death Goes To…, the third Tobi Tobias Mystery.

For those who haven’t met Tobi yet, she runs her own ad agency in St. Louis, and this year, she’s thrilled to be nominated for the Golden Storyboard at the St. Louis Advertising Awards.  This is the biggest and best award she could be nominated for.  She doesn’t think she will actually win – yet.  But some year, she hopes to snag the award for herself.

However, the evening ends horribly when a platform under one of the winners collapses, and the winner dies.  Despite vowing to stay out of it, Tobi is shaken when she realizes it could have been her, so she starts poking around.  What really happened that night?

Author Laura Bradford is wonderful at creating characters we love, and this series is no exception.  I couldn’t wait to revisit Tobi and her friends and family, and everyone is present and accounted for and at their charming best.  Naturally, we get to know the suspects over the course of the book as well, and they are strong enough to keep us confused until the end.

It’s a good thing I love the series regulars as much as I do because there is a strong storyline involving a couple of them that hijacks the mystery at times.  I was fully invested in this part of the book, don’t misunderstand, but I honestly felt that Tobi was a bit slow to figure things out.  That really frustrated me as things went on.

And this isn’t to take away from the mystery.  There were some wonderful twists to the story, and the suspenseful climax came as a surprise to me.

It’s no mystery to me why I keep coming back to Laura Bradford’s books because her characters are so much fun to spend time around.  If you haven’t tried any of her stories yet, And Death Goes To… is a great place to change that.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Coco

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun first two acts; music; visuals; voice actors

Cons: Final act is very dark

The Bottom Line:

The Day of the Dead

Forms backdrop for Pixar film

That is very dark

Dark Visit with the Dead

I look forward to each new Pixar movie and despite the unusual setting for Coco, it was no exception.  Since I spent Thanksgiving with my own family, I wasn’t able to go until this last Friday night.  It wasn’t the film I was hoping for, although I think part of that was me.

The movie features the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead and centers around Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez).  He’s a boy living in a family known for two things, the shoes they make and their ban on music.  It seems that his great-great grandfather was a musician who left the family, and music has been banned ever since.  There’s just one problem, Miguel loves music, and he’s very good at it.

Unable to abide by the family’s ban on music any longer, Miguel decides to enter a talent festival his village is hosting this year for the Day of the Dead.  The problem?  He needs a guitar, so he decides to steal one from the tomb of his idol, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt).  However, when he grabs it, he finds himself magically transported to the land of the dead.  Will he meet up with his family?  Can he find his way back to the land of the living?

Obviously, as a Christian, I disagree with the premise of the film, but I went in with an open mind, viewing this as a fantasy.  I was hoping for a light comedy, and I was expecting a moral on the importance of family.

I definitely got that moral on the importance of family.  In fact, this movie drives it home in a very strong way.  Since I agree that family is important, I was very happy with that.  I also appreciated how they played out Miguel’s desire to play music against his family’s ban on music.

And yes, I did get some laughs.  The first half of the movie is very fun.  A couple of scenes might be a little scary for kids, but most kids should be okay with them.

However, when we reached the third act and geared up for another of Pixar’s patented Climaxes That Will Not Quit, things took a very dark turn.  Mind you, I am very impressed with their story telling, and I get what they were doing.  However, I honestly think the movie may be too dark for kids.  As a result, I definitely recommend you view this movie before you let them watch it.

And here’s where my own week comes into play.  I’d had a very long, stressful week, and I think I took that into this movie.  As a result, I took this final act very hard.  Oh, I know I would have been tearing up, but it actually left me depressed.  I know that isn’t what they were going for, but a few elements of that third act were that dark.  This is why I saw watch it before you let your kids see it.

For a movie that focuses on music, you’d expect the music in this film to be wonderful, and it truly is.  The soundtrack will have you smiling along with the antics of the characters for the first two thirds.

The cast was mostly unknown to me, which just means I can get lost in the action that much easier.  I certainly have no complaints in that department.

Likewise, the animation is fantastic, but I expect no less from Pixar.  Visually, they are at the top of their game.

But it’s that third act that troubles me.  I suspect on another night, I might not have been so bothered by it, but I still can’t recommend enough that you view Coco before your kids and decide if they are ready for it.

And the Winner Is....

I just pulled the winner for Hark the Herald Angels Slay.  And that winner is....

Chris!

I just sent you an e-mail, so be watching for that.

And be sure to check out the giveaway I just posted this morning.

Book Review: Live and Let Fly by Clover Tate (Kite Shop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, enjoyable plot

Cons: Pacing in second half

The Bottom Line:

Kite contest judge killed

An entertaining cozy

With great atmosphere

Local Celebrity Murdered

Earlier this year, I enjoyed the first book in the Kite Shop Mysteries, and I was looking forward to returning to the town of Rock Pointe, Oregon, and seeing what happened next to Emmy Adler.  Live and Let Fly is that second visit, and it is fun.

August is the height of tourist season for this coastal town, and Emmy’s new business, Strings Attached, is booming.  However, she is looking ahead to winter and how she will make money during that season.  There’s a kite festival coming up in a couple of weeks, and Emmy is hoping her original design will win the contest, which will in turn drive people to her shop.  Of course, that means she has to finish her design, something that is hampered by the unexpected appearance of her accident-prone sister, Sunny.

The judge for this contest is Jasmine Normand, a local who gained international fame as the winner of the reality dating competition Bag the Babe.  She’s returned a few days early to reconnect with friends a family, and when Emmy finds Jasmine and an obviously smitten Jack, Emmy’s semi-boyfriend, she doesn’t react well.  That night, Jasmine dies, and the sheriff doesn’t think it was an accident.  With a tabloid reporter sniffing around Emmy, she needs to figure out what happened to Jasmine before her reputation is ruined.

I truly do love the coastal town that Emmy lives in, and I can almost hear the sound of crashing waves as I read.  It’s warm and inviting, except for the murder rate, just what cozy readers want in a setting.

The story starts out full force, reintroducing us to everyone from book one and introducing the new characters.  However, about half way through the pace cuts back to a breeze.  There are still a couple of twists to come, however, and the climax will have you holding on to anything that might fly away.

In the first book, Emmy had some issues with her temper, but I felt that has learned some patience.  Then again, I didn’t think it was too bad in the first book.  Heck, I would have lost it with Sunny, but Emmy manages to keep her cool there.  This makes her more pleasant to be around as we watch her solve this case.  The other series regulars get some interesting development, and we even get a cameo from someone I didn’t expect to see again.  Meanwhile, the new characters are memorable and entertaining as well.

I did find one rather frustrating continuity error involving a sub-plot at one point.  It doesn’t ruin anything story wise, but it is the kind of thing a good edit should have caught and that drives me crazy.

Truly, that is a minor issue, however.  I found Live and Let Fly to be as pleasant as flying a kite myself.  Sit back and drift away with this enjoyable book.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Giveaway!

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

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, December 12th, so please leave your comment before 12:01 AM Pacific Time on 12/12.  You will have until midnight on 12/17 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 12/18.

Ornament Review: Winter Fun with Snoopy #20 - Supper Dish Sledding Redux - 2017 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fresh take on a fun idea to celebrate 20 ornaments

Cons: Idea was already used in series

The Bottom Line:

Racing down a hill

Snoopy, Woodstock side by side

Happy twentieth!

Paying Tribute to 20 Years with Another Supper Dish Race

This year marks the 20th anniversary for the two longest running Peanuts ornaments series that Hallmark has ever done – Spotlight on Snoopy and Winter Fun with Snoopy.  Just goes to show how popular Snoopy is, right?  For the Spotlight on Snoopy series, we got an original series ornament and a complimentary anniversary piece that harkens back to the original ornament in the series.  But for Winter Fun with Snoopy, we get one ornament that almost does both.

You see, the original ornament in this series featured Snoopy and Woodstock racing down a snowy hill in Snoopy’s supper dish.  And the duo are back at it this year, however this time they are racing side by side.  Yes, Snoopy’s in his red supper dish, but Woodstock is racing in his nest.  And it looks like he might be a little ahead, at least at this moment.  They both must be going quickly since Snoopy’s red and gray striped hat is flowing out behind him.

Yes, I immediately picked up on the similarity between the two ornaments, and I do wish we’d gotten a completely original idea.  However, I don’t care overall.  The design is original enough to make it fun.  I love the idea of Woodstock sliding downhill in his nest.  And the detail on his nest is pretty impressive considering this is a miniature ornament.

Let me emphasize that point.  This is a miniature ornament.  It’s barely over an inch tall.  If you buy this looking for a full sized ornament, you will be disappointed.  But if you have been collecting the series, you already know what to expect.

The ornament has a nice, flat bottom that lets you set this ornament out to be displayed.  However, I recommend you hang it.  You see, it hangs at an angle that adds to the illusion of the downhill race.

You’ll find the 20 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of the ornament as well.

As much as the repeated idea disappoints me, the fresh take on supper dish racing and the tie back to the first ornament in the series makes 2017’s Winter Fun with Snoopy still fun overall.

Missing some winter fun?  Here are all of the ornaments in the Winter Fun with Snoopy series.

Original Price: $7.95

Book Review: Kermit the Hermit by Bill Peet

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Good moral wrapped in an entertaining story

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Kermit stops hoarding

We see generosity

Entertaining book

The Generous Hermit (Crab)

One thing I appreciate about Bill Peet is that his characters really are good.  I can only think of one character in one book that turns out to be all bad.  So even when you meet Kermit the Hermit, you know that he will have a change of heart before the book is over.

You see, Kermit is a hermit crab living in Monterey Bay.  He has a crevice in a rock that he calls home, and he has filled it full of things he finds valuable.  He spends his day looking for more treasures and trying to keep others from taking stuff from his stash.

One day, his searching takes him to the sand, where a dog gets a hold of him and starts digging a hole.  Kermit is saved for a horrible fate by a boy who is walking on the beach.  Kermit immediately searches for something he can do for the boy.  How will this change him?

Obviously, there is a moral to this story about the joys of being generous.  We actually get to see quite a transformation in Kermit, and that’s a great thing.  In fact, adults will probably pick up on how the details make this a strong parable.  But the best part is that we aren’t preached at.  Instead, this transformation because of one kind act is actually what drives the story, so we are entertained the entire time.

Bill Peet’s illustrations are always wonderful, and this book is no exception.  They are full color and contain plenty of detail.

This is one of the books that Bill Peet wrote in verse.  Since I have no ability to write poetry at all, I am in awe of those who can and make it look so effortless.  This book isn’t an easy reader, but it would be a good step in an early reader’s life since the verse might help them figure out what some unfamiliar words are.

Kermit the Hermit is another example of Bill Peet’s wonderful storytelling.  It’s a shame he isn’t as popular as he used to be.  Try this book today, and you’ll definitely treasure it.

December 2nd's Weekly TV Thoughts

I did it!  I managed to get completely caught up on TV this week.  You might think I pretty much did nothing but watch TV after work.  And you'd be right, but I'll deny it if you ask me about it face to face.

Lethal Weapon (11/21) – When this show tries to do serious, I don’t enjoy it as much, and this was definitely the case here.  The dreams Riggs was having were just weird.  Roger can be an idiot, and his sub-plot designed to create humor just didn’t work for me.  The last few scenes were good, but overall, this wasn’t their best episode of the season.

This is Us (11/21) – Powerful!  I knew this would be a tough episode based on the tag last week (and I’m so glad we got that warning), but the way they played it out was great.  Rebecca’s scenes with the adult Kate were absolutely perfect, and once again I find myself liking Toby as they are writing him this season.  They do seem to have resolved the grief pretty quickly, or maybe that is just me, but I’m quibbling at this point.

Survivor (11/22) – So we have Joe going out of his way to be annoying so that he will be kept around, and the alliance is falling for it?  Oh man, that guy is absolutely driving me up a wall!  I can’t wait for him to go.

Arrow (11/23) – Oliver arrested?  I’m really not sure where they are going with the storyline this time since they’ve dealt with it in the past.  They are certainly playing it out longer this time.  Thea is awake!  That’s good news for sure.  And just in time for this week’s crossover.

Lethal Weapon – Now that’s more like it.  The stuff with the movie was fairly predictable, although I didn’t see that coming into play in the mystery until it happened.  Still, the laughs mostly worked.  Now, if Riggs will see that he really loves his old friend, we’ll all be better off.

This is Us – Not nearly as powerful as last week’s episode, probably because I never really warmed up to Deja since I knew she’d leave at some point this season.  Obviously, we’ve met their foster son, so I will be interested to see how that goes.  Poor Kevin is going to be in trouble when having his niece in the car wasn’t his idea or his fault.  Hopefully being arrested for drunk driving will help him straighten himself out.  I’m not enjoying his story so far this season since I don’t like train wrecks.  Of course, Kevin has a tendency to go that way anyway.

Crisis on Earth X – Yes, I’m going to handle the massive crossover in one post.  If you watched, you know they weren’t really calling it by the regular show names anyway, and I watched it all in one night.  I love these characters, and I laughed at so many of the lines.  They didn’t seem to deal with as many of the on-going storylines of the respective series this year.  We did get Barry and Iris’s wedding, although them getting married was a bit anti-climactic.  I was more surprised they gave us Oliver and Felicity’s wedding in the same way.  Heck, I’m surprised they got married so soon after them getting back together.  The really, this was about saying goodbye to Stein.  I knew the actor was leaving the show, but I was hoping he’d ride off into the sunset and get to live with his family.  I got spoiled, but even knowing that, the scenes in the final episode just about killed me.  Wow!

Survivor – They got rid of Joe!!  Okay, so it took them two hours to do it, but still, that made me so happy.  Although I would have been okay with Ben.  He is next on my chopping block for sure.  They just need to listen to me.

Designated Survivor – There were references to everything else going on, but they pretty much ignored everything else.  Looks like we will see more of these storylines going forward.  I’m most curious about this romance for Leor.

Big Bang Theory – They made it sound like the secret was bigger than that in the previews, but I really enjoyed the flashbacks and the modern story and how it all came together.  I also always enjoy seeing Zach, so those scenes were fun.  Plus, I was laughing so hard at Raj not talking to women, and Amy’s early encounter with Penny.

The Orville – I didn’t actually expect that promotion to stick, although we now have a main character in engineering, so it does make sense.  Nothing too clever or original in the storytelling, but it was fun despite a few gross out moments.

Book Review: Void Moon by Michael Connelly

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Thrilling ride

Cons: Pace near the beginning; characters hard to root for

The Bottom Line:

Ex-con character

Created issues for me

Story still thrilling

Cassie Black Finds More Danger than She Bargained For

Michael Connelly is best known for his Harry Bosch novels, especially now that the character is starring in an Amazon TV series.  But he has a few standalone novels out there, and I’m am trying to work them into my reading schedule as well.  That’s what brought me to Void Moon, which is different in some ways and classic Connelly in others.

Cassie Black is an ex-con who served five years after the robbery of a guest in a Las Vegas casino went horribly wrong and is 10 months into her parole.  She’s managed to get a transfer approved to Los Angeles, and she is working at a Mercedes dealership.

Despite Cassie’s desire to go straight, she finds herself needing cash in a hurry, so she decides to go back to her old life for one last crime.  In fact, she becomes part of a plan to rob a high roller at the very casino where her life fell apart six years ago.  Will things go better this time?

I’m being vague on purpose because this is one of those wonderful plots that you need to watch unfold for yourself.  And in this way, this book is classic Michael Connelly.  He creates fabulous stories and executes them perfectly for maximum suspense.  I got very caught up in this story and had to know how it would all play out.  I did feel the beginning was a bit too slow and technical, but once the book really took off, I was hooked, and it became a first-rate thriller.

On the other hand, the characters in this book could be better.  I hate rooting for criminals, so it took me a long time to truly begin to root for Cassie.  As the book goes along, it becomes impossible not to root for her as the other characters are just as nasty.  Still, this book doesn’t have the clear-cut line between good and evil that I normally want in my fiction.  I have an issue with Oceans Eleven for the same reason.

I actually listened to the unabridged audio book as read by L. J. Ganser.  He does a great job of bringing Cassie and this world to life.

While this book is technically a standalone novel, it does have some references to the events of an earlier Harry Bosch book.  It isn’t necessary to have that background to understand this book, but it is a delightful Easter egg for Connelly’s fans.

Don’t get me wrong, Void Moon is a wild, thrilling ride from a true master.  I had enough of a problem with the characters that I couldn’t love it, but they probably won’t be an issue for most readers.

This review is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.