Book Review: The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #28)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Another fun Christmas mystery

Cons: Pacing off at the beginning

The Bottom Line:

Helping a hoarder

Meg must manage mystery

Cheerful Christmas case

Who Used a Helping Hand to Murder?

I have my traditions when it comes to the holidays.  One of those is saving a few Christmas cozies to read in late November or early December.  I’ve been able to do that seven times now with Christmas themed entries in the long running Meg Langslow series from Donna Andrews.  The Gift of the Magpie is the latest Christmas mystery to feature Meg, and it’s another treat.

As if the holidays weren’t busy enough, this year the churches in Caerphilly, Virginia, have started a charity project called Helping Hands for the Holidays.  There is no limit to what they will take on, anything from finishing a quilt to spreading manure or replacing lightbulbs.  Naturally, Meg is in the think of it, organizing the various projects.

One of the more challenging is Harvey the Hoarder.  Getting his house cleaned out and repaired is a last resort for him since his relatives and neighbors are threatening to call in the county if he doesn’t do something with all the stuff he has in his house.  With everyone pitching in, they make good progress on the first day, but the second day gets off to a sour note when Meg finds Harvey in his garage in a pool of blood.  Rumors abound that there was something valuable hidden in his house.  Did that get him killed?

These books are always filled with several sub-plots to get various members of the large cast of characters involved in the proceedings.  And yes, one of them does involve magpies.  While I always enjoy these stories since I love the characters, I did feel it slowed down the mystery early on.  However, once Meg finds Harvey, the sub-plots weave around the main mystery much better.  And this isn’t to say I was ever bored.

Once the mystery kicks into high gear, it is wonderful.  We’ve got the usual assortment of fantastic suspects and clues and red herrings to keep us guessing until the end.

Meanwhile, we have the sub-plots to provide some Christmas spirit.  I really enjoyed seeing how all those played out.

And that’s because I love this cast of characters.  I mean, I wouldn’t be on book twenty-eight in the series if I didn’t.  Everyone is at their most entertaining here.

I didn’t find this book as funny as some entries in the series.  Maybe because hoarding hit a little too close to home.  There is a fine line between collecting and hoarding.  And between being lazy and hoarding.  I’ve got to make time to declutter – just as soon as I finish my next book, of course.

There’s still time this month to settle in with a Christmas mystery.  So light the fire, grab a mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy The Gift of the Magpie.

And be sure to enjoy the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries.

Ornament Review: Joust - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Brings back fun memories of playing Joust

Cons: None for this fan

The Bottom Line:

Classic arcade game

Flies onto your Christmas tree

This fan is happy

No Need to Joust for This Ornament

While I grew up playing some video games, there were some I always enjoyed by never had until I was an adult.  Joust was one of them.  Something about it fascinated me, but I never added it to my Atari 2600 collection, instead not getting a home version of it until I had a Super Nintendo as an adult.  But I still love the game, so I had to get the Joust arcade ornament that Hallmark released this year.

Yes, despite my talk about home gaming systems, this is modeled on the classic arcade game (which I also played a little over the years).  And it looks pretty much like you’d expect.  It’s a big black arcade machine.  At the top and on the sides is the artwork that were on the original arcade game.  The front has two controllers since you could play at the same time as a friend.  Down below are the slots to insert your quarters.

Like other arcade ornaments that Hallmark has released over the years, this is a magic ornament.  If you press the player start buttons, the screen lights up and you hear sound effects from the game.  If you are familiar with the game, you’ll recognize the sounds right away.  They capture everything in the almost 30 seconds, and it definitely makes me smile.  You need two button batteries to make the sound work, and your first set is included for you.

Since this is a recreated arcade game, there is a nice flat bottom to the ornament.  You can set it out and enjoy it year round.  If you decide you want to hang it on your tree, you’ll be pleased to see that it hangs straight.

Joust wasn’t as popular as some arcade games from the 1980’s, but I would still consider it a classic.  Then again, I was a fan of it back in the day.  Those who enjoyed the game will enjoy having this piece of video game history on their tree just like I do.

Joust may be a bit more of a specialty ornament, but it is one I am happy Hallmark released.  If you have warm memories of the video game as well, be sure to pick it up.

Book Review: A Whisker of a Doubt by Cate Conte (Cat Cafe Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Enjoyable Christmas cozy

Cons: Suspects would be stronger

The Bottom Line:

A cat colony

Put Maddie near a murder

In festive cozy

Fights over Feral Cats Lead to Murder at Christmas

It’s been a long year waiting for A Whisker of a Doubt.  The previous book left us with a cliffhanger when it comes to main character Maddie James’ life, and I couldn’t wait to find out what was really going on there.  Because I knew it had to be more than it seemed.  So I was thrilled to finally dive into this fourth book in the series.

This Christmas, Maddie is helping her friend Katrina take care of a feral cat colony near a rich neighborhood on Daybreak Island.  Most of the residents don’t seem to be happy about the cat colony living in the woods near their homes, and they are making it as hard as they can for Maddie and Katrina to go in and leave food and water for them.

Just a few days before Christmas, Maddie is doing the evening feeding when she stumbles over the body of Virgil Proust.  He and his wife, June, have been leading the charge about anyone caring for the cats.  That’s why the police are quick to accuse Katrina of the crime.  However, Maddie knows her friend couldn’t have done it, so she uses her time in the neighborhood to start her own investigation.  What really happened to Virgil?

And the problem in Maddie’s personal life?  That involves her love life, and we definitely get more on that as well.  I was thrilled to find out what was happening there.  I will say that I did get a bit frustrated with Maddie in those scenes at times, although I certainly understood where she was coming from.

The mystery itself is good.  Maddie gathers information from any source she can, so she’s not just talking to the suspects but others who know them.  It’s a bit of a different approach to the mystery, but it works.  We get some nice twists on our way to the logical climax.

The downside to this approach is that we don’t always get to know the suspects super well.  I had problems at times remembering what their relationships were to each other and to the victim.  Before we were too far into a scene, there would be context to help me remember, however.  Because we do get to know Katrina, I definitely cared about freeing her from suspicion in the crime.

And the rest of the cast are fantastic as always.  Maddie has a great family and good friends.  The Cat Cafe she has opened is a bit slow right now since Daybreak Island is a summer vacation location, but we get some cute scenes there as well.  The Christmas setting works wonderfully to put us in the mood for the holiday.

The book flashes back a couple of time to help give us context to what is happening.  Each chapter starts by letting us know exactly when it is taking place, so following the timeline is never hard (and you know how I feel about logical timelines).  It’s a little different approach to telling a story in a cozy, and the author pulled it off perfectly.

Obviously, this book will be best if you are up to date on the series so you can understand what is going on in Maddie’s life.  However, you get the background you need, so if this is your introduction, you’ll be just fine.

If you’ve been waiting to find out what happens next to Maddie, you’ll find this book to be a Christmas treat.  A Whisker of a Doubt is a cozy Christmas mystery that you’ll savor.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Cat Cafe Mysteries.

Music Review: Social Christmasing by Straight No Chaser

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The covers of traditional songs are great

Cons: The lesser known tracks aren’t that great

The Bottom Line:

More Christmas music

Unfortunately, it’s mixed

But fans will still want

Mixed Bag of Christmas Songs

Over the last decade or so, Straight No Chaser has become a huge part of my Christmas music collection.  I’ve got all their releases (including the bonus tracks), and any new Christmas release gets bought immediately.  So when I spotted Social Christmasing last month, I immediately bought it as well.

If you aren’t familiar with the group, Straight No Chaser is an all-male a cappella group.  They launched to fame when their comedic take on “The 12 Days of Christmas” went viral on YouTube, and they’ve made a pretty successful career out of that.  Christmas songs have become their bread and butter since that is what brought them to everyone’s attention, and they have as many Christmas releases are regular releases at this point.

There are only so many standards when it comes to Christmas music.  And, by this point, Straight No Chaser has covered most of them.  In fact, I was a bit surprised to see some of the standards that were showing up on this disc for the first time.  Unfortunately, the new (or at least new to me) songs on this disc just aren’t grabbing me.

The most fun of these tracks is “I’m Your Snowman,” a love song written for the cold and snow.  As I said, this one is fun.  But in the middle of the disc, we get a run of original tracks that aren’t working for me.  “The Cold Don’t Bother Me” and “What Christmas Means” are just okay.  While not technically original, I hadn’t heard “Please Come Home for Christmas” or “A Long December” before either.  Again, the lyrics and music aren’t grabbing me.  Even “Office Party Blues,” which I was expecting to love based on some of their earlier original comedy songs, doesn’t pack the same number of laughs.

But the traditional songs?  They prove that these guys are still at the top of their game.  “Frosty the Snowman” is so much fun.  The combination of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” with “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is beautiful.  I’m not a big fan of “Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season” but I am enjoying their version.  The talking is growing on me on “Holly Jolly Christmas,” and when they are singing on this track, it is wonderful.

Social Christmasing proves to be a mixed bag.  While the new tracks aren’t working for me, I’m definitely enjoying their fresh take on some more classic Christmas songs.

CD Length: 45:34

Tracks:

1. Silver Bells

2. The First Noel

3. I’m Your Snowman

4. Frosty the Snowman

5. Holly Jolly Christmas

6. The Cold Don’t Bother Me

7. Please Come Home for Christmas

8. What Christmas Means

9. A Long December

10. Away in a Manger

11. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

12. Office Party Blues

13. Snow Globe

14. Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season

15. O Come, O Come Emmanuel/O Come, All Ye Faithful

Disney Pin Review: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction #9 - 2020 Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Beautiful set ties to a fun roller coaster

Cons: Nothing

The Bottom Line:

Big Thunder Mountain

Minnie’s ninth stop in the parks

Beautiful pin set

This Here’s the Wildest Pin Set in My Collection

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad holds a special place in my heart.  It was the first roller coaster I ever went on.  I loved it, and I have loved roller coasters ever since.  Because of that, I am thrilled with how much I love the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad pin set for the Minnie Mouse the Main Attraction series.

For this ninth set in the series, Minnie is moving on from her extended stay in Fantasyland to visit Frontierland.  And the pins definitely have that old west feel to them.  The first pin in this three pin set is the icon related to the attraction.  In this case, it is a train.  However, it isn’t the runaway train of the attraction but a train going along in front of a mountain.  The mountain is red and has some of the spires I associate with the attraction.  There’s some blueish smoke coming from the train’s smoke stack.  The second pin is Minnie herself, and she’s dressed for this attraction.  She’s got a yellow bow in her ears, and she’s wearing cowboy boots.  Her dress is red and pink and has the impression of mountain spires on it.  Those spires are easier to see on the third pin – the Minnie ears.  They are on both ears.  In between is a red bow with the BTM brand that Disney sometimes uses for this attraction on both sides.

Quite obviously, red is the primary color, but it definitely fits this attraction since the spires and rocks used to create the mountain are also red.  The way they fade with pinks is absolutely beautiful.  It’s one of the prettiest of this entire series.

So I am thrilled to add this set to my collection.  Minnie puts her own stamp on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and it captures this attraction perfectly.

If you'd like to see the pins yourself, check out my Instagram post.

December 5th's Weekly TV Thoughts

 A little catch up at the beginning of the week, but just one show before we dive into this week's shows.

Amazing Race (11/25) – As I figured, this was more like a “you’re still racing leg” just without Phil there to give them that news.  And this is why the blondes shouldn’t have given in when pressured to use their yield last time.  This 5 team alliance has been so frustrating to watch because no on struggles with anything – they share everything.  It’s actually been rather boring.  I do feel for the blondes.  There was no point in ganging up on them.  They would have been going soon anyway with how many times they came in last.

Supermarket Sweep – Again, we had both extremes on this episode.  The very first game the team won it all.  But then the second game, the team didn’t wind up winning anything.  It’s almost like they plan it that way or something.

Card Sharks – I thought the second contestant in the first round might come back at one point, but she couldn’t pull it off.  Meanwhile, the second round was very close.  I was happy to see both of them manage to take home some pretty impressive amounts over all, too.

LA’s Finest – Did not see the brother turning himself in.  And I guess that Nancy and Patrick have made up.  That felt a little glossed over.  I’ve got to admit, I have a hard time tracking all of the various names of the bad guys, but I feel like we knew that ending cliffhanger before even if Sydney didn’t.  But what does it mean going forward?  Oh, and we did solve the diamond case finally.  Rather busy episode.

Disney Holiday Sing-Off – That was fun, but not quite as fun as the earlier ones this year.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas music (and I’ve got the collection to prove it), but I enjoyed the Disney song special more.  Maybe because I don’t have as much Disney music as Christmas music in my collection.  Anyway, both of the songs the Hough siblings did were by far the highlights.

The Weakest Link – That was a pretty amazing first round.  Of course, they fell apart in the second round.  They did a pretty good job of getting money overall with a pretty impressive total.  I just want to know if anything came of that flirting.

Tell Me a Story – Did not see that cliffhanger coming.  Seriously?  Why did she go back?  Obviously, she is darker than I expected.  I’m surprised they let the co-worker live last time, but I’m equally surprised he’s dead now.  I figured it he was alive, he’d be around for a bit more.  Who is after Ashley Rose?  That mystery just gets deeper.  And Simone’s safe, for now.  I doubt it will stay that way for very long.

The Amazing Race – Have I mentioned how I feel about when teams gang up on another team?  I was feeling it again with this episode.  Yes, the team the others really wanted gone is still there, but U turning a team that had already been there?  That’s just wrong.  I wonder how close it really was at the end, but it was certainly close enough that it was a good thing the U turn was used.  But singling them out?  That’s just poor form, even for a show like this that is a race.

B Positive – The characters have grown on me some.  I no longer find them annoying.  However, I still only find the comedy mildly amusing.  It’s not that it is trying too hard, it just really isn’t that funny.  Looks like it is taking a couple of weeks off, but we’ll see if I decide to come back when it does.  It might depend on what else is on the schedule by that point.

Star Trek: Discovery – I feel like it was a monumental episode and a pointless one.  Not sure what the point of the planet was.  It really felt like filler.  A little character development, sure, but at the expense of anything important to the plot.  Meanwhile, this is the second show this week to save a character in the last episode only to kill them off this week.  I was so sorry to see the admiral die.

December 4th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

 We've finally made it to Friday.  This has been a long week, and I've been working lots of hours.  Got deadlines for work this weekend, so I don't even get to relax then.

But for now, let's take a minute for this week's Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week's book is A Whisker of Doubt by Cate Conte.

Yes, this is another Christmas cozy, the fourth in the Cat Cafe Mysteries, set on a fictional island off the coast of Massachusetts.

And here's how it begins:

"Maddie, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Here's a tip - if someone asks you that question at the beginning of a book, always say yes.  Always.  (What do you mean you don't know when you are in the beginning of a book?)

Jumping ahead to page 56, we find:

"I can't print it because it's likely.  Did you see anyone?  Get a tip?"

I shook my head.  "No.  But they didn't see anyone or get a tip that it was me or Katrina or any of our volunteers stealing their stupid Christmas decorations, and you're still writing that story."

Yep, Christmas is having a few bumps, but what would expect in a Christmas story, especially a mystery.

I'm working on this book now.  Review should be up next week.  When specifically, we will have to see.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Book Review: Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen #26)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A fun Christmas short story

Cons: Padded with lots of talk about food

The Bottom Line:

Missing memory

Sets up a fun mystery

Overwhelmed by food

A Fine Short Story Stretched

When I saw that we were getting a new Christmas story starring Hannah Swensen, I decided to save it for December.  At the heart of Christmas Cupcake Murder is a good story, but it was stretched way too far.

This book is set during a Christmas from the past.  It’s never specified when it is set, but it’s early on in the series.  Mike has moved to town, but Lisa and Herb are still dating and not yet married.  Of course, since these books are fiction, Hannah has a cell phone and is pretty good as using it (as long as it is charged), something that wasn’t true back when in those stories.  Then again, not everyone had cell phones back when the early books in the series were coming out.  I’m not really bothered by that part of the time warp, more amused by it.

Anyway….

There is a stranger in Lake Eden, and no one knows who he is – including the man himself.  Hannah and her mother find him one day mostly starved, and get him to the hospital.  When he is revived, he doesn’t remember his name, but asks to be called Joe Smith instead of John Doe.  Hannah makes it her mission to find out who he really is.  Can she help him recover his memory?

For a Christmas entry in this series, I find the premise of this book to be fun.  As much as I do love my cozy mysteries, it is nice to see some variety in the plot every so often, as long as the plot is decent.

And that’s the problem here.  This would have worked as a short story.  Maybe a novella.  Maybe.  However, here, it is stretched out to fill a novel.  The usual tactics in this series are employed.  There is lots of talk about food.  Lots and lots of talk.  Not only are there discussions of Hannah’s latest creation (and there are lots of them), but there is talk about how she made it or plans for something new or….  You get the idea.  Skimming was my friend with this book, and I didn’t miss any of the story as I did it.

If you were paying attention and knew this was a step back in time, you could tell in how the characters were interacting.  It was fun seeing some of those interactions, knowing where these characters are now.  Of course, since this is a flashback, there aren’t any real developments in the character’s lives for fans who are up to date on the books.

But there are recipes.  I’m sure that isn’t a surprise given what I said earlier.  We get twenty new recipes, and I’m not counting the frosting separately from the cupcakes.  As you might expect from the title, there are plenty of cupcake recipes – I counted seven.

Back to the plot for a moment, it does get strong as the book goes along, and I really did love the ending.  I was glad I read it for that reason.

If you are a fan of the series and know what to expect going into this book, you’ll be fine.  Just plan to get more discussion of food than the plot in Christmas Cupcake Murder.

Here are the rest of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries.

Ornament Review: Luke Skywalker Miniature Ornament - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Luke Skywalker for your miniature tree

Cons: His face is off

The Bottom Line:

Miniature Luke

Costuming, details look great

But his face is off

Once Again, Luke’s Face Proves to be Problematic in an Ornament

Hallmark’s recent resurgence of miniature ornaments has begun to include more and more pop culture options.  Since I enjoy having those on my tree, I grabbed a couple of the Star Wars ornaments they released this year.  One of those is Luke Skywalker, which I mostly enjoy.

This ornament capture Luke as he is dueling Darth Vader (sold separately as a mini as well this year) at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.  Luke is dressed in an off-white outfit and has a brown weapon holster around his waist.  In his hands, he’s holding his blue lightsaber.

It’s a simple ornament, but it is a miniature ornament.  The ornament is less than two inches tall, and that’s with Luke’s lightsaber sticking up above his head.  It’s hard to imagine them including more of a scene with that scale.

And yet, the detail in this ornament is mostly fantastic.  We can see the wrinkles on his clothing, for example.  It is easy for any fan to tell who this is.

The one detail that doesn’t quite work is his face.  It’s not very well defined, and what we see only partially looks like Mark Hamill.  This isn’t a new phenomenon – regular sized Hallmark ornaments have had a hard time getting his face right as well.

Because of Luke’s stance as well as his size, this ornament doesn’t stand on its own.  Not that you’d want to set it out to display somewhere since it would easily get lost.  However, when you go to hang it on your tree, you’ll find Luke is hanging straight.

So this ornament isn’t perfect.  But fans of the original trilogy will be happy to add this miniature Luke Skywalker ornament to their collection.  I know I am.

Book Review: Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land (Murder, She Wrote #52)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Jessica at Christmas, Grady, fun mystery

Cons: Ending a bit rushed, other characters a tad off

The Bottom Line:

Bodies old and new

Present puzzle at Christmas

Jessica must solve

‘Tis the Season to be Murdered

In all the years Murder, She Wrote was on the air, it only did one Christmas themed episode.  Since I’ve only read a fraction of the books, I don’t know if we’ve checked in with Jessica Fletcher at all during the holiday in them before now, but we definitely get a Christmas visit with the newest novels, Murder in Season.

The reconstruction on Jessica’s house is finally winding down, and she is thrilled to be home.  She is celebrating by inviting her nephew Grady and his family up for Christmas.  She’s looking forward to a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, there is one last project for the house – a new septic system.  It gets even more complicated when the team digging up her old septic system discovers human remains.  One of the skeletons appears to be centuries old, but the other is more recent.  All this is uncovered just as a reporter for a tabloid TV show arrives in town to film a story about why there are so many murders in Cabot Cove.

The investigation begins to unravel secrets from the founding of the town in the 1790’s.  While that might explain one of the skeletons, how does the more recent skeleton tie in to those secrets?

Mysteries that cover generations can be hard to pull off.  I often find myself wondering why we should care if everyone involved is dead.  This book avoids that by quickly making it very apparent that whatever the secrets of the past might be, they have very modern repercussions.  I appreciated that as it helped draw me into the story.  I wasn’t quite as gripped as I’ve been reading the last few books, but this one did hold my interest.  The solution was a bit abrupt, but it does answer our questions.

While the Cabot Cove episodes were always my favorite of the show, my second favorite were any episodes Grady appeared in.  (And yes, I was especially happy when he appeared in Cabot Cove.)  It was fabulous to see him in this book, and I loved the scenes he was in.  His character felt spot on, although I do wish we’d gotten a bit more with Donna.

As to the other regulars, I will once again say that they feel just slightly off.  It doesn’t help that a couple of running gags are once again driven into the ground.  Still, I’m being mostly nitpicky here, and I enjoyed spending time with them.

And yes, Christmas is a strong element in the book.  I loved those scenes.  They made me want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate, look at the lights on my tree, and listen to Christmas carols.

Murder in Season is a Christmas treat for fans of Murder, She Wrote.  Even if you don’t get to read it during December, it will help capture the Christmas magic any time of year.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book