Book Review: Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes (Daisy Thorne Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong plot, engaging main characters

Cons: A few minor issues, including a timeline issue

The Bottom Line:

Dead opera star

Plenty of twists in story

Enjoyable first

Dead Diva

While I read some books set in England, I am more drawn to books set in the United States.  As a result, Death at a Country Mansion wasn’t on my radar.  However, when the book came out at the beginning of the month, I started hearing lots of people praising this debut.  I decided it sounded too good to pass up, and I’m glad I picked it up.

Dame Serena Levante was a world-renowned opera singer.  She’s also the mother of Daisy Thorne’s best friend, Floria, so when news comes that Serena is dead, Daisy rushes to Serena’s mansion outside of the English village of Edgemead.  The police quickly see that it was murder, and they believe that robbery was involved since an expensive painting is also missing from the mansion.  Daisy owns the local hair salon, and it is a hub of gossip.  As a result, she begins to hear things that might help the police in their quest to find out what happened.  Can she get the gruff inspector to listen to her?

This book wastes no time getting us into the mystery, and it is quickly evident that it was murder.  That allows more time for the twists and turns of the plot.  There are plenty of those, and they kept me engaged the entire time.  The climax wraps everything up neatly for us with a staple of the traditional mystery – the gathering of the suspects together.  I enjoy seeing that used well, which it is here.

Even though we don’t really get to know Serena before she is killed, we get to know her during the investigation.  I’m sure it will be no surprise to say that she led a life that left behind plenty of suspects.  The way the plot unfolds, we don’t get to know all the suspects super well, but we are still drawn into the book and care about the outcome, so it works.

Part of that is because we like Daisy and Floria.  We meet some other regular characters who I’m sure we’ll get to know better as the series progresses.  Because of these characters, we get fully invested in the story.

I do have to point out that there is a timeline issue with the book.  As you know, those drive me crazy.  There were also a few times that I felt like something still needed to be smoothed over in an edit, but they were minor.

This book is on the short side.  I was able to breeze through it in a couple of days without putting in too much extra reading time.  Just know that when you pick up the book and you’ll be fine.  The result is a tightly written book without any wasted space.

Overall, Death at a Country Mansion is an enjoyable debut.  I’m definitely going to pack my bags to find out what Daisy is up to next.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Dr. Suess's The Grinch! Musical

Stars: 2 out of 5
Pros: The actors playing Max, sets and costumes
Cons: Too many forgettable songs; Matthew Morrison’s Grinch
The Bottom Line:
Familiar story
Filled with forgettable songs
Stretching does not work

At the Risk of Being a Grinch….

I love Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, both the book and the popular animated special.  I’ve loved them since I was a kid.  However, I’ve struggled with the attempts to turn them into something longer.  The recent version of the stage musical that aired on NBC is no exception.

The story is the one we are all familiar with.  With an older Max (Denis O’Hare) narrating something that he witnessed years ago, we get the story of the Grinch (Matthew Morrison), who hates Christmas.  Unfortunately, he lives near Whoville, and the Whos love Christmas.  Despite the efforts of young Cindy-Lou Who (Amelia Minto), who wants to be nice to the Grinch, the Grinch decides to steal Christmas with the help of the young version of Max (Booboo Stewart).  What will happen?

Part of my issue is that there is not enough story.  The book takes 10 minutes to read if you are reading slowly.  Seven minutes is probably more realistic.  The special is 25 minutes of show factoring in commercials (and probably a little less).  Now, we are going to stretch that out by another hour?  There just isn’t enough story to support that.  I do appreciate that they tried to expand on Cindy-Lou Who’s role and have her attempt to do nice things for the Grinch, but that still isn’t enough.

Instead, they try to fill this version with songs.  Lots and lots of songs.  This is The Grinch! Musical, after all.  Yet most of the songs are immediately forgettable.  Some of the dance numbers are okay, but they don’t make up for the bland songs.  And there are lots and lots of songs.  It is clear the songs are how they are padding the running time, but since I wasn’t enjoying them, it didn’t work for me.  At times, when the Whos were singing, they didn’t sound like they were in tune with each other.  I suspect it was an artistic choice, but it didn’t work for me.

I also struggled with Matthew Morrison’s Grinch.  Yes, he’s supposed to be mean early on, but he was over the top.  I did love both Denis O’Hare and Booboo Stewart as Max.  In fact, any time either version of Max got the spotlight was a highlight.

And I loved the costumes, makeup, and even the stage.  It looked like a Dr. Seuss book brought to life, right down to things on the set looking like pencil strokes.

I’d been curious about Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch! Musical, so I’m glad I finally got to see it.  It was pretty much what I expected, so I’m glad NBC made it easy for me to watch it.

Short Story Review: A Christmas Mourning by Laura Bradford (Amish Mysteries Short Story)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Good story with characters we love

Cons: None of this fan

The Bottom Line:

A quick short story

Solves mystery from the past

With great characters

Mystery of the Missing Christmas Spoon

Since I’m a fan of Laura Bradford’s Amish Mysteries, I snagged a copy of the short story “A Christmas Mourning” a few years back.  I’ve been meaning to read it at Christmas some year, but then I run out of time each December.  Until this year.  I’ve been getting extra reading done this year, and that gave me time to visit the town of Heavenly, Pennsylvania.

Claire Weatherly is going to enjoy a rare day off with her aunt Diane, and the two are going to play tourist, visiting the Amish sites that are open for tours.  When Claire mentions this to Jakob Fisher, her new boyfriend, he tells her a story about a Christmas years ago.  Raised by a local Amish family, Jakob actually attended school in the one room school house Claire and Diane will be visiting.  The last year he was there, he took a fancy Christmas spoon his mother owned to show off to his friends, and it got lost.  Claire decides to see if she can figure out what happened to it.  But can it be recovered all these years later?

I think the biggest surprise to me is that the present day parts of this story weren’t set at Christmas.  Instead, it’s June when Claire begins her investigation.  I just assumed it was set during Christmas time, I guess.  I quickly got over that as I got once again lost in Heavenly.

If you are a fan of the series, you need to read this story.  It’s a nice, quick visit with old friends.  No, not everyone pops up in the story, which isn’t a surprise since it is a short story.  But it was still wonderful to see those who did.  I love them dearly, so any time spent with them is wonderful.

The mystery is just right for a short story.  There is enough plot to keep us engaged without dragging things out too much.  And the ending may have made me tear up, but in a good way.

I’ve got to admit it’s been long enough since I read the earlier books in the series that I’m not completely sure where this story fits in the chronology of the series.  I think it fits in between books four and five, but don’t quote me on that.  There are a couple of blink and you miss them references to events in the series, but just know that going in.

As I’ve mentioned, this is a short story, and it took me just about an hour to read.  You might even be able to sneak it in this week before Christmas.

But even if you wait to read it another time, you’ll be glad you picked up “A Christmas Mourning.”  This is an enjoyable quick visit with friends we love.

And be sure to read the rest of the Amish Mysteries.

Disney Pin Review: Aladdin - Windows of Magic - 2019 Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Captures Aladdin well

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Honor a street rat

With magical window pin

Simple but looks good

This Pin is Not a Diamond in the Rough

While Aladdin is considered a princess movie by Disney (and I understand why), it is unique in that it really focuses on the male main character.  So it is fitting that Aladdin was featured on the Window of Magic pin for the movie.

And featured he is.  Aladdin is front and center.  He’s smiling out of the window at us with his arms crossed.  He’s in he “street rat” vest and not his Prince Ali outfit.  Down at the very bottom is Abu.  Abu is surrounded by rubies, and he has rubies in his eyes.  Meanwhile, up at the very top the Genie is hiding in the moon like he does at the very end of the film.  At the top of the frame is a genie lamp, and the bottom corners have little bugs on them.  I suspect they are supposed to look like the bug that opened the Cave of Wonders, but they are a little too small to tell for sure.

Jafar’s matching Window of Evil was very unique for the series, but Aladdin is much more traditional.  I don’t mind because it looks great.  The faux stained-glass elements are perfect and it is easy to tell who we are looking at.

Of course, a few people we are missing pop into my head.  It would be fun to have Jasmine and Rajah here.  Or even the Magic Carpet could have made an appearance.  But what we do get is great.

I’ve always loved Aladdin, so I was pleased to see the movie honored with pins in this collection.  If you love the movie as well, you’ll be glad you added this pin to your collection.

If you'd like to see this pin, stop by my Instagram account.

Disney Pin Review: Jafar - Window of Evil - 2018 Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Unique window pin, and it works

Cons: Not completely obvious at first glance what is going on

The Bottom Line:

Jafar in window

Different presentation

Fun because unique

Phenomenal Cosmic Pin – Itty Bitty Size

Aladdin was the first movie I saw in the theater multiple times.  I was in high school when it came out, and I finally had the freedom and a little bit of money to be able to do that.  I still love this movie all these years later, so I was thrilled to see Jafar pop up in the Windows of Evil pin series.

You actually have to look pretty hard to find Jafar.  Unlike many of the pins, he’s not front and center.  Instead, he’s small in the bottom half of the pin, but he’s there.  He has his staff raised above his head.

So, if Jafar is so small, what is making up the majority of the pin?  In the upper half, we get Jafar is another form – Jafar as the genie he turns into at the end of the film.  This part of the pin is very red, as you’d expect.  The bottom half is a dark blue and features part of the face of the Cave of Wonders.

The result is a bit impressionistic, but once who see what is going on, it is pretty easy to see it.  While it may not be as clear as some of the others, I love it because it is different.  The impressionistic elements really work well for the faux-stained glass look of these limited edition pins.

At the very top of the pin is the beetle that was the key to opening the Cave of Wonders.  At the bottom is a genie lamp.

My only real surprise is that Iago isn’t included in the pin.  He’s such a key character in the movie I’m surprised he didn’t show up.  But that’s a minor issue for me, and I’m not sure how they would have worked him in to what they did without ruining the effect.

Jafar’s Window of Evil is a case where something different definitely worked.  If you are a fan of the movie, you’ll be glad you tracked down this pin.

If you'd like to see this pin, stop by my Instagram account.

December 19th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Supermarket Sweep – I feel like neither team in the first round knew how to play the game.  I mean, seriously?  I was actually surprised the second team did as well as they did.  You run and you grab stuff.  The winners of that round did so well.  Then there’s the second round, where the winners really struggled.  I feel a little worry for them.

Card Sharks – The winner if the first round was pretty lucky all the way around.  And all the contestants were fairly conservative, no one made wild and crazy runs and had to go back very far.  Although the guy on the second round got pretty lucky with his 7-8-7 streak.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky in the money round, but at least he won something.

LA’s Finest – They actually had a case of the week that they wrapped up in a week.  I couldn’t believe it.  And considering all the time they are giving this drug bust, too.  I’m glad they at least wrapped up the storyline with the brother by letting us know no charges were going to be filed.  And that scene that opened the episode?  Definitely needed.  I’m not on his side yet.  Not sure if I will ever be, but certainly not right now.

Tell Me a Story – I feel like this was mainly about Tucker and his crazy flashback (which was definitely creepy) and Olivia and her meeting Maddie.  That’s going to be very bad going forward.  I can’t wait to see what happens.  I like the fact that Ashley Rose wants to start singing to be an inspiration to others, but I would agree she should take it a little easy until they catch her bomber.  I’m glad that Jackson is trying AA again.  Simone is going to be in so much trouble now.  Sadly, I suspect the real version of the trust is now gone.  I have a theory about what is happening in her family – and I bet it’s the nice brother really behind everything.

The Amazing Race – Well, that’s disappointing.  Of the three teams left, I was rooting for the Beards, then the Parents, and I was hoping it wouldn’t be the Boyfriends.  Just the opposite of how they finished.  And this was one of those legs where you really didn’t have time to catch up if you were behind.  They never once changed order after they got to the park.  Granted, the brothers really had issues early on so it was hard to overcome that no matter what.

B Positive – And that’s a wrap – at least for me.  Didn’t laugh once, and I felt like both of them were being completely immature and selfish.  When you aren’t rooting for any of the characters, it’s time to move on.

Star Trek: Discovery – Now that they have fully set up that they are in the mirror universe, I look forward to seeing how that progresses.  Not so happy about the security chief/love interest having PSTD.  And he didn’t really kill the doctor, did he?

Christmas Caroler Challenge – Yes, I figured out there is going to be another week to the challenge.  It’s fitting that it ends on Christmas Day this year, although I will have to watch it after Christmas.  It’s sad that they have eliminated my favorite groups now.  I can tell I’m not on the same page with the judges.  They praise the groups that I thought were okay and have critical comments for the groups I love.  Shows how subjective things like this can be.

December 18th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

 Welcome to Friday.  It's a great Friday for me - I'm taking the day off work!  But let's kick off the day with Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm featuring Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes.

This is the first in a cozy mystery series set in a small English village.  I just finished it and I enjoyed it.

Here's now the book begins:

The ice in her glass tinkled provocatively as the scotch hit it.

I'm going to cheat a bit with the Friday 56 this week.  Page 56 doesn't have any good quotes to pull, so I'm taking this from page 54.

DI McGuinness's warning echoed in her ears.  You could be putting yourself and your friend in danger.

That's it for this week.  I'll be reviewing this book on Wednesday.  In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend.

Ornament Review: Pizza Planet Truck - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Expertly captures the Pizza Planet truck – with light!

Cons: Doesn’t actually deliver pizza

The Bottom Line:

Pizza Planet truck

Icon from classic movies

Comes home to your tree

Delivering Pixar Magic to Your Tree

When Pixar released Toy Story twenty-five years ago (and boy does that make me feel old), they invented a pizza restaurant for a pivotal scene.  Along with the restaurant Pizza Planet, they also created an old beat-up delivery truck, and that truck has popped up in most Pixar movies since in one form or another.  (I want to say all, but they might have skipped one or two.)  And Hallmark is giving us an ornament of this iconic truck this year.

Fans will recognize this truck immediately.  It’s a yellow Toyota pick up truck, but it’s clearly seen better days.  There are scratches that are beginning to rust in multiple places.  The doors have magnetic Pizza Planet signs on them, and there is a Pizza Planet rocket on the top of the truck.  The back has a white camper shell.  And someone has scratched out the Toyota on the back of the truck so it just says “Yo.”

But pizza signs on the tops of trucks are supposed to glow, right?  Funny you should mention that.  The sign on this truck does.  If you press the button in the top of the camper shell, the sign lights up for about 30 seconds.  The light requires three button batteries, and your first set is included.  I’m a bit surprised it takes so many batteries since some of the ornaments I bought that include sound clips in addition to lights use fewer batteries.  Maybe it’s because the sign is pretty bright.  Either way, it’s a fun bonus.

Another fun bonus is the fact that the wheels spin.  No, this isn’t designed to be a toy, and it won’t last long if you try to play with it.  But it is a nice detail.

Since this is a car, it rests on all four wheels.  You could set it out to be displayed and enjoy it year-round.

I’ve got mine hanging on my tree this year.  It does tip forward slightly when you go to hang it, but a well-placed branch will disguise that if it bothers you.

As soon as I saw this ornament this year, I knew I had to get it.  It’s one of those little things you don’t expect to get an ornament for, and that makes it extra special.  I mean, we’ve had plenty of ornaments with the Toy Story characters over the years, but this is something truly special to mark the historic film’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

That’s why I’m glad I added the Pizza Planet Truck to my collection this year.  If you are a Toy Story fan, you’ll want to track it down.

Book Review: Gone but Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks (Quilting Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Intriguing mystery, great characters

Cons: Ending a little abrupt

The Bottom Line:

Death of an old friend

Is it more than it appears?

Intriguing story

What Happen to Martha’s Childhood Friend?

As I’ve mentions numerous times, I try to read books in the season when they are set if I can.  Sometimes, I stumble upon that when a book I decided to read happens to take place in the month I’m reading it.  That was the case with Gone but Knot Forgotten, the third Quilting Mystery from Mary Marks.

Martha Rose is surprised when she receives a letter from an attorney informing her that she has been named the executer of her friend Harriet Oliver’s estate.  Martha and Harriet were best friends through high school, but they had drifted apart when they became adults and haven’t spoken in years.

She is even more surprised when she learns the events surrounding Harriet’s death.  While it was ruled a death from natural causes, something about it feels off to Martha.  Making her even more suspicious, Martha discovers that Harriet’s jewelry and some very specific other items from her collection are missing from the house.   Did something happen to Harriet?

There were several details of the case that intrigued me, and I couldn’t wait to see how they were resolved.  The pacing was steady, and I was never bored while I was reading.  I did feel the ending was a little abrupt, but it was very suspenseful and answered all of our questions.

The characters are fantastic.  Martha has two good quilting friends, and I love their relationships.  Martha’s love life is complicated.  I think I was frustrated with everyone at one point or another.  But that makes for great reading, right?  We meet some interesting characters along the way, and I enjoyed them as well.

And yes, there is quilting involved.  I’m not going to tell you any more than that, but I love how quilting was woven into the plot.

You’ll noticed I said earlier this book is set in December.  However, it isn’t a Christmas book.  That’s because Martha is Jewish.  There are still a couple of references to Christmas.  Honestly, we don’t get much more about Hanukkah, and I would have enjoyed it if we did.  I do enjoy seeing that part of Martha come out over the course of the story since I learn more about Jewish culture.  It’s something that sets this series apart from others I read in a good way.

I’m late coming to this series, but with each book I pick up, I can see why the series is so popular.  Gone but Knot Forgotten is another fun entry in the series.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Quilting Mysteries in order.

Movie Review: Holly & Ivy

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Romance between the two leads

Cons: One storyline adds some bitter to the sweet

The Bottom Line:

New town at Christmas

Neighbors, romance, fixing house

Bittersweet story

Melancholy Christmas

I collect Hallmark Christmas ornaments.  I watch Hallmark mystery movies.  And yet, I had never watched a Hallmark Christmas movie until this year.  I dipped my toe in to that genre with Holly & Ivy, which turned out to be a melancholy movie.

The story focuses on Melody (Janel Parrish).  She’s just moved to a small Wisconsin town and bought a fixer upper.  Her dream job of a children’s librarian has just fallen through, but she is determined to get a job in the area.  In the meantime, she meets her neighbor Nina (Marissol Nichols) and Nina’s two daughters Holly and Ivy (Sadie Coleman and Piper Rubio).  She quickly bonds with them, especially over a shared love of books.

Melody plans to fix up her house herself, and it’s at the hardware store that she meets Adam (Jeremy Jordan), a local contractor.  Adam dreams of running his own home-made furniture business instead of the construction business, however.  Then, Melody suddenly needs to get her home up to code in a hurry.  Can she do it before Christmas?

Quite obviously, there is a lot going on in this movie.  I felt it did a good job of balancing everything while also letting us get to know the characters and watching them develop.

One place the movie fell down is how quickly it rushed things.  Melody makes a big commitment to Nina for someone she hasn’t known very long.  I get that it drives the rest of the movie, but making a commitment like that in a matter of days?  Maybe it was weeks, but it felt more condensed than that.  I just had a hard time buying into that premise.  I expected a bit of a rushed romance between Melody and Adam, but I appreciated how that played out.

Which brings us to my other issue with the movie.  This is a serious movie for a Christmas movie.  I was expecting something more like a romantic comedy, and Melody and Adam’s relationship fell into those tropes.  However, the storyline with Nina, Holly, and Ivy was much more serious.  It walked the fine line of being a true downer, and at times it crossed that line for me.  The ending of the movie was very bitter sweet, so it did redeem itself in the end a little, but it did lean toward the bitter side.

The acting is what you’d expect from a Hallmark movie.  It’s adequate.  It mostly keeps the cheese to a minimum, even covering up some of the cheese in the script.

So, why did I start with this movie?  Because the book that Melody and Holly first bond over is a Trixie Belden book.  I am a huge Trixie fan, so I had to watch this movie for that reason.  The book shows up in a couple of scenes, and I definitely enjoyed those.

I’ve got to admit, the serious tone in Holly & Ivy makes me reluctant to watch any more Hallmark Christmas movies.  But I might venture into one or two others before I decide against them completely.  It probably won’t be this year, however, since I am quickly running out of month, and I have some old favorites to rewatch.