TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 48

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great cast and some refreshing game play

Cons: Nothing major for me

The Bottom Line:

Forty-eight seasons

The show is still worth watching

Thanks to a great cast

Some Different Strategies and Good Players

As much as I love Survivor, the seasons don’t tend to stick in my mind.  I mean, we are on season 48, and there have been 750 contestants (at least according to Jeff Probst, host and show runner) over the last 25 years.  Yeah, is it any wonder why I have a hard time remembering specifics of the seasons?  But I do remember the general way the show has progressed over the 48 seasons, so that’s part of what made season 48 so interesting to watch.

As always, the format remains pretty much the same.  18 new strangers are stranded in Fiji into three tribes.  They’re given nothing and have to work together to survive.  But, as the teams lose challenges, they have to vote each other out.  Part way through the season, the tribes merge and they start voting people out after individual challenges.

There are usually one or two players each season that annoy me.  Jeff seems to love them because they make great TV, or so he thinks.  No Jeff, they are just annoying.  However, I have to give this season’s annoying player props.  She was entertaining as well as annoying.  My issue was that she was trying to play the godfather and no one was allowed to go against her.  And then she’d get hurt when someone did.  Sorry, that’s not how the game works.

And yet, here’s the other side of that.  Some of the players on this season made deep bonds.  And there was a major alliance that was trying to play honorably and loyally.  I was actually rooting for them.  I think it was because they were playing with more trust and not domineering, unlike the player I mentioned earlier.  Also, I think it was because I enjoyed the duos that formed this major alliance.

However, those not in the alliance felt they were being robbed of the chance to play the game, and made a big deal about it.  On the one hand, I can understand and sympathize with what they are feeling.  It’s hard to know there is little you can do to change your fate in the game.  But to claim that the other people weren’t playing the game was wrong.  They were playing it the way they wanted to.  It just wasn’t a strategy that those on the outs could break up. 

It's been a while since we say a loyal group.  And it’s been a while since we saw so many public duos.  I found it refreshing and a bit of a throwback to the days before there were so many idols and advantages to keep that from happening.  And before everyone decided to play by backstabbing.  I’ll admit, I enjoy those blindsides and twists, but there is something to be said for playing a loyal game, too.

Then there was the secret duo.  And that’s all I will say.

There were also lots of great personal stories this season.  People who overcame baggage they brought with them.  I was moved several times.  Yes, it often happens once or twice, but it was more often than that this time around.

This season continued the trend of mostly 90-minute episodes.  But seriously, can we get more of a reunion at the end of the season than we are getting now?  I know, I’ve seen saying that for years, but I’m going to keep saying it.  Please and thank you.

Survivor 48 is another season that will have fans engaged as they watch the choices the players make play out.  It featured some game play we hadn’t seen in a while, and I liked that.  And the cast was mostly likable.  That, to me, makes a great season.

July 13th's Sunday/Monday Post

Greetings, salutations, and other big words.  It's time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Fairly quiet week around here.  Didn't do much outside of work.  It was super hot in the middle of the week, but it's cooled down some now.  I'm mean, it's still July in So Cal, but we're talking lower 90's instead of near 100.  And yes, those 10 degrees do make a difference.

Saturday was ornament premier at Hallmark, so I went and picked up a few ornaments.  I don't think I'll buy as many this year as in year's past, but I often say that in July.  We'll see what I wind up with at the end of the year.

I've run into an issue with one of my library cards.  Yes, I have three: local city, county, and then one for a large city near me.  And it's the third one that I can't seem to use on Libby right now.  I was trying to get a couple of audiobooks, too.  Not sure when I will be going down to a branch that could help me either, which is frustrating.

And this Saturday is game day, so I need to get this post finished up so I can go have fun playing games.

Joke of the Week:

What do you get when a police officer surprises a skunk?

Law and odor

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Home Again

Tuesday - Book Review: Frightened to Depths by K.B. Jackson

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 8

Thursday - Book Review: The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter

Friday - Movie Review: Christmas Quest

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - TV Show Review: Survivor - Season 48

Tuesday - Book Review: Solid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron

Wednesday - Ornament Review: Masked Marvel

Thursday - Book Review: Murder in the Tattoo Parlor by Elizabeth Perona

Friday - Movie Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got five books to tell you about this week.  And I managed to snag them all for free!

The first is Dead, White and Blue, the second Northwoods Mystery from Annie McEwen.  I've heard such great things about this series.  I'm hoping to get to the first soon.  But I couldn't pass up getting the second for free.  It was on special over the 4th.  Love that tie in.

The second is still free as of my typing this on Saturday.  It's Max and the Multiverse by Zachry Wheeler.  You aren't seeing things, I actually got a scifi book.  A mystery author I like was plugging it in her newsletter, talking about it being funny.  I had to give it a try, and the price is right.

These next two are ARCs.  Edam and Weep is book six in Linda Reilly's Grilled Cheese Mysteries.  I enjoy this series, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with the characters.  Looks like the main character might be getting married in this one, although the teaser doesn't mention a wedding at all.  We'll see when I get to it.

This week, Sarah E. Burr announced that her next Book Blogger Mystery is coming out at the end of August.  Since I love this series, I jumped at the chance to get an ARC.  It's called Fatal Sign-Off.  I can't wait to see what the characters are up to in this book.

Finally, I was able to get one audiobook from my local city library (but not the two at the top of my list).  What I got was Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, the first time he teams up Harry Bosch with Renee Ballard.  I'm interested to see how this pairing goes.

What I'm Currently Reading:

Friday night, I finished Murder at Rough Point, the fourth in Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mysteries.  It was interesting since the book was the first one not set during the height of the summer season.  I found I missed the characters we've met who aren't in the area at this time of year.  I need to write my full review, but it will be up in about a week and a half, so I've got a little time yet.

As of my typing this, I've just barely started Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood.  It got bumped up my TBR pile by the announcement at the second season of The Marlow Murder Club is coming to PBS near the end of August.  I'm assuming it will be based on this book, and I wanted to try to get it read first.  Since I loved the first book, I'm looking forward to getting further into it.

Now, it's time to finish getting ready for game day.  Have a good week!

July 12th's Weekly TV Thoughts

American Ninja Warrior – I also get so incredibly nervous when Joe runs.  Glad he made it.  Nice to see Rob again even if he didn’t make it very far.  Not too many fast finishers, but an impressive number of finishers overall.

 Lego Masters – I correctly picked the top two teams.  I preferred the other team’s build, but it’s hard to argue since both were impressive.  At this point, it really does get hard to see teams go.  They’ve all had great builds, but one issue can send you home.  And so many of them were breaking this week, too.  But only one on the runway.

 Quiz with Balls – There were some hard questions tonight, at least for me.  And some super easy ones.  How did people from Brazil get that one wrong?  Didn’t seem to be any super big swings in the game, just slow and steady people going in the pool.

 The Librarians: The Next Chapter – As much as I typically don’t like the flashback to see how we got there stories, I do enjoy something like this where we get different perspectives.  Nice to see them focusing on different characters letting us get to know them better.  And that final scene?  I’m very curious to see where they are going with that.

 The Snake – Yikes!  I get that lying and manipulating are part of the game.  But man the gaslighting is out of control.  I have such respect for the pastor walking away like that.  Yes, his fate was pretty obvious, but still, I respect him for it.  And I’m glad he didn’t turn into a manipulator like everyone else. I don’t like them adding new people this late in the game.  That just doesn’t seem right.

 Destination X – I thought they were in Venice from the clue we got they didn’t.  So seeing the players all over the place and no where close to that was interesting.  And the players reactions when they learned where they were was so fun.  Sorry to see the bold strategy didn’t pay off and the alliance was broken.

 Press Your Luck – I was so worried she was going to wind up hitting a whammy at the end.  That did seem to be the theme of the night, after all.  But she got a very nice prize package there at the end.

Movie Review: The Christmas Quest

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Decent romance with good Christmas elements

Cons: The quest part of the plot is undercooked

The Bottom Line:

Iceland at Christmas

Treasure hunt does not quite work

Makes it average

“Is This Everyone You Imagined It Would Be?”  “No.  I Imagined You Being Chased by a Bolder.” “There’s Still Time.”

When I was looking at Christmas movies to record in 2024, The Christmas Quest caught my eye for a couple reasons.  The idea of a Christmas treasure hunt sounded fun, plus I was fans of the stars from their mystery movies.  Sadly, the movie didn’t live up to my expectations.

Stefanie (Lacey Chabert) has followed in her mother’s footsteps.  She’s become an archeologist who tracks down long lost or forgotten treasures.  Her mother spent years trying to track down one particular treasure, the legendary treasure of the Yule Lads.  She spent many Christmases in Iceland looking for it.

So when a stranger (Derek Riddell) shows up in Stefanie’s office saying he has a new clue for the Yule Lads’ treasure, she jumps in to find it.  However, it quickly becomes apparent they need an expert in the Norse languages, so Stefanie turns to her ex-husband, Chase (Kristoffer Polaha).  As the two follow a trail of clues in Iceland, will they find their old spark?

The problem with his movie was it didn’t quite know what it wanted to be.  Was it trying to be a typical Hallmark Christmas romance?  Was it looking to be a treasure hunt movie?  Did it even want to squeeze in Christmas elements?  It did the romance pretty well.  Some of the Christmas moments seemed genuine, while others felt forced into the story.  And the treasure hunt?  That was the biggest disappointment of the film.  It had the elements there, but they were all undercooked.  It was doubly disappointing since that was the main thing I was hoping to enjoy with this film.

I was also left wondering, given the theme of the movie, why was it Chase was okay with leaving his parents behind for Christmas to go off with his ex-wife?

This is really Lacey and Kristoffer’s movie, and they do a great job with it.  The rest of the cast all have very small parts.  They mostly work, although a few didn’t quite pull it off for me.

The real star here is Iceland.  Yes, the movie was filmed on location, and it makes you want to travel to Iceland.  Maybe not in the winter (I hate the cold), but it is absolutely beautiful.

I feel like there is a version of this movie that does a better job of balancing the elements so everyone is satisfied when they finish watching this movie.  But that’s not the movie we got.  If you want to fill 90 minutes, The Christmas Quest will do that, but don’t expect the quest to be an equal part of the story.

Book Review: The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter (Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Sandy and the rest of the characters in a fun mystery

Cons: Slow to start; one out of time reference

The Bottom Line:

Cruising for murder

Can Sandy find the killer?

Another fun book

Sandy’s Cruising Toward Another Murder

While the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries were on my radar for a while, I finally gave the first one a try last year, and I enjoyed it.  It’s been a delight revisiting him, and The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper, the third, was another enjoyable book.

As the series title implies, Sandy was big in the 1970’s, when he had a singing career as well as a TV show where he played a teenage detective.  But now, it’s 1993, and Sandy’s career has faltered, in part due to his lifestyle.  But newly sober, he’s trying to rebuild his life, taking any job his agent can book for him.

Which is how Sandy finds himself on a cruise ship.  He’s joined by his sister and a band, and his job is to provide two shows a night on a week-long Caribbean cruise.  It should be easy enough, right?  Complicating things is the dead body that Sandy finds in his dressing room the first night of the cruise.  The victim was part of another show on board the ship.  Sandy doesn’t feel like the cruise ship’s security is taking the murder seriously, especially if they consider him a suspect.  Can he figure out what really happened before the cruise ends?

The book gets off to a bit of a slow start, giving us more of the set up than we really needed.  Yes, some interesting subplots are introduced here, especially for Sandy’s sister, who is blind and had a very small singing career of her own.  It was still entertaining to read, but I do wish it were a little faster to get going.

But once Sandy finds the victim, the plot picks up.  There were plenty of great twists and turns to the story, and I was kept guessing until near the end.  Yes, I did figure things out a little before we were supposed to, but not by much.  And I’m not complaining, either, especially since I only knew the big picture.  Naturally, I found the ending logical, and I appreciated how all the details were wrapped up.

Since Sandy is rarely in one place for long, going wherever he can get a job, we are slowly getting to know about his world.  That’s definitely the case here since this is the first time we get to see him interact with his sister.  I really liked that relationship, and I appreciated how her blindness was used in the story and what it showed us about both of them.

Yes, Sandy is continuing to develop as a character, and I enjoyed seeing that again here.  We get a couple of supporting players who show up on the ship, one of whom is a bit of a surprise.  Not that I’m complaining.  The suspects were good as well.

I mentioned earlier that these books are set in 1993.  Unfortunately, the author drops in a pop culture reference for something that came later in the decade.  It’s just one line, but it did throw me.  Still, that’s a minor complaint.

Spending time with Sandy continues to be fun.  I’m glad there are several more books for me to read.  I can’t wait to see how else he finds murder on the comeback trail.  If you are looking for a fun cozy, you’ll be glad you picked up The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper.

Check out the rest of the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries.

TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 8

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Laughs with a good family sitcom

Cons: Randy really is missed, show is showing its age

The Bottom Line:

A cast departure

Sitcom still providing laughs

As the show bows out

“Couldn’t You Have Some Kind of Special Blooper Show?” “Dad Already One.  It’s Called Tool Time.”

By the time season 8 of Home Improvement originally aired in 1998 and 1999, I knew it was the final season before they officially announced it.  No, I don’t have any inside information or a psychic ability.  I could just tell they were running out of story ideas.  And an original cast member leaving certainly didn’t help.

If you’ve missed the show, it was a sitcom from the 1990’s and a huge ratings hit for much of the decade.  It featured Tim Allen as Tim Taylor.  His job was hosting Tool Time, a show on a local access station that talked about building, remodeling, do it your self projects, cars, and anything that would appeal to men.  His cohost on the show was Al (Richard Karn) with Heidi (Debbe Dunning) their assistant.

On the home front, Tim was married to Jill (Patricia Richardson).  They had three boys, Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), and Mark (Taran Noah Smith).  Rounding out the cast was the Taylor’s next door neighbor, Wilson (Earl Hindman) who used his knowledge of obscure tribes and ancient philosophers to offer Tim and Jill advise with whatever issues they were facing.

As I teased earlier, Randy didn’t stick around for long this season.  Jonathan Taylor Thomas wanted off the show to focus on his schooling, so they sent his character off to Costa Rica on an exchange program focused on environmental issues.  He did come back for the Christmas episode, but that was the last time we saw him.  We only saw him in flashbacks during the finale.  Honestly, his departure left a hole in the show since his character got some of the best sarcasm and laughs of the three kids.

In order to help deal with the character loss, Tim’s younger brother, Marty (William O'Leary) became a larger presence this season.  Still only a recurring character, Marty moves in with the Taylors after his marriage implodes, even bringing his twin daughters along for a few episodes.

Yep, a show bringing in young characters since their main cast is getting older.  A sign a show is going to be winding down.

Over the course of this season, Brad tries to focus on soccer and his grades so he can get a scholarship to college.  Jill works on her thesis to graduate with her master’s degree in counselling.  Al gets closer with his girlfriend, Trudy (recurring guest star Megan Cavanagh).  And, of course, we get another epic Christmas decorating episode.

Rewatching the earlier seasons, there is a clear formula to this show.  Tim does something stupid.  It causes an issue with Jill.  Wilson sets him straight, and Tim and Jill make up.  Fortunately, the show began to grow beyond that as it went along.  The boys growing up certainly helped.  Yes, we still get episodes like that in this season, but they aren’t as plentiful.  And Jill makes a few mistakes of her own that need Wilson’s help.  Could it have done better in not falling into the stupid man trope?  Yes.  But it was still better than it used to be.

While I’ve bemoaned the loss of Randy, the show was still very funny this season.  Yes, even when the show went for the obvious joke, the actors brought their best to it and made me laugh.  And there are some unexpected laughs over the course of the season.  Watch this season compared to some of what passes for sitcoms on TV these days, and you can tell that the genre is in serious trouble.  (Not all of the shows on today are bad, but a lot of them are.  That’s a topic for another review or two.)

The actors all know their characters at this point, and they work well together to bring the laughs out of the scripts they are given.  I enjoy watching the group of them together.

We even get some great laughs from the serious two parter when Jill has to get some pretty major surgery.

The show does delve into some more adult jakes than you might expect from a family sitcom.  Part of me wishes they’d left things cleaner.  On the other hand, most of these comes from Tim and Jill talking to each other, and I do appreciate them showing a couple that is married and still attracted to each other.  And, compared to most of what was on TV then and definitely what is on today, the show is still fairly tame.  Still, adults might want to brush up on what was on the show so they know what their kids might be asking them about.

Which brings us to the multi episode finale.  Officially, there are three episodes in the finale, which aired over two weeks, but I feel like the episode before the official finale should be included since it sets up the multiple episode arc.  It starts when new rules from Tool Time’s sponsor leads Tim to decide to quit.  Jill gets a job offer that would require the family to move.  And Al decides to get married.  One of those episodes is a clips show, but the rest all deal with these storylines.  I really liked how Tim handled Jill’s job offer.  Quite possibly the most mature he was in the entire run of the series, even if he did still have to get a nudge from Wilson.

In with the episodes on these discs is the original retrospective that aired immediately after the series finale back in 1999 with bloopers and interviews with the cast about the show.  This gets the episode count for the season to 28, all of which are preserved in this set in their native full frame and stereo sound.

In the way of extras, we get a season long blooper reel and a 45-minute reunion special that aired a couple of years later.  It just has Tim, Richard, and Debbie before a live audience introducing clips of the show.  Honestly, between that, and the clips episode of the show, we get a lot of duplicates.  Still, it is fun to watch.

While not one of my all time favorite sitcoms, there is a reason people look back at Home Improvement fondly.  While season 8 might not have the best episodes of the show, it still serves up plenty of genuine laughs before we leave the Taylor family.

Book Review: Frightened to Depths by K. B. Jackson (Cruising Sisters Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in another strong mystery

Cons: All cons frightened away

The Bottom Line:

Victim a werewolf?

Puzzling, fun mystery

With great characters

Nothing to Be Frightened About Here

It’s been six months since the release of the third Cruising Sisters Mystery, and the fact that I’m just now picking up Frightened to Depths is only a reflection of how many other books have been calling my name this year. It was certainly worth the wait since I enjoyed it. 

When this book opens, it’s been a year since Charlotte McLaughlin’s husband died, leaving her a cabin aboard a luxury full time cruise ship. No, she knew nothing about this cabin since it was where he’d meet up with his mistress and their child. But Charlotte and her sister, Jane, have moved in and enjoyed exploring the world in style. 

When Charlotte and Jane’s cruise ship docks for a couple of days in New Orleans, they run into an old crush of Jane’s. He joins them aboard the ship, along with a band reuniting with a former member. But when that band member is shot with a silver bullet under a full moon, Jane’s new beau looks like a suspect. After all, he is writing a book about New Orleans's werewolf legend. Will finding the truth cost Charlotte her relationship with her sister?

While the set up may sound complicated, the book does a good job of easing us back into Charlotte and Jane’s world while introducing us to the suspects and victim. It isn’t long before the murder happens, and the plot introduces us to some nice twists before we reach the logical climax. 

Even though we are on a cruise ship, we don’t see too much of some of the supporting players. It was a bit disappointing, but only a small disappointment. The main characters are all here, and I appreciated the growth we saw in some of their relationships. The suspects were just as strong, and did their job keeping us guessing perfectly. 

I have to give a special shout out to Charlotte and Jane’s relationship in this book. While the story is told from Charlotte’s point of view, Jane’s point of view is well represented. We understand where both of them are coming from as they try to navigate the strain they go through here. I really enjoyed it and what it showed us about both of their characters. 

The only thing I’m frightened of at the end of this book is that this might be our last visit with the characters. If Frightened to Depths does turn out to be the end of the series, fans will be happy with how they sail into the sunset. But I’m hoping we will get more with them. 

Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Home Again

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong story for Norman and Rita in the middle of intriguing mail mystery

Cons: Nothing worth bringing home

The Bottom Line:

Lost vase in the mail

Put POstables in action

Franchise still charming

“Is That a Joke?” “Maybe.”

I’ve never been one for binging a series because I find that I start to see plot points coming even sooner than I should.  (And yes, I’m watching these movies and writing the reviews much faster than I am putting them up on my blog.)  So I was pleasantly surprised when Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Home Again managed to surprise me a couple of times on the way to the climax.

We joined the POstables with a couple of changes in their lives.  While The Mailbox Grill is no more, it’s last owner Ramon (supporting player Zak Santiago) has opened a new restaurant.  Meanwhile, their office has been moved.  As Shane (Kristin Booth) is trying to decorate their new office, she accidentally knocks a hole in the wall, revealing a hidden room with a stack of mail from 1999.  Sadly, the room has a leak in it, so the mail is damp and partially damaged.

But in the middle of the mail is a package containing what appears to be a valuable vase.  The gang quickly tries to figure out who sent it so they can return it.  Where will this lead?

Meanwhile, Oliver (Eric Mabius) must deal with the changes in his routine and Norman (Geoff Gustafson) tries to make a good impression on Rita’s (Crystal Lowe) parents when they arrive in town as a surprise.

I really do love all four members of this team, so it was nice to see Rita and Norman have a prominent storyline.  Oliver and Shane still feel like the leads to me, but the storyline with Rita’s parents is much stronger than those two often get.  While the ending was a bit predictable, it was still wonderful.

As I teased earlier, I didn’t find the main mystery predictable.  They zigged a couple of times when I thought they would zag.  Maybe some other day I would have picked up on those things early, but not today.  Yet, these twists were logical given everything else going on in the story.

As always, the movie is going to pull at your heart strings several times during the almost 90-minute run time.  But if you are watching this movie, it’s probably no surprise since almost everything this franchise has produced has had that effect on me.  It still doesn’t feel like manipulation, which is saying something.

Among the guest cast for this movie are Kim Delaney, Barry Bostwick, and Colleen Camp.  Whether a recognized name or not, the cast does a good job here, and I enjoyed seeing them bring this story to life.

Once again, this franchise will find you uplifted and encouraged.  That alone is reason enough to watch Home Again.  Combine that with character you can’t help but love and an engrossing story and you’ll be glad you spent time with it.

This movie is part of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered Movie Collection Volume 3.

July 6th's Sunday/Monday Post

Time again for a Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I hope everyone here in the States had a good Independence Day.  The friends who host my monthly game day had some friends over.  Yes, we played some games, but just generally hung out.  Stayed way too late playing Mario Kart 8.  As in, I need to take a nap if I know what's good for me.

Other than that, this last week was month end close at work.  We should have closed on Thursday like normal (day 3), but there was an issue with the system, so we weren't able to.  It's been postponed until Monday, that is assuming the IT people get the system working again over the long weekend.  Definitely feel for them, but glad we got a bit of a reprieve.

Joke of the Week:

My friend kept nagging me about pretending to be a flamingo, so I had to put my foot down.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - June 2025 Reading Summary

Tuesday - Novella Review: Murder by Moonlight by Julie Mulhern

Wednesday - Movie Review: Jaws

Thursday - Book Review: Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney

Friday - Movie Review: Jurassic World: Rebirth

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Home Again

Tuesday - Book Review: Frightened to Depths by K.B. Jackson

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Home Improvement - Season 8

Thursday - Book Review: The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter

Friday - Movie Review: Christmas Quest

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got some ebook deals to talk about this week.  Most of these are older deals I snagged, but they are all still on sale if you hurry.  At least they are as of Saturday afternoon.

This first one I just snagged on Saturday.  I've eyed Iris Crawford's long running series of catered murders for years.  But that's as far as I've gotten.  The first, A Catered Murder went on sale for 99 cents, so I couldn't pass that up.

You know what's better than that?  A freebie.  Body in the Books was featured Friday in a weekly email I get from an author about one of her friend's books that is on free.  This is the first in a series from Heather Huffman, and sounds good.  And it's hard to pass up free if it sounds good.

Next is A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina.  I wish I remembered how this one crossed my radar recently, but I went ahead and got it when the ebook went down to $2.99.  It featured an "old maid" of 26 in Regency England and sounds like it could be good.

Then comes Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose.  This is the first in a series about an heiress solving her grandmother's murder.  Yes, that can be quite depressing, but in this case, the book sounds more fun than series.  We'll see when I get a chance to read it, I guess.  Not passing up $2.99.

Next up is Off the Air by Christina Estes.  It's another debut from this year, and this time the main character is a reporter in Arizona.  And this one is still currently $2.99.

We jump to 99 cents with The Mysterious Case Missing Motive by Michele Pariza Wacek.  This series features a woman who winds up getting roped into helping her great aunt solve mysteries.  Sounds like it would be fun.

Finally, for $1.99, you can get The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood.  This is the third in his Marlow Murder Club series.  I loved the first and already bought the second, so I grabbed this while it was on sale.

This should keep me busy for a while.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I've barely started Killer Kung Pao by Vivien Chien.  Too busy having fun for the holiday weekend.  This is book six in a series I generally enjoy, so I'm expecting to like this one.  But I'm only one chapter in as I type this.  So maybe I'll post this so I can get some reading done.

Have a great week, everyone!

July 5th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Fox decided not to air new shows this week, which surprises me since the 4th wasn't until Friday.  But since that's about half of what I watch these days, my list is very short this week.

American Ninja Warrior – Bummed about Lance.  He’s another I always root for, although he’s not the most consistent on the course.  The brothers were pretty amazing.  Whenever they start talking someone up, it makes me nervous when they run, even if they are running last, when we typically get someone who finishes.  Speaking of which, I was so happy the woman who kicked things off finished.  It’s rare we see someone finish so early.  And yes, I do think they choose which order to show us the runs in.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter – It was nice to get to know Connor a bit better.  And talk about a head trip.  They really had me going for the final third there.  I knew something was coming when they got the crown back so easily, of course.

Destination X – Wow.  This is the problem with alliances if everyone knows.  And for some of them to be so off with the year.  Not that Peter was close, but he was closer.  Good move to get rid of the one person who knew.  But that’s a brutal twist.