September 7th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to the weekend and this week's 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've been mentioning that is is quarter end at work, thanks for a slightly off fiscal year.  And yes, I'm an accountant for the company I work for.  Things are going well.  Having finished the extra work I needed to do before Labor Day, this week was fairly calm.  I have some extra reporting I do, and I managed to get both of those reports done on Friday, which was huge since I have a couple of other extras to do this month.  September is a sprint that is also a marathon.  I think I'm in good shape, but I'll breath easier when the next couple of weeks are behind me.

In other exciting news, I passed 5 million total views on my blog earlier this week.  I blew past it in fact.

This weekend, I'm trying to veg some.  I need the down time.  I do have my car in for an oil change as I type this early Saturday afternoon.  It's nice that I've found a place I trust half a mile from my condo, so I dropped it off and came home for the afternoon.

Joke of the Week:

I've got a picture joke this week.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Aurora Teagarden Mysteries - Death at the Diner

Tuesday - Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Happy's Place - Season 1

Thursday - Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra

Friday - Movie Review: To Have and to Holiday

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - To the Altar

Tuesday - Book Review: The Tell-Tale Homicide by Daphne Silver

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Wild Cards - Season 2

Thursday - Book Review: Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern

Friday - Movie Review: Christmas Under the Northern Lights

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I'll be telling you about three books this week, starting with a couple of Kindle deals I snagged early in the week.  Both of them are still on sale as I type this Saturday afternoon, so snag them quick if they appeal to you.

The first is Campervans, Cooking, and Corpses by Tyler Rhodes.  I keep saying I want to find a good camping themed series.  Granted, I haven't read the ones I've bought, but it doesn't stop me from buying them.  So I've added this to my collection.  It's set over in England and involved a burned out chef hitting the road.  We'll see what I think when I pick it up.

Up next is A Murder in Zion by Nicole Maggi.  It's the first in a series featuring a special agent solving cases in various National Parks.  Sounds like it will be darker than my usual cozies, although it's obvious I enjoy those mysteries as well.  The setting definitely appeals to me.

The final book is an ARC for a blog tour coming later this month.  (In fact...)  It's Essentials of Death by Kim Davis.  It's the second in her Aromatherapy Apothecary Mysteries.  It's been a couple of years since book one came out due to publisher issues, so I'm looking forward to revisiting the characters and setting.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, nothing.  And not just because I'm working on a blog post.

I finished up a book on Saturday morning.  I was reading Death on the Causeway by Caleb Wygal.  This is book four in his series set in Myrtle Beach.  I struggled a bit with this one, but that will be fodder for my review.

Up next will be Essentials of Death.  I'm far enough ahead in my reading that it is the next thing on my to be read pile.  I'll be reviewing it on release day, which is September 23rd.

I think that's all for me this week.  Hope your week is great!

September 6th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Before we get to what I watched this week, let's talk about what I'm looking forward to watching.  The stars for this season's Dancing with the Stars were announced this week, and for the first time, I recognize more than one or two.  I'm very anxious to see how they all do.  I'm sure my favorites will become obvious as the season goes along because, yes, I will be rooting based on dance above any personal connection.  But Danielle Fishel is my early favorite since I've been a fan of Boy Meets World and listen to her on Pod Meets World.  Hard to believe that will be starting in just a couple of weeks.

Now, let's turn to what I watched this week.

The Marlow Murder Club – Well, they did finish it, but I think I’m glad I read the book first.  Not only did they take out some of the subplots (and change one), but they rushed some of the twists and explanations.  It would have been rough if I didn’t already know what was going on.  Fun, but they should have taken more time with the story.

American Ninja Warrior – They definitely have a pattern going with these women’s competitions.  Plenty of runners up winning the next year.  And I do love it when we get a rematch, too.  Lots of good races this year.  And somehow, I’m okay with races in this context vs. the regular season.

Lego Masters Jr. – Those were some creative uncommon common rooms.  I can see how working with siblings would make it easier to fight.  Glad they were able to work things out and win!  And is it just me, or are the consolation prizes almost better than the grand prize?

The Quiz with Balls – I feel like we had another tie earlier this season, but maybe it was just an almost tie because I didn’t remember the tie breaker.  Or maybe they just air them out of order.  I was excited for the children’s authors, but I knew she must not have gone far based on how much time was left.  Since I recognized 5 of the 6 authors, I really would have liked to know what the questions were to see if I would have gotten them all right.  I knew the one she missed.

The Challenge – I feel doubly sorry for that outcome.  First, it wasn’t remotely her fault she went in.  Second, Olivia should have gone home.  But seriously, CT cost her her game.  I get it.  I’ve been in positions like his plenty in mud runs.  But that was just painful to watch, especially with that outcome.

Match Game – Both halves had a question with an obvious answer.  I’m glad the contestant got it, but it hardly seems fair.  Those kinds of questions shouldn’t be part of the game.  Not too successful on either of the celebrity matches.

Movie Review: To Have and to Holiday

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Surprisingly charming and sweet

Cons: Predictable

The Bottom Line:

Christmas Eve wedding

If they can pass father’s tests

Surprisingly sweet

Surprisingly Sweet Holiday Romance

The premise for To Have and Holiday was what caught my attention.  I thought it sounded like it could be fun, but I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much.  So I was surprised at just how sweet it turned out to be.

Celeste (Madeleine Arthur) and Jason (Robert Bazzocchi) have only been dating three months.  They hadn’t planned to spend Christmas together, but at the last minute, Jason decides to go along with Celeste, surprising her parents, Judith and Mark (Kate Drummond and Eric Close).

That first night at dinner, the subject of the church that Mark pastors comes up.  Due to structural problems, it is going to close after the first of the year to be renovated.  Celeste is disappointed since it means she won’t get to get married in the church she grew up in.  That is until Jason proposes that they get married on Christmas Eve – three weeks away.

Naturally, Mark is less than enthused, but he goes along with it.  However, he has his usual condition – Celeste and Jason must go through his marriage bootcamp – something he makes all couples go through before he marries them.  Will they prove they are ready to get married?

I’ll admit, going into this movie, I was expecting lots of awkward scenes as Jason and Celeste get to know each other better.  We had a little bit of that, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.  And Jason makes some mistakes since he doesn’t know the traditions of the town.  But they are fun and funny and not embarrassing.

Instead, this movie is more about Mark coming to terms with his daughter being her own person and leaving home.  And it is truly a sweet film.  Even when he goes too far, it is never embarrassing and Mark does take responsibility for his actions when confronted with them.

As I’ve been saying, this movie is sweet.  Charming and heartwarming, too.  But it does that without being too over the top.  Oh, it is a Hallmark Christmas movie, so factor that in.  But it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.

There are some low budget cheese moments, but they are kept to a minimum.  The cast does a good job overall with the material they have.

Yes, I saw most of the plot points coming early on.  And there were another couple that I should have seen coming.  But I was having fun, so it really didn’t bother me.  And you have to go along with a lot to even think about them pulling off this wedding in three weeks.  But that’s movie magic, right?

I really do wonder exactly how this marriage bootcamp would work if it weren’t Christmas.  They activities are in keeping with the holiday.  I get it, this is a Christmas movie.  But what would they do if they were getting married in the summer?  I’ve got to hand it to the writers, however.  The tasks actually do show various aspects of a good relationship.

If you’ve missed To Have and to Holiday, do your best to fix that.  You’ll be charmed as you watch.

Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra (Food Truck Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Story does draw you in

Cons: Could have used some work to make it better

The Bottom Line:

When contestant dies

Food trucks become dangerous

Book could be better

This Debut Wasn’t Quite My Chicken Wing

When I spotted A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra, I couldn’t resist. Culinary cozies always catch my eye, and this one was set in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I grew up near there. I just had to give it a try. Sadly, it didn’t quite work for me. 

The book introduces us to Beth and Seth Lloyd, twins who have inherited a chicken wing themed food truck from their aunt Dolly. Beth has gotten the idea to enter them in a reality TV show for a food network, and Seth is going along for the ride. 

Unfortunately, among the competitors is Benji, a fellow food truck owner that Beth knows all too well. Another local, they have clashed in the past. So when Benji turns up dead in his truck at the end of the first day of filming, Beth finds herself answering lots of questions. Can she get a few answers of her own to figure out what really happened?

The book started out well. I was laughing at the first couple of chapters, and settled in for what I hoped would be a good read. Then the problems started. 

The first was the plot. While it started quickly, this was a classic example of events masking any real investigation. We learned little about any suspects and rehash the few things we do learn. Beth does figure some things out near the end, but we don’t learn what they were until later. I did feel the solution answered my questions, but I would have appreciated a bit more sprinkled throughout the book. 

As I said above, the suspects are pretty flat. Honestly, I had a hard time keeping most of the other contestants straight. Some of the other supporting characters did fare a little better. 

Even our main trio of Beth, Seth, and their friend Rylie were only a little better. I felt like their reactions to things was a little over the top. I found that funny early on, but it wore thin before the book was over. And Beth missed a few obvious things and was a bit too stubborn as things went along. 

Even the location turned out to be less than I’d hoped for. The setting was fictional, which I get and can enjoy. But there was little to anchor it to the San Francisco Bay Area. But I would bet that others have felt that way about fictional settings near areas they know well. 

This is one of those cases where the book’s flaws are obvious, but it doesn’t mean the book was bad. I still got caught up in the story as I was reading it. It just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for. 

Yes, this is a culinary cozy with a couple of recipes at the end. They do sound good. 

If A Murder Most Fowl really appeals to you, give it a shot. You might find that you enjoy it more than I did. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

TV Show Review: Happy's Place - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Many laughs with a great group of characters

Cons: Takes a couple episodes to truly get going; one character still under used

The Bottom Line:

Neighborhood bar staff

Form core of a new sitcom

Makes me laugh each week

“I Had a Murder, She Wrote Lunchbox until Somebody Stole It, and I Couldn’t Figure Out Who.”

I was hopeful when I heard that Reba was leading a new sitcom this fall. While I didn’t wind up enjoying Malibu Country, I am still a huge fan of Reba, her sitcom from the 2000’s. While it took me a few episodes, I came to look forward to my weekly visit to Happy’s Place with season 1. 

The show is set in a local bar in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reba plays Bobbie, who has just inherited the bar from her father, Happy. There’s just one catch; her father had a second daughter from an affair. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) is much younger, and Happy has left half the bar to her. 

Naturally, Bobbie is shocked by this news. Isabella wants to help run the place, but she has no idea what she is doing. How will this impact the staff?

Rounding out the characters, we have Emmett (Rex Linn), the chef who mainly wants to be left alone, Gabby (Melissa Peterman), the bartender, Steve (Pablo Castelblanco), the accountant for the bar with OCD and a germ phobia, and Takoda (Tokala Black Elk), the server. 

As I said, the show took a few episodes to really find itself, but then, most shows do, especially sitcoms. Those early episodes were focused on the relationship between Bobbie and Isabella. They felt a bit forced to me. But once they really started getting the rest of the cast more fully involved in the episodes, things started to click. I still don’t feel like they are using Takoda well, but the rest of the characters all get their moments to shine with both laughs and more tender moments. 

And the cast is definitely building their comedic chemistry. It is a joy to watch each week. 

Yes, the setting does immediately make me think of Cheers, and the theme song (sung by Reba, of course) doesn’t help at all. But the characters are different enough that it works. I think you can appreciate both without feeling like one is a rip off of the other. I know I do. 

Fans of the sitcom Reba will recognize Melissa Peterman as Barbara Jean from that show. With several of the same creative team behind the scenes, is it any surprise that Gabby is a very similar character? Not that I’m complaining. I laugh at her antics here just as much as now as I did then. 

Speaking of which, we got both Christopher Rich and Steve Howey to guest star this season. I enjoyed seeing both of them pop up and the nods to the earlier classic. Steve’s episode in particular is my favorite of the first season.

Season one consisted of eighteen episodes. I was sorry when it ended, but I’m cheered knowing that it will be back for season two. 

A heads up, this is a filmed in front of an audience multi-cam sitcom with a “laugh track.” I know some people hate those, but I find them hilarious. If that isn’t your thing, know that before you sit down to watch. 

Classic sitcoms have been struggling recently. I’m glad to see Happy’s Place proving they aren’t completely dead yet. If you’ve missed this one, you’ll want to fix that today. 

Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover (Mixology Lounge Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters, setting, and a good mystery

Cons: A minor niggle or two, but nothing major

The Bottom Line: 

Body in alley

Reece must find the killer

In this strong debut

Reece Finds Murder In His New Business

When I was at Malice Domestic this last spring, I met Adrian Andover, who was there promoting his debut mystery. Whiskey Business sounded like a lot of fun, so I kept my eyes open for the announcement that ARCs were ready and quickly requested one. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this cozy. 

This book introduces us to Reece Parker. He’s recently opened Subplot, a literature themed cocktail lounge in his small town in Pennsylvania. He’s slowly gaining customers, but he’s still looking for any way to bring in new customers, so he gladly agrees to host a monthly whiskey club. The first meeting is a little on the rocks thanks to a new member who is arrogant and pushy. He’s obviously getting under the skin of the members, especially one, who tries to call him out on his behavior. 

Later that night, when Reece goes to take out the garbage, he finds the new member’s body in the alley behind his lounge. Afraid it might reflect poorly on his business, and afraid the police might use it to make his life miserable, he starts investigating. Can he find the killer?

This book has the cozy vibe down perfectly. I don’t drink, and I’d still love to visit Subplot. The descriptions make it warm and inviting, and I love the drink titles, which are riffs on classic literature. Yes, I’d be sticking to the non-fiction mocktail side of the menu, but I think I’d enjoy a visit. 

Of course, I’d want to visit between murders. This book does a great job of balancing introducing the characters and setting up the story. It’s obvious who the victim will be, and we really don’t waste that much time before he dies. From there, we get some good surprises and clues as well as red herrings until we reach the satisfying conclusion. A couple of things could have been smoothed out, in my opinion, but that’s a minor point that probably only I would care about. 

In addition to opening his cocktail lounge, Reece is also struggling with his sexuality, having recently broken things off with his fiancée because he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s gay. Granted, I haven’t read too many stories with gay main characters, but usually they are further along this journey. I appreciated how this subplot was handled since Reece is still coming to terms with what this means for his future. 

And the rest of the cast? They are outstanding as well. We get a clear picture of them, series regular and suspect alike. Just like the setting, they give off the cozy vibes. I can feel the love they have for each other, and I want to spend more time with them. 

While I consider this a culinary cozy, there aren’t any recipes at the end. Since I don’t drink, that’s not an issue for me, and not all culinary cozies have them.

Whiskey Business is a strong debut. You’ll be glad you picked it up. Me? I’m looking forward to my next visit already. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Death at the Diner - An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery fans will enjoy

Cons: One subplot seemed unnecessary

The Bottom Line:

Aurora’s boss dead

Now she must clear her boyfriend

Overall, I liked

“You’ve Done Some Very Thorough Research.  How Annoying.” “She’s a Librarian. She Can’t Help Herself.”

I’ve lost track of Hallmark’s release schedule for their movies on their cable channels.  So I’m sure I missed the cable premier of Death at the Diner, the third Aurora Teagarden prequel movie, at some point.  But I spotted it on the schedule recently, so I sat down to watch it.  I found it to be the best of these prequels, but my usual complaints remained.

It’s been established in the earlier movies that Aurora (Skyler Samuels), in addition to being a teaching assistant and working on her thesis, is working part time at a diner.  Her boyfriend, Daniel (Jordan Buhat), is the cook.  He’s got a great relationship with their boss, Emilio (Paul Moniz de Sá), the diner’s owner.

When Aurora forgets her phone at the diner, she and Daniel agree to meet up there before their date to celebrate their six month anniversary.  However, she finds more than her phone – she finds Emilio’s dead body.  The weapon is part of a set of knives that Emilio gave Daniel, and only Daniel’s prints are on it, so the police focus on him as their prime suspect.  Can Aurora clear her boyfriend, especially as the evidence mounts against him?

As I said, my typical complaint about these movies holds true again here.  While Marilu Henner is still here from the original movies as Aurora’s mom, they’ve recast Aurora, Sally (Kayla Heller), and Arthur (Evan Roderick).  Even after three movies, they still haven’t quite erased my memories of the original actors in the roles.  This isn’t anything against these actors, who are all fine.  I will once again call for Hallmark to give them their own franchise/characters.  They are talented and should be given that gift.

That aside, I did enjoy the mystery here.  I thought I had it figured out early on, but I was happy to be wrong.  There were some good twists and complications along the way to the logical and suspenseful climax.

And the entire cast was good.  The low budget cheese was kept to a minimum, which is always nice.

Fans of the Garage Sale Mysteries will enjoy seeing a mini-reunion.  Steve Bacic continues in his role as the lead detective in these prequels.  Sarah Strange pops up as the victim’s ex-wife, aka one of Aurora’s suspects.

I wasn’t impressed with a sub-plot involving the DA coming down hard on the detectives for the conviction rate.  Even trying to explain some of her attitude, it didn’t play well and didn’t add anything to the story.

This is the last Aurora Teagarden prequel movies that’s been released on streaming or cable as of now.  No word if they are going to continue the franchise or not.  If it is the end, fans will be happy with Death at the Diner.

Labor Day Weekend's Sunday/Monday Post

It's the weekend!  Even better, here in the States, it's a long weekend!  Hope you are up to something fun if you have the extra day off.  Or even if it's a normal weekend for you.  Anyway, I'll be linking up to:

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

I hinted at trouble at work when I posted last weekend.  I was facing some extra work thanks to some external events.  (Yes, I'm being vague on purpose.  More specifics will either get me into trouble for sharing too much or confuse you.  Or both.)  Happily, I was able to get the information I needed on Wednesday, when I had the time to do that extra work instead of trying to cram it all into Thursday, which would have already been busy.  So that made me very happy.

This weekend will be all about relaxing and having fun with friends because next weekend will be sprinting full steam ahead into quarter end close.  Not looking forward to that.  But that's next week's problem.

And I'm hoping to spend my extra day off chilling around the condo.  Sounds like fun to me.

Joke of the Week:

I only know one bad pun about paper.  It’s tearable.

This Last Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Mystery Island - Play for Keeps

Tuesday - Book Review: For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews

Wednesday - Book Review: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Don Bruns

Thursday - August Reading Summary

Friday - Friday Post featuring Whiskey Business

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Aurora Teagarden Mysteries - Death at the Diner

Tuesday - Book Review: Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Happy's Place - Season 1

Thursday - Book Review: A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra

Friday - Movie Review: To Have and to Holiday

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I was good this week.  I only have two books to tell you about.  One ARC and one preorder.  That's right, no impulse buys.

The ARC  is Crescent City Christmas Chaos, the fourth Vintage Cookbook Mystery from Ellen Byron. I love her books, so I'm looking forward to it.  The book comes out at the beginning of November, so I've got a couple of months before I'll be reading it.

My other new books is  Claws Out by Cate Conte.  This is book 9 in her Cat Cafe Mysteries.  I'm hoping to get to it soon.  In fact, I'm thinking I might start it next.

What I'm Currently Reading:

At the moment, I'm working on Watching the Detectives, the fifth Country Club Mystery from Julie Mulhern.  I'm woefully behind on this series, which is funny since I always enjoy them so much when I pick them up.  I need to try to catch up.

That's it for me.  Hope you have a great week!

August 30's Weekly TV Thoughts

Marlow Murder Club – From the post episode interviews, sounds like we are getting more than one story.  Suddenly, I went from thinking the episode was moving too quickly to thinking it has too much of the book to cover.  It will be interesting to see how they wrap it up.  Especially since something in this episode is making me scratch my head already in how it is different from the book.  I like what they’ve done with Becks here more than the book.  I hope that continues.

American Ninja Warrior – I think I’ve said enough about Joe.  I will miss him and good last run.  Lots of good runs tonight.  I was glad Kai won.  I do like him as well.  Well done and well deserved.

Lego Masters, Jr. – Those cars were creative.  I’m agreeing with the judges about how well the teams are doing.  And yes, I agreed with the top and bottom two.  I kinda felt like the other team should have gone home.  Not that they had a bad build, but I kinda like the other better.  It was hard seeing the teams cry, but I did love how people came together to help them get through it.  That’s part of why I love this show.

The Quiz with Balls – Happy that the Nerd team won, although trivia is stacked in their favor.  Although I’m not sure I would have done much better with most of those questions.  They were rather tough this week.

The Snake – I get the jury system on reality shows.   But this felt anti-climatic to me somehow.  Then again, I wasn’t that impressed most of the season.  If the show comes back, I won’t be back.

The Challenge – Nice that they had someone step in who could keep from making the season uneven.  I do feel sorry for Cara Marie.  I hope things are okay with her family.  I kind of like that Olivia is the hang nail.  I hope it comes back to bite her next week.  I wouldn’t mind seeing her alliance brought down a peg or two as well.

Match Game – It always amazes me when we have so many matches in one round.  I agreed with the judges ruling, although I got a kick out of the arguments the panel was making for some of them.

August 29th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday.  It's time for another Friday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

For the first three, my teasers will be coming from Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover.

This is the first book in a new series.  The main character owns a literary themed cocktail lounge.  The book was a lot of fun.  

Here's how it begins:

I rested my blowtorch on the bar. “I need tonight to go off without a hitch.”

Meanwhile, at 56% into the ARC I read, we find this:

"Reece?" There was an urgency in her voice.  "Is everything alright? What's going on?"

Just two short and sweet teasers this week.

I really enjoyed this one.  It won't be out until September 9th, but you don't have to wait that long for my review, which will be up on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, let's move on to the Book Blogger Hop for the week, shall we?  This week's question is:

Do you believe the education system needs to change its approach to teaching reading and literature to students? 

Considering how poor literacy is, something needs to change.  But I'm not sure what they are trying now, so I'm not sure how it would be fixed.  How's that for a non-answer?

Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the extra day off for those here in the states.