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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (Flavia de Luce, #8) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Book 8 in Alan Bradley's wondrous series picks up with Flavia returning home from Canada--no longer in boarding school--and back home among her sisters, family servants, and faithful bike, Gladys. Unfortunately, upon returning home, she is met with the news that her father is gravely ill with pneumonia. Only Flavia's pesky cousin, Undine is around to greet her. Out and about in town, Flavia runs an errand and--in true Flavia fashion-- stumbles across the body of a dead man. He appears to be the local woodcarver, and Flavia finds him hanging upside down in his home. From there, Flavia's downtrodden spirits lift immediately, as there is nothing like a dead body to return her to her true self. She sets out to solve the case before her pal, Inspector Hewitt, can, but this case will offer plenty of twists and turns, even for our young sleuth.
This novel is immediately Flavia, from the start, like picking up with an old friend. The beginning finds Flavia feeling a little lonely and sorry for herself until finding a corpse, of course. With Flavia back from Canada, it's a return to Bradley's tried and true Flavia de Luce formula, but it's certainly not trite, or tired. While the plot is a bit twisty and keeps you guessing, as always, it's Flavia who is the true star. In this book, we see our heroine growing up a bit: not just in age, but in maturity. Thankfully, though, she's still our Flavia, with her feisty spirit and deep love of chemistry. Truly, she's just a dear character and Bradley is amazing in how he captures her voice so perfectly.
These novels never fail to disappoint -- this one, as well. I will continue to highly recommend this series. This can certainly be read as a standalone, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don't start at the beginning of Flavia's journey.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it's available for U.S. publication everywhere as of 9/20/16.
This novel is immediately Flavia, from the start, like picking up with an old friend. The beginning finds Flavia feeling a little lonely and sorry for herself until finding a corpse, of course. With Flavia back from Canada, it's a return to Bradley's tried and true Flavia de Luce formula, but it's certainly not trite, or tired. While the plot is a bit twisty and keeps you guessing, as always, it's Flavia who is the true star. In this book, we see our heroine growing up a bit: not just in age, but in maturity. Thankfully, though, she's still our Flavia, with her feisty spirit and deep love of chemistry. Truly, she's just a dear character and Bradley is amazing in how he captures her voice so perfectly.
These novels never fail to disappoint -- this one, as well. I will continue to highly recommend this series. This can certainly be read as a standalone, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don't start at the beginning of Flavia's journey.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it's available for U.S. publication everywhere as of 9/20/16.
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Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Sweet Virginia (2017) in Movies
Jan 21, 2020
377. Sweet Virginia. Pretty great random choice by me, again. Twisted tale of a small town murder plot. Three friends are hanging out at a bar playing cards. I'm assuming they own the place, because when a guy wanders in off the street and asks for a bite to eat and a drink, one gets up and tells him they're closed and be on his way. Instead of leaving the stranger asks him, Are you Mitchell? The response is what you expect, who wants to know, blah, blah. Slightly bothered, the stranger leaves. Mitchell goes back to the card game, until the door opens once again and the stranger comes in guns blazing, and all three end up dead. It was here I thought, Mitchell should have locked that door! So that happened, the news quickly spreads through the small town, and we meet Sam, a former rodeo champ now motel owner operator, and he is having an affair with the wife of one of the dead men, yea. And oh yea, the killer, Elwood, is staying at guess who's motel? Also, guess who recognizes Sam from his rodeo days and start a pretty decent friendship. Elwood is actually a semi normal dude when he's not out killing people for money. So who hired him? Well, I can't tell you everything! It really was a well told tense tale. Well acted, Jon Bernthal as Sam, Christopher Abbott as Elwood, were pretty awesome, with Imogen Poots and Rosemarie DeWitt great as the supporting cast! Cool flick, I say, do.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Mar 28, 2020
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated A Scaly Tail of Murder in Books
Feb 15, 2024 (Updated Feb 15, 2024)
Iguana Solve a Murder?
Just as Frankie Chandler is trying to adjust to being engaged to Detective Martin Bowers, her ex, Jeff, comes to town. Rather surprising since she hasn’t seen him since she moved to Arizona from Wisconsin. He came to town following Charity, a woman he’s just met. The problem? Charity turns Jeff down, but she has his keys. So Frankie agrees to go to the spa where Charity works to retrieve them. When she arrives, she finds Charity dead with Charity’s pet iguana the only witness. Can Frankie figure out what is going on?
Yes, this is one of the rare paranormal series I read since Frankie has discovered she really can communicate with animals. Since the last couple of books have found Frankie out of town, I enjoyed seeing all the regular haunts this time around. The characters are also fun, although I did have some issues with how Frankie treated Jeff in this book. Likewise, a couple of times, Frankie seemed to know something we hadn’t seen her learn. But both are minor overall. The plot had plenty of viable suspects and some nice surprises before we reached the logical end. Meanwhile, the characters provided plenty of smiles and laughs. If you are looking for a light paranormal cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this book up.
Yes, this is one of the rare paranormal series I read since Frankie has discovered she really can communicate with animals. Since the last couple of books have found Frankie out of town, I enjoyed seeing all the regular haunts this time around. The characters are also fun, although I did have some issues with how Frankie treated Jeff in this book. Likewise, a couple of times, Frankie seemed to know something we hadn’t seen her learn. But both are minor overall. The plot had plenty of viable suspects and some nice surprises before we reached the logical end. Meanwhile, the characters provided plenty of smiles and laughs. If you are looking for a light paranormal cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this book up.
ClareR (5874 KP) rated The Hungry Dark in Books
May 28, 2025
The Hungry Dark definitely has a spooky undercurrent - although I have to admit that I actually thought that it was going to be about a scam psychic. I was half right. The MC, Ashley, CAN see dead people, but I don’t think they give her anything useful to go by (not easily understood, anyway).
Ashley’s ghosts, the Heedful Ones, have a history of letting her know when something bad is going to happen, but they’ve been quiet/ not visible in recent times. But that’s about to change.
I did have to keep reminding myself that Ashley was a 30 year old and not a child, but her father is extremely controlling and coercive. He’s thoroughly unpleasant. Her brother makes himself unavailable, and has escaped to some degree, and her mother is clearly damaged in some way. My favourite character is probably Ashley’s best friend, and that only developed as the story went on and her true colours started to show.
This is enjoyably spooky, frustrating and takes some unexpected turns! The flashbacks are helpful in developing the story, and explain a lot of Ashley’s reasons for doing what she does. And an eerie, big old house will always be a winning addition to a ghost story! If you like thrillers with a side order of ghosts, then this will definitely appeal to you.
Ashley’s ghosts, the Heedful Ones, have a history of letting her know when something bad is going to happen, but they’ve been quiet/ not visible in recent times. But that’s about to change.
I did have to keep reminding myself that Ashley was a 30 year old and not a child, but her father is extremely controlling and coercive. He’s thoroughly unpleasant. Her brother makes himself unavailable, and has escaped to some degree, and her mother is clearly damaged in some way. My favourite character is probably Ashley’s best friend, and that only developed as the story went on and her true colours started to show.
This is enjoyably spooky, frustrating and takes some unexpected turns! The flashbacks are helpful in developing the story, and explain a lot of Ashley’s reasons for doing what she does. And an eerie, big old house will always be a winning addition to a ghost story! If you like thrillers with a side order of ghosts, then this will definitely appeal to you.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Halloween Cupcake Murder in Books
Aug 23, 2023 (Updated Aug 23, 2023)
Grab a Treat to Read with These Three Novellas
Kensington is back with another Halloween anthology for us, this time featuring three different authors. Up first, Carlene O’Connor takes us Home to Ireland as a trip trying to find Halloween decorations for Tara Meehan’s shop leads her to find a dead body. Our next stop is the North Pole with Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus. It’s the second Halloween in Santaland, and April Claus is dealing with missing candy corn, the themed ingredient for the bakeoff, and a murder in a bakery. Finally, we travel to Salem to spend time with Carol J. Perry’s Lee Barrett. The town’s favorite baker is missing, and Lee can’t help but get involved, especially when her visions show her where he might be.
As if often the case with these anthologies, I only read one of the authors. I love the Mrs. Claus series, and this was easily my favorite in the book. The other two were good, although they did leave me with some small questions I wish had been answered. Still, they were good introductions to the characters, as I had no problem following who all the characters are. All three stories kept me guessing until sleuth figured things out. While there’s obviously a culinary theme to the collection, we only get one recipe at the end. If you are looking for some new series, this is a fun way to try three new to you authors. If you are already a fan of these series, you’ll enjoy these between books check ins.
As if often the case with these anthologies, I only read one of the authors. I love the Mrs. Claus series, and this was easily my favorite in the book. The other two were good, although they did leave me with some small questions I wish had been answered. Still, they were good introductions to the characters, as I had no problem following who all the characters are. All three stories kept me guessing until sleuth figured things out. While there’s obviously a culinary theme to the collection, we only get one recipe at the end. If you are looking for some new series, this is a fun way to try three new to you authors. If you are already a fan of these series, you’ll enjoy these between books check ins.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) in Movies
Aug 7, 2021
Angie on the big screen? Can't turn that down.
Connor is on the run after witnessing a murder, he's on foot in the woods and desperately trying to find his way to the authorities. As he heads deeper into the wilderness he crosses paths with Hannah, a smokejumper who's out working. They have to quickly learn to trust each other as danger comes from both sides. Fire or assassins. Are there any good decisions?
Those Who Wish Me Dead might be a film out of its time. Reflecting on it after the fact, it's very reminiscent of thrillers you got maybe 10/20 years ago. While that's not a bad thing, it does mean that it didn't resonate for me as much as other current films.
Angelina gives her usual good performance, and the duo of Hannah and Connor (played by Finn Little) was an interesting balance for the film. Little did a great job, and the way they both attack the climax of the story made for a strong finish.
The cast in general is full of top notch talent, and it's reflected in their characters. What didn't quite match up for me was the script and character stories. At times there were potentially unnecessary bits of backstory, and I can see how this would work as a book, but in a film it seemed to not have enough detail to hit home.
Something that threw me slightly was the vastness of the location. You see people walking around various parts of the woods, and it's all the same, but different. And I know, they're woods Emma, of course the trees are going to look the same! But with little concept of time it's not easy to keep track of the actual danger of the situation, and that took away some of the edge of the seat action that really makes these sorts of films.
I didn't find myself getting bored while watching Those Who Wish Me Dead, but I also wasn't glued to the screen. Possibly a better read than a watch, as there's more chance to delve into things in a book, but I didn't mind watching it. I'm just not sure if that's much of a recommendation.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/those-who-wish-me-dead-movie-review.html
Connor is on the run after witnessing a murder, he's on foot in the woods and desperately trying to find his way to the authorities. As he heads deeper into the wilderness he crosses paths with Hannah, a smokejumper who's out working. They have to quickly learn to trust each other as danger comes from both sides. Fire or assassins. Are there any good decisions?
Those Who Wish Me Dead might be a film out of its time. Reflecting on it after the fact, it's very reminiscent of thrillers you got maybe 10/20 years ago. While that's not a bad thing, it does mean that it didn't resonate for me as much as other current films.
Angelina gives her usual good performance, and the duo of Hannah and Connor (played by Finn Little) was an interesting balance for the film. Little did a great job, and the way they both attack the climax of the story made for a strong finish.
The cast in general is full of top notch talent, and it's reflected in their characters. What didn't quite match up for me was the script and character stories. At times there were potentially unnecessary bits of backstory, and I can see how this would work as a book, but in a film it seemed to not have enough detail to hit home.
Something that threw me slightly was the vastness of the location. You see people walking around various parts of the woods, and it's all the same, but different. And I know, they're woods Emma, of course the trees are going to look the same! But with little concept of time it's not easy to keep track of the actual danger of the situation, and that took away some of the edge of the seat action that really makes these sorts of films.
I didn't find myself getting bored while watching Those Who Wish Me Dead, but I also wasn't glued to the screen. Possibly a better read than a watch, as there's more chance to delve into things in a book, but I didn't mind watching it. I'm just not sure if that's much of a recommendation.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/08/those-who-wish-me-dead-movie-review.html
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Vinyl Resting Place in Books
Mar 16, 2023 (Updated Mar 16, 2023)
Vinyl May Not be Dead, but Somebody Is
Juni Jessup and her sisters have opened Sip and Spin Records, a combined record store and coffee shop, on the site of the one that their family used to own before records stopped selling. The night before their official opening, they are throwing a party, but things turn tragic afterward when Juni finds a dead body in their storage closet. When their uncle is arrested for the crime, Juni and her sisters don’t hesitate to put their shop up to get him released on bail. But then he vanishes. Can the three of them figure out what is really going on in time to save their shop?
I really enjoyed this debut. The plot takes off in a couple of different directions, and I enjoyed that creativity. I did feel it slowed down a little in the middle, but it picked up again for a fantastic climax. You can feel the history between Juni and her sisters, and I loved their relationships. There are other fun series regulars, and the suspects fit into the book perfectly. I also enjoyed the humor running through the book. The setting, a small town just outside of Austin, Texas, was charming as well. I can’t wait to revisit Juni and the rest of the characters again soon.
I really enjoyed this debut. The plot takes off in a couple of different directions, and I enjoyed that creativity. I did feel it slowed down a little in the middle, but it picked up again for a fantastic climax. You can feel the history between Juni and her sisters, and I loved their relationships. There are other fun series regulars, and the suspects fit into the book perfectly. I also enjoyed the humor running through the book. The setting, a small town just outside of Austin, Texas, was charming as well. I can’t wait to revisit Juni and the rest of the characters again soon.
