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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2086 KP) rated Murder on Amsterdam Avenue in Books

Jul 7, 2021 (Updated Jul 7, 2021)  
Murder on Amsterdam Avenue
Murder on Amsterdam Avenue
Victoria Thompson | 2015 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Poisoner on the Lose
Frank Malloy has moved into the house that he and Sarah Brandt will share after they get married, but they have to wait until restoration is done on the house to actually get married, and the workers are taking their sweet time about it. Meanwhile, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the home of the Oakes family. Charles suddenly got sick and died a few days later. The Oakes have been friends with Sarah’s family for years, and so, on the visit, Charles’s father asks if Frank will investigate the death. He thinks that something is not right about it. It isn’t long before Frank confirms that Charles was poisoned. But who would poison him?

While these are historical mysteries, history doesn’t always come into play in these books. Here it does in a couple of different ways, and I enjoyed both of them. Fans of the series will be delighted with how the character’s lives are progressing. The mystery was a little slower than most, or maybe it just felt like it to me because I guessed some parts of the plot early on. Even so, I enjoyed some of the twists along the way to the satisfying climax. We get plenty of the supporting characters here, and I am enjoying how they are developing. The characters’ lives are transitioning still in this book, and long-time fans will be happy with how that progresses. This isn’t the strongest in the series, but it will still please fans.
  
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John Lasseter recommended Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) in Movies (curated)

 
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
1936 | Classics, Comedy, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This is between Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Hmm, I’m going to go with Mr. Deeds. Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur. It’s just an amazing film. It’s very funny. Longfellow Deeds is the main character, Gary Cooper plays him and he’s so appealing. I think it’s the definition of appeal. So Longfellow Deeds is this guy who lives in this tiny town, he’s makes a living writing greeting cards. Just a sweet guy. There’s a distant relative who’s this gigantic millionaire. Has a huge fortune. So this industrialist dies in New York City and they trace [him] down, he’s the only heir to this huge fortune. So they bring him to New York and now he runs this company. [But] this really ace reporter for the local paper wants to get the dirt on him, and [she’s played by] Jean Arthur. So she waits for him to come out and she acts like she’s starving, like she’s a homeless woman during the Depression. So he picks her up and feeds her some food and they start doing things together. And he absolutely falls in love with her. But, so, there’s all this dirt that’s coming out in the newspapers and they don’t know how it’s happening. But the scene…it starts very funny, but, again, it’s that heart, it’s balancing humor and heart that Frank Capra did so well, the scene in which he finds out the woman he’s fallen in love with is actually the one who’s doing all the dirt is one of the most emotional scenes in the film. And it’s so underplayed. So beautifully underplayed. He gets behind this column but you know he’s crying. And he can’t bear anyone to see him. It’s so incredibly moving and touching."

Source
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Since You've Been Gone in Books

Mar 25, 2021  
Since You've Been Gone
Since You've Been Gone
Morgan Matson | 2014 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.4 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fun, summery YA read
This is the nineteenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!

When Emily's best friend Sloane disappears, right on the cusp of the epic summer they have planned, she feels adrift. Sloane is outgoing while Emily is shy, and she doesn't know what to do without her friend. But then a letter arrives from Sloane, with a list of things Emily should do over the summer, such as "kiss a stranger," "dance until dawn," "hug a Jamie," and more. Very little on the list are things Emily feels comfortable with--they are more Sloane-esque--but she embarks on them anyway, hoping they will bring her friend back. Soon she has the unexpected help of Frank Porter, an upstanding fellow classmate and not normally a friend of hers, and her summer is off to an interesting start.

This is a fun and fluffy book, with a small but lovable cast of characters. I really liked Emily and adored Frank. I especially identified with Emily due to her shyness and her intense dislike of horses. Somehow the crossing items off a list concept was fresh and intriguing here. It's a very summery book, filled with all those fun summery things: ice cream, road trips, pizza parlors, falling in love, and more.

It is a little concerning that no one seems to worry that Sloane and her family has been kidnapped, when she just disappears, but maybe kidnapped people don't have access to stamps?

Overall, this is a sweet book focused on teen friendship. It's cute and romantic and will make you long for warm summer nights and falling in love for the first time.