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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Keep Your Family Close in Books
Dec 9, 2023
Two Cases for Matthias Honeywell to Solve
Detective Matthias Honeywell is called to the scene of a man shot in an alley near a bar. Sounds like a mugging on the surface, especially since his wallet is missing. Is it that simple? Or is there more to it than that? If it is a mugging, will they ever figure out who did it? Meanwhile, he’s also working on the case of a waitress who vanished while walking home from work one night. Will he get a break in that case?
Plus, Honeywell’s friend, Emma Anderson, gets a new lead on where her missing sister might be. The lead is a week old; will it lead Emma to her sister?
With so many storylines, it isn’t a surprise that I found this book to be a page turning. There was always something happening to keep me engaged. The characters were strong, and that drew me in as well. There was one part of the solution that bothered me, but all my questions were answered. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed the first book will be happy to hear the sparks between Honeywell and Emma are as strong as ever. Plus, we get to see some interesting growth in them and meet some great new characters. Since this is a police procedural, it’s a little darker than my typical cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. This is a great second book in a series that will keep you turning pages.
Plus, Honeywell’s friend, Emma Anderson, gets a new lead on where her missing sister might be. The lead is a week old; will it lead Emma to her sister?
With so many storylines, it isn’t a surprise that I found this book to be a page turning. There was always something happening to keep me engaged. The characters were strong, and that drew me in as well. There was one part of the solution that bothered me, but all my questions were answered. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed the first book will be happy to hear the sparks between Honeywell and Emma are as strong as ever. Plus, we get to see some interesting growth in them and meet some great new characters. Since this is a police procedural, it’s a little darker than my typical cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. This is a great second book in a series that will keep you turning pages.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 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.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Racing the Light in Books
Jun 17, 2023
Elvis Cole is in a Race to Find a Missing Man
PI Elvis Cole’s latest client is a mother who insists that her son, Josh, is missing. She sounds like a conspiracy nut, and it doesn’t help that Josh hosts a podcast about aliens and other out there topics. But Elvis gives himself a day to figure out what he thinks of the case, and in that time he realizes that someone dangerous is very interested in where Josh is. Can Elvis find him in time?
As usual, this book was a mixed bag for me. The case was interesting, although some of the events were entirely predictable to anyone who has read this series on a regular basis. While I do like Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, I still find Joe to be a rather thin character. The new characters are also definitely on the thin side, and many of them are annoying. In fact, at times the plot seemed to be based on the characters doing the absolutely stupidest things they could do and Elvis trying to save them. There’s also quite a bit of adult content in this book, more so than I really thought it needed. There are lots of point of view changes, but I never had a hard time with them since they were clearly labeled and happened at chapter breaks. Fans will be interested in the sub-plot here. There are things I enjoyed, but once again, this is an average entry in an average series.
As usual, this book was a mixed bag for me. The case was interesting, although some of the events were entirely predictable to anyone who has read this series on a regular basis. While I do like Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, I still find Joe to be a rather thin character. The new characters are also definitely on the thin side, and many of them are annoying. In fact, at times the plot seemed to be based on the characters doing the absolutely stupidest things they could do and Elvis trying to save them. There’s also quite a bit of adult content in this book, more so than I really thought it needed. There are lots of point of view changes, but I never had a hard time with them since they were clearly labeled and happened at chapter breaks. Fans will be interested in the sub-plot here. There are things I enjoyed, but once again, this is an average entry in an average series.
Great app for sharing pics
I've been using Instagram for quite some time now, and the app itself is very easy to use and share pictures.
The search facility works well, the picture writing tools like filters and layouts are plenty and more than suitable. It's easy to view your own profile and pictures, and to view likes and followers. The only thing I don't like is the news feed. It used to show posts in time order by most recent, however now it doesn't and instead it uses some algorithm that means you end up seeing things like multiple posts from the same person from the past week, and end up missing more of the posts you want to see.
The search facility works well, the picture writing tools like filters and layouts are plenty and more than suitable. It's easy to view your own profile and pictures, and to view likes and followers. The only thing I don't like is the news feed. It used to show posts in time order by most recent, however now it doesn't and instead it uses some algorithm that means you end up seeing things like multiple posts from the same person from the past week, and end up missing more of the posts you want to see.
Sue (5 KP) rated Healthy Meal Prep: Time-Saving Plans to Prep and Portion Your Weekly Meals in Books
Apr 23, 2018
Meal prepping is the “in” thing for anyone that has a busy lifestyle. You take one day to shop and prep so that you don’t have to take the time later on.
What I like most about this cookbook is that the meal selections were not only easy to prepare but used wholesome and nutritious ingredients. You could easily swap for veggies that your family enjoy or even add more to fill up your plate and give you more fiber. But what do you expect from a book written by a dietician?!
This book is filled with not only meal plans and recipes, but tips, shopping lists, and great storage solutions. The only thing missing for this foodie were pictures.
What I like most about this cookbook is that the meal selections were not only easy to prepare but used wholesome and nutritious ingredients. You could easily swap for veggies that your family enjoy or even add more to fill up your plate and give you more fiber. But what do you expect from a book written by a dietician?!
This book is filled with not only meal plans and recipes, but tips, shopping lists, and great storage solutions. The only thing missing for this foodie were pictures.
E Riley (6 KP) rated Angels and Demons in Books
Feb 12, 2019 (Updated Feb 12, 2019)
Sometimes I think I must be missing something.. This is a book adored by many and yet I can't see quite see why. There were moments of brilliance and fascination, mostly involving religious history and the search for faith. The pace was fast and I wanted to keep reading to the end but had I not already mastered the eye roll due to raising teenagers, I would have learnt fast with this. The unassumingly handsome but excessively fit academics professor thrown into worldwide adventures with beautiful women seems a little stale for some reason... Can't think why. Despite this déjà vu, I expect to read another at some point, if only for the history.
A book to borrow from the library.
A book to borrow from the library.
Claire (8 KP) rated I am missing in Books
Jan 28, 2018
Suspense (2 more)
Page turner
Twists
Richard is missing..he doesn't know who he is, where he's from, anything..even if his name is Richard! He hires an investigator (Ryker) to 'find him' ..who tries all the usual googling etc but comes up with nothing until he goes to see a psychiatrist that's been 'helping' Richard ..then it all starts to twist and turn and people are turning up dead..and even Ryker is in danger as he keeps on uncovering more about who Richard is.
Definately worth a read..and as you get drawn further in you will want to speed read to find out the truth.
Definately worth a read..and as you get drawn further in you will want to speed read to find out the truth.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated The Secret of the Caves (Hardy Boys, #7) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The Hardys are dealing with two cases. While their father works on sabotage at a local security station, Frank and Joe head to a college to try to find a missing professor. But the trail leads them to some caves south of Bayport. What exactly will they find there?
This was actually the first Hardy Boys books I picked up many years ago, and it was fun to revisit. I didn’t remember much about the mystery, so it kept me guessing until the end. I did find the ending very rushed and the characters flat, but I still had fun revisiting them.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-secret-of-caves-by-franklin.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This was actually the first Hardy Boys books I picked up many years ago, and it was fun to revisit. I didn’t remember much about the mystery, so it kept me guessing until the end. I did find the ending very rushed and the characters flat, but I still had fun revisiting them.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-secret-of-caves-by-franklin.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Dean (6927 KP) rated The Cell (2000) in Movies
Feb 16, 2018
Finally watched this at long last hearing it was a good film for a while now. It's very unique and very stylish. It starts off similar to The silence of the lambs, with a serial killer on the loose who is getting bolder which each new victim. They track him down but he has a seizure and with the latest victim still missing they need to find her quick! Using a sort of virtual reality programme J.Lo must enter his mind to find the answers.
A very good film, if quite weird during the dream scenes but these also look excellent, very surreal and elaborate. You will enjoy this if you like serial killer films, horrors and the just plain weird!
A very good film, if quite weird during the dream scenes but these also look excellent, very surreal and elaborate. You will enjoy this if you like serial killer films, horrors and the just plain weird!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Despicable Me 3 (2017) in Movies
Mar 31, 2018
An unnecessary sequel
It's getting to be a shame that they keep making these films. The first one was great, the second alright and the standalone Minions film was terrible. Sadly this third film is nothing to write home about.
It's not terrible, it's just missing the magic from the original film. Bratt is admittedly a fun bad guy and the 80s theme is actually quite entertaining. It's just a shame that the rest of the film is a little lacklustre and almost boring. There's not a lot of humour, and the minions aren't featured as much as they used to which is a bad move. It's just an entirely unnecessary sequel, and I really wish they had just left it after the first film.
It's not terrible, it's just missing the magic from the original film. Bratt is admittedly a fun bad guy and the 80s theme is actually quite entertaining. It's just a shame that the rest of the film is a little lacklustre and almost boring. There's not a lot of humour, and the minions aren't featured as much as they used to which is a bad move. It's just an entirely unnecessary sequel, and I really wish they had just left it after the first film.