
Ripley's Believe it or Not! 2017
Book
The Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual has now firmly established itself as a Christmas must-have,...

Robert Eggers recommended Fanny and Alexander (1982) in Movies (curated)

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated Have Yourself a Beary Little Murder in Books
Sep 25, 2019
The book wastes little time in killing off Mayor Bloom, and we get some good clues and suspects along the way to the logical climax. Sasha and her immediate family are strong characters, and it was great to spend time with them again. The suspects are also good characters. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters are hard to keep straight, but that doesn’t impact following the plot, so it didn’t bother me too much. Despite the cute and cuddly nature of Teddy Bears, this series has always had a bit more bite to it for a cozy, and this book is no exception. However, the Christmas setting adds a festival feel to the book, and I really enjoyed that addition. Heck, I wanted to join the company employee Christmas party – it sounded delightful. And I was drooling over some of the goodies they were eating. If you are ready to get in the Christmas spirit a little early, this is the book for you.

Christmas Mountain
Book
The probation officer caring for his dead brother’s baby. The wounded gentle giant with the...
Contemporary MM Romance Seasonal

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, DON’T! in Books
Dec 11, 2018
This is another delightfully silly picture book. As the situation gets more out of hand, the more fun the book is, and the ending is priceless. The book is narrated in second person, but more as Magnolia, the main character, using her own bad experience to warn us away from what could happen. The pictures are on the cartoony side, but they perfectly capture the fun and absurdity of this story. It's perfect for Christmas, but I could see it slipping into a reading list the rest of the year.

Lindsay (1760 KP) rated A Season on the Wind in Books
Oct 26, 2022
We have birds, and bird logs mentioned at the end of each chapter. Will Ben see his way back to the Amish and find that his love is the one that sparked his love for birds? Will there be romance sparked for Penny and Ben and maybe even Micah? Ben's cousin seems to may have found a love interest.
Ben seems to need to get over an illness but does not know he has it. While he is in town, Happ seems to recognize Ben, and so does Penny when she first steps and arrives at Lost Creek Farm. What will Ben do, and will Ben go bird searching with Micah? They seem to be on a rare hunt for a White-Winged Tern.
We are getting more of the relationships from Natalie and Boyd. Micah seems to be interested in Shelley Yoder. But is Shelley into Micah? Ben seems to be on the edge of his past life and does not want to see his father. All because of his brother Levi. But will Ben come around soon? He keeps getting memories of this little brother Levi. Are they good or not? It seems the lord is working on them all. Including Penny. Will Ben and Penny get together?
The CBC is around, and all of them are trying to partner up for the big event. The Christmas Bird Count is the first for StoneyRidge. How will it go, and Will Ben catch his rare bird? It seems to be evading Micah and Ben, this little White Tail Tern. Natalie may be falling for Boyd, but will she run away too? I hope she stops comparing Boyd to her ex-husband Joel. But we will have to see.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated Christmas Cocoa Murder in Books
Sep 26, 2019
All three of these stories are fun. The only series I read regularly is Maddie Day’s, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying all of them. The plots are all wonderfully constructed and perfect for the shorter novella format. I did feel a little lost with some of the series regular characters in the first story, but that’s to be expected since I haven’t read the series before. However, it didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment at all. The main characters all come to life in the stories, and the suspects are just as vivid. Each story is filled with Christmas detail that will put you in the holiday spirit no matter what time of year you read them. A couple of the stories even feature some recipes, including two different versions of hot chocolate. So, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate (or maybe not given the theme of this book) and snuggle up and enjoy.

Behavioural Economics Saved My Dog: Life Advice for the Imperfect Human
Book
Internationally bestselling author Dan Ariely brings his unique perspective to bear on a maelstrom...

Another Little Christmas Murder
Book
A classic country house mystery republished for the first time in nearly seventy years. Perfect for...

George V: The Unexpected King
Book
For a man with such conventional tastes and views, George V had a revolutionary impact. Almost...