Sweetening the end of summer with my Series-ous Reading serving of Apple Turnover Murder

With summer technically over(I know the first official day of fall is a couple of weeks away), I am so looking forward to the fall season of crisp leaves, cool temperatures and hearty meals.

That is probably why my Series-ous Reading selection was Apple Turnover Murder , the 13th entry in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mystery novels. Granted, the story takes place in June but apple desserts just have that autumn flavor to them, in my opinion.

This time out, Hannah is busy as a bee during the early summer season yet can't help but to add some extra work by catering specially made treats to several charity events(a last minute request from the mayor's wife).

 Her business partner Lisa comes up with the idea for the title pastry, which is meant to tie in the theme of "turning over a new leaf", something that a new arrival from Hannah's past is clearly not capable of doing.

College professor Bradford Ramsey, who pops in at the end of the previous book Plum Pudding Murder(which I read out of order), acts as if he doesn't know Hannah from when she was a grad student having a secret romance with him. What he didn't tell her then was the real reason for keeping things on the quiet was that he was married, a most unwelcome surprise that caused Hannah to cut their relationship and her college education short.

Bradford happens to be one of her younger sister Michelle's teachers, making Hannah extra nervous about being around him, not to mention concern for her sibling's welfare. When Hannah does run into Bradford backstage at a local talent show, he not only remember her, he insists that they hook up again or his wandering eye will focus on Michelle!

Those are fighting words indeed and Hannah gives him what for on that score. However, their next encounter is awkward in more ways than one as she finds him stabbed to death with one of her turnovers by his sleazy side:

While Hannah is savvy enough to let police detective/occasional boyfriend Mike in on her past with Bradford, she doesn't do the same for gentleman caller number two Norman(which I'll get to in a moment).

 Fortunately, that omission doesn't impact the case which is tricky given the numerous suspects due to Bradford's wayward habits with the ladies, including a couple of ex-wives.

In this particular book, the murder in question is fitted tightly between two subplots, one of which has Hannah's middle sister Andrea in a panic. Seems as if her police chief husband Bill is being strongly recruited by a security firm and taking that job would require them to move to Florida, a fate worse than death in Andrea's eyes!

Look, I'm not crazy about warm weather all the time places either but leaving Lake Eden wouldn't be so bad for a small town gal like Andrea-sure, adjusting would be difficult yet it would also be an opportunity to widen her family's horizons there. After all, a real estate whiz like her would do well anywhere and if this was a good move for Bill to make, it would be worth considering.

Despite Bill's refusal of each offer(the whole thing turns out to be a weird scam), she still persists in freaking out over the mere chance that he might say yes-Andrea, honey, you're acting all wacky cake about this,seriously chill with some chocolate there!:

The biggest plot development,however, is between Hannah and Norman. As I said earlier, Hannah was right to tell Mike about her priors with Bradford(keeps her from being a suspect) but when given the same chance to tell Norman, she doesn't.

Now I know that talking about past relationships with a current significant other is tricky but the reason that Hannah holds back is shame. She has nothing to be ashamed of here(neither does her sister Michelle, who Bradford did flirt with, the lowlife!).

At this point in their "who will she choose" situation, Mike has already told Hannah that she would be better off marrying Norman(a bit of an eyebrow raise on such presumption!) and when informed about Bradford's prior romance with her, Mike is mad enough to wish that Bradford wasn't dead so that he could kill the guy(metaphorically speaking). In other words, he doesn't blame her at all and neither would Norman, I have no doubt about that.

Yet, Norman is also keeping something back from her. Upon returning from a reunion with some old dental school buddies, Norman is acting all distant from Hannah and even though he tries to help her out with the mystery, it's clear that he's going through the motions.

Hannah does,finally, ask him what is the matter and he tells her that there's a big decision that he needs to make but can't go into details just yet. We discover that this major choice involves his former fiancee Beverly, who is now going to join his dental practice and what does this mean for Hannah's relationship with Norman? We shall see.

I've been Team Norman for quite some time now but have to admit that if neither one of them is willing to open up to the other person about the past or the present, this is not a good sign for future happiness there. Honesty is a key ingredient in any recipe for lasting love, folks:

Yes, the murder does get solved but I am so concerned with whole Norman situation that my latest Series-ous Reading pick is the next book in the Hannah Swensen saga, Devil's Food Cake Murder.

As Hannah is trying to cope with Beverly being part of Norman's professional life(plus, everyone in town really seems to like her!), she gets a welcome distraction from Reverend Knudson's grandmother, who is rather suspicious of an old childhood friend of her grandson's being back in town.

I must admit that the book cover looks scrumptious, with a touch of a broken heart look in that sliced section(or am I reading way too much into that?). Regardless, any story with devil's food cake included is always  bound to be a delicious read indeed:

Fall into a new season for books this September/October

I know that I'm a tad last minute with this preview of upcoming Sept/Oct reads but better late than never, right?

While there is a lot going on right now and much to do, taking some time out for a good read is essential to your emotional health, in my opinion.

 Also, certain types of books are great for channeling your stress, whether it's a heart pounding mystery or a romantic look for love.


Speaking of the former, let's start our bookish journey on a chilling note...

DOUBLE DOSE OF TROUBLE:

 ONE BY ONE: This latest thriller from celebrated author Ruth Ware is set at a remote ski resort in France, where a group of corporate types decide to take a much needed relaxing retreat.

When Eva, one of the co-founders of the social media company Snoops, goes missing  at lunch, a search for her whereabouts by the staff is cut off by an avalanche. This sudden extra bit of isolation is made worse by the power and internet access being out as well and on top of that, another guest is found dead by not so natural circumstances.

With tensions rising, can the killer be caught before more loss of life occurs or will their rescue from the outside world arrive far too late? Ware's take on modern mysteries have a wonderful old school style about them which makes them nonetheless engagingly new tales of terror worth exploring(Sept):

 THEY NEVER LEARN: Author Layne Fargo introduces us to Professor Scarlett Clark, who teaches English at the highly esteemed Gorman University and has made a habit of killing off predatory men both on staff and in the student body.

While she made sure to make the demise of her latest victim, football star Tyler Elkin, look self inflicted, his status as an up and coming celebrity athlete has drawn some unwanted attention to Scarlett's schemes.

Doing her best to lay low, Scarlett attempts to charm the detective in charge of the case while trying very hard not to go after her next target. However, things become even more complicated when a student decides to go down a similar road of vengeance after her roommate is assaulted, bringing Scarlett closer than she'd like to being revealed.

I have to say that while I've never read anything by this writer before, this whole premise makes me want to snatch it up as soon as can be. If this thriller isn't picked up for a film/TV adaptation soon, hopefully it's reception among readers will hasten that pop culture decision(Oct):

 AN AIR OF HISTORICAL MYSTERY:

MURDER IS IN THE AIR: The twelfth installment in Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton series has our 1930s lady detective taking up an invitation to attend a garden party in North Yorkshire being held in the honor of Ruth Parnaby, who has been chosen as queen of the local brewery.

With her niece Harriet accompanying her, Kate is happy to bring the children at the party to the pony ride promised by the company but that joy quickly sours once the drayman meant to conduct the rides is missing and later found dead in the fermentation room.

A variety of suspects are available, including Ruth's father Slater, who didn't want his daughter to aid the brewery in any way. Even though he has an alibi, Kate can't help but think that Slater knows more than what he's saying.

I'm still at the far end when it comes to the Kate Shackleton stories yet I can say that dipping into just one of them instantly puts you at ease when it comes to backstory and characters. This particular tale sounds fitting for autumn and should quench your thirst for a historical mystery mug of mead rather nicely(October). 

AFFAIRS OF THE HEART:

LOVE YOUR LIFE: The leading lady of Sophie Kinsella's newest novel is Ava, who takes a trip to Italy in order to attend a writer's retreat. There, she meets "Dutch"(anonymous names are encouraged), who seems to be her romantic ideal.

Once they get back to England, however, it turns out that Dutch is actually Matt, the head honcho at a dollhouse company and the two of them are not as compatible as they each thought. For one, he hates clutter and she collects discarded furniture and books in abundance.

Other potential obstacles in their path to true love include Ava hating his art collection, Matt keeping his bedroom at ice cold temperatures and  worst of all, his immense dislike of Harold, Ava's sweet but not well trained beagle.

Can this lovelorn odd couple find a way to deal with their differences and make a happy medium together? No doubt the answer to that will be entertainingly found within the delightful pages that Kinsella magically brings together(Oct).

MONOGAMY: In Sue Miller's upcoming novel, Annie McFarlane is forced to reexamine her life upon the sudden death of her husband Graham.

Granted, since this was a second marriage for the both of them, she was well aware that Graham was not a perfect person. Nonetheless, Annie is surprised to learn that not only was he having an affair, his first wife Frieda was taken into his confidence about it.

Despite that revelation, Annie is determined to deal with this loss in the best way possible without compromising her own self worth. This look at love and marriage promises to have a bittersweet energy that should be a well taken journey of the heart(Sept):

Given the horrible headlines that we receive daily, finding a good book to read sounds more and more like a viable option. That doesn't mean that we ignore what's going on around us and mourn those great losses to our world(RIP to Chadwick Boseman, a remarkable actor and real life superhero).

Rather, we give ourselves a much needed break so that our collective spirits can be revived for what lies ahead. It would be nice to have a couple of good movies coming soon safely but then again, it does give us something to look forward to for next year.

Let us hope for better things in real life and in entertainment, where at some point, the new remake of Death On The Nile will be available to all, one way or another:

 

Making a merry musical RomCom Comfort Food meal for Bride & Prejudice

Welcome back ,RomCom Comfort Food friends and for our final film feast entree, we have a delightful fusion of love Jane Austen style, mixed with modern flair and a dash of classic musical fun.

One of my best movie going trips was joining some of the Jane Austen fans from The Republic of Pemberley and taking my younger sister along with me to see 2004's  Bride & Prejudice in a Manhattan theater.

My sister is not a Jane Austen person(she likes to jokingly call many of my BBC related shows "British comas"); she was into Bollywood films at the time and I like to think she got a little Austen knowledge out of that viewing.

The movie is a retelling of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, set at first in modern day India where the four Bakshi daughters(yes, Kitty is not included but Maya's cobra dance more than makes up for that!) are, in their fretful mother's opinion, in need of husbands.

While Lalita, the Elizabeth Bennet of this story(played by renowned Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai) is happy to see her older sister Jaya(Namrata Shirodkar) find a potential suitor named Balraj(Naveen Andrews) at a friend's wedding, she is less than thrilled with his buddy William Darcy(Martin Henderson).

For one, Darcy has a touch of the Ugly American about him as he finds the customs of the country out of date with some snarky encouragement by Balraj's sister Kiran(Indira Varma, who is a top rate Miss Bingley indeed!). While he's not malicious, his attitude is rather off-putting to Lalita for good reason.

Despite trying to keep the peace for her sister's sake during a resort outing, Lalita can't resist challenging Darcy on his presumptions about her country and culture:

Tensions further arise when a former friend of Darcy's, Johnny Wickham(Daniel Gillies) literally comes forth from the sea to catch Lalita's eye.

This potential triangle breaks up when Lalita and Jaya come home to find their mother getting all of her girls ready for a visit from their distant relative Mr. Kohli(Nitin Ganatra, a very memorable Mr. Collins for sure!).

Since her mother practically has Jaya married off already, all of Kohli's romantic intentions are focused on Lalita which leads to my favorite song "No Life Without Wife". It's fitting for this number to be set here, not long after Darcy's list of attributes for the ideal woman have been discussed. As her sisters gleefully mock her supposed future with Kohli in America, Lalita gets the chance to express what she finds to be the perfect man for her:

Once Mr. Kohli takes his unwanted marriage proposal elsewhere, Lalita does run into Darcy again.

With her family invited to attend Kohli's wedding in America, she meets Darcy on a connecting flight to London and then in LA, where the two of them finally start to kindle a spark of romance.

That brings us to "Take Me to Love", a tune that Lalita first begins at home when Wickham is no longer in the picture but upon seeing the better side of Darcy, the song is refitted nicely.

 There's tons of lovelorn imagery in the musical montage for this number that includes running through jet sprayed water and a stroll on the beach where a choir serenades the dreamy eyed couple:

 Well, if you know Jane Austen, you know how the rest of the story goes. If not, I would prefer to let you be pleasantly surprised by this charming adaptation.

Director Gurinder Chadha(first known to many for Bend It Like Beckham) is clearly a major Austen lover and by blending the musical style of Bollywood with this iconic tale, she brings many realms together for some good old fashioned romcom joy.

That's what struck me during this rewatch;how much joy is pouring off of the screen, from the elaborate dance number at the start of the story to the rollicking show stopper "Marriage Has Come to Town". While you can argue that Henderson's Darcy is not much of a match for Rai's Lalita, they do make a good couple towards the end and by then, the music rightfully takes over.

Joy is something that's been in short supply these days and the main reason that I started this new summer series in the first place. While we do have to keep an alert eye out for the problems hitting us hard right now, taking a break for some sort of relief is necessary and I hope that these silly little posts of mine are helping to make that happen.

Thank you all for attending this film food festival and perhaps we'll do it again some time. For now, let us share in the musical joy of love:

 

Taking our RomCom Comfort Food out for a pop culture picnic at Notting Hill

Thank you once again for attending our RomCom Comfort Food luncheon, where we will be taking our main movie meal to a most charming location, 1999's Notting Hill.

Hugh Grant stars as Will, a recent divorcee and owner of a small travel book shop in the title section of London. One average day, a famous movie star named Anna Scott(Julia Roberts) walks in to browse and both of their lives are never quite the same.

After an amusing exchange involving a shoplifter who asks for Anna's autograph(she signs a piece of paper saying "Dear Rufus, you belong in jail" which the guy takes as a good joke before offering her his phone number!),
Will literally runs into Anna a very short time later, spilling a huge cup of orange juice on her and then offering to take her to his nearby "house with the blue door" for an emergency clean-up.

As she fixes herself up, Will becomes more tongue tied and nervous with his banter(a classic Hugh Grant trait) and as they say goodbye yet again, his parting words describe the situation as "surreal but nice", which Anna clearly finds to be accurate as she returns to offer him a surprise smooch:

This leads to a few romantic complications, one of which has Will trying to meet up with Anna at a press junket for her new sci-fi movie called Helix(sounds pretty cool, actually) and having to pose as a reporter for Horse & Hound magazine(not a very sci-fi type of publication there).

Eventually, Will and Anna's first date is at his sister Honey's birthday party that is being held at the home of his married friends Max and Bella(not to mention the future Lord Grantham, Hugh Bonneville, whose character Bernie is totally dense about who Anna is!).

Once the initial shock of Will bringing a famous person to dinner is over, the rest of the party goes off rather well, with everyone at the end of the not-so-well-cooked dinner having a mock debate contest over who deserves the last brownie on the dessert plate. Anna feels comfortable enough to chime in and the whole scene is bittersweet yet beautifully brilliant for all concerned:

The romance between Will and Anna becomes an on-again, off-again affair due to the complications that arise from her celebrity status and his growing doubts about being able to fit into her world.

Now, I know that when people think of this movie, the line they recall and love the best is "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her"-a well done cinematic moment indeed.

However, my personal choice is from an earlier scene, where the two of them are having a quiet dinner out and happen to overhear a group of louts at the other table joke about Anna being an "actress" in the less respectable sense of the term. Will does his best to call these jerks out without reveling Anna's presence but to no avail.

She does appreciate his effort but suddenly gets inspired to confront the table of leering creeps herself and the whole thing is hilarious, especially when Anna expresses her conviction of the origin of their "friendly banter":

My favorite scene, however, is rather sad. It's a passage of time montage after Will and Anna have a major breakup that includes the media landing on his doorstep, which cause a big league fight over how to handle such things. His laidback approach just doesn't work for her, not to mention his goofy roommate Spike(Rhys Ifans, who steals countless scenes here) having an unintended role in this situation does not help matters much.

 This sequence is set to the classic "Ain't No Sunshine" by the late great Bill Withers and it's simplicity is sweetly sorrowful. Yes, it's far from happy but I can't help feeling that it sums up such a lovelorn loss so perfectly:

On a brighter note, my Jane Austen connection for this film is director Roger Michell, who several years earlier was the directorial hand on Persuasion, a made for British TV production that was released in theaters in America.

That well received movie got me to read Jane Austen for the first time and part of the reason that Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel. While NH and Persuasion are set in very different time periods, the approach taken to the difficulties of love has a similar feel as both stories are given realistic tones that enhance the heartbreak and the humor.

Michell even has two of the actors from Persuasion( Samuel West and Richard McCabe) play minor roles in Notting Hill, a nice bonus for us Austenites and while he hasn't done another adaptation of Austen's work(one of his latest works was a remake of My Cousin Rachel), his flair for bringing parted lovers back together is a delight to behold:

For our film feast finale, what's better than a musical and a Jane Austen themed one, no less?

Our last RomCom Comfort Food entree is 2004's  Bride & Prejudice, where director and co-screenwriter Gurinder Chadha has"Bollywood meet Hollywood" in a lovely modern take on Pride and Prejudice.

Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson are our leads as the Elizabeth Bennet/Mr. Darcy with Marsha Mason doing her version of Lady Catherine and Naveen Andrews being a rather lively take on Mr. Bingley, if you ask me:

Serving up a California platter of Clueless with a Jane Austen twist as RomCom Comfort Food

Welcome back for more delightful dinner party fun as the RomCom Comfort Food film festival continues. Our menu today is a mashup of classic lit with 90's sunny satire with 1995's Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone as leading lady Cher in the hit movie based on Jane Austen's Emma, thanks to writer/director Amy Heckerling.

It can argued that Clueless paved the way for other modern day takes on Austen's work such as Bridget Jones' Diary and You've Got Mail(which does nod to Pride & Prejudice while being a remake of Shop Around the Corner) and later web series like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved.

However, even if you're not at all familiar with Austen's novel, this movie works well as a snappy look at upper class teens in love. Since our focus is romantic comedy, let's set our sights on the three main love stories presented here:

TAI & TRAVIS:

In the context of Emma, new student Tai(played by the late Brittany Murphy) is the Harriet Smith , sweetly awkward and in need of some guidance in her rather upscale surroundings.

Cher, with the help of gal pal Dionne(Stacey Dash), is more than ready to take on Tai as a "makeover project" but firmly squashes the instant attraction that her new friend has towards class clown Travis(Breckin Meyer). Granted, Travis is a bit of a stoner(a habit that Tai also shares) but he does admire Tai's talent for drawing, a very Jane Austen trait by the way.

Nonetheless, Cher uses her clout as reigning teen queen to set Tai on what she considers to be the proper path towards high school popularity and social acceptance, which means avoiding the "loadies on the grassy knoll" like him:

Cher's attempts to match Tai up with supposedly suitable big man on campus Elton(Jeremy Sisto) go horribly awry, leaving her friend heartbroken in the near future.

Meanwhile, rejecting Elton's advances followed by him dropping her off in a bad neighborhood where she gets robbed leaves Cher with instant regrets over the whole deal.

That sequence of events takes me to one of my favorite parts of the movie, where Cher calls her former stepbrother Josh(the evergreen Paul Rudd) to give her a lift home. Josh arrives with current college girlfriend Heather in tow, who is giving a very Mrs. Elton style teardown of one of their professors(she's not really the Mrs. Elton of the story-that dubious honor belongs to snippy classmate Amber but I digress).

At one point, Heather misquotes Shakespeare and Cher is able to offer a correction, due to her recall of the latest Hamlet remake-"he didn't say that, that Polonius guy did!". That quick exchange gets a laugh out of Josh, which earns him a glare from the girlfriend and shows that he's aware that Cher is more than a smart dresser:

Ultimately, Tai and Travis do hook up and Cher, who has chosen by now to give herself a "makeover-only this time, I'll make over my soul", gives her approval. Mind you, that approval is not needed or asked for at this point but Cher has become more accepting of others. It does help that Travis is on a twelve step program and turning into a more focused person, not to mention that Tai still likes him very much indeed:

MISS GEIST & MR. HALL:

While Cher's initial motive to pair these two teachers up romantically is based on the need to renegotiate her midterm grades, she and Dionne do see the sweetness in both Mr. Hall(the delightful Wallace Shawn) and Miss Geist(Twink Caplan) as these "old people" begin to fall in love.

This small side story is the Miss Taylor/Mr. Weston romance that in Emma has been completed by marriage in the beginning and in Clueless, ends the film. However, in both situations, these two had feelings for each other in the first place, despite all of the youthful intervention, that made them become a wedded couple:

CHER & JOSH:

Yes, this is the big romance and before we get any further here, I know that there's been some recent debate over how truly appropriate this relationship is.

 Well, for one-the age gap between them is not as distant as it was between their literary counterparts Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley(who remembers holding her as a baby in the book!) .

Also, they are ex-stepsiblings who clearly didn't grow up together in Brady Bunch style and no doubt, Josh would wait until Cher was of college age before their relationship went into a major adult direction. As Cher says herself early on in the movie-"You've seen how picky I am about my shoes and they only go on my feet!"

With that out of the way, this love story is a slow moving affair as Cher suddenly realizes that she loves Josh(complete with light up fountain action in the background) but not sure how to pursue this. Her ill fated romance with Christian(who Josh was briefly jealous of until he saw his alleged rival's true inclinations in that department) didn't end badly but still, she wasn't sure of how to proceed when it came to someone who knows her so well.

Fortunately, a moment occurred when Cher thought she had made a mistake in her lawyer father's case file(she didn't and that guy was a jerk for blaming her there) and Josh not only backed her up but reveled his deeper feelings for her. It's a sweet scene that holds up, even after twenty five years and here's to another twenty score and more for this charming take on a timeless classic:

It was fun to see Clueless again and with the 25th anniversary attention given to this movie(plus talk of a remake, which I consider to be pointless), I'm sure plenty of old fans and new are enjoying this flashback to the past indeed.

Our next movie meal will take place at Notting Hill, where movie star Julia Roberts and humble travel bookstore clerk Hugh Grant find themselves in love amid massive media attention and his wacky roommate Spike.

This is such a lovely film, with great supporting characters and bittersweet moments galore(and yes, a Jane Austen connection!). Also, it has a meet-cute that involves shoplifting which isn't the most likely form of love connection but there you go:

Paging through the Death of An Avid Reader for my summertime Series-ous Reading

This past July, I was happy to have a bit of a staycation with my latest Series-ous Reading selection that had a nice mix of excitement, mystery and library love.

Frances Brody's Death of An Avid Reader is the sixth entry in her series of Kate Shackleton mysteries, set in post-WWI. Kate is a widow that still holds out a bit of hope that her husband(officially listed as missing in action) is somehow alive and coming home to her.

In the meantime, Kate is a detective and most often times asked to find missing persons such as the secretly given up for adoption daughter of Lady Coulton. Her Ladyship become pregnant while her husband was off fighting in the war so keeping that baby well out of sight was a major priority.

Before Kate can fully start that investigation, she's pressed to witness an exorcism at the Leeds Library by Dr. Potter, a member of the library board who finds the notion shared by the staff of a ghost haunting the place amusing at best. However, to allay those persistent fears, a priest has been summoned and Kate reluctantly finds herself,along with the head librarian, taking part in this late night ceremony:

As it turns out, the only scary moment during that "exorcism" is the discovery of Dr. Potter's body in the basement. Trapped under a knocked over bookcase, with a rather valuable rare book not far from him, it appears as if a thief is to blame.

However, another find causes the case to take a different turn. Hiding in a distant corner of the basement is Umberto, the local organ grinder who has not been out and about lately, due perhaps to the cold weather.

Umberto, as Kate's past medical training has alerted her, is deathly ill from pneumonia and taken to the hospital. Despite the fact that he's clearly in no condition to harm anyone,let alone Dr. Potter, the police quickly point the finger of blame at the elderly Italian immigrant. Kate finds this appalling and despite not being officially part of the police inquiry, she decides to look firmly into the matter.

What she does discover is that Umberto did have a brief meeting with Dr. Potter before the murder but that had nothing to do with books. Umberto's pet monkey intrigued the mathematician for some private studies of his own involving animals and education. Kate happens to have that monkey on hand as the creature stowed away in her car that fateful night, making her even more compelled to solve the case:

 

As she looks further into things, Kate suspects that her long lost daughter case may overlap into this murder mystery as the father of that adopted child happened to be a librarian and that girl may have unknowingly followed in her parent's literary footsteps.

With a few surprises along the way, Kate does get far beyond the local police in both respects but can she find the killer and the girl before it's too late? I have read this series quite out of order(plan to read book two this fall as the last of my Second Acts) yet these stories are so well written that you would hardly feel out of place no matter where you started.

Frances Brody blends historical fiction with murder mystery as skillfully as a brewer might stir together tea leaves, making these stories a charming mix of comfortable yet chilling all at once.

Her characters are as fully sketched as the art work displayed upon the book covers, with Kate being paired up with such folk as Mrs. Sugden, her pragmatic housekeeper and Jim Sykes, an ex-cop who is more than just a right hand man. The subtle settings of these stories frame a wider picture of the seemingly simple life back then, making Kate's detective tales uniquely thrilling.

I do hope that someday, the Kate Shackleton books become adapted for television as they would do very well along side the likes of Agatha Raisin or Queens of Mystery, if you ask me:

So, while A Medal for Murder and Murder in the Afternoon will be appearing this fall in my Series-ous Reading coverage, I also have another long running set of mysteries to keep up with.

Yes, it's more Hannah Swensen time as I dig into Apple Turnover Murder, where one of the title treats lands near the dead body of Bradford Ramsey, who was her college professor and a rather unscrupulous Romeo to say the least.

Finding him dead is bad enough but hoping to hunt down his killer without anyone in town finding out about their mutual past is a troubling challenge even for Hannah! I know this story takes place in the summer but apple flavored desserts just make me think of autumn, which is why I suppose that this was my choice for a tasty late summer read:

Starting off our RomCom Comfort Food with My Big Fat Greek Wedding feast of love

Welcome to the opening of LRG's new cinematic cafe ,RomCom Comfort Food, where you can safely social distance and enjoy a lovely movie meal straight from the heart.

The first item on our movie menu is My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that holds a special place in my memory as one of the first movies that I ever saw on a plane.

Back in the summer of 2002, I was heading home from England, having spent one of the greatest weeks of my life visiting Jane Austen sites with a group of Austen admirers known as The Republic of Pemberley.

 Since this was not only the first time that I've gone outside of the US but also been on a plane, my initial flight over was a tad hectic. However, my trip home was much calmer, allowing me to relax and watch a couple of movies to pass the time. My first pick was a recent version of The Importance of Being Earnest(starring Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth!) and the other was this sleeper hit that I didn't have the chance to see before my trip.

If any movie is perfect for seeing as you're heading home to America, this romcom certainly is , in my opinion. Our leading lady is Toula(Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the screenplay)Portokalos, a thirty year old woman in Chicago that feels trapped in her "dutiful daughter" role amid her large,loud and very loving Greek family.

Working at the family restaurant one fateful morning, she's lovestruck by a random customer, Ian Miller(John Corbett),the type of guy that her relatives would never approve of her dating due to the fact that he's not Greek. Yet a small spark seems to be lit between them during that brief encounter:

They do meet again, well after Toula decides to change her life by taking some computer courses that qualify her to work at her Aunt Voula's(played by the delightful Andrea Martin) travel agency.

I like that Toula giving herself a makeover and getting more education isn't about landing a man-it's more about finding a better place for herself in the world. I also love how her mother(Lainie Kazan) gives her an assist with old school tactics.

Granted, her mom does want Toula to get married and have babies just like her traditionally minded father only wants her to, yet her mother can see and appreciate that her daughter needs a bit more out of life there. Her methods may be manipulative but they do work out well for all concerned. At one point in the film, Toula's mother tells her "I gave you life so that you could live it!" and she's as good as her word:

Meanwhile, Ian spots Toula at the travel agency and their relationship is kept on the down low in the beginning, due to her family's feelings about romance with a non-Greek.

Eventually, the truth comes out and while there's grief from her father, Toula's family does comes around when it's announced that they're getting married. That sets off a new pack of problems as her family's over the top plans for the wedding get bigger by the minute, with a huge party to welcome Ian's rather staid parents gets overwhelming to say the least(the bundt cake bit is too much fun!).

Nonetheless, they do get married and while Toula still harbors doubt about Ian going through all of this for her, my favorite scene in the movie erases all such worries for me. It's their first date and he asks Toula if she would like to go out for Greek food at " Zorba's something" and she quickly declines. She then explains that Dancing Zorba's is owned by her family, which she hopes he doesn't recall her from.

Oh, but he does with "I remember you!" said in a delighted,dreamy way. She starts telling him about how she was "Frump Girl" back then and he responses with "I don't remember Frump Girl but I remember you." *sigh* Yes, I know , he may seem too good to be true yet with sincere lines like that and later on when Toula asks him why he would marry someone like her and he replies with "Because I came alive when I met you."...that is such a Jane Austen worthy thing to say!:

Early on, I said that this is a good movie to watch while returning to America and my reason for that statement is that this is not just a romance between two people.

It's about two very different families coming together to form one loving unit. Sure, not everyone gets along all of the time but being united on the main things in life is what helps to get over the rough spots, which is the true American way, if you ask me.

 Even the most resistant person to this marriage, Toula's father with his "give me any word and I'll show you the Greek root of that word(even kimono doesn't faze him as a challenge!)" finds a way to accept Ian and his "dry toast" family. During the wedding reception, he points out that their family name Portokalos means orange and the root word for Miller is apple which leads him to proclaim "apples, oranges, we're all different but in the end, we're all fruit!" No truer words are spoken here.

MBFGW was indeed a surprise smash at the box office(much thanks to Tom Hanks, who produced the film and given his own romance with his lovely Greek wife Rita Wilson, perhaps related quite a bit to this story) and yet, despite a short lived sitcom and a much later in time sequel, this is where the story really ends. I think that's best ,since Toula's tale of finding true love,self love and family love is perfectly complete within it's self:

I do hope that you all had a good time with this first of four film love fests to come this August. I must confess that all of these selections have a personal to me Jane Austen connection and while that may not be easy to see at first, trust me-I will point that out!

Next week's menu is preparing a 25th anniversary platter of Clueless, flavored with 90's flair and a satirical sauce of Jane Austen snarky goodness.

Yes, comparisons to Jane Austen's Emma will be made but do not despair, there will be plenty of lighthearted teen humor on hand to snack on as well:

Tuning into the realness of Sense & Sensibility

Having finished up with Emma as part of my Jane Austen Classic Six reread, I've moved on to Sense & Sensibility which was her first published novel.

I will confess that I relate very much to this particular story as I am the eldest of three children born into a second marriage(and yes, I am most definitely an Elinor).

 As it's been several years since I've read the original book, part of my struggle is to filter out the differences from the adaptations to the text. For one, I completely forgot about Lady Middleton(then again, Austen doesn't give her much to do which explains why Emma Thompson left her out of her excellent 1995 screenplay).

However, in traveling down this road again, I do feel that a good modern take on this tale of two sisters(poor Margaret doesn't get much to do either!) would be a reality TV series. After all, most of those shows are centered around family drama and S&S certainly has an abundance of that!

It could be called The Dashwood Sisters(with a Hamiltonesque theme song that would give Margaret her "Peggy" moment) and with all of the dialogues in this story, we could start things off with their brother John Dashwood and his wife Fanny plotting on cheating the girls and their mother out of a reasonable portion of the family estate:

Another element of the reality show genre is people reluctantly living together and when the current set of Dashwoods have no choice but to accept John and Fanny moving in and taking over, simmering tensions do arise indeed!

Supporting characters are a must and S&S has plenty of engaging ones such as Mrs. Jennings, who loves to overtly make matches, along with her equally chatty daughter Mrs. Palmer(who more than makes up for her dull older sister there). Then later on, we get Lucy Steele, whose subtle schemes cause quite a bit of uproar and she would love to be on camera, giving sly smirks and winks to the audience.

However, the main troublemaker would, in my opinion, be Fanny Dashwood, the awful in-law who never hesitates in making her displeasure known to her relatives. If anyone among this group is capable of turning over a table(or inspiring said action), it is truly her:

Meanwhile, bad romances are a big attraction to this type of show and boy, does S&S have a good deal of that!

From the slow building romance of Elinor and Edward Ferrars,which is awkward enough considering he's the brother of the fiendish Fanny, that goes off track for more than one reason*cough*Lucy Steele*cough* to the stunning train wreck that is Marianne and Willoughby, right up to where she nearly dies for love, we've got a few seasons worth of set-your-DVR material here.

The fact that Col. Brandon's backstory plays a huge part in Willoughby's romantic double dealing adds more fuel to the fire there. Of course, the extra cherry on top of this scandalous sundae is that public reunion of Marianne and Willoughby in London, the kind of scene that would certainly cause a furious flurry of Twitter threads and TikTok reactions to accompany it:

Unlike those shows,  however, Sense & Sensibility does have a reasonably happy ending. For the record, I have no problem with the men that both of the Dashwood sisters ended up.

Willoughby and his smooth talking ways would've ruined Marianne sooner or later and I don't particularly care for his last minute mansplaining to Elinor(while her sister is seriously ill, no less!).

Speaking of Elinor, I get why she would forgive Edward for his prior engagement. Yes, he should have said something early on but he also wanted to do right by both Elinor and Lucy. It's been fodder for many a debate and would no doubt amuse a reality show fanbase greatly.

Perhaps someone will take this idea and make a fun webseries for Austen folks to enjoy, like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries or Emma Approved(hey, I can dream, can't I?). For now, I'll just visit with the sisters Dashwood on the page and let my imagination create a reality show of it's own:

Some Gothic chills to cool down your summertime reading

As it is the midst of summer, with the scalding weather that comes with this season, this is a great time to stay inside and read. Keeping cool next to a fan and/or AC gets even easier with a nice chilling book flavored with Gothic flair to take a dive into.

A fine example of that is The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis(now out in paperback), the first in a series of mysteries featuring the literary sisters Bronte as detectives, with their brother Bramwell on hand as their assistant.

The first mystery the Bronte ladies have to tackle is the disappearance of Elizabeth Chester, the second wife of distraught husband Robert, whose governess Matilda was a former schoolmate of Charlotte and Emily.

Matilda found the bedroom of Elizabeth drenched in blood yet no body was discovered. Since the first Mrs. Chester died under suspicious circumstances, she fears the worst and asks her old friends to look into the matter. Since Charlotte and Emily, along with Anne, are seeking some inspiration for their bookish pursuits and truly concerned for the residents of Chester Grange, they take up the case and make inquiries that could lead them to answers as well as real danger.

I had the pleasure of reading this book earlier this year(thanks to my local library) and even if you are not overly familiar with the Bronte sisters' full set of works, this suitably spooky tale is a good way to get to know them better indeed:

If you prefer a hardcover for sturdier shade, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic has much to offer. When 1950's socialite Noemi goes to visit her newly married cousin Catalina on the behalf of her concerned father, the reception she receives at High Place, the decaying mansion home of the Doyle family, is far from welcoming.

As her stay goes on, Noemi grows to share those parental worries about Catalina's decreasing mental and physical state, not to mention the underlying strangeness of her cousin-in-law's family. A twisted method to the Doyle madness surrounds her yet Noemi is bound and determined to get to the source of all of this menace before it can destroy her and Catalina.

Already, this sharply sinister novel has become a best seller with both critical and reader reviews of praise following in it's wake. I have no doubt that this book will be become a major player on those best books of the year lists to come:

Meanwhile, we have another dazzling debut before us with Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. Set in 1996, college student Ines feels that she is most fortunate to be at the titled school, seeing as how it's alumnae roster includes
renowned writers, scientists and political figures.

However, all attendees are required to shut themselves off from the outside world for three years(no summer breaks)-no music, TV or even contact with family allowed. Since Ines is trying down to live down some of her past extracurricular activities from her last school, she is willing to give what seems to be an austere lifestyle a chance.

This strict adherence turns out to be not as strict in some regards, which leads Ines to be sent to the Restoration Center where the "cure" is far worse than any perceived problem. Can she break free of the strange group experiment that is this school or will Ines be the all too perfect case study here?

This certainly sounds intriguing, with a blend of The Secret History meets Frankenstein in a modern terror tale that makes you shudder while turning pages:

Granted, many folks still think that Gothic lore is only fitting for Halloween but as this trio of fear filled fiction shows, that particular slice of genre can always be in literary style. Hopefully more Gothic themed stories will flourish due to such new stories as these and no doubt, the sisters Bronte will make their presence well known as this trend takes center stage:

Serving up some RomCom Comfort Food this August

As some of you may know, during the month of August my blog usually celebrates Bad Movie Month, a time to cheerfully mock those pitiful examples of cinematic failure.

Well, this time out, my heart is just not into it. Given the ongoing health crisis and other continuing disasters in our country right now, that style of humor feels a bit too bleak for me right now.

 Not to mention that with movie houses being shut down(glad to see the drive-in theater coming back at least) and major films having their offline/online release dates pushed back -even as far as two years from now in some cases!-this is a much needed yet not easy to bear pop culture sacrifice for the greater good.

However, that doesn't mean I won't have a movie themed series for LRG this summer. For the first time ever, we are proud to present RomCom Comfort Food in August, with a selection of films straight out of my personal DVD library that I haven't see in quite some time. This feels like an excellent excuse to revisit these lovelorn laugh fests and maybe a couple of them are your favorites as well(two of them are Jane Austen related!):

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING: I first saw this movie in 2002 on an airplane(my one and only trip to England) and it was part of a double feature with a Colin Firth film but I enjoyed this one a bit more.

Heading home that summer, there was nothing more American than watching this delightful tale of Toula(Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the screenplay), a woman in her thirties trying to balance her relationship with her large and lovingly loud family with dreams of a different life.

Pursuing her own happiness, she falls in love with Ian(John Corbett), a sweet natured school teacher who is more than happy to get along with Toula's huge set of relatives as long as he gets to be with the woman he loves.

We have Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson as executive producers here to thank for this charming take on the wedding story(yes, much good comes from them both!). While a short lived sitcom and a many years later sequel didn't fare as well as the original film, this engaging sleeper hit still stands the test of time:

CLUELESS: I'm not sure  if I read Jane Austen's Emma before or after seeing this teen satire but having that book as the inspiration certainly helped me out during my bookseller days.

Saying that Emma was the old school version of this 1995 hit movie did sell a few copies(then again, I also told teenage customers that Northanger Abbey was a good companion piece to the Scream slasher movie series) and to be fair, writer/director Amy Heckerling did a great job in making that classic novel fit into a Beverly Hills high school setting.

Another benefit to the durability of this film is the chemistry between Alicia Silverstone as Cher, the dippy diva of her social set and Paul Rudd as Josh, her former stepbrother who still checks in on her and Mel, the cranky yet lovable dad well played by Dan Hedaya. There is a remake being planned yet that does seem like a truly clueless idea, if you ask me:

NOTTING HILL: This 1999 movie is nearly a perfect blend of all of my favorite things-a Hollywood actress(Julia Roberts), a nervously charming book seller(Hugh Grant), a small book store set in London, loads of quirky characters such as Spike(Rhys Ifans), the wonderfully weird roommate.

This film happens to be written by Richard Curtis, who also wrote the hit romcom Four Weddings and a Funeral(which also has Hugh Grant romancing an American, Andie MacDowell) and I while appreciate his writing, I vastly prefer NH over 4WAAF any day of the week.

For one, I love the connection that Grant's even toned character makes with Robert's celebrity seeking a semblance of regular life, a world that both of the actors are very familiar with and yet don't feel as if they're being major league meta about this story. Instead, we get a smartly written romance delivered with fine British comedy flavor:

BRIDE & PREJUDICE: I have fond memories of seeing this film back in 2004 with a group of Jane Austen fans from the Republic of Pemberley(plus my little sister, who was into Bollywood at the time) in a small Manhattan movie theater.

While I can't remember the name of the theater, I do recall the fun we had watching this blend of "Bollywood meets Hollywood", courtesy of Jane Austen and Gurinder Chadha, the director and co-writer who made her cinematic mark a couple of years earlier with Bend It Like Beckham.

A romcom musical is truly a decadent delight, with the Pride and Prejudice themes being the extra sprinkles on this singalong sundae. While Aishwarya Rai is more than a match as Lalita(Elizabeth Bennet) for co-star  Martin Henderson's Darcy, that doesn't throw the story off at all. Rather, it gives this internationally known leading lady her rightfull spotlight to showcase her amazing talents:

Well, I do hope all of you will join me in some romcom relief this summer and who knows, this may become a regular LRG feature, we shall see.  While being part of a shared experience is what makes going to the movies so magical, hopefully it won't be too long before we can all gather together with our favorite cinema snacks in hand to enjoy a good film and feel safe. Until then, let us share some comfort with each other while remaining apart:

My Series-ous Reading takes a second slice of Pizza Lovers Mystery

My theme for this round of Series-ous Reading has been highlighting the second title in a mystery series, which is just as important as the first, for what I call Second Acts.

It's like comparing the first season of a TV show to the second, where most of the awkward moments have been smoothed out and major arcs are beginning to take focus. I bring up TV because the tone of Chris Cavender's Pizza Lovers Mysteries has that friendly feel of a beloved sitcom or lighthearted drama.

Upon reading A Slice of Murder, it was only natural that book two would be an entry(a last minute one but nonetheless...)here. Pepperoni Pizza Can be Murder has widowed pizza parlor owner Eleanor Swift, along with her sassy sister Maddy, dealing with another case of unexpected death as she does her best to serve up slices.

This time out, the death dealing is way too close for comfort as the body of Wade Hatcher is found in the kitchen of her place, A Slice of Delight, with one of Eleanor's best rolling pins as the murder weapon. Wade happens to be the brother of Gregg, a regular employee at ASOD, whose relationship with his sibling has never been on the best of terms.

In addition to a prolonged battle over a family inheritance, Wade decided to get back at his brother by flirting with Greg's former girlfriend Katy, timing that encounter just so in order to have Gregg walk in on them both. This ,of course, lead to a fistfight with Gregg's current girlfriend Sandi becoming furious over the whole situation as well. Under these circumstances, Gregg is not inclined to talk to the cops once his brother's murder is major news:

You can't blame Gregg for avoiding the police, since Sheriff Kevin Hurley was all too quick to blame Eleanor for the murder of a less than desirable customer on her delivery route(in A Slice of Murder) and now is fixated on Gregg as the killer.

Considering that Wade owned money to a local loan shark and was skimming off the books at his accounting job, you might want to widen your suspect pool there! I really can't stand Kevin, as his status as former high school beau of Eleanor's (who cheated on her back then with the woman he later married!) makes him get way too personal in Eleanor's business at times.

Mind you, Eleanor is no shrinking violet, even managing to keep her cool during an armed robbery after hours and her sister Maddy always has her back, whether it's gathering information on potential suspects or using what pull she has over ex-lovers to get what she wants. Eleanor will not be bullied, not by Kevin or anyone else but she can get in over her head upon hunting down a killer.

What I really like about these books is the sense of camaraderie among the characters, from the banter between Eleanor and Maddy to the loyalty shown by employees Gregg and Josh(Kevin's son, who fights with his dad over when and if he can work at ASOD due to whatever case is being investigated) and their various friends.  The connections feel authentic and draws you into the story with amiable style.

Also seeing the pizza parlor day-to-day concerns as part of the story line is a nice bonus; it does help that Eleanor can make her own hours when it comes to chasing down clues and suspects.

Worries over how the latest murder can affect her profits and handling a vengeful customer claiming that a bug was in her food all add to the engaging background here,plus Eleanor truly does love making pizza(recipes are included at the end of the story) and that alone makes this a mouth watering read indeed:

So,yes, the Pizza Lovers Mystery series is one that I will be reading more of and may be including more reviews for next year's Series-ous Reading(I'm thinking an all culinary crime TBR!). After all, who can resist a good slice of pizza, especially when it comes with a side of charming characters and some tasty laughs along the way?:

Meanwhile, my Series-ous Reading selection for July is Frances Brody's Death of an Avid Reader, which is the sixth title in her series of Kate Shackleton mysteries set in post-WWI England.

Yes, I do intend to read the second book(A Medal for Murder) as part of my Second Acts feature but it's hard to resist such a tempting title for a bookworm like me! Anyway, I did start this series with book seven(Death in the Dales) so it only makes sense to work my way backwards here.

The plot of this particular mystery has Kate being hired to find the secret daughter of a noble woman whose husband is close to death's door. This search brings to Kate's attention the death of a librarian who may have been murdered and a possibly innocent man being blamed for that crime, all of which connects to the long lost daughter.

So far, I'm enjoying the book very much-the cover art for this series is just gorgeous!-and it's nice to have a bookish mystery to cool off with these days: