While things are far from certain these days, you can at least rely on the power of a good book to help you get through the bad times. For cozy mystery fans like myself, a great way to find something to look forward to in the future is to check out the new releases that lie ahead for us in the new year.
For example, Ellery Adams will be bringing forth the fourth entry in her newest series entitled The Secret,Book and Scone Society this upcoming January. Ink and Shadows has Miracle Springs bookshop owner Nora dealing with a bit of censorship as a few of the locals object to the titles showcased in her Halloween window display.
Another target of this harassment is Celeste, whose new shop sells CBD oil based goods, and as disrupt acts and vague threats keep cropping up, Nora and her group of friends band together to calm the worsening situation down.
However, when a suspicious death occurs in town, the stakes become even higher. Is the cause of this untimely demise connected to the current wave of controversy or to a secret from Celeste's past that won't stay buried ?
This series is really growing on me with it's strong set of female friendships and engaging mysteries that are as inviting as one of the special scones made by Nora's baking buddy Hester, which are personally flavored to soothe your emotional appetites:
By March of 2021, you might be in the mood for ice cream and that's when A Game of Cones by Abby Collette is set to arrive.
The second book in the Ice Cream Parlor series has our leading lady Bronwyn "Win"Crewse feeling more confident about revving the frozen treat family business yet a fresh death on her doorstep promises to dampen that mood.
Not only does Win have to defend one of her good friends being unjustly accused of killing a new developer in town planning to set up a big box shopping mall, her flighty aunt, who pretty much ran the ice cream shop into the ground, is back to claim what she thinks is hers.
Fighting more than one battle on several fronts is challenging enough but Win is determined to save her friend, her new workplace and the day as best she can. Hopefully, the victory on all of these fields will not be bittersweet. I truly enjoyed An Inside Deadly Scoop, which launched this new series and this second sinister sweet sundae will definitely be worth the wait:
While Bakeshop Mystery series writer Ellie Alexander is going to have an ice cream themed book out later this season(Chilled to the Cone), her summer story for next June is rather warm brewed indeed.
In Mocha, She Wrote, professional baker and amateur detective Juliet Capshaw is proud to have her top barista Andy take part in a coffee competition that could earn him a big pay day, along with some percolating prestige.
However, when the head judge is so appalled by Andy's initial offering that he spits that first sip out, his odds for a win grind to a halt. Even worse, that judge is found dead not long after, making Juliet's prize employee a prime suspect!
Can Juliet clear Andy of making a murderous cup of brew or are his chances of getting off truly a mug of mud? The wonderfully punny title is a nice tip of the hat to the classic mystery TV show, Murder She Wrote and while I suspect that Jessica Fletcher was more of a tea drinker, she would more than likely appreciate this caffeinated crime scene:
If you haven't read any of these cozy mystery series before, this is the right time to catch up and for those of us who have, putting in a pre-order or placing a hold at your nearest library might be a good start for your 2021 reading plans.
Whatever you choose to read, just remember that mystery books are the perfect present to give yourself. Unlike other "mystery" gifts, they'll keep you guessing for all of the right reasons and perhaps prevent a family argument or two:
I know this latest installment of Series-ous Reading is a tad late but as one of my favorite comedians would say "Things have been crazy!"
Nonetheless, this challenge will go on and today's focus is on Devil's Food Cake Murder, which is the fourteenth entry in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen culinary cozy mystery series. I'm still trying to catch up to my mom(who has read nearly every one of these books!) but at this point, I think that I'm gaining ground here.
This time around, Hannah is looking into the death of substitute minister Matthew Walters, who is covering for regular reverend Bob Knudson as he and his new bride Clare finally get to take their honeymoon(this romance has been a long running subplot and it's nice to see that story piece fit neatly into the overall puzzle).
Matthew is an old friend from childhood, who once staid with Bob's grandmother during his teens, along with his troublesome cousin Paul. Grandma Knudson is happy to host Matthew again but gets concerned when he reveals that his chocolate allergy from back in the day is long gone. That makes her wonder if this is the real Matthew as cousin Paul bears a striking resemble to him(very Patty Duke Show there!).
Hannah does check Matthew out and he appears to be legit(also you can outgrow/overcome chocolate allergies) which relieves both ladies greatly. However, it's not long before Hannah finds him dead at his desk, with a mynah bird overhead squawking "the wages of sin are death!"
Yes, the bird happens to also be a guest of Grandma Knudson's and that feathered friend provides a pivotal clue in the case. It's not long before Hannah gets her crew into gear to solve the murder mystery with assignments to her sisters Andrea and Michelle as well as Norman(who drops a major bombshell later on in the story), plus her Cookie Jar partner Lisa is gathering details to make her dramatic retelling of Hannah's latest deadly discovery a must-attend event.
At this point, it is becoming a regular feature of Lake Eden; Hannah Finds Another Body(and/or her family does!)and much like a certain vampire slayer, she has her own Scooby Gang ready to take action on her behalf:
While Hannah does her best to figure out who the killer is, complications do rise up such as her fastidious mother Delores insisting on going undercover at a local dive bar(complete with rented costume!) and the "real" Matthew showing up, claiming that it must have been his ex-con cousin Paul who was done in.
Quite a stir occurs with that last bit, as the legitimacy of local religious services(weddings, baptisms, etc) is under question, not to mention who exactly is after Paul. A big help is all of this comes from a rather unexpected source-Grandma Knudson, who also has a small Scooby Gang of her own.
Not only does Grandma Knudson figure out a few clues, she comes to Hannah's rescue when the true killer is discovered(no unmasking, alas) and even figures out what the murderer was searching for in Matthew's office that lead to his untimely demise. I swear, Grandma Knudson could be the next Miss Marple and maybe even give Hannah a run for her money in the small town detective game there:
What stunned me completely in this book was Norman's big revelation regarding Doctor Beverly, the former love of his life who has joined his dentistry clinic.
Ever since she came on the scene, Norman has been secretive with Hannah and clearly miserable about something. By the time the case has been resolved, Norman talks to Hannah alone, asking her to help him find his beloved cat Cuddles a new home.
Hannah wonders why and it's because Beverly claims to be allergic to cats. When questioned as to why that matters, Norman tells her that after he and Beverly broke up, she discovered that she was carrying his child(a girl named Diana) and never bothered to tell him about it. Now, after all these years, she's only willing to let Diana see him if Norman marries her!
What the what?!? Wow, that's so...what gets me is that Beverly has been openly dating Hannah's other beau, police detective Mike during this return to town and yet she's determined to set her hooks into Norman?! I am so getting Gilmore Girls Season Six flashbacks from this plot twist....:
Fortunately, Hannah can take Cuddles in as her beloved cat Moishe gets along great with Norman's kitty but the other news has her reeling back in shock to say the least.
With such a major emotional hit like that at the end, it's good that my current Series-ous Reading selection is Cinnamon Roll Murder, the very next Hannah Swensen book to follow! So far, our leading lady is dealing with the death of a keyboard player from a jazz band called Cinnamon Roll Six and Norman's plight hasn't been a big part of that yet.
However, I'm sure that something will happen on that front as even romantic rival Mike is concerned about what's going on there. For now, just thinking about the sweetness of cinnamon rolls is soothing enough for me:
As those of use taking part in this year's FrightFall readathon(held by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) know, the reading time has been expanded to two months, which is perfect for setting that Halloween mood to me!
So far, I've finished one book on my TBR and in the middle of another, with a last minute add-on at hand. First things first-my completed FF read was The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, which starts off his series of 1950s British mysteries featuring Flavia de Luce.
Flavia is eleven years old, living with her two older sisters Ophelia and Daphne and their widowed father in a declining estate known as Buckshaw. Her keen intelligence(her specialty is chemistry with an interest in poison) and dark wit make her an outsider in more ways than one among her family and the local residents of the nearby village.
When a mysterious stranger dies in their cucumber patch, Flavia is the one to discover him and get the police on the scene. As it happens, the dead man is an old school mate of her father's, which makes her remaining parent the prime suspect.
Since her sisters are both useless(I really don't like them)in this situation, Flavia takes charge of the case to clear their father's name, with the only clues being a dead bird left on their back doorstep that had a stamp attached to it's beak, overhearing an argument the night before between her father and his former friend and the last word of the victim(that she was able to hear) being "vale".
That last clue leads her to a scandal involving a stamp collecting club at Greyminster, the all boys school where her father became a lifelong lover of that postage item. While the official lead detective in the case, Inspector Hewitt, doesn't want her involved, he can't help but admit she has been making good progress in gathering evidence here.
Flavia is quite the hard to love type yet her quick thinking in certain situations is to be admired. Granted, she does enjoy unusual experiments such as seeing how long the slow acting poison in her sister Ophelia's lipstick will take to affect her(to be fair, it was payback for teaming up with Daphne to tie their little sister up and lock her in a closet, plus an insult regarding Flavia's family status).
However, she has a bit of a Wednesday Addams vibe that suits her well and made me cackle with wicked delight on occasion during this story:
Yet, when all is said and done, Flavia is still just a kid and she does get into some serious danger at one point, with the chances of her being found in the nick of time slim to none.
For one, what family she does have barely keeps track of her between her chronically withdrawn father who only seems to care about his beloved stamp collection and her older sisters with one on the constant lookout for a boyfriend and the other who sticks her head in books like an ostrich in the sand. Normally, I would like a bookish character like Daphne but she's very much a Mary Bennet in this regard.
Sure, siblings fight but Flavia's bids for attention are obviously a
lonely girl's way of coping with the lack of a mother during such a
crucial time in her young life. That makes me most annoyed at her
sisters, not to mention her father(who prefers to wallow in his grief
rather than connect to his children).
The only other adults on hand are the much put upon housekeeper who insists on making custard pies that no one eats and Dogger, the gardener and old wartime companion of Flavia's father who is clearly suffering from shell shock(what PTSD was called back then).
She doesn't seem to have any friends that are her age and her blunt manner at times tends to unsettle the grown-ups that she does come in contact with. Plus, she has no memories of her late mother, which troubles her deeply and you know a book is good when you want to yell at the other characters for not paying more attention to the needs of another(yes,Ophelia, you are the oldest and I mean YOU!).
While Flavia has the acid wit of Wednesday Addams, she also has the cleverness of Roald Dahl's Matilda and much like that literary heroine, she's stuck in a self involved family with little emotional support or encouragement of her scientific talents. This book was good enough to have me buy the next two in the series(which I will read later on) and hopefully, the de Luce family will straighten up and fly right when it comes to Flavia as we go on:
Meanwhile, I am in the middle of Chris Cavender's A Pizza to Die For, the third entry in his Pizza Lovers Mystery series.
Sisters Eleanor and Maddy have enough on their plate at the Slice of Delight pizzeria as it is without getting entangled in murder but the latest demise in the town of Timber's Cove makes them highly listed on the menu of official suspects.
Newcomer to Timber's Cove Judson Sizemore was preparing to open a high end pizza parlor only a few doors down from the Slice. Unfortunately, his opening day was his last on earth and since he had a couple of run-ins with Eleanor before hand, Chief of Police Kevin Hurley is looking hard at the local rivalry here.
Eleanor, with the help of Maddy and a dubious ally, are able to find other suitable suspects such as Judson's sister Gina, who hopes to get all of their reclusive uncle Nathan's fortune and a couple of ex girlfriends, one of which claims to be pregnant with Judson's child! Will these extra ingredients help Eleanor make a spicy solution pizza or create a recipe for more death to follow?
I do like this series with it's comfortable cast of characters and tasty food vibes but mainly I enjoy the bond between Eleanor and Maddy, two sisters with different outlooks on life. Widowed Eleanor does like being a homebody and is not quick to reenter the dating scene despite the urging of Maddy(who has had three husbands and currently dating lovable lawyer Bob Lemon).
Yet, Eleanor is not a stick in the mud and willing to take risks that even reckless Maddy finds to be too much(such as that dubious ally I mentioned). Also, Maddy can prove to be a sweetheart when least expected and she always has her sister's back. The two of them, along with their crew of loyal workers(one of which is the police chief's son!) create a warm emotional atmosphere that makes this pizza place a delicious spot for solving murders indeed:
While I did plan to keep my reading list short for this readathon, I find myself adding just one more title to the pile.
Ruth Ware's The Lying Game has four friends reuniting for reasons that have nothing to do with happy memories. New mother Isa receives a message from former school mate Kate and meets up with her other friends from that time, Fatima and Thea, due to a sudden discovery along the shore of the town of Salten.
Fifteen years ago, this quartet were the best of friends , sneaking off from their dreary boarding school to hang out with Kate's artist dad and her rather attractive brother Luc. Those secret trips lead to a deadly event that got the girls expelled from school and caused a major parting of ways among them.
With the recent find of a human bone, Kate has called them back to figure out what to do next. Isa feels she has the most to lose with a brand new baby daughter but the real truth is more revealing than any of them ever expected.
I did like The Woman in Cabin 10(one of Ware's earlier books) and have been trying to read more of her work ever since. The Lying Game certainly feels like a good sinister gateway to walk through for that:
I hope that everyone taking part in FrightFall this year is having a fun time with their books and is ready for some Halloween bookish treats. I have a set of three holiday themed reads lined up that should make the upcoming witching season bright, despite the restrictions of the ongoing health crisis that's going to put the stop sign up for the traditional All Hallow's Eve hijinks.
Nevertheless, Halloween still can be fun and safe to enjoy indoors with some of your favorite candy and a viewing of Hocus Pocus(it's going to be on multiple times next month, it's The Christmas Story of Halloween, if you ask me) with the perfect scary book by your side. Brew up a batch of haunted snacks and savor the night,folks!:
At this crucial point in our country's history, Banned Books Week is about to start as another reminder of the freedoms that we cherish as a nation.
Nowadays, sadly, those freedoms are feeling few and far between with civil liberties being violated on a daily basis and what once were established norms of a supposedly mature society being tossed by the wayside.
Don't worry,folks-I'm not going to get into a big political rant(most of my regular readers probably have a good sense of my viewpoints in that regard) here. However, instead of listing current and past books targeted by censorship, I thought this would be the right time to talk about why books and authors are banned/challenged in the first place.
We all know the familiar string of excuses(foul language, sexual content, religious objections, etc.) and that old standby "Won't someone think of the children?".
Protecting the young ones is both true and false, which I will get into in a moment. After much consideration on my part, I find that the real reason, past and present, for censorship like this is simply fear.
No doubt many of these dubious do-gooders would insist that they're not afraid of words on a page, only their influence on others. A half truth at best; what upsets them the most is that these words challenge their already established notions of how the world should be.
These are the type of people who loudly proclaim their love of liberty but when it comes to caring about the rights of people who are not of their social circle, that privilege is not deemed worthy of those who "complain" and "don't appreciate their country", conveniently forgetting that this entire country was brought into being by those who complained about unfair treatment by a government in the first place.
It's no wonder that books about rebelling against totalitarian regimes as The Hunger Games series and George Orwell's 1984 are often challenged. People like this say they're all for democracy but the past four years alone have shown us that they would actually prefer a Big Brother system that takes away any pesky protests about the way things are and simply spoon feed them propaganda, flavored with hate and heartlessness:
So what exactly are they afraid of? Well, that things like racism(the works of Toni Morrison), sexism(The Handmaid's Tale), bias against certain religions(The Kite Runner) and the LGBTQIA community(And Tango Makes Three) are problems that we need to work and make real generational changes that will last.
That's where the kids come into the picture; a lot of these people feel that the way they were taught by parents/school/church was just fine and what was good enough for them is good enough for their children.
Like the song says "children are our future" and many of these narrow minded minions don't want their offspring to change the world. After all, that would invalidate their beliefs, which is their ultimate nightmare, to be proven wrong.
While they accuse others of "thought control", that is exactly what they're after and one of the places where such battles begin is with books both in classrooms and libraries. We may not have those Fahrenheit 451 book burning mandates but trust me, there are many out there who crave them indeed:
So, what can we do about this? While there are numerous challenges to our freedoms all going on right now, intellectual freedom is one of the most important as it's a valuable component to tackling the other situations at hand.
Fighting back in the right way is key and be willing to face off against our own fears is a major step in that direction. Fear can be used against us not only by encouraging the weak to embrace chaos but also to cast doubt in ourselves and stun us into inaction.
Well, as a special litany in Frank Herbert's Dune teaches us, "Fear is the mind killer" and we must be ready to stand against it. It's not an easy task, I well know, yet by facing down such a powerful emotion , we will be the stronger for it.
You don't have to do anything truly dramatic to overcome fear, even if it feels like an epic storm of woe is about to descend upon us. A small step, such as signing a petition or refusing to give into negative peer pressure either online or off, is just as great a victory:
A great benefit of Banned Books Week is that it reminds us that our right to freedom of thought and speech has always been a long and hard fought battle that we should never take for granted.
Adding that on to the huge bundle of burdens we are up against this year in particular may seem like too much. Yet, it's one that we can't give up on or put on the back burner until later. Keeping it safe from those ready to destroy such a valuable asset is an absolute must.
Banned Books Week begins this Sunday, September 27 and runs until October 3. Please bear it in mind as we make our mark in history by remembering those who took up this cause in the past. Let us honor their struggles and pay respect to those gone before us, on this and many other fronts. Freedom of speech is freedom of choice, something to hold onto in these troubling times:
I am at the midway point with my Jane Austen rereading of the Classic Six, which takes me to Mansfield Park, a novel that I feel is vastly underrated.
For one, the main bone of contention among Austen fans regarding this book is how mild mannered the leading lady is. Fanny Price stands apart from the other Jane Austen heroines in that she is not a daughter of the title household and constantly reminded that she is "not a Miss Bertram" by her horrible Aunt Norris(who we will talk about indeed!).
Being treated like a poor relation is not easy in any time period(particularly for women) and with Fanny not being prone to witticisms like a certain someone, it's hard for her to stand out but yet she does, using her inner strength to weather some rough times ahead of her.
Yet, what can be done to liven up the perception that MP is not a major player in the Austen game? Sadly, most of the film/TV adaptations have not done well by Fanny(except for the 1983 BBC miniseries) and often confuse the tone of the story.
There are few modern takes on Mansfield, including books and webseries, so I do think our best bet for a MP revival is a musical. Mary Crawford does play the harp and I'm sure a fun number can be done with that instrument!
Let's see what that might be like, in a jukebox musical fashion, and Fanny must be featured first in this regard.
Being an introspective character, finding the right song is a bit tricky for her yet I do think that "Stay(I Miss You)" by Lisa Loeb would work.
For one Fanny opens up to very few people, one of whom is her cousin Edmund(yes, cousin marrying was the norm back then,folks,okay?) and he in turn makes her his confidante when it comes to Mary Crawford, whose savvy manner intrigues him but her slick morals do not.
In talking his doubts over with Fanny, he's really trying to convince himself that she's the right one for him despite their vastly different outlooks on life(which is not very sensitive to Fanny, who is seriously yet secretly in love with Edmund-dude, read the room there!). I can picture her singing this after one of their talks regarding Mary in her white attic room, sweetly with a touch of sorrow:
Next on the mike is of course Mary Crawford, one half of the double trouble that arrives to Mansfield Park(courtesy of Mrs. Grant). Yes, I know many people consider her a secondary heroine but I firmly do not.
While she's not intentionally malicious, Mary's witty talk and sly sophistication hide a person who has seen a bad relationship up close and personal(her uncle bringing his mistress home after the death of his wife is so an AITA post in the making there) and refuses to be "taken in" in that regard.
Like her brother(who I have much to say about!), Mary refuses to adjust her views for anyone, even if the other person is perfectly justified in having them. She is genuinely puzzled by the fact that Edmund truly wants to become a clergyman and doesn't give that up out of love for her. To his credit, it's a true calling for him and not simply settling for second son status.
Mary, on the other hand, is good intentioned at times yet possesses a strong selfish streak that settling for anything less than what high society says is repulsive to her. Also, her social skills are more suited to the upper class game playing of London than the down to earth sweet style of country living at Mansfield. With that in mind, Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" suits her perfectly:
The second half of that dubiously dynamic duo is Henry Crawford, whose charms go a long way there. He and his sister both share a taste for snarky conversation and being unwilling to commit to someone who doesn't let them have their way.
Henry and Maria Bertram are very much alike in that neither one of them wants to make the first move towards making their on the side romance a more permanent arrangement. In fact, getting back at Maria for going through with her wedding to Mr. Rushworth is part of the reason that Henry fancies himself in love with Fanny to begin with.
I must say this now: Henry is NOT in love with Fanny; he is in love with the idea of being her romantic hero that would take her away from her ungrateful relatives and make her into his perfect on a pedestal bride. None of this takes Fanny's feelings into account at all(even Edmund fails her in this regard, transposing his thwarted romance with Mary onto her) and by people such as Mary insisting that Fanny can "reform" him is insulting in more ways that one.
At first, his ego can not abide that Fanny is not interested in him once her female cousins have left the neighborhood, making him want to "put a hole through her heart" but then upon, seeing that she is a serious minded person, decides that marriage is the best way to win her and get over Maria(bad idea all around). Is any wonder that a song like "The World's Most Handsome Man" by Robbie Williams seems to have been written for him?
Finally, we come to Aunt Norris, a villain worth a Disney song at least. My musical pick for her wasn't from that pop culture corner but I can assure you she is definitely the worst.
Her petty cruelty towards Fanny(a way of getting back at her sister for not marrying well as well as a long ago argument) combined with her bad match making skills in service of favored niece Maria is bad enough yet topped with her penny pinching ways, tendency to overstep her bounds(especially when it comes to Fanny) and quickness to excuse her own errors in judgement just makes her that much more loathsome indeed.
Hell, even the kids she does favor in the family don't like her much but they hardly hesitate to get her on their side for that play(including costume making, where she makes off with the extra cloth!). It's no wonder that Fanny dreads the idea of living with Aunt Norris once she's a widow but fortunately, that less than good lady would rather admit her former pear tree might not bear tasty fruit than keep Fanny that close to home.
Her company is barely tolerated by her ditzy sister Lady Bertram(who at times seems to be more alert than she lets on about things) and when her ultimate comeuppance arrives, it is awfully lovely to behold. Paramore's "Misery Business" just feels right for her:
Well, who knows-we might see a musical version of Mansfield Park on Broadway in the distant future. Meanwhile, the book itself has plenty to offer in terms of topics about family, fidelity and not underestimating the quiet folk among us.
Although, a musical certainly would be fun, especially those Lovers' Vows rehearsal scenes! Things would certainly gather up some considerable stream that might require an extra costume change or two there:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
