Summary:
Skye Denison is a pushover. She can't say no to just about anyone. In this edition of What Can We Force Skye to Do Now?, Skye gets roped into not only being a faculty adviser to the Promfest committee, but acting a part in the haunted house fundraiser. And Skye hates haunted houses. (Childhood trauma, blah blah blah...) On opening night of the haunted house, the head of the Promfest committee gets offed, and it looks like the killer could have been after Skye herself. At the same time, a new social worker is hired for the school district, and they're forced to share offices in each building. More fun times in Scumble River.
Thoughts:
I had this one pegged practically from the murderer's introduction. Swanson used the same naming technique in a previous book, so I had no trouble figuring out who was making the hit, and there was very little surprise in who went down as well. I spent most of this book waiting for the shoe to actually drop. The only suspense was in whether or not Skye would actually talk to Wally while he was away taking care of his ailing father. Mostly, with this particular installment, I was just muddling through on my way to the next book in the series. I only recommend reading it if you've read all the others, and you're wanting to continue. It just has some things in there that you won't want to miss for when Swanson eventually refers back to them in future books.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 248
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Would I Recommend?: Eh, only if you're plowing through the series like I am. Otherwise, don't bother with this one.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Cockatiels at Seven (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Once again in Meg Langslow's world, there's chaos and upheaval. This time around, a friend drops off her little boy, Timmy, for "just a little while." The little while turns into a day, then two, then three... And Meg hasn't even spoken to this friend for a good two years, since before the toddler was even born. It turns into a missing persons case that winds up with a dead body and embezzlement from the local college. It's always good news when Meg's around, after all. To top it off, Meg and Michael, now happily married (for a few weeks), are starting to think about having kids, thanks to Timmy. Are they ready for all that?
Thoughts:
Not one of my favorite Andrews stories, I'm not going to lie. I think I've gotten to the point that I'm reading the rest of the series to see it through to the end. The family's antics just weren't there this time, and there wasn't nearly as much fun. Plus, add a toddler into the danger mix, and it'll always shake out badly. I'm not going to end this series for myself, because I do still enjoy Meg's crazy-ass family, but it's not necessarily on my top priority list anymore.
Book 2 of 50
Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh, it's a good series, and probably there will be references to this book in future, so maybe don't skip it, but don't start from this one, as it's not a very good showing of the crazy that could happen when the Langslow family is involved.
Once again in Meg Langslow's world, there's chaos and upheaval. This time around, a friend drops off her little boy, Timmy, for "just a little while." The little while turns into a day, then two, then three... And Meg hasn't even spoken to this friend for a good two years, since before the toddler was even born. It turns into a missing persons case that winds up with a dead body and embezzlement from the local college. It's always good news when Meg's around, after all. To top it off, Meg and Michael, now happily married (for a few weeks), are starting to think about having kids, thanks to Timmy. Are they ready for all that?
Thoughts:
Not one of my favorite Andrews stories, I'm not going to lie. I think I've gotten to the point that I'm reading the rest of the series to see it through to the end. The family's antics just weren't there this time, and there wasn't nearly as much fun. Plus, add a toddler into the danger mix, and it'll always shake out badly. I'm not going to end this series for myself, because I do still enjoy Meg's crazy-ass family, but it's not necessarily on my top priority list anymore.
Book 2 of 50
Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh, it's a good series, and probably there will be references to this book in future, so maybe don't skip it, but don't start from this one, as it's not a very good showing of the crazy that could happen when the Langslow family is involved.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Taking a break from Skye Denison, we're heading back to another series I've reviewed extensively. As a reminder, Andrews's books about Meg Langslow always feature a crazy family with off-the-wall murder investigations. Previously, there've been murders at a wedding, a TV convention, inside a computer game company, and during an Extreme Croquet tournament. This murder was no different. Meg and her fiance Michael were just trying to move themselves into their long-renovated, now-liveable house, but Meg's father, helper to all he meets, decided to foster a colony of penguins. In Meg's basement. Without her knowledge. Oh, and he found a body. The body turns out to be the owner of the town's zoo, and Meg's yard, along with her parents' yard and the yards of some of the neighboring farms, becomes home to not only penguins, but llamas, monkeys, lemurs, wolves, and a few dozen other species. Meg is less than thrilled, especially considering she is planning a big family party for Memorial Day, as well as her secret elopement with Michael. But all that is just par for the course when it comes to a Meg Langslow book.
Thoughts:
I enjoy the insanity of Andrews's Meg series. Meg is fun, and she actually knows how to put her foot down when it comes to some of the ridiculous things that her parents come up with. Some, not all, but that's better than other heroines we've come to know and tolerate, isn't it? The book is light-hearted and silly, complete with animal shenanigans and family idiocies. Meg is a great detective heroine who, while still snooping around in the police's investigation, doesn't usually wind up doing the whole job for the cops. She just supplements the evidentiary coffers a bit. A nice, welcome break from Skye's nosy busybody.
Book 1 of 50 for 2012! First book finished in the new year!
Pages: 328
Genre: mystery, comedy, slight romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Of course! This series seems more one-shot-ish than the Swanson series, so I feel okay in recommending picking any one of them up by themselves, though knowing Meg and her family from the beginning makes them all the more amusing.
Taking a break from Skye Denison, we're heading back to another series I've reviewed extensively. As a reminder, Andrews's books about Meg Langslow always feature a crazy family with off-the-wall murder investigations. Previously, there've been murders at a wedding, a TV convention, inside a computer game company, and during an Extreme Croquet tournament. This murder was no different. Meg and her fiance Michael were just trying to move themselves into their long-renovated, now-liveable house, but Meg's father, helper to all he meets, decided to foster a colony of penguins. In Meg's basement. Without her knowledge. Oh, and he found a body. The body turns out to be the owner of the town's zoo, and Meg's yard, along with her parents' yard and the yards of some of the neighboring farms, becomes home to not only penguins, but llamas, monkeys, lemurs, wolves, and a few dozen other species. Meg is less than thrilled, especially considering she is planning a big family party for Memorial Day, as well as her secret elopement with Michael. But all that is just par for the course when it comes to a Meg Langslow book.
Thoughts:
I enjoy the insanity of Andrews's Meg series. Meg is fun, and she actually knows how to put her foot down when it comes to some of the ridiculous things that her parents come up with. Some, not all, but that's better than other heroines we've come to know and tolerate, isn't it? The book is light-hearted and silly, complete with animal shenanigans and family idiocies. Meg is a great detective heroine who, while still snooping around in the police's investigation, doesn't usually wind up doing the whole job for the cops. She just supplements the evidentiary coffers a bit. A nice, welcome break from Skye's nosy busybody.
Book 1 of 50 for 2012! First book finished in the new year!
Pages: 328
Genre: mystery, comedy, slight romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Of course! This series seems more one-shot-ish than the Swanson series, so I feel okay in recommending picking any one of them up by themselves, though knowing Meg and her family from the beginning makes them all the more amusing.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Once again, we visit Skye Denison. This time around, Skye's mother has roped her into a cooking contest by entering her own recipe under Skye's name, along with her brother's and uncle's, in the hopes that the recipes might make the finals. All four recipes make it in, and May Denison guilts Skye into participating in the contest, even though Skye has no cooking skills whatsoever. Also, one of the high school students goes missing during the same weekend as the contest, and Skye promises her favorite students she will help them find the lost girl. Oh, and then the most obnoxious person in the contest gets killed.
Thoughts:
Skye is WEAK. She has to do everything for everyone else, and hardly ever thinks "well, this might get me grievously injured... Maybe I shouldn't do it!" And when that thought does cross her mind, she goes for the grievous injury anyway. What also drove me nuts about this book is May's insistence that Skye's boyfriend, the police chief that she's been lusting after for years, and who she finally started dating a book and a half ago, is no good. May works with Wally, and she knows what a nice guy he is, but she still tries to get Skye to break up with him, and go back to dating the funeral director. Seriously? Who would go for a funeral director over a cop in any contest? No, thank you. Besides, May hates the funeral director's mother, so why push for a situation that would force more contact with her? I like most of the characters in Swanson's series, but May is just getting too annoying for me. Bleh. Over her. Thank God my own mother isn't that annoying. Overall, though, pretty good book. It took me until the last clue was exposed to figure out who the murderer was, which is always a good thing. And despite May's being a pain in the ass, I'll be continuing the series, so be ready to see another four or five posts about Swanson's books. (This is book 10 of a 14 book series, though Swanson seems to put a book or two out a year.) Oh, and fun extra, the "winning recipes" were included at the back for your baking needs.
Book 40 of 40! Just made it to 40 in 2011! 50 books in 2012!
Pages: 238, 246 if you count the recipes!
Genre: Mystery, slight romance
Grade: B- for extra May
Would I Recommend?: The whole series is fun, despite my occasional whining. And the okay thing about the series is that this one can be picked up in the middle with little worry about missing something big.
Once again, we visit Skye Denison. This time around, Skye's mother has roped her into a cooking contest by entering her own recipe under Skye's name, along with her brother's and uncle's, in the hopes that the recipes might make the finals. All four recipes make it in, and May Denison guilts Skye into participating in the contest, even though Skye has no cooking skills whatsoever. Also, one of the high school students goes missing during the same weekend as the contest, and Skye promises her favorite students she will help them find the lost girl. Oh, and then the most obnoxious person in the contest gets killed.
Thoughts:
Skye is WEAK. She has to do everything for everyone else, and hardly ever thinks "well, this might get me grievously injured... Maybe I shouldn't do it!" And when that thought does cross her mind, she goes for the grievous injury anyway. What also drove me nuts about this book is May's insistence that Skye's boyfriend, the police chief that she's been lusting after for years, and who she finally started dating a book and a half ago, is no good. May works with Wally, and she knows what a nice guy he is, but she still tries to get Skye to break up with him, and go back to dating the funeral director. Seriously? Who would go for a funeral director over a cop in any contest? No, thank you. Besides, May hates the funeral director's mother, so why push for a situation that would force more contact with her? I like most of the characters in Swanson's series, but May is just getting too annoying for me. Bleh. Over her. Thank God my own mother isn't that annoying. Overall, though, pretty good book. It took me until the last clue was exposed to figure out who the murderer was, which is always a good thing. And despite May's being a pain in the ass, I'll be continuing the series, so be ready to see another four or five posts about Swanson's books. (This is book 10 of a 14 book series, though Swanson seems to put a book or two out a year.) Oh, and fun extra, the "winning recipes" were included at the back for your baking needs.
Book 40 of 40! Just made it to 40 in 2011! 50 books in 2012!
Pages: 238, 246 if you count the recipes!
Genre: Mystery, slight romance
Grade: B- for extra May
Would I Recommend?: The whole series is fun, despite my occasional whining. And the okay thing about the series is that this one can be picked up in the middle with little worry about missing something big.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Murder of a Botoxed Blonde (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Skye is coaxed into helping the owner of the new day spa in Scumble River find out who is sabotaging the spa before it even opens. She and her friend Trixie are given a weekend at the spa to see who is wreaking havoc at the spa. While there, Skye once again finds a dead body. This time it's a hoity-toity spa attendee who is one of the spa owner's nearest and dearest. Skye's job as detective increases as her spa weekend rushes by. Will she learn the truth before the weekend is over and the spa's residents disperse?
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye just so happens to come upon a dead body. Shock of all shocks. The story's an interesting one, winding up with a pretty good ending, not one we've seen from Swanson yet. True, I've seen similar in a few dozen Law & Order episodes, but that's all right. Swanson does a good job with it here. Though Skye's mother is getting more bothersome, especially since she's highlighted just a little more in this one than usual. The woman just won't quit. But the book overall is another fun one from Swanson. Always a good read for when you don't feel like thinking about anything substantial.
Book 39 of 40
Pages: 237
Genre: Mystery with hints of romance
Grade: B
Would I Recommend?: As always, start from the beginning of the series, I say, but it's not hard to pick these up in the middle. Good "beach reading" type book.
Skye is coaxed into helping the owner of the new day spa in Scumble River find out who is sabotaging the spa before it even opens. She and her friend Trixie are given a weekend at the spa to see who is wreaking havoc at the spa. While there, Skye once again finds a dead body. This time it's a hoity-toity spa attendee who is one of the spa owner's nearest and dearest. Skye's job as detective increases as her spa weekend rushes by. Will she learn the truth before the weekend is over and the spa's residents disperse?
Thoughts:
Once again, Skye just so happens to come upon a dead body. Shock of all shocks. The story's an interesting one, winding up with a pretty good ending, not one we've seen from Swanson yet. True, I've seen similar in a few dozen Law & Order episodes, but that's all right. Swanson does a good job with it here. Though Skye's mother is getting more bothersome, especially since she's highlighted just a little more in this one than usual. The woman just won't quit. But the book overall is another fun one from Swanson. Always a good read for when you don't feel like thinking about anything substantial.
Book 39 of 40
Pages: 237
Genre: Mystery with hints of romance
Grade: B
Would I Recommend?: As always, start from the beginning of the series, I say, but it's not hard to pick these up in the middle. Good "beach reading" type book.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir (Dick Van Dyke)
Summary:
Dick Van Dyke was the star of the aptly named Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as Bye Bye Birdie (originating his role on Broadway, and then appearing in the movie years later), Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Diagnosis Murder, and a whole host of other incredible works. His whole schtick is to be some form of himself on the stage and/or screen, and do it in a funny way. This man is a Hollywood legend. This book is about his life.
Thoughts:
I. Love. Dick Van Dyke. Love him. I'm fairly convinced that he was my first celebrity crush, from the first instant I saw him singing and dancing in the streets of London for Mary Poppins. Reading this book, and getting into the man's head, was basically a dream come true. I don't care that he was born 57 years before me, and my eldest uncle wasn't even thought of yet, let alone my mother, let alone me. I love him. It was a joy to read the tale of his lucky life in his own words. He is exactly the type of person on the page as he is on the screen. He's a jokester, and family friendly. I can literally count on one hand the number of times he used a word harsher than "hell." (The number is, in fact, once. I kid you not.) He says in his book that his goal with the work he did was to make it something that he could watch with his children, and not get embarrassed. He succeeded, spectacularly. One thing that I found interesting was the response I got when I told people that I was reading Dick Van Dyke's memoir. It wasn't "Oh my God, I loved him in Mary Poppins!" or "He was great on The Dick Van Dyke Show!" The first responses from several people (all of whom were older than me) was, "You know he was an alcoholic, right?" How, on God's green earth, is THAT your first response when you hear the name Dick Van Dyke??? This man is a comic genius, who's got legs of rubber, and can sing and act. HOW is "alcoholic" the first thing you think of? And at the time I'd spoken to these particular people, I hadn't actually gotten to any bits of the book that mention his issues with alcohol, and I wasn't around in the 70's when he actually outted himself and said "I'm an alcoholic." So no, I didn't know that. And no, it doesn't affect my view of this incredible man. So shut up about it! (Yes, I realize I've now gone on about it myself, becoming a hypocrite. I apologize, and will get back to the review.) The book is all about the joy of the job for Dick Van Dyke. He loved doing what he was doing. He still does. He's still appearing on stage, in a barbershop group called the Vantastics. He refuses to stop. I hope to hell that when I get to be in my eighties, I still love what I do enough that I want to keep doing it. Dick Van Dyke is an awesome performer, and I loved reading about his love for his craft. If you have ever in your life enjoyed a performance by our guy Dick Van Dyke, I highly recommend reading this celebration of his work. It's fun, and it's joyful, and even in the sorrow of his life, (losing a granddaughter, his ex-wife, and his girlfriend, getting a divorce, dealing with his alcoholism, etc.) he finds some kind of happiness. This is the kind of person I aspire to be. This book made me smile with every page, and now I feel the need to not only find all of his old movies, but also watch the entirety of The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as anything else I can find of his work. I love you, Mr. Van Dyke, and I thank you for sharing your life and your immense talent with us. Love, a very satisfied fan.
Book 39 of 40ish
Pages: 327 (I think... for once I don't have the book in hand!)
Genre: Non-fiction, autobiography
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Look at this post compared to all the others I ever make. I think that'll tell you! :)
And with this, we bring in the new year. I'll keep up with the list of things I finished before the end of the year last year, and then I'll get into the books for the New Year! Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Dick Van Dyke was the star of the aptly named Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as Bye Bye Birdie (originating his role on Broadway, and then appearing in the movie years later), Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Diagnosis Murder, and a whole host of other incredible works. His whole schtick is to be some form of himself on the stage and/or screen, and do it in a funny way. This man is a Hollywood legend. This book is about his life.
Thoughts:
I. Love. Dick Van Dyke. Love him. I'm fairly convinced that he was my first celebrity crush, from the first instant I saw him singing and dancing in the streets of London for Mary Poppins. Reading this book, and getting into the man's head, was basically a dream come true. I don't care that he was born 57 years before me, and my eldest uncle wasn't even thought of yet, let alone my mother, let alone me. I love him. It was a joy to read the tale of his lucky life in his own words. He is exactly the type of person on the page as he is on the screen. He's a jokester, and family friendly. I can literally count on one hand the number of times he used a word harsher than "hell." (The number is, in fact, once. I kid you not.) He says in his book that his goal with the work he did was to make it something that he could watch with his children, and not get embarrassed. He succeeded, spectacularly. One thing that I found interesting was the response I got when I told people that I was reading Dick Van Dyke's memoir. It wasn't "Oh my God, I loved him in Mary Poppins!" or "He was great on The Dick Van Dyke Show!" The first responses from several people (all of whom were older than me) was, "You know he was an alcoholic, right?" How, on God's green earth, is THAT your first response when you hear the name Dick Van Dyke??? This man is a comic genius, who's got legs of rubber, and can sing and act. HOW is "alcoholic" the first thing you think of? And at the time I'd spoken to these particular people, I hadn't actually gotten to any bits of the book that mention his issues with alcohol, and I wasn't around in the 70's when he actually outted himself and said "I'm an alcoholic." So no, I didn't know that. And no, it doesn't affect my view of this incredible man. So shut up about it! (Yes, I realize I've now gone on about it myself, becoming a hypocrite. I apologize, and will get back to the review.) The book is all about the joy of the job for Dick Van Dyke. He loved doing what he was doing. He still does. He's still appearing on stage, in a barbershop group called the Vantastics. He refuses to stop. I hope to hell that when I get to be in my eighties, I still love what I do enough that I want to keep doing it. Dick Van Dyke is an awesome performer, and I loved reading about his love for his craft. If you have ever in your life enjoyed a performance by our guy Dick Van Dyke, I highly recommend reading this celebration of his work. It's fun, and it's joyful, and even in the sorrow of his life, (losing a granddaughter, his ex-wife, and his girlfriend, getting a divorce, dealing with his alcoholism, etc.) he finds some kind of happiness. This is the kind of person I aspire to be. This book made me smile with every page, and now I feel the need to not only find all of his old movies, but also watch the entirety of The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as anything else I can find of his work. I love you, Mr. Van Dyke, and I thank you for sharing your life and your immense talent with us. Love, a very satisfied fan.
Book 39 of 40ish
Pages: 327 (I think... for once I don't have the book in hand!)
Genre: Non-fiction, autobiography
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Look at this post compared to all the others I ever make. I think that'll tell you! :)
And with this, we bring in the new year. I'll keep up with the list of things I finished before the end of the year last year, and then I'll get into the books for the New Year! Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!
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