My Current Interest

          Queen Victoria is possibly one of the most-known monarch’s in history.   That’s probably because she reigned for so long and wore mourning dress for the rest of her life after her husband died, which was decades.   Her early years I have not heard as much about, which is part of the reason why I found the idea of the show Victoria so fascinating.   It follows the early years of Victoria’s reign and her marriage to Prince Albert.   What we learn is that pretty much everything is anything but smooth.                      The king has died and a messenger has arrived at the home of a young Alexandrina (Jenna Coleman) to let her know she is now queen.   One of the first things Alexandrina must decide is what she will call herself.   Her mother, the Duchess of Kent (Catherine Flemming), and her mother’s friend, Sir John Conroy (Paul Rhys), are willing to “help” Alexandrina make this decision, whether she likes it or not.   Her actual name of Alexandrina is turned down a

               In a Witch’s Wardrobe , in my opinion, is the best book in the Witchcraft Mystery series so far.   Unfortunately, it has a very sad ending.   An ending I hope gets cleared up quickly in the next book.                           In some ways it is a surprise that Lily Ivory is going to the Art Deco ball.   Many would think it’s not her thing.   To make the situation even more surprising, Lily is attending the ball with Aidan Rhodes, a male witch that Lily does not always get along with.   They spend most of their time butting heads, and it is rare to find them not disagreeing on one matter or another.   To see them on a “date” together is not exactly what people would expect.                 Despite the surprises surrounding Lily’s attendance, she is looking to have a good time at the ball.   This is why it’s especially unnerving, that practically immediately upon their arrival, Lily encounters something strange.   A woman, Miriam, literally runs into Lily

  How does anyone solve a mystery without the aid of magical cats?   With all the help librarian Kathleen Paulson’s cats give her, it’s a wonder that anyone is able to solve a mystery without them.                 Mayville Heights is preparing for a festival geared at bringing more tourists to the area.   The person they must impress is Mike Glazer, a former Mayville Heights resident.   Having left town years ago due to a family tragedy, one would think everyone would be happy to see Mike back.   The complete opposite is true.   No one can stand Mike.   He keeps going around town telling people how they are running their businesses wrong, and that they should change their ways.   Pretty much Mike is saying no one in town is good enough, which is something that does not go over well with the residents.   This is why it should not come as too much of a surprise that Mike is the one who turns up dead, found by Kathleen’s cat Hercules, of all people.                 Despite H

            Katie Lightfoot’s life in Savannah keeps getting more and more mysterious.   So much magic is happening all around that I would not be surprised if it were discovered nearly everyone in town had one magical power or another.   With another person to add to the list of those with magical powers, it may be only a matter of time before the list includes everyone.                 It’s movie making time in Savannah.   A film crew is in town and many of Katie’s friends and family are somehow involved.   Katie isn’t, which is fine by her, but being able to stay away from the film set does not last long.   Simon Knapp, the film’s production coordinator, has just fired the caterer and he needs a new one now .   Brought into the Honeybee Bakery by one of Katie’s friends, Simon wants the bakery to cater for the film that day and possibly for the entire week.   Despite the great amount of work this would create, and the rearrangement of their schedule, Katie and her Aunt Lucy a

               Lewis is over.   It is over and we still do not know why Hathaway stopped his studies to be a priest.   Nine seasons, umpteen episodes, and still there is not an answer to that question.   The only hint to the reason is when Hathaway visits a monk friend of his.   The monk mentions how he always made Hathaway run laps because of his disobedience.   Does this mean Hathaway may have gotten kicked out of his studies?   I don’t know, and despite the series being over, I would still like to find out.                          Unlike the first half of the series, the second half concentrated a lot on Detective Inspector Robert Lewis’s (Kevin Whately) and Detective Sergeant James Hathaway’s (Laurence Fox) personal lives.   Their personal lives were concentrated on so much in some episodes, that the murder mystery became secondary.   Which was okay.   As much as I like the mysteries in Lewis , the personal lives of these two characters were quite fascinating.      

              Seriously?   Bess and Simon still aren’t together by the end of this book?   Sigh.   Maybe the next one.                 The war is almost over, but wounded men are still coming into the field hospitals.   One in particular remains on World War I nurse Bess Crawford’s mind.   His name is Captain Alan Travis and he has been cared for by Bess more than once.   Two of those times Captain Travis came in because he had been shot.   Both times he claimed the shootings were done intentionally, and by his distant cousin, Lieutenant James Travis.   The problem is, Lt. Travis has been dead for more than a year.   It is a fact that is known by many.   With Cpt. Travis insisting his cousin was the one who shot him, the only solution those caring for him can see is to diagnose the Captain with mental health problems.                    Bess does not agree with this diagnosis, though.   While it would have been impossible for the Lieutenant to have shot the captain, Bess

             I have really struggled to figure out exactly what to write about Backwards & in Heels .   When I first saw this book featured on TCM , I was really excited to give it a try.   Once I picked it up from the library and started to read, I experienced the same feeling that I did with Robert Wagner’s book .   There was so much information in each sentence that it felt as though I was studying for a test.   The information was all very good and interesting, but there was a lot of it. Image provided by Mango Publishing.                 Starting in the very early days of film, Backwards & in Heels covers women holding all different positions throughout the film industry.   From editors, to directors, to producers, to actresses, women have done it all.   The problem is, in many areas, the number of women who have held these positions is few and with very little recognition.   It is a battle for women that is still being fought today.   In some ways, they are

Image provided by Sourcebooks.              There were many times throughout A Promise of Ruin that I found it difficult to read.   That’s because of the internal look it takes at sex slavery.   It is a very important subject that people need to know about, but that does not make it any easier to read.   Despite this, everyone should.                                     Dr. Genevieve Summerford had not expected to get involved in an investigation when the body of a young woman was found in the river.   Her easy conversation with the police changed this.   A girl, Rosa, saw Genevieve talk to the police and rushed forward to seek her help.   She had expected her friend Teresa, an immigrant from Italy, to visit on her birthday, but she never showed up.   Concerned something may have happened to Teresa, Rosa asks Genevieve to convince the police to look for her friend.   No one took Rosa seriously when she went to the police for help, but seeing as how easily Genevieve is ab

               Also sometimes referred to as Inspector Lewis , I found the show Lewis on PBS one night.   I only saw a piece of one episode, but the storyline intrigued me enough (it was about Lewis’s sergeant) that I decided to give the show a try.                                 Detective Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) is returning to England and the police force after being away following the hit and run death of his wife.   He must work with the very deadpan Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), as well as near constant references to his former boss, Detective Inspector Endeavour Morse ( Lewis is a spinoff of the show Inspector Morse ).   Working in Oxford, Lewis continuously encounters the educated elite who like to hold over him that they are extremely educated and he is not.   In fact, Lewis does not have much formal education at all, which does not bother him in the least.   The more that people try to hold this over his head, the more Lewis is p

Image provided by Acorn TV.              For the longest time I thought I would never watch the show George Gently .   The only scenes I had ever seen were a gruff man announcing who he was, and another of a dark and grim interview room.   Then I saw an actual full preview of George Gently and I became intrigued.   Deciding to give the show a try, I found exactly what I had in the beginning: a gruff man and a grim interview room.   What I also found was behind all that gruffness, there was a good, caring man, along with a good set of mysteries. Image provided by Acorn TV.    Chief Inspector George Gently’s (Martin Shaw) wife has been killed.   To get out of London, Gently takes a job in the north of England, where he must work with a young sergeant by the name of John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby).   From the very start it is clear the John and Gently do not see eye to eye on how to conduct an investigation.   Nor do they agree much about life in general.   These differences

              Julian Kestrel is back again investing.   Although, this time, I think it’s quite reluctantly.   Julian is asked by Sir Malcolm Falkland, the father of the deceased Alexander Falkland, to look into his son’s murder.   Alexander was a well-loved and highly respected man.   When he was found murdered, it came as a great shock to everyone.   With so many admiring Alexander, no one has any idea as to who could possibly want him dead.                                Despite Julian’s concerns at being hired by Sir Malcolm, who may himself be the culprit, he decides to take the case.   Working in tandem with Peter Vance of the Bow Street Runners, Julian is happy to have another investigative source at his disposal.   Despite this, Julian warns Sir Malcolm, he will still have to pry into every detail of Alexander’s life as well as the lives of those around him.   He may uncover things Sir Malcolm does not like, but in order to find the murderer, Julian tells Sir Malcolm t

And the series goes on…                 This time, witch Lily Ivory is asked by the police to help with an investigation.   A dead body has been found in an apartment filled with all sorts of superstitions.   Knowing Lily’s talents, Inspector Carlos Romero wants her thoughts on the situation, but nothing much further than that.   Lily, on the other hand, ends up with other ideas.                 When Lily’s friend Bronwyn starts to become distant, Lily finds it very strange.   New to having friends, and not sure what to do, Lily goes to Bronwyn’s apartment to find out what is the matter.   What she discovers is that Bronwyn’s son-in-law is in trouble, and that trouble may have to do with the body that was found.                 Wanting to help her friend, Lily gets further into the investigation.   The problem is, everyone, including eventually Bronwyn, tells her to stay out.   Even her mentor, Aidan Rhodes, tells her to stay away.   Aidan is so concerned about Lily’s involv