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 Con...

               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.                 Despit...

  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...

            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...

               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 epi...

              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. ...

             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 the...