My Current Interest

     Get ready for the urge to throw things at your TV.  (Don’t actually do that.  It’s really bad for your TV).  It is what I wanted to do whenever someone told Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) she couldn’t possibly be a private detective because she was a woman.  It was especially irritating when DI William Wellington (Stuart Martin) said it.  He’s known Eliza for years and is perfectly aware how capable she is.  Yet, he still tells Eliza she cannot be a detective because she is a woman.  What is wrong with people?!  (Again, don’t actually throw things at your TV, no matter how much you may want to.)      The whole situation starts with the death of Eliza’s father, Henry ( Kevin Doyle ).   Needing a way to keep her household afloat, and having pretty much trained to detect her whole life, Eliza decides to take over Henry’s private detective business.   It is 1880s London, and no one has seen a female privat...

     I have a tendency to find books all over the place.  For a while now I have been discovering some of them in Book Page , a monthly magazine all about books.  It was how I first became aware of The Lady Darby Mysteries .  One of the new books in the series was being featured, and it sounded intriguing.  But of course, I had to start at the beginning.      Lady Kiera Darby has been living in her sister’s Scotland home for a while.  It is 1830, and she is escaping all the accusations swarming around her ever since her husband died.      Sir Anthony Darby was an anatomist and surgeon.  In an effort to create an anatomy textbook, he dissected bodies on his own, without permission.  For the pictures, he forced his wife to draw them, causing great problems for Kiera after his death.      The pages Kiera illustrated were found after Darby’s death.  She was then found to be “unnatural” ...

     It took me quite a while to watch On the Basis of Sex .  First for superstitious reasons.  Then because I thought it was going to be a dreary film, and I was not up for dreary.  Finally, I just sat down and watched it.  Not only was it not dreary, but I found this film to be another important film to watch.      Mrs. Ruth Ginsburg ( Felicity Jones ) is in law school.   Harvard law school, to be exact.   A school where Ruth is one of the very few women who have been allowed to enroll.   The dean, Erwin Griswold ( Sam Waterston ), makes it very clear he thinks little of the women who have enrolled.   He believes their spots in the school should have gone to men.   The professors are not far behind with these beliefs.      Still, Ruth pursues her law degree.   She also purses the degree of her husband, Martin (Armie Hammer), when he is diagnosed with cancer.   During this time, Ruth...

     Romance books are not usually my thing.   But every once in a while, I need to take a break from reading about murder and other serious subjects.   When that happens, it’s onto the romances; pretty much always recommended by my mom.   She knows which ones I will enjoy and which ones I’ll want to throw because the story and/or characters are driving me crazy.   You Say It First was one of the enjoyable ones.      Pallas Saunders never expected she would run a wedding business.  She was supposed to join her mother, Libby, at a bank, but when Libby stopped paying college tuition, those plans were put on hold.  Needing money, Pallas joined a company called Weddings in a Box.  When the owner died, he left the business to Pallas.  Now she is struggling to keep it afloat.  Her very disapproving mother couldn’t be happier.      There are things that need to be done within the company.  One o...

     Just as there are important books to read, there are important films to watch.   Harriet is one of those films.      Araminta “Minty” Ross (Cynthia Erivo) has spent her entire life as a slave.   According to the will of her master’s ancestor, she, along with other members of her family, should be free.   It is right there on paper, but her master, Edward Brodess (Michael Marunde), refuses to acknowledge the will.   Angry, Minty runs into the woods and prays for Edward’s demise.      He dies shortly after.      The master’s son, Gideon (Joe Alwyn), caught Minty making her prayer.   With his father dead, he is the master now, and puts Minty up for sale.      Sensing a sale is about to happen, Minty goes on the run.   She leaves her entire family behind, including her husband, John Tubman (Zackary Momoh).   He offered to go with Minty, but she went on her own as John ...

     The magical cats have returned!  As usual, they are doing whatever they want do to.  No one can tell them otherwise and have them actually listen.  Even when they’re magical, there are some traits all cats share.      A music festival is being held in the town of Mayville Heights, MN.  One of the big attractions at the festival is a young cabaret singer, Emme Finley.  Joining her in town is her assistant Miranda Moore and her sister Nora.  Emme and Miranda are practically identical in appearance.  It is very easy to mix them up.  Which is why when Miranda is found dead, people wonder if Emme was the real target.      While librarian Kathleen Paulson intends on staying out of the investigation, she gets caught in it from the start.  The reason for this: her cat, Hercules, found the body.  He was supposed to be posing for a calendar, but kept getting distracted.  When he went to inv...

     You have no idea how much I would love to see The Victory Garden turned into a film or mini-series.  And you have no idea how much I would love to write the screenplay for it.  That is how good this book is, and how much I loved it.  There is a little bit of a slow start, but once I got past that, I did not want to put this book down.      Emily Bryce is eager to strike out on her own.   While others are off fighting in the war (World War I), she is at home living in luxury.   Emily feels she should be doing something important for the war effort, but doesn’t know what.   So far all she has done is visit the wounded soldiers in the hospital next door, and the few other parent-approved tasks she has been allowed to do.   Her friend, Clarissa, is a nurse.   Her brother, Freddie, died while fighting.   She, herself, has done and sacrificed nothing.      Her parents are the biggest reason why...