Posts

The Marriage Clock

Image
There are some books that take me a long time to read. Then there are some I read quickly because I am curious about what direction the story is going to go. The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem was a book I read quickly. The Marriage Clock Zara Raheem If only life were like a romantic movie Leila Abid has always imagined that finding the man for her would be like a Bollywood movie. So far, her path to a husband has been nothing like a movie. Now that Leila is in her mid-twenties, her parents are starting to get anxious about the fact their daughter is unmarried. Her mother is particularly upset about this single status. To solve the problem, Leila’s mother decides to help her find a husband in the traditional way she grew up with in India: by arrangement. For a while Leila lets her parents set her up with men. When these dates all turn out badly, Leila asks for time to find a husband on her own. Her parents give her three months. Three months to find a husband In those three...

Endeavour

Image
Something interesting happened while I watched this eighth season of Endeavour . I have seen this season twice now, once on PBS and once on DVD . Both times I noticed DS Jim Strange far more than I did DS Endeavour Morse. What makes this so interesting is the show is named after Morse and he is the main character, yet I noticed a side character far more than him. I figure this just goes to show how much the Strange character is strengthening as the series goes on. Morse keeps finding more things to struggle over, pushing him into the background of life. As the struggles continue to worsen, I have to wonder if Morse would prefer if he simply disappeared. Endeavour Season 8 Shaun Evans and Roger Allam Soccer can be a dangerous game The first episode of the eighth season, “Striker,” forces Detective Sergeant Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) into a world he has zero interest in. That is the world of sports. A threat has been put on the life of star soccer player Jack Swift (Julian Moor...

The Library of Lost and Found

Image
It was frightening how similar the situations in The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick are to events that have happened in my life. The book experiences are more extreme than my own, but I still understood all to well what was going on. You may be surprised how much you can relate to this book too.            The Library of Lost and Found Phaedra Patrick Everyone has a breaking point Martha Storm spends her life doing things for other people. She does so much, she has a notebook with a list of things she must get done for others. It is not often everything on the list is accomplished. Yet, even with Martha’s inability to finish everything, the list keeps growing. It grows because, no matter what, people keep taking advantage of Martha and wanting her to do things for them. One day it all gets to be too much. Martha finally has enough of constantly doing things for others while receiving nothing in return. She tells the library book club, as w...

Agatha Raisin

Image
It’s funny how I look forward to each new season of Agatha Raisin even though Agatha herself drives me crazy. Her self-absorption is too much for me. How people don’t tell Agatha off more often, I have no idea. I’m not saying Agatha is all bad. If she was, I don’t know if I could watch this show at all, no matter how good the mysteries are. Fortunately, there are other characters that balance out the episodes. In many ways, I watch this show for them.  Agatha Raisin Season 4 Ashley Jensen Agatha Raisin is not a bodyguard It’s Christmas time in the Cotswolds in the first episode of the fourth season, “Kissing Christmas Goodbye.” Private investigator Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen) has delegated the planning of Christmas to her friend Roy Silver (Mathew Horne). Roy is trying his hardest to get Christmas together, but Agatha keeps upsetting his plans. Because when Agatha gets a case, everything else must be put on the back burner. Agatha’s case involves the death of a woman. Phyl...

A Perfect Equation

Image
Sometimes a book is incredibly timely. Just as Roe vs. Wade was being outrageously overturned, I was reading A Perfect Equation , the second book in the Secret Scientists of London series by Elizabeth Everett. As women’s reproductive rights were being sent back decades, if not centuries, I was reading about men protesting in the streets. What were they protesting about? How women were meant to be in the home taking care of their men and children. And doing nothing else. Does this sound like a mindset this country is falling back to? It certainly does to me. Interestingly, this book is set in the year 1843. So, in essence, we are moving back to the mentality of a time when a car would not be seen for the first time until decades later. Is that a time we really want to go back to? A Perfect Equation Secret Scientists of London Book 2 Elizabeth Everett Letty faces a double standard Letitia “Letty” Fenley has been disgraced. She had sex with a man without being married. Now she has been b...

CSI: Vegas

Image
I tried watching CSI: Vegas when it first aired on TV last fall. I barely got through the first episode. You see, I have gotten quite used to watching TV, new and old, without commercials. The show was also airing at a later time than I usually prefer. Add in the fact one of the commercials was for a news piece about a politician I don’t care for, and I was done watching CSI: Vegas as it first aired. I decided I would instead watch the season once it reached DVD . If it never reached DVD, I would live. Thankfully, season one did get released on DVD. I borrowed it from the library and found myself enjoying CSI: Vegas far more watching it that way than I ever would have on regular TV. CSI: Vegas Matt Lauria, Mandeep Dhillon, William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Paula Newsome, Mel Rodriguez Old faces and new in Las Vegas Someone is trying to kill former detective Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle). Or more accurately, tried to kill him. Because despite being half-blind, Brass is able to kill h...

Death on the Nile

Image
I saw the most recent adaptation of Death on the Nile (2022) and walked away confused. It was very different from the other film versions I have seen. This made me wonder which film version was closest to the book. To find out, I had to actually read Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. I also had to rewatch the David Suchet and Peter Ustinov versions in order to compare everything accurately. Death on the Nile is one of those titles probably everyone has at least heard of. Whether they have read the novel or watched any of the adaptations is a different story. I myself had never read the book, but I had seen two adaptations before this most recent one. For this experiment, I got the book from the library , eager to read it, not knowing what a chore it would be. Death on the Nile was not an easy read. Although, I will give the book the benefit of the doubt. Had I not known the ending so well, I may have enjoyed the book more. Death on the Nile Agatha Christie Too much money lea...