Okay, don't blame me. The title of this post is the title of the third entry in SyFy network's Sharknado franchise. The movie debuted last night among great hoopla and abundant social media remarks, tweets, posts, pins, etc.
It was truly a festive occasion, shared by millions of viewers. The network played all three of the films in order starting late yesterday afternoon. While I missed much of the first one yesterday, I caught the second one on the way to the third. It was good to refresh my memories of the franchise.
As the title implies, this movie franchise is inherently silly, comically gory, and acted with tongues placed firmly in the cheeks.
This one was frakkin' hilarious!!! I laughed 'til I cried in places. Mostly at the inventive ways the marauding sharks found to eat the people and the equally inventive ways the hunters took out the sharks.
There were famous people in cameo roles, some a bit larger. For example, conservative columnist and pundit, Ann Coulter, played the vice-president of the United States. Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA team the Dallas Mavericks, played the president. Needless to say, they were each individually assaulted by sharks.
One of the most comic bits of casting was disgraced-for-sexting former congressman Anthony Weiner playing NASA's head of Mission Control.
A still lovely Bo Derek played the mother of Tara Reid's character in a bigger than cameo role.
Penn and Teller had a nice bit with David Hasselhoff, who played hero Ian Ziering's father, the square-jawed hero who begot a square-jawed hero son.
Frankie Muniz had a wonderful heroic character to play. The guy just doesn't stop, not even when sharks take first one leg, then one arm, then the other leg, and finally the other arm. He crawls on his belly to the ignition button for a bomb and explodes the bomb with his chin. Now, that's good old determination! It wiped out a small horde of the hungry sharks.
Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan played themselves who reported the occurrences in NYC live on the air. Of course the sharks ultimately attacked them, as they did the anchors of NBC's Today Show. Kelly, Hoda and Cathy Lee scored some points for the beleaguered humans.
There are other famous faces both eaten and not, but I will need to see it again to catch all of them.
There were some inventive situations to say the least as the sharks chomped their way down the entire Eastern seaboard. And the ultimate trick was when they encountered SHARKS IN SPACE!!! One of the characters actually screamed out that phrase, reminding me of the old Muppet sketches called PIGS IN SPACE.
Yes, these movies are gory, but it's all in fun - sort of like the old Monty Python sketches which payed homage to Sam Peckinpah's violent films - quarts of spewing red paint and cartoon violence.
Everything is so over the top, it's hysterical.
Okay, I admit it, I liked the other Sharknado movies, too. They represent complete abandonment of all reason and acceptance of a wild and wacky world.
In other words, they are pure escapism. Look after the last month I've had, with an elderly parent sinking deeper into delusion day by day, and a beloved dog diagnosed with glaucoma, which resulted in his losing his eye earlier this week (via surgery), I was ready for a laughing fest.
Last night I got the granddaddy of all laughing fests. Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No, is being shown again this Saturday night at 7:00 pm EDT. I'm not ashamed to admit I'll watch it again.
And, get ready....wait for it...Yes, Virginia, there will be a Sharknado 4. I don't know how they're going to top the scope and breadth of Sharknado 3, but I have every confidence they will.
On a more serious note, SyFy showed some intriguing previews last night of upcoming mini-series on the network. They showed snippets of two of them that will appear next December. These look to be serious sci-fi works on a par with Battlestar Galactica and the current Defiance. Stay tuned.
But if you see a shark flying through the air, RUUUUUNNNNN!!!!!
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Poldark
Ladies, have you been languishing this summer, longing for the return of Outlander? Believe me, I understand. For some of our favorite limited series, it's a long time between seasons.
A couple of weeks ago with nothing to watch on a Sunday night (Game of Thrones had shown its last episode), I discovered a wonderful series currently running on PBS' Masterpiece Theater.
Taken from a series of novels the television version, Poldark, is an excellent way to wile away an hour.
Set in the late 18th century, it is the story of Ross Poldark, an Englishman from the wild and windswept coast of Cornwall. In the first episode, he is seen with the British Army, losing a battle in Virginia against George Washington's troops in which he is forever scarred by an American saber. When the war is over, he returns home.
Once back in Cornwall, he finds his father has died, his home is in shambles, his uncle in the grand estate, and the woman who promised to wait for him engaged to his cousin. Needless to say it isn't the homecoming he expected.
He is invited to the upcoming wedding, but leaves to go back to his own home.
Thus, he begins his life anew with all of his former expectations gone. A rebel at heart, he does not fit in with the local gentry. The working people accept him, but as a gentleman not one of them. It's a lonely life for Ross, but he's determined.
This one's got lots of tension and good action. Yes there are love scenes, even some "proper" sex scenes (no nudity so far...) The cast is excellent. And it is shot on location in Cornwall, a stark but beautiful part of the coast of England.
This is another great series produced by the BBC. They produced a series on the Poldark novels in the late 1970s. I never saw it, but from the pictures, I think I like the contemporary series better.
Aidan Turner, an Irish actor, seen recently in films such as The Hobbit and the first Mortal Instruments film in which he played Luke, the charismatic leader of the werewolves.
If you're looking for a romantic historical series this summer, check your local listings for Poldark, shown on PBS, as in you can get this one even if you don't have cable...
If you need further impetus to watch the series, check out this:
Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark
Happy viewing!
Until next time...
A couple of weeks ago with nothing to watch on a Sunday night (Game of Thrones had shown its last episode), I discovered a wonderful series currently running on PBS' Masterpiece Theater.
Taken from a series of novels the television version, Poldark, is an excellent way to wile away an hour.
Set in the late 18th century, it is the story of Ross Poldark, an Englishman from the wild and windswept coast of Cornwall. In the first episode, he is seen with the British Army, losing a battle in Virginia against George Washington's troops in which he is forever scarred by an American saber. When the war is over, he returns home.
Once back in Cornwall, he finds his father has died, his home is in shambles, his uncle in the grand estate, and the woman who promised to wait for him engaged to his cousin. Needless to say it isn't the homecoming he expected.
He is invited to the upcoming wedding, but leaves to go back to his own home.
Thus, he begins his life anew with all of his former expectations gone. A rebel at heart, he does not fit in with the local gentry. The working people accept him, but as a gentleman not one of them. It's a lonely life for Ross, but he's determined.
This one's got lots of tension and good action. Yes there are love scenes, even some "proper" sex scenes (no nudity so far...) The cast is excellent. And it is shot on location in Cornwall, a stark but beautiful part of the coast of England.
This is another great series produced by the BBC. They produced a series on the Poldark novels in the late 1970s. I never saw it, but from the pictures, I think I like the contemporary series better.
Aidan Turner, an Irish actor, seen recently in films such as The Hobbit and the first Mortal Instruments film in which he played Luke, the charismatic leader of the werewolves.
If you're looking for a romantic historical series this summer, check your local listings for Poldark, shown on PBS, as in you can get this one even if you don't have cable...
If you need further impetus to watch the series, check out this:
Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark
Happy viewing!
Until next time...
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
The Saga of an Aging Ming the Merciless
Lest you forget, I'll remind you Ming is a shih tzu (and isn't usually without mercy - he's a sweet little guy). Last week our vet urged me to go to a veterinary ophthalmologist to determine what was wrong with Ming's eye. I did and it turns out he has a big ulcer and glaucoma in the one eye. The other eye was pronounced healthy.
So we had a regimen of four drops to be administered four times a day, with one of the four administered twice a day to the good eye. I had to have them number the bottles for me. I did the best I could administering the drops, but I can't say I hit the eye each time.
Have you ever tried using eye drops on a dog who doesn't want to get them? That's like a vet long ago telling me giving a small six pound dog a pill wasn't hard. He said all you have to do is push it down his throat and hold his muzzle closed until he swallows it...uh huh. My little guy, Wicket, a lhasa-shih tzu cross with long grey coat, ears, and beard, would swallow with big gulps. Then I would pat his head and go about my business, only to find the spat out pills behind the drapes, under the furniture, in potted plants. He was no dummy.
Crafty little guy. But I discovered a surefire method of getting him to swallow pills. I embedded the pill in a small cube of cheese, which he swallowed whole.
So back to Ming - today we went back for a checkup. Turns out the ulcer has grown and Ming is now blind in the eye. His other eye is still seeing very well, ulcer free, with normal pressure.
So now we come to it...we're going to continue the medicine regimen for another ten days. I will take him back and if the affected eye shows no improvement, it will be time to remove it for his health and comfort.
I saw several dogs at the vet's this morning with similar conditions. Two of them were also shih tzus, one young one with an ulcer on her eye, and one thirteen-year-old who had the surgery to remove his eye last week. The latter was lethargic and had to be carried. That frightened me, even though Ming appears to be in better shape than that dog. Ming is fourteen.
The vet reduced the number of eye drops from four to three. They are each to be given four times a day in the affected eye only. The vet added an antibiotic pill and a pain pill. He said his big concern is the discomfort if the ulcer does not improve. I can understand. I don't want Ming hurting, and he tries very hard to rub the eye and the area around it, despite wearing the "cone of shame."
So we'll see. He got his first pills when we got back from the vet's late this morning - in, you guessed it - cheese! He never spits out his pills. Now his sister might not fall for the ruse, but she's another story entirely.
I hate the thought of Ming losing his eye. But I don't want him in pain or have the condition move to his sighted eye, either. So I guess it's time to medicate him, give him lots of love, and nightly Reiki. He's such a sweetheart and deserves the best.
I'll keep you posted.
Once more here's the baby picture of my three dogs taken in 2001 - from left to right they are: Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog or Sparky as we called him, (gone in 2013 from cancer); Miss Myrna Loy (still with us); and Ming the Merciless - the alpha dog, now blind in one eye.
So we had a regimen of four drops to be administered four times a day, with one of the four administered twice a day to the good eye. I had to have them number the bottles for me. I did the best I could administering the drops, but I can't say I hit the eye each time.
Have you ever tried using eye drops on a dog who doesn't want to get them? That's like a vet long ago telling me giving a small six pound dog a pill wasn't hard. He said all you have to do is push it down his throat and hold his muzzle closed until he swallows it...uh huh. My little guy, Wicket, a lhasa-shih tzu cross with long grey coat, ears, and beard, would swallow with big gulps. Then I would pat his head and go about my business, only to find the spat out pills behind the drapes, under the furniture, in potted plants. He was no dummy.
Crafty little guy. But I discovered a surefire method of getting him to swallow pills. I embedded the pill in a small cube of cheese, which he swallowed whole.
So back to Ming - today we went back for a checkup. Turns out the ulcer has grown and Ming is now blind in the eye. His other eye is still seeing very well, ulcer free, with normal pressure.
So now we come to it...we're going to continue the medicine regimen for another ten days. I will take him back and if the affected eye shows no improvement, it will be time to remove it for his health and comfort.
I saw several dogs at the vet's this morning with similar conditions. Two of them were also shih tzus, one young one with an ulcer on her eye, and one thirteen-year-old who had the surgery to remove his eye last week. The latter was lethargic and had to be carried. That frightened me, even though Ming appears to be in better shape than that dog. Ming is fourteen.
The vet reduced the number of eye drops from four to three. They are each to be given four times a day in the affected eye only. The vet added an antibiotic pill and a pain pill. He said his big concern is the discomfort if the ulcer does not improve. I can understand. I don't want Ming hurting, and he tries very hard to rub the eye and the area around it, despite wearing the "cone of shame."
So we'll see. He got his first pills when we got back from the vet's late this morning - in, you guessed it - cheese! He never spits out his pills. Now his sister might not fall for the ruse, but she's another story entirely.
I hate the thought of Ming losing his eye. But I don't want him in pain or have the condition move to his sighted eye, either. So I guess it's time to medicate him, give him lots of love, and nightly Reiki. He's such a sweetheart and deserves the best.
I'll keep you posted.
Once more here's the baby picture of my three dogs taken in 2001 - from left to right they are: Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog or Sparky as we called him, (gone in 2013 from cancer); Miss Myrna Loy (still with us); and Ming the Merciless - the alpha dog, now blind in one eye.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
The Manifesto of an Aging Southern White Woman
Like most of you, I was horrified at the events in Charleston this past Wednesday evening. I was stunned by the reaction of the community and in a different way by politicos who used the violence as impetus to push their political agendas.
I am no gun advocate. A personal tragedy in our family when I was in college forever cemented my rejection of guns. My 18 year old cousin was getting married the next day. Like all soon to be brides she rushed around the house, packing, thinking of a thousand details, and likely worrying what might go wrong at the wedding or reception. Her older brother decided it was a good time to clean his gun. During the process, he test fired what he thought was an empty chamber. He shot and killed his sister where she stood. I come from generations of people in law enforcement and the military, but I don't have guns and I won't.
To both sides of the debate on gun control, I say, forget it, fellas...that ship sailed a long time ago. We're a country with a long-standing historical gun culture. (I'm from Texas, for heaven's sake. We carried cap pistols in my high school drill team when we wore our cowgirl outfits and fired them during our routines.) It is unrealistic to think we could ever enact a law to make people give up their guns. Should we attempt to pass such a law, we'd have the second coming of the American revolution.
No, I don't think guns should be allowed at schools. Teen-agers are known for notoriously lacking impulse control. But our legislative entities will waste valuable time, energy, and our tax dollars arguing about an issue they will never resolve. Be realistic with your goals and move onward.
I am upset both sides mentioned gun legislation in response to the massacre in Charleston. Their cynical belief it is time to exploit the pain of the American citizens to push their candidates' agendas infuriated me. This is not the time for such shenanigans. It takes the focus off the tragedy where it should be.
We've seen a lot of young men, particularly, like the shooter over the years. Angry, disenfranchised, usually anti-social and uneducated, they embrace white supremacy and blame the government and African-Americans for their own pain, anger, and lack of success in the world. I suppose to take responsibility for one's own failure is unthinkable. It's much easier to look to people who are different and point fingers. "It's THEIR fault, not mine..."
In all the photographs of the killer I've seen on television and the internet,I noticed one thing about him. His eyes completely lack expression. His soul is dead inside him. I have no idea what made him the way he is, but he has no compassion or empathy, no apparent shame over the murders. There's no question in my mind whatever made him a monster, he truly is one. To sit and talk with the people for an hour without developing any rapport, any awareness of their humanity, and then stand up and pick them off is the work of a monster, nothing more and nothing less.
We've been introduced to several such monsters in my lifetime, Charles Manson, Timothy McVeigh, and now Dylann Roof, to mention a few. I would include Adolf Hitler in this list and some of his cohorts, but they died before even I was born...
Finally, I was stunned by the reaction of the victims' families at the bond hearing and on the talk shows this morning. They forgave the killer of the ones they loved.
I don't know if I would have the goodness and grace to forgive the killer of a member of my family. But I am impressed with the depth of the families' faith and forgiveness. To me, this should be the starting point of any discussion about going forward from this point.
If we are to survive as a nation, we must celebrate our differences not wage war against each other. We must work together to listen to people around us. If they are in trouble, we need to try to help them, not ignore them when they spout hatred, saying "I don't judge people." It's time for all of us to help each other, not turn away as if we do not see.
I remember other words, which the forgiveness of the Charleston victims families, brought to mind.
Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.
And on an after note, this morning CBS Sunday Morning ran a clip from a film shot by one of their producers. He went to Sing Sing prison and interviewed prisoners convicted of murder or other gun crimes and asked them what they would say to their twelve-year-old selves. The clip shown was very powerful. If you're interested the film is up on their website.
Such a film might help prevent other young people from turning the way of the Charleston killer. It's time to deal with the problem.
I am no gun advocate. A personal tragedy in our family when I was in college forever cemented my rejection of guns. My 18 year old cousin was getting married the next day. Like all soon to be brides she rushed around the house, packing, thinking of a thousand details, and likely worrying what might go wrong at the wedding or reception. Her older brother decided it was a good time to clean his gun. During the process, he test fired what he thought was an empty chamber. He shot and killed his sister where she stood. I come from generations of people in law enforcement and the military, but I don't have guns and I won't.
To both sides of the debate on gun control, I say, forget it, fellas...that ship sailed a long time ago. We're a country with a long-standing historical gun culture. (I'm from Texas, for heaven's sake. We carried cap pistols in my high school drill team when we wore our cowgirl outfits and fired them during our routines.) It is unrealistic to think we could ever enact a law to make people give up their guns. Should we attempt to pass such a law, we'd have the second coming of the American revolution.
No, I don't think guns should be allowed at schools. Teen-agers are known for notoriously lacking impulse control. But our legislative entities will waste valuable time, energy, and our tax dollars arguing about an issue they will never resolve. Be realistic with your goals and move onward.
I am upset both sides mentioned gun legislation in response to the massacre in Charleston. Their cynical belief it is time to exploit the pain of the American citizens to push their candidates' agendas infuriated me. This is not the time for such shenanigans. It takes the focus off the tragedy where it should be.
We've seen a lot of young men, particularly, like the shooter over the years. Angry, disenfranchised, usually anti-social and uneducated, they embrace white supremacy and blame the government and African-Americans for their own pain, anger, and lack of success in the world. I suppose to take responsibility for one's own failure is unthinkable. It's much easier to look to people who are different and point fingers. "It's THEIR fault, not mine..."
In all the photographs of the killer I've seen on television and the internet,I noticed one thing about him. His eyes completely lack expression. His soul is dead inside him. I have no idea what made him the way he is, but he has no compassion or empathy, no apparent shame over the murders. There's no question in my mind whatever made him a monster, he truly is one. To sit and talk with the people for an hour without developing any rapport, any awareness of their humanity, and then stand up and pick them off is the work of a monster, nothing more and nothing less.
We've been introduced to several such monsters in my lifetime, Charles Manson, Timothy McVeigh, and now Dylann Roof, to mention a few. I would include Adolf Hitler in this list and some of his cohorts, but they died before even I was born...
Finally, I was stunned by the reaction of the victims' families at the bond hearing and on the talk shows this morning. They forgave the killer of the ones they loved.
I don't know if I would have the goodness and grace to forgive the killer of a member of my family. But I am impressed with the depth of the families' faith and forgiveness. To me, this should be the starting point of any discussion about going forward from this point.
If we are to survive as a nation, we must celebrate our differences not wage war against each other. We must work together to listen to people around us. If they are in trouble, we need to try to help them, not ignore them when they spout hatred, saying "I don't judge people." It's time for all of us to help each other, not turn away as if we do not see.
I remember other words, which the forgiveness of the Charleston victims families, brought to mind.
Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.
And on an after note, this morning CBS Sunday Morning ran a clip from a film shot by one of their producers. He went to Sing Sing prison and interviewed prisoners convicted of murder or other gun crimes and asked them what they would say to their twelve-year-old selves. The clip shown was very powerful. If you're interested the film is up on their website.
Such a film might help prevent other young people from turning the way of the Charleston killer. It's time to deal with the problem.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Trusting Will
Skye Taylor, author of the popular Camerons of Tide's Way series has released the third novel about the wonderful family. Trusting Will tells the story of Brianna Reagan, a young widow of an Army Ranger, who is left with a young son, Sam.
A friend of Zoe Cameron, the heroine of the first book in the series, Falling for Zoe, Brianna remembers the town of Tide's Way with fondness and decides to move there to be close to her longtime friend. She tries to make a normal life for young Sam and allows him to join the Cub Scouts. She meets his scout leader, handsome Will Cameron, the brother of Zoe's husband.
Brianna is determined not to risk her heart or Sam's again after the death of her husband. She wants nothing to do with love. Will is just as determined to get to know her much better. After moving into the vacant apartment upstairs from Brianna and Sam, Will begins getting to know the boy and his mother better.
This is the lovely story of a wounded widow and her orphaned son learning to love once again and the kind, sensitive man who loves them both.
Trusting Will is a wonderful tale of healing and love, for Brianna, Sam, and Will. Ms. Taylor has captured the emotions of the main characters and portrayed them with love and understanding. Rounded out with fully fleshed secondary characters it is a satisfying read that you will remember long after you finish the book.
Don't miss this five star novel.
It's perfect read for a day at the beach, by the pool, or at home.
You'll love the characters and become enchanted with the town of Tide's Way.
If this is your first visit there, I guarantee it won't be your last.
Links for purchase:
Skye Taylor's website
A friend of Zoe Cameron, the heroine of the first book in the series, Falling for Zoe, Brianna remembers the town of Tide's Way with fondness and decides to move there to be close to her longtime friend. She tries to make a normal life for young Sam and allows him to join the Cub Scouts. She meets his scout leader, handsome Will Cameron, the brother of Zoe's husband.
Brianna is determined not to risk her heart or Sam's again after the death of her husband. She wants nothing to do with love. Will is just as determined to get to know her much better. After moving into the vacant apartment upstairs from Brianna and Sam, Will begins getting to know the boy and his mother better.
This is the lovely story of a wounded widow and her orphaned son learning to love once again and the kind, sensitive man who loves them both.
Trusting Will is a wonderful tale of healing and love, for Brianna, Sam, and Will. Ms. Taylor has captured the emotions of the main characters and portrayed them with love and understanding. Rounded out with fully fleshed secondary characters it is a satisfying read that you will remember long after you finish the book.
Don't miss this five star novel.
It's perfect read for a day at the beach, by the pool, or at home.
You'll love the characters and become enchanted with the town of Tide's Way.
If this is your first visit there, I guarantee it won't be your last.
Links for purchase:
To find out about the author's other books and stories, check out her website:
Sunday, June 7, 2015
No Grits No Glory
I just finished a wonderful book last night by talented author Elaine Calloway. It's a lively paranormal entitled
No Grits No Glory.
It's the story of cosmetologist Brianna McNeil who works in a funeral home in Savannah. She is an Irish American from the Northeast. To say she suffers some culture shock when she moves to Georgia's historic city is an understatement. Not only are the customs, society, and landscape alien to her, the previous tenants of her new home are still there...in ghostly form. They are family members who were murdered in their house.
Most of us wouldn't notice them, but Brianna is special. She not only sees dead people, she hears them, and can (and does) carry on conversations with them. This trait is something she does not reveal since it caused her parents to have her hospitalized for an extended stay in a psychiatric facility when she was younger.
The ghostly inhabitants of her "rent to own" home are a father, a mother, and their sixteen-year-old daughter. None of them are shy about telling Brianna exactly what they think. Virginia, the mother, is particularly abrasive, expressing her thoughts about that "Yankee girl" in her home loudly and often. Also she has a habit distressing to Brianna of cooking big pots of grits on the stove.
Now that wouldn't bother me. I'd love coming home to hot cheese grits anytime, but I'm from the south and appreciate haute cuisine.
When Steven, the estranged surviving son of the family who once owned Brianna's house, returns not knowing the fate of his family, he is devastated to find a stranger in their home. He is further devastated when he learns their fate. Brianna is drawn to help him.
Did I mention he's a gorgeous musician? Did I mention her sheltie, Plato, takes to him at first sight?
Naturally Virginia doesn't like their attraction at all. The family harangues her whenever he is present, demanding she reveal their existence. Brianna is understandably reluctant to cooperate, having learned to keep her abilities secret after a few months of torture in the psychiatric hospital.
Add to this a murderous villain with a scheme to become the largest real estate developer in the city, Brianna's deceased brother, Declan, who is forbidden by his mentor to approach his sister, the splendor of Savannah, a host of wonderful supporting characters...and you've got a great read.
It's sometimes riotous, sometimes nerve-tingling with danger, and very well written.
This one's a winner. It's Book #1 in the author's Southern Ghost Series.
Check it out!
Available from:
Amazon.com
No Grits No Glory.
It's the story of cosmetologist Brianna McNeil who works in a funeral home in Savannah. She is an Irish American from the Northeast. To say she suffers some culture shock when she moves to Georgia's historic city is an understatement. Not only are the customs, society, and landscape alien to her, the previous tenants of her new home are still there...in ghostly form. They are family members who were murdered in their house.
Most of us wouldn't notice them, but Brianna is special. She not only sees dead people, she hears them, and can (and does) carry on conversations with them. This trait is something she does not reveal since it caused her parents to have her hospitalized for an extended stay in a psychiatric facility when she was younger.
The ghostly inhabitants of her "rent to own" home are a father, a mother, and their sixteen-year-old daughter. None of them are shy about telling Brianna exactly what they think. Virginia, the mother, is particularly abrasive, expressing her thoughts about that "Yankee girl" in her home loudly and often. Also she has a habit distressing to Brianna of cooking big pots of grits on the stove.
Now that wouldn't bother me. I'd love coming home to hot cheese grits anytime, but I'm from the south and appreciate haute cuisine.
When Steven, the estranged surviving son of the family who once owned Brianna's house, returns not knowing the fate of his family, he is devastated to find a stranger in their home. He is further devastated when he learns their fate. Brianna is drawn to help him.
Did I mention he's a gorgeous musician? Did I mention her sheltie, Plato, takes to him at first sight?
Naturally Virginia doesn't like their attraction at all. The family harangues her whenever he is present, demanding she reveal their existence. Brianna is understandably reluctant to cooperate, having learned to keep her abilities secret after a few months of torture in the psychiatric hospital.
Add to this a murderous villain with a scheme to become the largest real estate developer in the city, Brianna's deceased brother, Declan, who is forbidden by his mentor to approach his sister, the splendor of Savannah, a host of wonderful supporting characters...and you've got a great read.
It's sometimes riotous, sometimes nerve-tingling with danger, and very well written.
This one's a winner. It's Book #1 in the author's Southern Ghost Series.
Check it out!
Available from:
Amazon.com
Monday, May 18, 2015
Day Shift by Charlaine Harris
Okay, I admit it, I'm prejudiced when it comes to Charlaine Harris, add me to her legion of fans. I love her new series about the mythical Texas town of Midnight. Just like I loved the Sookie Stackhouse books that came before. I loved her irreverent take on supernatural beings ("supes" as they were known in Bon Temps) coming out into mainstream America.
Midnight Crossroad was her first book in the trilogy set in this mythical little town somewhere in the middle of the Lone Star State. The town is basically a crossroad with a few occupied buildings and several boarded up ones.
There is only a handful of residents in this tiny place. There is a pawn shop (open all night for the convenience of some of its patrons), a combo gas station/convenience store, a combo antique store/nail salon run by two unusual openly gay men, one restaurant run by a pistol-packing mama who lives in the double-wide out back of the restaurant with her husband and infant son, there is the resident benevolent witch who holds classes and sells herbal products in her home, a small chapel and pet cemetery run by the taciturn Reverend, and the home of the resident telephone psychic (who really has talent though it comes only sporadically) he gives in-person readings, scheduling them over the weekend in an elegant Dallas hotel suite which he books for that purpose.
The folks who run these establishments have many secrets. We haven't learned them all yet. There is still one more book to go in the proposed trilogy. But Day Shift gives us tantalizing glimpses of mysteries yet to be solved. As an animal lover, there is one character I dearly love, but you'll have to read the books. I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
There's something so appealing to me about Ms. Harris' work that I read the latest edition twice back to back.
If you loved Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, La, check out the Midnight, Texas series.
Even though everything isn't coming up roses in Midnight, this book will make you laugh, smile, and feel for these likeable folks who may or may not be human. The jury is still out on some of them.
As for me, I may just move to Midnight.
Check out these wonderful books. They're great reads.
Until next time...
Midnight Crossroad was her first book in the trilogy set in this mythical little town somewhere in the middle of the Lone Star State. The town is basically a crossroad with a few occupied buildings and several boarded up ones.
There is only a handful of residents in this tiny place. There is a pawn shop (open all night for the convenience of some of its patrons), a combo gas station/convenience store, a combo antique store/nail salon run by two unusual openly gay men, one restaurant run by a pistol-packing mama who lives in the double-wide out back of the restaurant with her husband and infant son, there is the resident benevolent witch who holds classes and sells herbal products in her home, a small chapel and pet cemetery run by the taciturn Reverend, and the home of the resident telephone psychic (who really has talent though it comes only sporadically) he gives in-person readings, scheduling them over the weekend in an elegant Dallas hotel suite which he books for that purpose.
The folks who run these establishments have many secrets. We haven't learned them all yet. There is still one more book to go in the proposed trilogy. But Day Shift gives us tantalizing glimpses of mysteries yet to be solved. As an animal lover, there is one character I dearly love, but you'll have to read the books. I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
There's something so appealing to me about Ms. Harris' work that I read the latest edition twice back to back.
If you loved Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, La, check out the Midnight, Texas series.
Even though everything isn't coming up roses in Midnight, this book will make you laugh, smile, and feel for these likeable folks who may or may not be human. The jury is still out on some of them.
As for me, I may just move to Midnight.
Check out these wonderful books. They're great reads.
Until next time...
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