Top Ten (and More) Tuesday - June Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! Here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in June.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in June when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

3  For Love and Honey (2024)🍄🍄

6  Wonka (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

7  Follow Me to Daisy Hills (2020)🍄🍄🍄

10 Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

11 Savoring Paris (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

13 Bridal Wave (2015) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

14 Love at First Dance (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

17 A Greek Recipe for Romance (2024)🍄🍄

18 Color My World with Love (2022) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

 

20 Romance in the Air (2020) 🍄🍄🍄

21 Summer Love (2016) 🍄🍄🍄

24 Two Scoops of Italy (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄

27 A Christmas to Remember (2016)🍄🍄🍄🍄

28 Sweet as Maple Syrup (2021) 🍄🍄🍄

30 The Santa Clause (1994) 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

As always, most of these are Hallmark movies. June was their "Passport to Love" month, which meant that the premieres were all destination movies. I really enjoyed Savoring Paris (it made me want to read the book) and Two Scoops of Italy. For Love and Honey and A Greek Recipe for Romance were almost recipes for disaster. They didn't hold my interest. If it weren't for Bethany Joy Lenz and Hunter King, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed their two movies as much as I did. I also loved the color scheme in Two Scoops of Italy. It felt light and airy.

Of the older Hallmark movies I watched, my favorite was Love at First Dance. I just loved this movie so much. It made me feel happy from beginning to end and that's what I want in a Hallmark movie. I really need to post a review of Color My World with Love. This movie is a great example of authentic disability representation, but it isn't without its flaws.

I started Christmas in July a little early with A Christmas to Remember. Overall I liked it, but I thought the female lead was too over-the-top. I really liked Cameron Mathison's character, though. He's one of my favorite actors who never disappoints. 

The one mystery I watched was Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder. I really enjoyed this one, so much so that it's my number two favorite mystery of the year (with One Bad Apple being number one). I hope this becomes a series.

Sweet as Maple Syrup is one I found on UPtv. It was set to expire soon on my DVR, so even though it's set in March when maple syrup is harvested, I watched it in June. I loved the color scheme.  It felt warm and cozy. However, there was too much scientific talk for my taste. That made it somewhat boring for me.

I requested Wonka from my library a while ago and it finally became available in June. I watched it and really enjoyed it. My only criticism is that in this prequel, Wonka doesn't seem anything like the character Roald Dahl created. A sequel to Wonka can fix that by filling in the blanks. I want to know what happened that made him the way he is in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. On its own, though, Wonka is a wonderful movie.

And finally, I ended the month with a classic I had never seen before - The Santa Clause. I loved this movie and will definitely watch the sequels!

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many books that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in June. Reviews are linked to the titles. Some are full reviews, while others are brief ones on my Sunday Posts.

📱 = e-book

🎧 = audiobook

📖 = physical book

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Love at On Deck Café (Mapleton 1), written by Leah Dobrinska and narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins and Sarah Naughton

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries (Campers and Criminals Mystery 1), written by Tonya Kappes and narrated by Johanna Parker

🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

Flying off the Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Desserts, Driving, and Derelicts (Campers and Criminals Mystery 2),  written by Tonya Kappes and narrated by Johanna Parker

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Forests, Fishing, and Forgery (Campers and Criminals Mystery 3),  written by Tonya Kappes and narrated by Johanna Parker

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Murder at the Lakeside Library (Lakeside Library Mystery 1), written by Holly Danvers and narrated by Allyson Ryan

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

Summoning, Skating, and Skulls (Bewitcher's Beach Mystery 2), by Emily Fluke

It was a great month of reading and listening!

Top Ten (and more) Tuesday - May Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! Here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in May.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in May when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

1  Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄

3  Branching Out (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

6  Darrow and Darrow (2017)🍄🍄🍄🍄

7  Darrow and Darrow: In the Key of Murder (2018)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

9  Darrow and Darrow: Body of Evidence (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

10 Darrow and Darrow: Witness to a Murder (2019) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

13 A Whitewater Romance (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

14 Flip that Romance (2019) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

16 Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄

16 Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds (2020)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

17 Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death (2020)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

 

20 Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

21 Everything Puppies (2024) 🍄

23 Dear Prudence (2008)🍄🍄🍄

24 A Royal Runaway Romance (2022)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

All of these are Hallmark movies and as usual, some are 2024 premieres while others are from years past. With May being National Mystery Month (and National Photography Month) I decided to catch up on a couple of the older mystery series. Here are the links to the two series I reviewed in May:

Darrow and Darrow Mysteries

Picture Perfect Mysteries

My favorite movie in May was Branching Out, a Hallmark 2024 premiere. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it enough to mark it as a favorite. I don't typically enjoy the royal movies too much, but A Royal Runaway Romance was good. It was a fun road trip movie that I watched just before Memorial Day weekend. Again, not perfect, but very enjoyable.

Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans was a Hallmark mystery premiere. It was fun, but it isn't my favorite in the series. They mystery aspect wasn't as strong as I would have liked it to be. However, the setting was highly entertaining.

Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home was another Hallmark mystery premiere. It's one of my least favorites of the year (with Crime Time: Freefall being my least favorite). Coming Home is too serious for me, while Crime Time is too comical. I prefer something in between.

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many books that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in May. Reviews are linked to the titles. Some are full reviews, while others are brief ones on my Sunday Posts.

📱 = e-book

🎧 = audiobook

📖 = physical book

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

A Summit in Shadow (Court of Mystery 4), by Sarah E. Burr and narrated by Melissa Green

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Throne of Threats (Court of Mystery 5), by Sarah E. Burr and narrated by Melissa Green

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Mother's Day Murder (Holiday Cozy Mystery 2), by Tonya Kappes and narrated by Elizabeth Demetrios

🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

The Man in Lower Ten (Modern Reader Edition), by Mary Roberts Rinehart

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

No Good Tea Goes Unpunished (Seaside Café Mystery 2), by Bree Baker and narrated by Theresé Plummer

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot 1), by Agatha Christie and narrated by Arthur Lane

Can't complain when every book I finished in May received at least four mushrooms!

Darrow and Darrow Mysteries (2017-2019)

🍄🍄🍄🍄

Since I started watching all of the Hallmark channels just a few years ago, there are a lot of movies I haven't seen. The Darrow and Darrow Mystery series was among them until recently. There are four movies in this series, all of which I watched last week. I'll share an overall review of the entire series, along with a ranking of each movie.

4. Darrow and Darrow (Episode 1, 2017)

The series opens with what ended up being my least favorite episode. Claire Darrow (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), an attorney, is a single mom to her 12 year old daughter, Louise (Lilah Fitzgerald). After Claire's mother, Joanna (Wendie Mallick), is let go from the law firm she worked for, she moves in with Claire and joins her at the law firm started by Claire's late father. 

Miles (Tom Cavanagh) is the district attorney. While Claire and Miles differ in their roles as attorneys, it's clear that they share a mutual interest in each other. I loved the dynamics between these two. They showed professionalism and respect for each other, despite seeing issues from different perspectives.

I also really enjoyed the character of Joanna, Claire's mother. She has a great rapport with her granddaughter, Louise, and I also loved the banter between Joanna and Claire. They are sometimes at odds with each other, but it's portrayed in a playful way.

The first case in this mystery series does not involve murder, but rather grand theft. It took me some time to get used to the fact that there wasn't going to be a murder, but it was fine. It was quite refreshing to see a different kind of mystery being solved.

The supporting characters were a touch too over-the-top funny for my taste, but the real issue I had with this movie was that it focused too much on subplots, which were weak, and not enough on the mystery. It's always a challenge to begin a new series since we are just getting to know the main characters.  I just wish their stories were woven into the movie more seamlessly, while keeping the main focus on the mystery.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes. While not always believable, they were entertaining. I am not typically interested in courtroom drama, but these scenes were fun and easy to watch.

So, overall, I enjoyed this first movie, but I didn't mark it as a favorite on the Hallmark app.

3. Darrow and Darrow: Body of Evidence (Episode 3, 2018)

The third episode in the series has a much stronger mystery than the first one. Miles and Claire investigate a case where, a year ago, someone was convicted of murder. Claire believes the person convicted is innocent, while Miles believes she is guilty. They each work to prove their case. We again have Claire and Miles working on opposite sides, while maintaining mutual respect for one another. Once again, I enjoyed the courtroom scenes. The romance storyline is minimal, but it is still there. All of the returning characters from previous movies maintained their humor and charm.

2. Darrow and Darrow: Witness to a Murder (Episode 4, 2019)

Note: Some sources have this movie's title listed as Witness to a Murder: A Darrow Mystery.

In this episode, Claire defends someone from her mother's previous company who is accused of murder. Miles is the prosecuting attorney in this case. Claire and Miles each work to prove their cases, while their mutual interest in each other continues.

The runner-up in my ranking is the final episode in the series. This one had a slightly different vibe than the previous three, with some of the supporting cast not returning. Another supporting character was present, but his humor was toned down quite a bit. He was too serious for me this time. I would have preferred something in the middle. 

I appreciated that there was a strong focus on the mystery without too much emphasis on subplots. However, the courtroom scenes are not as strong in this episode. I figured out some of the whodunnit a little more than halfway through the movie, but there was still more to uncover that I hadn't solved.

1. Darrow and Darrow: In the Key of Murder (Episode 2, 2018)

My favorite movie in the Darrow and Darrow Mystery series is the second episode. All of the supporting characters returned. In this episode. Miles' half sister is accused of murder and Claire takes on the case to prove her innocence. I felt that the courtroom scenes and the overall mystery were strongest in this episode. It left me much more excited to see the rest of the movies in series than the first one did.

Final Thoughts:

Although some movies in the Darrow and Darrow Mystery series are stronger than others, I gave them all four solid mushrooms. Therefore, the series overall gets four solid mushrooms. Although I know the endings, I likely would watch most of them again (all except for the first episode) for the entertainment and to see if I can pick up on things I didn't before. I really enjoyed this series much more than I thought I would. I'd love to see more Darrow and Darrow Mysteries made, but if they're not, I'm satisfied with the way the series ended.

Top Ten (and More) Tuesday - April Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! Here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in April.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in April when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

1  An Easter Bloom (2024)🍄

2  Just My Type (2020)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

3  Timeless Love (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄

5  Once Upon a Prince (2018)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

8  Blind Date Book Club (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

9  One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

10 Recipe for Love (2014) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

11 Hailey Dean Mysteries: Murder, With Love (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

12 A Wish Come True (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

15 Legend of the Lost Locket (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄

16 From Friend to Fiancé (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄

 

18 The Memory Book (2014) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

19 Home by Spring (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

30 Falling in Love in Niagara (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄

All are these are Hallmark movies. Some were 2024 premieres and others are from years past. Except for the first one, it was a pretty good month of movies. At least I got the bad one out of the way early.

 An Easter Bloom is probably my least favorite Hallmark movie ever (of the ones I've seen). It was so poorly shot, especially the outdoor scenes. I also did not like the way they handled disability (mis)representation. I consider myself a spiritual person, but I always cringe when people are led to believe that prayer can heal disability. It doesn't always work that way. It can help us cope, but it doesn't always heal. This movie also gave the impression that people with disabilities can't do great things. They didn't outright say that in the movie, but it was implied through the story. Hallmark usually does disability representation really well, so I was disappointed that this movie was so poorly done. 

I'm going to eventually give Blind Date Book Club a second watch. This was a really good movie with all the cozy vibes of a Cabot Cove-like setting. I didn't give it five stars because I didn't understand how the book club worked. After discussing it with some others who watched it, I now have a much better understanding of it. So I want to watch it again, with that understanding.

I watched the first Hailey Dean Mystery. At the time, that was all I had recorded from this series. I have more on the DVR now, but I have not yet watched them.  The first one was pretty good, but I can tell this won't be a favorite mystery series of mine unless the rest of them have a different vibe. I will eventually watch all nine and review the series as a whole. 

I enjoyed One Bad Apple, even though I identified the culprit early on. I'll have to review that one too. This is my favorite Hallmark series.

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many books that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in April. Reviews are linked to the titles. Some are full reviews, while others are brief ones on my Sunday Posts.

📱= e-book

🎧 = audiobook

📖 = physical book

🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

Brie Careful What You Wish For (Grilled Cheese Mystery 4), Linda Reilly

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Death of a Fairy Tale (Mari Fable Mystery 1) by, Emily Fluke

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

A Feast Most Foul (Ducal Detective Mystery 2), Sarah E. Burr

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

A Twinkle of Trouble (Fairy Garden Mystery 5), by Daryl Wood Gerber

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

A Voyage of Vengeance (Ducal Detective Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr

🍄🍄🍄🍄📖

Magus of the Library Vol. 1, by Izumi Mitsu

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄📱🎧 (Started with e-book, finished with audiobook)

Six Feet Deep Dish (Deep Dish Mystery 1), by Mindy Quigley

Top Ten (and More) Tuesday - March Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! I'm late, with this summary, but here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in March.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in March when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

4  Wedding March 4: Something Old, Something New (2018)🍄🍄🍄🍄

5  My Boyfriend's Back: Wedding March 5 (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

6  Guiding Emily (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

7  Royal Matchmaker (2018)🍄🍄🍄🍄

8  A Prince in Paradise (2023) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

12  Wedding of a Lifetime (2022) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

14 A Little Daytime Drama (2021) 🍄🍄🍄

18 Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

19 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄

20 True Love Blooms (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄

22 Sense and Sensibility (1995)🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

 

23 A Tail of Love (2022) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

25 Shifting Gears (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

26 After All These Years (2013)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

28 Lucky in Love (2014) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

The only movies on this list that were not Hallmark movies were Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Sense and Sensibility (1995). I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but I did enjoy her concert on Disney+. She's got talent and she has such a creative mind. I have not read Sense and Sensibility, but I really enjoyed the 1995 movie.

There were only two new movies on Hallmark in March - Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch and Shifting Gears. I really liked Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch. I was a little disappointed with Shifting Gears, but it was okay.

Silly me, I thought the Wedding March series on Hallmark took place in March. Not so much. Lol. I realized that after the first one that I watched. There are more in the series, but they haven't aired recently.

I had already seen Guiding Emily, but I loved it so much I watched it again (and so I could finally review it). I need to review After All These Years. That's a really good mystery from 2013.

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many books that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in March. Reviews are linked to the titles. Some are full reviews, while others are brief ones on my Sunday Posts.

📱= e-book

🎧 = audiobook

📖 = physical book

🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde 1), by Heather Fawcett

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Four Leaf Felony (Holiday Cozy Mystery 1) by, Tonya Kappes

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, by James Clear

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

The Ducal Detective (Court of Mystery 1), by Sarah E. Burr

🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

My Lucky Charm (Holidays with Hart 1), by Courtney Walsh

Top Ten (and More) Tuesday - February Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! Here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in February.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in February when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

2  Groundhog Day (1993)🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

5  Guilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

6  Paging Mr. Darcy (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

7  The Marvels (2023)🍄🍄

9  A Valentine Match (2020) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

12  Love and Jane (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

13 My Secret Valentine (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

14 Very, Very Valentine (2018) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

15 Playing Cupid (2021)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

16 Valentine Ever After (2016)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

17 Love in Winterland (2020)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

 

20 A Taste of Love (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

21 An American in Austen (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

22 Anything for Love (2020)🍄🍄🍄

23 Leap Year (2010)🍄🍄🍄🍄

26 Ever After (1998)🍄🍄🍄🍄

27 CrimeTime: Freefall (2024)🍄🍄🍄

28 Sense and Sensibility (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

February was a mix of Groundhog Day, leap year, Marvel, new Hallmark mysteries, Jane Austen, Valentine's Day, Cinderella (in the form of Ever After), and summertime. Yes, that's right. Hallmark threw in a new movie that clearly was set in the summer. It premiered on a Monday - President's Day. 

My least favorite movie of the month was The Marvels. This is also my least favorite movie in the MCU. I knew it received bad reviews overall, but I don't always agree. So I watched it anyway in the hopes that I would enjoy it. I did really enjoy the flerkittens scene, but even that couldn't save the movie.

As you can see, I bookended the month with two five-star movies. I don't think I appreciated Groundhog Day enough until this year. February ended with Hallmark's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, which concluded Hallmark's Jane Austen-themed month. I enjoyed most of their Jane Austen-inspired movies, but Sense and Sensibility was my favorite movie of the month. I had never seen any other adaptations of Sense and Sensibility, nor have  I read the book. The book is most definitely on my TBR list now! The 1995 adaptation will be on television soon, so I will record and watch it.

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in February. Reviews are linked to the titles. Some are full reviews, while others are brief ones on my Sunday Posts.

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The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, by Marie Benedict 

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My Phony Valentine (Holidays with Hart) by, Courtney Walsh

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DM Me for Murder (Trending Topic Mystery 3), by Sarah E. Burr

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Royal Valentine (Museum of Literature Romance 1), by Jenn McKinlay

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Buttercream Bump Off (Cupcake Bakery Mystery 2), by Jenn McKinlay 

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Meows and Murder (Chatty Cat Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke

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Death by Bubble Tea (L.A. Night Market Mystery 1), by Jennifer J. Chow

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Seriously, Cinderella is SO Annoying!:The Story of Cinderella As Told By the Wicked Stepmother, by Trisha Speed Shaskan

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Betrayal in the Bay (Claire O'Keefe Mystery 2), by Cindy Quayle

Top Ten (and More) Tuesday - January Caboodle of Movies and Books

Happy Top Ten (and More) Tuesday! Here, you will find a list of all the movies I watched and books I finished in January.

MOVIES

Letterboxd allows for half star ratings for movies, but I'm sticking to whole instead of sliced mushrooms. The heart indicates when the movie had the "it" factor, that something special that makes it a favorite of mine. It's probably one I would re-watch. It does not have to earn five mushrooms in order to earn a heart. There could be plot holes, etc., but if it was still immensely enjoyable, it earned a heart. 

The number on the left is the date in January when I watched the movie. Most of the time, I watch half a movie in the morning while having breakfast and the second half in the afternoon while having lunch. Hallmark movies, which are mostly what I watch, are all less than 90 minutes long without commercials, so via DVR, I can easily watch one per day most days.

Two of these are linked to my reviews.

1  Checkin' it Twice (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄

2  My Norwegian Holiday (2023)🍄🍄🍄

3  A Heidleberg Holiday (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

5  A Merry Scottish Christmas (2023)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

6  Love on the Right Course (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

8  June in January (2014) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

9  Cut, Color, Murder (2022) 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

10 The Perfect Pairing (2022) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

11 Snowkissed (2021)🍄🍄

12 Snowcoming (2019)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

15 True Justice: Family Ties (2024)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

 

16 Crashing Through the Snow (2019) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

17 A Scottish Love Scheme (2024) 🍄🍄🍄🍄

18 You're Bacon Me Crazy (2020)🍄🍄🍄🍄

22 Betty's Bad Luck in Love (2024)🍄

23 Ice Dreams (2009)🍄🍄🍄

24 A Winter Princess (2019)🍄🍄🍄

25 The Winter Palace (2022)🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

26 Fall Into Winter (2023) 🍄🍄🍄

29 Romance with a Twist (2024) 🍄🍄🍄

30 Barbie (2023) 🍄🍄🍄🍄💖

31 Swing Into Romance (2023)🍄🍄🍄

As usual, most of these are Hallmark movies. Some premiered this year, while others premiered in previous years. My main theme, if you can't figure it out, was winter movies. I started the year watching a few Christmas movies, but most are just general winter ones. All of the non-Christmas movies premiered in previous years. Not sure why they couldn't do the same this year. It was more like summer with this January's Hallmark premieres.

I don't think I had ever given just one star to a Hallmark movie before, until this January. Betty's Bad Luck in Love was just terrible. It tried to be a comedy, but it crossed a line with mental health. It wasn't funny, in my opinion. They could have taken it in a more serious direction where the main character sought counseling. I would have enjoyed it more that way.

The ones that were not Hallmark movies were Ice Dreams (PixL TV), The Winter Palace (GAF), Fall Into Winter (GAF), Barbie (I borrowed the DVD from the library), and Swing Into Romance (GAF).

The only movie on this list that I had seen before was Cut, Color, Murder, and that was because I needed to review it. I really enjoyed it and certainly didn't mind watching it again.

BOOKS

I don't give hearts for books like I do for movies because I rarely re-read books. When I do, it's usually because I haven't reviewed it yet and I need to refresh my memory before I do or because it's part of a book club and I need to refresh my memory for that reason. Otherwise, there are too many that I want to read and it would take too much time to re-read them. Also, many of them are part of a series, of which I have so much catching up to do.

Here's what I read and listened to in January. Reviews are linked to the titles.

Choosing Love (Mapleton 0.5), by Leah Dobrinska 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

#TagMe for Murder (Trending Topic Mystery 2), by Sarah E. Burr🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Pride, Prejudice, and Poison (Jane Austen Society Mystery 1), by Elizabeth Blake🍄🍄🍄🍄📱

Magic, Movies, and Murder (Bewitcher's Beach Mystery 1), by Emily Fluke🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🎧

Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-me Authors I Discovered in 2023

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This blog hop is brought to us by That Artsy Reader Girl. On her blog you will see links to the blogs of others who are participating in Top Ten Tuesday. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the party through the linky on her blog post.

This week's topic is New-to-me Authors I Discovered in 2023. I am linking each one to a review of one of their books. These are all authors whose books I want to keep reading.

COZY MYSTERIES

Bree Baker/Jacqueline Frost

Ginger Bolton

Elle Wren Burke

Sarah E. Burr

Laurie Cass

Emily Fluke

Sherry Harris

Cindy Quayle

ROMANCE/WOMENS FICTION

Laurie Beach

Nancy Naigle

Top Ten Tuesday - Cozy Mysteries I Meant to Read or Listen to in 2023, but Didn't Get To

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! This blog hop is brought to us by That Artsy Reader Girl. On her blog you will see links to the blogs of others who are participating in Top Ten Tuesday. If you are a blogger, feel free to join the party through the linky on her blog post.

This week's topic is Books I Meant to Read or Listen to in 2023, but Didn't Get To. There are so many! This is by no means a complete list, but here are ten of them. Although there are some books in other genres that I didn't get to, this list only includes cozy mysteries:

#TagMe for Murder (Trending Topic 2), by Sarah E. Burr

I started reading this last summer, but then life happened and I started to fall behind with everything. I'm currently listening to it now and enjoying it.

A Doomful of Sugar (Maple Syrup Mystery 1), by Catherine Bruns

I really wanted to read this in the fall. I even have my own copy of it. I'm looking forward to reading it this year, most likely long before fall.

A Fatal Feast (Murder, She Wrote 32), by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

I started to read this around Thanksgiving since that's when it's set, but again, I fell behind and decided to put it off until this year. I hope to read it in November this year. I really enjoyed the one Murder, She Wrote book I listened to and this one has the same vibe.

Assaulted Caramel (Amish Candy Shop Mystery 1), by Amanda Flower

I have my own physical copy of this book and I had planned on reading it last year. I really want to get started on this series, so hopefully that will happen this year.

Dewey Decimated (Haunted Library Mystery 6), by Allison Brook

I was doing so well reading each book in this series during the seasons in which they are set, but time got away from me in the fall last year. I am planning to read it this year. I really like this series.

Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 19), by Joanne Fluke
I'm still trying to work my way through the series that started it all for me. I had hoped to read this one last year, along with a few others in the series. Maybe 2024 will be the year I get all caught up.

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slaying (Mrs. Claus Mystery 1), by Liz Ireland

I was hoping to listen to this on audio during the holiday season, but I can't find it on Hoopla or Libby. Maybe I'll make time to read it this year, instead of waiting for the audiobook to become available to borrow.

Murder in G Major (Gethsemane Brown Mystery 1), by Alexia Gordon

I LOVED Hallmark's adaptation of this book last year and I had planned on reading it after watching the movie. It's on my bookgenda for this year.

Nutcracker Nightmare (Killer Chocolate Mystery 2), by Christina Romeril

I really hoped to read this second in series last year. Maybe I will read it during Christmas in July this year like I did the first one last year.

The Skeleton Takes a Bow (Family Skeleton Mystery 2), by Leigh Perry

Every time I even think of this series, I laugh because the whole idea of a skeleton that walks and talks is so amusing to me. I listened to the first in this series last year and I had planned on listening to the second one. Hopefully this year I will make that happen.

Looking at this list, I realize all of these were on my bookgenda for the second half of last year. Part of the reason I fell behind, I think, is because there are so many books set in the fall and winter that I wanted to read and I'm a mostly seasonal reader. The other reason is because things started happening in my life in the summer, which set me back the rest of the year.

The good news, of course, is the books are still out there in the world, with some being in my home. They aren't going anywhere, so I will still have a chance to read them this year.