"The Ultimate Gift"

"The Ultimate Gift" is based on a best-selling novel by Jim Stovall and stars Drew Fuller as Jason Stevens, a young man living on a trust fund enjoying life but without any direction.  When his grandfather (played by James Garner) dies, Jason receives a rather unusual inheritance - a series of "gifts" that start out as trials when he is sent to work on the ranch of his grandfather's close friend (played by Brian Dennehy).  Along the way he meets a terminally ill girl (played by Abigail Breslin) and her mother.  Jason has to lose everything to gain an understanding of true friendship, true family, and much much more.  As Jason matures through these "gifts," we see a totally different young man.

This is a heartwarming, inspirational movie that my spouse and I have already watched twice and we learn something knew with each viewing.  I heartily recommend it - pazt

"Earthly Delights"

"Earthly Delights" is the first book in the Corinna Chapman mystery series by Kerry Greenwood.  Greenwood is the creator of the Phryne Fisher mystery series which I have yet to read but I love the Australian TV series based on those books (watched the first season on DVD and am eagerly awaiting the second season to air then make it to DVD's).  That was enough to prompt me to check out more of her work.

Corinna left the accountant/banker field and her husband to start her own business, "Earthly Delights" in Melbourne, Australia.  Why?  Because she found she didn't like her high profile career or her husband and loved baking bread.  She lives in an eccentric 8 story building with 16 apartments, an assortment of businesses and an equally eccentric group of neighbors. 

In this first book in the series Corinna becomes involved accidentally with some drug addicts and that leads to an involvement with a gorgeous hunk of man (Daniel) who acts as security for the nightly bus that delivers food to street people -- most of them addicts.  While she's busy trying to figure out why he would fall for an overweight woman and whether his motives are true, he asks for her help in discovering who is killing some of the addicts.

In the meantime, someone is threatening the tenants in her building as well as herself and that brings Senior Constable Letty White to the building to investigate who could be behind the terrorism of the tenants.  By the end of the book, Corinna has taken on a recovering addict as an assistant in her bakery because he has a talent for making muffins "to die for."  She's also helped Daniel and Constable White solve their mysteries.  I enjoyed it enough that I've already sent for the second book in this series.  pazt

"The Tidal Poole"

Karen Harper's "The Tidal Poole" is the second book in her historical Elizabeth I mystery fiction series.  The book starts with 25 year old Bess Tudor returning from exile to be crowned Queen after the death of her half sister, Queen Mary.  When the sister of one of Elizabeth's dearest friends at court is brutally murdered, Elizabeth cannot refuse her friend's request to look into the murder.  That decision, however, leads her to an intricate plot against herself and puts many of her young sleuths lives at risk, too.  Elizabeth also begins to doubt many of those around her who she thought were trusted friends.  It's beginning to be difficult to know who to trust - or believe!  Taking things more closely into her own hands, though, might get her killed - what to do?  You'll have to read this one to find out...pazt  

"Dark of the Moon"

John Sandford's "Dark of the Moon" is the first book featuring Virgil Flowers in his own series.  Before now he's been in the "Prey" series books that evidently feature his boss, Lucas Davenport, at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.  I have yet to read that series but after reading a couple of Sandford books I'm ready to read any I can find. 

Flowers has been sent to the small town of Bluestem to assist the local sheriff, Jim Stryker, against whom he once played high school ball.  Flowers is a specialist in solving murders and murder is new to Bluestem so, after the murder of a prominent local older couple, Flowers is called in to assist the sheriff in the investigation -- or, in reality, to take charge.  On his way into Bluestem he spots a fire which turns out to be the scene of another homicide.  All of the victims were known to each other and were older so Flowers begins investigating the links between them to find a motive.  Although Flowers becomes well acquainted with a lot of the locals, he doesn't let that blind him to possible murder suspects no matter how likeable they seem to him. 

In the meantime, the thrice married and divorced Flowers starts a fling with the sheriff's sister while the sheriff has a new romance of his own.  However, romance has to take a back seat to murder as well as self-preservation when it appears Flowers may have become a target himself. 

I started this book last evening and finished it this afternoon.  I resisted the temptation to peak ahead to find out who the murderer was and am glad I did.  The book is complex and kept me interested to the end.  Sandford is a great mystery writer!  pazt

"Pie In The Sky" Series 4

My spouse and I finished watching "Pie In The Sky" Series 4 DVD's starring Richard Griffiths last week.  The first episode actually had some murders to solve (murders have been rare or practically nonexistent in this series).  Series 4 consists of 6 episodes on 2 discs and this series continues to be a favorite of ours.  The last episode almost ties it up in a tidy bow and could have been the end of the series - leaving it to our imaginations a bit.  However, there is a Series 5 and I am looking forward to watching it!  pazt 

"Passport to Crime-the Finest Mystery Stories from International Crime Writers"

Janet Hutchings edited "Passport to Crime - the Finest Mystery Stories from International Crime Writers."  These stories first appeared in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and were selected from some of the most popular writers of crime fiction in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Japan and translated to English.  Some of these authors have had a novel or two translated for publication in the United States and I liked all of these authors well enough that I'm going to make a list of those works and try to find them so I can read their full length stories.  If you like mysteries and want some short stories to read before falling asleep, this might be just the perfect book for you.  It was for me!  pazt