Tome Thursday: The Mystery of Three Quarters

 

Hello everyone!

 

For a little while now I've been on a sort of mystery kick, and whenever this happens to me I usually start snooping around my Agatha Christie collection, because, really, who else to read but two of the most famous sleuths of all time?

 

Okay, Sherlock Holmes is also a distinct possibility, but I'll admit I need a special type of weather for him.

 

Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple, however, don't give me those hangups.

 

Besides, there are still some books I never managed to get to even though I've more or less gone through the entire collection before, a number of times.

 

BUT.

 

I'm not talking about an Agatha Christie original tonight, oh no.

 

No I'm going with a Sophie Hannah Poirot resurrection, of which there are now four new books altogether.

 

Tonight's pick is thus titled The Mystery of Three Quarters.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Don't Go Breaking My Heart

 

"Broken hearts do heal."

 

Hello everyone!

 

I am back to my regularly scheduled movie reviews each Tuesday, now that Men in Kilts has ended and there is no more show episode in sight.

 

But I'm still in the throes of Hallmark films, because reasons LOL.

 

To be fair I've sort of picked out my favourites from the lineup they have this year, and I will say I think said lineup is actually much shorter and the choices narrower because of the pandemic, but it might just be my imagination.

 

In any event, however, there does seem to be less to choose from, and I choose every other weekend or so.

 

Mostly because this year has been a disappointment in movie choices, to say the least. Hallmark is either losing its magic for me or something else is happening! Who knows.

 

I'm just not as enamoured with everything as much as I used to be, though I will admit that there are still exceptions.

 

I just can't decide where Don't Go Breaking My Heart falls.

 

Saturday Snippet: Captain America

 

 

Oh captain, my captain 😍

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: Clanlands

 

Hello everyone!

 

So before I bid adieu to Scotland entirely for some time (because naturally I could never do it forever!) I wanted to touch base with a book that I think might be one of the funniest I've read in a while.

 

And also educational considering it teaches you a lot of useful little tidbits about the country, too.

 

Plus, I mean, it's written by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. Need I say more?

 

If you thought Men in Kilts was something to laugh at and something to enjoy, you're going to LOVE this adventure into writing that the two of them went through together, because there is nothing funnier than reading about the by-play these two men have with one another just on a general kind of basis, not even on screen.

 

Yes, the show was scripted and filmed, and you learn more about that in this particular book, but we all knew that! It's no secret.

 

The secret is how these two didn't end up mortal enemies, or more specifically, how Graham didn't murder Sam along the way.

 

So kilt up one more time - a quick look at Clanlands is up next.

 

Men in Kilts: Battle of Culloden

 

"Oh sons of dogs, oh dogs of the breed,

Come, come here, on flesh to feed!"

 

Hello everyone!

 

And that's a wrap. 

 

We made it all the way through what is hopefully only season ONE of this show, because I'm pretty sure that every single one of us would love nothing more than to watch McTavish and Heughan traipse across some sort of landscape and give us the details as they go along.

 

I've seen commentary online that they could be giving a guided tour of the local Target or Tesco and people would still watch.

 

I mean, same, I totally would too!

 

All signs seem to point to a season two based on social media posts, but alas, for the time being, there hasn't really been any news of it, so we bid adieu to our two Scots who've done all the roadtripping.

 

And so, for one last time, it's hold on to your kilts, everybody.

The finale to Men in Kilts is up next.

Saturday Snippet: Duke of Edinburgh

 

RIP Prince Philip.

You will be missed.

 

xx

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: Lord John and the Haunted Soldier

 

Hello everyone!

 

So alright, I'm fudging a little this week since this isn't a full book that I'm adding into my collection.

 

HOWEVER, considering the way Diana Gabaldon herself looks at her second, off-shot series, it's still better than an actual novella would be, you know?

 

Every once in a while I'll go back and read some of the shorter stories the author's written, because while I do thoroughly enjoy her longer novels (and by longer I mean, as long as the day you're going through is with their thousands of pages), sometimes it's nice to be able to read through something in an afternoon.

 

No way this happens with, say, Voyager!

 

And I've been on an Outlander, or more specifically Scotland kick lately, thanks for Sam and Graham, so I mean.

 

If you're like me and you want to have a look at some other adventures that are just as fun but don't take as much out of the reader - read no further!

 

Lord John Grey is back. And he has a Haunted Solider to deal with.

 

Men in Kilts: Clans & Tartans

 

"Here's to long memories and friendship."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Despite the fact that the finale of Men of Kilts aired over this weekend, I'm an episode behind with it all because I took a bit of a break in between, which means that this week and the next will still be Scottish-coloured on the blog.

 

But when has that ever been a bad thing, am I right?

 

Our two favourite Scotsmen get themselves into even more trouble and hilarious situations just by existing, and it's one of those things that you really need to watch for yourself to believe. 

 

I mean, sure it's for the show and most of it is scripted, but these two manage to make it look as natural as it comes, which certainly amps up the appeal if you ask me.

 

I do, however, digress.

 

Right before the finale, we dived in to have a better look at just what even started this desire to learn more about Scotland and its history - the clans.

 

Clans & Tartans is up for debate next.

 

Saturday Snippet: Democracy

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: A Timeline Restored

 

Hello everyone!

 

I finally did it, finishing this trilogy that I started a while ago. I feel pretty proud of myself haha!

 

I'll often start something but then end up getting distracted and sort of forget that I have other books in the series to finish off, or the series will putter out and my interest in it will fade exponentially, which means that, yes, I still don't have everything finished which I might have started reviewing on here.

 

BUT.

 

This one is now officially wrapped and man, was it a good read. I highly, highly recommend it if you're looking for some dystopia, good, strong leads, and steamy romance all at the same time.

 

Rebecca Hefner manages to capture all of that and more in this trilogy of hers and I honestly can't WAIT to pick up another book of hers because she's definitely one of those writers you can read again and again and again.

 

It's probably why her books are currently still resting on my e-book shelf as opposed to getting deleted right off the bat.

 

A Timeline Restored, the final book in the Prevent the Past series, is up.

 

Men in Kilts: Scotland By Land, Air, and Sea

 

"What can go wrong?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

Our two Scotsmen return this week to take a bit of an additional trip across their homeland because, well, that's just the title of the episode.

 

And also because they love traipsing about.

 

Honestly though, even if this show were eight hours of Sam and Graham sitting in the camper van driving across the country, with the camera on their faces from the dashboard, I would've watched it, because that alone is priceless.

 

If you haven't heard Graham do a deep south fake American accent, now's your chance.

 

For one night, and one night only! LOL

 

But that aside, the lads do in fact show us some more beauty that is Scotland, and it's absolutely lovely to watch on screen, especially right now when travel is inhibited, if not forbidden.

 

Men in Kilts by Land, Air, and Sea, here we go!

 

Synopsis Saturday: Son of Ishtar

 

Hello everyone!

 

So as promised in my Thursday brief, I'm now finally finished with the first book in the historical series I'd picked up a while ago but never actually got around to reading right away.

 

Then, around the start of this week, I saw a tweet by the book author about the next installment in the series, and I thought to myself.

 

Did I not actually read those?

 

That sent me on the hunt through my e-library, and lo and behold, the first two books were sitting there, right as rain, and completely untouched.

 

I figured that was a bit of an insult, considering, and so I opened up the first one so that I might actually read through it and then decide whether or not it might be worth continuing on with the rest of the series, which, admittedly, is always a daunting task.

 

But I needn't have worried one bit.

 

Because Gordon Doherty delivers - and Son of Ishtar is one explosive beginning!

 

Thursday Trinket: Son of Ishtar

 

Coming this Saturday!

 

xx

*image not mine