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Originally posted on May 16, 2006 (See addendum at end of post) I just caught myself re-watching the ending to the movie Dirty Dancing. Again. Please note that I do not own a copy of this movie and I never re-watch the entire thing. I’m not even sure I like the whole thing. Yet, somehow, I routinely manage to find a way to re-watch the last ten minutes or so of it whenever I run across it on the tube and it’s replayed an amazing number of times so that’s added up over the years. I just love the ending of that movie, though. There’sRead More →

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(first posted July 12, 2006 but it’s a topic that never grows old… for me at least) Yes, I’m suddenly obsessed with finding a romance featuring a barbarian. And I’m not even sure what I’m looking for. So, help, please. Okay, yeah, I know that was a little too vague but you know how these reading cravings are. Sometimes they are vague. All I know is that the other night I found myself looking at my shelves and thinking I was extremely tired of reading about barbarians lurking under civilized veneers in contemporaries, Regencies and, heck, even some medievals. Suddenly, I wanted the real thing.Read More →

Journey to Love

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(originally published June 16, 2010) A post Maili wrote a month or so ago about exotic locales in romances got me nostalgic for some of the “travelogue romances” of yore. Now, granted there were some good points made during that discussion about the difference between stories about visitors and actual natives of various locations but I still have fond memories of some of the old series romances that featured these types of stories. Prime examples of this sub-genre are the books written by author Glenna Finley. Although a lot of Finley’s contemporary books do take place in the Pacific Northwest, many of them are scatteredRead More →

Ladybird by Grace Livingston Hill

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Consider this an addendum to Ten Nights of Love: Grace Livingston Hill. Working my way through checking and reformatting the Ten Nights of Love post series has been an interesting experience. One thing I’ve tried to double-check in each author post is that there is a link to an author site if possible. Or something that can stand in for one. Which is the case for Grace Livingston Hill because she passed away long before the Internet. There is, however, a fan-site for her books that is fantastic. This labor of love is an absolute treasure trove of information. There is stuff not only aboutRead More →

Stardew Valley

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Several years ago my son ran across a game “Let’s Play” on YouTube for Stardew Valley. At the time it was a brand new independently created (by one person) farming simulation game. He was mildly interested in getting it. Eventually. However, when his sister and I saw that video we wanted it immediately. Like, download it now.  And we were right.  It is probably one of the sweetest games out there, in several different ways. It’s a very easy game to play plus it also has a very “sweet” mood. Casual is an understatement when describing Stardew Valley. You can do as little or asRead More →

Avatar Aang

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or some reasons I love Avatar: The Last Airbender When the original promo for Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) first came out I was intrigued. It seemed to have a fairly simple premise with a lot of possibility. So when the pilot episode for it aired on February 21, 2005, I was primed and waiting to watch it. By the time we finished that first episode of ATLA I knew something magical was happening. I just didn’t know how magical it was going to be ultimately until the series was finished. my first 9 reasons for the magic (spoiler free) #10 The bending AKA theRead More →

Christmas tree

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First posted Dec 18 2018, reposted with minor edits and links updated as needed These are some of my personal/family favorite Christmas movies that we usually watch in the days leading up to Christmas. The first one isn’t even a Christmas movie (but if you are of a certain age you may know why it’s on this list) and two of them are favorite animated classics.  When I was very little, not saying when, this movie aired on TV every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Therefore I will always and forever believe it should be rewatched a week or two before Christmas.  For some reasonRead More →

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

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(originally published June 14, 2018) The first seven on this list I borrowed from The Agatha Christie Companion because they’re basically a sampler of the best of Christie’s style and voice. Not to mention her ability to craft a puzzle. I like them all, some more than others, so I’ve always thought they make a good start to a top ten. These last three are my own additions to the above to round out my ten and, oddly, they are all anthologies which I think makes a nice addition anyway.Read More →

Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated

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(originally posted June 30, 2022) I am a big fan of Scooby Doo. Not in the fanatical sense but definitely in the “Scooby Doo is comfort food for me” camp.  So usually I downright devour any series or movie they put out. Well, unless they’re absolutely ridiculous. Looking at you Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! That one is just too weird to watch. ‘Nuff said. But when Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated first came out, I actually didn’t like it. At all. In fact, I could easily say I actively hated it. And wondered what the creators were smoking. (Oddly not in the same wayRead More →

magnifying glass

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(first posted March 12, 2021) But that’s not the most intriguing part. It was originally published in 1925. By a man. Oh, and there’s more. It’s the first Charlie Chan novel by Earl Derr Biggers titled The House Without a Key.  As far as I know I’ve seen most of the Charlie Chan movies many times. I actually like them. Now I know that those movies are a point of contention regarding the fact that a white man was cast, not once but multiple times, as an Asian. It’s a valid point. It’s also how things were done then. However the thing that’s always struckRead More →

Nick and Nora of The Thin Man movies

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I have the complete set of six The Thin Man movies staring William Powell and Myrna Loy. They are simply perfection, individually and collectively. Periodically I will pull them out and rewatch them in order, usually a couple a night for several nights. They’re only like an hour and a half each so that’s workable.  Occasionally I will get in the mood to go right to my two favorites – Shadow of the Thin Man and Song of the Thin Man. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you which of those two is my top favorite. I enjoy them equally just for different reasons. It’sRead More →

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I make no secret about my love for Lois & Clark. I saved this one for Valentines Day because it makes me smile. So curl up with your super bestie. Or a good book. Both work.Read More →

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thinking deep thoughts while healing I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately while recovering from surgery. One topic that kept coming up is how I mentally divide most stuff into “re-enjoyable” and “once and done”. It kept coming up because I kept looking at my shelves and trying to find something to re-enjoy. I say re-enjoy because I’m not just talking about reading here. There’s also watching and playing. Okay mostly watching for the last few weeks. But I have gotten some reading in too. Games not so much because, you know, moving hurts. Much better to just sit and absorb. No thinking orRead More →

Harry Potter

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Warning! Possible spoiler ahead for that one person in the world who hasn’t ever been exposed to Harry Potter… Just saying. So, I’ve been re-watching the Harry Potter films the last few days and had a minor revelation. Admittedly J. K. Rowling isn’t the greatest writer in the world. Of course, these were supposed to be children’s books that became so much more. And as children’s stories the writing is fantastic.  However – and this is what hit me – she does an absolutely amazing job of laying out threads throughout the entire series. Threads that are not visible at first. And yet when youRead More →