Eurovision 2017, Semi-Final #2 -- A Review

I’m back again for Eurovision 2017, Semi-Final #2. I’m hoping this is the happy peppy, fun night as compared to last night’s festival of the same act. I have high hopes of at least one fun entry. I hope it lives up to my expectation.

We had dinner before the Semi-Final began, so I am ready to comment without interruptions or distractions. We had pizza for dinner, but I know there are some crème wafer cookies in the kitchen as well as a chocolate bar and some gummy frogs. I’m really getting excited and it’s getting harder and harder to keep my bounces in check.

I still miss Julia and Sam. It’s just not the same without them. SBS, bring back the good host team next year, please?

The Ukraine on-stage hosts are cheesy and silly, but I kind of like them. The opening act is interesting and fun, well-done and enjoyable. I hope the rest of the show lives up to it.

Serbia:
Tirana Bogićević
In Too Deep
Not terrible, but not a favorite. It feels like a generic song on a Top 40 radio channel. The costume was interesting, again with the see-through skirts.

Austria:
Nathan Trent
Running on Air
I kind of like this. It’s got a fun element to it, and he’s not showing off. This is my first Top 10 pick of the night.

F.Y.R. Macedonia:
Jana Burčeska
Dance Alone
The commentators just mentioned that she’s pregnant, which might mean she’s not actually dancing alone, but I don’t think I’m supposed to be that literal. It wasn’t terrible, and it’s could be very popular with preteen girls. It’s not terrible, but I’m not ready to put it in my Top 10 just yet.

Just an observation, I think it's time Greece stopped pouting and let the country be called just Macedonia. How long does it have to be saddled with the F.Y.R. Greece, grow up and acknowledge other places can, and do have the same names.

Malta:
Claudia Faniello
Breathlessly
The commentators are right, this does have a Celine Dion feel. It’s not terrible, but not my favorite.

Romania:
Iliac featuring Alex Florea
Yodel It!
I love this! It’s so much fun! Just what I watch Eurovision for, the fun, silliness. Top 10 right here. I suspect it will move on to the Final, but I will be truly surprised, and genuinely thrilled if it wins overall. The canons are an interesting interpretative element.

The Netherlands:
OG3NE
Lights and Shadows
I don’t dislike this one, but I can’t get excited about it either. It seems boring coming right after the yodeling. And I thought the name was a variation on orange, being from The Netherlands. I totally didn’t get the o-gene aspect of it.

Hungary:
Joci Pápai
Origo
Full points for singing in his native language. This gets a Top 10 vote just for that. Electric violins are fascinating to me. I wonder about how they work without a box to vibrate. But that’s just me.

I think music is a universal language and you can like the song and understand the emotions it is meant to evoke one if you do not understand the language of the lyrics; just think about operas. I will always vote for the entries that sing in their native languages over English. It’s hard to “Celebrate Diversity” when there is none.

Denmark:
Anja
Where I Am
This is a song was designed to win a reality competition and I can feel it. It’s not terrible, but not a favorite.

Yes, we get she’s from Australia and we get that we should vote for her just for that. Sorry commentators, I am picking my favorites based on my opinion of them.

Ireland:
Brendan Murray
Dying to Try
I like the balloon. He looks like a former boy-band member. It’s not a terrible song or a terrible performance, but I’m unsure of it. I’ll have to wait until the end to see where Ireland falls in my Top 10. Where’s the other singer? There was another voice on the track, but not on stage. Hmm.

San Marino:
Valentina Moletta and Jimmie Wilson
Spirit of the Night
This feels leftover from the height of disco. It’s not bad, though the lyrics distracted me. I had to look up St. Elmo’s Fire, and that led me to other things and thoughts and I missed most of this performance.

Croatia:
Jacques Houdek
My Friend
He’s not going to win. And that’s a shame, because he’s giving a great performance and I’m enjoying it, a Top 10 for sure.

Norway: 
JOWST
Grant the Moment
Are the backup performers in the witness protection program? Or do they just not want to ever be identified with performing at Eurovision? The performance is a bit distracting, but I am enjoying the song.

Switzerland:
Timebelle
Apollo
She has feathers. It’s not bad and the similarity of “I follow” and “Apollo” in the lyrics is interesting.

Belarus:
Naviband
Story of My Life
Native language! And a fun bouncy song, what’s not to like? The airboat is fun too. Yes, this is definitely a favorite of the night. I hope they go to the final.

Bulgaria:
Kristian Kostov
Beautiful Mess
There is nothing special about this performance to me. It’s background music, not objectionable, but nothing I’d seek out specifically.

Lithuania:
Fusedmarc
Rain of Revolution
This is interesting, the the way that I do not understand it and cannot decide whether I like it or not.

Estonia:
Koit Toome & Laura
Verona
This feels like a movie theme. It’s not terrible, but I can definitely see credits rolling under this song.

Israel:
IMRI
I Feel Alive
It was not bad, but I’m not rushing out to by the cd.

Ohh, it’s going to be hard to round out my Top 10. There were a good number of just okay entries tonight.

My Top 10:
1. Austria
2. Romania
3. Hungary
4. Croatia
5. Belarus
6. Norway
7. F.Y.R. Macedonia
8. Lithuania
9. Ireland
10. Israel

The cooking segments were interesting tonight. I do like finding out about different cuisines. And the throws to the segments were better tonight.

The wedding proposal was sweet. Best wishes to the happy couple.

Actual Finalists
1. Bulgaria
2. Belarus
3. Croatia
4. Hungary
5. Denmark
6. Israel
7. Romania
8. Norway
9. The Netherlands
10. Austria

I won’t be doing a review of the Final because it’s on Mother’s Day here in Australia and we’re hosting my housemate’s parents for dinner. I’ll record the final and watch it later, but won’t do a blog about it. I’m sorry to not be reviewing it, particularly since I haven’t heard the automatic qualifiers’ songs yet, but I will watch it and I am sure to enjoy it.

Thanks for watching along with me,
Tigger

Eurovision 2017, Semi-Final #1 -- A Review

My friend Tigger is back with his review of Eurovision 2017.
I hope you enjoy Eurovision as much as he does.
Oliver

I was helping get dinner ready so I came in just as the performances started.  And now, without any preliminary chatter, let's just get to the performances.

Sweden:
Robin Bengtsson
I Can’t Go On
Robin is a former boy-band member trying to make it solo. Or at least that’s what it feels like. It’s not one of my favorites for the night. His suit was quite nice though.

Georgia:
Tamara Gachechiladze
Keep the Faith
That’s a big voice from one small lady. The Australian commentators said this was inspired by a James Bond theme song — yes I can see that. But I don’t really like it.

SBS, I miss Julia and Sam. I like Myf, but I miss Julia and Sam. On the plus note, I haven’t seen the Australian entry teased for months, so I’m not sick of it already.

Australia:
Isaiah
Don’t Come Easy
The song was not bad, though the lyrics were a bit repetitive. Could be a top 10 choice, but just one the cusp right now.

Albania:
Lindita
World
It’s not bad, but a bit same-samey. There is nothing at all unique or unusual about this entry.

So far, the acts are very similar, solo artist with or without backup, with stadium filling big voices. It’s not a bad thing, but I was hoping for some more variety. And I was really hoping a few acts would sing in their native language rather than English.

Belgium:
Blanche
City Lights
I like this one. This is a top 10 vote for me. Yes, I really like this one.

Montenegro:
Slavko Kalezić
Space
This is a nightclub song, something to dance to rather than something to sing. Using his hair as a prop is original.

Finland:
Norma John
Blackbird
The song felt like a sad song, but the music is not as sad as it seems. There is a hope in the music that was echoed in the delivery. I do like it. Definitely a favorite for the night.

Azerbaijan:
Dihaj
Skeletons
This feels more like performance art. And I know that’s what Eurovision is, but I mean performance art in a “making a statement” kind of way, not a performance. I might have liked the song better had the performance been a bit different.

Portugal:
Salvador Sobral
Ama Pelos Dois
Full points for native language! He gets my vote! I was prepared to not like him for the hipster persona, but best performance yet!

Greece:
Demy
This Is Love
They are splashing puddles. I like the puddles. Other than that it’s a standard Eurovision entry. She looks very happy with her performance and that’s a good thing.

Poland:
Kasia Moś
Flashlight
There is nothing special about this song. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either.

See-through skirts are popular this year.

Moldova:
Sunstroke Project
Hey Mamma
It started out sounding very Calypso to me. It’s fun song, and just what I watch Eurovision for; a Top 10 vote.

Iceland:
Scala
Paper
This reminds me of P!nk. Not terrible, just nothing special or different enough to win.

Czech Republic:
Martina Bárta
My Turn
Points for just signing the song, simply without too much flash and show. The extra syllables felt like she was practicing a national anthem for a football game. But it was not too terrible.

Cyprus:
Hovig
Gravity
I think this would be better if he were descending from above during the song, but the precision choreography is cool. Not bad, a Top 10 for me.

Armenia:
Artsvik
Fly With Me
It’s not bad. I wouldn’t vote for this song to win, but it’s not bad and should go to the finals.

Some of the outfits look like they have been recycled from the old Star Trek costumes. They could be flashier or more culturally authentic. For a celebration of European music and performers, it is getting to be quite generically American. This isn’t Europe’s Got Talent, be quirky, unusual…original! Take a chance! You have nothing to lose, and if you fall, your country won’t have to host next year.

Slovenia:
Omar Naber
On My Way
I don’t mind it, it was okay, but it feels like a Broadway show tune, as the hero sets out on the quest.

Latvia:
Triana Park
Line
This is the first really weird Eurovision performance I’ve seen tonight, not counting the performance art from Azerbaijan. The colors, the weird costumes, the weird hair, yes it has everything a quirky Eurovision entry needs.

My Top 10:
1. Portugal
2. Moldova
3. Belgium
4. Cyprus
5. Finland
6. Latvia
7. Slovenia
8. Armenia
9. Greece
10. Australia

The throws to the snack recipe segments are bad, it seems too forced. The commentators seem uncomfortable with the script.

Actual Finalists:
1. Moldova
2. Azerbaijan
3. Greece
4. Sweden
5. Portugal
6. Poland
7. Armenia
8. Australia
9. Cyprus
10. Belgium

See you tomorrow night for a review of Semi-Final #2,
Tigger

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 7
Monopoly Property: Mediterranean Avenue
Book: The Janissary Tree
Author: Jason Goodwin

This book was purchased during my Adventure in the City for National Bookstore Day 2013. I know my housemate had been considering the book for sometime then, but still it took us several years to actually read the book. Some people can read any book any time, but my housemate needs to be in the right frame of mind to read some books, and The Janissary Tree was one she needed to be ready to read.

I agree. This is not the kind of book you can read whenever or wherever. It was definitely a book that needed my full attention as a reader.

I enjoyed the story, but not so much he author’s style. It seemed that the author was trying to tell the story from the point of view of many, but not all, of the people involved in real time. The narrative would follow one character’s point of view for a while through some events, then begin again with a different character’s point of view and catch up with that character’s part of the tale. Throughout the book, there was much jumping back and forth in time, with no real indication that a jump had been made. That kind of jumping made it difficult to follow the story well, and made me as a reader wonder if I had gotten the whole story, with all the clues, or was I missing certain parts necessary to my ability to figure out the mystery alongside the investigator.

Another problem I had with the book was the use of foreign titles and words with no explanation. I realize the author knows what seraskier, ferrenghi, and effendi mean, but with no explanation to readers unfamiliar with the customs and language of the Ottoman court, it was difficult to know who the characters were. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the look inside the Ottoman court, a period and place in history I know very little about, but it would have been better if there had been a cast of characters and/or a glossary of foreign words provided for readers.

I enjoyed the book, but with certainly stylistic changes, I could have enjoyed it so very much more. I have read other books written from the point of view of several characters, but in those, the author either told the tale of each character to a particular point and then began again with another character until all the parts met at the denouement, or the author clearly indicated which character and when in time the tales were. If the story jumps from one character’s part to another, it is important to let the reader know in a clear fashion.

Overall, it was an interesting read, and I am interested enough to read more in the series, but these are books that definitely need your full attention as a reader to understand and enjoy.

One Bear’s Opinion: Three cups of Turkish Coffee with some Turkish Delight

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 1
Monopoly Property: Pennsylvania Avenue
Book: Thunder on the Right
Author: Mary Stewart

My copy of Thunder on the Right actually fit both tasks for Pennsylvania Avenue: Read a thriller/suspense book or a book with a purple cover. This was a 2004 mass market paperback reprint of the book, with a scene of a horse in a valley in shades of purple on the cover. I wasn’t thinking about it fitting both tasks, but was happy it did.

My housemate has kept records of her reading since 2000, and according to her records, we read this book in 2009. She said she did not remember anything about the book, but I did. So it was a re-read to me, and like most re-reads, it was well worth the second read.

I don’t want to say too much about the book, because I am afraid of spoiling it, and the parts of the book that stick out most are the parts that would give away the plot.

Like Mary Stewart’s other thrillers, this one is a bit slow to start. There is a great deal of set up before the real action of the book begins, but there are enough little clues to draw the reader through to the book without dragging.

I believe Mary Stewart’s books are categorized as romantic thrillers or romantic suspense, and I suppose that is as good a categorization as any other, though I don’t read enough thriller or suspense to know for sure. A member of a group I belong to suggested that Mary Stewart’s books are cozy mysteries. That I know is not true. There may be elements of a mystery, but they are in no way cozy mysteries. So I am not really sure where to put the book on the genre spectrum, I just know it’s a very good read, and a very good re-read.

One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of a calming tisane and a plate of macaroons

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 8
Monopoly Property: Community Chest #3
Book: The Poyson Garden
Author: Karen Harper

This was almost a free read, as the task for the property was to “read a book from any historical mystery series.” The group where I originally found this reading challenge picks a featured author each month and this month’s featured author was one of my suggestions, Karen Harper, so The Poyson Garden was was perfect choice, as it fit both challenges.

According to Goodreads and my personal records, I read this book for the first time in 2002. I could not remember exactly when I read it, but I remembered I enjoyed it enough at the time to read the rest of the series. The re-read was equally enjoyable, though I did find myself comparing this book to Murder at Hatfield House that I read last year.

Both were mysteries set before Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth I, and both featured attempts on the Princess’ life. There were some similar characters, if only because some of the characters were real people and since both stories were based on those real people, it would have been strange had the important real people not been characters in both.

Even in the re-read I found the Karen Harper series to be lighter and more fitting the definition of cozy than the Amanda Carmack series, though both series’ first books were very good introductions. And both encouraged readers to seek out the next-in-series. I do have to give a slight edge to the Karen Harper series, if only because they are lighter, and if I’m honest, because of Edward Thompson, alias Ned Topside. The actor is one of my favorite characters, and I missed him in the Amanda Carmack series.

The mystery was interesting, and while there weren't too many red herrings, it was interesting to watch as the characters discovered the murderer. There were a couple of scary parts, and I was glad I had people around me while I was reading those parts, but they were quick, not too graphic, and fit well in the story. There is an animal in the book that I wondered about the first time I read the book, but have since actually seen, and heard, in person. It was amazing in person, and having had that experience made the scenes in the book even more spine-tingling real. And while I don't know if it is historically accurate, I share Princess Elizabeth's almost paralyzing fear of bees.

It was fun to re-discover The Poyson Garden and I am looking forward to re-discovering the rest of the series, either as part of my Monopoly Reading Challenge or just books to be read for fun.

One Bear’s Opinion: Four Glasses of Mead with a plate of oatcakes

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 4
Monopoly Property: B&O Railroad
Book: The Silver Locomotive Mystery
Author: Edward Marston

The task for the B&O Railroad property was to read a book where the protagonist sets out on journey at some point during the book. I thought a mystery in the Railway detective series would definitely fit the bill. And it did. I lost count of the number of times the characters went from London to Cardiff and back again in the book, and there were a couple of train trips to other areas as well.

The Silver Locomotive Mystery revolved around a murder and theft of a silver coffeepot made in the shape of a locomotive. Reading the book, I kept wondering what people would want a silver coffeepot for. Surely the using it would tarnish the silver quickly, and having it just sit on the shelf seems pointless, but that’s just me and I’d rather have my shelf space devoted to books than knick-knacks or trinkets.

This was the sixth book in the Inspector Robert Colbeck/Railway Detective series. It was the first one I had read, so the references to previous adventures — and there were quite a few — were lost on me. I felt a bit lost when the proviso adventures were mentioned, and would have preferred either fewer mentions or more explanation, but that’s a problem with coming in in the middle of an established series. I have seen it in other series I read, though for the most part I have begun at the beginning.

The book was an easy read, and the mystery had the detective guessing as well as readers. There were plenty of red herrings, but all seemed plausible at the time. There were a couple of plot threads that were left dangling and that bothered me. But overall, the book was worth reading and I may search out the rest of the series at some point, if I can find them for the right price. I got this one at a remainders sale for $4 and would pay that much for it, but anything more might be too much. And I feel somewhat bad about that. Edward Marston writes under other pseudonyms, and his series set on classic ocean liners written as Conrad Allen is one of my favorites. I am a bit disappointed that I did not enjoy this episode as much as that one.

Overall Rating: Three Cups of Tea with cakes enjoyed in the observation car

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: none
Monopoly Property: none
Book: The Scottie Barked at Midnight
Author: Kaitlyn Dunnett

I had finished my previous book not long before I had to leave for dinner and while I rolled for my next Monopoly property, I didn’t have time to research and find a book that fit the task requirements, so I just grabbed this book off the shelf to have a book to take with us to dinner, so it's not part of my Monopoly Reading Challenge.

The Scottie Barked at Midnight is the ninth book in the Liss MacCrimmon Scottish mystery series. It was a fun book, though most of that was due to Dandy and Dondi, the Scottish terriers central to the plot and the title. If you were to take out the terriers, the mystery might not have been as good. I enjoyed the interaction with the dogs, but the rest of the plot was a bit thin, and it was easy to pick out the murderer and even the reason.

In many ways, I think small town mysteries are harder to write, if only because there are a limited number of characters in the main character’s circle and either new ones are brought in to be the victim or perpetrator, or a fan favorite has to be. It’s easy to pick the victim and killer in the story because they are the new to town characters. The formula is the same in any small town mystery. So the mystery is not the reason to read these series.

But in this instance, the characters are not the reason either. The interplay between the familiar characters was not there in this episode. Without the dogs and the murder, there was nothing left to keep my interest. Though the theories presented about reality competition shows are interesting and more than likely at least partially true, there still was not enough to make this episode a “must read” one of the series. If you are planning to skip one in the series, this is a perfect one to choose. And if you are just beginning the series, I suggest you try and find some of the earlier books; this is not the best of the bunch.

One Bear’s Opinion: Three cups of tea and a packet of granola bars, for energy

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 6
Monopoly Property: Kentucky Avenue
Book: Murder at the Breakers
Author: Alyssa Maxwell

The task for the Kentucky Avenue property was to read a book set in the Victorian Era or with a red cover. Murder at the Breakers book is set in 1895, so towards the end of the Victorian era, but still it fits the requirements.

I had read books set in Newport during the “Gilded Age” before, and have in fact even been to several of the places mentioned in the book. On my very first cruise, I visited the Breakers and Cliff Walk, so I have an idea of the setting. I was looking forward to reading this book since I found about it during the Cozy Read-a-Thon I participated in last year.

I had higher hopes for it. The characters were interesting, but not particularly likable. I never grew to care for any of the characters as friends, and found myself not enjoying the book or the setting very much. I read the entire book hoping it would get better, and it really never did. The mystery was intriguing, and I had fun figuring out the murderer, though I didn’t guess before the main character put it all together.

I haven’t decided as to whether I am going to seek out other books in the series, or just re-read the Gilded Age series by Mary Kruger.

One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of lemonade and some average petit fours

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 7
Monopoly Property: Pennsylvania Railroad
Book: Fer-de-Lance
Author: Rex Stout

Fer-de-Lance is the first in the Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series. Nero Wolfe has long been a favorite of my housemate’s mother, and we have wanted to read the series since we read Murder by the Book a couple of years ago. But that was not why we chose to read this book right now. Naturally, we prefer to read a series in order, and starting with the first one is the best way to do that, but we chose this book because it’s primarily set in New York, both New York City and further out in the country in places like White Plains. The task for Pennsylvania Railroad was to read a book set in a place you’d like to visit. And I’d like to visit New York, especially if I could have a meal at Rusterman’s, one of the few places Nero Wolfe goes on the rare occasions when he leaves his house.

Fer-de-Lance is not one of the Nero Wolfe mysteries I had heard in the car as a book-on-tape on long family drives, or one of the books that was turned into an episode of A Nero Wolfe Mystery in the most recent incarnation of the series in tv. So I knew nothing about the book other than it was the first-in-series and set up the series. I am glad I didn’t know anything about book before I read it. It was fun to discover the characters on my own.

Many other reviewers have noted that the Nero Wolfe books are more about the interaction between the characters, mostly Archie and Nero, than the about the mystery or the plot. And that is true. The books are at their heart a story of two men. Over the course of the 47-book series, the characters do not age and the settings only change with the times as a reaction to the author moving along in time. The Archie of the last book is exactly the same as the Archie of the first book. It is explained that Nero Wolfe has a set schedule in the first book, and in the last, he is still as rigid in that schedule as he ever was. The series is timeless, and the consistency of the characters makes it so.

The mystery of Fer-de-Lance is interesting because it is a rather unusual method of murder. And yes, the title snake does make an appearance in the book. It’s an ingenious use of the reptile.

Over all the book was a fun introduction to the characters and knowing that there are 46 more adventures (well, 44, since we have already read two books of the series) to be had with Archie and Nero makes it more fun to meet them now. I highly recommend everyone make an acquaintance with Archie and Nero. They are good friends, made even more so by the number of adventures to be had with them, and the consistency of their characters across those adventures.

One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of milk with a plate of yummy cookies

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 4
Monopoly Property: Vermont Avenue
Book: Clammed Up
Author: Barbara Ross

Clammed Up is the first in the Maine Clambake series. I initially got it because Bar Harbor is one of my favorite stops on the Canada/New England cruise and I thought it would be fun to read a mystery set in a similar place.

I was a bit disappointed by the book. The setting was lovely, but the characters were not incredibly likable. I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I wanted to finish the book, because the mystery was intriguing, but as for the characters, I do not particularly like them. The main characters seem to be incredibly selfish and self-involved, so much that I was really hoping for one of them to be the murderer, if only to justify my dislike of them.

The book was okay, and I did enjoy visiting the Maine coast, even a fictional Maine coast, but I do not necessarily have to seek out the rest of the series.

I am always torn when I do not like the book. I feel that I should, and then I should be able to say really nice, good things about the book. But the truth is, Clammed Up is, to me anyway, an average cozy mystery. It was not terrible, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be either. It’s just an average book all the way around.

One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of lemonade drunk while watching the tide go out

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: 4
Monopoly Property: Income Tax
Book: Pretty Lady
Author: Marian Babson

The task for this property was to read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the lowest rating on Goodreads. In my case, that was Pretty Lady by Marian Babson, with an average rating of 2.8/5. I found that interesting, as Marian Babson is usually a good read and worth the time. Sometimes the book are slow to start, but by the end, it’s definitely moving faster and the conclusion is usually interesting and well-plotted. In fact, most times I read a book by Marian Babson, I end up thinking to myself that I should read more of her books, and read them more often.

Pretty Lady started in a disturbing manner, and I was quite concerned as to where the plot would end up. In fact, it was so disturbing I was considering giving up on the book. But by the time I got to the end, I was glad I read the book and finished it.

The characters were real people and I like that in books. In some books the characters are nice and friendly, but it’s obvious they live in a fictional world. The same way in many television shows and movies, the characters do not exist in the same world real people do. I find this phenomenon to be particularly noticeable in cozies where amateurs are the investigators — either because they are allowed to stick their nose in an official police investigation without real or significant consequence, or because there are so many people in such small towns that are victims of murder. In my whole life, and admittedly most of it was spent in a largish metropolitan area, not a small town, I have only known one person who was murdered, and there was no question as to who committed the murder.

But Marian Babson’s characters are real, and they live in a real world, and have real people problems, feelings, and lives. It’s comforting to see that in books.

Pretty Lady was a typical Marian Babson mystery. There was a great deal of plot exposition before the murder and once the murder was committed, the book ended within pages. The set-up to the story is far more important than the action of the story in Babson’s mysteries. And that may be one of the reasons they have a lower than average rating on Goodreads. But if you don’t mind the kind of writing Marian Babson does, then you will not mind her books, and may even enjoy them.

One Bear’s Opinion: Three Cups of Tea with some nice, but store-bought biscuits

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Roll: Start
Monopoly Property: Go
Book: Superfluous Women
Author: Carola Dunn

This was not only my first read of 2017, but it marked the start of my 2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge. I was reading on the site where I found the original Monopoly Reading Challenge that most people planned out their reading ahead of time, but having done reading challenges before where the reading had to be carefully planned out, I knew that strategy was not for me. So although I read the tasks for each property, I didn’t investigate further or plan out reading for each task. I think that is the best strategy for me, and am looking forward to figuring out which books on my shelves or Kindle fit each property’s task when I land on it.

Everyone starts at Go, naturally. Go is a free read, meaning I could read any book I wanted. After scanning my shelves, I decided to read the latest (though hopefully not the last) Daisy Dalrymple mystery. It had been a while since I caught up with Daisy, but time did not seem to matter a bit. Daisy is still as fun as ever, and as good a friend as she always was. And Alec and the gang at the Yard are just as exasperated with her adventures as ever.

This was a fun adventure and introduced group of people, that while I had known, never really considered needing a group name. The title refers to the women who outnumbered men in England following the ravages of the first World War and the 1918 Influenza epidemic. There were truly not enough men for every woman to marry, and the unmarried women were collectively referred to as “Superfluous Women” or “Surplus Women” as though they were factory over-runs. It was a an issue, because despite these women’s best efforts, they did not fit in the societal norms at the time.

The Superfluous Women (though I hate calling the group that, as it seems belittling and derogatory) of the title were a group of three women who moved into a house together after circumstances made it necessary for them to begin again in a new town. The small town they moved to, like many towns, did not know quite what to make of them, or what to do with them, but by the end of the book, things were definitely looking a bit better for the women.

Because it was a murder mystery, there had to be a murder, and as usual, Daisy was mixed up in it from finding the body to the end of the investigation. The body had been found in the women’s newly purchased house, and while the police didn’t actually suspect them, both they and their personal stories are important parts of the investigation.

The mystery itself was interesting, and I had suspicions about the murderer, but it was fun to read the book and see how all the pieces and red herrings fit together in the investigations — both official and Daisy’s. Most of the regular characters were present, and even though Tom Tring had retired from the force, he was present and involved in the investigation. It would not have been the same without Tom involved. I hope he will be involved in future Daisy adventures as well.

I hope there will be more Daisy adventures. I enjoy Daisy and her friends and the mysteries are light fun reads, just the way to kick off a year’s reading well.

One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Fortifying Tea and some very nice biscuits

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver

One Bear's Reading -- 2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge

This reading challenge looked too interesting and too much fun to pass up, so I am going to try it out this year.  I'm a bit worried about reading to a challenge, but I still think it's a good idea.  I'm going to read books I already own, so I won't really be reading anything I wouldn't have anyway, but not every challenge has to take you outside your comfort zone.

The challenge was originally intended only for historical mysteries, but because this is a personal challenge, and I don't always want to read a mystery, I am changing the rules and modifying the tasks a bit to allow for books from any genre, though to be truthful, many will end up being mysteries because that's mainly what I read.  Also, I decided to allow for a re-roll if I land on a property I already "own."

*** Note:  I've used the property names from the (original) US version of the game, because it's the version I grew up playing and the version I know best.  The tasks are based on both the US and UK property names.

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2017 Monopoly Reading Challenge

Rules:
1. Roll one die and move around the board according to the number rolled.
3. Follow the instructions for each property as outlined below.
4. You must finish your chosen book before rolling again; no rolling ahead.
5. Re-rolls are allowed if you land on a square you already own.
6. The goal is the move around the board and collect ALL of the properties.

Properties: 
Go:  Start, read any book of your choice. Superfluous Women -- Dunn, Carola (1/5/17)

Mediterranean Avenue: Read a book set in a Mediterranean country or a book with a brown cover

Community Chest #1: Read a book from any series begun before 1950.

Baltic Avenue: Read a book set in a Baltic country or a book in which a crime occurs at some point during the book.

Income Tax: Read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the lowest Goodreads rating. Pretty Lady -- Babson, Marian (1/10/17)

Reading Railroad: Read a book set in the 19th century (1800-1899).

Oriental Avenue: Read a book set in the Orient or a book with a blue cover.

Chance #1: Read a book recommended by a friend.

Vermont Avenue: Read a book set in a New England State or a cozy mystery. Clammed Up -- Ross, Barbara (1/14/17)

Connecticut: Read a book with a bridge on the cover or set in a a city with a famous prison.

Just Visiting: Roll the die again, move forward and complete the task for that property.

St. Charles Place: Read a book that contains paranormal elements or whose title has a word with double letters.

Electric Company: Read a book set in 17th century (1600-1699).

States Avenue: Read a book that is set during or in the immediate aftermath of a war in which either the United States or United Kingdom participated.

Virginia Avenue: Read a book set during the Elizabethan period or the Roman Empire.

Pennsylvania Railroad: Read a book set in a place you’d like to visit. Fer-de-Lance -- Stout, Rex (1/20/17)

St. James Place: Read a book with a character who is a member of a royal family from any country or a private investigator.

Community Chest #2: Read a book from any Fiction series.

Tennessee Avenue: Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere or with a white cover.

New York Avenue: Read a book set in a large city or with a protagonist who is a police detective.

Free Parking: Read any book of your choice.

Kentucky Avenue: Read a book set in the Victorian era or a book with a red cover. Murder at the Breakers -- Maxwell, Alyssa (1/25/17)

Chance #2: Read a book by a new-to-you author.

Indiana Avenue: Read a book set in a rural area or in which the protagonist or narrator is a member of the clergy, a writer or a journalist.

Illinois Avenue: Read a book set in the Northern Hemisphere or with a statue, monument or building on the cover.

B&O Railroad: Read a book where the protagonist sets out on a journey at some point during the book. The Silver Locomotive Mystery -- Marston, Edward (2/4/17)

Atlantic Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Atlantic Ocean or with a yellow cover.

Ventnor Avenue: Read a book set in Medieval times or a book that contains at least one real historical figure as a character.

Water Works: Read a book with a body of water on the cover.

Marvin Gardens: Read a book featuring a woman as the main character or with a flower, tree or garden on the cover.

Go to Jail: Roll the die again, move backward and complete the task for that property.

Pacific Avenue: Read a book set in a country on the Pacific Ocean or set during the Regency period.

North Carolina Avenue: Read a book set at a university or any place of higher learning or a book with a green cover.

Community Chest #3: Read a book from any Historical Mystery series. The Poyson Garden -- Harper, Karen (2/13/17)

Pennsylvania Avenue: Read a thriller/suspense book or a book with a purple cover. Thunder on the Right -- Stewart, Mary (2/19/17)

Short Line Railroad: Read a book of 150 to 250 pages in length.

Chance #3: Read a book from any Bestseller List.

Park Place: Read a book in which the protagonist is very wealthy and/or titled or set in a city with a famous park.

Luxury Tax: Read the book on your to-be-read shelf with the highest Goodreads rating.

Boardwalk: Read a book set in a seaside town or a world capital city.