Thursday Thoughts ~ August 28, 2025

Happy Last Friday in August Eve!

Can you believe summer as I knew it as a child of the 60’s is almost over? Nowadays, school starts in mid-August in a lot of places, including SoCal, where I live. What kind of summer vacation is that?? To be fair, they don’t generally have “snow days” or the desert equivalent here, so they get out earlier in June. But going to school while it’s still August?? Ugh…

The weather’s hot and we’re mostly hiding indoors, trying to keep the cats cool. But we did venture to Knott’s, where we had lunch after The Husband’s nearby Tuesday morning class. Took a few pics in the Mine Ride:

And since Halloween Haunt, Knott’s annual extravaganza, is only two weeks away, seasonal displays and their themed store are already in evidence:

Writing

Not much interesting on the writing front. Continuing to edit The Bonus Grave and working on the first draft of the second book.

Ever heard of a reader magnet? It’s a short piece of writing to offer as an enticement for readers to sign up for an author’s email list. I’d written a prologue for The Bonus Grave but my editor didn’t think I needed it, so I’m expanding it into a short history of my main character, Sugar’s, origin story. You’ll get to see what leads up to Sugar reluctantly investigating the death of an acquaintance who worked in the nearby cemetery. Keep an eye out for that soon.

Reading

A little frustrated with my reading this week. I don’t usually mention books I DNF (Do Not Finish) but I read 200 pages (about half) of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully. IMHO, there were no characters to root for and I became too bored to finish the book.  “The World’s Greatest Detective” turned out to be a nasty, humorless woman who treated her “Just Okay Assistant” like dirt. Watching Blunt, the assistant, take the abuse like it was a fraternity hazing she thought she deserved is just not my idea of a good read. Most of the family and underlings under scrutiny seemed a little stereotyped and unsympathetic. I did read the last few chapters to see who-dun-it, proving that a supposed suicide was actually murder, and was underwhelmed by both the Sherlock Holmes-style reveal to the gathered suspects and cops, and the unimaginative circumstances of the murderer. Keep in mind, this is my impression from the first 200 pages only, so maybe the main characters had some less abusive moments and the suspects got more sympathetic… Again in my humble opinion, One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman executed a similar set up of older woman/younger mentee so much better. Their relationship, originally forged at AA, was bolstered by a fun, interesting group of side characters and suspects, the case related to the detective herself, and the hunt for the killer was much more dynamic. Five stars for that one!

Streaming/Watching

I seem to be on an unintentional Lindsay Lohan kick.

First, back in Christmas mode, I watched Our Little Secret, with Ian Harding as Lindsay’s ex. After ten years apart, they’re shocked to be dating siblings and now are forced to spend Christmas week at the parent’s home, pretending they’ve never met. So much happens in this one! Let’s see, there’s blackmail, a dog framed for stealing cookies, hilarious annual family portraits where the mother never ages, an unintended gummy high, and by the end, several switched partners! Besides the high jinx, there are also some very emotional moments with Lindsay’s character, who is finally coming to terms with the loss of her mother. Highly recommended. ❤

Irish Wish, a cute rom-com, didn’t have quite the same energy as Our Little Secret. In fact, Lindsay’s character in this one is a little on the blah side, finding the courage to stand up for herself being a large part of her character arc. When the author she’s helped edit a best-selling book with is set to marry her best friend in Ireland, she makes a wish to St. Brigid to be the bride instead. Challenges abound: An overbearing mother-of-the-groom, her take-no-nonsense mom (played hilariously by Jane Seymour) is MIA, and she finds herself attracted to the wedding photographer she met cute when they wrangled over a suitcase at the airport. Will she be happy every after? Maybe. But I can definitely say it was a satisfying ending.

Also, The Sister Boniface mysteries are back on Britbox. We love those ~ fun cast of eccentric characters, well written stories, and a picturesque village in England. What more could you want from a cozy British crime fighting nun?

Till next Thursday!

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