Ramblings And What Not ~

Hello Peoples! I don’t feel good this morning. Blah. I woke up sick, so, instead of wallowing in my misery, *haha* I decided to do something. I wanted to get my mind off my suffering. *ahem*

Me thinks I’ve been under the weather for a couple of days because, I’ve been sleeping for hours. *Yawn* I then realized it is the last day of November! So! It’s time for Ramblings And What Not!

Favorite Book in November ~ There were so many!  🙂  

Murder She Wrote A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land

Your Favorites at the Cottage in November ~

November 29, 2019 ~ Classic Movie Friday, Sabotage (1936)

November 15, 2019 ~ Classic Movie Friday, Young and Innocent (1937)

November 16, 2019 ~ TO BE A [GOOD] BOOK SNOB

I joined the Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2020! I always join on goodreads. There are different levels you can jump on board with, but I joined Level 1 Snoop. If you want to participate, scurry on over to goodreads.

Level 1 Cozy Mysteries I read in 2019 ~

Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery #6) by Barbara Ross

Assault and Buttery (A Popcorn Shop Mystery #3) by Kristi Abbott

Gin and Daggers Murder She Wrote, #1 by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Lending A Paw (A Bookmobile Cat Mystery #1) by Laurie Cass

Live and Let Chai (Seaside Café Mystery #1) by Bree Baker

Expiration Date (A Cook-Off Mystery #1) by Devon Delaney

Frosty the Dead Man (Snow Globe Shop Mystery #3) by Christine Husom

No Good Tea Goes Unpunished (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #2) by Bree Baker

Borrowed Crime (A Bookmobile Cat Mystery #3) by Laurie Cass

Tide and Punishment (A Seaside Cafe Mystery #3) by Bree Baker

Italian Iced (Ethnic Eats Mystery #3) by Kylie Logan

Rum and Razors Murder She Wrote #3 by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

I have more than one that were my favorites, so I won’t list my favorites. It’s so difficult! The 2019 Cozy Mystery Challenge isn’t finished until the end of December.

My my my! Rick is getting out the Christmas decorations. So, I will help him.

You, that’s right, you are awesome!

Much love ~

Kathy

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Giveaway! Meg & Jo

Hello Peoples! Penguin Random House Berkley is giving away one copy of Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra ~ A Contemporary Retelling of Little Women.

If you would like a chance to win this book, just leave a comment below, informing me you would like to be entered in the drawing. The winner will be announced, on this blog, along with my review, Wednesday, December 4, 2019.

This giveaway is for the U.S.A. only. You must have a valid U.S.A. address to win.

Step right up! Don’t be shy!

Much love ~

Kathy

Classic Movie Friday!

Sabotage (1936)

This is a Hitchcock film.

Sylvia Sidney   Desmond Tester   Oskar Homolka   John Loder

Mrs. Verloc (Sylvia Sidney) and her husband (Oskar Homolka) own and operate a movie theater in London. Mrs. Verloc’s younger brother, Stevie (Desmond Tester), lives with them. He’s a great kid, loveable, full of energy, curious, and into mischief most of the time. Mrs. Verloc doesn’t know her husband is also with a group of foreign saboteurs causing problems for London. Ted Spencer (John Loder) is a Detective from Scotland Yard, working next door to the theater to watch the nefarious Mr. Verloc. The detective’s cover is compromised and things go from bad to worse. A tragic story.

I enjoy Hitchcock films. It is extremely difficult to choose a favorite, but I like Dial M For Murder (1954) and The Lady Vanishes (1938). Sabotage is a good film, but not my favorite.

Have you seen Sabotage?

Enjoy!

Murder She Wrote ~ A Giveaway!

Hello Peoples! Berkley Prime Crime is giving away one copy of Murder, She Wrote A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land.

If you are interested in a chance to win this book, just leave a comment below, informing me you would like your name to be entered in the drawing. The winner will be announced, on this blog, along with my review of the book, Tuesday, December 3, 2019.

This giveaway is for the U.S.A. only. You must have a valid U.S.A. address to win.

Don’t be shy.  🙂

Much love ~

Kathy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Peoples! It’s Thanksgiving week and I’m lovin’ every minute of it. I love Thanksgiving. When I was just a little thing, we would go to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving every year. My aunt and uncle never had any children. She lived in a large two-story house that was incredibly clean. There was never a speck of dust anywhere. *ahem* I collect dust. *haha* She had a big cat. I liked that kitty, but that kitty didn’t like kids. He would scurry off somewhere and hide every time we stopped by. My aunt had a big Thanksgiving meal with a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings every year. Her home was so quiet, peaceful and restful. I have four sisters and two brothers, so our home was boisterous, crazy and there was never a dull moment. Thanksgiving was my day to enjoy quiet. I would play board games with my siblings. Everyone was so mellow on Thanksgiving. And! Of course, there was always a time during the day when I would ask my aunt where her cat might be hiding. She would tell me several locations where I might find him and I would quietly go in search of said kitty. My aunt passed away several years ago. I’ll never forget her and how she shared her home and her Thanksgiving meal with us. I am thankful for my aunt. I’m thankful for the memories she shared with me on those quiet Thanksgiving Days.  🙂

Now, this Thanksgiving week we are going to have a snowstorm. We’re suppose to get up to eight inches of snow. Bring it on!  🙂

Much love ~

Kathy

Classic Movie Friday!

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Dick Powell   Claire Trevor   Anne Shirley   Otto Kruger   Mike Mazurki   Miles Mander

Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) is out of prison and looking for his girlfriend Velma. Apparently, Velma hasn’t been heard from in six years. Moose has been in prison for eight years. Moose wants Phillip Marlowe (Dick Powell) to find Velma. I think Moose is a little creepy. He’s a huge man and he can creep up on a person very quietly. Odd for one so big??? Shouldn’t he lumber???

Phillip Marlow works on such complicated cases! After Moose hires Marlow, Mr. Marriott (Douglas Walton) hires Marlow to be a body guard while Marriott pays some guys money in exchange for jewels. Well! This goes from bad to worse quickly. Marlow is knocked unconscious. An unknown woman is standing over him when he wakes up and Marriott is dead.

The trail leads Marlow to Mr. Grayle (Miles Mander) who is the owner of a missing jewel and he wants it found. Mr. Grayle has a much younger wife (Caire Trevor) and an adult daughter (Anne Shirley). His wife and daughter certainly don’t make the case any easier for Marlow.

Claire Trevor is a good actress. Do you remember Key Largo (1948)?

Jules Amthor (Otto Kruger) calls himself a quack. He manages to capture Marlow and has Dr. Sonderborg (Ralf Harolde) pump him with drugs to try to find out where the missing jewel is located. Marlowe is injured in this mystery.

It’s all a big mess! There are some surprises in the story. And! I wasn’t sure who was who and what was what???

In this film noir, Phillip Marlowe finds himself embroiled in a difficult mystery which I had to watch twice before I had it fully solved. I’ve watched three films with Phillip Marlowe and they are certainly complex and interesting mysteries. Humphrey Bogart is still my favorite Marlow, however, Dick Powell did a fine job. Dick Powell’s Marlowe seems more rugged and deals with seedier characters. Both Bogart and Powell are insolent, sarcastic, hard-boiled detectives.

Enjoy!

Ramblings and What Not ~

Hello Peoples! It’s a chilly morning, but I’m up for it. BRING IT ON!  🙂  WINTER ~You can’t scare me! 

I joined The Classics Book Club.  🙂  It’s simple to join. Just create a list of 50 classic books you would like to read, in 5 years, and list them on your blog. Then you’ll need to contact The Classic Book Club Blog. Just bundle up in your wooly winter attire and zip on over to their blog for more information.  🙂  They have a very informative blog and it will tell you everything you need to know to join. The link is below ~

https://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/how-to-join/

I’m very excited about joining. Below is the link to my list of 50 classic reads I will be enjoying in the next 5 years!  🙂

https://katiescottagebooks.wordpress.com/the-classics-club/

You might ask,

Kathy, what classic book are you reading first?

Why, thank-you for asking.  🙂  I’m reading, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. I’m very excited to read it. It sounds like it’s a great adventure. Have you read this big book?

Much love ~

Kathy

 

TO BE A [Good] BOOK SNOB ~

Hello Peoples! As many of you know, I like TAGS! That’s right, I do.  🙂  I thought I would take this opportunity and participate in the Book Snob tag I discovered at Rissi’s blog. Skedaddle on over and meet Rissi, check out her blog. I wasn’t tagged. I just do these things! You can find Rissi at ~

To be a [Good] Book Snob: the Book Snob Tag!

Well! The above is a new feature! How fun.  🙂

There are only seven questions, so it’s a quick tag.  🙂

The Book Snob Questions ~

~ Adaptation Question: Do you always read the book before you see the film?

No, not at all.

~ Format Snob: You can only choose one format in which to read books for the rest of your life. Which one do you choose: physical books, Ebooks or audiobooks?

I would definitely choose physical books.  🙂

~ Ship snob: Would you date or marry a non-reader?

Yes probably. My husband is a reader, but he doesn’t read as many books as I do. His reading interests are very different from mine too.

~ Genre Snob: You have to ditch one genre ~ never to be read again for the rest of your life. Which genre do you choose?

Romance

~ Uber Genre Snob: You can choose to read from one genre for the rest of your life. Which genre do you choose?

Mystery/Suspense

~ Community Snob: Which genre do you think receives the most snobbery from the bookish community?

I really don’t know. Mmmm.

~ Snobbery Recipient: Have you ever been snubbed for something that you have been reading or for reading in general?

Yes I have. Just by one person. She didn’t like Christian fiction.

TAG CREATOR: Tia and All The Books

To all my readers out here. YOU ARE TAGGED!

Much love ~

Kathy

Classic Movie Friday!

Young and Innocent (1937)

This is a Hitchcock film!

Nova Pilbeam   Derrick DeMarney   Percy Marmount   Edward Rigby

Robert Tisdall (Derrick DeMarney) is out for a stroll on a lovely day when he sees a body washed ashore by the ocean. He scurries down to the beach to help the poor person and discovers she is dead. He runs for help. While running, two women wander onto the beach, witness him fleeing, see the woman on the beach and assume Robert is the killer running from his crime. Robert is arrested and charged with murder. The legal system gives him an airheaded attorney (J. H. Riggs) and the entire situation is ridiculous. Robert realizes he’s going to need to solve the murder himself. He manages to elude the authorities, which was accomplished quite cleverly I might add, and off he goes to find the killer.

Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam) is the daughter of the Chief of Police (Percy Marmount). Erica meets Robert after he escapes the authorities and decides to help him. The two set off on an adventure together to find the nefarious person, while the police are scouring the countryside for Robert.

Derrick DeMarney was a good actor. His character is a happy-go-lucky guy and he teases Erica (Nova Pilbeam) off and on during the course of the film. He also appreciates her help! There is romance in the air as the two flee from justice trying to find the killer! I liked this film and I enjoyed this actress and actor. They were both new to me.

Enjoy!

The Chocolate Shark Shenanigans by Joanna Carl

A BIG thanks to Berkley Prime Crime!  🙂

Release Date ~ November 5, 2019

“When a house near Lee and Joe’s home goes up for sale, the couple teams up with Lee’s aunt and uncle, Nettie and Hogan, to buy it, remodel it, and resell it for a sweet profit. But after the owners of the house, the Bailey’s, accept their offer, a local developer, Richard “Spud” Dirk, suddenly swoops in with a higher one, and it seems their dreams might be snatched away.”

“Lee, never as passionate about the plan as her husband and uncle, is anxious to get back to focusing on managing TenHuis Chocolade. But when a long hidden gun is found behind a pipe in the Baileys’ basement, she begins to suspect a mystery is afoot. And when Spud turns up dead in the Baileys’ carport a few days later, it becomes clear there’s something rotten at the foundation . . . “

“To solve the murder, Lee will have to strip away layers of secrets — that is, if someone doesn’t level her first . . . ” ~goodreads

This is a new to me author and a new to me series! I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but when I saw the cover art on this book, I wasn’t sure what to think. Can this be serious??? I am happy to say, I liked the book!

Lee and Joe are happily married. Joe is an attorney and Lee works for a chocolatier. Tasty business.  🙂  At the end of several chapters, in the book, there is a page dedicated to little known facts about chocolate. I found these facts interesting and a nice addition to the cozy.

Lee has a little quirkiness to her personality, she gets words wrong and it makes for some amusing moments. An uncle is the chief of police. He seems to trust Lee and Joe to do good sleuthing.

I liked this mystery and I plan to read this series in the future. I thought the mystery was more complicated than other cozies I have read. I think it was because there were so many layers to the mystery. The mystery began several years earlier, so, people move on and their lives change. If you like a cozy with layers, this might be the book for you. I recommend it. 4.5 **** stars!

Announcing the winner or the book drawing ~

Michelle   CONGRATULATIONS!!!

https://apudiem.wordpress.com/