January 3, 2014 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-Book “Deadly Heat”

I have had a lot of extra time to read over this holiday break, and I whipped through this read.

This is the fifth (maybe final) book in the Nikki Heat series.

This was a fantastic read, just my style. This book picked up right where “Frozen Heat” left off.

There were two major plot lines in this book. The first followed the previous book and detailed the case of Heat’s mother’s murder. We had found out that her mother was a spy and had found out information that got her killed. This book unveiled new clues and plot twists. I never saw this ending coming. But the book did finally solve that case, hence why I think it may be the last one.

The other case that the book followed was a serial murder who wanted to play mind games with Detective Heat who was intended to be his last victim.

What I liked was how the two cases intertwined and the balance that the department and the detective had to face in order to solve them both. Since her mother’s murder involved CIA operatives, you also had various agencies involved which added a fun layer to the cases.

Beneath all of the mystery was the romance between Rook and Heat. (Rook is still shadowing NYPD for writing purposes.) As the intensity of the cases progresses, you see them getting closer and closer. They learn to lean on each other and begin to peel layers of Heat’s tough exterior. You see the trust being built.

Which again very much parallels the show Castle.

This books was even more forward about the similarities and how everything is intertwined between real real life, Castle real life, and the book life. The character Rook met with Hollywood executives to discuss show possibilities and even discussed actors. They subtly mentioned Nathan, who coincidentally is the actor for Richard Castle (who “wrote” the book). They also referenced the show Firefly a couple times to help crack a code. (If you aren’t familiar with Nathan Fillion, he starred in this show years ago.)

This was a great pick to get me out of my reading rut. It was quick, funny, and kept me guessing. This is a very entertaining read, and a great way to cap the series. However, I am not completely sure if it is the end, I am just making that assumption because they ended Heat’s main focus of her mother’s case. With the show Castle still being wildly popular though, there may be a continuation of the series to maintain the facade of Castle needing to shadow Kate Beckett.

While this is a page turner, I would not suggest this book as a stand alone like some of the previous ones in the series. Many things would not make sense if you had not read the prior novels. Also I think I like it so much because of the connection to the TV show, but I think people who are not avid watchers of the show can get into the books.

Have you read any of the books in this series?
I am a sucker for series, do you have any different series you would recommend?

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

December 13, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-My TV Guide

So the seasons are starting their Winter hiatus. How did this become a thing?

Anyway, I figured I would give a brief update on where I am at with all of my TV shows.

Sundays

Once Upon a Time-Still one of my favorites out there. I am having a hard time watching “Henry” in his “Pan” moments. I also kind of want Emma to be with Hook more than Neil.
Walking Dead-So glad the Governor is gone…or is he? Also, I may have teared up a bit when Hershel died.

Mondays

Dancing with the Stars-My man Derek and his partner Amber Riley won! I have an obsession with Derek Hough and also Tristan MacManus. I want them both to be my dance partners, and I honestly watch the show more to see them than the “stars.” Maybe they will help me fulfill my 30 before 30 task of dance lessons.
Castle-My favorite show currently. I called it that Beckett would return to New York, which happened in either the third or forth episode of the season. If you do not watch this show and you are looking for something new, ADD THIS ONE!
Hart of Dixie-I watch this show at lunch every Tuesday. It is such a pick me up. I just love the quirkiness of the small town. I am glad Dr. Hart’s family has come around!

Tuesdays

New Girl-I am really enjoying Nick and Jess together. Winston is my favorite. He generally makes or breaks every episode for me.
The Biggest Loser-I am in love with this season. I mistakenly tried watching this at lunch a few times, and ended up crying in the Union dining court. Whoops. I am rooting for all of them, but really mostly Rachel.
Awkward-I stopped watching consistently after the third episode. I have them all on the DVR ready to binge watch the Awkwardness. I just need to be in the right mood right now for teenage affairs.

Wednesdays

Super Fun Night-I honestly forgot that I started watching this. My DVR stopped recording it for some reason, so I haven’t seen it for a few weeks. It isn’t a bad show, but I am obviously not missing it.
Nashville-I watch this every week live, and I am slowly getting Tom hooked. I really wish Rayna and Deacon would just be together though. Also, I am hoping that I see them on my excursions to Nashville. Real life right?

Thursdays

Grey’s Anatomy-I will go week’s without watching and then binge watch 3 episodes while Tom plays video games. I am apathetic about the show, but I am still hooked enough to come back to see what’s up. I am invested until the end.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland-I just wasn’t into this show. I stopped after the third episode I think. It was too Willy Wonka for me. There was not as much overlap into the original as I was hoping so I didn’t feel I was missing anything by not watching.
Crazy Ones-I really enjoy this show. It is ridiculous, but it is short enough and light so I will watch it when I need a quick pick me up. Robin Williams is totally worth it.
Parenthood-Max working with photography? Perfect. I see myself in Julia with her struggles of being a stay at home mom (except without the mom part obviously). I just love this show.
Glee-I stopped watching this show two episodes ago. I think it was the muppets episode that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I am not sure what is going on but it has just gone way downhill for me. The music also doesn’t really call to me anymore, so there was no reason to keep watching the absurdity. I was really sad about it, which is why I held out as long as I did. The last couple just did me in.
Scandal-I am in a constant state of shock with this show. I have drug Tom into the goodness! I caught him up on the first couple seasons so he knew what was going on. If we weren’t married, Tom would want to work in CIA/Huck like jobs. Scary I know, but that’s what it is. So he loves it for that, and I just love it for all the OMG moments. I did not see last night coming!

Every Day

Ellen-this is the best part of my day. I watch it in small segment–a little before I go to work and right when I get home. And when I don’t get through it, I will binge watch that week’s episodes on Saturday mornings while Tom is sleeping in. I just love Ellen so much. She is great and fantastic, and a great role model for human beings. I want to dance with her/meet her/embarrass myself ridiculously for her. Also, when I am home alone, sometimes I think Tom is secretly in the house to video tape scare me like Ellen would do. He has gotten me more times than I would like to admit-no video yet, just lots of scaring and screaming. So I am in a constant state of panic because of Tom being inspired by her pranks. Thanks Ellen.

Not on right now

Pretty Little Liars- CAN.NOT.WAIT.
Switched at Birth-This comes back soon too. I love this show for so many silly reasons. One being that it is based in KC. They mentioned World of Fun (not the real Worlds of Fun) once. Although they are in KC, Kansas, and not Missouri. But I will forgive them for their ignorance when showing the KC, MO skyline. Here is your education on Kansas City. Yes it has Kansas in the name, but most of the city is actually in Missouri. All the sports teams are in Missouri, all the famous BBQ-Missouri, all the jazz history-Missouri, all the goodness-Missouri…haha JK (only kind of)

So there you have it. I only weeded out a couple shows. What can I say, I am TV junkie!

September 27, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-TV Premiere Week 2

Here is round two of my initial reactions to season openers!

Castle

This is my favorite show that is currently on TV. It has drama, romance, and humor. I love cop dramas, and this show puts a different twist on it with an author who shadows NYPD as the main character. I wrote about my obsession here, and I am beyond ecstatic that there is new content in my life. AND SHE SAID YES! (Sorry I spoiled it for you.) However, with the long distance relationship, obviously they are heading towards some hard times. There is some new hilarity going on with the added layer of the FBI. I just love the quirky flirtation. I think that Becket will end up back in New York by the end of the season. I think they are showing a different side of Beckett now though with the engagement/relationship with Castle. She doesn’t seem so rough at the edges, which is nice to see her a little softer and showing some smiles. And you can tell that this distance is making Castle cukoo. He doesn’t like being left out of the loop or “waiting in the car.” This provides some opportunities for great one liners/moments. It was a fantastic first episode, and it mentioned the new book, which I need to get…Seriously is this real life?

Nashville

This is a phenomenal show. Who doesn’t love Connie Britton? This is the second season for the show, and there is no way they are dying anytime soon. The season premiere was great. It was just enough drama to keep you entertained, but not too much that you feel that it went overboard. They did a few flashbacks to show the early days of Deacon and Rayna. Loved it! It was great insight on their love but how Deacon’s issues with alcohol poisoned their future. I am interested to see if Juliette will use the information she found out from Rayna’s daughter against Rayna down the road. Juliette has some genuine moments, but most of the time she is so blinded by her need for attention that she doesn’t always make the best decisions. I also don’t want Scarlett and Avery together, so I hope they don’t go back to that. It seemed to me that they may have foreshadowed her going back to Gunner since they sung together at the Blue Bird. Have I confused you enough? This show is full of sex, drugs, and country music. It’s a country prime time version of a soap opera. I will say it is really fun being this close to Nashville too. It’s like I am really living in the world…yea? Ok maybe not, but it’s still fun none the less. I will say that I want to see more of Rayna’s daughters singing. They are the best!

Grey’s Anatomy

I am so over this show. I have been watching since it aired 10 seasons ago, so I feel like I need to watch it until then end. I think the actors are great, but the story lines seem to be one uppers each week. “How high can we go this week? What outlandish crash/disease/scandal can we come up with?” Don’t get me wrong, I am invested (which is why I come back week after week), but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. The season opener was no different. Heather (who I remember from the movie Andre) and Richard were electrocuted, so in the midst of the mudslide everyone is on edge with personal emotions all over the place. Ridiculous. All I know is, I would never want to work at the hospital. You either get cheated on or you die. That is some bad luck. Kepner is my favorite doctor. I just love her crazy spasticness and how she loves big. I really wanted her with Avery but I can do with this other guy too…I just want her to be happy. She is even more fun when she is throwing her positivity on everyone. That hospital needs a little happiness.

There are several shows that came out this week that are in the DVR waiting to be watched. Apparently, everything is on Thursday nights this year, and I could only commit to watching one last night. Problems of a T.V. junkie…

Come back on Sunday for “Autumn on My Mind.” Sunday’s episode is about fall date activities that you can do in your community. You can see the full schedule here.

August 9, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-Nikki Heat Series

One of my favorite shows currently is Castle. I have always loved mystery in stories. I guess because I hate it in real life so I live vicariously through the excitement of the stories, all the while knowing nothing is really surprising is happening to me.

In Castle, the main character-Richard Castle-is a novelist who shadows NYPD to get insight for his latest series.

Bonus for us, they actually hired individuals to write these books from the fictional novelist.

Fantastic.

I read the first four this summer. I was not able to put them down once I started.

I find it interesting that some of the covers look somewhat racy, and one of the main characters in the book Jameson Rook moonlights as a Victoria St. Clair-a popular romance novelist.

I will say that if you like the show Castle, you are going to fall in love with these books as soon as you start. The book characters mirror those in the T.V. show, so that was fun to see that. You can also tell that this was a love letter from Castle to Beckett, which in the T.V. show she takes a long time to realize. Ugh I can’t wait to see if she says yes or not!

The books all follow the lead detective Nikki Heat as she solves crimes. Each book focuses on one particular case (sometimes involving several murders), and with each book they of course get more twisted and more intense than the one before. I love sequels though because they just keep adding layers to the characters. And then you don’t have that sadness when you realize that your relationship with the characters is over. Deadly Heat is coming out in September, just in time for the beginning of the newest season!

In these books, there is always an attack on Nikki’s life, and of course how she barely escapes alive. Rook is always in the thick of it humorously trying to save Nikki. Sometimes doing so, but sometimes just putting in some romantic comedy. It is an action murder mystery at it’s best.

Just when you think you can predict the next suspect they twist you around and show you new details that has you gasping. There were many nights Tom begged for me to turn off the bedroom light and just go to bed. I just couldn’t put it down. (And now I read by a red bulb headlamp…)

I don’t want to give too much away on the plots because half the fun is figuring it out on your own.

Each book is slightly different and shows the variety of what happens in NYC. Throughout the four novels though, you watch Rook and Heat fall in love (much like Castle and Beckett). You see them razz each other, but also how to be there for each other when times get tough. You watch them break down each others emotional walls, which I believe was Castle’s way of telling Beckett he would be there when she was ready to be raw instead of closing up all her feelings. I feel that the underlying tone of how it paralleled the show’s characters is why I found it so endearing. You can tell that even though Castle was trying to pay homage to one of the great NYPD detectives, he was really trying to tell her that they were meant to be together and would protect her, while also making her laugh. There are parts of the book that had me busting up laughing (which makes for an awkward lunch when you are alone in the courtyard). Then there are other parts where I thought I was going to chew my finger off from nail-biting-induced anxiety.

My favorite one is the last book, Frozen Heat. The case is much more personal than those shown previously. It goes into detail about Nikki’s mother’s death and a web of spies. The plot twists are perfect. They are expectedly unexpected. This is really the only book that doesn’t finish the case completely, so you will have to read the next sequel to find out what happens to a certain spy. (I also find life of spies fascinating. Why they ever took PanAm off the air is beyond me!) But, don’t fret, some pieces of the mystery are solved. One, I almost threw the book at the wall I was so mad-in a “NO WAY” kind of mad, not a “I hate this story” kind of mad.

My absolute favorite part of this series though are the afterwards. Since it is “written” by Richard Castle, he writes what a typical author would as far as thank yous go. For some reason I just get a kick out of these because they are thank yous to his fellow characters in the show. (Thoroughly confused?) He also manages to thank the real live actors subtly as well. I find this to be captivating to go through this weird lens of imaginary and real-when it is all in fact imaginary. Fascinating.

These are a particularly easy reads that have suspense, love, and some hilarious moments. It is an investment for the series if you start one because you won’t want to be left wondering what happens to Rook and Heat. If you have never watched Castle, you can still easily read these and never miss a beat. I think they [T.V. and book] are both able to stand well enough on their own, but I think are made all the better if you are invested in both the show and the book series. Like I said, they are intertwined marvelously, and I believe that is one reason why I was so riveted by this series.

But hey, I am a fan so I am probably biased. I am also a sucker for the drama!

I hoped you liked my first entertainment review!

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions and are not influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.