What's in a Name?

Most of us know the reasons behind the use of pseudonyms, especially when dealing with the romance and erotic romance genres. Or, really, fiction in general. And, most of us are ok with authors not using their real names.

But what about authors who change names mid-career? Who build up a (questionably) loyal following only to dump their well known name in favor of a new one. Or those who seem to have a different pseudonym for every possible subgenre of romance out there?

Are we, as readers, ok with that, too?

Hump Day Classic Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

In today's world of CGI, this movie might seem unimpressive. But considering it was made in the 1980s, what the filmakers managed to to accomplish in Who Framed Roger Rabbit is pretty amazing. Blending live action with cartoons had been done before, but never quite this well.

Apart from the technological achievements, I think this movie is also pretty clever. Playing up the film noir and giving a wink to the history of cartoons, the plot, characters, and concept are original and often very adult.

This is one of my favorite movies from the 1980s. If you haven't yet seen it, you should give it a try.

Quickie Review: The Lady Most Likely... by Julia Quinn, Connie Brockway, and Eloisa James

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pub Date: December 28, 2010
Publisher: Avon/Harper Collins
FTC: Purchased myself
Blurb: At end of review due to length

I have to admit, I was more than a little nervous about reading this one. I used to be a big fan of Julia Quinn, but her more recent efforts have fallen very flat with me. It's been a long time since I've read either Eloisa James or Connie Brockway, too. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

This is technically not an anthology, but given the fact that it's a novel written in three parts about three different couples, I'm going to review it as one.

Julia Quinn

Surprisingly, my favorite part of the story. The shy heroine is a favorite trope of mine, and while this one does not bring anything startling new, it is still charming without losing heart and substance.

Connie Brockway

It's been so long since I've read a book by Connie Brockway. I remember liking them, but that's about it. This was another solid story in the book, even if the plot was pretty tired and overused. I really liked Captain Oakes.

Eloisa James

My least favorite of the three, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because Hugh didn't seem like the same character from the first two novellas. It's the smuttiest (not in a bad way) of the three, but I just didn't see Georgie's capitulation as believable. I think it would take far, far more than an afternoon with Hugh to change her mind.

Bottom line: If you usually like all or any of these authors, you'll probably like this one. But if they aren't usually your cup of tea, this will not change that. There's a necessary sketchiness that comes from the novella length of each story, too, so be prepared for that.

Overall Grade: B/B-

The Blurb:

Three of the brightest stars of historical romance invite you to a party at the country home of the Honorable Marquess of Finchley

Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, needs a wife, so his sister hands him a list of delectable damsels and promises to invite them— and a few other gentlemen—to her country house for what is sure to be the event of the season.
Hugh will have time to woo whichever lady he most desires . . . Unless someone else snatches her first.
The invitation list includes:

• The horse-mad but irresistibly handsome Earl of Briarly
• The always outspoken Miss Katherine Peyton
• The dashing war hero Captain Neill Oakes
• The impossibly beautiful (and painfully shy) Miss Gwendolyn Passmore
• The terribly eligible new Earl of Charters
• The widowed Lady Georgina Sorrell (who has no plans to marry, ever)

And your hostess, Lady Carolyn Finchley, an irrepressible matchmaker who plans to find the lady most likely . . . to capture her brother’s untamed heart.

Review: All She Wrote by Josh Lanyon (Holmes and Moriarity #2)

Format: ebook
Pub Date:December 28, 2010
Publisher: Samhain
FTC: Purchased myself

The Blurb:

Giving screwball mystery a whole deadly new meaning.

Holmes and Moriarity, Book 2

A murderous fall down icy stairs is nearly the death of Anna Hitchcock, the much-beloved “American Agatha Christie” and Christopher Holmes’s former mentor. Anna’s plea for him to host her annual winter writing retreat touches all Kit’s sore spots—traveling, teaching writing classes, and separation from his new lover, J.X. Moriarity.

For J.X., Kit’s cancellation of yet another romantic weekend is the death knell of a relationship that has been limping along for months. But that’s just as well, right? Kit isn’t ready for anything serious and besides, Kit owes Anna far too much to refuse.

Faster than you can say “Miss Marple wears boxer shorts”, Kit is snooping around Anna’s elegant, snowbound mansion in the Berkshires for clues as to who’s trying to kill her. A tough task with six amateur sleuths underfoot. Six budding writers with a tangled web of dark undercurrents running among them.

Slowly, Kit gets the uneasy feeling that the secret may lie between the pages of someone’s fictional past. Unfortunately, a clever killer is one step ahead. And it may be too late for J.X. to ride to the rescue.

I am a big fan of Josh Lanyon. He writes some of the smartest, funniest romance/mystery/capers out there. This one was no exception.

I read the original Holmes and Moriarity book, Somebody Killed His Editor, sometime early last year. I loved it. And when KC from Smokinhotbooks tweeted a link to an early review and clued me in that a sequel had been released, I fired up the Kindle and pre-ordered it.

It did not disappoint. In fact, I think I liked this one even more than the first book.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Worst Movie Ever Made aka The Conqueror (1956)

I count this as the worst movie ever made. And I do mean ever. John Wayne as Genghis Khan is OMG awful. The script is laughingly bad. I can't make it more than a few minutes into The Conqueror without wincing. Even worse, this was filmed near the Nevada Test Site and many of the crew developed and died from cancer later in life.

This is so staggeringly bad that I think everyone should see it once. And probably only once. And should get some kind of merit badge proving they've watched it and survived.

Don't Mess with My History (Rant)

For those who missed it, Publishers Weekly has announced that NewSouth publishers are going to be putting out a politically correct version of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  They are removing the "n-word" and replacing it with "slave." You can read the Publishers Weekly article here.

Those who read the sanitized version of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn* are, in my ever so humble opinion, not reading Huckleberry Finn. This offends me on so many levels, I can't see straight. It's capitulating to the narrow minded masses. It's messing with our cultural history. And it's not going to do a darn thing to make this book more accessible to modern readers.

I read this book in high school. Then I read it in an American literature course. Then I read it again, 6 times for a literary criticism class. I don't think it's literary genius. But I do consider it to be important for those seeking to understand life in America in the 19th century.

What's next? Putting a diaper on Michelangelo's statue of David because we find his package offensive? Painting clothes on the Birth of Venus where her hair just doesn't cover that left breast? I'm not comparing Mark Twain to Botticelli or Michelangelo, but I am comparing art to art. You can't just mess with art because some piece of it offends you. Don't look at it or read it if you can't handle it in its entirety. But for crying out loud, don't butcher it to make it fit your own level of comfort.

Political correctness should be about moving forward. Not about rewriting the past.

Are those 219 instances of the word "nigger" important? If they were so unimportant, there wouldn't be a controversy. They are important for the very reason so many want them removed: they are offensive. They make an impact. And they show us just how ugly that word and all it represented could be. Changing the word to slave may pacify the uptight parents who challenge Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and get it removed from classrooms. But it fails to convey the very thing Huck Finn should teach us. That our history was not pretty. That language can hurt. And that we have come a long, long way from the days of Mark Twain.

*Notice the lack of "the." The first edition [and all scholarly editions] did not have a "The." Hey, I did learn something during all of those rereads.

Review: Winter Wishes (anthology) by Vivian Arend, Vivi Andrews, and Moira Rogers

Format: ebook
Pub Date: December 6, 2010
Publisher: Carina Press
FTC: Digital copy received through Netgalley

The Blurb:

A Twist on Tradition
A woman has the Christmas Eve from Hell. Two cat shifters play naughty games. And a witch brings out the beast inside the man. The magic of the season takes on a whole new meaning in these three fantastic—and festive—novellas from some of the best voices in paranormal romance.

I know I'm a bit tardy getting this one published. The holidays are over, but I am one of those readers who can read holiday stories any time of year.

I don't think I've read a holiday novella collection quite like this one. I'm a big anthology fan in general. Anthos allow me to sample new-to-me authors without the time commitment of an entire full-length book. And the inclusion of a better known author will help get me to pick up the book...something the marketing pros at the publishers clearly know.

I was familiar with Moira Rogers' writing, but had never read either of the other two authors featured here. While I enjoyed all 3 stories, I was surprised that it was the middle one, the one about angels no less, that captivated and surprised me.

Review: Darkfever and Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

With the upcoming release of Shadowfever on January 18th, Twitter has been, well, atwitter with references to the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

Until last week, I had ignored this author. Largely because I'm not a fan of fairy stories (thank you very much Laurell K. Hamilton) and because I can't help but go Jr. High and start giggling over the author's last name. Moning? Seriously?  *ahem*

But, seeing how many people know and love this series, I decided I needed to read at least one of them to understand the various references made.

There are a few things to know before starting this series.

1. This is not a romance series. I'm not quite sure what it is (I suck at classifying books by genre) but it's not a romance. I'd go with Urban Fantasy, but that brings to mind more Urban and less Fantasy, whereas this book is primarily fantasy with a little urban Dublin thrown in for color. There is some minor tension between some of the main characters, but this is grittier, more violent and lacks a Happily Ever After. Or any real relationship. At least in the first two books.

In fact, the publishers have rebranded the covers to remove the romance-y elements. The original cover for Darkfever looked very much like a BDB cover.

2. The books end with cliffhangers. Very little is resolved at the end of each book.

3. It's told in the first person. Some hate this POV, so ye are hereby warned.

4. There's lots of fairy/Gaelic words and terms. So many, in fact, that our lead character, Mac, has created her own glossary at the end of the book.

5. The characters are not "likable." Any of them. Not even Mac.
 

Year-End Review 2010

One thing I can say about this year...I should have kept better track of what I read. Even using Goodreads, I don't have quite as much info as I'd like.

I fulfilled one of my goals for the year, though. I more than doubled the number of posts I made to the blog compared to last year. And I think I livened up the topics a bit, too. 

Total Books Read: 95
(not including rereads or audios I've read in print)

Total Books Reviewed: 84
(including cookbooks and audios I've already read in print)

Not too shabby, really, considering I always feel like I should be reading more than I am. That's 1.8 books per week. 

For this year, I'm hoping to write a few more posts about trends I see, highlighting more authors I've discovered, and in general, diversify the blog a little bit more. Maybe even read a few more mysteries than I did last year. I am a few books behind on the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs, and I still have most of the In Death series to listen to on audio. And I have one last Sookie Stackhouse to listen to as well.

What changes or additions would you like to see on the blog for 2011? What are your personal goals for the new year?

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2011!

Review: Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon (Harper Collins)
Pub Date: December 28, 2010
FTC: Digital ARC received from publisher through Netgalley

The Blurb:

Abandoned at the altar…

Lady Beatrix Danbury has always known she would marry William Mallory. She’d loved him forever, and she’d never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together and his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter, and left two weeks before their wedding.

Return of the duke…

Will has no illusions that Beatrix will welcome him back with open arms, but six years has not diminished his love or his desire for her. The only problem is that she’s about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable… the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?

Laura Lee Guhrke writes some of the most fun late 19th/early 20th century romances out there. They are wonderful, sweet, romantic, and sometimes very funny. Wedding of the Season definitely had its amusing parts, and it also had plenty of heart.

I love the second-chance-at-love trope. And there's plenty to love about Will and Beatrix. There really isn't a villain in this book. No third person who broke the young lovers apart. The parting was a result of mixed priorities, chance, and the naivete of youth. And pride. Lots and lots of pride. As I was reading the book, my sympathies swung from Will to Beatrix and back again. It's painful to watch these two wrestle with the realities of what drove them apart. And to watch them fight their attraction for each other.

Quickie Review: When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer

Format: ebook (also available in mass market paperback)
Pub Date: November 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's
FTC: Purchased myself

I saw several recommendations for this book on Twitter. Lots of comparisons to early Julia Quinn.

Well...I didn't see that. I saw an attempt to be like early JQ. But this author forgot that it wasn't the situations that made those early books so terrific. It was the characters. And Kramer's characters are the most shallow, irritating, immature characters I've read in a long, long time.

Molly is a self involved, immature twit. Sure, she's romantic. As if that somehow excuses her utter lack of common sense. And Harry is a dishonorable jackass without that rakish quality that allows me to hope that he's putting on a show for others. He's a jerk, through and through.

I found the whole contest for "Most Delectable Companion" silly. In a bad way. And I felt that the ending was so predictable I could have skipped it entirely.

Fans of light hearted romance might like this one, but only if they don't mind shallow, immature characters.

My Grade: C-

The Blurb:

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince regent as one of society's 'Impossible bachelors', Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: the bachelor whose mistress wins the title of 'Most Delectable Companion' gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend - actually, 'foe' is more like it - is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will it lead to happily ever after?

What Did Santa Bring You?

Santa was very good to me this year. He brought me a shiny new Kindle. No longer will I feel like I'm out of touch, a step behind everyone else.

Who am I kidding? I will probably always be riding the coattails of trends instead of leading the charge. It's how I operate. Weigh, assess, gather data...think about it some more...and then, maybe, cave.

But, back to the Kindle. I have to say that having the e-ink is wonderful on my eyes. I have my laptop and I have my Ipod touch. Both of which have backlit screens. And while they work to read ebooks, they aren't very comfortable to read from for long periods of time. I've read 4 books since Christmas. And my eyes aren't tired. That's saying something!

There are a few things I'm not so fond of with the Kindle:

I miss my covers. Kindle books do not show the covers! At least not that I've found so far. They show in the Kindle store, but not at the beginning of the story as I've grown used them doing on my Ipod. And not on the home menu either (If I'm wrong, someone please point me to the setting to change this!)

I don't like shopping from the Kindle. I prefer the Ipod/browser interface to the one on the Kindle.

And I have to say, I've finally discovered how fast EDGE coverage is (the secondary coverage outside the Sprint coverage map). It's slow. As in...dial-up slow.  Maybe slower. At home I have the Kindle set to use my wifi network. Which, even as slow dsl, is way way faster than EDGE. But I'm glad I have it anyway, given my husband's chatty nature. I can sit there and buy books while waiting on him wherever he decides to stop and chat in the car. It's awesome.

One last gripe: battery life. They are smoking dope on their specs. Granted, I've been playing Scrabble, have the wireless ON, and have been reading nearly nonstop. But the charge was halfway gone within 2 days. No way would it last 10 days on a single charge. Uh uh. I'm going to experiment with turning the wireless off for battery life to see what the real life range is.

Next up is figuring out how to use Netgalley with the Kindle.

Thank you Santa!

Review: Naked in Death by JD Robb (audio)

Format: Audio download via Audible
Pub Date: Print 1995, Audio 2008
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Narrator: Susan Eriksen
FTC: Purchased myself

The Blurb:

Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over 10 years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

At the urging of my husband, who listens to far more audiobooks than I ever could thanks to his job, I decided to give Naked in Death a try. I knew of the series, of course. JD Robb is the not-at-all secret identity of Nora Roberts. And I have more than just a smidge of Nora fatigue. So, to say I was a little cautious is an understatement.

But I have to give her credit: if I didn't know La Nora had written this, I would not have guessed it. It is completely different from any of her romances. (And I've read the majority of them). The futuristic setting is far grittier than anything I can remember her writing. And while there is a romantic element, the majority of the story focuses on Detective Eve Dallas and her quest to track a serial murderer.

The narrator does an excellent job of using different voices for each character. And the male voices don't sound forced as is the case for some women narrators.She does a solid job and enhances the story.

The story itself is technically a mystery, but I had no difficulty guessing whodunnit. I think the characters, and Eve's inner struggle with her burgeoning relationship with Roarke, are what make this book compelling. All of the characters are well done. Even the secondary ones. And Roarke is just plain awesome.

I think this skirts the line between mystery and romantic suspense. And I think the futuristic setting makes this just different enough to be unique without annoying those who don't like even a whiff of paranormal or fantasy in their books.

My Grade: A-

Quickie Review: Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Format: mass market
Publisher: Dell (Bantam/Random House)
Pub Date: 2007
FTC: Personal copy from the TBR

I've been hearing from several people (including my mom) how great the Breed series is by Lara Adrian. After reading the first book in the series, Kiss of Midnight, I'm not sure what everyone's raving about. I thought it a mediocre book that doesn't really add anything to the vampire romance subgenre. Sure, there are aliens, but other than that? Eh.

Plus the last 30 pages or so nearly strained my poor little eyeballs because I just couldn't stop rolling them. Sappy dialogue, a TSTL heroine, and an jerk for a hero. I thought the characters were well done other than the last minute (and completely unbelievable) attitude adjustment for Lucan. I just don't see this as anything other than a passable but not wow-worthy vampire book. Maybe the newer books in the series are better?

The Blurb:

INSATIABLE DESIRE. ENDLESS SEDUCTION. ONE TOUCH IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night--or this man--is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed--a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind--and the unwitting humans existing alongside them--from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed's formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all . . . .


My Grade: C

Recipe: Mrs. Elliott's Posh Potato Casserole

This one comes from my 9th grade English teacher. We make this pretty much every year to go with our Christmas ham. It's not heart or waistline healthy. At all.

Posh Potato Casserole

Ingredients
8 medium potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 green onions, chopped
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs (regular or panko)

Directions:

Boil potatoes with bay leaf until barely tender. (If you over cook them, the potatoes will be mushy, and you'll lose the special texture of this dish)  Cool, peel and grate coarsely into large bowl.

In medium bowl, add melted butter to soup. Blend in sour cream, salt, pepper, onion, and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Pour over potatoes and stir gently.

Spoon into buttered 13 x 9 casserole. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake 10 minutes longer.

Recipe: Finnish Stars aka Prune Tarts aka Joulutortut

Those who live in the Great Lakes area and/or those of Finnish heritage will recognize this Christmas classic.

Prune tarts (yes, prunes) are traditional Yule Tarts. They start with a dough, cut into a pinwheel shape using either a knife and/or a pinwheel cutter. Then a prune (yes, prunes!) filling is placed in the center. The dough is then folded over into the traditional star shape.

This is a vintage recipe that came from the old, metal cutter. And I do mean vintage. The original cutter was purchased by my mom's family sometime in the early 60s. There is a plastic pinwheel cutter out there, but it isn't quite the same. Since the metal one is so hard to find, though, it will work.

I think even prune haters should try this recipe as-is. But you can, of course, substitute any THICK preserves for the filling.

This is a bit of a retro recipe, so it may look a little funky to modern bakers. ;)

Prune Tarts

Dough: 
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Filling:

3/4 lb prunes
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar

Mix butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender. In small bowl,  beat the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix egg mixture into dry ingredients till a medium soft dough is formed. Set in a cool place for an hour.

Cook the prunes in water until soft. Remove the stones, and add the sugar. (Most prunes these days are already pitted). Beat to a paste.

Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut with tart cutter (sharp knife or pinwheel cutter). Place a teaspoon of filling in the center, fold the strips over to the center and press together.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the over for 20 minutes or until golden brown at a temperature of 400 degrees.

Makes about 4 dozen tarts.

Hump Day Movie(s): Die Hard and Lethal Weapon

"Holiday movie" was a fluid genre in my house growing up. My mom is Queen of Monster Movies and Action Flicks. Which means that anything that had the slightest mention of the holidays in it was considered fair game for December viewing.

The two biggest in our house were the original Lethal Weapon and Die Hard . Both old school late 80s action movies with lots of guns, explosions, and foul language. The stuff that holidays are made of. Although, YES, there are some holiday decorations to put you in that festive mood. Plus, it has Mel and Bruce in roles that fit them well...unlike much of their newer stuff that lacks the impact of these movies.

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Format: Trade Paperback
Pub Date: October 2010
Publisher:
FTC: Purchased myself

The Blurb:

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.

But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

This one is for the holdouts. Readers, like me, who view overly hyped  books with skepticism.  The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook deserves every bit of praise it's received and then some. This is one of those books that will shape the publishing world for years to come.

I am a steampunk virgin. Before this book, I'd never read a steampunk novel. In fact, steampunk fans have made me a little...hesitant in the past because they seemed so proprietary over what makes a book steampunk versus gaslight.  And my only experience with the steampunk aesthetic was through some spectacularly awful movies. But with several people familiar with the genre applying the steampunk label to this, I felt I had to give it a shot.

Review: American Uprising by Daniel Rasmussen

Publisher: Harper
Format: Trade Paperback
Pub Date: January 4, 2011
FTC: Review copy provided by the publisher
Blurb: (due to the length, placed at end of review)

I love micro-histories. They highlight stories often lost to history, and often have a narrow focus that allows them to go in-depth into the subject. And such is the case with American Uprising by Daniel Rasmussen.

The research into this forgotten piece of history is amazing. The volume of first person quotes and primary source material used is tremendous. And Rasmussen's writing avoids that dry, textbookish style of writing often present in so many histories.

Hump Day Classic Movies: White Christmas, Meet Me in St. Louis, Miracle on 34th St

I am not a big musical fan. There. I said it. There are a few movies, though, that wormed their way past my dislike of the format to become favorites. Two of those are White Christmas (1954) (starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) and Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland.

The ironic part is that the music is precisely the reason I love both of those. The tunes are so catchy, I'm left with a earworms for weeks afterwards. Especially of the lesser known songs.

I'm not really a Judy Garland fan. But I think I like Meet Me in St. Louis because she isn't cast as someone much younger than she really is (Her character is 17. She was 22 at the time). And Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Probably because it's a bit of a bittersweet song. The movie isn't a "holiday" movie, exactly, but it does have a few holiday scenes.

My other favorite holiday movie, not a musical, is Miracle on 34th Street (1947). Why? Because Maureen O'Hara is in it. I swear, I love just about every movie she was in. And the guy that plays the lawyer (John Payne)? He was sooo cute. There have been a few remakes of this, but none have come close to touching this version for both charm and heart.