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Friday, December 23, 2016

Holiday Inn Movie Review

I simply cannot go through the holiday season without watching the movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Not only is the movie fabulous because of the actors, it also features a huge repertoire of Irving Berlin music. In fact, Berlin actually wrote several new songs just for the movie.

One song we all know and love is "White Christmas". Because there is an actual movie named White Christmas (1954) that also features the Irving Berlin song, many people assume the song was written for that movie. It was not. The song, White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby, was first performed in Dec. 1941. A few months later it was recorded and sold as part of the musical soundtrack for the movie Holiday Inn.

In my opinion, Holiday Inn is a better movie than White Christmas. It is a real shame that so many people associate the song with the movie that bears the same title. Sadly, they often miss the best!

The Plot of the Movie Holiday Inn

Fred Astaire, or should I say Ted Hanover, is a famous dancer who is part of a 3 person act. Bing Crosby plays the part of Jim Hardy, a sensational crooner who is tired of show business. He is engaged to Lila, the third person in the act. Together they plan to leave the stage and "retire" to a life of leisure on a farm in Connecticut. But, Ted has other schemes.

Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Buy on DVD or Blu-rayTed loves show business and he likes his dance partner, Lila. He is certainly not ready to lose her, so he tells her that he loves her and wants her to stay with him. Lila chooses Ted and show business over Jim and the farm. That is pretty heart-breaking for Jim, but at least he has his future at his farm ahead of him.

After nearly a year of isolation and working the farm, Jim finds it is not what he expected. He dreams up an alternative that includes his beloved farm, but also allows him to take the stage again to preform. By turning his farm into Holiday Inn, he can write his music and host shows on holidays only, which would be 15 shows per year. He visits Ted to pitch his plans in hopes that Ted will join him. Even though Ted is not interested in working at Holiday Inn, their manager does send Linda Mason to Connecticut to work when she recognizes him and asks for his help.

Linda proves to be the perfect song and dance partner for Jim and they officially open Holiday Inn for the first show on New Year's Eve.

Back in New York City, Lila has left Ted for a millionaire and Ted rushes to the Holiday Inn to commiserate with his friend, Jim. When Ted dances with Linda, he "knows" he has found his new dance partner. Jim fears history will repeat itself and that Linda will leave him for Ted and show business.

Conclusion

This romantic movie is pure entertainment! The dancing is fabulous, the music is outstanding, and of course, Bing Crosby is sensational. He truly was a gifted singer and actor.

By the way, you won't have any trouble recognizing the importance of the song "White Christmas" to Jim and Linda in the movie.

The song, "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby is the top selling single of all time. You may find it interesting to know that the current day Holiday Inn hotels were inspired to name their hotel chain by this movie.

Note: The movie cover art has been colorized, but the movie is black & white.

Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Buy on DVD or Blu-ray Holiday Inn
Rent the Movie on Amazon

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Holiday Inn Movie Review Written by:

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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Rubber Ducky Tea Infuser Review

Check out this fun tea infuser - a rubber duck tea infuser

If you're after a bit of fun with your cup of tea then you will love to read my rubber ducky tea infuser review. I absolutely love this fun tea infuser, because let's face it what's not to love about a rubber ducky?

I received this cute rubber duck tea infuser for Christmas from my daughter a couple of years ago. I'd said I wanted a fun tea infuser and she wanted to know what I meant by that so I mentioned a rubber ducky one as an example. My mum was Christmas shopping with her and told me (after the event) that she was searching high and low for it ignoring other fun tea infusers like the sloth tea infuser or the geeky space capsule tea infuser for examples.

Aside from looking cute floating in a mug of tea instead of someone's bath this rubber ducky hides a mesh tea infuser underneath which you simply add the loose tea to, attach the rubber duck and let it float around dispensing flavor to your hot water.

Tea Ducky Tea Infuser - A Fun Way to Enjoy Tea!

Personally I only use my rubber ducky tea infuser for making my own peppermint tea. I simply pick fresh mint leaves, pop them in the mesh and leave it to brew for about 5 minutes before enjoying a lovely tasting aid to digestion. The peppermint tea really sets me up for the afternoon as it not only tastes nice, but stops indigestion and also helps to keep me refreshed and invigorated, but back to the tea infuser.

This fun tea infuser comes with a blue stand which looks rather like an egg cup, with a wavy 'top' and lets you simply lift rubber ducky out of your cup and into the stand when you want to drink. Once washed and in the cupboard it lets you sit the tea infuser neatly until use.

If you're a loose tea drinker, or you just want to try some of your own herbal infusions then I recommend this rubber ducky tea infuser as I dare you not to smile when you see it's cute face!

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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Thoughtful Last Minute Hostess Gifts for Gardeners

Christmas is Just Around the Corner.

Let's review some lovely Hostess gifts for your friends who love to garden.

If you are anything like me, even though we've had fair warning, Christmas seems to have been sprung upon us in very short order. Along with Christmas coming so quickly, invitations to visit with family and friends have also been coming in quicker than the squirrels can empty the bird feeders.

What can you do when you really know you'd love to visit, but refuse to come empty-handed? The first thing is Don't Panic. Let this list help you figure out the best and nicest hostess gift to bring to your friends on your upcoming visit.

Gardeners by their very nature love Plants!

Everyone loves flowers, but gardeners love things that grow! So a really nice idea would be to bring a potted plant to your host or hostess. At Christmas time you will find lovely bulb sets that will surely be enjoyed by your gardening friends. Amaryllis and Paperwhites are typically sold around this time of year as Christmas gifts, but they also make lovely and thoughtful Hostess Gifts. Most of these are sold with a pot, all the planting media and the bulb which may already show signs of growth. All it needs is a lovely gift bag and a bow!

Amaryllis will grow for years after the initial gift has had its day and bloomed. Gardeners will take care of the bulb so that it will bloom for them again and again in years to come. It will remind them of you and your thoughtfulness.

This plant will give your gardening friends something really beautiful to look forward to. These blossoms are just out of this world beautiful. I can't think of a single person whether they are gardeners or not, that wouldn't marvel at this beauty.

Can we spice it up a bit?

Along with things that grow, you will find many herbs available at this time of year as well. Rosemary makes a lovely scented gift that your gardener friends can use to make the kitchen smell really nice and they can use the herbs for cooking as well. Just add a nice little pot and you have a lovely gift. Gardeners can get creative with the rosemary, as it prunes really nice and can be trained into shapes that are really quite interesting. Something to keep your gardening friends happy during the cold months of the year.

How about something More Christmassy?

Typically available at this time of year are Christmas Cactus. Not at all prickly, they are usually covered in either white, pink or red flowers at the end of their scapes. A very pretty and easy to grow plant that any gardener would enjoy wholeheartedly. Give them some light and water and they will happily bloom for a few weeks or more. These will also continue to grow throughout the year and rebloom the following year again on new growth. Each year these plants become more beautiful and larger in size. They are easily contained though if space is at a premium.

Remember that Plants are Living and Cold will Affect Them.

Just one word of caution, if you are bringing plants as a Hostess Gift, and you live where winter is cold, please take care to wrap your gift well so that it doesn't freeze or suffer from getting cold. Preheat your vehicle and wrap the plant with two layers of plastic and tie or secure it shut so that the cold air doesn't touch the plant and all will be well.

My friends already have too many plants, don't you have any other suggestions?

If you don't want to bring a plant and would prefer another gift that is not subject to the weather, let me let you in on some little gift ideas that every gardener I know would appreciate.

Every gardener I know never ever has enough pairs of gardening gloves. I have at least 4 pairs on the go at any one time. So a pair of gardening gloves and a few packets of seeds done up in a little package will bring smiles of gratitude from your Host or Hostess.

A nice hand cream is also something that we can never have enough of either. Hands even when protected by gloves, can become rather dry. A lovely scented hand cream would be nice and not too expensive.

Another handy gift would be a thermal mug or cup for coffee, tea or water. Sipping while you work in the garden is a luxury and much needed in the summer months. Not having to stop what you are doing to get that sip of water is even better.

Gardeners love a great apron. One with pockets in them to hold the seed packets, clippers or gloves when they stop for a minute. It also helps to keep them just a little cleaner while they are working away in their little paradise.

Do you need more suggestions?

There are many more gifts for the Gardener Friends on your list. Just for your enjoyment and for their pleasure I am including another list of Host/Hostess gifts that would be sure to please. So here goes:

Garden Stakes or Markers
A Small Watering Can
Books or a Magazine subscription, Farmer's Almanac
Funny Garden inspired T-shirts
Bonsai Gift Set (available at Amazon)
Garden inspired Coffee Mug
Kangaroo Garden Bag (a collapsible compost bag, also available at Amazon)
Gardener's Journal
Windchimes or Suncatchers
Willowtree (tm) Figurine "Angel of the Garden"

All of these suggestions are under $25.00, and I know from personal experience that Gardeners who love to entertain, would enjoy any of these suggestions.

Let the Friend who invites you over the holidays know how much you appreciate his/ her efforts in the garden and I'm sure you will see the biggest "Thank You" smile for miles around.

Appreciation of family and friends never gets old and at Christmas time or over the holidays even more so.

May your Holidays be filled with good friends, and family! May there always be smiles and lots of laughter! Happy Holidays.

You can read more about Gardening or Gardening Gifts on Review This or follow the links below!

Grammie O's Favorite Things
Outstanding Spring Gardens are Planned out in the Fall

Pictures on this Review This Post all come from Pixabay in the order that they appear here!

https://pixabay.com/en/invitation-invite-blue-design-941497/

https://pixabay.com/en/amaryllis-flower-blossom-bloom-red-1860710/

https://pixabay.com/en/rosemary-herbs-green-fresh-1347087/

https://pixabay.com/en/christmas-cactus-flower-nature-619650/

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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Aboard The Great Iron Horse Series Reviewed

Continuation of a Steampunk Fantasy Series

Iron Horse Style Engine from Pixabay.com

Aboard The Great Iron Horse is a book series that continues the story line from another series that I introduced to you back in November which began with the book The Tinkerer's Daughter. I so thoroughly enjoyed the story of Breeze the half human and half Tal'mar in the first set of books and was thrilled to find that the story continued in a different series.

I do not normally like to ruin a story for anyone but in the first set of books Breeze eventually has a daughter that she names River. That is as much as I will spoil for you if you have not read the Tinker series of books. I do advise that for the most enjoyment of Aboard The Great Iron Horse series that you first read the first set of books. You wouldn't have to but, you will understand the continuation of the plot if you do.

clockwork aboard great iron horse book cover

The Clockwork God

River (Breeze's daughter) is one of the main characters in the Iron Horse series of books. After, an event in Sanctuary that is certain to have life changing results for this fantasy world; River embarks on an adventure in a great steampunk style train. The expedition is led by Socrates who is a machine of sorts. I find Socrates most fascinating and a wonderful addition to the story line and a most imaginative and mysterious creation by the author.

Socrates is considered an automaton which we would define as a robot or an android. Oh my goodness he is so much more than that! I often think of C-3PO in Star Wars except that Socrates was made to look like a gorilla. There is no other machine in this fantasy world that can compare to the ape with the blue fur. He can function very much like a human. He thinks, reasons and it sometimes appears even feels emotion. He knows the history of the world, has been around for centuries and leads the small crew on a most incredible journey. He runs on steam power along with a mysterious energy source called Starfall. Part of the expedition entails finding more of this energy source or Socrates and the other machines will eventually cease to function.

On the journey Socrates, River and the rest of the crew encounter other civilizations that they were not aware even existed. This makes for a most interesting and entertaining reading adventure.

If you enjoyed the first of the steampunk fantasy set of books by Jamie Sedgwick; I think you will also enjoy reading the continuation of the story in Aboard the Great Iron Horse. I have enjoyed it, myself!

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Monday, December 19, 2016

Now You See Her - Book Review

Available on Amazon

Domestic Fiction by Joy Fielding

Marcy Taggart's life is in shambles. She's 50 years old and her husband has left her for another woman. Two years ago her twenty-one year old daughter, Devon, disappeared. They say Devon drowned in a canoeing accident in Canada's Georgian Bay, but her body was never found. Devastated, Marcy continues to see Devon's face in crowds and has even stopped strangers on the street, certain she has finally found her.

Marcy & her husband had originally planned to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Ireland. Now newly divorced, but with the planned trip already paid for, Marcy decides to take the trip anyway, hoping to heal her heartache. Except, while visiting Cork, Marcy is certain she spots Devon walking down the street. When her daughter disappears into a crowd, she begins a desperate search to find her -- and to uncover the disturbing truth that might, in the end, be her only salvation.

Devon is dead, Marcy.”
“You’re wrong. She’s here.”

Marcy's Search for her Daughter

During her search, Marcy manages to meet two interesting men ~ one her age who is a widower on a trip to learn to cope with his grief; the other a handsome young Irishman working in a local pub. She also has run-ins with the local police (called Garda in Ireland from the term Garda Síochána na hÉireann (Guardians of the Peace of Ireland), and seems to get herself involved in a number of strange happenings, including the possible kidnapping of a baby.

Throughout the story we learn the background information about her ex-husband, her daughter, her bipolar mother, and her sister who has been married 5 times and thinks Marcy is crazy for going on a second honeymoon alone. This information is presented as 'memories' and sometimes as thoughts in Marcy's head, often like dialogues of the time the events took place.

Because of the way the book is written, you often feel as if you are Marcy, experiencing what is happening to her. This makes Now You See Her quite a unique and interesting read. It held my attention throughout the story.

Video Trailer for Joy Fielding's 'Now You See Her'

Author Joy Fielding

Joy Fielding (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Joy Fielding is a Canadian novelist and actress from Toronto, Ontario. Born Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career (see her bio on Wikipedia), then gave it up to write full-time. As a writer, she changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding, an English novelist from the 1700s who was famous for writing Tom Jones).

Her website is JoyFielding.com which contains information about her novels and also has an interesting segment where she writes a fun-to-read monthly letter to her fans about her recent 'happenings'.

Joy has published 27 novels since 1972, with Now Your See Her coming out in 2011. Two of her novels have been made into movies.

Fielding's Latest Book

Available on Amazon

At the time of the writing of this review, Joy Fielding's latest book, published in February of 2018, was "The Bad Daughter". Fielding has written three books since. Each of her books are worth reading if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

A gripping thriller of family intrigue and dark secrets.

Have You Read Any Joy Fielding Books?

I enjoyed reading Now You See Her so much that I will now be looking for Joy Fielding's other books. Have you ever read any of her stories? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought of them.

Book Review by Wednesday Elf. For more book reviews, check out ReviewThisBooks.com

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Sunday, December 18, 2016

A Coffee Table Desk - When a Regular Desk is Too Much

Coffee Table Desk, & More Here

When you just don't have the space to incorporate a typical office in your home, or simply want a second place to do your work, a Coffee Table Desk is an ideal solution.

A Review - The Top 10 Benefits of a Coffee Table Desk

1. The obvious benefit is the space saving aspect. A coffee table desk allows you to include a working surface in your living or family room without having to bring in another piece of furniture.

2. You're able to save money by incorporating two pieces of furniture into one.

3. You can also find coffee table desks that include built-in storage thus giving that designated square footage triple use. Store your office supplies inside your coffee table desk.

4. It's not only a desk to do your own work on, it's also a place for the kids to do their homework, or their fun creative projects.

5. The elevated surface gives you a way to have your coffee cup in a more convenient reach AND go ahead and eat dinner in front of the TV without a hassle.

My family room
has space for a desk in the corner.
However, a Coffee Table Desk
is another viable solution.

6. Some designs give you storage, a coffee table, and a desk combined. Despite all of this built-in convenience, the looks are sleek and easily blend with existing decor.

7. Prices range as do quality and design. If you need a more expensive elaborate piece, there are many to choose from. Or if you simply require a basic solution, there are designs with prices that reflect that purpose as well.

8. When you plan to redecorate and no longer require your coffee table desk in the room, its versatility allows you to transfer it to just about any other room in the home. Or go ahead and pass it along to a young adult for their first apartment or dorm.

9. Many designs still offer an open bottom; something that's important in a small room. Closed full bottom coffee tables make a room look smaller. However, if your room is larger, go ahead and choose a fully closed-bottom coffee table desk. Many of the closed-in designs offer numerous built-in drawers.

10. And lastly, life is too short not to decorate your home the way your want!

You can check out additional coffee table desk designs here, where you'll find pieces ranging from traditional to modern.

Happy Funky Decorating :)

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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Sweet Ginger Cheese Muffins - Recipe Review


Sweet Ginger Muffins copyright BuckHawk

Looking for easy, vegan and gluten-free muffin recipes, I came across a delicious looking sweet ginger one. But, it wasn't completely perfect to go with the soup I was planning for dinner. Therefore, I did the conversions needed to end up with Sweet Ginger Cheese Muffins.

Here I'll tell you about the original recipe along with the changes I made to create my new muffin recipe. Although my recipe is both vegan and gluten-free, I've included the easy changes you can make to convert it to standard diet fare.

The Original Muffin Recipe

Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats

One of my favorite vegan and gluten-free cookbooks is Allyson Kramer's Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats from Around the World. In her section titled Tasty Treats from Central and South America, she includes a recipe for Chilean-Style Sweet Ginger Cake. This was the recipe that enticed me into creating my own version.

Sweet Ginger Cake is meant to be a dessert. But, to go with the potato leek soup I was serving, I wanted something a bit less desserty. Ergo, less sugar and sweet ingredients and the addition of vegan cheese shreds and nutritional yeast. The result was a delicious cheesy muffin similar to sponge cake in texture.

Sweet Ginger Cheese Muffins Recipe

Ingredients and directions:

2/3 cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream these ingredients together until they form a smooth paste. I used my stand mixer for this. It just goes so much faster.

Then add in:

2 teaspoons dried, ground ginger
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cups gram flour
1/4 cup honey, agave or other sweetner
1 1/2 cups almond milk

Mix all of this together until you have a smooth batter. Finally fold in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. I used a combination of Daiya brand mozzarella and cheddar style vegan shreds.

Grease and flour 12 standard muffin cups and divide the mixture among the tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Recipe Notes

For those of you who are not familiar with vegan and gluten free cooking, many of these ingredients will sound foreign. But every single one is available in health food stores and online.

If you want to make these muffins in a more conventional way, you can easily replace the vegan margarine for butter, replace both the tapioca and gram flour with all-purpose flour, skip the xanthan gum and replace the vegan versions of milk and cheese with dairy versions.

Nutritional yeast is not like standard bread yeast. It's deactivated and more similar to brewer's yeast. It adds a cheesy flavor and vitamin B12 to anything it's added to. Nutritional yeast is found in a dried version, either flakes or powder. If you don't have nutritional yeast, you may want to add more cheese shreds.

Either way you want to make this recipe, you will enjoy a combination of flavors. Unexpected combination, I agree, but the result will complement soups and stews wonderfully.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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Friday, December 16, 2016

Christmas in Connecticut Movie Review

Last week I reviewed a fabulous contemporary romantic Christmas movie, The Spirit of Christmas. This week I am shifting the focus back to an old holiday classic. Christmas in Connecticut may be over 70 years old, but it is far from outdated. It is simply a fun movie about a woman who gets caught in her deceptions and tries desperately to cover her tracks, and keep her job!

Barbara Stanwyck takes the lead role as Elizabeth Lane in this Christmas romantic comedy and Dennis Morgan plays the part of the unsuspecting soldier who joins her "family" for Christmas.

For some of you it may matter that this movie is in black and white. It has not been colorized like some of the old classics. For me, I enjoy the step back into a simpler time and a movie that stands on it's own as pure entertainment.

Synopsis of the Christmas in Connecticut Movie Plot

Elizabeth Lane is an extremely popular journalist who claims to be a fabulous cook, a wife, a mother, and the ideal homemaker. She is able to write well enough that no one even suspects she is unmarried and completely clueless about preparing food. Even the publisher has no idea she is a fraud.

Christmas in Connecticut (BD) [Blu-ray]The story takes place during WWII. Jefferson Jones is one of two survivors when his naval warship was torpedoed by a German submarine. He and his fellow survivor spent 18 days in a raft on the ocean. Needless to say, they were literally starving and Jefferson dreamed of a fabulous meal anytime he slept. When they were finally rescued and hospitalized, Jefferson could not eat solid food and was placed on a milk diet. He continued to crave a real meal. He was so desperate to eat, that he even proposed to one of the nurses so she would take sympathy on him and bring him food.

After 6 weeks in the hospital, and many meals, he was no longer anxious to get married. The nurse thought that if he simply experienced a home for Christmas and observed how wonderful it could be to have a wife, that surely he would follow through and marry her. She wrote Alexander Yardley, the publisher of the magazine that employed Elizabeth Lane. She requested that they extend an invitation for Christmas to this soldier who had been through such an ordeal and had no where to go for the holidays. In response to the letter, Mr. Yardley insisted that Elizabeth Lane and her family include Mr. Jones in their Christmas celebration. No only that, Mr. Yardley invites himself to come spend a few days with them for Christmas too.

That is where the fun begins! Elizabeth must find a farm, a husband, a child and learn to cook outstanding meals in a few short days before Mr. Jones and Mr. Yardley show up to join her and her family for a Christmas in Connecticut.

Christmas in Connecticut Trailer

This is an old Hallmark channel trailer. I did check the Hallmark channel schedule for showtimes. At the time of publishing, Christmas in Connecticut was not on this seasons schedule. However, you can continue to check it here:

Hallmark Channel Schedule

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Buy on DVD Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Rent from Amazon Video

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Christmas in Connecticut Movie Review Written by:

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Thursday, December 15, 2016

Inferno Book Review

A page turner. A real thriller. I absolutely could not put it down. Obviously, I was not alone in my appreciation for this book as it was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for eleven weeks.

Dan Brown's Inferno is the fourth book in the Da Vinci Code series following The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and Angels and Demons. In the latest volume, character Robert Langdon awakens in hospital suffering from amnesia. He remembers nothing of the previous days but memory or not, the book erupts into chaos fairly quickly. Langdon is in possession of a special code and discovers hidden parts of Florence and ancient secrets as well as a scientific situation that may improve or devastate life on earth.

Inferno is set mostly in Florence with some time spent in Venice and Istanbul. The jacket says that it "is a sumptuously entertaining read - a novel that will captivate readers with the beauty of classical Italian art, history and literature while also posing provocative questions about the role of cutting edge science in our future." I agree.

If you are up for an exciting adventure, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. If you are going to Florence, Italy, there is simply no choice. You HAVE to read this book. Inferno was but one of the Italy-themed books we read before we had the opportunity to travel to Italy in October and I am glad that we did read it. If you cannot travel to Italy in person, you can do some armchair travelling with the book, which brilliantly explores Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, the Boboli Gardens and the Duomo.

Personally, I would love to own the special edition book shown above, which is illustrated and includes more than 200 color images. It is the version that I would choose if I were gifting this book to a mystery reader, a Da Vinci Code fan or to someone travelling to Italy. Here's a video peek at what to expect in the special edition version of the book:

Just watching the video makes me want to read the book again and, of course, go back to Italy! If you are interested, you can find all of the versions of Inferno on Amazon here.

On a final note, the movie version of Inferno was fine. It was interesting to visit Italy again through the eyes of the movie camera but be warned that it paled in comparison to the book. I also found myself wondering how much one would enjoy the movie if they did not have the knowledge of the story that reading the book gave. This is definitely a situation where the book far surpassed the movie.

Please stay tuned for more Italy-themed book reviews.

Happy Reading!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

Quick Link:

Buy Dan Brown's Inferno on Amazon.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Use MalloMe LED Camping Lanterns When Lights Go Out: A Review

Light Up the Darkness with a MalloMe™ Lantern

Power outages don't normally warn you before they occur. Your power can fail any time -- not just in stormy weather when you might be half expecting an outage. All it takes is for a car to hit a power line. Suddenly you may be in the dark -- unless you have an emergency light supply handy.

As I learned one day, even birds on a power line can cause a short. Two weeks ago I learned a fuse can blow out in a transformer in my neighborhood. That day we lost power for four hours. These men were fixing the problem.

The Night the Lights Went Out

Silly me! There we were watching TV. There was a popping sound that silenced the TV and knocked out all the power. We had one flashlight within reach. I didn't even know where the candles were. After scrounging through the cupboards I found a few, but they weren't really suitable. I had to use them anyway since my camping lanterns were all at our other house. I hadn't thought to bring them here.

Except for those candles and a couple of flashlights, we were in the dark. Fortunately, the outage only lasted about an hour. It was a wake-up call. The next day the power was off during the day for about four hours. When it came back on I was off to Amazon to prepare myself for the next failure. I bought several more flashlights and these wonderful MalloMe™ LED Lanterns.

Why Did I Choose the MalloMe™ Lanterns?

I wanted lanterns that were powered by AA batteries and were easy to operate. They needed to be small and lightweight. I wanted them to be able to hang or to stand on a table. These lanterns met my requirements. In addition, they are built with military grade water-resistant materials.

The lanterns in my photo above are about 2/3 of the actual size. With the handles all the way up, these are ten inches high. When they are fully collapsed for storage with the handles down they are only 4.9 inches high. Their footprint is just 3.46 inches in diameter. They are about the size of a soft drink can, but a tad wider.

LED Camping Lantern Flashlights Camping Equipment - Great for Emergency, Tent Light, Backpacking, , 4 Pack Gift Set

MalloMe LED Camping Lantern Flashlights with 6 AA Batteries, Pack of 2 (Red / Purple)

Duracell Quantum Alkaline AA Batteries, 20-Count

Getting My Lanterns Ready to Use

The package was user-friendly. Unlike the flashlights I ordered, these lanterns came in an easy-to-open cardboard box. I didn't hurt myself trying to open it. Each lantern had its own compartment and all I had to do was pull them out of the box -- not pry off clamshells to get at them.

I bought a box of four, each in a different color. That makes it easy to tell them apart if necessary. Each color could be assigned to a different family member. One can also keep track of when batteries are changed in each lantern more easily.

The Amazon description page said there would be two light colors, but mine were all white -- the way I like them. There was also mention of a marshmallow roasting and Smores making recipe ebook at no extra charge, but I can't find a way to access it. It seems someone used the description of the two-pack on the page for the four-pack. I don't really care about getting the book, so it doesn't matter to me.

Inserting the batteries is easy. Just unscrew the bottom of the lantern to expose the battery compartment. Then insert the three AA batteries (not included) as clearly indicated. The lid as pictured here is larger than the actual size.

where the batteries go in a MalloMe LED Camping Lantern

Now screw the lid back on and you are ready to roll.

Operating the MalloMe™ LED Lanterns

To turn the lantern on, pull the handles up. What could be easier! To adjust the amount of light, just move the handles up and down to expose more of the lantern or shield it.

MalloMe LED Camping Lantern sitting outside

How Much Light Can You Expect to Get?

I took some photos to show you. First, let's see how dark the bathroom is with only a rechargeable flashlight plugged in. It's a pretty good night light, and it turns into a flashlight when the power goes out. It also gives light when it's recharging. I bought two of those at the same time I bought the MalloMe™ LED Lanterns. For some reason the light reflects twice against the shower door, multiplying the light.

The flashlight is plugged into the wall by the door and you can't see it here. It's behind me as I take the picture.

The lantern is on the top of the toilet. I unplugged the rechargeable flashlight before taking this photo. The lantern provides enough light to do what one needs to do in the bathroom safely. One can still brush teeth, wash hands, etc.

Since the lantern has a stable bottom it can sit on any flat surface. It can also hang if you have a place to hang it. You can also easily carry it to a different room. We can carry them wherever we need to go, so four is enough. My husband found it gave him enough light to read by. I can use my Kindle's light for reading.

Where Can I Use These Lanterns?

You can use them in the house, in the garage, in a workshop, or outdoors. Although I purchased these to use indoors during power outages, they are really camping lanterns. They are light enough to go in a backpack, and they don't take up much room. They are perfect for lighting tents. They are described as water resistant. Some reviewers have used them in rain with no damage.

I can see they would be great to have in the car in case we have a problem on the road. I think I'll also take one along next time we go to a motel, since they are easier to carry to the bathroom than a flashlight and will stand flat. Normally we use a flashlight because we don't want to wake each other during the wee small hours.

My Opinion of the MalloMe™ LED Lanterns

I am very happy with this purchase. I'm actually sorry that I didn't buy more of these and I probably will buy another set later. The light is bright enough to keep us functional during power outages and it spreads in all directions, unlike a flashlight. Here I turned out all the lights in the family room at night. All the light comes from the lantern. I did not use a flash to take this photo. Unfortunately, the lantern gave enough light for you to see my husband's stack of stuff he's supposed to sort to see what we can get rid of.

dark room with camping lantern being used for light

I like the small size and the light weight that makes these lanterns so portable. Even with batteries, they are not heavy. Though they are light, they are not flimsy. They take very little storage space. Their simple design and attractive colors help them blend into the rooms where I want to keep them.

I have hidden a couple in the family room. Photo A has a lantern on the mantle. If I didn't have the handles up you might not see it at all. I shot from a different angle in Photo C to make the lantern clearly visible. Photo B is the top of the TV cabinet. I shot from an angle to make the lantern obvious. In Photo D I almost hid it. You wouldn't notice it at all if you were looking straight at the photos from the front.

I really appreciate how easy it was to get these ready to use. Compared to the heavy camping lanterns we bought years ago that we keep at our rural house, these are much more convenient to set up and use. No pouring of fuels or priming. No odd-sized batteries. The lanterns use the same AA batteries (not included) that I keep on hand for my flashlights, computer keyboard, and mouse. Some reviewers use rechargeable batteries.

LED Camping Lantern Flashlights Camping Equipment - Great for Emergency, Tent Light, Backpacking, , 4 Pack Gift Set

I highly recommend these to anyone who needs a temporary light supply inside or out. I am very glad I bought them. Get a set or two of these and you'll be prepared to see your way around whether you have electric power or not.

I took all photos with a Canon PowerShot SX410 IS Point and Shoot Camera. Most photos were taken without using the flash. This camera works better in low light than my Nikon point and shoot cameras.

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