Day 18 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book, a Song and now a TV Show

Another windy, rainy day. Looks to be a busy one; Jo's final appointment to check her foot and maybe a trip to Campbell River to buy a crib for our New Year's visitors. So I'd better get a move on as times a rushing.

Book 8

Susan Cooper

Susan Cooper - Over Sea, Under Stone.

Susan Cooper is an English writer who was born in Burnham, Buckinghamshire in 1935. She is best known for her children's fantasy series, The Dark is Rising, which incorporates Arthurian legends and Welsh folk heroes into the stories. She has also written non-fiction, dramas and another series, The Boggart, etc. There are 5 books in The Dark is Rising series. Over Sea, Under Stone is the first. My review is below.







"What an excellent story! Over Sea, Under Stone is the first book in English author Susan Cooper's young adult The Dark is Rising fantasy series of 5 books. People of a certain age might remember those 60's TV shows featuring precocious kids involved in all sorts of adventures. Well, this is a reminder of those excellent shows.

Three young kids, Simon, Jane and Barnie Drew go on a summer vacation with their parents and Great Uncle Merry (or as they call him gumerry) to the Cornwall coast. Their parents have rented a house, the Grey House, from an old sailor and gumerry is staying with them.

What these three great kids don't know is that they will become involved in a search with their Great Uncle for the Grail of King Arthur. And this search will be contested by forces of the dark who also want the Grail for their own reasons. The kids find a secret room in their rental house and find a old map, which will guide them in their search. It's a dangerous search and they don't know who their enemies are and Merry isn't always about to help them. Of course they do have the sailor's dog, Rufus, faithful and with strange insights.

The story moves along at a nice clip and we get exposed to the kids' ingenuity, intelligence and bravery as the search for clues to guide them to the Grail. Their parents play very little role in this entertaining story, leaving the children free to wander about the area, deal with the 'bad guys' and have fun and adventure.

This was a completely entertaining story, lovely kids, interesting locale and lots of action. I can't wait to try the next installment, which currently resides on my bookshelves. (4.5 stars)"

Song 8

Panic at the Disco

Panic at the Disco - High Hopes.

Panic at the Disco are an American pop / rock band which formed in Las Vegas in 2004. Lead singer Brendan Urie has been the only official band member since its formation. The band has tended to change its style for each album; pop punk, pop - rock, electro rock, etc. They have released 6 studio albums. The song High Hopes was released in 2018 from their Pray for the Wicked album.

TV Show 8

All Rise.

All Rise is a new series for 2019, a court room drama starring Simone Missick as an ex-prosecutor and now a judge in the LA County Courthouse. The stories can be a bit worthy at times but all in all it's been an enjoyable first season. It also stars Marg Helgenberger of CSI as Judge Lisa Benner and an excellent supporting cast, my personal favorite being Ruthie Ann Miles as Lola's fantastic court clerk, Sherri Kansky. Now let's hope that the series doesn't get cancelled. *sigh*

So there you go folks. The countdown continues. Now it's off to run some errands.