Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower Review

 My son and his dad went to Barnes and Noble without me again. And once again, my son asked to get me a book. He picked out a mystery with an adorable little pig on the cover. I can't tell you how much it means to me that he knows me so well and cares enough to want to get me a book.

Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower is book 7 in the Amish Candy Shop series. And normally it's a bit difficult to start a series in the middle but the great thing about this series and with mystery series in general is that it can be picked up wherever and you won't be too lost. And Peanut Butter Panic takes care to give you all the background information you need in the first few chapters. 

The story is a simple premise at first Margot's mother's fiance is murdered at a town event. Her mother asks you to find who murdered him. But from there you find a web of secrets and red herrings. And woven through it all is the day to day life of Bailey, her candy store, Jethro the pig, and the citizens of Harvest. It's a charming, quick read, that will keep readers guessing until the end.

Now, if you will excuse me I am going to see if my library has the other books!

Bye!

Pokemon Violet: The Teal Mask DLC Review

 The main story of Pokemon Violet is probably my favorite of any of the Pokemon games. It's exciting, emotional, and fun. So when I learned there was DLC coming, I knew I would have to play it. I don't think that the DLC comes close to the main story in terms of quality, but for a DLC, and for what you pay for it, it is worth the investment.

The story begins when Professor Jacq calls you to let you know that you have been chosen to go to the Kitakami region for a field trip to study their culture and the Pokemon of the region. When you get there you immediately are sent to the Community Center to get someone to help a sick classmate. You meet Carmine and Kieran and Carmine, immediately challenges you to a battle. 

Afterwards, the man from the community center helps your classmate and the story begins to pick up the next day, when you receive your first assignment, to find the three signposts and take pictures with your partner. You partner with Kieran and discover that not everything about the local legend is the way it appears. 

I must admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from the DLC, as it was $35 and that seemed a bit steep for DLC. I wanted to expect that it would be good, but you never know with Pokemon and sometimes you never even know with DLC. But, in terms of gameplay, story and new (to the game) Pokemon to catch, as well as certain version exclusive Pokemon, the DLC is work every penny of the $35. 

The story is well done, but a bit predictable. Kieran, to whom you are immediately supposed to feel friendship and sympathy is a stark contrast to his sister Carmine, who you immediately feel quite a lot of joy to repeatedly best in a Pokemon battle. But both characters are more than your first impression and are very detailed and multifaceted. In fact, both add Pokemon to their party throughout the story, a nice touch. 

*possible spoilers* As for the Legendary Pokemon of the game, the Pokemon who wears the Teal Mask, Ogerpon, is adorable but powerful and has a unique ability that will make you want to add him to your party. And maybe it's just the fact that I began Pokemon with Gen 1, way back 1998, and saw the the first Pokemon movie in theaters but I really don't like legendary Pokemon who are just...mean. And unlike MewTwo, you can't say they are misunderstood or have redeeming qualities. They are just jerks. And the game designers did a great job of making them actually look and act that way. 

The DLC also offers you a chance to catch some old favorites that aren't available in the main game, so you are able to add 91 Pokemon to your boxes. This is a rough number, because part of it depends on the egg you get from Professor Jacq. It holds one of the three Sinnoh Starters, Piplup, Turtwip, or Chimchar. They hatch at Level 1 and I recommend keeping them in your party to help them reach their maximum potential.

Part 1 of The Teal Mask is a worthy investment and I would recommend that any Pokemon fan pick it up if they are looking for something with a heartwarming story to play.

My Shirley Jackson Read-a-thon

 To say that I love Shirley Jackson would be an understatement. I discovered her through the Haunting of Hill House when it came out in 2018, but I now know that I had read her short story Charles way back in high school. I can't remember if I was supposed to read it or if it was something I found on accident when I was flipping through the book and the rest of the class was discussing 1984 (I absolutely cannot stand 1984, you don't want to get me started on 1984). I read all of her works between November 2018 and January of the following year. Then when her book of letters came out in 2021 I knew I needed to read those, as well, so I did. Those were a little more melancholy of a read for me, because I knew that when the letters ended that meant Shirley Jackson had died. This October I have decided that throughout the month I will be reading most of her works again (I'm already a neurotic individual, I will be steering clear of The Lottery). Here is the reading order I have decided to go with, I will put on my thoughts on all of them when I finish.

Life Among the Savages 

The Haunting of Hill House

The Sundial

The Bird's Nest

Raising Demons

The Road Through the Wall

Hangsaman

We Have Always Lived in a Castle

Disney Dreamlight Valley Halloween Star Path Review

The Star Path in Dreamlight Valley is a way to earn seasonal prizes by doing tasks that earn you some form of tickets. Exchange your tickets for said prizes and have fun is the point of any Star Path. This Halloween Star Path was one that I, personally, have been looking forward to, for a few months at least. It was okay, it was a bit of a slog at times and the prizes weren't always worth it. But for the most part, it was what players have come to expect from Star Paths.

The first thing that I want to mention is that in the last two or three events, the Star Paths themselves have run flawlessly. However, cooking becomes a very slow process. Which can be a problem for Star Path challenges that require you to do some cooking, either on your own or in Chez Remy. But fear not, a patch will soon arrive and everything will be as it should be (and if you are the Switch, well, things return to their normal glitchy ways).

The challenges for this Star Path event were written, for the most part, as riddles. "Catch a fish that rhymes with harp," "Cook a meal that wouldn't be on the menu at Remy's" and so forth. And it works really well. It definitely gives the Star Path a Nightmare Before Christmas vibe, as you can almost hear Oogie Boogie giving you all of the clues. The only problem was some of them to more time and effort than most people will want to or be able to give to a Star Path and the game would benefit from future Star Paths losing some of the time dependent challenges. 

One challenge that did stand out to me, though, was the "Spend time with someone of the villanous side" side quest that appears twice. No spoilers here but if you have played the whole story mode and have developed a deep rooted loathing for one of the villains, that only leaves you with one option. Unless of course, you buy more Moon Stones and purchase the Vanessa story line that just released to give Ursula her legs. It seems convenient that this is one of the challenges when they released the Vanessa pack at the same time. However, in a less conspiracy theorist tone, it could just be because it's Halloween. 

The prizes were great! I really love that I know have a Haunted Mansion style room in my house. That I own Jack Skellington's suit and an Oogie Boogie onsie. Not to mention how flipping cute Donald and Stitch are in their costumes. There were a lot of motifs again, as well, so you are someone who likes designing your own clothes in the game, this going to give you some great Halloween outfit ideas. For fans of Hocus Pocus (read: not me), there are also hairstyles available as prizes. 

The Star Path is what fans have come to expect from the game and the prizes. The Haunted Mansion was a nice touch, as it will be hard to ever see that in the game outside of a decorative concept. If the game could just get past some of the grindiness that comes with Star Paths the events would be a lot more fun, but overall this offers something for every player no matter their tastes.