Book ~ "Movie Night Murder" (2016) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ Merry Wrath has seen dangers galore in her former job as a CIA field agent. But nothing has prepared her for this - an overnight Mommy and Me lock-in with her Girl Scout troop, complete with movies, dodgeball, four cats, a baby … and a dead body. 

When the mysterious corpse’s identity is revealed, Merry and her former handler, Riley, realize they might have a domestic terrorist situation on their hands ... one that needs diffused quickly before any more dead bodies appear. Merry once again calls on her former professional skills to track down a killer. Between a new, hottie female medical examiner - who seems a bit too interested in Merry’s boyfriend, Rex - the President of the United States, the world’s 2nd largest snail collection and an incident with pink hair dye, Merry has her work cut out for her. 

Can she stop an attack before it begins? Or will this be one Movie Night without a happy ending?

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. After changing her appearance, she returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life.

Merry and Kelly organize a girls’ night with their Girl Scouts and the girls’ mothers. Merry brings along her cat, Philby, and her three kittens, while Kelly brings her baby. The evening starts off fun with food, movies, and games until it takes a dark turn when Merry opens a door and a dead body falls into the room. The shocking discovery draws in the police investigation, which the Girl Scouts find thrilling.

Things get more complicated when the victim is identified and Riley, Merry’s former handler, soon shows up, intent on stealing the body and trying to recruit Merry into helping. But those plans quickly fall apart when the corpse is stolen by someone else.

Meanwhile, Soo Jin, a striking coroner newly arrived from San Francisco, arrives into tow. Merry becomes fixated on the idea that Soo Jin is interested in both her boyfriend, Rex, a police officer, and Riley, with whom Merry shares a past. I found Merry’s jealousy annoying and immature, especially since Rex has never given her any reason to doubt him. This same dynamic played out in the previous book with another woman.

I had issues with how the cats were handled. Bringing them along for an overnight and free to roam around seemed irresponsible ... what if they escaped? They weren’t supervised and she didn't bring a litter box or and there was no mention regular feeding. At one point in the story, Riley feeds the cats meatballs covered in tomato sauce, they would probably wouldn't eat and if they did, it wouldn't be a good thing. It often seemed like the author treated the cats more like dogs. On top of that, I had an issue with Merry considering getting the cats declawed!!

This is the fourth in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and for the most part liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Shelby's Legendary Shawarma, Toronto, ON (Bloor W)

Trish and I had Shawarmas burrito-style at Shelby’s Legendary Shawarma (on Bloor Street W, east of Bathurst). 

I had a chicken shawarma and Trish had a veggie shawarma. Yum! Their packaging is ingenious. You rip the strip in the middle of the box and lift off the top so it’s not messy on your hands. You can jam the top half back on if you want to take some home, which we did.

Farmhouse Kitchen Knitted Scarf

I knitted a scarf to donate using a Farmhouse Kitchen dishcloth pattern I converted to a scarf. I found it on Just Be Crafty's site site.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Merry Maximus) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 24 stitches.

• Rows 1 – 5: knit 
• Row 6: k3, p18, k3 
• Row 7: knit 
• Row 8: knit 
• Row 9: knit 
• Repeat rows 6 to 9 until it's the length you want
• Knit the next 3 rows
• Bind off

Anesti Danelis and Friends, Wenona, Toronto, ON

This evening Trish and I saw musical comedian Anesti Danelis and friends at Wenona on Bloor Street W (just east of Dufferin Street). It was a funny show!

Me, Anesti and Trish

Anesti was the host and introduced his friends.

Pam's Roti Shop, Toronto, ON

This evening Trish and I had supper at Pam’s Roti Shop on Bloor Street W (just east of Dufferin Street). It's the first time I'd been there.

We both had rotis.

Mine had chicken, potatoes and chickpeas. It was a tasty roti and I took half for leftovers. Yum! 

Trish’s had veggies including spinach and cauliflower.

I’ll be back.

Broken Rib Knitted Scarf

I knitted a scarf to donate using a broken rib pattern.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Merry Maximus) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 24 stitches.

It's a two row repeat: 

• Rows 1–2: K2, P2 
• Rows 3–4: P2, K2

After it gets to the length you want, knit two rows of K2, P2 and then bind off.

Pogue Mahone, Toronto, ON

I celebrated St. Patrick's Day at lunch today with the Toronto Social Seniors and Retirees group at Pogue Mahone Pub on College Street (between Yonge Street and Bay Street).

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, I had a green Keith’s.

There were 18 of us!

Book ~ "Marshmallow S'More Murder" (2016) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ What could be better for former CIA agent turned Girl Scout leader Merry Wrath than taking twelve little girls to Washington DC for a bit of summer fun? Almost anything. 

Unfortunately, between her girls terrorizing the Secret Service and "accidentally" destroying the hotel pool, Merry has her hands full with this troop. And when her former handler, Riley, is kidnapped Merry has to turn to an old friend from her spy days and her parents, Senator and Mrs. Czrgy, to help her wrangle the troop and rescue the man she once briefly called her boyfriend. 

Armed only with a perpetually AWOL parent, stalked by a runaway King Vulture, and plagued by a mysterious death from her past, Merry's mayhem weaves a wacky trail from moonshiners in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the bowels of the Japanese Embassy, to the ductwork of the International Spy Museum. 

With things heating up with current boyfriend, Detective Rex Ferguson, can Merry decipher clues from her past to find ex-boyfriend Riley and finally solve the murder of Yakuza boss, Midori Ito, before the target on her back is filled with lead?

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. After changing her appearance, she returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life.

Merry and Kelly’s Girl Scout troop has earned a trip to Washington, D.C. after selling the most boxes of cookies. But Kelly, who is due to have a baby any day, can’t make the trip, so one of the girls’ moms accompanies them. While in Washington, Merry receives an unexpected call from Riley, her former CIA handler, asking for help. Merry contacts her CIA friend, Maria, to look into it. Maria soon uncovers troubling chatter linking Riley to the Japanese mafia and his phone signal has been traced to Washington. 

Merry begins to piece things together and realizes Riley has been kidnapped by the head of the Japanese mafia. The mob boss’s mother was the woman Merry and Riley discovered murdered in Merry’s kitchen the previous year. They had secretly disposed of the body but it was recently found. Now Merry has two problems on her hands ... supervising 12 Girl Scouts on their Washington trip and and trying to track down Riley before the Japanese mafia settles an old score.

This is the third in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Roxton Public House, Toronto, ON

The Roxton Public House opened in September on Dundas Street W, just east of Ossington Avenue. I stopped in for supper this evening.

I had Piri Piri Chicken with fingerling potatoes. It was supposed to come with corn but instead came with something else ... eggplant maybe? The chicken was really good and very tender. I’d get it again. 

"A Mirror", 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media & Education, Toronto, ON

I saw A Mirror this afternoon at 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media & Education (on Bathurst Street, just north of Bloor Street W).

Get ready for the wedding of the year! It is with great pleasure that Leyla and Joel invite you to celebrate their marriage this March. Dress code is informal. Doors will open, followed by the exchange of vows. And at our signal, the entertainment begins.

"A Mirror", Sam Holcroft’s mischievous and explosive new play, interrogates censorship, authorship and free speech, with a series of unforgettable twists.