It’s been a while since I rewatched the “The Lord of the Rings” movies. I saw the first and second, I couldn’t quite get through the third, but I may give it another try. I also picked up the first two episodes of “The Rings of Power”. Unlike most of the commentators whose reactions I have glimpsed, I didn’t think it was that bad. I also rewatched the 1986 miniseries “A Little Princess”. The original short story was in a collection of children’s literature my parents used to own. I reread the extended book shortly after the miniseries came out and found the series remarkably faithful to the book. There are a couple of screen versions I rather detest for the liberties they took with the story. Yes, I’m looking at your version, Shirley Temple, although you aren’t to blame for what the scriptwriters did. The 1996 remake had no such excuse. I also watched “The Devil Wears Prada”, which I had heard about a while ago and never seen. Between Amelia Shankley and Anne Hathaway, I figure I’m much too old to have crushes on actresses, who in real life have little to do with the characters they play on screen. But…doggone it, I can’t help it. Just a little bit.

In reading, J.A, Jance came out with a new one, “Nothing to Lose” featuring retired detective J.P. Beaumont, and there was a 3-Novella collection “Sinister Secrets” featuring stories by Traci Hunter Abramson, Clair E. Poulson, and Paige Edwards that I liked. Poulson also had a new one, “Critical Consequences”. A decent police procedural, although perhaps not quite up to his usual standard. The ending was rather weak.