Steven Helmer Publications

  I had to stop by the grocery store this morning to pick up cat food and, while there, wound up in the frozen food section.  I hadn't planned on buying anything breakfast related. However, after some debate (mostly over the $6.69 price tag), I decided to give this product a try.  One of the things I found I liked about this product was the uniqueness. The French toast outer crust seemed to complement the eggs and sausage stuffing and, at minimum, gave it a halfway decent flavor (though I did think the eggs came out a little bit rubbery). Another plus about this product is the convenience. All I had to do was pop five of them in the microwave for about a minute and they were ready to eat. I ended up eating mine with a fork but, if I needed something I could pick up and eat while rushing out the door, I do think they are solid enough to allow that to happen without the risk of them falling apart. I do think these would fall more in the "light breakfast" category, at least...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book, which is part author memoirs, addresses the subject of racism and argues the best way to defeat it is to adopt "antiracist" thoughts and actions, beginning with racist government policies. Review: One thing that surprised me about becoming a parent is how much my daughters, especially my oldest daughter, challenge me to re-think the thoughts and opinions I used to take for granted. As a result of this, I have been making more of an effort to expand my reading list so it includes voices I might not otherwise have read. That is a big reason why I ended up checking out this book from our library. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this book. The title sounded interesting but, at the same time, I wondered just how much time the author would spend rehashing the same arguments I've heard dozens of times before (many of which I already agree with). As it turns out, this ended up being a book that made me question some of my prev...

Synopsis: As a small mountain town prepares to celebrate the holiday season, a piece of a meteorite strikes the downtown area, causing the community and the surrounding area to go into a deep freeze. As the damage spreads, it is up to a town resident and scientist to stop it. Who's in it? The movie stars Victor Webster , Jennifer Spence , Richard Harmon , Tiera Skovbye and Mike Dopud . Review: My wife and I came across this film a couple weeks ago and decided to add it to our movie library. Since it was super hot outside yesterday evening, I figured it was a good choice. As it turned out, it was better than expected. Overall, I found I liked the plot. Yes, it was very similar to The Day After Tomorrow but there were just enough additions to keep the film slightly different, including the giant ice spikes that would occasionally pop out of the ground, and I did find it entertaining for the most part. That being said, I'm not going to lie, there was an awful lot in this movie ...

Synopsis: Even though he has made it clear he wants nothing to do with her after their failed wedding , Agatha Raisin is still determined to make things work with her neighbor, James, and travels to Cyprus to track him down. While there, she meets a group of obnoxious tourists and just can't seem to get away from them, even after finally finding James. When one of the tourists is murdered right in front of them at a disco, the stress from the investigation and Agatha's developing friendship with suave baronet S ir Charles Fraith make reconciliation with James even less likely. Review: My wife was able to access re-runs of one of her favorite shows and, as she binged watched those, I ended up reading this book in a relatively short amount of time. Overall, I thought it was an OK book though there were also some things I really didn't like about it. As far as the mystery goes, I thought it was a decent one. The victim, Rose, was loud, obnoxious, and a bit of a flirt but th...

Synopsis: In September 1962, Flying Tiger flight 923 was flying to Germany with 68 passengers when it began to experience engine failure. Unable to reach land, Capt. John Murray was forced to "ditch" the plane in the Atlantic Ocean knowing, even if they survived the water landing and escaped the plane before it sank, they may not be rescued before dying of hypothermia. Review: Fun fact - I hate to fly. In fact, I can feel my anxiety increasing just by being around an airport (with no plans to actually board a plane). So, I should be one of the last people to read a book about a real-life plane crash but I still ended up checking out this book anyway and I'm glad I did. I think the thing that interested me most about this book was the way it described, in great detail, the various things that went wrong in a matter of minutes. In addition to losing three of four engines (one the result of human error), the plane's passengers and crew had to deal with lost rafts, forg...

Synopsis: After serving a suspension for punching a civilian, Louisiana police officer Renee Lomito-Smith returns to work with a new partner. On her first night back, her former partner is killed while on patrol and the dash cam footage, which disappears shortly after she watches it, shows something supernatural. In need of answers, Renee decides to investigate the incident on her own. Who's in it? The movie stars Mary J. Blige , Nat Wolff , David Zayas , Anika Noni Rose and David Warshofsky. Review : I came across this movie a couple days ago and thought it looked interesting so, when my wife and I had time to watch a movie yesterday evening, I put it on. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be very memorable. While the overall concept wasn't a bad one, the execution was, at best, lacking. In fact, for a supernatural thriller, this film was actually pretty darn boring. There are a couple things that really hurt this movie. One of the main ones is it was the movie was extremel...

Synopsis: After being rejected by her dream college a second time, Drea reluctantly agrees to babysit for a member of the college admissions board. A couple hours later, she is protecting the two kids and her brother from an army of man-eating aliens. Who's in it? The movie stars Tashiana Washington , Ava Preston , Jack Fulton , Jaeden Noel and Dee Wallace. Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and decided to add it to my library, partly because I remember enjoying the original Critters . My wife and I ended up watching it yesterday evening and, overall, I thought it was an OK movie. I am going to start off by saying, if you have not watched any of the previous films from this series, you will want to before watching this one. Sometimes you can get away with watching an installment and still have a basic understanding of what is going on but, in this case, I think you will feel lost. I was even confused on occasion despite seeing most of the films from the franchise. ...

Synopsis:  Nothing seems to be going right for Agatha Raisin on her wedding day. However, she is still determined to marry James Lacey even though she has doubts about whether or not he really loves her. Things go from bad to worse when Jimmy, the husband she told everyone was dead, interrupts the wedding, causing James to leave in embarassment and anger. When Jimmy is strangled to death later that evening, Agatha and James are the primary suspects and, despite their ongoing tension, must work together to find the real killer. Review: After being a bit disappointed by the last Agatha Raisin mystery I read, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this one. However, it turned out to be an entertaining book. I think the thing I liked most about this mystery was the way it did a decent job of keeping the door open regarding multiple suspects. This included the unfriendly woman who purchased Agatha's cottage and even James, who I kept on my suspect list solely because he could ha...

Synopsis: When activist Jessica Tartinck took over leadership of the Dembley Walkers, she turned the once casual rambling group into an outlet to attack local landowners over rights of passage through their private property. Her latest target is Sir Charles Fraith despite Sir Charles' willingness to work out a compromise. When Jessica is found murdered on Sir Charles' property, he becomes the primary suspect. However, Deborah Camden, a Dembley Walker who has secretly been dating Sir Charles believes he is innocent and asks Agatha Raisin to investigate. Review: I started reading M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin books right around the same time I actively started reading Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries. Of the two detectives, I found I've enjoyed Agatha Raisin more. Unfortunately, this fourth book in the series was one of the exceptions to that. OK, to be fair, I didn't hate the book. The overall story involving Agatha and her neighbor/would-be boyfriend...

Synopsis: Four six years, Jim and Jamie Dutcher camped in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains so they could closely observe and film a wolfpack's social hierarchy. The non-fiction book details their experience and observations. Review: I normally check out library books based on a pre-set plan, whether it is a specific title or a desire to read something from a particular genre. On occasion, however, I do end up picking out a book purely on impulse. That's what happened with this book, which I ended up checking out after it fell off the shelf while I was looking at another book. At first, I wasn't sure if this would be a book I would enjoy. However, after I started reading it, I found I had a hard time putting it down. The way the authors describe the wolves interactions, both with each other and the humans in the camp, wound up being much more intriguing than I was expecting. At minimum, it did change my perception about wolves and made it easier to see how their pack really ...