The Belle of the Book
Musings on reading, running, relatives . . . in that order.
Thursday, October 9, 2025
October 9, 2025 SPACE ODDITY
Saturday, September 13, 2025
September 13, 2025 BIG BROTHER
Just finished a book that made me consider something pretty scary-- McCarthyism 2025
1) Using fear to erode civil rights and freedoms
2) Using the media to help engineer and spread misinformation
3) Firing and using public employees and government officials as scapegoats when they are not loyal
4) Labeling goverments officals and others as corrupt to erode public trust
5) Making outrageous claims against people deemed enemies
The book I'm referring to is called The Briarwood Club by Kate Quinn and it's historical fiction at its best. Grace March is a widow and the newest resident of Briarwood House, a boarding house strictly for women in Washington D. C. in the early 1950's. As the story unfolds, there has been a murder at Briarwood House and every resident is a suspect. The chapters then alternate between the women living in the house and their relationship with Grace in the months leading up to the murder. The housemates include Bea, a former women's softball champ, Fliss, a young mother from England, Reka, a refugee from Russia, Nora and Arlene. Although the women seemingly have nothing in common, Grace's weekly supper parties spark many friendships, debates, and a sisterhood for women trying to make a living in an ever changingworld that includes McCarthyism, classism, racism and the red scare. I really enjoyed this novel and had a hard time putting it down. It is well written, with great character development and its a story that will stick with me for a long time.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
August 26, 2025 HE'S GONE
He's gone. Yup--the baby left for college. It's the FIRST time in 31 years that we DON'T have kids at home. It's troublingly quiet and very neat. Shoes aren't left astray in the kitchen--smelly uniforms no longer stink up the laundry room AND no one is calling from practice begging for dinner. Who would have thought I'd miss these daily rituals-- BUT I DO. Back in the day-I couldn't wait for the kids to grow up and get out so that we could have our lives back BUT the reality is that our KIDS became our life and now that they're gone we will have to reinvent ourselves to some extent. It's all good. No worries. Ali will be home this weekend to celebrate her birthday and SHE WILL leave her shoes in the kitchen and her laundry and her suitcase and coffee mug and the house will be a disaster again. Can't wait! Finished a lovely novel the other day called Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers. The main character of the story is Jean Swinney, a middle aged journalist who lives in London in the 1950's. She has a rather lonely life as she is tasked with taking care of her overdemanding mother when she is not at work. One day while at the office, a woman named Gretchen Tilbury writes a letter to the paper claiming that her 10 year old daughter, Margaret, is the result of a virgin birth. Being the only woman at the paper, Jean is tasked with investigating the matter. As Jean investigates and gets to know the Tilbury family, which also includes Gretchen's husband Howard, she feels drawn to the family and realizes how lonely her life has become. Don't want to say much more than that you will have to read this amazing story for yourself to find out if Gretchen's claim is true and realize that things are not always as they appear. Interestingly enough, this book is based on an actual claim of a woman in the 1950's who said she had a virgin birth which is called a parthenogenesis and other historical events in the book are true. I really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.