June 29, 2020 I WONDER WHY

                            I WONDER...............................................................................

**Why our glorious leader WON'T wear a mask? He is supposed to be a role model. Just think how low our Covid numbers could have been??

**How things would be if we had a president who worked to unify the United States and ACTUALLY LEAD us in our battle against Covid??

**What it would be like to have a president who actually cared about the health and safety of the people??

**What it would be like to have a president who faced the issues armed with REAL knowledge and facts??

**What it would feel like to have a president who comforted Americans during these difficult times??

**When THIS nightmare be over???   

...........These are just a few of the things I wonder........... about---- as we enter the fifth month of Covid............Phase Two--I believe. (HEAVY SIGH)  

Speaking of sighs, I recently finished a novel from 2008 that I absolutely loved called Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo.  Russo is a fabulous writer and has become one of my favorite American writers. He has the ability to write about small-town life and actually make you feel as if you are part of the neighborhood.  This quiet story is set in Thomaston, a fictional town, in upstate New York. Lou "Lucy" Lynch,  the main character, has spent his entire life in Thomaston.  A town where--everybody knows your name.  At age 60, Lucy decides to write a book about the history of the town and his life. While writing the book, the reader learns about many issues that  faced the town over the years including social classes, racism, mental illness, environmental pollution and the cancer caused by the old tannery. The book  also follows Lucy's childhood,  his quirky parents, grandparents,  best friend Bobby Marconi, girlfriend Sarah Berg and just how the family came to own several convenience stores in town. This book is filled with a cast of characters that you will come to know and love because  Russo understands human behavior and has the ability to create rich, interesting, unforgettable characters. If you like beautiful writing, then this is the book for you. It's about 640 pages--or a 6 mile run--that you will never forget. 

 

June 22, 2020 LIE TO ME

As Covid threatens to take over the United States, our fearless leader carried on with his idiotic rally. Are you kidding me? And masks were optional? As it stands now--8 of his staffers have tested positive for virus. DAAHHH....Trump actually said that he wanted to limit testing to keep the numbers down--so that he could spread his "Fake News." OKAY-- let's just stop testing so that Trump can claim he's conquered his enemy. UGH.  The only good news that came out of the rally--besides the fact that TRUMP made an ASS out of himself AGAIN-- was that the rally wasn't  well attended. Many people were smart enough to stay away from an enclosed area full of people--they actually listened to SCIENCE.  I think that the  people who were actually DUMB enough to attend the rally --should have been required to a sign a waiver-- giving up their rights to medical care--when they get Covid. Sounds fair to me.  It's laughable that TRUMP stood there spouting about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN --when everything that's gone wrong in the United States since his election is pretty much his fault. He doesn't give a HOOT about Racism, BLM, Covid or trying to Unite the U.S.  He wants to divide the U.S. AND spread HATRED so that he can get re-elected.  TRUMP ONLY CARES ABOUT TRUMP-- HIS  MONEY--and GETTING REELECTED.
Another person who seemingly only cares about herself is the main character in Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel,  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. As the story begins, Evelyn is a legendary actress of "Old Hollywood" living in New York City who wants her story told. She hires an unknown journalist named Monique Grant to write her story. This begs the question why an unknown journalist? At this point in the story,  Monique is barely scraping by as her husband has left her and her career is going nowhere. After the two meet, Monique goes to Evelyns apartment every day to record her biography for a book that stands to make millions. Monique learns that Evelyn made her way to Hollywood in 1950 at the age of fourteen to become a star. She was ruthless in her endeavor and didn't let anyone or anything stand in her way as fame and fortune meant more to her than anything. Evelyn's story is one of  glamour, betrayal, friendship and scandal as  Evelyn explains why she had seven husbands, and why she was forced to leave Hollywood in the 1980s. This book is ultimately about the love of Evelyn's life and her desire to finally speak the truth. By the end of the story, Monique will also learn why she was chosen by Evelyn to write her biography. I really enjoyed the story--it was not what I expected--for that I'm thankful. It's about 400 pages or a 4 mile run that you will find hard to put down. Enjoy.

June 10, 2020 OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL

Concerts. I read a book a few weeks ago that got me thinking. Back in the day--concerts were a MAJOR event. Remember---Kind of like seeing the The Wizard of Oz on television. Tickets were about $10--Can you believe it? Seriously--you could see Van Halen for $8.50--BUT--that was a lot of money-considering minimum wage was about $3 an hour. CRAZY.  Then I started thinking about some of the concerts I went to in the 1980s.  It's funny--some of them I remember VIVIDLY--while others NOT SO MUCH--I'll leave it at that. To the BEST of my recollection--these are some of the concerts I saw WAY BACK WHEN. Genesis-Rush-Journey-Bryan Adams-Def Leppard-The Police-Fleetwood Mac-Rod Stewart-Madonna-Elton John-James Taylor. I'm sure there were others but I can't think of them right now. I can still remember wanting to be a groupie though. Wanting to run away and follow a band around the country. I fantasized that Rod Stewart would see me in the crowd and whisk me away.......SORRY....back to reality. I'm sure we have all fantasized that we were either in a band or part of the band and if you REALLY want to feel that way again--for a little while-- you must read Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
This book is unique in that it is written as a series of interviews about a famous rock band of the 1970s. The interviewees include members of the band, groupies, agents, and friends of the band, forty years after their mysterious break up. Daisy Jones, the lead singer, grew up in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip. She hangs out with bands and enjoys the lifestyle of a groupie. As she grows older, she discovers her talent for song writing and eventually as a singer. Billy Dunne, is the leader of The Six, a band gaining popularity in the early 1970s. After the two join forces, the sky is the limit until problems in the band --jealousy-drugs-alcohol-sex--become too much. This is the story of the rise and fall of a rock band and how things are recalled by members of the band forty years later. It's interesting that things that seemed important then--seem quite ridiculous now. The story seems so real that I actually googled the band--only to find out that the book is VERY loosely based on Fleetwood Mac when they were recording their album Rumors. This is a great story. I loved the writing and the format. I fell into it and wanted to stay. I did read that the book is going to become a mini series too. It about 370 pages or a 4 mile run that I thoroughly enjoyed.

June 1, 2020 BLUER THAN BLUE

Have you ever heard of the Blue People of Kentucky? Me either--until last week. Apparently, a man of French descent named Martin Fugate, who had blue skin, settled in Troublesome Creek around 1800.  He married a woman named Elizabeth Smith and four of their seven children were blue. Why were they blue? The color of their skin was due to low oxygen saturation caused by hereditary Methemoglobinemia. Interestingly enough, it was caused by a recessive gene--so both the father and mother had to have the gene in order to have blue children. By the 20th century, descendants with the gene still lived hidden around Troublesome Creek. In the 1950's, two siblings caught the attention of a nurse who then took them to a hematologist who was familiar with their condition as he had seen it in Alaska. After testing and further study, he  was able to treat the them. Sadly, the blue people were discriminated against because of their skin color. They were murdered, beaten, and ridiculed because they weren't white. Unfortunately, things haven't changed much in our world-- They've only gotten worse as witnessed by the events of the past few months. Stand for a moment in Cussy Mary Carter's shoes when you  read The Book Woman of Trouble Some Creek by Kim Michelle Richards.  

Cussy Mary, the narrator of this fine novel, is the last of her kind--the Blue People. She's also a pack horse librarian, one of  Roosevelt's WPA programs of the 1930s. Cussy Mary is a brave, dedicated librarian who faces prejudice, intolerance and attacks from whites as she travels the poverty stricken rural areas of Appalachia delivering books to her patrons. She and her father are not accepted in town and are not considered part of the community because of their difference. Because of the color of their skin, they are persecuted and held hostage in  their own homes. Her father is a coal miner with  lung disease who has one last wish. He wants to see his daughter married and taken care of before his death. But who would want to marry a Blue? This book is so many things. It is a well- researched novel that will make you feel like you are back in Kentucy in the 1930s. It's also a book that pays tribute to the women who rode countless miles over rough terrain to bring hope to the poor, ignorant masses. It's also about prejudice and what it's like to be different in a world that does not accept difference. Find out what happens to Cussy Mary and her father when you read this beautifully written novel for yourself. It's about 320 pages or a 4 mile run that is more timely than ever.