January 16, 2024 DON'T LEAVE ME NOW

I've been waking up at 4:45am on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a 5:30am hot yoga class for two years. It's REALLY early BUT it's a great way to start the day. Went to bed last night wondering if we were going to have a delay------Maybe I wouldn't have to get up at 4:45am??? Go to the 7:00am class instead?? Didn't hear anything about a delay--so set my alarm for 4:45. DRAGGED myself out of bed-saw the snow--but STILL NO DELAY. Got myself ready for yoga---walking out the door when I got the notification. NO SCHOOL. What a bummer. I could have slept in a bit--had I known. UGH. Got in my car and went to class. At least that's done. Now I have time to write my blog.  It's been a long time since I read a Jodi Picoult book. They got too formulaic for me--but a friend gave me Mad Honey which is co-written by Jennifer Finney Boylan, so I thought I'd give it a try. As the story unfolds, Olivia McAfee, a single mother who survived domestic violence, has moved back home, to Adams, New Hampshire, to take over her father's beekeeping business. She and her son, Asher, have been living on the farm  for about 8 years when Lily Campanello and her mother, seeking a fresh start,  move into town. Asher and Lily, both seniors in high school, meet and eventually start dating. One day Olivia gets a call that Lily is dead and Asher is later arrested for her murder. The book flips back and forth between Olivia and Lily as the reader learns about the murder trial from Olivia, and Lily's life before her death. This book is about so many things--There's lots of information on bees and honey which I found very interesting. It's about courtroom drama. It's also about gender identity,  acceptance, and personal information versus secrets. It was a real eye opener to me to read about the life of a transgender person or child, and I have to say I learned a lot. Perhaps the authors tried to do too much in this book because it is heavy. It is a real page turner though. It was suspenseful, heartbreaking and left my head spinning. It's about 465 pages that still has me thinking.....so it was worth the read. Enjoy.