May 29, 2025 TRIP AROUND THE SUN

 365 days. Yup. My lovely daughter will be getting married in exactly ONE YEAR. Time is just flying by. I'll be going over to the venue later today-- to take pictures--so she can see what the  grounds/gardens will look like next year at this time. FUN. I've started looking at dresses for the BIG DAY. Think I'm going to go simple yet elegant--AND COMFORTABLE--BUT I also NEED to look good. Yup--there's the old vanity coming out again. YIKES-- I'm definitely NOT looking any younger. I have ONE year to get my act together--lose a few pounds, get rid of these wrinkles, whiten my teeth, get rid of these stubborn greys. I need a plan or a maintenance routine or something........UGH. It's all too much.   On to more important things. I just read a really good thriller by Charlie Donlea called Twenty Years Later.  As this story unfolds, it's 2001 and detective Walt Jenkins is investigatng the murder of a famous author, Cameron Young, in the Catskills area, and all evidence point to his lover, Victoria Ford. The novel then jumps to twenty years later. Avery Mason, the host of American Events, is investigating a new story. The New York Medical Examiner's Office has developed new DNA technology and  identified  a new victim of 9/11 as Victoria Ford. As Avery investigates, she get more questions than answers, especially, after interviewing Victoria's sister, Emma Kind, and Walk Jenkins, who is now retired and living in Jamaica. This mystery is filled with twists and turns AND everyone has something to hide--including Avery. Find out more when you read this suspense filled novel that will have you guessing until the bitter end. Enjoy. 

May 16, 2025 BITTERSWEET

 It's bittersweet. The baby is graduating from high school next week. So funny that we call Tim the baby--he's 6'3" and almost 18 years old. It has been a privilege to be his mother. He is a kind, responsible, intelligent young man. Good thing he wasn't my first or I would have wondered where I went wrong with the others.  HA. Seriously--my three kids couldn't be MORE different. Pretty sure Tim practically raised himself. Taught himself to read, swim, AND did all of his homework without being asked. He ate whatever was put in front of him too. Pretty much a dream child. Going to miss him so much when he leaves for college BUT so proud of him in every way. Just finished a Reese's book club pick called Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall that I really enjoyed.This tragic story takes place in the countryside of England in 1968. Beth, a poet turned farmer's wife, enjoys a quiet life with her husband, Frank, until her first love, Gabriel, returns to town with his young son, Leo. Against Frank's wishes, Beth reconnects with her former love and forms a bond with Leo. The chapters in the story jump between 1955 when Beth and  Gabriel originally fell in love--to their current lives in 1968 AND a murder trial at the Old Bailey courthouse. It's a love triangle gone bad in SO many ways. This novel is about love, loss and regret but it's so much more because it's also a mystery with  many plot twists that make it unputdownable.  Don't want to say much more because I don't want to spoil the fun. It's well written and I did like the characters too. Enjoy. 

May 4, 2025. EVERYBODY HURTS

 I've read countless books in my long life BUT none quite like Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. It was the writing. I was completely blown away---but I'll have to admit-- it took me a while to appreciate it.   One thing I found fascinating was how the writing changed based on the character. In the chapters about Peter--the writing lacked punctuation, contained sentence fragments, verb/subject inversion and jumped to stream of consciousness on a whim. The reader had to be VERY aware. When the chapter focused on the younger brother Ivan, the writing was calmer, more relaxed and much easier to read. These contrasting styles worked well with the frame of mind of the brothers and the struggles they were facing. The title of the book is also of interest--Intermezzo is a chess term--it's Italian for in-between--or entering a new period as the brothers do after the death of their father. Set in present day Ireland, Peter and Ivan have just buried their father after a long battle with cancer. They are struggling  to cope with this gaping loss. Peter is a 33 years old successful lawyer in Dublin. He appears to have it all---friends, money, connections and personality plus. Although he is still in love with Sylvia, they are no longer together so he plays the field and is currently with Naomi, a 23 year old college student. Ivan, his much younger brother, is a recent college graduate and competitive chess player. He is socially awkward and lonely. After meeting a much older women named Margaret at a chess tournament,  his life seems to be making a turn for the better until conflict between the brothers threatens their delicate relationship. This tender story is about grief, relationships, family and coping when the rock of the family is gone. Again, the writing is so different that it took me a bit to get used to, but I really loved the book and it will definitely make the list next year.