April 26, 2026 PERFECT

 

Perfect. That's the word my daughter used to describe her bridal shower last weekend. And that made it worth all the time and effort. When I decided to have her shower at our house--extreme action was necessary to get our house up to par. Rooms needed painting--aging furniture desperately needed replacing. Light fixtures dating back to the Civil War (JK) needed to be updated. Our house was a hot mess. Figured that it would cost  a good chunk of money to have the shower at a destination so why not spend that extra money on the house and have it here. AND IT REALLY WAS PERFECT. I love a home shower. Ours was intimate--cozy-- AND  the 15 bottles of Prosecco really added to the celebratory mood. Only 5 weeks until the nuptials. Praying for good weather. In the midst of all this craziness, I 'm still managing to read and recently finished the National Book Award winner from 2025, The True True Story of Raja The Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine. As this quirky story unfolds, Raja is a retired, gay teacher who lives in a tiny apartment in Beirut with his 85 year old domineering, over protective mother, Zalfa. It's definitely a love/hate relationship. One day, Raja gets a letter in the mail telling him that he has been awarded an all expense paid writing residency in Virginia and he is extremely flattered. The story then flips back and forth through time, as Raja remembers some of the decisions he has made because of his gullibility and the consequences of those choses. The story covers six decades that include war, a banking crisis, sexual violence, kidnapping and even the pandemic. Some of the stories are absurd, crazy and laugh-out-loud funny,  while others are more somber and heart wrenching, but they are all his true stories. This gem is also filled with outlandish characters including his cousin, Nahed, Aunt Yasmine, the neighborhood "godfather" Madame Taweel and many more. Find out if Raja takes another leap of faith and goes to Virginia when you read this well-written, one of a kind story.