January 23, 2022 COLD AS ICE

Was feeling a little down and out  last weekend. The weather was FRIGID and DARK clouds loomed overhead for DAYS. It was BITTER. Running is especially hard this time of year--So I did what any seasoned runner would do--bundled up and surrounded myself with other runners who are as crazy as I am and we GOT IT DONE.  Seriously--only the DIEHARDS were out last weekend. THEN I did the ONLY other thing that runners do this time of year to cheer themselves up--Yup--I bought some new gear. There's nothing like some new cold weather gear to turn my frown upside down.  I'm trying out this new brand I read about in Runner's World---BALEAF. Have never heard of this brand but was thrilled when my new fleeced lined pants and jacket arrived the other day-- I was psyched to go out for a run--even if it was only 24 degrees. See that's all it took. Something New. Just finished Sarah Winman's new book Still Life and thoroughly enjoyed it. This beautifully written novel begins in 1944 as Private Ulysses Temper meets Evelyn Skinner, a 60 year old art historian, on a road in Tuscany. She has come to Italy to help salvage art work from the ruins of war. Temper and his best friend Captain Darnley agree to accompany Evelyn to Florence, an event that changes their lives forever. After the war, Ulysses returns home to London and works at the Stoat &  Parot where the reader meets a host of unforgettable characters including Peg, Alys, Pete, Col, and Cress. After Ulysses gets an unexpected inheritance,  he returns to his beloved Florence to live and over the years,  several of his friends from London join him. The novel spans four decades where Evelyn and Ulysses look for each other only to miss at the last moment until Evelyn spies his picture in a newspaper after the Florentine Floods of 1966. This heartwarming novel of friendship, family, love, art, wine, great food and conversation set under the Tuscan sun will definitely help you forget the winter blues. Seriously,  It's a gem of a story that I'll never forget. It's about 450 pages or a 6 mile run that I was sad to finish and will surely read again. It's definitely earned a place on my book shelf. 

January 8, 2022 LET THE MUSIC PLAY

 

I finally gave in. I had NO choice. You see--my second generation NANO finally died. It had a good run--at least 15 years. I'm one of those people--I NEED music--especially if I'm racing. It really MATTERS. Otherwise I'm a self proclaimed LOLLYGAGGER. SO--I finally bit the bullet. Got an Apple Watch. I've never run with a watch before--I've never kept track of my mileage--splits--and all that JAZZ--until now.  I really like the watch  BUT at the same time it's causing me anxiety. It's a little like BIG BROTHER. It sends me notifications EVERY HOUR telling me to BREATHE--MEDITATE--STAND. It's also got this activity button that I refer to as the--RING OF TERROR. If the rings DON'T close by the end of the day then I haven't EXERCISED--MOVED--STOOD-- ENOUGH. I'm telling you--this is A LOT OF PRESSURE. See--I never wanted a gizmo that told me how many steps I took each day because then I would feel obligated to TAKE THE STEPS. NOW THAT I KNOW--it isn't pretty. Last night I was running up and down the steps at midnight to meet my goal of 10,000 steps and flights climbed.  This kind of thing can make a person like me KOOKY.  Pretty sure I was happier when I was IN THE DARK about the numbers. Yet another reason I have to escape into the world of books. I recently finished a wonderful novel by one of my favorite writers--This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell. First off, O'Farrell is an exquisite writer who has the ability to render characters flawlessly--Characters I miss long after finishing her novels. As this story unfolds, Daniel Sullivan, recently divorced father of two, is in Ireland collecting his grandfather's ashes. While there, he meets Claudette and her son Ari. After learning that Daniel is a linguist, Claudette convinces him to stick around and help her son who has a crippling stutter. Although the story is centered around the marriage of Daniel and Claudette that is just a microcosm of the story which then flashes back and forth between 1944-2016 where multiple narrators--from different time periods and places--help the reader understand why Claudette is a recluse, why Daniel hasn't seen his kids in 10 years and why guilt is crippling his life.  Again, this book is a treasure--and it was on my best books of 2021 list. It's about 400 pages or a 6 mile commitment worth every step. 

January 1, 2022 BOOK OF LOVE

 Happy New Year. 2021 was a tough year. Hoping 2022 will be a little kinder. Looking back at 2021--The Belle of the Book read 46 books--and reviewed 36 books. That's over 15,000 pages. Not bad.  My favorite books of 2021 include:

1) The Color of Water by James McBride--Blog post titled My Generation 11/6/21

2) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles--Blog post titled Respect 11/21/21

3) Gilead Series including the books Home, Lila and Jack by Marilynne Robinson--Blog post titled Life is Hard   6/22/21

4) A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki--Blog post titled Chicken Fried 3/27/21

5) Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride--Blog post titled Back on the Chain Gang 9/16/21

6) The House at Riverton by Kate Morton--Blog post titled High Maintenance Woman 1/24/21

7) This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell--Sorry--haven't reviewed yet

8) Nobody's Fool and the sequel Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo--Sorry--haven't reviewed yet

Hope you find peace and stay healthy in the New Year. Happy Reading. 

December 27, 2021 C IS FOR COOKIE

When I was a kid, I spent countless hours baking with my grandmother. We would spend all day Sunday  making  macaroons, brownies, rugelach, shortbread cookies, black & white cookies, chocolate toffee matzo crack, buckeyes, snowballs-- while simultaneously decorating hundreds of press cookies with sprinkles and cherries. I've continued the tradition with my own children--especially during the holidays. My only problem with baking hundreds of treats though is that they are HERE AND THEY ARE CALLING MY NAME. I have NO WILLPOWER. It's crazy. I stay away from them ALL day --But they haunt me at night. I tell myself that I'll ONLY have ONE but-- One turns into two--turns into three--turns into four-- UNITL I've had TEN.  IT'S MADNESS. I've decided to just eat as many as I can--ALL DAY--to get rid of them. THE SOONER THEY ARE GONE-- THE BETTER--RIGHT? Only then can I  STOP THE MADNESS-- Get back on the straight and narrow and hopefully fit into my jeans again. Ugh. The struggle is REAL. It was--however-- no struggle at all to read Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest book Malibu Rising. Nina Riva, the main character of this novel, is a supermodel and daughter of rock legend Mick Riva. She is also guardian of three siblings--Jay, Hud and Kit--as their mother is dead and their father abandoned the family.  The story takes place over a 24 hour period in August of 1983--the morning of the Annual Riva Summer Party. The novel flashes back and forth between the day of the party and the past--including 1956 when their parents met, married, and  Mick ultimately became famous. As the party gets started, the reader learns about each of the siblings-- their hopes, dreams and shared heartache. Will the siblings reconcile with the father? What happens to Nina' home? Will this fractured family finally find peace? Find out the answers to these questions and many more when you read this thoughtful novel for yourself. It's about 385 pages--or a 4.5 mile run--that I really enjoyed. 

December 11, 2021 SIMPLY THE BEST

It was a whirlwind. Literally. 24 HOURS in NYC. It was TRULY--to quote Amor Towles-- A ONE OF A KIND-KIND OF DAY. Hopped on the train Tuesday morning and got to the city about 3:00. Enjoyed coffee with friends and headed to Rockefeller Center. WOW.  The tree was beyond amazing AND the Sax Fifth Avenue Light Show was incredible. I've never seen anything like it. The window decor at  Bergdof Goodman, Tiffany & Co.,  Henri Bendel  and Lord & Taylor blew me away too. Talk about getting in the Holiday spirit. Jumped on the subway to 95th street to  Symphony Space for a REAL TREAT.  An author talk with Amor Towles--writer of Rules of Civility--A Gentleman in Moscow--The Lincoln Highway. It was a RED LETTER day of ole Marsh.  Capped off the night at Carmines-YUM YUM. Ran through Central Park the next morning. Went to Times Square to find the Lincoln Highway sign--had lunch at the Oyster Bar then jumped on the train to head home. It was the BEST DAY EVER. Hope you're planning your--ONE OF A KIND-KIND OF DAY--real soon.  If you have a little down time, check out Alex Michaelides new thriller, The Maidens. Marianna Andros, the main character, is a therapist who specializes in group therapy in London. She is also struggling to maintain her sanity, after the sudden death of her husband while on holiday in Greece. After learning that her niece Zoe's best friend has been murdered at St. Christopher College in Cambridge, Marianna is determined to travel to the school to help Zoe. Upon arrival, Marianna immediately becomes suspicious of a visiting professor named Edward Fosca and his group of maidens. Soon after, other murders are committed,  Marianna is convinced that Fosca is the murderer, and she aims to prove it. Find out what happens to Marianna, Edward, Zoe and the Maidens when you read this page turner with many twists and turns for yourself. It's about 350 pages or a 4 mile run with a jagged turn at the end I didn't see coming. Enjoy.

November 21,2021 RESPECT

Whatever happened to respecting elders?  Respect--"due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others." That's the respect I'm talking about. I'm shocked by the lack of respect the younger generation shows today.  When did this become okay? So--do kids NOT respect their own parents anymore? Is that where this comes from? Is it the trickle down effect? Are parents not behaving in a manner that fosters respect so that kids aren't learning it at home?  I NEED TO KNOW. When I was I kid--my brothers had to take their hats off and put a shirt on if they wanted to eat a meal. NO elbows on the table and PLEASE AND THANK YOU WERE THE MAGIC WORDS. Once--I actually held "the door" so long that -- I  missed a whole day of school. On a serious note--I'll never forget the ONE time I was disrespectful to my grandfather. I actually told him to "Shut Up" because he was teasing me about  being chubby. I was in fifth grade AND MY WORLD actually stopped for a minute. The shock and hurt in his eyes was more than I could bare. I apologized immediately but the hurt had been done.  I have never used those words again to tell someone to be quiet. I was being disrespectful--took responsibility--and learned a hard lesson. Maybe the problem is that parents don't make kids take responsibility anymore?? Or is it that parents don't take responsibility?  HUMMMM........on to bigger and much better things. I just finished reading one of my favorite authors--Amor Towles new book The Lincoln Highway. Emmett, one of the main characters, has just been released from a juvenile work camp after serving time for involuntary manslaughter. After being  dropped off at the family farm in Nebraska, Emmett is finally reunited with his eight year old brother, Billy, but they soon discover that they are not alone. Two of Emmett's friends from the camp, Duchess and Woolly have shown up needing help. All Emmett wants to do is leave Nebraska in his studebaker with his little brother to start over--and possibly find their mother in California-- but reluctantly agrees to give his friends a ride to Omaha first.  Once they arrive in Omaha, Duchess and Woolly take off in Emmett's  car leaving the brothers in pursuit of the car--that is now in New York--where they meet a cast of characters that make the story one hell of a ride. This highly entertaining story is a long ride down the Lincoln Highway that you will be sad to see end. It's about 600 pages or a 6 mile ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

November 6, 2021 MY GENERATION

Not sure I've ever mentioned this before but I'm actually Jewish.  I'm Catholic but I'm also Jewish. My mother was raised Jewish but converted to Catholicism and raised us as Catholics. According to Jewish law though --the Jewish status is passed down through the mother--so it's in my blood. I grew up raising a glass of wine and toasting  L'Chaim (To Life)--LOOKING at gefilte fish that totally grossed me out --eating Matzo ball soup and lighting a menorah.  I also grew up eating pork, shell fish, decorating a Christmas tree and  celebrating Christmas. I guess it was the best of both worlds.  My mother converted to Catholicism early on because she said that she always hated being Jewish. I never understood why--or even asked her about it until this week AND it was only after reading this wonderful memoir about another woman who converted in the 1940s. It would have been impossible for me to understand my mother's rational because generationally--I am so far removed from her situation that I would not have been able appreciate her thinking. I finally get it. Books. The places they take me  and the lessons I learn.  What would I do without them? I just can't believe it took me so long to find The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride. This beautifully written memoir was a collaboration between McBride and his  remarkable mother Ruth McBride Jordan. Ruth grew up in the South. Her father was a rabbi and she was often persecuted in her white community for being Jewish, so she turned to the African American community where she was accepted. She eventually moved to Red Hook housing project in Brooklyn, married a black man and founded a Baptist church. She also became a mother to 12 children who all graduated from college. It is quite a story--laugh out loud funny at times, emotional at others and totally inspirational. McBride never knew anything about his mother's past until he was an adult when she finally agreed to share her history, then he finally understand his own place in the world. This National Book Award winner should be required reading for every human being. It's that good. At only 295 pages--it's a 4 mile run--that is worth every page.