August 25, 2024 KNOCK ON WOOD

I absolutely LOVED 4-H camp. Went for two weeks every summer--I'm pretty sure it was in Pomfret. Super rustic cabins--10 campers to a cabin--bunk beds--spider webs and NO ELECTRICITY. Girls on one side of the pond and boys on the other. Family style meals while singing and doing other ridiculous things in the Lodge. Those were the days. Woke up in the morning at 7:00 to Reveille and didn't stop til lights went out and Taps played at 9:45. We swam, canoed, learned archery, fished, made millions of pom poms at arts and crafts AND formed long lasting friendships. We'd write letters throughout the year and meet up again at camp. One of my favorite things to do was sit around the campfire at night and sing the classics--Kumbaya, The Day is Done, We're Going on a Bear Hunt. If you've been--you know the songs. Good clean American fun. All this camp stuff came back to me because I just finished The God Of the Woods by Liz Moore which happens to take place at Camp Emerson in the Adirondack Mountains--a summer camp for kids in 1975. As this thriller unfolds, Lorraine, a counselor in the cabin Balsam, wakes up one morning to find that one of her camper's is missing. Thirteen year old Barbara isn't just any camper, her family the Van Laars' own the camp and the Van Laar Preserve that surrounds it. The novel then jumps to 1961 the day eight year old Peter "Bear" Van Laar went missing while out hiking with his grandfather. How could two children from the same family go missing? Is it a coincidence or is something else at play? This mystery, family drama has many twists and turns as the story jumps between 1961-1975. The point of view also changes as several charcters including the mother Alice, father Peter, camp counselors, campers, investigators tell the story. This is a fascinating story--great plot--character development--a pretty easy read--that I did NOT figure out til the bitter end. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

August 17, 2024 TATTOO

My father had a tattoo. He was in the service. I vividly remember seeing it when he rolled his pack of cigarettes--Camels-- in his t-shirt like the greasers did. That's probably the only time I saw a tattoo as a kid. Today--32% of people are INKED and of those-- 22% have more than one tattoo. Small tattoos run between $50-$250 while large tattoos including sleeves can run $650-$8,000. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. I've been talking to people lately with TATTOO REGRET. Some claim they got their tattoos on an impulse, while others thought it was cool or wanted to remember a person or event that they NOW want to let go of. Others cite jobs, taste changes and even starting a family as reasons to rethink their earlier decisions and look into tattoo removal--which is an $800 million dollar industry. Believe it or not--the average cost for  laser INK  removal is $697. Not sure how many sessions are actually needed to get rid of a tattoo--BUT keep in mind that large tattoos-- run at least $4,000. Just some of the facts--think before you INK. Not sure if the main characters in Leaving by Roxana Robinson had tattoos or not-- but they certainly remembered each other even after forty years. As this haunting novel unfolds, Sarah and Warren were college sweethearts with plans to one day marry until things got in the way. One evening forty years later, the two bump into each other at the opera and sparks fly. Sarah lives in NYC and has been divorced for several years. She has two grown children.  Warren is an architect who lives in Boston with his wife. He has an adult daughter who lives nearby. After the two reconnect, they fall in love. Warren wants to leave his marriage and start anew but Sarah has reservations as she went through a devasting divorce. I don't want to say much more about this eye-opening, thoughtful book other than its really about the vows we take,  honor, parenthood, our responsibility to family, friends and our adult children. Find out what happens to Warren, Sarah and their families when you read this unforgettable book of about 350 pages. Would love to know what you think........

August 8, 2024 I'M YOUR ICE CREAM MAN

 

Back in the day, the dreaded ice cream man patroled the neighborhoods better than the cops. Remember? An hour wouldn't go by without that DAMN BELL or SONG ringing in my ear. I SWEAR it's the ONLY time my kids could hear. They could be crabbing 10 miles away, swimming underwater or jumping off the raft AND THEY'D HEAR IT. They were conditioned much like Pavlov's Dogs. They'd come running like they were in an Olympic marathon--begging for money for ice cream FROM the ice cream man. It didn't matter that we had a freezer FULL of the same thing---THEY WEREN'T BUYING IT.   We spent so much money on--CRY BABYS--CHIPS GALORE--CHOCO TACOS--TWO-BALL SCREWBALLS--SHOTS--BOMB POPS--STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES--it was ridiculous. AH---but those were the days.........missing them and wondering--Ice cream man--WHERE ART THOU? While I ponder the disappearance of the ice cream man, I might as well review a lovely novel that I recently finished by Valerie Perrin called Fresh Water For Flowers. As this story unfolds, Violette Toussaint is an older woman who lives alone and runs a small cemetery in Bourgone, France. She spends her days arranging funerals, tending her gardens, taking care of her pets and watching over the cemetery. Although her life is quiet, she has developed many friendships over the years ---with the grave diggers, priests, mourners and regular visitors. One day she meets Julien Seul, who comes to the cemetery to discuss having his mother's ashes scattered over a grave. The two develop a friendship that makes Violette question her life as she then looks back to the past--where the reader discovers what happened in Violette's life that she ended up as a caretaker of a cemetery. This beautifully written novel was translated from French to English--the characters are richly drawn and the story is unforgettable. The author also does an impressive job  of weaving the past with the present in this love story, that's filled with sorrow, betrayal and mystery. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy. 

August 4, 2024 LEARNING TO FLY

 

Kamala Harris is like a breath of fresh air. She's an intelligent, compassionate person with impressive public speaking skills to boot. That's something the Democratic party DESPERATELY NEEDS if they want to win this election. The excitement surrounding her nomination is real. Donations are piling in and people finally feel hopeful. Her credentials are impressive--former Attorney General, District Attorney, Senator and Vice President of the United States. And SHE'S A WOMEN. She cares about reproductive freedom, women's health care and access to abortion. This is the 21 century---we don't want to go back to the 1950's or the dystopian plan called PROJECT 2025. I can't fathom why any woman would vote for anyone else for those reasons alone. Harris said, "We have the choice between "freedom" and "chaos"---We all lived the chaos of the Trump years once AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED. I can't do THAT again.  I'll get off my pot now---and review Ann Napolitano's lovely novel Dear Edward. As this heartbreaking story unfolds, 12 yr old Edward Alder is on a flight from Newark to California with his 15 year old brother, Jordan, and parents, Bruce and Jane. Several hours into the flight, the plane crashes outside of Denver and Edward is the only survivor. When Edward gets out of the hospital, he is taken in by his aunt Lacey and uncle John and moves to New York. This is where Edward befriends Shay and learns to deal with the grief of losing his family and the guilt associated with being the only survivor of flight 2977. This haunting but ultimately hopeful story flips back and forth between chapters as the reader meets several passengers on the plane including Crispin Cox, Ben Stillman, Linda Stollen--and Edwards present life and how he heals and begins to live again. This is a well written book with many interesting characters that I definitely recommend. It's an easy read of about 350 pages that you will never forget. 

JULY 28, 2024 FOREVER YOUNG

My mother-in-law turned 93 years young the other day AND she's still living large. Plays bridge twice a week--takes piano lessons--tends to her gardens AND really enjoys her life. She's taking advantage of every minute she has left on this planet. She's a lucky woman. With  plenty of family around, She NEVER  feels lonely. She is truly blessed in that sense. We had a birthday celebration last night and she played the piano -- we sang songs -- had a few cocktails--just like the old days. Did I mention--she still looks fabulous--she could probably pass for 75. She was also blessed with great skin. Praying I look half as good as she does when I get older AND want to  have just as much fun. Life is short SO enjoy and cherish it. If you want to find out where life has taken Eilis Lacey, the main character of the novel Brooklyn, you'll have to check out the sequel by Colm Toibin called Long Island. If you remember--Eilis came to New York from Ireland, met and married a plumber named Tony Fiorello. As the sequel unfolds, Eilis is now forty years old and lives on a cul-de-sac with Tony, her two children and Tony's extended family in the neighboring houses. One day while Tony is at work, a man shows up at their house looking for Eilis. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony's child and he refuses to raise it. He says he will be dumping the baby on her doorstep. After this shocking news, Eilis decides to return to Ireland to make amends with her mother and brother as well as introduce them to her children. While in Ireland, Eilis catches up with old friends from her tiny village and bumps into her old love, Jim. Old feelings stir as Eilis starts to question her life and future. Find out what happens to Eilis and family when you read this novel that I really enjoyed. Just hoping there's another installment of this series. 

July 18, 2024 RUNNING ON EMPTY

 

Ran the annual Sailfest 5k on Sunday. NO TRAINING AT ALL. It was a last minute thing. Got together with old running friends to relive our glory days. Not sure when they changed the course but it's basically an in and out--NO HILLS. Thank God. Back in the day--there were a few serious hills that killed me every time. Sadly--this race--without hills--killed me too. I'm just not in shape to run in the HEAT-HUMIDITY. There wasn't a breath of air out there. My first two miles were pretty good BUT then I DIED. I couldn't keep up the pace. I actually had to stop and walk several times because I felt like I was going to THROW UP.  I'd rather run in the dead of winter through a snowstorm then run in that heat again. Ha. After every race--we always share a beer. Couldn't find a bar open. Luckily--Muddy Waters--in addition to coffee-tea-smooothies--HAS ICE COLD BEER. They saved the day. Cheers! If you like books about books--I can't resist them--then check out The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett. The main character of this mystery is Peter Byerly, an antiquarian bookseller and recluse. After his beloved wife, Amanda, dies of cancer at a young age, he is paralyzed with grief. He decides on a whim to leave North Carolina for their home in England to try to pick up the pieces. One day while in a rare bookstore, Peter comes across a Victorian watercolor from the 18th century that looks just like his wife. He becomes obsessed with finding more about the painting and in doing so discovers a rare copy of Pandosto, which is believed to be source material for some Shakespeare plays. Somehow the Pandosto and the painting are linked and Peter is determined to find out how. Along the way, Peter meets an Art Scholar named Liz who helps him solve this literary/art mystery that is full of twists, turns, suspense, murder and intrigue. This is a well written, historically accurate pay turner--a great escape! It's only about 350 pages. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

July 11, 2024 WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Finally......a break in the humidity. I don't know about you BUT this humidity is a killer. It just sucks the life right out of me. I become a huge blob--can't get out of my own way. What a difference a day makes--I feel completely energized again--the sun is shining, birds are chirping and I'm NOT dripping in sweat. Don't think the weather affected me this way when I was younger BUT in my advancing age----I really feel it. I'm just hoping that July's not the new August and August's isn't the new September. That would be a shame. The only good thing about the humidity is that I read a lot--because I can't move. Literally read a 500 plus page book in a few days that I really enjoyed called Three by Valerie Perrin. Set in a small town in France called La Comelle, it is 1986 when ten year old Adrein, Etienne and Nina  meet and become inseparable. They share good times, bad and the usual ups and downs of growing up. They vow to move to Paris together after graduation to attend school and become musicians, but something happens and the future is forever changed. They no longer speak. It is now 2017 and a car is pulled out of the lake in their hometown with a body in it. Who is the body? What does this have to do with the three friends? This interesting story of friendship, betrayal, grief and forgiveness spans several decades as the narrator, Virginie, takes the reader through their lives which are filled with twists and turns and ultimately a redemption of sorts because time heals all. This is a lovely story originally written in French and translated by Hildegarde Serle. It did take me a bit to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I was competely drawn into their world and needed to know what happened to these friends and how it would end. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.