April 6, 2026 IMMIGRATION SONG

 

Back in the day, my grandmother went to the beauty parlor every Friday to have her hair "set".  This ritual  involved a professional shampoo, rollers, pins, a magical "hooded dryer" to "bake the set" and copious amounts of HEAVY DUTY HAIRSPRAY. Yup--that's all it took to have perfect hair for an entire week. And if it rained?? My grandmother must have had the market on plastic rain bonnets. One would magically appear on her head if there was even the threat of rain.  My other grandmother also had a very serious hairdo--the bee hive. It literally stood up on her head almost a foot. I bet that needed some serious hairspray. She wrapped the hive in at least a roll of toilet paper every night to keep that baby in place. I got to thinking about this last weekend while at the hairdresser. I'd had my hair washed, colored and blown out. It look great.  Just wished it would last as long as the "set" did back in the day. Fond memories. Ma, the main character in Megha Majumdar's new book A Guardian and a Thief is not so fortunate.  Set in Kolkata, India, Ma, her father, Babu, and her two year old daughter, Misthi, have one week until they immigrate to the United States to join her husband in Michigan. Ma is the manager of a homeless shelter in the city--a city facing climate change and severe famine. People are desperate to feed their families and many face choices between life and death. Boomba is a twenty year old homeless man who came to Kolkata to save his own family. Instead, he is penniless and staying at the shelter. One day he follows Ma home from the shelter and later breaks into her house looking for food and inadvertently steals their passports. Don't want to say much more about the plot other than that I never would have guessed where it was going. This is a novel about morality, desperation and the choices we make for family. Pretty sure it was a finalist for The National Book Award in 2025. Enjoy.

March 22, 2026. KILLING IN THE NAME

As an employee of Papa Ginos at The New London Mall in 1984--I was a bit apprehensive when the Crystal Mall opened its doors. I worried that the mall would close and I'd be out of a job.  But--that didn't stop me from going to see what all the hype was about. I'll never forget my first trip. I literally lost my car. I had never been to a mall SO big. I didn't realize there were so many entrances and exits. I still laugh when I think about the hour I spent walking around the parking lot looking for my little blue car. I went to the Crystal Mall yesterday-- 42 years later--and what a shock. There are only a few stores open. Although the original New London Mall is gone--it's still a shopping center albeit without Papa Ginos.  No such luck for the Crystal Mall with Electric Boat taking over the entire space. Sad but times change. In other news, I just finished a book I think you might enjoy call Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Buckeye is a lovely novel that spans 50 years--from 1920s-1970s. Set in Ohio, it follows the lives of two couples, Cal and Becky Jenkins and Felix and Margaret Salt. As the story unfolds, Cal is haunted because he can not serve in WWII as he was born with one leg longer than the other. After high school graduation, he dates and quickly marries Becky, a spiritual medium. The couple settle into life and quickly have a son named Skip. Margaret Salt is an orphan who hopes marriage will solve her problems. After her husband Felix deploys, he serves aboard a naval vessel for 4 years. When he finally comes home,  he is traumatized, but seems better after Margaret announces her pregnancy and they have a son named, Tom.  I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to ruin the story, but major themes include secrets, forgiveness, complexities in marriage and the impact of war. This well-written saga is filled with interesting, rich characters that will stick with you for a long time. It will also make you question why people never seem to learn that WAR SOLVE NOTHING. 

March 7, 2026. KOKOMO

Spent the last week in Aruba with friends. It's just what I needed to get  through the rest of this God- forsaken winter. Totally lucked out too--Missed the BLIZZARD OF 2026.  While New Englanders were shoveling out--I was relaxing drinking a pina colada--with a floater-- on Baby Beach. Sorry. Don't know about you but winters are getting tough for me. I can't stand the COLD-- AND THE WIND is unbearable. Don't remember it being like this when I was younger. Climate Change?  Looking forward to springing ahead this weekend--daylight savings and warmer weather. Cheers to making it through another winter. Read a few good books over vacation, but one I really enjoyed was called Heft by Liz Moore. Arthur Opp is an obese, former English teacher, who hasn't left his home in ten years. His only contact with people comes from couriers when they deliver food, groceries and other necessities. He spends most of his time thinking about Charlene Turner, a former student he met eighteen years earlier, when he was teaching night school in Manhattan. Arthur and Charlene became friends during the semester and briefly dated before Charlene called it off, however, they continued to correspond for several years until the letters finally stopped. It's now been 20 years since Arthur has heard from Charlene--who out of the blue calls him to ask him to tutor her son, Kel. Kel is a baseball prodigy trying to juggle school with taking care of his mother. This quirky story is told through alternating voices--Arthur and Kel--as both try to navigate loneliness, trauma, and ideas of family in this hopeful novel that I truly enjoyed. Don't want to say much more. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

February 7, 2026. TANTRUM

Spent some time with a few young children last week and DAMN if they didn't remind me of Toddler Trump. Lucky for them--they are just kids and have parents willing to help them grow, mature and manage their feelings--while Trump just continues his descent into toddlerhood as he.........

1) Ignores rules and authority--because they don't apply to him and Trump thinks he's smarter than a fifth grader....

2) NEVER takes responsibility--CAN"T admit mistakes or ACCEPT criticism EVER

3) Bullies, mocks and resorts to name calling when he feels threatened --ZERO SELF ESTEEM

3) Seeks revenge for any "perceived" misstep--NARCISSISTIC 

4) Impulisve beyond belief--especially on social media- Trump must have serious MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

5) Temper Tantrums--CONTROLLING 

6) Needs to be the center of attenion--whether the attention is negative or positive. MUST BE VERY INSECURE...........

Wish I could hibernate til this nightmare comes to an end but since I can't, I might as well review a little gem you might want to read called The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood. As this lovely novel unfolds, Ona Vitkus is a 104 year old Lithuanian immigrant living in Portland, Maine. One day an eleven year old boy show up at her house and offers to help her with chores so that he can earn a boy scout badge. The two forge an unlikely friendship as Ona opens up to the boy about her life and the boy shares his quirky interests, especially, his obsession with the Guinness Book of World Records. One Saturday, the young boy fails to show up and Ona is beside herself with worry. Later in the day, there's a knock at her door and the boy's father, Quinn Porter, has shown up to complete the chores. I don't want to say too much more other than that this is a well-written story with very interesting characters. Although sad at times, it is also quite funny as the book explores the themes of friendship. loss, grief and moving forward. 

 

January 25, 2026 IMMIGRANT SONG

 

It's totally out of control. Trump's ICE--modern day gestapo--NEEDS TO GO NOW.  Have you watched the Renee Good video? Alex Pretti? He was literally trying to help a woman who was thrown to the ground by ICE. He was pepper sprayed and attacked by several ICE agents. He wasn't brandishing a weapon. AND he was literally shot 10 times in 5 seconds. Is there NO regard for human life anymore?? ICE is literally entering homes without warrants--apparently the rules don't apply to them--and shooting American citizens in cold blood before our eyes and it's being deemed as justified?? We are living in an alternate universe right now--a place where our PRESIDENT and his supporters--spread propaganda--fake news--double talk and manipulate language in the name of the their SCAPEGOAT---Immigrants. DISGUSTING. Shame on you.  Thank God for books. Not sure what I would do if I couldn't lose myself in a good story during this nightmare. Just finished one of Obama's favorite books from 2025 called The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. This sweeping novel centers around two Indian immigrants, Sonia, a college student living in Vermont and Sunny, a journalist stuggling to make ends meet in New York City. As the story unfolds, Sonia's loneliness leads her to a toxic relationship with a much older artist named, Ilan, and Sunny lives with his American girlfriend but still feels lonely because he feels cultural displacement and racism. Interestingly, Sonia's grandfather (Dadaji) who lives  in India, is trying to set up an arranged marriage between Sonia and Sunny that doesn't pan out but the two eventually meet on a train in India when Sonia returns home after failing to make things work in America and Sunny is visiting his overbearing mother, Babita.  The story then follows the lives of Sonia and Sunny and several interesting characters including Mina Foi, Satya, Babita, Manav and Seher--to name a few. The novel although long--deals with many interesting themes including love, loss, tradition v. modernity, loneliness and belonging. Although there were parts of the story that didn't work for me and I felt it was too long, I loved the narrative and totally loved the characters in the story. 

January 18, 2026 MONEY FOR NOTHING

 

The wedding is about 4 months away. Lots to do in the next few months. Super exciting but also SUPER expense. Every time I turn around it's a money bleed. Just yesterday it was the dance floor. Dance Floor? Just shaking my head. Have to go with it all at this point. After all--it's for my lovely daughter. It's her special day and I want it to be perfect. Too bad we can't pay for perfect weather in May though--JK-- I'll start praying now. Onward Ho! Recently finished a novel by one of my favorite Irish writers, John Boyne, called The Elements. Interestingly enough--this book is actually 4 novellas--Water, Earth, Fire and Air-- that are interconnected with characters from one story appearing in another. The first story involves a distraught mother running away from her life to a secluded island in Ireland where she meets many people including a soccer player, the subject of the next novella. This is followed by a story about a surgeon with serious PTSD and finally a father and son who deal with trauma in a very different way. This novel is a deep exploration of crime, victims, perpetrators, guilt, blame, abuse, forgiveness and in some cases, redemption. These are some dark--well written stories-- that will make you rethink the world we live in. This novel has won many awards including the Prix Femina Estranger in France and has been longlisted for a literary award in Dublin. 

January 8, 2025 SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

 

My book club recently celebrated twenty years. Unbelieveable. 20 years. One member suggested we spend the next year rereading some of our favorite books. At first I was skeptical--if I want to reread a book I do--but then I found a way to make it work. So I walk and or run several times a week right?  Why not listen to the books instead or rereading them--kill two birds with one stone-- SO that it doesn't interfere with the books I want to read. Pure genius. Finally found a niche for audio books and am loving it. Just finished listening to The Dutch House --AND Tom Hanks was the narrator. Life is good. I also just finished reading a book I think you might enjoy called How To Read A Book by Monica Wood. As this powerful novel unfolds, Violet, a twenty-two year old woman from Maine, is in prison for a fatal drunk driving accident where she meets Harriet. Harriet is a retired English teaher and empty nester who volunteers to run a book club at the prison. The two bond over their love of literature. After Violet is released from prison, she heads to a local book store  and bumps into not only Harriet but also Frank Daigle, a retired widower and  handyman who works at the bookstore. Frank's wife was the victim of the accident involving Violet. After this chance meeting, their lives are forever changed. Don't want to say much more but this book is so worth the read. The characters are endearing, the story well written and the themes of redemption, forgiveness and second chances ring true for everyone. Enjoy.