Friday, September 28, 2018

September 28, 2018 YOU FILL UP MY SENSES

Have you ever read a book that hit a little TOO close to home?? I just finished one. I totally understood the main character--she could have been me thirty-something years ago. Her plight was mine-- I too had been in her shoes--sort of. NO--the gist of the plot didn't happen to me--but other events did that left me feeling as she felt. She was a hard nut to crack and so am I. I sometimes feel sorry for my family--I'm sure they find me a frustrating person to live with. My layers are almost impossible to peel. Things happen in life--that we HAVE to learn to live with--NO ONE IS IMMUNE. And much like Loveday Cardew, the main character in Stephanie Butland's novel The Lost Words Bookshop, books became my sanctuary too. 
 In addition to our affinity for books, Loveday and I share another commonality, she also prefers books to most people. Loveday is a tweny-five year old lost soul who works at the Lost for Words Bookshop in York, England. Loveday has a secret that she's been running from for fifteen years. After three suspicious packages get delivered to the bookshop, Loveday realizes that someone knows her secret. Could it be Archie, the owner of the shop or her ex-boyfriend Rob who seems determined to make her life miserable? Maybe it's the poet/magician Nathan who's always just a little too nice?? Find out what Loveday's been running away from and if she finally faces her past and lets it go. This little gem is a mystery and a love story written especially for book lovers. The cast of characters are authentic and wonderful--you will want to join them for poetry night at the local pub--guaranteed. It's about 370 page--a 4 mile run--that you will wish was a marathon.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

September 23, 2018 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate THE POSITIVE

Positive--Peaceful--Present. Trying to live in the moment these days. Remembering to appreciate life even when it doesn't go my way. It's life after all-- a long winding road with valleys and peaks. Some days are just better than others--that's the nature of the beast. And we can't possibly appreciate the good days unless we have some bad ones mixed in there. We have to experience it ALL in order to feel fully alive. Working on being positive too. I think it's key. There is power in POSITIVITY. It rubs off on everyone. Shaking the dead weight of negativity--complaining--whining. Wasted energy--TRAPS--life suckers. Staying away from people who dwell there too-- Surrounding myself with whom I want to be. It's a better way to live. My mantra--Positive--Peaceful--Present--the secret to living a more fulfilled life. Happy to share it with you.  Miranda Brooks, the main character of Amy Meyerson's debut novel The Bookshop of Yesterdays, is trying to unravel a secret too. 
Miranda is a 28 year old history teacher living in Philadelphia with her boyfriend Jay. One day she gets a package in the mail from her estranged Uncle Billy. The package is the first of many clues her uncle has left her to explain why he disappeared from her life when she was twelve years old. After finding out that Uncle Billy is dead, Miranda returns to Los Angeles to attend his funeral. Miranda is then stunned to learn that she has inherited his bookshop--Prospero Books. Once inside the bookshop, Miranda finds other clues that Billy has hidden for her inside some of his favorite novels. Working through the clues, Miranda eventually  uncovers the terrible secret that tore her family apart. This is a fun, exciting read--especially if you love books and bookstores. This family drama/mystery is about 320 pages or a 4 mile run that I could not put down. Enjoy!

Monday, September 17, 2018

September 17, 2018 THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

SHAKING MY HEAD! YUP--that's what I'm doing. This post is dedicated to ALL my friends out there who are "NEW" to dating--2018 style. WHAT A WORLD. First of all--you need to learn the LINGO out there OR you will feel like a FOOL:
1)  Bread crumbs are NOT for cooking ANYMORE. In 2018--people are BREAD CRUMBING--YUP--IT'S BECOME A GERUND. In dating terms this means communicating via a dating site BUT IT NEVER GOES ANYWHERE--GOT IT.  In layman's terms--it's stringing someone along for NO apparent reason. 
2) The  NOUN--ghost--has also been turned into  the gerund--GHOSTING--and it's NOT a good thing. If you have been ghosted--someone you think you have a "THING" with has stopped communication--blocked you--whatever. Apparently it's over and you're the LAST TO KNOW.
3)  Here's a goody--FUTURE FAKING. What the hell?? Okay--this is making fake plans with someone for a future date when YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT YOU'RE NEVER GONNA SEE THAT PERSON AGAIN. 
4) The catfish is NO longer a SMELLY OILY fish because it's also become the gerund--CATFISHING.  This is a person who sets up a fake profile--not sure why. Maybe they are TROLLING and don't want to be caught. 
5 The submarine we see in the ocean--is NO longer-- it too has been turned into the gerund-- SUBMARINING. This is when someone shows interest--disappears for a while--and then reappears again. HHHUUUMMMMM.  
That's enough for today. There will be a test on Friday. SINK OR SWIM. 
You think you've got problems, poor Kate Matthews, one of the  main characters in Libby Page's first novel The Lido, hasn't had a date in forever. Kate moved to Brixton after graduation and has been living there for a few years. She's lonely, depressed and ridden with anxiety. After she is assigned by the local paper to cover the closing of the lido, the community pool, her world is forever changed. When she goes to the lido, she meets Rosemary Peterson, an 86 year old widow and life-long resident of Brixton. Rosemary has watched Brixton change tremendously over the years, but when she finds out that a developer wants close the lido, she takes action because the lido is much more than a pool to her. The lido has been a part of her life forever. It's where she learned to swim, met her husband, and it is where she found community and solace after his death. Kate and Rosemary become friends as they work together to keep the lido open. This is a fun, easy read of about 300 pages--3.5 mile run. This is a feel good story about the importance of friendship across generations. Enjoy!

Monday, September 10, 2018

September 10, 2018 PURPLE RAIN

BEFUDDLED. That's how I feel. This weather really has me shaking my head. What the Hell? Three days ago I was dripping--LITERALLY--in sweat. Today  I'm wearing--sweats--long sleeve shirt--sweatshirt. CRAZY. Have you noticed that we don't seem to have SEASONS anymore?? I think SPRING lasted all of two days. There are only TWO words to describe this weather phenomenon--GLOBAL WARMING. How else can we account for the EXTREME weather patterns--heat waves--heavy storms--flooding--hurricanes--earthquakes--droughts. And that's only the tip of the ice berg. What about the animals affected by our irresponsible behavior?? They will  be forced into extinction if things don't change. SCARY STATISTIC--Although 97% of scientists believe human activity is causing global warming--ONLY 43% of Americans worry about climate change. So--57%  aren't concerned about global warming. And you know why??-- BECAUSE THEY DON'T THINK IT WILL AFFECT THEM. That's SO single minded. What about the animals? What about future generations? Landforms? The oceans? Be the change you want to see.
Not much changes in Grouse County Minnesota, the setting for Tom Drury's highly acclaimed novel from 1994 The End of Vandalism. 
Not sure how I missed this lovely novel, but was happy to stumble upon it a few months ago. This story is about small town life --the mundane of every day life--with wonderful characters who become more alive with every page. Dan Norman is the county sheriff who's in love with Louise Darling wife of Tiny Darling. Tiny is a thief who's never had a real job. One night after drinking at the local bar, he goes on a rampage and vandalizes the town. He's later arrested and sent to jail. Louise finally divorces Tiny after many unhappy years--making way for Dan. Nothing huge happens in this story other than Drury drawing the reader into his world--one filled with quirky small town characters who face many of the same problems we face. It's an often funny but also sad look at life from a great writer. This best book of the year from 1994 is about 320 pages long--or a 4 mile run--that will stick with you for a long time.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

September 6, 2018 DEAD WEIGHT



Generally speaking--I would have to say that the SCALE is and has been my nemesis for many years. That is until today.  I had a doctor's appointment to check on my shingles--AND THE NURSE HAD THE NERVE TO WALK BY THE SCALE. Couldn't believe they weren't gonna weigh me. NORMALLY-- I'd  sign in relief--BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT. I wanted to be weighed. HELL--I'D been on MY diet for 6 months--I needed AN OFFICIAL WEIGH IN--recorded for posterity. It's not everyday that you lose 17 POUNDS--right?? This just goes to show that if I can lose weight--anyone can. First off all--I had to hit my ROCK BOTTOM. That's different for everyone but for me--THERE WAS NO WAY IN HELL I WAS GONNA BUY A BIGGER SIZE. My clothes were TOO TIGHT-- AND I HAD some  back FAT and belly FAT hanging over my pants.  SO NOT ME. Then I made the decision to do something about it. I already exercise A LOT--so it was time to look at my diet.   I decided to--CUT out the processed CARBS--cereals--pasta--rice--ice cream--and find healthier alternatives that I COULD LIVE WITH. I think that's the key. It had to work for me or I wouldn't have been able to do it. Before you spend money on some FAD DIET--think about a diet--or new lifestyle that you can live with because there's NO GOING BACK.
 After Emmeline Lake forges her bosses signature on some letters, she realizes there's definitely no going back either. Told in first person, A. J. Pearce's debut novel Dear Mrs. Bird is set in London in the 1940s. Emmy Lake and her best friend Bunty share a flat in London where Germans are regularly bombing the city. Emmy dreams of being a Lady War Correspondent but after a mistake she finds herself typing letters for an advice column with a crotchety boss named Mrs. Bird. She also volunteers as a telephone operator for the Auxiliary Fire Service with Bunty's fiance William. Because Mrs. Bird refuses to reply to letters that she deems unsavory, Emmy takes matters into her own hands--replying and signing Mrs. Bird's name. After tragedy strikes, Emmy must reevaluate her choices and come to terms with the mistakes she's made in order to find her way back to her best friend. I really enjoyed this novel. It was silly, funny, and heartbreaking. This is another novel that looks at the different roles women took during war as they tried to contribute to the war effort. It's about 260 pages or a 3 mile run that will have you laughing at the quirky English humor one minute and crying the next. Enjoy.