March 30, 2020 DANGER ZONE

The Twilight Zone--Created in 1959 by Rod Serling--is still important today--because it addressed many controversial issues--THAT ARE RELEVANT in 2020. When I taught English--I always found a way to weave an episode in now and then. The KIDS LOVED THEM--I'm pretty sure I single-handedly created a whole new generation of fans. HA!  Since we're living in The Twilight Zone right now--I thought I'd share some of my favorite episodes with you. They are all free on Netflix or watch them on youtube. Without further ado--My Top 10 Episodes of The Twilight Zone:
"To Serve Man", "The Obsolete Man","Deaths-Head Revisited", "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "Eye of the Beholder", "Time Enough at Last", "Back There", "The After Hours", "Where is Everybody", "Nightmare at 20,000 ft". We ALL have too much time on our hands--might as well spend some of it "In a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity............." And when you get sick of watching television you might want to read  In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allande.

In this lovely novel, three very different people's lives become intertwined after a minor accident during a major snow storm in Brooklyn. Richard Bowmaster is a lonely professor at NYU. While trying to drive home during a storm, he back ends a vehicle driven by Evelyn Ortega. Evelyn is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who doesn't speak. After Richard gives her his insurance information, she turns up at his house looking for help. In turn, Richard enlists the help of his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow teacher at NYU. After becoming snowbound, the trio begins to open up about their lives before coming to America. This book explores many issues including human rights, immigrants, and refugees and it's  also a love story. It's about 350 pages or a 4 mile run well worth the effort. 

March 25, 2020 TIME IS ON MY SIDE

It's been 11 days. 11 days since I started social distancing-- And it's not easy.  Been trying to keep busy. I'm teaching remotely from home so that takes up a chunk of time, but I still get antsy. Believe it or not-- I can only read SO many hours before my head starts spinning. So-- I decided to tackle some projects that I've been neglecting for MANY years. Spent one afternoon cleaning my grandmother's tea set. Talk about neglect--who knew it was supposed to shine. Then I moved on to the brass candlesticks--they never looked so good.  Then I decided to tackle the WALLPAPER that's been in the hallway upstairs-- that I've been ignoring -- for 25 years. Got myself a steamer and spent hours scraping that nasty crap off the wall. It wasn't as horrible a job as I thought --so --I'm actually going to attack the wallpaper downstairs next. Why not?? I've got SO much time on my hands--I might as well accomplish something or--GO STIR CRAZY. 
If you would like to escape your life and go to India for awhile, then read The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar. Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita and Nishta were inseparable when the attended college in Bombay in the 1970s. They were young, idealistic women who challenged authority and pushed for social change. But that was over thirty years ago. As the novel begins, Armaiti, who moved to America years ago, has a terminal brain tumor and her dying wish is to see her old friends one more time. Although the foursome lost touch many years ago, Armaiti decides to phone Laleh in India, explain her prognosis, and ask her to find Kavita and Nishta to get together one last time. Laleh and Kavia are on board, but but Nishta is undecided as her husband Iqbal has turned into a religious zealot who forbids his wife to leave the house. This is a lovely story of friendship, loyalty and love. It's also about religion, sexism and life in modern day India. I loved the characters and think you will too. It's about 330 pages or a 5 mile run that will help you appreciate your life.

March 21, 2020 SUSPICIOUS MINDS

I  try my best to ignore the news--but it's been really hard with ALL this social distancing. Every time I watch it-- I feel like I'm in a George Orwell novel--like one of the animals in Animal Farm. The DOUBLE TALK AND PROPAGANDA drive me crazy. Trump and his cronies in Trumpland wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the head. They just make it up as they go along.
Let me get this straight--Trump basically down played the virus until a few days ago based on a "hunch".  He even claimed that "It was going to disappear"--I guess based on his "hunch".  As of today--there are almost 20,000 cases in the United States and that number is growing exponentially.  Our fine leader also claimed that there were tests available for everyone--until now--SOMEHOW blaming the Obama administration.  Trump has also repeatedly claimed that the media tried to "inflame the situation" to make him look bad with their "fake news". Trump also apparently knows more about science than Anthony Fauci the "voice of Science". After Fauci--an expert in the field--corrected Trump about a study on hydroxychloroquine --Trump actually said "I am a man who comes from a very positive school when it comes to, in particular, one of these drugs. He went on to say he had a " good feeling"  about the drug--because he's a smart man. So--Trump decided--based on a "hunch" --that the virus wasn't very serious weeks ago-- AND NOW--he is again using this "hunch" technique to decide if a drug is going to help get rid of the virus. ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. Somebody wake me up from this NIGHTMARE.
And that's why I have to lose myself in books. I just finished reading a wonderful novel that will definitely make my best books of 2020 list. The book is called Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. Told in alternating voices, this novel is about two families--the Gleesons and the Stanhopes--and how they become linked forever.  Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are rookie officers in the NYPD who also become neighbors after moving to a suburb named Gilliam in the 1970s. Although the families aren't close, two of their children,  Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, become inseparable. When the friends are in eighth grade, tragedy strikes and their world is forever changed. Peter is taken from their neighborhood and Kate is devastated. Will Kate ever see Peter again? How will their families react? Find out when you read this book for yourself. The themes in this book really hit home.  One can really never escape the past--it must be confronted--to build a future and the whole idea of blame and forgiveness are only a few. This incredible book is only 400 pages or a 5 mile run that will definitely help you pass the time.

March 16, 2020 PEOPLE GET READY

Times like this bring out the worst in people.  MANY become irrational, selfish and down right crazy. That's what SCARES ME more than Coronavirus. When people feel threatened--they often act without thinking. They act on emotion and NOT reason. BUT being reasonable is what separates us from others animals.  We need to demonstrate this behavior--NOW. It would be a shame for a person to die over a roll of toilet paper or loaf of bread. RIGHT?  People need to get a grip and remember that we are all in this together. The enemy is not another person but a virus that will pass if we practice social distancing and take proper sanitation precautions. Is it really so awful to stay home for a bit?? Are you afraid of a little free time? It's a great time to reevaluate your life. Just think--you could finally learn how to use PEAPOD and have your groceries delivered--help someone in need-- take a virtual class--exercise--catch up on Netflix--take a walk or run--read a book--play a game--do a puzzle--get rid of that wall paper you've been looking at for 27 years.  Whatever you do--be kind, take a deep breath and remember--THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
 Just finished another good book if you're looking for something to read this week called Tangerine by Christine Mangan. I was initially drawn to the book because I loved the title and the cover, but once I saw it compared to Donna Tartt, Gillian Flynn and Hitchcock--I was all in. The main character, Alice Shipley,  has lived through her share of tragedy. She lost her parents to a terrible fire when she was younger, and during her senior year of college at Bennington in Vermont, she lost her boyfriend in a mysterious accident. After the accident, a devastated  Alice returns to England to re-cooperate with her Aunt Maude. She later agrees to marry a family friend named John and finds herself living in Tangier. Shortly after their arrival, Alice gets an unexpected visit from her old college roommate Lucy Mason, the last person she ever expected or wanted  to see again. Alice and Lucy's relationship is bizarre, twisted and disorienting to say the least. After John goes missing, Alice begins to question her sanity and the book spirals to a shocking finish. This is a dark, frightening thriller that sort of reminded me of The Talented Mr. Ripley. If you liked that book,  than you are sure to enjoy this novel of 380 pages too. It's a real page turner--so I'd say--it's about a 4 mile run full of twists, hills and turns.

March 11, 2020 SICK CITY

Coronavirus. I get it. If someone is elderly or has health issues then BEWARE. The general public  is different right? Apparently NOT. The media frenzy has turned the virus into the next BLACK PLAGUE.  It's now being referred to as a PANDEMIC. This will really scare people as they will associate it with the 1918 Flu pandemic that killed--millions of people. BUT a pandemic is simply defined as "a global outbreak of a serious new illness."  Just say PANDEMIC though and all HELL breaks loose. Many governors have declared a public health emergency and now have the power to close schools, issue travel bans and even enforce QUARANTINES.  Dozens of colleges have shut their doors, the CIAC has canceled their postseason games, theatres are canceling their performances??  BET THEY WON'T CANCEL MARCH MADNESS. Too much money on the line.  How about political debates? Think they'll be canceled?? Too much at stake?? Apparently-- Toilet paper is the new PANIC BUY. Did you know that a family in Australia just bought a 12 year supply?? They must have a huge house. CRAZY.
I have just the book to get you through our current pandemic, it's called This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.  Odie O'Banion is an octogenarian looking back on his life and the summer of 1932 during the Great Depression. At this time, Odie and his older brother Albert were orphaned and sent to live at the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota. The training school housed hundreds of Native American children who were separated from their parents in an effort to "educate" them. On the surface, the school seems like any other school, but the students actually live in fear.  After committing a crime at the school, Odie, Albert, a Sioux named Mose and a little girl named Emily runaway. The foursome then steal a canoe and head toward the Mississippi with the law on their tails. While on their epic journey, the group meet a variety of people including a one-eyed farmer, a faith healer and several displaced families. They learn about life, love and just what home really means.  This lovely novel is about 460 pages or a 5 mile run full of quirky characters that accurately depicts the time period and the struggles many faced during the Great Depression. Enjoy.

March 1, 2020 JUST BREATHE

Trying to keep it all in perspective. Live one day at a time. I have a very busy March. Just  trying to keep  focused on the DAY not the WEEK ahead. When I was younger--I would give myself SO much anxiety worrying about ALL THE THINGS I HAD TO DO.  My younger self--was always stressed out and exhausted--worried about the next thing.  My older self--KNOWS it's a waste of time-- but sometimes my mind starts racing and it's REALLY hard to control. I literally have to talk myself DOWN and remind myself to live in the moment. Just stop and BREATHE. Yoga has really helped me learn to manage stress and anxiety. It's helped me take a step back and reevaluate who I want to be. Do I want to be that stressed out person who overthinks and WORRIES about EVERYTHING? Absolutely NOT. We all have busy lives but there are ways to manage AND  deal with feeling overwhelmed. I choose peacefully.

A quiet village on the Thames was forever changed one winter night in Diane Setterfield's new novel Once Upon a River. This lovely story is set in England at and around an ancient Inn called The Swan.  It's the winter solstice and several villagers are settling in for a night of story telling at the Swan, when  an injured man carrying a frozen corpse-like child bursts in. Rita, the nurse, is called in to save the man as the child appears dead. After saving the man, Rita tends to the body of the child who, somehow, comes back to life. The plot of the story focuses on the mystery of the child, a little girl who appears mute.  The child is claimed by three different families who believe she is a missing relative. Don't want to say too much more except that this story is the perfect combination of mystery and magic. The villagers are quirky and as much a part of the story as the girl as they all try to figure out who she is and what family she belongs to. The river, and Inn are also characters in the novel as the prose is outstanding and full of twists and turns. This is one of those books you don't come across often so relish the journey. Again --the writing is superb--Dickensian in many way.  It's about 460 pages or a 7 mile run that you wish were 10. It's also a great way to get through the long month of March. Enjoy.