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.