December 27, 2023 ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

 

Remember when you took Christmas for granted?  Well NOT anymore. It was a COVID CHRISTMAS at our house. Seriously. NO presents, NO family--NO NOTHING. Yes--IT IS  a lot of work getting ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas BUT the alternative is MUCH WORSE. Realized how much I appreciate my family and friends AND how much I depend on them to make the holidays MERRY. So next time you complain or feel stressed about the holidays--STOP for a moment--and think of the alternative. It's all good. NO worries--We will be celebrating Christmas this weekend and will be GRATEFUL for that. HOHOHO. The only good thing about being stuck home with COVID--I finished a very good book, The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng.  As the novel unfolds, it is 1947 and Leslie Hamlyn has been living in Africa for many years. One day she gets a book in the mail, The Casuarina Tree by William Somerset Maugham (author of The Razor's Edge, The Painted Veil, Of Human Bondage-- my favorites) that immediately makes her think  back to  the Island of Penang. It was 1921, when  Leslie and her husband, Robert found out that his old war buddy, Willie Maugham, and secretary were going to spend two weeks with them at Cassoway House. Willie was desperate to find a subject for his next book, especially, after finding out he had lost everything on a business venture. His marriage of convenience was a disaster and his sexuality was often in question as he traveled around the world with his secretary, Gerald. As Willie and Leslie forge a friendship,  he learns of her connections to Chinese Revolutionaries including Dr. Sun Yat Sen. He also learns more than he bargained for about the island--murder, affairs and other fodder for his next great book. This novel of 320 pages is based on real events--it's a multilayered tale of love, deceit, betrayal and hypocrisy--on every level--that is unforgettable. This is historical fiction at its best--Enjoy.

December 18, 2023 BORN TO RUN

 

Did you grow up--BACK IN THE DAY?? When your parents didn't know where the HELL you were AND  didn't seem to care---As long as you made it home for dinner. Summer days were spent running around the fields, riding bikes, or swimming in the pond. FREEDOM. The good old American Childhood. My brothers and I were left home to fend for ourselves in the summer. We were young--the oldest being 11 years old. It was survival of the fittest. Kool aid and fluffernutter sandwiches if we were lucky. I can vividly remember sweating to death in the heat and humidity thinking the sprinkler in the backyard was the answer to our prayers. Life was pretty simple and innocent. If you want to feel that way again then I recommend you check out John L. Parker's lovely novel Racing The Rain. Parker is a three time Southeastern Conference mile champion, US Track and Field National Champion and former Olympic runner. Racing the Rain is the prequel to his incredible book Once a Runner.  The main character of this coming of age story is Quentin Cassidy, who grows up in the Florida Gold Coast in the 1950s-60s. As the story unfolds,  Quentin is a young boy of about ten who loves running. Parker captures the innocence of youth as Quentin runs barefoot not only against his friends, but against the rain because it's fun. As Quention grows,  he discovers that he has a gift--speed-- but also perseverance, and a desire to win. The reader then follows Quentin through junior high and high school where he learns many lesson from coaches (good and bad) and mentors including the eccentric "Tarzan of the Swamp" John Nelson. The writing is flawless--the descriptions vivid--and the cast of characters--priceless. You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book. It's really about so much more. This little gem is about 360 pages and  well worth your time. Enjoy. 

December 2, 2023 BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET

 

It's the countdown to Christmas Break. Yup. Only a few weeks til midterm exams. I can't wait. I REALLY need a break. It's a hectic time of year. Four thousand things to do every day and I only get three thousand done. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off---I actually said that the other day at school and the kids looked at me--HORRIFIED.  I guess they took it literally. Back in the day---I used that idiom ALL THE TIME--and never really thought about it. BUT TODAY--in our super sensitive world--I am going to have to refrain from THAT idiom. OOPS. Some kid will probably go home and tell their parent AND I'LL HAVE TO EXPLAIN THE IDIOM TO THEM TOO. So strange how our world's changed. A few other idioms that I should reconsider "There's more than one way to skin a cat", "Don't bite off your nose to spite your face" , "Break a leg" and " Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". Not sure what that last one really means but I'm sure it would spin a few heads. HA.......If you like historical fiction, you will really enjoy The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel. As the story unfolds, Aiyi Shao is an elderly woman living in Shanghai, who has just hired a documentarian to tell her life story.  The novel then jumps back and forth between the 1940s and the present with alternating points of view as Aiyi narrates her unfortunate past.  In 1940 Aiyi was a young Chinese heiress living in Japanese occupied Shanghai where she owned a popular night club. Ernest Reisman was a Jewish refugee who had just arrived in Shanghai who was looking for work to support not only himself but also his young sister. After an unlikely meeting on the street,  Aiyi hires Ernest to play the piano at her bar. Aiyi who is engaged to another man, finds herself drawn to Ernest which ultimately sets off a chain of events that shapes their lives. This novel is rich in history--the horrors of war in Japanese controlled Shanghai, the desperation of people, and the ultimate strength of the human condition. It is also the story of a forbidden love--between a Chinese woman and a German, Jewish refugee, at a time when such a relationship was unthinkable. Find out what happens to these incredible characters and so much more when you read this interesting story for yourself. There is a huge twist at the end that I didn't see coming either. Enjoy.