June 20, 2019 BOOK OF LOVE

Who plans their vacation around books?  Pubs maybe but books?  I do. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Just got back from Ireland. Wonderful trip. Started in Dublin where I  visited the oldest bookstore in Ireland. If you love books--you too must visit Hodges Figgis  on Dawson Street.  It's four floors of books including a WHOLE area dedicated to the Easter Rising of 1916. It's a REAL bookstore with REAL booksellers who KNOW books. Talk about books. When in Dublin the Book of Kells is also a must. Not only that but take a gander at Trinity College Library. Incredible. There are over 7,000,000 books--sized and placed alphabetically from A to Z--vertically-- at least 3 stories high. I've never seen anything like it.  While in Killarney couldn't help but stop at Dungeon Books.  Great selection of second handbooks and a friendly staff. While in Galway I also found my way to Charlie Byrne's Bookshop. Named Best Book Shop by the Irish Times, this unique store houses over 100,000 books in a maze-like store. It's filled with nooks and crannies where one could get lost for days. Loved it.
 I also loved the book I read on the plane--The Strays by Emily Bitto. Set in Australia in 1930, Lily the narrator of this thoughtful story, is an only child who longs for a different sort of life. After meeting Eva Trentham at school, the two girls become inseparable and Lily becomes a fixture in the Trentham household where non-conformity is the norm. Eva's father is a  avant-garde painter, who  opens his home to other like-minded painters to live-work-collaborate. In doing so, the girls, including Eva's sisters Beatrice and Heloise, are left to raise themselves and navigate an adult world they don't understand. Find out what happens after this "Utopian Society" turns dystopian when you read this 260 page novel. It's a beautifully written story about childhood, friendship and how the decisions we make shape our lives. It's a 3  mile run that packs a powerful punch. Enjoy.

June 9, 2019 SHOWER THE PEOPLE

It's started. Yup. Wedding showers. It's ALL coming around again. The kids are starting to  get married.  The shower was lovely. It was a traditional shower--what's now called the PERSONAL SHOWER. I hear there are all kinds of showers these days--Jack & Jill Showers--Gift Card Showers--Lingerie Showers--Display Showers--to name a few. It's crazy. The Jack & Jill is for the couple who can't stand to be apart. They make it more of a cocktail party with gifts. OKAY. The Gift Card Shower--although easy-- seems TOO impersonal to me. Do the guests sit around and watch the bride-to-be open envelopes??   On to the Lingerie Shower. Why waste the money.  These days--girls seem to walk around wearing lingerie anyways!! They need-- china--pots--pans--towels--champagne glasses. Another type of shower on the horizon is the Display Shower. Here--guests are asked to bring unwrapped gifts which are then displayed in the room so that the bride doesn't have to waste time opening the gifts. Good idea to save paper-- I guess-- but  I'm definitely a fan of the Personal Shower. Women--gifts--alcohol--good food. Only thing better is having it at home--makes it more personal, Right?? Don't think they had showers in 1639 when the main character of Dominic Smith's book The Last Painting of Sara De Vos was painting her masterpiece.
This wonderful novel is set in three different time periods and told through different characters. Sara De Vos, one of the main characters, is the first woman artist admitted into the City Guild of St. Luke in Amsterdam 1631. After the death of her daughter during the plague, De Vos paints a haunting work entitled At The Edge of the Wood that eventually ends up being purchased by the De Groot family.  Jump to the 1950's--Marty De Groot is a wealthy lawyer from Manhattan whose family has owned the painting for over three hundred years. The painting now proudly hangs in his bedroom and is known as Sara De Vos' last surviving work. Ellie Shipley is a struggling art history graduate student who lives in the Brooklyn. Against her better judgment, she agrees to forge the De Vos  painting--a decision that ultimately upends her quiet life in Sydney forty years later. Now a famous art historian and curator, Shipley comes into possession of the original and the forgery while hanging a show. What happened to Sara De Vos after her daughter died and her husband left her? How did the De Groot family come into possession of the painting? How was it stolen from Marty? What happened when Marty and Ellie met? Find out the answer to these and so many other questions when you read this part mystery--part love story--part art lesson that will stick with you forever because the prose is brilliant.

June 4, 2019 BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG

Running again. And feeling good. I can't believe it. Really thought my running days WERE over. It's been a long road--about 18 months. Won't say better than ever--just a new me--with a new attitude. Don't see myself  running many races--or setting any PR's--but that's okay. Just happy to be out there. There's really nothing better than pounding the pavement with a friend or two--especially this time of year. Appreciating nature and the wonder that is Spring--Can't believe how much I missed it-- thankful to be back.   Kudos to Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga for helping me  build the strength I desperately needed  in my upper body--especially my core. Core is key. Having a stronger core has enabled me to change my whole running stance. Just used the key principles I learned in yoga and applied them to running. Sounds simple but it's easier said than done. Here's my new running MANTRA-- Stand up straight--tuck the tail bone--hug the stomach to the ribs--run. Repeat.  If you're a runner of a certain age looking for a little inspiration--look no further than Gail Waesche Kislevitz's new book Running Past Fifty: Advice and Inspiration for Senior Runners. 
Gail has been a friend and inspiration for over twenty years. She's been running for about fifty years and is NO stranger to injury. She looks at running as a "gift that needs to be nurtured, respected, and loved." If there's one thing I've learned from my injury--it's this lesson. Gail is also an award-winning journalist and author of six books on running and sports. In this book, with a foreword by Amby Burfoot, Gail interviews many famous senior runners including Jeff Galloway, Ed Whitlock, Bill Rodgers and Kathrine Switzer. Their stories, however different, have many similarities. They are stories of people who share a love of running; a love that continues to shape and change their lives. These are people who plan to run way past fifty-sixty-seventy-eighty-even ninety. This book is important because it's about maintaining a healthy lifestyle through running and learning to balance expectations and set realistic goals.  I really enjoyed the stories about Amy Bahrt, Kathy Bergen and Julia Hawkins--who is turning 102!! She's got some great advice to live by. Enjoy this 265 page book  or a 4.5 mile run that's worth every step.

May 28, 2019 TWO SUNS IN THE SUNSET

Discrimination. It's a virus--APPARENTLY--without a cure. Racial--Religious--Gender--Age--Sexual Orientation--Ethnicity. Whatever. It's all BAD. Is it Ignorance--Narrow Mindedness--Fear --Arrogance or some combination?? Do people bash others in order to feel better about themselves?? Is it lack of self-esteem?  I wish I could understand why people behave BADLY-- or say the things they say--without batting an eyelash. We are ALL just people. So what if our skin color is different or we practice another religion?? When you get right down to it we have SO much more in common. It really doesn't matter who your God is as long as you are a decent person. And  people--regardless of skin color--care about the same thing. Their families. They worry about  keeping them safe--happy--healthy. Some lyrics from an old Pink Floyd song just popped in my head--Ashes and diamonds/ Foe and friend/  We are all equal in the end. Truer words were never spoken--time to wake up and STOP drinking the kool-aid. 
No one knows this better than Neel Patel the author of If You See Me, Don't Say Hi.
Neel Patel is a first generation Indian American who grew up in Illinois. In his debut collection of short stories, Patel explores what it's like to be a first generation Indian American through several interesting, unforgettable characters. Many of the characters are discriminated against or treated unfairly because of their difference. He also explores stereotypes in American society and  works to undermine them as well as poke fun at them. Make no mistake--his stories may make you uncomfortable-- but that's the point. He wants the reader to understand the experience of the Indian in America today. He also wants his readers to see beyond skin tone--stereotypes--and realize that Indian Americans are just people too. I really enjoyed this collection of stories and you will too. It's about 230 pages or a 3 mile run. Not a huge commitment but a huge lesson. Enjoy.

May 21, 2019 SHOUT IT OUT LOUD

Just want to send a little shout out to The Queen--AKA--my lovely daughter. She's spent the last year working FULL time AND going to school FULL time. Did I mention that she also has a  little "Uber" job-- a babysitting job--and a BOATLOAD  OF HOMEWORK every weekend. YIKES. She's been out of her mind CRAZY for the last year but I'm sure she'd say it's worth it as she's graduating this Thursday with a Master's Degree in Moderate Disabilities--with a 4.0 GPA. So proud of her. Five years of school is finally over--time to start ADULTING--her word not mine! Now comes the scary part--applying--interviewing--securing-- a job.  I keep telling her it will all work out. Any school system would be lucky to have her.  She's smart--funny--kind--and a VERY  hard working, dependable teacher. A natural. Kudos kiddo--the rest is just icing on the cake. Congrats.
Mrs Creasy, one of the characters in Joanna Cannon's International bestselling novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep isn't so fortunate.  Set in England in 1976, the story centers on the sudden disappearance of Mrs. Creasy. Some people blame it on the heat, but Grace and Tilly, two 10 year old girls, disagree. The girls decide to spend their summer solving the mystery. In order to find clues, the girls go door to door to interview their very quirky neighbors.  As the story continues, the girls come to realize that Mrs. Creasy's disappearance might be connected to a mysterious fire in the neighborhood ten years earlier. They also believe that their neighbors know a lot more about Mrs. Creasy's disappearance than they are willing to admit.  Could Mrs. Creasy have stumbled upon some incrimination information? How is Walter Bishop, their  eccentric oddball neighbor, involved? Who are the goats and who are the sheep--literally--in the story? And does God live in their neighborhood?  Find out the answers to these and many other questions when you read this lovely, beautifully written novel for yourself. It's about 350 pages or a 4 mile run that will keep you guessing until the end.

May 14, 2019 BITTERSWEET

Mother's Day was bittersweet this year. Bitter because my dear friend wasn't here to celebrate the day with her LOVELY daughters. Sweet--because of her-- I've learned a great lesson. Finally learned what Mother's Day is all about. It's not about gift certificates or lavish presents--it's about something very simple. Spending the day with your kids.  When I became a mother --my world was turned upside down. Felt completely overwhelmed. Couldn't believe how much work MOTHERHOOD was. Can't believe it's been 25 years since my first was born. Still trying to figure out how many meals I've cooked--loads of laundry I've folded--boo boo's I've bandaged--nights I've worried myself to sleep.  And you know what--I'd do it all again in a second. It's really been a privilege to be a mother and consider myself lucky to have three great kids.
Motherhood is a major theme in Claire Adam's debut novel Golden Child. Set in Trinidad, Clyde and his wife Joy are awaiting the birth of their twins. After complications during birth, one of the boys has many challenges. Fast forward thirteen years. While Peter is believed to be a genius, Paul has several problems in school and is labeled odd by most of his peers. After an argument with his father one day,  Paul goes for a walk in the bush where he is kidnapped and held for ransom. Clyde and Joy are left to make an impossible decision. One that will change their world forever. Find out more about this beautifully written story of love and betrayal when you read it for yourself. It's about 275 pages or a 3.5 mile run that leaves you wondering what will  happen until the last page. Enjoy.

May 3, 2019 I GET AROUND

It's a pattern. Reinventing myself. I seem to do it every five years or so. Don't want to get too comfortable. Need to mix it up. Try something new. That probably sounds scary to most people--AND IT IS TO ME TOO--but it's how I operate. Seriously--I can't imagine teaching the SAME thing for 30 years. It would drive me crazy. I've worked with disabled students--taught a few college courses--spent 5 years teaching elementary students--7 years teaching middle school English--5 years teaching High School English--NOW IT'S TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. This will probably be my last HURRAH. I'm going back to my first love--ART. Although I've been a certified art teacher for MANY years I've only dappled in teaching art. That's ALL about to change. I'm going to start teaching the Fine Arts classes at my school. YIPPEE--BUT--SCARY. It's an incredible classical art program and a BIG STEP out of my comfort zone. NEED to step out of my comfort zone--CHALLENGE MYSELF-- in order to grow--change--help the next generation appreciate art. Wish me luck.
Chief Inspector Gamache is going to need more than a little luck in Louise Penny's latest installment of  the Gamache series called Kingdom of the Blind. In this book, Gamache is suspended pending an investigation into the deadly opioids he failed to keep off the streets. In the meantime, He receives a strange request from a stranger to meet at an abandoned farmhouse. Upon arrival,  he sees his neighbor Myra, and meets  a young builder and a lawyer. The lawyer tells them that they have been named joint executors for the will of a woman they have never met. Even stranger, the requests in the will are outrageous and seem to be from an insane women. Soon after,  a body is found dead at the farmhouse--the son of the dead woman. Don't worry-- Gamache is on the case. Was it an accident or was it murder?  Was the woman crazy or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Will Gamache manage to get the opioids off the street before they kill millions? Will Gamache get his job back?  Find out the answers to these and many more questions when you read this book for yourself. I'm a huge Gamache fan--and recommend that you read these books in order. It matters. This installment is about 400 pages--4.5 mile run--that is hard to put down. Enjoy.