September 28, 2024 AMAZING GRACE

 Ever been to The Mark Twain House in Hartford? It's a great day trip. It was the home of Samuel Clemens and his family from 1874-1891. Clemens adopted his pen name in 1863 as it referred to his steamboating days when the measure of water was called "mark twain" which meant two feet. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, with little to no formal education as he had to work to help support his family. One of his most famous characters, Huck Finn, was actually based on his childhood friend,Tom Blankenship and Twain's  American Classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was written at his home in Hartford. I'm pretty sure I read it when I was a kid but that was a billion years ago. So,  when I heard that  Percival Everett's new book James was "Huck Finn" with a twist, I was determined to read the original so that I could appreciate both. Everett's novel is definitely familiar, but this time the story is from the perspective of  Jim, slave and friend of Huck Finn. As this story unfolds, Jim learns that he is going to be sold, so he runs away to Jackson Island to work out a plan. In the meantime, Huck fakes his own death to escape his father and joins Jim on the Island. The two then journey down the Mississippi River where they overcome many hardships and some crazy adventures. Yes, the plot is the same but with Jim as the narrator--everything else is different. In James, Jim is a literate, well-spoken (unless he's speaking to whites and adopts his slave speak) intelligent person whose understanding of human nature is uncanny. As a slave, trying to navigate a world that literally make NO sense, Jim manages to find humor and compassion for others. This beautifully written gem about the friendship between a slave and an adolescent boy is both heart wrenching and laugh out loud funny at times.  It's a must read. James is up for several awards including the Pulitzer and National Book Award. I also heard that it is currently being developed into a movie too. Enjoy!

September 20, 2024 SUPER FREAK

EXHAUSTED. Getting back to school is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. One minute I'm sitting on the beach reading AND RELAXING and the next I'm back to the GRIND. Getting up at the crack of dawn EVERY DAY for another marathon. It is really hard to TEACH ALL DAY. To be "ON" EVERY MINUTE.  My head is  spinning by the end of the day. AND I miss my summer exercise routine. NO more yoga classes at 7:00 am. OR running at 8:30. It's KILLING ME. AND finding the time to write my BLOG and READ. UGH. I guess I'll figure it out and have to get used to reading a book a week instead of a book in two days. The struggles of a bookworm are REAL. Just finished reading a really good book. Totally different vibe called Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson. Set in 1999, in a small town called  Bloomington, Indiana, sixteen year old Marshall Miller has just gotten his driver's license. One the way home from the DMV, Marshall is pulled over for speeding--by a very creepy police officer--and gets a speeding ticket. The problem--The cop that gave him the ticket doesn't exist AND the girl in the back of his police cruiser has been reported MISSING. Marshall then meets Noah Storm, a private investigator looking for the missing girl.............and this is where the story gets strange. Don't want to say much more except that I really enjoyed this murder mystery--ghost story-- supernatural--coming of age story. It was a well-written novel with great believable characters including Weller, Kerri, Dom. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Again--totally different but worth the read--highly recommended by Stephen King too. 

September 1, 2024 BOOTYLICIOUS

 

You'd think that in the 21st century they'd come up with a more civilized colonoscopy prep. IT REALLY IS A NIGHTMARE. It all starts with the 30 hour liquid diet.  So you get to starve to death BEFORE moving on to the real adventure. THE PREP MEDS.  Although doctors claim there have been many improvements such as--splitting the dose in two--or the pill option--they are both STILL ridiculous. So I split the disgusting drink in half-- That means I have to take it twice--try NOT to throw up-- and sit on the toilet twice as long???? OUCH.  Or I go with the pill option which is also offered in a split fashion. So instead of drinking liquid poison, I have to swallow 24 horse pills. Either way I'm still sitting  ON THE TOILET FOREVER.  By the time the prep is finally done--I've had NO sleep,  ass is on fire, and  feel like I've been hit by a bus. There has to be an easier way......... Guess what??? I get to do it again in FIVE YEARS. YIPPIE. I accomplished one thing during my 30 hours of agony---I read Holly Gramazio's debut novel The Husbands. One night, Lauren arrives home from a hen party for her best friend Elena to find a man in her flat. The man claims to be her husband, Michael. The only problem is that Lauren isn't married. She has no idea who Michael is even though her friends, family and photos show them as a happy couple. A few days later, Michael goes to the attic to fix a light bulb and he's gone. Another man appears from the attic claiming to be her husband. So it begins. Somehow, Lauren can send her "husband" to the attic and exchange him for a new one if she doesn't like his hair, car, outfit, attitude--whatever. The problem --how does Lauren know which "husband" is the right one for her and is there really a perfect relationship. This interesting, easy read has an intriguing plot that is quite funny at times. It is totally relevant to the world we live in today with dating apps and the ability to swipe right or left at the drop of a hat. Find out what happens to Lauren, the attic and her many husbands when you read this clever book for yourself. Enjoy 

August 25, 2024 KNOCK ON WOOD

I absolutely LOVED 4-H camp. Went for two weeks every summer--I'm pretty sure it was in Pomfret. Super rustic cabins--10 campers to a cabin--bunk beds--spider webs and NO ELECTRICITY. Girls on one side of the pond and boys on the other. Family style meals while singing and doing other ridiculous things in the Lodge. Those were the days. Woke up in the morning at 7:00 to Reveille and didn't stop til lights went out and Taps played at 9:45. We swam, canoed, learned archery, fished, made millions of pom poms at arts and crafts AND formed long lasting friendships. We'd write letters throughout the year and meet up again at camp. One of my favorite things to do was sit around the campfire at night and sing the classics--Kumbaya, The Day is Done, We're Going on a Bear Hunt. If you've been--you know the songs. Good clean American fun. All this camp stuff came back to me because I just finished The God Of the Woods by Liz Moore which happens to take place at Camp Emerson in the Adirondack Mountains--a summer camp for kids in 1975. As this thriller unfolds, Lorraine, a counselor in the cabin Balsam, wakes up one morning to find that one of her camper's is missing. Thirteen year old Barbara isn't just any camper, her family the Van Laars' own the camp and the Van Laar Preserve that surrounds it. The novel then jumps to 1961 the day eight year old Peter "Bear" Van Laar went missing while out hiking with his grandfather. How could two children from the same family go missing? Is it a coincidence or is something else at play? This mystery, family drama has many twists and turns as the story jumps between 1961-1975. The point of view also changes as several charcters including the mother Alice, father Peter, camp counselors, campers, investigators tell the story. This is a fascinating story--great plot--character development--a pretty easy read--that I did NOT figure out til the bitter end. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

August 17, 2024 TATTOO

My father had a tattoo. He was in the service. I vividly remember seeing it when he rolled his pack of cigarettes--Camels-- in his t-shirt like the greasers did. That's probably the only time I saw a tattoo as a kid. Today--32% of people are INKED and of those-- 22% have more than one tattoo. Small tattoos run between $50-$250 while large tattoos including sleeves can run $650-$8,000. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. I've been talking to people lately with TATTOO REGRET. Some claim they got their tattoos on an impulse, while others thought it was cool or wanted to remember a person or event that they NOW want to let go of. Others cite jobs, taste changes and even starting a family as reasons to rethink their earlier decisions and look into tattoo removal--which is an $800 million dollar industry. Believe it or not--the average cost for  laser INK  removal is $697. Not sure how many sessions are actually needed to get rid of a tattoo--BUT keep in mind that large tattoos-- run at least $4,000. Just some of the facts--think before you INK. Not sure if the main characters in Leaving by Roxana Robinson had tattoos or not-- but they certainly remembered each other even after forty years. As this haunting novel unfolds, Sarah and Warren were college sweethearts with plans to one day marry until things got in the way. One evening forty years later, the two bump into each other at the opera and sparks fly. Sarah lives in NYC and has been divorced for several years. She has two grown children.  Warren is an architect who lives in Boston with his wife. He has an adult daughter who lives nearby. After the two reconnect, they fall in love. Warren wants to leave his marriage and start anew but Sarah has reservations as she went through a devasting divorce. I don't want to say much more about this eye-opening, thoughtful book other than its really about the vows we take,  honor, parenthood, our responsibility to family, friends and our adult children. Find out what happens to Warren, Sarah and their families when you read this unforgettable book of about 350 pages. Would love to know what you think........

August 8, 2024 I'M YOUR ICE CREAM MAN

 

Back in the day, the dreaded ice cream man patroled the neighborhoods better than the cops. Remember? An hour wouldn't go by without that DAMN BELL or SONG ringing in my ear. I SWEAR it's the ONLY time my kids could hear. They could be crabbing 10 miles away, swimming underwater or jumping off the raft AND THEY'D HEAR IT. They were conditioned much like Pavlov's Dogs. They'd come running like they were in an Olympic marathon--begging for money for ice cream FROM the ice cream man. It didn't matter that we had a freezer FULL of the same thing---THEY WEREN'T BUYING IT.   We spent so much money on--CRY BABYS--CHIPS GALORE--CHOCO TACOS--TWO-BALL SCREWBALLS--SHOTS--BOMB POPS--STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES--it was ridiculous. AH---but those were the days.........missing them and wondering--Ice cream man--WHERE ART THOU? While I ponder the disappearance of the ice cream man, I might as well review a lovely novel that I recently finished by Valerie Perrin called Fresh Water For Flowers. As this story unfolds, Violette Toussaint is an older woman who lives alone and runs a small cemetery in Bourgone, France. She spends her days arranging funerals, tending her gardens, taking care of her pets and watching over the cemetery. Although her life is quiet, she has developed many friendships over the years ---with the grave diggers, priests, mourners and regular visitors. One day she meets Julien Seul, who comes to the cemetery to discuss having his mother's ashes scattered over a grave. The two develop a friendship that makes Violette question her life as she then looks back to the past--where the reader discovers what happened in Violette's life that she ended up as a caretaker of a cemetery. This beautifully written novel was translated from French to English--the characters are richly drawn and the story is unforgettable. The author also does an impressive job  of weaving the past with the present in this love story, that's filled with sorrow, betrayal and mystery. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy. 

August 4, 2024 LEARNING TO FLY

 

Kamala Harris is like a breath of fresh air. She's an intelligent, compassionate person with impressive public speaking skills to boot. That's something the Democratic party DESPERATELY NEEDS if they want to win this election. The excitement surrounding her nomination is real. Donations are piling in and people finally feel hopeful. Her credentials are impressive--former Attorney General, District Attorney, Senator and Vice President of the United States. And SHE'S A WOMEN. She cares about reproductive freedom, women's health care and access to abortion. This is the 21 century---we don't want to go back to the 1950's or the dystopian plan called PROJECT 2025. I can't fathom why any woman would vote for anyone else for those reasons alone. Harris said, "We have the choice between "freedom" and "chaos"---We all lived the chaos of the Trump years once AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED. I can't do THAT again.  I'll get off my pot now---and review Ann Napolitano's lovely novel Dear Edward. As this heartbreaking story unfolds, 12 yr old Edward Alder is on a flight from Newark to California with his 15 year old brother, Jordan, and parents, Bruce and Jane. Several hours into the flight, the plane crashes outside of Denver and Edward is the only survivor. When Edward gets out of the hospital, he is taken in by his aunt Lacey and uncle John and moves to New York. This is where Edward befriends Shay and learns to deal with the grief of losing his family and the guilt associated with being the only survivor of flight 2977. This haunting but ultimately hopeful story flips back and forth between chapters as the reader meets several passengers on the plane including Crispin Cox, Ben Stillman, Linda Stollen--and Edwards present life and how he heals and begins to live again. This is a well written book with many interesting characters that I definitely recommend. It's an easy read of about 350 pages that you will never forget.