May 29, 2025 TRIP AROUND THE SUN

 365 days. Yup. My lovely daughter will be getting married in exactly ONE YEAR. Time is just flying by. I'll be going over to the venue later today-- to take pictures--so she can see what the  grounds/gardens will look like next year at this time. FUN. I've started looking at dresses for the BIG DAY. Think I'm going to go simple yet elegant--AND COMFORTABLE--BUT I also NEED to look good. Yup--there's the old vanity coming out again. YIKES-- I'm definitely NOT looking any younger. I have ONE year to get my act together--lose a few pounds, get rid of these wrinkles, whiten my teeth, get rid of these stubborn greys. I need a plan or a maintenance routine or something........UGH. It's all too much.   On to more important things. I just read a really good thriller by Charlie Donlea called Twenty Years Later.  As this story unfolds, it's 2001 and detective Walt Jenkins is investigatng the murder of a famous author, Cameron Young, in the Catskills area, and all evidence point to his lover, Victoria Ford. The novel then jumps to twenty years later. Avery Mason, the host of American Events, is investigating a new story. The New York Medical Examiner's Office has developed new DNA technology and  identified  a new victim of 9/11 as Victoria Ford. As Avery investigates, she get more questions than answers, especially, after interviewing Victoria's sister, Emma Kind, and Walk Jenkins, who is now retired and living in Jamaica. This mystery is filled with twists and turns AND everyone has something to hide--including Avery. Find out more when you read this suspense filled novel that will have you guessing until the bitter end. Enjoy. 

May 16, 2025 BITTERSWEET

 It's bittersweet. The baby is graduating from high school next week. So funny that we call Tim the baby--he's 6'3" and almost 18 years old. It has been a privilege to be his mother. He is a kind, responsible, intelligent young man. Good thing he wasn't my first or I would have wondered where I went wrong with the others.  HA. Seriously--my three kids couldn't be MORE different. Pretty sure Tim practically raised himself. Taught himself to read, swim, AND did all of his homework without being asked. He ate whatever was put in front of him too. Pretty much a dream child. Going to miss him so much when he leaves for college BUT so proud of him in every way. Just finished a Reese's book club pick called Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall that I really enjoyed.This tragic story takes place in the countryside of England in 1968. Beth, a poet turned farmer's wife, enjoys a quiet life with her husband, Frank, until her first love, Gabriel, returns to town with his young son, Leo. Against Frank's wishes, Beth reconnects with her former love and forms a bond with Leo. The chapters in the story jump between 1955 when Beth and  Gabriel originally fell in love--to their current lives in 1968 AND a murder trial at the Old Bailey courthouse. It's a love triangle gone bad in SO many ways. This novel is about love, loss and regret but it's so much more because it's also a mystery with  many plot twists that make it unputdownable.  Don't want to say much more because I don't want to spoil the fun. It's well written and I did like the characters too. Enjoy. 

May 4, 2025. EVERYBODY HURTS

 I've read countless books in my long life BUT none quite like Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. It was the writing. I was completely blown away---but I'll have to admit-- it took me a while to appreciate it.   One thing I found fascinating was how the writing changed based on the character. In the chapters about Peter--the writing lacked punctuation, contained sentence fragments, verb/subject inversion and jumped to stream of consciousness on a whim. The reader had to be VERY aware. When the chapter focused on the younger brother Ivan, the writing was calmer, more relaxed and much easier to read. These contrasting styles worked well with the frame of mind of the brothers and the struggles they were facing. The title of the book is also of interest--Intermezzo is a chess term--it's Italian for in-between--or entering a new period as the brothers do after the death of their father. Set in present day Ireland, Peter and Ivan have just buried their father after a long battle with cancer. They are struggling  to cope with this gaping loss. Peter is a 33 years old successful lawyer in Dublin. He appears to have it all---friends, money, connections and personality plus. Although he is still in love with Sylvia, they are no longer together so he plays the field and is currently with Naomi, a 23 year old college student. Ivan, his much younger brother, is a recent college graduate and competitive chess player. He is socially awkward and lonely. After meeting a much older women named Margaret at a chess tournament,  his life seems to be making a turn for the better until conflict between the brothers threatens their delicate relationship. This tender story is about grief, relationships, family and coping when the rock of the family is gone. Again, the writing is so different that it took me a bit to get used to, but I really loved the book and it will definitely make the list next year. 

April 25, 2025 DON'T YOU REMEMBER

 

Listened to my first audio book last week. While there are some definite positives to listening to a book--it's NOT my thing. Yes--it's great for multitasking--I could, cook, run, walk, drive in the car BUT.........The narrator's voice was grating on my nerves as she tried to sound Irish and take on all the voices in the book--including the men. I also found it stressful because it took 11 hours to listen to the book AND I'm sure I could have read it much faster. I felt pressure every time I saw how many hours I HAD LEFT. Let's face it--I don't even use a Kindle. I am a BOOK person. I need to feel the book--snuggle on the couch--invent what I think the characters sound like MYSELF and enjoy every second in the world created by the author while focusing ONLY on the book. The book I listened to that you might want to read was a thriller called The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson. Orla, the main character, is a new mother who  lives in England and is happily married to Rob. Her best friend of over twenty years is Kate, a single, wealthy seemingly successful beauty. The friends plan an innocent weekend away in Lisbon that goes terribly wrong. After spending the first night at a club, Orla wakes up to find that Kate has gone missing. After she reports her friend's disappearce to the police, she takes it upon herself to find out what happened to Kate. With the help of an uber driver named Konstandin, Kate tries to retrace their night on the town and finds out much more than she bargained for.  This story is filled with twists and turns and will keep you guessing til the very end.  Haven't seen it yet, but heard that this book was turned into a Netflix movie last year. 

April 15, 2025. ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE

 

Spent last weekend at accepted students day at UMaryland. Beautiful campus BUT GIGANTIC. We walked at least 5 miles exploring the campus. It's a bit too far away for my liking but Tim hasn't ruled it out yet. Went to accepted students day at PC on Saturday. I really liked the campus. Much smaller and I love that it's a liberal arts school. Tim really liked the math department and the campus.  Then low and behold--BU  answered his prayers. After filing an appeal to financial aid--BU has reconsidered and is giving him a FAIR financial aid packet that makes it possible for him to attend. We will be going to BU accepted students day this Friday. I'm exhausted from all this COLLEGE STUFF.  Looking forward to TIM FINALLY MAKING HIS DECISION. It's been a very stressful time but I'm sure he will choose wisely. I'm a huge Louise Erdrich fan so was thrilled to read her new novel The Mighty Red. Set in Red River Valley, North Dakota, Crystal Frechette is a struggling mother working third shift at a sugar beets farm. Her marriage is on the rocks as her husband has serious financial problems. She's also very worried about her daughter Kismet. Kismet is a senior in high school dating the quarterback, Gary Geist. Gary's family also happens to own most of the land in town and are polluting and ruining the environment. Gary has some serious emotional problems after an accident and believes Kismet is the answer. After a scandal involving her father, Kismet reluctantly agrees to marry Gary, even though she is in love with someone else. Although she immediately regrets her decision, life gets complicated and Kismet is forced to learn some real lessons about love, loss, and hope for a better future.  Erdrich is a Pulitzer Prize winning author whose writing is beautiful as she brings her characters to life and makeS the reader feel as though the are alive. Enjoy. 

March 23, 2025 MONEY FOR NOTHING

                                                                                                   Imagine working your ASS off in high school to get into your DREAM SCHOOL and NOT being able to go because they didn't give any financial aid.  Yes, welcome to my world. I'm Not Kidding. THE MIDDLE CLASS ALWAYS GETS SCREWED. We don't qualify for  financial aid--when tuitions run $90,000 a year. MAKES NO SENSE. The only people that can afford to go to college are the RICH and the need-based students who get financial aid to meet their needs. I'm all for that BUT what about helping the middle class. I don't mind paying my fair share BUT $90,000. I'd have to sell my house and live in a tent to afford four years of college when THAT WOULD COST $360,000. So FRUSTRATING. Guess we will be spending the next few weeks applying for merit based scholarships because that's the only way we are going to get any money. Ugh. Life is so unfair. Now for the good news. I just finished a little gem written by Catherine Newman called Sandwich. Rachel (Rocky) and her family have been vacationing in the same beach house in Cape Cod for over twenty years. This year, Rachel and her husband will share the week with their two adult children, Jamie and Nick, his girlfriend, Maya, and Rachel's aging parents. Three generations together for a week. Although Rachel can't wait to have her whole family together again, she's struggling with being in the sandwich generation--middle age--facing menopause, depression and uncertainty. She's torn between the past/present/future as she reflects back on life at the cottage, time honored traditions with family and negotiating change that happens with the passage of time. I totally felt for Rocky because she's a mother who loves her adult children but also mourns the loss of motherhood and her babies. I found this book to be equal parts nostalgic and laugh-out-loud funny as Rachel and family navigate love, change and loss. Enjoy. 

March 2, 2025 COME FLY WITH ME

She said, "Yes, to the dress." Beyond thrilled that my daughter found her wedding dress. I was a little worried that it would take FOREVER because she's generally VERY indecisive. BUT as soon as she tried it on--SHE KNEW. It was a whirlwind of a day. She must have tried on 30 dresses--so many different styles--my head was spinning.  It's funny--many of the things she thought she wanted--including LACE--didn't even make it to the top three. SO MUCH FUN. Just the two of us--shopping, laughing and enjoying each others company. So thankful. Now on to finding a florist........any suggestions?? In the meantime, I'll tell you about this eery book I just finished called Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. After a long delay, a commuter flight from Hobart to Sydney finally departs. While flight attendant Allegra Patel sees to the needs of the passengers, an elderly woman starts walking down the aisle of the plane predicting the age and cause of death of other passengers. Most passengers think she's a nut and ignore the predictions but others are freaked out because she predicts their death within the year. The plane lands and everyone tries to forget--until her first prediction comes true. The storyline then follows several passengers as they cope with the predictions and then alternates with the woman who becomes known as the "Death Lady."

It's a freaky premise that really made me think about fate and destiny. And would I really want to know the age I'm going to die and how???  Interesting........Find out what happens to the passengers and whether or not the death lady is a real "fortune teller"  when you read this page turner for yourself.  Enjoy!