“I am not crazy. My reality is just different than yours.”
---Cheshire Cat

As a teacher, as a public speaker, as a debate coach, and as a blogger, I have made it a rule to always avoid two topics...religion and abortion. They are both very sensitive and very personal issues, and if one addresses them personally than they are not really debatable. My belief (or lack of belief) in a God (or multiple gods) should not matter to anyone else. Most importantly, my beliefs should never be pushed on anyone else as the only valid belief.

My friends encompassed many religions and nationalities during my college days, and our conversations about religion were lively and always fascinating. We visited each other’s places of worship and found many more similarities than differences. As a seeker of knowledge in all areas, I read excerpts of various religious books and came to believe that whether one accepts the reality of God or not, most people find comfort in the practice and traditions of religion.

My issue is with the minority of people who wield religion as a weapon. The people who announce that God will smite those who do not live under said people’s interpretation of their own Bible, seem to be missing the very point of religion.  Loving your neighbors doesn’t interpret into “love thy neighbor once you make them into a carbon copy of yourself.” The one thing that I will share about my personal beliefs is that I believe if there truly is a greater being who contributed to the creation of man/woman, than this greater being intended all to have an equal opportunity to live his/her life to the fullest. To spread hatred and attempt to control others under the guise of religion seems to be the biggest sin of all.

Which brings me to my second generally avoided topic...abortion. I usually avoid this topic because I honestly don’t know what to say about it. I truly see both sides of this issue and can’t imagine being faced with the termination of a pregnancy, however, it should be neither a political nor a religious issue. The conflict lies in the fact that a woman must give up her body for the better part of a year in order for the miracle of life to occur. If men could share that burden it might be different. Actually, if men had the possibility of carrying an unplanned pregnancy for nine months I would imagine most of these new laws being put into effect would never see the light of day. In fact, if the man involved in an unplanned pregnancy agreed to raise the child as an unwed dad, it might ease the burden women carry. Perhaps they can enact that law.

It is much easier for someone to sign a bill or vote for a law that protects an embryo or fetus when he never has to bear the burden of that vote. I honestly don’t know where the answer to this issue lies, but I don’t believe it should be thrown around like a political hot potato that is being used to garner votes for one side or the other. The states that recently passed laws that they admit were done to get a chance at overthrowing Roe-vs-Wade will endanger the lives of thousands of women to prove their political prowess.

Somewhere in a room without religion or political gain there is a compromise that both sides can live with, and we better get there soon, because too many women and babies will suffer before reason prevails.

Between the book I read this week, Jane's Baby by Chris Bauer, and the states that are manipulating the Roe-vs-Wade ruling, I guess I felt compelled to throw my two cents where I usually don’t go. It is sad to see so many people battling in a country that always symbolized a peaceful and safe harbor in a storm.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​​​Genre: Thriller

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Chris Bauer did not shy away from fictionalizing the headlines in his book, Jane’s Baby, and at times I found it difficult to read for that reason. It is a well written book with well portrayed characters, and the issue at its heart is a difficult one. Norma McCorvey is the real life Roe in Roe vs. Wade, and the Supreme Court decision came too late for her. She had a daughter whom she gave up for adoption.

In this fictional account, a radical religious group uses blackmail to learn the identity of the child, and attempts to stack the Supreme Court in order to change what they find offensive. Through murder, arson and sleight of hand, they are determined to win their battle over abortion versus right to choose, and Judge Drury, a bounty hunter who deals with Tourette’s syndrome, is just as determined to stop them.

Bauer has a deft hand with characterization, and I enjoy watching his cast at work. The female antagonist in the story is frighteningly amoral, Drury’s k-9 partners are always there for him and his side-kick, an alcoholic little person adds a bit of levity to a rather grim story. The Native American Supreme Court Justice is another interesting character to follow as the plot unfolds and danger follows her.

This story deals with this controversial topic in a round-about way and will give the reader something to think about long after the last page is read.

- Beverly​

Publisher - Intrigue Publishing LLC
Date of Publication - ​​June 1, 2018

​Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.”

— LIN YUTANG


I find it alarming, but not surprising, that Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders implemented new rules for the admittance of press into briefings and events that designated as unqualified much of the White House press corps. White House officials then selected who would be granted exceptions.

This is not surprising to me, because the war between the White House and the press has escalated to a point of real danger. It is difficult for me to remember who threw the first stone in this dangerous war, but neither side seems to have any intention of finding a peaceful solution. Unfortunately, we are paying a steep price for their behavior.

Our President has a need to be admired and appreciated. He also enjoys bypassing the print media and speaking his mind on social media. While this might seem a refreshing attribute to some, it can be quite dangerous when not handled with the utmost of caution. He also believes that he and his family deserve privacy and feels that the press is invading that privacy every day.

The media, on the other hand, believe that a public figure is fair game and that the President and those surrounding him should share information freely. I agree that the press is a vital part of out democracy, affording us all a window into our government. I think it is dangerous when those in power try to pull the shades on that window and am thankful that the press continues to fight for access, but I fear that they are going beyond their scope in dealing with our current President.

As I have mentioned several times before, when the press loses its objectivity, it can often be as dangerous as the window that is being blocked. In this case, much of the media is using its power to highlight things that make the President look foolish, which is instigating him to do more and more foolish things. Unfortunately, the foolish things are not merely kept “in the family,” but instead they are spread around the world.

We are losing credibility in the eyes of our allies and our enemies, and that can lead to trouble. Having millions of viewers across the world watch our President’s hair blowing in the wind and toilet paper stuck to his shoe shows a lack of dignity where there needs to be respect. Having the First Lady always look like a bitter woman who is more concerned about her wardrobe than the American people does not show America in the best of light. Just like in a family, we can argue all we want inside our own “house,” but we need to show those outside of our house a united front.

This is not a President with the temperament to turn the other check. If he feels he is being wronged, he will thrash out at his perceived enemy without thinking of the repercussions. For as long as I can remember our White House was populated with people who showed dignity and never thrashed out at the expense of the country, and we had a press that reported the news with an equal amount of dignity and made sure to keep our government “honest.” Over the last few years Democrat’s and Republicans, the White House and the press, all seem to have forgotten that we are that family that needs to work towards an America we can all be proud to call home. Maybe we need a mom in the mix, showing everyone how to behave in a manner that makes her proud.

Speaking of moms, I want to take some time away from politics to wish every mom out there a wonderful Mother’s Day. May I suggest that all of you out there lucky enough to still have your mom give her the gift she wants the most...time with you. If you live near her than spend the day pampering her, and if you live far away than set aside an hour to tell her everything that is going on in your life. There is nothing that you can give her that she would enjoy more.

Of course books are nice too. This week I read An Affair to Dismember: Book One of the Matchmaker Mysteries Series by Elise Sax. It is a light, fun Cozy Mystery that your mom will enjoy. 

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​​Genre: Cozy Mystery

​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

In An Affair to Dismember by Elise Sax, Gladie Burger doesn’t have the best of luck when it comes to relationships, so when Grandma Zelda insists that Gladie share her house and matchmaking business, Gladie isn’t particularly hopeful. She decides to give it a try though, and settles in with Zelda in the small town of Cannes, California. Things start off exactly as one would imagine, and Gladie feels she might have made a mistake in moving in with her Grandma.

Of course the requisite murder quickly draws Gladie and the reader into a Cozy Mystery filled with plot twists and interesting characters. Even though Randy Terns’ death isn’t initially classified as murder, things just don’t seem right. The Terns family is definitely odd, and possibly evil, so Gladie is intrigued. Even though the good looking police chief advises her to stay away, she is bound and determined to figure out the truth.

Sax does a good job bringing humor into her mystery as she mixes a little romance in with the action. I loved Grandma Zelda and found her advice at the beginning of each chapter charming. Her personality and relationship with her stretch-pants wearing granddaughter doesn’t always match her Jimmy Choo shoes, but that is what makes this story charming.

At times I found Gladie acted a bit more clueless than I would have expected, but on the whole I thought she was an interesting character for this genre of book. The author did a good job on the mystery part too, throwing in clues that were meaningless along with those that led the way to a satisfying conclusion.

- Beverly ​

Publisher - Amazon Digital Services LLC
Date of Publication - ​January 16, 2017

​Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above”
-Irving Berlin


College days offered many late night philosophical chats with friends, and I loved those days. One night we pondered the question, “ if it was the early 1900’s and you came upon a young Adolf Hitler playing on the sidewalk, would you kill him in order to possibly save twelve million people?” We debated through the night but eventually determined that one can’t change history without perhaps courting an even bigger disaster.

I am not a revisionist. We can’t erase the past, but we can regret it and learn from it. We should be horrified and embarrassed at some of the things that we allowed to occur in our country. We should do everything in our power to make sure these things never occur again. Yes, we should definitely learn from our past, but we should never sweep it under the rug. Good or bad it is a part of who we were in a struggle to become who we are today.

I understand that reminders of the past can be hurtful to some people, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to show sensitivity to other’s pain when we can. I was ambivalent about the military statues that were taken down recently. While I realized that they were a very real part of our history, I also saw that the memories that they stirred up were hurtful. They shouldn’t be forgotten, but they shouldn’t continue to cause pain. Perhaps the answer would be a museum, similar to the Holocaust Museums, to house all of the statues that represent our lesser selves.

Unfortunately, things often are taken too far, and we forget that we must judge people and things in the standards of their own time in order to fairly assess what they represent. Kate Smith began her professional singing career in 1930 and shared her music with us until her death in 1986. She spoke out against bigotry in her time, and she “called for racial tolerance in 1945 in an address on CBS Radio, saying, ‘Race hatreds, social prejudices, religious bigotry, they are the diseases that eat away the fibers of peace.  She went on to say that "it is up to us to tolerate one another in order to achieve peace.” 

She asked Irving Berlin for a patriotic song to sing on her radio show, and after changing a few words he gave her the song 'God Bless America'. Kate performed it every week on her radio show. She contributed to selling over $600 million in war bonds during a series of marathon broadcasts. Ms. Smith was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1982 by then-President Ronald Reagan.

In 1969 the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team played Smith’s rendition of God Bless America during their games, and they continued playing it during every game until a recent controversy caused them to stop singing the song and remove a statue that had been erected in her honor. Two of the nearly 3000 songs that she recorded during her career were deemed racist, although they were not thought of as so in those days. They are thankfully quite inappropriate today as our society hopefully becomes more enlightened and sensitive, but Kate Smith didn’t see it as so in a time when white Americans were blind to the harm their prejudice bestowed on those who were different.

I have to imagine that half a century from now people will look back on those fighting for equality today and find things that were said and done that were shameful in the eyes of a more liberal America. In the standards of Kate Smith’s time she was a patriotic and liberal performer who shared her talent and love with a country during their darkest times. Let us judge her that way.

In fact, instead of digging up the wrongs of the past let’s concentrate on preventing the wrongs of the future. Let us stop looking at the difference in people’s race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or who they love and instead embrace our sameness. Let us remember that we are all here on a temporary basis, and it is so much easier to spend that time loving those around us than trying to make everyone look just like us. Embracing differences makes for a much more interesting world for us all.

Speaking of differences, The Three Beths by Jeff Abbott was definitely different than anything that I have read recently. A young woman seeks the mystery of the disappearance of her mother, Beth, and finds other Beths who have disappeared.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly 

Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​​Genre: Mystery

​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

The Three Beths has an interesting mystery featuring the disappearance of women named Beth. The primary character, Mariah Dunning, spends her every waking moment trying to figure out where her mother, Beth Dunning, is, and why she would leave her husband and daughter. Since Police Detective Broussard is convinced that Mariah’s dad killed his wife, Mariah is even more determined to get to the truth and clear her dad’s name.

Her quest brings her in contact with quite a few shady characters and she searches for connections that she might never find. There are probably three or four too many characters for my comfort, and most of them are too one dimensional for my liking. While I enjoy an exciting plot, it is the characterization that generally draws me into a story. I enjoy rooting for the good guys, and found that part of this story weak. While the bad guys have reasons to be bad at times and the good guys aren’t always good (or likable ), none of them invites me to become fully invested in their stories.

There is no question that Abbott knows how to fashion a plot that will have his readers trying to figure out what is going on until the very last page, and I kept wanting to go back to the story whenever I had to put the book down to do something else. It is fast moving and entertaining, and I look forward to searching out some of his other books for my summer collection.

- Beverly​

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​Publisher - Grand Central Publishing
Date of Publication - October 23, 2018