MADDERLY REVIEW
  • MAIN
  • GUEST REVIEWS
  • FEATURED AUTHORS
  • ABOUT
  • SUBMIT A REVIEW
  • CONTACT

Thru My Looking Glass

5/8/2020

0 Comments

 
"Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but wanting to control it"
 - Kahlil Gibran


​Yes, we are still here, and thankfully we are doing fine as we ride out the pandemic in our homes. I just needed a break from my world, and although I didn’t stop reading, I just couldn’t make myself write. It is time to re-join the world though, and I can easily do this from the confines of my home. Hope this finds all of you well and doing what you can to help rid us of this medical mess.


I have spent the last week looking for flour. I kid you not, there is no flour in any stores in my area, and I read yesterday that there is little flour or yeast anywhere in the country. What is wrong with people? Why are they hoarding sacks of flour and yeast? Is it the great bread famine of 2020? For that matter, why in the world are they hoarding anything?

In the worst of shelter-in-place times, we are permitted to go out for groceries. It was advised that we stock up on two week’s worth of food in the advent that we feel too ill to shop, so I bought a few extra cans of tuna, a few cans of beans and a few bags of frozen veggies. I already had two packs of toilet paper, so I passed that by rather than face the screaming throng of shoppers. I actually needed some Clorox Wipes, but they were gone before I could near that aisle.

I would really love to know what is in the minds of these people who are actually adding twice the angst to themselves and everyone else by buying things in bulk. You are causing a shortage of food and necessary supplies where there never had to be one. Health care providers can’t find protective equipment because people are stockpiling dozens of boxes in their closets. Without healthy health care providers none of us stands a chance.

Speaking of chances...stop taking them. Kids...spring break really isn’t worth it. Young people are getting deathly sick from this too. Baby Boomers...you aren’t invincible. Stop getting together with “just a few” friends because you “trust” them. Coronavirus doesn’t bypass trustworthy people. Parents...your children will survive no play dates for a bit (so will you), and your teenagers need to be grounded.

It is frustrating to know that we can lick this if everyone takes the proper precautions, but we have no control, and so it is licking us. Our governor has decided to begin reopening our state even though Florida still has high numbers of cases every day. In fact, some of the North Florida beaches are re-opening . Unfortunately, politics seems to be playing into decisions around the country, and that is never good.

Well, I think I have let off enough steam for one day. The optimistic side of me does believe that this will end, and we will be stronger for it. Our environment will definitely benefit from the break it is getting, and people might come out of it just a little bit kinder after facing our own vulnerabilities. We can’t forget those who lost their lives or those who are faced with long recoveries. We must be generous in thought and deed to those who have lost their jobs and must start over. We must also be generous to ourselves as we venture through the twilight zone that is our current existence. We must take that deep breath and realize that we can not control everything, but we can control our reactions to what happens. It is normal to feel anxious. It is normal to feel unsettled. It is normal not to sleep. This too shall pass.

It is important to stay occupied, and reading is a great way to fill the time at home.  This weeks book, Cheater’s Game by Paul Levine, is just the thing to take your mine off of world wide chaos. Have fun.

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
0 Comments

Cheater's Game (A Jake Lassiter Thriller) by Paul Levine

5/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Genre: Legal Thriller
Click book cover for Amazon.com
Truth be told, I have not read every book in Levine’s series featuring attorney Jake Lassiter. I am not sure why, and I just might go back and catch up on those I missed. Jake is an interesting character, and like Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter and Coben’s Myron Bolitar, he surrounds himself with equally interesting people. His fiancé, Melissa, and his nephew, Kip, feature heavily in Cheater’s Game as Jake tries to save Kip from himself.

The plot of this latest book is so timely that it is almost uncomfortable. Twenty year old Kip, who was raised by Jake since Jake's sister deposited the very young child on his doorstep, is exceptionally intelligent and seemingly equally naive. Kip gets involved with a wealthy con man who acts as a mentor and convinces him to join his business. He has Kip help him in conning millions of dollars out of parents who want to insure that their children will be accepted into the finest colleges in the country. In fact, with Kip's expertise in taking the SAT’s, which he does for the clients' sons and daughters, the young people are accepted into the schools of their choice. Everyone is happy...except for the government.

When his “mentor” cuts a deal with the government and throws Kip under the bus, Uncle Jake takes on his most difficult challenge yet. He must convince a jury to find Kip not guilty, even though the government has a rock solid case. Adding to the stress is Jake’s health issues, which cause him migraines, memory lapses and dizzy spells. Jake is suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that many former football players are dealing with now. Jake, a former Miami Dolphin, is taking part in medical trials headed up by his fiancé.

This “ripped from the headlines” legal thriller is easy to read as a stand alone even though it is the fourteen book of his series.

-Beverly


​Publisher - Herald Square Publishing
Date of Publication - April 20, 2020
0 Comments
    Submit

    Genre

    All
    Biographies Memoirs
    Childrens
    Comics-graphic-novels
    Cozy Mystery
    Erotica
    Fiction
    Food Wine
    Historical
    Humor
    Legal
    Medical
    Mindbody
    Mystery & Thriller
    Non Fiction
    Poetry
    Political
    Psychological
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    Sci-fi-fantasy
    Selfhelp
    Sports
    Teens Ya
    Travel

    Site Search

    search engine by freefind

    Archives 

    February 2022
    January 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.