“Anyone who says there is not a change in weather patterns is denying reality.”
——Andrew Cuomo

I am desperately looking for “beat the heat” suggestions. Whether you believe that our weather is affected by man-made elements or not, everyone is aware of the elevation of average temperatures over the last half dozen years. As a long time resident of South Florida, I am used to hot summers, but this year is bordering on undoable. After a near perfect winter down here, our bodies are rebelling against daily “feels like” temperatures in the 100’s.

Life in this area centers around the outdoors. Even if you aren’t into golfing or tennis, there are so many amazing hiking trails, public beaches and pools that there are few people who opt for indoor activities. Many restaurants have more outdoor seating than indoor seating, and every city is resplendent with neighborhood parks.

Unfortunately, even the outdoor shopping areas have become too hot to deal with during the afternoon sun. Arthur hits the golf course at sun-up here of late, and he still returns sweaty and dehydrated after drinking a large bottle of Gatorade and a several pints of water during what looks to me like four hours of organized torture.

We love museums, but there are just so many times you can gaze at the same pieces during these several brutal months. Last week I got so stir crazy that I asked Arthur to accompany me on a hike through one of the more shaded trails. Apparently the mosquito population is not discouraged with the heat, and after about two minutes of “man -vs- pest” we gave up and ran to the car.

I like an occasional movie but have no desire to sit in a theater every day or so, and I never was a mall shopper. So I ask you fellow readers, what are you doing to keep cool this summer? I feel like there must be indoor activities that I am missing because sitting in the house watching the news is getting more depressing every day.

At least I have my books, and I am reading a terrific one by Ronald H. Balson this week. The Girl From Berlin is another example of an author transporting us to a past time(1930’s, 1940’s) and place (Germany, Italy) and making us believe we are there. The book isn’t due out until October, so I won’t be reviewing it for another month or two, but I will say it is definitely as captivating as his past books that centered around this World War II era.

The book I did review this week, Eat, Pray, Die (An Eat, Pray, Die Humorous Mystery) by Chelsea Field, is quite the opposite in style. While I did not get as involved in the lives of the characters in Field’s book, I found them enjoyable to read about as the heroine, Izzy, attempts to solve her mystery. This is a good summer read.

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

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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​​Genre: Mystery

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In order to train for her new (and high paying) job, Isobel Avery had to memorize the taste and smell of all relevant poisonous and psychoactive substances so she could detect them in food and beverages. Izzy is a poison taster for the rich and famous.  The job is a dangerous one, but the money is good, and paying off her ex-husband’s debts isn’t easy.

Her first client, Connor, did not prove to be easy, and the fact that her cover was to play his girlfriend was not a pleasant thought. During their first meeting he told her to deal with his stylist and get a makeover so she will fit the role. His attractiveness was a plus, but his condescending manner cancelled out any hope she had of a pleasant experience. Interestingly enough, her first case turns out to be not so much a case as ...well, I am not going to give away any more of the story except to say that you can expect a loan shark, a murder attempt, a little romance and a few good laughs.

Author Fields did a good job making Izzy easy to root for, and I found this light read entertaining for the most part. The heroine is a fairly good puzzle solver, and even though she gets into some rather insane jams, she shows her intelligence every now and again as we follow her antics.

Eat, Pray, Die will definitely take you through a long airplane ride or a day at the beach.

- Beverly


Publisher - JFP Press
Date of Publication - ​​July 3, 2016

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio,
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
—-Simon and Garfunkel


In 1941, Joe DiMaggio got a hit in 56 strait games. Our country was in the midst of the Second World War, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and Hitler was ravaging Europe, but “Joltin' Joe” didn’t give up for a minute. If you had any interest in baseball at all, DiMaggio was your hero, and this country desperately needed a hero at that time.

During the early sixties Americans found their hero in a good looking young Catholic man who won a hard-fought election and became President of the United States. John F. Kennedy and his brother, Bobby, captured the hearts of those looking to ensure that all people in our country were treated equally. The assassinations of these brothers, along with that of Martin Luther King Jr., brought a feeling of hopelessness over our country, but America has a way of bouncing back. On July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law.

This act outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Although it seems like that would be a no-brainer to me, the passage of this act caused much dissension in parts of our country, and changed demographic support in both parties. The South saw five states swing republican, and in years to come the South became the stronghold of the Republican Party.

Ever in search of a hero, many in our country believed that they found one in an actor from Hollywood, Ronald Reagan. While the sixties was a time when liberals seemed to be pushing their agenda, the eighties brought a new fervor towards conservatism, and Ronald Reagan was a staunch conservative. He advocated reductions in taxes and government spending, and our country became more conservative as the political pendulum continued to swing.

As the liberal and conservative agenda moved further and further apart through the years, one man’s hero became another man’s nightmare, and our country began to polarize. The panic that parts of our nation felt when Barack Obama was elected as our first black President was very real, and while there is no doubt that he held hero status in the eyes of much of the liberal community, there was a palpable fear in much of the conservative strongholds that life as they knew it would change forever.

We watched many changes take place during Obama’s two terms, and heard many conservative pundits bemoan the destruction of their way of life. As the ever moving pendulum stretched itself in one direction, I had no doubt that we would see a major shift take place. Anyone who follows history realized that things never stay on one side forever, and if you wait long enough your politics will come into vogue.

So while Donald Trump is far from my hero, he does fill that bill for quite a few people in our country. I wish that more people would think like I do (don’t we all), but I also realize that two strongly opposed viewpoints often help to balance the teeter-totter that is American politics. So rather than linger in panic mode when I watch many of my values being challenged, I will take a deep breathe and have faith that our democracy, flawed as it might be, will “keep on keepin' on,” and I will soon find another “Joe DiMaggio” in a country that thankfully raises many heroes for us all.

This week’s book was not my favorite. I decided to review it anyway, because it was my first (and last) foray into erotica, and I promised I would try, so here goes... I never got on the Fifty Shades of Grey bandwagon, and when, His for a Week: Bought  by Em Brown was recommended to me I agreed to read it. I just couldn’t get past the women’s acceptance of being demeaned in the hopes of finding “true love.” Not for me, but these books certainly have an audience, and if you are a fan, this is reasonably well written and offers a bit of romance.

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: Erotica

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I have never been a fan of Erotica, but I decided to give this book a try. I am still not a fan,  but I see the appeal of Em Brown’s His For A Week: Bought (book 1 of a 2 part series) for those who do enjoy the genre. There are definite sexual situations that lean towards Bondage/Sado-Masochism and there is a story line to follow, but I couldn’t get past the women being such willing participants in their own humiliation.

Attractive females are auctioned off to the highest bidder and must spend the week catering to their “owner’s” demands. The protagonist of Brown’s tale, Kimani Taylor, is a journalist after a story, and she allows herself to be purchased by Jake, an abusive and truly despicable buyer. When he and his friends transport their “purchases” to a secluded cabin and confiscate the women’s phones and clothing, Kimani realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

When Jake’s business acquaintance, Ben, enters the picture, he is attracted to Kinani and appalled at the way the men are treating their “possessions.” He convinces Jake (who had purchased two women) to sell Kimani to him, and now we watch him alternate between protector and abuser.

I realize that abasing women was the idea behind the book, but watching these women gladly endure the abuse in hopes that they may end up like the star of Pretty Woman and find true love was more than I could stomach. Finding out that the book ended in the middle of the story and forced the reader to buy the second book to find out the ending was the last straw, and I think I will leave erotica reviewing to someone else in the future.

-Beverly
​

Publisher - Wind Color Press
Date of Publication - ​​​May 8, 2018