“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
—-Harry S. Truman


I was a bit shaken up this week, and I am not sure why. I think it began with the book that I read/reviewed, Elevator Pitch by one of my very favorite authors, Linwood Barclay. Barclay’s books are so captivating that sometimes it is difficult to separate fact from fiction, and this one definitely had me checking my surroundings. The basic premise, elevators dropping to the ground with no warning in New York City, highlights the possibility of terrorism at its worst, and just mirrored the fear that seems to run through us every day.

Be they domestic or foreign, articles about terrorism cover the pages of our newspapers every day. Last week eleven year old Olivia called her mom, Beth, into her “fort” and began a lesson on how to handle a “hostile intruder.” Apparently, should there be a hostile intruder to the room in which the fort is located, Beth is to move so that she is fully blocked by the fort wall and Olivia will then pull on a mask and hit them with the nerf gun. Quite an imaginary plan for an eleven year old. What has our world become?

Thinking it through I realized that our world hasn’t changed much at all. Since civilized times began, man seems to find more and more ways to torture his fellow man. As sad as it is that young children need to come up with ways to protect themselves now, is it really any different than children hiding under their desks to protect themselves from a nuclear attack (really?...under a desk?) during the Cold War days?

How about the fear of a military draft being reinstated during Gulf War times and young men being forced to leave the security of their homes for a battlefield far away. That fear sat heavy on many family’s shoulders in the nineties, but it was a reality in the sixties.  In those days, as in these days, the world was a very scary place. People talk about before and after 9/11 like it was a mark in the sand that took away our innocence.  Nope...innocence was/is an illusion that people hang on to when they see the proverbial boogie man knocking on their door.

The best thing we can do right now is stop living in fear of things that might never occur and people whose cultures are a bit different than our own. We can most certainly teach our children to be prepared, but then we must also teach them to face life with opened arms and embrace people with an open heart. We should show them that while it might be useful to find ways to overtake a school shooter, it is much more prudent to find a way to change the hearts of the school bullies.

We must teach them (and learn ourselves) that while there will always be people and things to fear, our world is a wonderful place filled with remarkable people and glorious places just waiting to be discovered. That, my friends, is the only way that we will truly beat the terrorists whom we fear the most.

As always a complete review of this week’s book will follow my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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​​​​Genre: Thriller

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?Linwood Barclay shows his mastery of the suspense tale in his newest novel, Elevator Pitch. Each chapter introduces a new tidbit to keep the reader guessing, and the plethora of characters were interesting enough to hold my attention throughout the story.

New York City is always an interesting setting for a novel, but she really takes the lead in this one. Being one of the few truly vertical cities in the United States, it is the perfect setting for a story about runaway elevators. The novel begins with four people plummeting to their death in a Manhattan office building. What seems like a terrible but random accident takes on a new life when more elevator accidents follow. Barclay allows us to get to know the victims before their accidents, which makes their deaths all the more tragic. We also get to know the detectives working on the case, the reporter following the case and the politicians who are involved every step of the way.

The mayor is put in a no win situation. If he takes a wait and see attitude and more elevators fall, how many deaths will be on his hands? On the other hand, if he decides to shut down every elevator in the city, how will the people survive? Commerce will come to a halt, people will be stuck in their apartments or exhaust themselves climbing up and down the stairs.

While none of the characters are major protagonists, Barclay has gotten his readers invested in many different lives as terrorism takes over the city. We even spend some time with the leader of a right wing group known as the Flyovers who is in town with his wife as they celebrate their anniversary. It is obvious that he is a terrorist, but not as clear is his possible involvement with the elevators.

Barclay has always been one of my favorite authors, and this book is a clear example as to why I anxiously await his newest novels each year.

- Beverly


​Publisher - William Morrow
Date of Publication - ​​September 17, 2019

“We can together respect the presidency while demanding the man in office to respect it himself.”
—-Michael Stark


I am not a fan of Donald Trump’s leadership of our country. I feel that he surrounds himself with the wrong people and has forgotten that the ends do not always forgive the means. I have learned through these past few years just how important it is for a president to be surrounded by intelligent, educated humanitarians and what can happen when the wrong people have the President's ear.

I am thankful that I live in a country where peaceful protest is acceptable, and freedom of the press is still part of what makes us strong. Our country was formed on a system of checks and balances, and although that seems to be a bit off kilter, I truly believe that we will find our balance again.

What is troubling me now is the deep disrespect we are showing to the office of the presidency. every time we present the President as a fool, we are showing the world that our country ridicules those who we elect. I remember, many years ago, a conversation between my two elementary school age children. Mike had apparently overheard Beth speaking harshly about Art and me to her friend. He explained to her that no matter what, family sticks together. “You can say bad things about any of us to any other of us Beth, but we never tell other people nasty things about our family.”

When we fixate on toilet paper stuck to a shoe or hair blowing in the wind, we are giving others permission to join us in ridiculing the leader of our country. When we broadcast to the world each time we feel he is derelict in his duties, we alert our enemies to his weaknesses. When we condemn his wife for the clothing she wears we are focusing on what is outside rather than what might be inside.

We need to realize how lucky we are to live in a country where “we the people” elect our leaders and do everything in our collective powers to protect that process. If we believe that our democracy is being threatened than it is okay to speak out, even as we remember that both sides might see a different threat to our democracy. It is always okay to debate with each other, and our elected officials, in our search for the truth, but we must always keep in mind the importance of respecting the institution of the presidency. We gain nothing productive when we shine a light on the President’s foibles...better to highlight the policies that are harmful than display a man’s missteps or wrongly spoken words when that man is representing our country. I believe we are better than that and must show the world that the United States of America is NEVER a place to laugh at, and in the end we will always stand as one.

Laughing is a good thing though, and one of my favorite authors, David Rosenfelt, wrote yet another book that tickled my funny-bone. Dachshund Through the Snow will be in bookstores in a few weeks, and I promise that hero Andy Carpenter will give you a few chuckles.

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

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Rosenfelt’s twentieth Andy Carpenter book, Dachshund Through the Snow, is filled with his eccentric characters, both human and canine. Andy’s wife, Laurie, believes that Christmas should be a three month holiday, and Andy knows better than to ever disagree with her, so way before the first holiday bell rings in Paterson, New Jersey, Laurie has a holiday mission for Andy.

When the local pet store hangs children’s wishes from their tree, rather than ornaments, Laurie picks a wish and is determined to see it through. The coat for Danny’s mom and the sweater for his dachshund are easy fixes, but when Danny asks for the safe return of his father, Laurie turns to Andy for help. It seems that his dad, Noah Traynor, is being accused of a murder that took place fourteen years ago.

The police seem to have caught a break, and after fourteen years they were able to match DNA found at the scene to Noah. Noah swears he is innocent, and Andy begins to believe him, so the team is assembled and they begin to follow the leads to find the actual killer.

Andy’s team has been unstoppable in this series, and this book is no exception. Andy’s relationship with each and every one of them is my favorite part of the series, and reading Rosenfelt's books is as comfortable as slippers and hot chocolate. I believe that Rosenfelt is introducing the beginnings of a new series in this book, as Laurie, investigator/bodyguard Marcus and retired policeman Corey (and his police dog Simon) tell Andy that they are starting their own investigative group called The K Team. Hopefully Andy will be an active part of any K Team book in the future.

For those dog lovers out there, have no fear, there are several new dogs introduced in Dachshund Through the Snow, and Andy makes sure that they are treated well throughout.

- Beverly

Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - ​​​October 1, 2019

Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.”
― Roy T. Bennett (The Light in the Heart)


Life is back to normal here in South Florida. Dorian has passed us by and gone on to torment the Carolinas. The devastation in the Bahamas is unspeakable as recovery and rebuilding begins, and Mother Nature has once again proven herself a formidable foe. As I sat with my family on Monday, wondering if our house was indeed strong enough to withstand a category 5 Hurricane, I realized that we are all spending way too much time worrying about insignificant things. We need to appreciate what we have every day, because life throws way to many curves at us when we least expect it.

I just read an article that quoted researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that was quite interesting. After studying 69,744 women and 1,429 men it was concluded that people who tend to be optimistic are much more likely than their counterparts to live to 85 years of age and beyond. Yep, that half full glass is looking better and better, and maybe those people who have referred to me as a “Pollyanna” all of my life should take heed to what I say. It is easier to believe that things will work out for the best than it is to count the ways that things might go wrong.

My life has not been perfect, and I have had to overcome my share of disappointments, but I believe it has been a positive attitude that keeps me smiling and will hopefully keep me alive for a long time. I spent many hours watching teachers in the teachers' lounge, and one thing was obvious to me through the years. The teachers who complained about everything (and yes, there was plenty to complain about) were always unhappy. They missed all of the high-lights of teaching (and believe me, there are so very many high points in a teacher’s day) because everything was clouded over with pessimism.

Pessimism can darken even the best of times. We moved into an amazing neighborhood several years ago. The homes are lovely, trees line the streets, birds flock around the lakes and the clubhouse offers tennis, pickle ball and bocce ball courts. There are art classes, card rooms, several pools and a bistro. Shows, lectures and movies entertain us and a gym keeps us healthy. The best thing about my neighborhood is the neighbors though. Most of them are friendly, considerate and always there to help. Those who were unable to handle their own hurricane preparations didn’t have to worry because neighbors did it all for them.

Yes, there are problems in my neighborhood. The landscapers overcharged and underperformed, the mail delivery person keeps losing the mail and our cable is out more than it should be. Sometimes I get frustrated, but then I look around and can’t believe how lucky I am. I feel truly sad for those who can not see the good through their haze of complaints. For them, the bad far outweighs the good, and some have moved in search of a perfection they will never find. By definition perfection is as elusive to the pessimist as a winning lottery ticket. They keep buying the tickets, but they know the numbers will never be right.

As we watched the news last Sunday and I saw the Bahamas being torn apart, I looked around me and realized that appreciating the people in our lives and the homes that protect us is the only thing that makes sense. Finding something in each day to make us smile and sharing the good we find with optimism and the knowledge that life is easier for those who see the good in it, is the thing that will keep us sane in this insane world.

That and books of course. This week I read/reviewed a thriller that did keep me company through the long hurricane vigil. Body of Evidence  by Rachel Grant was a perfect story to keep my mind busy.

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

​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Mara Garrett, an archaeologist who travels the world finding the remains of American soldiers, has spent months in a North Korean prison and is about to be executed after being found guilty of spying. She is rescued at the last minute by Curt Dominick, the U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting her uncle, a former Vice President, for obstructing justice. If the scenario sounds implausible, it is, but as in much of fiction, the reader needs to read without expectations of realism in order to enjoy Grant’s latest novel.

In Body of Evidence (Evidence Series Book 2) the protagonists are strong, intelligent and too beautiful, the action is too over the top in places and the sex scenes feel too contrived, but somehow everything comes together and keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat for much of the book.

Dominick is known to be a “shark” with no personal life, and Mara Garrett is the niece of Andrew Stevens, the man Dominick believes is complicit in acts against our government. Dominick watches Mara bravely face a firing squad, and he seems lost in a pool of unfamiliar emotions. Her strength is obvious in most ways, but when it comes to Dominick, Mara acts like a silly teenager. 

Grant does a good job with her “bad guys,” making Mara’s former fiancé, Evan Beck, as despicable as he needs to be and has the reader wondering how Mara ever agreed to marry him. Her loyalty to the men in her life is evident, especially when it comes to her uncle Andrew, but showing loyalty in the face of Evan’s abusive and domineering treatment of her was difficult to swallow.

The storyline of Body of Evidence  was an exciting one with very few boring moments as I turned the pages, so if one can suspend reality and just buy into the relationship if the protagonists, this is a fun book to get lost in on a cold winter day.

- Beverly


Publisher - Janus Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​​​August 2, 2013