​“There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects , rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world.”
—-Jean Baudrillard (French sociologist, philosopher and cultural theorist)



Halloween is almost here, and although many children anxiously await this yearly candy fest, I can’t wait to see it gone. I never liked it much as a kid...being scared out of my wits was never my thing...and I liked it much less as an adult. It is an invitation for all of the crazies to come out and taint the treats while frightening the children. Parents spend a fortune on costumes that are always uncomfortable and send their children out to beg.

I was that mom who feared razor blades in apples, so I tried to bribe my kids into skipping trick or treating each year, to no avail and ended up with a scheme that cost me a fortune. I bought four identical “trick or treat” bags each year and filled two with an assortment of Mike and Beth’s favorite candies while they dressed in costumes. I gave them the two empty bags, and off we went. They came home with bags filled with a frightening assortment of junk, which I confiscated. We told them we would sort out the unwrapped and suspicious treats while they changed. Those bags hit the trash immediately, and when they returned the kids were given the bags we had prepared earlier. It worked for quite a few years, but I later found out that they realized what was going on after a couple of years and played along. They liked what they were getting and decided not to rock the boat.

I also had trouble rationalizing teaching children to beg for food. I know it is supposed to be fun, and I admit that the kids were all so adorable in their costumes, but the message always seemed wrong. “Give me a treat or I will trick you.” Sort of a politically correct way of saying “stick em up.” I know, I know...I sound like the Grinch who stole Halloween, but if it makes you feel any better, Arthur is always at the door handing out goodies and marveling at the costumes.

My blog is a bit short today, because we are preparing for a mini vacation to celebrate my sister Judy’s birthday. The four of us are off to a South Beach adventure. We have plans to eat in some of the top restaurants, visit some museums, hit the beach and most definitely partake in some top notch people watching. Next week’s blog should be filled with info on what to do and see at one of the most talked about beaches in the world.

Since I always find time for reading, this past week I read book one and two in Alan Lee’s Mackenzie August series. Last week I read/reviewed the stand alone prequel.  Book one, August Origins helped us become a bit more involved in the lives of the main characters. In it Mack moves to a small city in Virginia and sets up shop as a private investigator.  Sheriff Stackhouse, as witty as she is beautiful, asks him to go undercover in a local inner-city school to help her with a gang and drug problem. Maybe a bit too much like the prequel but equally enjoyable.

In Book two, The Second Secret, Mack is hired by Veronica (Ronnie) Summers to find a traitorous informant who helped send her father to jail. Dad is out now, and is as mean as ever, but Mack agrees to take the case because of his feelings for Ronnie. Again there is a lot of action and more insight into what makes Mack tick.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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

“A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.”
—-Ludwig Erhard


Our community has spent the last several months arguing about the continued use of Round-Up to kill the weeds in our lakes. According to the HOA board of directors, who are definitely pro continuing the use of Round-Up, our monthly HOA fees will go up substantially if we change to the hand picked method. The use of Round-Up is alarming to me, but more alarming is the lost art of debate.

Each side has resorted to scare tactics in making their points, and their tones have become progressively more hostile. Somehow we have become a nation of people who can only see our own side of an argument and view those with contrary opinions as stubborn and/or lacking in intelligence. Since this particular chemical has been scientifically connected to cases of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in people who have used it directly over a period of time, I am leaning towards the “better safe than sorry” side. After all, it took them a long time to prove that second-hand smoke was as dangerous as smoking to those with continuous exposure. How many people faced cancer that might have been avoided?

This does not mean that I consider those on the other side of this issue less intelligent or intrinsically evil. Their points are well taken. A hefty raise in HOA fees could price some people out of the community or present difficulties when trying to sell our homes. I listened carefully to all they had to say, sorted the rational responses from the ranting, and came to my own conclusion.

If we could do this politically, imagine how much less stress we would all feel. If our representatives could listen to all sides and come to a rational decision that isn’t influenced completely by party affiliation, then we would live in a true democracy and make decisions in the best interest of all people, not just those with enough income to influence outcomes.

Whether you were an Obama fan or not, his desire to find compromise in his congress during the beginning of his first term was evident. Not only didn’t it work, but it set his own agenda so far back that he never really recovered. When a majority leader blocks discussion and refuses to allow a vote, no matter which party he represents, he is stomping on the document that our forefathers poured their hearts into, and their party needs to take action. Sadly, neither party seems to have the strength needed to fix our stalled congress. Too bad my former debate team can’t take over. Populated with liberals and conservatives, these young men and women learned to listen to each other and come up with true compromise. I have followed many of them through the years thanks to social media and am so proud to see that they are still able to accept both sides of most issues.

I have obsessed over a new found author over the last two weeks. I found Alan Lee’s novel, The Last Teacher: A Stand-Alone Mackenzie Mystery, read/reviewed it in two days, and went on to read the first two books in the Mackenzie Mystery series. Your turn.

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

As an English teacher myself, The Last Teacher captured my interest. Mackenzie August, a former California homicide detective spent the last year as a youth Pastor. The fit was wrong, and he moved to Virginia with his infant son Kix. His job as an English teacher seemed to be a perfect way to ease into an easier lifestyle, until his colleagues' bodies began showing up dead in front of his classroom.

Working with the local police, Mack uses his experience to track down a killer. Although some of the scenes were hard to accept, for the most part this was a well written mystery with an intelligent and humorous protagonist. His dry wit reminded me of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter, but Mack is “in your face brave” while Andy is realistically a bit of a coward.

I enjoyed Mack's relationship with his dad and Kix, and found his treatment of women refreshing. I generally stay away from any books with a religious theme, and this one does bring up religion, but author Lee doesn’t seem to foist it upon us, and it is somewhat necessary to the plot. The plot, which meanders along, kept my interest and made me want to read more of Alan Lee’s writing.

- Beverly


Publisher - Sparkle Press; 2 edition
Date of Publication - ​​​April 13, 2015

TO THOSE I MAY HAVE WRONGED,
I ASK FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS.
FOR THOSE I MAY HAVE HELPED,
I WISH I COULD HAVE DONE MORE.
FOR THE MANY I NEGLECTED TO HELP,
I AM TRULY SORRY.
TO THOSE WHO HELPED ME,
I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL.
—-Rabbi Shalom Ber Cohen

The Jewish community is celebrating their new year this week, and I sent Rabbi Cohen’s message to all of my friends and family on Facebook. I decided that I wanted to send the same message out to everyone who shares in my blog each week, because I realized that for better or worse, I touch all of you as well.

When we really think about all of the people who we directly or indirectly affect every day, our responsibility to do good becomes clearer. We need to think before we speak, because words cut deeper than blades sometimes. My humor tends towards the sarcastic, and sometimes it comes out harsher than I mean. As a teacher I had to learn to curb those tendencies because not everyone understands sarcasm. One day I sarcastically responded to a young man who chose not to avail himself of my after school tutoring. He came to me the next day and told me that my words hurt him all night. He explained his reason for passing up tutoring and told me he believed I was wrong in my words to him. I was lucky that this young man had the strength to face me and give me the chance to apologize. I had spoken out of a teacher’s love, but it wasn’t seen that way. If, in my blog this year I said anything to hurt anyone, I do ask your forgiveness.

I enjoy sharing my love of reading with you each week. When readers tell me that they couldn’t put down one of the books that I recommended, I feel that I did a little part to support the literary world that has made me so happy. When someone tells me that my point of view helped clarify their political thoughts, whether they agree with me or not, I feel my words were successful. I am never trying to change your thinking, I just want you to see the other side. So yes, for those I may have helped, I do wish I could have done more.

Unfortunately, there are those I have neglected to help. About two miles from my home resides a homeless man. His meager belongings sit next to him on the sidewalk while cars whiz by never noticing him. I notice him. I have noticed him since I moved to this neighborhood. I have noticed him in the broiling sun. I have noticed him in the rain and wind. I have worried about him during hurricane warnings. I have thought about him when our normally warm weather turns freezing.  The one thing that I have neglected to do is help. I think it is because I don’t know what to do...for him or the thousands like him. That is not an excuse though, and I am truly sorry.

Most of us are lucky enough to have friends and family who help us every day. I am surrounded by the kindest of people, and I never take that for granted. My nickname for Arthur is “Arthur the Good,” because he will literally stop in traffic to help strangers...which is not a safe plan in South Florida. Mike takes after his dad (honestly walked a nervous elderly lady across the street one day...and waited with her until her bus came), and Beth and my sister Judy have an overload of empathy that has changed the lives of classrooms worth of students every year. Brother-in-law Allan spends his “free” time volunteering his dental skills at a health clinic, and my amazing neighbors never miss an opportunity to offer their much appreciated assistance to anyone in need.  Yes, I am deeply grateful to not only be surrounded by these people but to have the awareness of how lucky I am every single day.

I wish a very Happy New Year to all who celebrate, and I wish all who read this the awareness to appreciate the special people in their lives.

This blog has afforded me the ability to expand my wealth of friends. I used to laugh at my students who referred to their “on-line” acquaintances as their best friends, but I have learned that you don’t need face-to-face time to feel affection for people you “meet” along the way. The correspondences I have shared with some outstanding authors have added so much to my world. This week I am reviewing High Stakes by John Dobbyn, a scholarly author whom I would like to count among my friends. Although his books would be categorized as legal thrillers, they always are filled with a plethora of information on the most fascinating of topics. High Stakes was one of my favorites.

As always, a complete review of this book will follow my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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

​​​​Genre: Legal Thriller

​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

John Dobbyn’s legal thrillers written in his unique literary style are always a treat to read.  His research is evident when attorneys Michael Knight and Lex Devlin tackle a new case, and I find the information shared in High Stakes particularly fascinating. Knight takes center stage in this novel as he searches for an authentic Stradivarius violin with a jaunt through the streets of Romania. This violin is believed to house the code for a secret treasure that was hidden during the fifteenth century by Vlad Dracula.

The descriptions of the streets and little violin shop in Romania made me feel like I was there, and the notes on the tyrannical Dracula felt historically accurate and were a highlight of the story. I even enjoyed reading about the violins themselves and began to have a greater appreciation of their worth.

Dobbyn’s main setting for this series is Boston, and he seems to have a handle on the various gangs that reside there. In High Stakes we are privy to the workings of the Russian, Romanian and Chinese gangs as Knight juggles all three in his quest for the violin...and his desire to remain alive.

With little stops in Bucharest, Istanbul and even the Carpathian Mountains, this book is sure to satisfy your wanderlust as well as your craving for a good thriller. 

- Beverly
​

Publisher - Oceanview Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​October 2, 2019