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Thru My Looking Glass

12/30/2016

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​"And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                                   Free at last! Free at last!
                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

                                                           ----Martin Luther King Jr.


Our bodies, whether you believe in evolution or creationism, are amazing machines.  The various parts work in harmony to keep us healthy and safe.  Take melanin for example.  Melanin is the pigment that influences skin color, and while people of different ethnicities have similar numbers of melanocytes (cells that produce melanin), the vast number of skin tones are due to the amount of this pigment that is produced by these cells. Low levels of melanin production can create pale skin, while large amounts create very dark skin.  Melanin helps prevent UV light from damaging our skin and causing cancer. What amazes me is the way our bodies, like chameleons adapt to their locations. First indications of human life were in Africa, and because of the hot, sunny weather, our ancestors' melanin production was high, and they  were dark skinned.  When they migrated to Europe, etc, their skin lightened because the sun was less intense, and they needed less protection.

Why this mini science lesson you might ask.  I am trying to make sense out of the senseless, I guess.  I grew up in a time of marches and demonstrations.  It was a time of blocked voter registration and Mississippi burning.  There was fear and hatred, and my generation fought to change the world.  I never understood where it came from...all of this hatred.  It is just skin pigment...melanin...that separates us.  It is there for protection, and it does nothing to change our intelligence or our personalities.  Those two things are affected by the world around us.  Those two things are affected by the way people see us and the way that they treat us.  Schools that provide equal teachers and equal supplies will produce equal scholars...no matter the amount of melanin that the students produce.  People given the opportunity to purchase a home in a nice neighborhood will generally contribute positively to that neighborhood, regardless the color of their skin.

We are all filled with hopes and dreams for our future and the future of our children.  We fought for these rights...we marched for these rights. Martin Luther King Jr's. children deserved to live in a nation where they were judged by their character, not their melanin production, and we fought to make it happen.  I believed it was almost there, but I guess I live in a fantasy world sometimes.  I don't believe that our President-elect is a violent bigot, but I believe he has given tacit approval for others to spew their hatred.  He is surrounded by men who might be excellent at what they do but are far from excellent in their treatment of others.  

I believe that today's youth will need to grab those banners that we held and march once again to bring equality to our country.  We are the majority...democrat or republican, the bulk of us believe that all men (and women) are created equal, and we will have each other's back in this fight that was won once...and will be won again.

This has been a busy holiday week for me, with lots of company and quite a bit of cooking.  Since I did not have a great deal of time to read, my two reviews today are short stories by well known authors.  What She Really Wants by Barbara Delinsky was a story that made me nod my head in agreement several times and kept me smiling throughout.  Tom and Sarah have been happily married for eighteen years, and yet he has never found the perfect gift for her.  He buys her expensive jewelry...nice but not her.  She wants him to know her well enough to get the perfect gift.  Anyone who likes Delinsky's novels will enjoy this story.

When Lee Child and Joseph Finder decided to bring together their two heroes, Jack Reacher and Nick Heller, I expected fireworks.  Both are strong authors writing about strong characters.  Their novels never disappoint, but writing together they kind of fizzled.  Good and Valuable Consideration just never really took off for me.  There was a great deal of description and very little action.  It was fun seeing Reacher and Heller interact, but I think I will stick to the individual novels from now on.

As always full reviews follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly
​Click on the  b​ook cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog:
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What She Really Wants by Barbara Delinsky

12/29/2016

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Genre: Fiction
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Barbara Delinsky's books are always as cozy as a cup of tea by a fireplace.  Her characters are real life, not super heroes.  Their problems are always relatable.  Their flaws are usually those that we all deal with, and even the "bad guys" are generally redeemable.

In What She Really Wants, Delinsky takes us into the hearts of most marriages and presents a problem that most woman complain about at some point in their marriage.  
Tom and Sarah have been married eighteen years and are raising two beautiful daughters.  Their anniversary is coming up, and Tom overhears Sarah complaining to her mother.  She feels that Tom doesn't really know her, because the presents he gives her never fit her personality.

When he confronts her she challenges him to find an anniversary gift that is perfect for her.  The story is a short one, and nothing about it is earthshaking.  It is just a feel good tale of a husband who spends several days following his wife and really getting to know her.  It is a story that most married couples have lived, with an ending that makes the reader smile.  

Many authors are writing these "bookshots" or short stories now, and I am generally not a fan.  When I get into a story, I want to visit the characters for more than a few hours.  Some stories are just built to be short and sweet though, and Delinsky's style is perfect for a cozy afternoon read.

- Beverly



​Publisher - St. Martin's Press 
Date of Publication - May 5, 2015
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Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller by Lee Child and Joseph  Finder

12/29/2016

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Genre: Thriller
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Joseph Finder is one of my favorite authors. His stand alone thrillers are well crafted and always exciting, and His Nick Heller books are always fun.  Lee Child's protagonist, Jack Reacher, is so exciting that he made it onto the big screen.  When the two authors joined together to create a short-story thriller, Good and Valuable Consideration, I expected an explosion.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a whimper. 

The story line finds Heller and Reacher in a bar, watching a baseball game.  Having never met, their ability to size each other up is impressive. A heavy set nervous man sits between them in the bar.  He is obviously in trouble, and neither of our heroes can turn away from trouble.

Fans of these authors enjoy the way they both describe a scene.  Their ability to bring the reader into the story is a talent that escapes many.  Unfortunately, this story is way too short for all of the intricate details.  It was eighty percent build up and twenty percent real story.  If I didn't know and love Finder and Child, I might have found this more enjoyable, but as it is I will just anxiously await their next full novels.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Simon & Schuster 
Date of Publication - September 7, 2014
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Thru My Looking Glass

12/23/2016

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"I enjoy long romantic walks through the bookstore."
                ---Pinterest.com/lilyslibrary


I just finished my holiday shopping and realized how life has changed.  I purchased almost every one of my gifts on-line this year.  There is something almost Machiavellian  about the way Amazon has simplified shopping...if it is done through them.  Being a "prime" customer affords me two-day free shipping, and next day is offered for a slight up-charge.  If you need it in a few hours, heck...they even have drones for that in some parts of the country.

Let's talk about selection. I have yet to have Amazon tell me they couldn't find an item that I am seeking.  If by some weird chance they don't have a product in their warehouse, they can always "hook me up" with some outside seller.  I have even given up drugstore browsing.  I order my shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and body soap on Monday, and I am cleaning and deodorizing myself by Wednesday.  They generally offer the best price on kitchen and bath goods, but even if not, isn't it worth a little more to avoid the insane crowds and the candle/bath soap odor that permeates Bed, Bath and Beyond?

People, myself included, have an almost cult like fascination with the immediate gratification that Amazon provides, but what have we lost? Those in the know say that soon malls will be a thing of the past.  People might still want to browse or try on things before going home to order on Amazon, but stores can't stay in business without true buyers. 

An all too sad reminder of this is the demise of the beloved bookstore.  I remember loving the hours I spent getting lost in bookstores.  I would read the first chapter of ten or so books, select the three that most interested me, and then I would stack them on my nightstand and know that the next few nights would be filled with literary adventure.  

There was something exceedingly romantic about meeting a guy in the biography section, seeing his copy of the biography of one of my heroes, and then sharing a cookie with him in the coffee shop area. Bookstores always gave instant topics of conversation, and fellow book lovers to converse with at any given moment, so when Madeline told me, about fifteen years ago, that bookstores were on the way out, I told her she was dreaming.  "People will always want to browse," I told her.  "Browsers won't pay the book store's rent," she told me.  In fact, she said that every time I snapped a picture of a book's cover and then purchased the E-book version on Amazon, I was putting a nail in another coffin of these stores that I professed to love.

I thought she was acting like a modern day Chicken Little, until I watched them all close down, one at a time.  Malls, that always had two bookstores among their tenants, suddenly found themselves filling those spots with technology stores.  Yet we keep on browsing through malls looking for the perfect thing and then going home to buy it.  Life is changing, and our buying habits often precipitate these changes. When I realized that Amazon is now setting up ways to buy your food on line, I began to question the wisdom of my addiction.  Maybe next holiday season I will bite the bullet and fight the crowds. 

This year though, in case you need one more stocking stuffer or a gift for one of the eight nights of Chanukah, a book from Amazon is your perfect gift.  To get in the mysterious holiday spirit, I read Sharpe Edge by Lisa B. Thomas. There is a Christmas party, a dead hostess, and a fun mystery to help solve.  This second book in the series will give a nice break from the crazy holiday season.

Friends Like These by Hannah Ellis will also round out your holiday list for those who like to get lost in the world of light reading.  While this is certainly no literary epic, it will give any reader that few minutes of escapism that we all need in our complicated world.

Wishing everyone, no matter what you celebrate this season, the happiest of holidays.

​As always, complete reviews on both of this weeks books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly​
Click on the  b​ook cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog:
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Sharp Edge (Cozy Suburbs Mystery Series) by Lisa B. Thomas

12/23/2016

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Genre: Mystery
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I love books with strong (but not super hero) female characters.  I was never a fan of "cozy" mysteries, because the heroines often seemed weak to me.  Recently I have read several that feature smart women who can solve mysteries without super powers.  Sharp Edge by Lisa B. Thomas is one of those featuring a strong woman.

Deena is a happily married former teacher who is now a reporter.  When she gets invited to a fancy Christmas party she looks forward to some holiday cheer.  Unfortunately, the hostess ends up dead, and her daughter suspects foul play.  With the help of her family, Deena decides to investigate, and the reader is in for a well-crafted mystery.

Ms. Thomas does an excellent  job bringing the reader into  her characters' lives. She helps us experience the fears, sadness and joy of each person. Deena has reached middle age without losing her spirit of adventure or the love of a good man.  I always appreciate main characters who support each other rather than spend time tearing each other down.  She and hubby Gary are a good match. Her relationship with her brother, Russell, also plays an important role in this holiday mystery.

This is second in a series but first for me.  I am thinking of reading the first book over the holidays.

- Beverly


​Publisher - Cozy Stuff and Such, LLC 
Date of Publication - ​August 12, 2015
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Friends Like These by Hannah Ellis

12/22/2016

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Genre: Fiction/Romance
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t doesn't matter how old/young you are, breaking up is definitely hard to do (thanks Neil Sedaka). Couples are used to doing "couples' activities" with joint friends, and when Marie realizes she must break up with her boyfriend, she also recognizes the predicament she is in. Her best friend, Grace, has a wonderful boyfriend, and Marie  is bumping into her own cheating ex-boyfriend around town, making her realize she needs a change.

When Grace and her boyfriend decide to move to the United States, Marie makes friends with an odd bunch of people in this light read set in England.  The reader enjoys the various predicaments she finds herself in and roots for her in the romance department.  Author Ellis has a way of making us relate to this young woman who just wants to connect with people.  

Although the book begins with Marie catching her boyfriend in bed with another woman, her resilience leaves little room for pity.  Even a pregnancy fear is handled with humor (trying to hide a pregnancy test from her Aunt in a drugstore almost lands her in jail) and her determination to enjoy a new crowd of people is admirable.

I enjoyed the quirky characters and easy-to-read plot as I read Friends Like These, and I was able to overlook some glaring editing errors while rooting for this adorable young woman in her search for friends and romance.  

- Beverly


Publisher - Hannah Ellis Publisher

Date of Publication - ​​​August 9, 2015

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Thru My Looking Glass

12/15/2016

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"For me, I think everybody with half a heart tries to do their best to do their part of good during the holiday season."
              ---Darren Criss
​


I am one of those corny people who love the holiday season. When other people complain about the ever-playing Christmas music, I loudly sing along (which probably adds to their complaints).  Art and I enjoy riding up and down the streets of the neighborhoods that decorate each house with merry Santas, prancing Roudolphs and all of those cute little elves.  We Oooh and Ahhh at the multi-colored lights and smile at the fake snowflakes.  Being Jewish means we missed having the requisite fir tree to decorate, but we were lucky enough to share that honor with friends through the years.

We always made Chanukah a big deal for Mike and Beth, so they would be able to partake in the holiday spirit.  We exchanged gifts all eight days and had a good time finding little things for seven of the days.  Somehow those small gifts meant more because we all had to really think about which little gifts would really make each person smile.  The "big" gift was exchanged during our Chanukah party, along with potato latkes and donuts.  
 ​

My classroom holiday celebrations were often filled with information (and sometimes food) teaching us about Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, Eid, and other holidays celebrated in December.  No one minded sharing the month that was filled with religious significance, great food, and laughter.  I have to wonder why some adults seem bothered by this simple act of goodwill. 

I know that this joyous time of year is also the time that brings unhappiness to some people, but the fact that the words "happy holidays" seem like a slight to anyone is baffling to me.  Since December is a month that belongs to us all, it makes sense that a stranger might chose a generic form of holiday greeting.  The words Happy Holidays convey good wishes without taking for granted that a person celebrates any specific holiday.  Those words don't take away the magnificence of Christmas, they just recognize that not everyone celebrates the same holiday.  In a world that oft times can be cruel, I choose to happily accept holiday wishes in any way they are offered to me, and I send those wishes to all of my readers with my full and sharing heart. 

Speaking of wording, if you are looking for a small gift for the reader in your life, The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way by Bill Bryson is an excellent choice.
He gives us insight into the strangest and most difficult of languages...English. Many of our words have varied meanings and/or spellings, making it nearly impossible to quickly pick up this language spoken by so many people throughout the world.  Bryson gives us humor and information in his well thought-out book.

Another great gift for Michael Connelly fans is the recently published The Wrong Side of Goodbye (a Harry Bosch novel). Harry Bosch is back in typical fashion, making us wonder how he can be so unassuming as he finds crime solutions that elude so many others.  


As always, complete reviews on both of this weeks books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly​
Click on the  b​ook cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog:
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The Wrong Side of Goodbye (a Bosch Novel) by Michael Connelly

12/15/2016

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Genre: Thriller
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There are not many readers who are unfamiliar with Connelly's varied characters, and his ability to draw us into the lives of these complex individuals.  Each of his protagonists have amazing stories to tell, but I think that Harry Bosch is his strongest.  We anxiously followed his life as an LAPD detective who never really played by the rules, and now, after a forced retirement, we get to follow his movements as a private detective.

In The Wrong Side of Goodbye he is hired by a very wealthy, dying, older gentlemen who is looking for the girl he once loved.  He was a young man whose Mexican girlfriend disappeared after finding out  she was pregnant.  Years later he is anxious to find the heir he might have and the girl whom he lost.  Harry's amazing detective skills make him the right man for the job, and Connelly's writing skills keep us on the edge of our seats.

Harry also volunteers to help a small police force track down a serial rapist. The rapist cuts his way into women's homes, and Harry realizes that he will probably graduate to murder if he is not soon stopped. This gives the reader an opportunity to see Harry Bosch doing what he does best.  

Harry Bosch is a somewhat dark character with an intensity that often sets the tone of this series.  His given name is Hieronymus, and he was named  after the artist Hieronymus Bosch, whose paintings are as darkly ominous as the murderers that Harry  tries to capture. Connelly also writes the Mickey Haller series which features attorney Haller who is Bosch's half-brother.  I enjoy when the characters crossover, and in this book Mickey does make an appearance. His relationship interactions with Harry definitely give the book another dimension. 

This book is another terrific offering from an author who never disappoints his fans.

- Beverly


​Publisher - Little, Brown and Company
Date of Publication - ​​​November 1, 2016
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The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson

12/15/2016

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Genre: Non-Fiction
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Being an English teacher makes it hard to pass up books like this, and it was an interesting (although not always accurate) read. The title makes one think that the book will be dry and boring, but this was not the case at all.  Bryson made me smile throughout and seemed to have the same issues with the English language that I do.  Mainly, how can so many different words have a variety of meaning.  His example of the word FLY is a good one.  This three letter word can mean 1) an insect 2) a means of transportation 3) a zipper on a pair of trousers.    The sentence :  A fly landed on his fly as he began to fly home, is as correctly written  as it is confusing.

According to Bryson, 300 million people in the world speak this complicated language and most others attempt to speak it.  He tries to give us a history of the English language, which is a mixture of so many other languages.  He tells us that Shakespeare alone gave us close to 1,700 words, much of our language is confusing to us as well as to others, and that language is ever changing.

I am not sure where he got all of his facts, and I know that some of them seem incorrect, but for the most part this book is entertaining and informative and maybe a wee bit confusing.  It is no more confusing though, than a language that puts an R in the pronunciation of the word colonel, or makes us teach children that to, too and two sound alike yet mean totally different things.

You don't have to be an English teacher to enjoy this book, and I recommend it as an interesting gift this holiday season.

- Beverly


​​Publisher - William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition 
Date of Publication - ​​​1990
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Thru My Looking Glass

12/9/2016

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Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in......
                                       ---Leonard Cohen


There have been artists through the ages that, through their music, literature, paintings, and sculpting, are able to portray the emotions that the rest of us are quietly feeling.   On November 7, 2016 we lost a man whose ability to give our emotions a platform was legendary.  Leonard Cohen's words rang true for so many of us as we listened to him, and many other performers, sing them from the heart.  The man behind those words was as interesting as his lyrics, and author Sylvie Simmons gives as a peek into his fascinating life in I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen.  This is a well researched and written book that is well worth reading.

It is funny how we all relate to music, be it country, pop or classical.  Roberta Flack made many of us believe she was singing our lives with her words:
...Strumming my pain with his fingers
   Singing my life with his words
   Killing me softly with his song....


Who didn't feel that amazing spark of patriotism when listening to Lee Greenwood sing:
...And I'm proud to be an American,
   Where at least I know I'm free.
   And I won't forget the men who died,
   Who gave that right to me.

   And I gladly stand up
   Next to you and defend her still today.
   'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
   God bless the USA.


So I will take the lyrics from Leonard Cohen's song, "Anthem", and I will "ring the bells that still can ring."  Perhaps I didn't get my way this election, perhaps our new President-elect is surrounding himself with some pretty scary dudes, and perhaps I will be a little less comfortable in my world, but there is still much that I  (and you)  can do to hold on to the things we value.  There is no "perfect offering" (nor should there be) in a land with so many diverse ideas and emotions.  My perfection might be another person's disaster.  So we watch the light push through the cracks, and we stand strong with our beliefs.

Mine is, and always will be, equality for everyone, and I will continue to stand up for all human rights.  My life, my vote, my pursuit of happiness is no less or more important than anyone else's.  I will support those who hold my beliefs in our state's and in our country's legislature.  I will join causes and peacefully ask to have my voice heard.  I will hope that our soon-to-be President will be influenced by the good angels on his shoulder, and four years from now we will say, "Hey, we made it, and look...the light did get through the cracks.

Speaking of cracks,  Psychologist Alex Delaware and his cop buddy Milo seem to find small cracks in every alibi and eventually solve every case they take.  Author Jonathan Kellerman has had a great time entertaining us with books about this crime solving team since 1985,  and his latest endeavor, Heartbreak Hotel, is a must read for his fans.  His descriptions are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the murder of an old woman with no enemies will keep the reader guessing for most of the book.

As always, complete reviews on both of this weeks books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly​

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