“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
—-John Stuart Mill


Every week I begin three or four blogs, and every week I end up unable to finish any. My blogs are a reflection of me, and I just am not able to reflect the optimistic person that I have always been. I try to look on the bright side, and for me there is definitely a bright side. I am stuck in this self imposed semi isolation with my very best friend...the man I committed my life...heart and soul to, and so I am never alone. We are lucky enough to have the food and shelter we need during a time when many don’t. My entire family is doing what they can to stay safe, and we get together every few weeks for a two hour ZOOM party. We share stories, play games and laugh a lot, and that helps to keep me sane.

That sanity, however, walks a tightrope that is fraying as the weeks turn to months. I miss hugging my children and walking through crowded farmers' markets. I miss “sister day” with Judy. Many years ago we vowed that nothing would stop our celebrating our relationship once a week, and nothing ever did...until Covid19. Who could have imagined? I miss picking my own food off of a supermarket shelf. Curbside pick-up is certainly convenient, but they just don’t recognize that perfect peach. I miss seeing my friends. We talk, text and try to remain current, but it doesn’t replace sitting across the table at our favorite restaurant with our friends.

I also miss the country I always felt safe in, as I watch illness and politics tear it apart. I no longer trust those who used to give me comfort. The CDC sends so many mixed messages that I never truly believe them anymore. The presidency, a position that gave me a “daddy is watching over us” comfort (no matter which party sat in the White House) through all of the disturbing times we encountered, now just adds to my distress.

I miss children and pets frolicking on the White House lawn. I miss George W’s crooked smile and Barack Obama’s self-deprecating sense of humor. I miss Bill Clinton’s easy going nature and George Bush senior’s obvious love and respect of family and country. They were strong men. I surely didn’t believe in all they stood for, but I believed that they were doing what they believed was best for our country.

These men faced ridicule and harassment from the public and the press. Bush Sr. had to raise taxes after his lips told us otherwise. Clinton had trouble understanding the job description of interns, and George W was a bit too quick to come to his dad’s defense. The press kept after them constantly, and somehow they rose to the challenge, as did President Obama, who showed us the meaning of grace under verbal attack.

The press is unrelenting when it comes to our current president, and I think that adds to our problems. It is obvious that Donald Trump can not allow these attacks to roll off his back, and it does none of us any good to get this man riled up. He spends all of his time in a war he can’t win with a media who needs to stop.

Right now we desperately need a media filled with Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley types who we can trust and who will bring us the truth. We need these people to guide a frightened public to vote for a President who can work to bridge the gap that has become a way of life. We need them to show Americans that we can’t be “one issue” voters this time around. As important as abortion, gun control and taxes are, we are fighting for the life of our democracy in this election. To save the arm while we let the body die makes no sense. Let us rebuild the strong democracy that was, for so many years, the envy of the rest of the world, and only then will we have the luxury of voting for a single cause.

It is about now each week that I rip up what I have written, believing my readers are better off without my thoughts at this time, but today I let it stand. Today I ask you to vote for the integrity of our country. Today I ask you to see that winning at all costs can sometimes cost too much. Today I ask you to share this with your friends on social media and believe me when I say...THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN THE LIFE OF OUR COUNTRY. This will tell the world and ourselves exactly what kind of country America is, and I am hoping that the results will be the first step in our recovery.

I am continuing to read and am excited to share a wonderful new piece of historical fiction with you. Eli’s Promise by Ronald H Balson takes us from Nazi occupied Poland to post war Germany and finally to Chicago during the Vietnam era.

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

Happy reading,

- Beverly
​

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Genre: Historical Fiction

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Ronald Balson has an amazing understanding of the events that occurred during WWII, and he is one of the best storytellers among contemporary authors that I have had the good fortune of reading. His latest novel, Eli’s Promise, will grab at your heartstrings and pull you into a world filled with the struggle for survival and the strength of family bonds.

The empathy that Balson makes us feel for protagonist Eli Rosen never lets up, as we follow him from Nazi-occupied Poland to post war Germany and finally to Chicago during the Vietnam War era. While Eli was luckier than most Jews in Poland, his family's construction company kept them out of the camps for most of the war, watching what happened to most of Poland and eventually to Eli’s family was heart wrenching. I especially appreciate Balson’s ability to paint a realistic and terrifying picture of the camps without graphically describing the torture.

The sections of the book that focused on allied occupied Germany and the displaced persons camps was a true education for me. I certainly knew these places existed but didn’t realize how uncomfortable they were. Eli and his son spent time trying to help those with nowhere to turn, but the trading of illegal Visas often seemed the only way out. These people had their lives, but there was little else left from the world they once inhabited.

I also enjoyed the sections that took place in the mid sixties in Chicago. It is so alien to what Eli knows, but he is determined to find the truth as he searches for the wife he was separated from so many years before and tries to make his way among strangers who soon become friends.

Balson is a master at characterization, and the reader enjoys the warm relationships between his characters even as he/she is caught up in their pain. He focuses very little attention on the Nazi’s themselves but rather shows us what horrors these men brought to a people who did them no harm.

​
- Beverly

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​Publisher - St. Martin's Press
Date of Publication - ​​September 22, 2020

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -- Abraham Lincoln


Joe Biden was not my first choice, but I have no doubt that he is a decent man who has devoted much of his life to the betterment of our country. Kamala Harris was not my first choice, but I believe she will work well with Biden to help build bridges rather than tear them down. While many of my personal beliefs lean more heavily to the progressive side, I think a moderate approach is probably needed at this time in America’s political life. I intend on supporting them both and optimistically look ahead to a fair election.

Donald Trump has been president for three plus years, and I still can’t figure him out. I do know that his values aren’t aligned with mine, and for me a change is needed. I also believe that the press has added to the woes of our country by gaslighting the President continually. I guess gaslighting is the wrong word, because I don’t think he doubts his sanity, but his every mistake is highlighted which adds to his frustrations and makes him more volatile each day.

He also awarded major positions in our country to people who are loyal to him, which in itself isn’t terrible, but most of them have no experience in and little knowledge of the position they agreed to fill. This can be a dangerous thing to do, and nothing displays that more than the debacle that is Covid19.

People voted for Donald Trump because he wasn’t a politician. He presented himself during his campaign as an anti “swamp” politician and promised to run the country as a business. Although that might feel comfortable in theory, he has proven that it will never work. A businessman sees only competitors as he tries to get his way, while a good politician sees debate partners and compromises.

A politician can remain friends with people across the aisle, and that is what makes America great. Democrats and Republicans both contribute to our nation, and one of the major tragedies of this administration is encouraging one side to distrust the other. No one will get everything they want in a country filled with diverse people, but together we can work towards an inclusive country that makes everyone feel valued.

I look forward to the day when selecting a black woman is not newsworthy. Only when the people in our country accept that all races, religions and genders are equal will we truly be able grow as a country and always select the best person for the job.

This week I read/reviewed Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I tried reading this book years ago, and the subject matter was too raw for me at the time. I am so glad that I picked it up again. Picoult is an amazing author who can make the reader empathize with the perpetrator as well as the victim. Wow!

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

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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​Genre: Fiction

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Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is a story that might seem familiar to us, and it is easy to pass it by as redundant, but one would be making a mistake in doing so. In this book, as in every book that Picoult offers, the characters are so vividly drawn that it is difficult to let them go when that last page is reached. The reader will feel haunted by the “what if’s” that each of her characters will have to live with even after the story is well ended.

One day in a small New Hampshire town a young man walks into his typical American high school with two rifles, two handguns and a heart filled with vengeance. Nineteen minutes later ten lives are over, many more are injured and an entire school has to deal with an all too familiar tragedy. The question that haunts us is...could this have been avoided.

Written in flashbacks and real time, the story of Peter’s life is told with such insight that one must wonder if Picoult ever experienced bullying herself. It is said that some children are walking victims, and if this is so, then Peter is such a child. From his first experience on the school bus until the day he pulled the trigger for the last time, he was tormented by his peers and never understood why. With all the death and destruction, it is interesting that Picoult makes us feel the most sympathetic towards Peter himself.

Jodi, his best friend through elementary school is another victim in a way. She abandon Peter in high school and hangs with the popular crowd, but is all too aware of what their bullying is doing to her former friend. She is dealing with her own form of bullying from a controlling boyfriend while trying to come to terms with her relationship with her mother, superior court judge Alex Cormier.

The reader’s heart goes out to Lacy and Lewis Houghton who, after losing a son to a drunk driver, must face the possibility of losing another to the justice system. Picoult’s ability to make each character feel deserving of our sympathy is never stronger than when the reader begins hoping that defense attorney Jordon McAfee pulls that rabbit out of his hat and saves a boy who seems beyond saving.

There are some weaknesses in this book. Alex would have been forced to recuse herself from the case early on in a real life situation, and hopefully some teacher might have stepped in to protect Peter at some point in schools today, but they can be quickly overlooked as the reader spends several hours peeking into the heart and soul of some of Picoult’s most troubled characters.

- Beverly

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​Publisher - Washington Square Press; 1st edition 
Date of Publication - February 5, 2008

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
—-John F. Kennedy


As I sit here looking out of my window for the umpteenth day in a row, I feel both blessed and frustrated. My loved ones are all being fed and sheltered as they try to weather this storm, and we are all behaving smartly when we must leave our homes. On the other hand, I have no control over a government that seems at a loss when it comes to protecting us. I have no control over people who choose to believe Rush Limbaugh over Dr. Fauci, and I certainly have no control over a relentless virus that has taken the world to its knees.

We are being told over and over that if we all socially distance, wash our hands and wear face masks then this virus will be put at abeyance until a vaccine can be produced. I do all of the above, but many people do not, and I don’t understand the conflict. While I vehemently disagree with the anti-vax movement, I understand their fears. They have been lead to believe by “professionals” that their children could be irrevocably harmed by a substance introduced into their bodies. People have feared vaccines since the 18th century, and while no conclusive proof ever appeared as to their dangers, it is difficult to unring that bell.

Wearing masks, however, seems like a no-brainer to me. I agree that they are uncomfortable, and I miss sharing smiles with passing strangers, but at this point I would try anything to be able to hug my children, get my hair cut and walk into a mall without this feeling of dread in my stomach. There is clear evidence that countries with mask compliance are faring much better than those without, but even if you don’t believe that, what is the downside of trying? Surgeons have proven that masks can be worn all day without any repercussions, and they wear masks to protect their patients.

Asking you to wear a mask has nothing to do with control, it just has to do with working as a team to vanquish an enemy. We are asked to do many things that might infringe on our  “rights” for the good of all. The problem is that rights don’t stop with you. If you feel that you have the right to enter a store without a mask, then doesn’t the store owner have an equal right to choose to sell only to those in a mask? This should not be a civil war, this needs to be a united front.

Politics should have never raised its ugly head in this situation. We are not feet-stomping children who must have our own way. I do have a suggestion for anyone who wants to run with it. Make hundreds of thousands of masks that say “Ridin' with Biden” and an equal amount that say “Trump will keep America great.” Have people hand them out everywhere and watch how quickly they take on. Ugh...MAKE THIS STOP.

On a happier note I want to thank Stephanie Tullis for her guest review this week, In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. This young adult historical fiction is so timely that I think I just might read it myself. With all of the time that we have while we avoid crowds, restaurants, movies, etc., reading is a great alternative. Read as much as you can...and send me a guest review or two.

This week’s book from me is a newly published one by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. Half Moon Bay, a Clay Edison Book 3 novel, is a good mystery from this top father/son team.

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

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Years ago I came across Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, and have been a fan ever since. In fact, I am a fan of the entire Kellerman family, or at least the three Kellerman authors. Wife Faye Kellerman has written 26 books featuring LAPD homicide detective Peter Decker, and son Jesse has written several by himself and several with his dad.

Half Moon Bay is the third in this series featuring Deputy Coroner Clay Edison. In this book Clay struggles with balancing family life (the exhaustion of a new daughter) and working the night shift. He is called to a local park where the decades old remains of a child are found by construction workers. When a local businessman believes that the body might belong to his long missing sister, Clay begins to investigate.

Unfortunately, there is more than one problem that Clay is dealing with while workers are razing the park (a haven for the homeless) so a building can be erected. Protesters become involved, introducing Clay to some not-so-friendly characters.  He works on the clock and off the clock looking for answers, and sometimes these trails lead him to places he doesn’t want to be.

The Kellermans have a way of putting everyday people into some really tenuous situations, but these likable characters usually find their way out and “save the day.” The book was a fast read filled with interesting characters, relationships, and twists and turns. Half Moon Bay is the first of this series that I have read, but I will go back and catch up when time allows.

- Beverly


​Publisher - Ballantine Books
Date of Publication - ​July 21, 2020

​“It’s very hard to find your own words- and you don’t actually exist until you have your own words.”
—-Jordan Peterson


Words...my ever constant friend and companion...have failed me this month. I have attempted to put my thoughts and feelings on paper, and nothing can come near the true measure of what I feel. Like many Americans, I have spent my life believing that our strength, knowledge and compassion would see us through any real tragedy that we faced. I believed that when faced with a real crisis, we would band together like any real family, and we would defeat the enemy. What do you do though, when your enemy has become entrenched in your family?

Politics and our individual interpretations of events that occur have taken the place of common sense, and until we find a common ground, America will never be the same. When the tragedy of 911 occurred, we forgot about political parties and held each other’s hands through the darkest of times. We stood tall and showed the world that America will not be taken down. We realized that when a true enemy attacks, he/she doesn’t ask your political affiliations, and those affiliations, in fact, mean very little. I was proud to be an American then and thankful for the support of an admiring world.

How did we go from that to this...watching hundreds of thousands people fall ill while we argue about masks. When did we become a country where conspiracy theories are revered rather then ridiculed. When did politics turn from protecting our country to protecting our party? When did compromise become a dirty word that shows weakness? When did getting our own way become the only way?

It is easy to pin the blame on a president who seems more interested in protecting his image than his country, but we are making a big mistake if we stop there. We can possibly blame our president for shining a light on the hatred that is growing, but we would be foolish in believing that he caused it. This hatred was silently brewing there, behind a curtain of fake smiles, and now it has been given a stage. As difficult as that is to watch though, at least we now know what we need to do.

The majority of people in America are humanitarians who want to be there for those who need help. The majority of us see the different shades of our fellow Americans, but we do not evaluate others by the amount of pigment present in their skin or their choice of partner. Unfortunately, it is the very loud minority who are gathering attention with their proudly displayed racism. The rest of us, the silent majority, have to show the world that The United States of America will stand united against hate.

Peaceful protests and well thought out boycotts will prove much stronger than violence, because it will unite everyone who is anxious to do the right thing. I worry, however, that this is not the right time to march in crowds. The difficulty of remaining socially distant under these circumstances makes me look for other ways to make a difference. Ryan Grenoble shared a story with us in Huff Post on 6/25/20 about a way we can make a difference:

“More corporate advertisers are pulling ads from Facebook for the month of July, joining the Stop Hate for Profit boycott organized last week by the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Color of Change and other civil rights groups. The campaign urges advertisers to “hit pause on hate.”  
The list of participating companies has grown in recent days to include The North Face, Patagonia, Arc’teryx, outdoor retailer REI, Ben & Jerry’s, Eileen Fisher, Eddie Bauer, Magnolia Pictures, Upwork, HigherRing, Dashlane and Talkspace. On Thursday, Verizon (HuffPost’s parent company) also joined the boycott.  
Advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners on Wednesday said it, too, will join the protest, and it encouraged its 45 clients — which include big names such as BMW, Frito-Lay, Hewlett–Packard and PepsiCo — to participate as well.
“For years, we ― and others ― have called on Facebook to change,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told HuffPost of the campaign. “They have not. What matters to Facebook is profits. So if they see what a one-month pause would mean to their bottom line, then maybe they will get the message and act.”

As of today over 100 businesses have joined this movement. Hopefully, this month of lost profits will wake up Mark Zuckerberg, and I hope that you join me in supporting the businesses that are stepping up against hate.

While I have had a difficult time blogging this month, I have read several books that helped me pass the time. David Rosenfelt’s latest offering, Muzzled: An Andy Carpenter Novel, brings Andy Carpenter back for another adventure that will help you escape from your worries for a bit.

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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 In this time of uncertainty there is one thing I can count on...David Rosenfelt can always “take my sad day and make it better.” His familiar characters are like the friends that you look forward to spending time with, and his story lines draw you in as attorney Andy tries to make the world a little better place for the dogs he comes in contact with and the people who love them.

In fact, Andy is desperate to retire and spend his time rescuing as many dogs as humanly possible, but fate seems to have other plans for him. This time it comes in the form of the stray that his friend Beth found that seems to have been owned by a man who was recently murdered. When the owner shows up to claim his dog he shares a frightening story with Andy. He was on a boat with two other men discussing business when bullets started flying. He escaped and is now a person of interest in the murder of his colleagues.

Of course any man who comes out of hiding to retrieve his dog is worth helping in Andy’s world, and the excitement begins. Rosenfelt’s stories are always character driven and watching Andy and company go from jam to jam is always entertaining. While his bad guys are always bad, they won’t keep you up at night a la Hannibal Lecter, and his good guys will always make you smile.

There is a happily ever after in this book as in all of Rosenfelt’s novels, and this is the perfect time for the reader to get lost in a positive ending.


​-Beverly


​Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - July 7, 2020

"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

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Genre: Legal Thriller

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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