We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”
— The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13
I wrote a blog this week to help me vent all of the frustration that I was feeling about the daily happenings in the country I always believed would represent everything that was good and free in this world. I railed on about the child/man who used a car to prove a point and the man/child whose lack of condemnation helped him prove it. I got angry and sad and wanted to make it all stop!
...And then I stopped. I realized that the insanity that has overtaken our world is winning, because it is overshadowing everything that is good. Through it all, most of us have much to be thankful for, and we need to grasp on to that or we have truly allowed the evil to prevail. We have to write, and live, our own stories and never let the "bad guys" muddy our plot.
I wake up every morning next to the person who loves and protects me with the same intensity that I love and protect him. I am surrounded by a loving family and friends who make me laugh when I need to laugh and hold my hand when I need to cry. I have a roof over my head, food on my table and a Kindle full of books. I am well educated and am smart enough to know what I don't know. My health, and the health of those I love, is mostly good, and when we are ill, we have the ability to get needed health care. I live in a neighborhood that is populated with all races, religions and sexual orientations, and no one notices the differences.
We celebrated Arthur's birthday this past week, and son Michael, nephew Jonathan and nephew Nick flew in to help us make it a special weekend. There were fifteen of us enjoying dinner at our favorite restaurant, and as I looked around the table I realized that it is important to recognize that there is still much to celebrate.
Since 9/11 much that is good has been couched in the realization that we are not guaranteed the safety that we believed our strength afforded us. Suddenly every trip on an airplane, concert, sports event and mall trip seems like an invitation for some unhinged group to take a potshot at us. Armed guards now patrol areas where our safety was once just taken for granted, and sometimes it is difficult to just stop and smell the roses. We can't let that happen. We must continue to see that most people are good, and those who seek to harm us will ultimately fail. I have noticed that each act of foreign or domestic terrorism and every display of hatred encourages more people to fight for the rights deserved by us all. I really do believe that goodness will prevail in the end.
Speaking of goodness, if you live in South Florida and haven't been to the Regional Kitchen and Public House in West Palm Beach, you are missing a major treat. Although I was once a travel/restaurant reviewer, it has been years since I reviewed anything but books. I can't resist plugging our new favorite restaurant though, even if it makes getting a reservation even more difficult than it is now. Chef Lindsay Autry, former Top Chef finalist and chef extraordinaire opened this restaurant last year, and it has enjoyed amazing reviews since the day it opened. Her southern heritage comes out in her food, and we all left Arthur's birthday dinner sated and happy with the taste of Pastry Chef Sarah's strawberry shortcake lingering through the night.
Of course the perfect book always helps to cap off the perfect evening, and Lisa Scottoline's book, One Perfect Lie was just what the doctor ordered. It was difficult to know what to believe when Chris Brennan presented a strong resume depicting himself as a teacher and coach and is suddenly enmeshed in a world that he knows only through intense research. We get the feeling that he is about to bring havoc to this unsuspecting town, but we just can't figure out his motive. Definitely one of my favorites this month!
Too many guests and too much excitement for me to read/review more than one book this week, but this is one that you will enjoy.
As always, a complete review follows this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
— The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13
I wrote a blog this week to help me vent all of the frustration that I was feeling about the daily happenings in the country I always believed would represent everything that was good and free in this world. I railed on about the child/man who used a car to prove a point and the man/child whose lack of condemnation helped him prove it. I got angry and sad and wanted to make it all stop!
...And then I stopped. I realized that the insanity that has overtaken our world is winning, because it is overshadowing everything that is good. Through it all, most of us have much to be thankful for, and we need to grasp on to that or we have truly allowed the evil to prevail. We have to write, and live, our own stories and never let the "bad guys" muddy our plot.
I wake up every morning next to the person who loves and protects me with the same intensity that I love and protect him. I am surrounded by a loving family and friends who make me laugh when I need to laugh and hold my hand when I need to cry. I have a roof over my head, food on my table and a Kindle full of books. I am well educated and am smart enough to know what I don't know. My health, and the health of those I love, is mostly good, and when we are ill, we have the ability to get needed health care. I live in a neighborhood that is populated with all races, religions and sexual orientations, and no one notices the differences.
We celebrated Arthur's birthday this past week, and son Michael, nephew Jonathan and nephew Nick flew in to help us make it a special weekend. There were fifteen of us enjoying dinner at our favorite restaurant, and as I looked around the table I realized that it is important to recognize that there is still much to celebrate.
Since 9/11 much that is good has been couched in the realization that we are not guaranteed the safety that we believed our strength afforded us. Suddenly every trip on an airplane, concert, sports event and mall trip seems like an invitation for some unhinged group to take a potshot at us. Armed guards now patrol areas where our safety was once just taken for granted, and sometimes it is difficult to just stop and smell the roses. We can't let that happen. We must continue to see that most people are good, and those who seek to harm us will ultimately fail. I have noticed that each act of foreign or domestic terrorism and every display of hatred encourages more people to fight for the rights deserved by us all. I really do believe that goodness will prevail in the end.
Speaking of goodness, if you live in South Florida and haven't been to the Regional Kitchen and Public House in West Palm Beach, you are missing a major treat. Although I was once a travel/restaurant reviewer, it has been years since I reviewed anything but books. I can't resist plugging our new favorite restaurant though, even if it makes getting a reservation even more difficult than it is now. Chef Lindsay Autry, former Top Chef finalist and chef extraordinaire opened this restaurant last year, and it has enjoyed amazing reviews since the day it opened. Her southern heritage comes out in her food, and we all left Arthur's birthday dinner sated and happy with the taste of Pastry Chef Sarah's strawberry shortcake lingering through the night.
Of course the perfect book always helps to cap off the perfect evening, and Lisa Scottoline's book, One Perfect Lie was just what the doctor ordered. It was difficult to know what to believe when Chris Brennan presented a strong resume depicting himself as a teacher and coach and is suddenly enmeshed in a world that he knows only through intense research. We get the feeling that he is about to bring havoc to this unsuspecting town, but we just can't figure out his motive. Definitely one of my favorites this month!
Too many guests and too much excitement for me to read/review more than one book this week, but this is one that you will enjoy.
As always, a complete review follows this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog
