I was so happy to have this extension as we owed Uncle Sam quite a bit this year. I am very lucky that one of the benefits of my job at Lynn University is free tuition, not just for me but for my family. My daughter has her Associates’s degree, but now she is moving towards her Bachelor’s degree. But slipped into the trump tax bill that benefited all his rich friends was that “free” tuition is now counted as income. So while she’s taking classes, my income jumps by thousands of dollars, which is then deducted to pay for tuition. But I get the tax bill. And it’s large, people. It might even be cheaper to send her to a state school. But she is so happy at Lynn, and wanted to go back to school because she feels so welcome and safe there. Best of all, she knows the professors and really all the staff are there to help her succeed. That is worth any bill.
So to cheer myself up as my bank account empties, I look at pictures of Loki. He is 11 years old now and still the sweetest boy ever. He has adjusted to everyone being home all the time. He still needs his 18 hours of sleep, but now he wanders in to see what’s going on now and then before going back to bed. My bed! Here are some pictures of how Loki spends his days.
He was the cutest kitten! With the bluest eyes – they still are amazing.
Loki is unbelievably smart; he is like Jack Reacher in that he always knows what the time is. If I’m not out of bed and on my way to feed him breakfast by 7:15, he sits in the hallway to my bedroom and meows, repeatedly, until I get up. We call him the Kitty Alarm Clock!
After he has breakfast, which he may or may not eat, it’s time for bed. He does prefer it when the bed is made.
But if he has to, he will sleep in an unmade bed.
Some days he wanders in for lunch.
Sometimes he likes to hang out when there is a Zoom meeting. #colleagues
After all that excitement, it’s time to nap again. He has other favorite spots for napping.
In case I forget, he yells to remind me that it is dinner time!
Guess what happens after dinner? Naptime! But with us. He’s not much of a lap cat, but he cuddles in his own way.
Sometimes, we nap, too.
He also likes watching TV with us. Rachel Maddow is his favorite.
He never forgets a birthday.
Loki celebrates holidays
And of course, he likes books.
Loki does tricks! Well, one trick. Still, he is the first cat we’ve ever had that could learn a trick.
I hope you found at least a tiny bit of happiness looking at cute cat pics. As always, thanks for reading and stay safe!
When a man agrees to do a favor for a friend, he gets more than he bargained for as he becomes embroiled in a woman’s murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of Layover.
Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.
When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.
Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.
I began reading this novel at 11:00 pm. Several hours later I was able to put it down for the very good reason that I had finished it. The book was mesmerizing, completely compelling, and one fantastic read.
Ryan Francis and his best friend Blake had a close relationship for many years taking them through college and then out into the business world. Ryan married Amanda and in due course, the couple had a son they named Henry.
Blake came to visit them and see the baby but committed an error. Holding Henry up he allowed the child’s head to be hit by a decoration causing a red mark. The protective Amanda was angered and practically threw Blake out of their house stating that he should not return there.
Rushing home as was normal, one evening Ryan was called by Blake and asked to do a big favor for him. He asks that Ryan break into a girl’s house and retrieve a packet of incriminating letters that Blake had allowed her to get while they were going together. During their college years, Ryan had committed a crime when driving drunk and had killed a young girl. Blake, driving with him prevented Ryan from being arrested by changing the setup of the drivers in the then wrecked car and putting another man who was with them into the driver’s seat. Blake indicates that he had been going with the girl and inadvertently given her letters outlining Ryan’s crime during their relationship. Blake met another girl, fell in love, and told girl #1 that he was leaving her to get married. He did not get the letters held back, for some reason could not reenter her house and convinced Ryan that it was in his interest to break in and get them.
Ryan had to agree, but when he entered the girl’s home he found her dead on the floor, obviously a murder victim. Ryan flees the scene, realizes that he has probably set himself up as the murderer and makes the determination that it is up to him to find the real killer.
Bell, in a fine piece of writing, takes his readers through a series of events that will cause them to constantly change their minds about who the killer is, and arriving at a logical ending drained. I’m sure that readers of this book will be lined up like I am awaiting David Bell’s next novel and just keep a pot of coffee boiling for that occasion.
7/2020 Paul Lane
THE REQUEST by David Bell. Berkley (June 30, 2020). ISBN: 978-0440000907. 416 pages.
From New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards comes one of the most anticipated novels of the summer…
A world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected.
Paris, 1944
Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance.
When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming Allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary—including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected—and in time to save Lillian’s life.
For fans of The Nightingale, The Women in the Castle and The Lost Girls of Paris, this exquisite novel illuminates three women’s strength, courage and capacity for unconditional love.
Karen Robards turns her attention temporarily away from the successful contemporary suspense novels she normally writes in order to give her readers a war story. The book gives the reader many stories in one. It is about war – a bloody one – World War two. It tells the story of the French resistance to Nazi occupation braving the horrors of absolute repression practiced by the German conquerors. It takes place during the last period of the war at a point where an allied invasion is planned and both the Germans and allies are working to bestow their own ending on it. The Germans to find out where it will take place in order to turn it back, and the allies to hide it, surprising the enemy and making it into the final stage against the third Reich. Most importantly, the novel does not detract in any way from the author’s ability to mesmerize her readership and serves only to increase her range with those enjoying her books.
Genevieve Dumont is a singer that has created herself as a persona with an exceptionally good voice, a marvelous stage presence, and the ability to take charge of her audience. She is the daughter of French upper-class people, but has had a falling out with her mother Lillian de Rocheford, and has fled from her family and ending up in Casablanca, Morocco eking out a living singing in various venues to earn some money to live on.
Discovered there by Max, a British officer seconded to the French resistance movement, she is molded by him into a spy and guided into creating scenarios that allow her group to obtain information important to the French Partisans. Over the years they work together their emotions are kept in check, but the author creates a very plausible situation leading to the couple falling in love. The final section of the book finds that Lillian de Rocheford has been captured by the Germans and is being subjected to torture in order to force her to release the location of the coming invasion. Lilian knows the site due to the fact that the allies have given her an important role on the day of the invasion.
Family is family and Genevieve gets Max and her group to try and effect her mother’s release in order to carry out her assigned mission. That the book grabs hold of the readers and doesn’t let go until the end is a given. It is indicative of the literary talent that is Karen Robards and her ability to capture and keep her readers fixed on the book as well as looking for the next one.
7/2020 Paul Lane
THE BLACK SWAN OF PARIS by Karen Robards. MIRA; Original edition (June 30, 2020). ISBN: 978-0778309338. 480 pages.
In national bestselling author Sara Richardson’s first book in the Silverado Lake series, “the pace is fast, the setting’s charming, and the love scenes are delicious” when a risk-taking cowboy convinces a no-nonsense writer to give him a second chance (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review) — includes a bonus story by AJ Pine!
Shy and sensible romance writer Jane Harding’s carefully ordered life is crumbling around her. With her latest novel due and her teaching contract at an end, returning home to help plan her best friend’s wedding is a welcome distraction. Yet when Jane discovers that the too-hot-to-handle boy who once tempted her is now the best man — and the rodeo circuit’s sexiest bull rider — her distraction is in danger of becoming a disaster . . .
Toby Garrett is no stranger to risk. But this latest injury could end his rodeo career for good. Thankfully, his recovery at home isn’t as awful as he’d imagined, especially when he comes face-to-face with Jane. The kiss they once shared still fuels his fantasies, but when she walked away, he let her go. Now Toby is determined to fix his mistakes. Can this sweet-talking cowboy prove that the passion still burning between them is worth braving the odds?
Toby and Jane shared a kiss back in high school, but he was off to join the rodeo, and she was off to college. Unbeknownst to her hometown, Jane has become a romance novelist under a pseudonym. Like many writers, she also has another job as a teacher. But when her contract is up, she heads home to figure out her next move. Her best friend is getting married, and that will keep her busy for a while. But then she finds out Toby is the best man and things start changing.
Unrequited young love is a favorite trope of the romance genre, although it’s not necessarily my favorite. But Richardson does a really good job here, and this was a fun, sexy read. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
NOTE: On the cover of this book it says “includes a bonus story by AJ Pine.” I read the digital galley supplied by the publisher and the bonus story was not included. I cannot comment on that except to say I really like AJ Pine’s books.
5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
FIRST KISS WITH A COWBOY by Sara Richardson. Forever (May 19, 2020). ISBN 978-1538717158. 432p.
The instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!
An Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far – 2020!
“The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing―not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin.”―The New York Times Book Review
Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.
A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets―Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women―both alone, both scared―and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.
A very well crafted story of two women coming from different backgrounds who meet briefly and change each other’s lives forever.
Claire Cook is an intelligent and accomplished individual married into one of the wealthiest families in the world. She seems to have a perfect life enjoying the things that her husband’s money can bring her. All she has to do is work on various projects that benefit many people and obey her husband. The fly in the ointment is that her husband has turned into an abusive tyrant who insists on complete obedience from her or he will physically beat her up.
Eva is the other woman involved in the story. Through circumstances beyond her control, she has drifted into the life of a drug dealer. Her knowledge of chemistry combined with a need to make a living has forced her into a position that places her on the wrong side of the law.
Both Claire and Eva come together as both are fleeing their current lives and trying to disappear completely. They meet at an airport bar where Claire is to fly to Puerto Rico and Eva to Oakland, California. The women end up telling the other about their desire to escape their lives and start again. It strikes them while talking that changing identities will throw those that are looking for them completely off the track. And, since each has their boarding pass in hand the change is accomplished.
Certainly, just this action will enable a good story to emerge. However, it is complicated by a plane crash to Eva’s plane as it flies to Puerto Rico.
Clark tells the story via the use of rotating first person narratives involving both the women, but also persons that are of interest to the tale. It is an engrossing, well-done novel with the ending completely logical but not telegraphed in the reading. Character portraits, thoughts, doubts, and problems arising are as well done as it has been my pleasure to read. A five-star book that after conclusion will project a desire on the part of the reader toward following the author and obtaining her future novels as they emerge.
7/2020 Paul Lane
THE LAST FLIGHT by Julie Clark. Sourcebooks Landmark (June 23, 2020). ISBN: 978-1728215723. 320 pages.
In David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mystery, Muzzled, Andy and his beloved golden retriever, Tara, are back on the case as a favor to a friend.
Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who would rather not practice law. He’d rather spend his time working with the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue organization, and being with his family and his two dogs, Tara and Sebastian. But when a friend asks him for a favor that involves both dogs and his lawyerly expertise, he can’t say no.
Andy’s friend Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder victim–in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his life is in danger, and that’s why he disappeared. As much as Andy doesn’t want to get involved–anything to avoid a new case–he can’t help but come to the rescue of a man who’d risk everything, even his life, to reunite with his dog.
Once again, David Rosenfelt delivers suspense and laughter in equal measure in another engaging mystery from “one of the most unforgettable voices in the genre.”
I’m happy to announce the coming across of another in the long and welcome line of novels featuring the adventures of Andy Carpenter. As in the previous books, Andy is accompanied by his stalwart companions including his wife, Laurie, who was a policewoman, his best friend Willy, who is his partner in a business providing dogs for adoption, the very vocal Marcus, his office manager who has developed an antipathy to work, and other sundry characters populating these books.
What is missing is the usual happy ending in which Andy, openly reluctant to working in his profession of defense attorney due to a large inheritance, is forced to handle a case and manages to resolve it successfully. While the happy ending is conspicuously missing in the novel you can bet that all of the dogs that take part in the story end up well.
The story opens in the usual way, Andy must see to the well being of a dog whose owner may soon be sent to prison for murder. Now it does seem strange that the owner is looking for someone to care for his dog when he was blown to pieces along with two other men on a boat they were riding in before the story starts. Don’t worry, all will be explained as we go along, but in the meanwhile, we are treated to David Rosenfelt’s inimitable style of humor, sarcasm, a lot of attention to the dogs involved in the story and the solving of the conundrum of an interesting tale.
I don’t remember if I ever read an Andy Carpenter story that wasn’t a five-star book and in no way boring, in spite of the seeming repetitiveness of the stories. “Muzzled” continues the author’s streak of winners and my recommendation is to read this novel then get on line for the next one as soon as available. And oh yes, don’t worry too much about the ending that is not a happy one. Remember, the dogs come out okay.
7/2020 Paul Lane
MUZZLED by David Rosenfelt. Minotaur Books (July 7, 2020). ISBN: 978-1250257116. 304 pages.
A witty rom-com that explores the “unique joys of strong female friendships and the particular struggles of Black women in the workplace, all within a great love story.” —Jasmine Guillory, bestselling author of Party of Two
Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men and no dating.
For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?
*O, The Oprah Magazine: Must-Read Black Romance Novels
*Cosmopolitan: Best Summer Reads 2020
*Book of the Month selection
*LibraryReads selection
*Buzzfeed: Romances to Read This Summer
*PopSugar: Best New Books
*Bookpage: Most Anticipated Romance of 2020
*SheReads: Most Anticipated Reads of Summer 2020
Whenever I see a book get this much positive attention, I expect a lot. Understandably so. I am so happy to report that The Boyfriend Project lived up to my expectations!
Samiah is a Black woman at the top of the tech pyramid, and trust me, she had no easy climb. As I have repeatedly heard, it is a tough battle for any woman to get into the tech industry, even harder to move up to a position of authority, and almost impossibly difficult when that woman is Black. But Samiah doesn’t complain, she just has confidence in her own abilities and pushes on.
But this brilliant woman is somehow fooled into dating a man who is dating other women as well. He uses different names, but he has his regular date night restaurants. Samiah’s sister tells her to jump on Twitter, some woman is live-Tweeting a bad date right in her neighborhood. As Samiah watches in real-time, she quickly realizes this is the same jerk she’s been seeing.
Samiah shows up at the restaurant, along with another woman in the same situation. Naturally, a video is immediately uploaded and goes viral. Who wouldn’t want to watch three women turn on a sleazy guy?
The three women decide to get together and quickly become friends. They decide to spend the next six months working on bettering themselves, and not spending any of their valuable time on men.
When Samiah goes back to work, all of her co-workers have seen the video but she just puts her head down and gets back to work, despite being the highlight of office gossip. There is a new guy starting there, Daniel Collins, and he is adorable. And when he approaches Samiah with compassion about the incident, she is very much taken with him. Working together, they become friends and then more. But what Samiah doesn’t know is that Daniel is not who she thinks he is. He knows he should not be getting involved, but when you fall so hard for someone it’s difficult for logic to enter into the relationship.
Of course, everything blows up when Samiah realizes that Daniel has been lying to her. But no worries, this is a romance so a happy ending is in store.
This was one of the best romances I’ve read in a while. I loved how smart the characters were and how real they felt to me. I was totally invested in their story and was sorry to turn the last page. Don’t miss it!
7/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT by Farrah Rochon. Forever; 1 edition (June 9, 2020). ISBN 978-1538716625. 356 pages.
An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .
From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico—“fans of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca are in for a suspenseful treat” (PopSugar).
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
An Amazon Best Book of July 2020.
The title of the novel tells us what it is. It is a Gothic story set in the country of Mexico in the 1950’s. And it is a good one, moving slowly up the fright ladder logically until an ending that is a good conclusion to a finely written story.
Noemi Taboada is the young daughter of a well-to-do family living the good life in a growing Mexico City. The period is one that has brought money to Mexican businessmen due to investments in the United States recently at war and the emerging oil industry. Noemi has nothing to do but have a good time, go to parties, and husband hunt for a suitable young man. She already has a dowry with funds she has been given by her family.
A letter arrives from Noemi’s cousin Catalina who has recently married and is living in a rural area with her husband and his family. Catalina writes that Noemi’s father has to come and rescue her since her new husband is poisoning her. Her father decides to send Noemi to investigate the situation which seems a little drastic for a newlywed. Party-going Noemi is really not at all suited for investigating that which Catalina alleges. She does go and finds a strange family living in a huge mansion that has seen better days in terms of its condition in a fairly isolated area. Facts come out about what is going on slowly but surely.
Catalina’s husband makes it obvious that he resents Noemi’s visit. He and his family put restrictions on her movements and her habits. A strange attraction seems to draw Noemi to her brother-in-law and is the epitome of a love-hate relationship. But at the same time, she meets the younger brother of Catalina’s husband. He is shy, somewhat withdrawn, not the real physical specimen that Noemi is normally drawn to.
A well-done picture of events by the author shows Noemi facing many adverse factors, facing them and morphing into a woman rather than the young girl she came as when traveling to visit her cousin. The novel is certainly a draw for the reader and that is not just a horror story designed to create an atmosphere of terror. Moreno-Garcia is not a first-time author and has ventured into the world of science fiction and fantasy. Mexican Gothic is a novel that showcases the author’s literary talents and will certainly cause her readers to look for her future books.
7/2020 Paul Lane
MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Del Rey (June 30, 2020). ISBN: 978-0525620785. 320 pages.
From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes a friends-to-frenemies-to-lovers story… Add in a few secrets. Shake. Stir. Then read on a lazy summer day at the beach…
Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.
And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She’s fierce, tough, and she’s keeping more than one bombshell of a secret from Brynn — her long-time frenemy.
But then Brynn runs into Kinsey’s best friend, Eli, renewing her childhood crush. The good news: he’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. The bad news: when he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have real connections, possibly love, and a future—if she can only learn to let go of the past.
As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.
Jill Shalvis is one of my go-to authors; she is prolific, creates interesting, well-defined, realistic characters, and just tells a good story, whether it’s a romance or women’s fiction. I have enjoyed every one of her books that I’ve read, and there have been a lot. This one is no exception.
Brynn, Eli, and Kasey go back a long way, to summer camp. Kasey was the mean girl, Eli was a sweet boy, and Brynn, well, Brynn always felt like the odd man out. When Brynn and Eli run into each other, it seems like it was meant to be. He has a room to rent, and she needs to move out from her family home and exert a little independence. But her income is sketchy, so Eli’s offer works. Until she finds out that one of her other roommates is Kasey.
These three dance around their history and try to resolve some major issues, but it takes most of the book to get there, but it’s such a fun journey. Eli and Kasey have a brother/sister type relationship, but what Eli feels for Brynn is not brotherly in the least. They have a lot of hurdles to get through before they can reach their happy ending.
This was a terrific read, perfect for summer. Enjoy!
7/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
THE SUMMER DEAL by Jill Shalvis. William Morrow Paperbacks (June 2, 2020). ISBN 978-0062897916. 384 pages.
We are more than halfway through this year, and what a year it’s been. The video is of last year’s 4th of July fun in a neighboring town. This year, all of Palm Beach County, where I live, has canceled firework displays. Of course, my neighbors have been blowing up stuff since last weekend, but no big displays this year. It’s just as well. It hurts me to admit it, but I really haven’t been feeling all that patriotic lately. I may be a liberal, but I am the type of liberal who used to tear up when I heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “God Bless America” or “America the Beautiful.”
This? The way we are living now? This is not America to me. Huge unemployment numbers, the murders of Black men and women by police, Putin being given carte blanche to pay terrorists bounties on killing American soldiers, a president who thinks he can wish away a pandemic, it’s all too much. I will hang out my flag and hope for a better tomorrow. I will say that the Black Lives Matter movement is making me feel more hopeful than I have in a long time, so that would be worth celebrating – other than the fact that it is rising on the backs of Black people dying in the streets at the hands of police officers.
This 4th of July, I will mostly take the day off from cooking and let my husband grill burgers. Last time we had burgers, we had them on my homemade brioche buns, but now we have store-bought. I may make some potato salad though, it’s my husband’s favorite, but my potatoes are starting to sprout. I will have to check to see if they are still safe to eat! Maybe a peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Florida, especially in South Florida, has been climbing. The Palm Beach Post reported, “The number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in Florida on Thursday with a record-shattering 10,109 new infections reported by the Florida Department of Health.”
Happy July, folks. Our idiot governor basically has said, “Drop dead, Floridians!” and refuses to do anything about it. Rather like his idol, the current occupant of the White House.
Luckily, the Palm Beach County Commissioners have done their bare minimum. They closed the bars after midnight or something, closed the beaches for the holiday weekend, and are requiring everyone to wear masks. Except if you don’t want to because of a medical condition or religious reason. I have been researching religious beliefs barring mask-wearing and have yet to find anything, but what do I know. On the other hand, Palm Beach Post writer Frank Cerabino wonders if this religion that forbids mask-wearing is “Hannitarian”?
My friend works for the public library and had a family come into the library, a mom and three kids, none wearing masks, and the mom said they all have medical conditions. It’s hard to tell sometimes, I get that. But what are the odds that the entire family has hidden medical conditions that preclude them from wearing masks?
I have become such a cynic! This is so not like me, and I don’t especially like this version of myself. But this pandemic has really pushed all my buttons. Some people are just incredibly selfish and thoughtless. I am angry and frightened, and I’ve been frightened for months and all I want is to be safe and for my family to be safe.
More troubling Florida news: “DeSantis kills online learning program amid virus resurgence: With a stroke of his veto pen, Gov. Ron DeSantis wiped out the entire $29.4 million budget for a suite of online education services that have become critical to students and faculty during the Covid-19 outbreak…The cuts include a database of online courses and an online library service that provides 17 million books to 1.3 million students, faculty and staff.” https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/06/30/desantis-kills-online-learning-program-amid-virus-resurgence-1296178
On a happier note, let’s talk about baking! I finally was able to get my hands on the “4.2 Quart Artisan Bread Baking Crock and Dutch Oven” that has been out of stock with all the other bread baking stuff from King Arthur Flour. It arrived yesterday and is so pretty! It was definitely a splurge but worth it. Now I just have to hope that I don’t break it. And more exciting news: Larry went to Costco during senior hour and scored me a big bag – 25 pounds – of King Arthur flour!
Isn’t it amazing the things that make me so happy now?
We had a Zoom anniversary celebration for my son and daughter-in-law’s first wedding anniversary last weekend. We were joined by her parents, too, and it was so nice to be able to toast the happy couple, even remotely. What a first year they’ve had! I told them that spending all these months alone together just proves how right they are together. It may not have been the dream anniversary celebration, but I guarantee it is one they will never forget.
My beautiful Loki has been investigating this space under the TV for months. Every now and then he stands up and sticks his head in and looks around. Today, he took the plunge.
Finally, this was a proud moment for me. My son is now on the Games Team at the New York Times!
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 