My last mail out I had asked my subscribers which upcoming book they would like to read of mine, given a choice of the three works currently in progress. The results are listed below in order of popularity:

I Don’t Drink Alone and Other Lies-a hilarious essay collection

Draft Book Cover

Between Midnight and the Moon-Poetry Collection

Daughter of the Moon-a Novel

So I did have a set back with editing my novel. But I am getting back on track with that and I Don’t Drink Alone is pretty much ready to format. So looks like I will have a few new releases in early 2024.

In other topics; The strangest thing has been happening to me. I come up with an idea to write about here on the blog and then moments later, I forget what my brilliant idea was. What the heck?! Also, I re-read my post on “Ten things Covid Made Me Do”. I looked for it on the blog because there was a Leonard Cohen special on HBO which triggered my memory. I thought of the time during Covid that I tied my Beau to the kitchen chair. You know what came next.

Welcome spooky, October…looks like me trying to come up with a brilliant blog post…

Well, September came and went in a flash. I didn’t write one post here and that is a first for me. I have never gone a whole month without writing something here. Should this concern me? I remember the early days of my blogging back in 2011-12 and I didn’t understand bloggers who would take long, unexpected breaks but now I do. They had been in the game for several years and eventually, we change.

We’re already half way through summer. It always goes far too quickly of all the seasons. Winter? Dragging…like an ellipses. Spring? The start of a new thought; like a semicolon. Autumn? Gathering, like a comma ordering things. But summer! The exclamation of the seasons. Bright, long days, swimming, parties and other exclamatory activities! But gone all too soon.

I first heard of this book while scrolling Instagram. A fellow art journal creator had posted a stack of inspirational books. Being that I’m intrigued by FK, the exceptional woman and artist, I took note of the title.

The Diary of Frida Kahlo An Intimate Self Portrait by Carlos Fuentes, has had a profound effect on me. I wrote in my own journal, “I feel grieved to come to the last page. I can’t say that I have felt that way about any other book.”

Gosh, where has November gone? Even though I’ve been operating on low-key status, the month still has flown by. While I should be editing my latest manuscript, I’ve been creating instead. Also, guiltily, I’ve been watching Netflix, HBO and FX and a little Colbert and Myers on the side.

So, not the most productive time in my life but also giving myself a break as I wrote about last week in Thinking About…Things.

A must read. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump paints a nuanced picture of a DYSFUNCTIONAL family and the consequences of raising a son who answers to no one and gets everything he wants.

“The World’s Most Dangerous Man” as the author coins him, is now the POTUS without a conscience. Donald Trump, second son of Fred Trump Sr., has risen in the political ranks with a seemingly empty soul. He’s demolished businesses and people along the way. Mary, also a psychologist, sheds light on how he came to be and what it cost her and her father.

The lovely Balroop Singh’s new book of poetry, I’m happy to announce, is available for purchase this week! I can’t wait to delve into this one! She has generously put it on sale until the end of the week. Help me congratulate Balroop on her newest book of poetry, Magical Whispers.

Untamed was my first Glennon Doyle read. I’ve heard her name buzzed in Good Reads and various places such as, ahem, Oprah. Now this book is a Reese Witherspoon choice. So…I was anxious to read this one and the description grabbed my attention.

I’ve been reading so many books lately. Trying new authors has been stimulating and fun. Along with this I’ve become aware of some minor book pet peeves I have. Let’s dish…

Are you a passionate reader like me? Which books are the ones you couldn’t live without?  Books have helped me through just about everything for as long as I can remember.

During childhood when I felt like I wasn’t fitting in, books were my go to comfort.  Harriet The Spy, Charlotte’s Web, Diary of Anne Frank, Are You There God It’s Me Margaret? are