Hello dear reader! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, thrifty Black Friday, helpful Cyber Monday, generous Giving Tuesday, and a Happy Hanukkah. Before we know it Christmas will be here! Followed by Kwanzaa and then New Year’s Eve. What a...

Hello dear reader! This Thanksgiving promises to be quite different for me than last year’s. In the thick of COVID, only my husband and I gathered around the table for a lonely meal. We had our usual holiday favorites but it wasn’t the same with...

Hello dear reader! I took a walk the other day and it was 65 degrees outside, nice walking weather. I actually had to take off my fleece jacket and tie it around my waist. (Fleece? What was I thinking?) I heard on television that the Farmer's Al...

Hello dear reader!In this mid-month email I’m sharing a couple of new book promos and reading suggestions. Fall is slow to come here in the Hudson Valley - it was 76 degrees the other day! - so I’ve been reading more on audiobook as I take my daily w...

Hello dear reader!Welcome to fall. Summer is winding down. The cover is on the pool (always a sad day for me). Oktoberfest is every weekend. And although the days have been warm, here in the northeast I can feel the coming cold weather in the air. Be...

Hello dear reader!Summer is winding down with the threat of severe weather it seems almost every weekend. This past weekend we saw Hurricane Ida, which struck Louisiana hard, leaving catastrophic damage in its wake. The weekend before it was Hurrican...

Hello dear reader!Suddenly it’s hot. Very hot.August is a tricky month. The nights can be cool but the days can be hazy, hot and humid here in the Hudson Valley, which is what’s happening now. Not the best writing weather. But it’s great for reading...

Hello dear reader!As I write this it’s raining. Again. It’s been a wet, windy summer. For the first time in 26 years we did not go on a beach vacation. We made other plans and I didn't think I'd miss it as much as I do. I love everything about the be...

Hello dear reader!We are thick in the grip of summer in upstate New York and it's been a rollercoaster of hot steamy days mixed with wet, wild thunderstorms. In other words, normal. I can read anytime, anywhere, regardless of the weather, but there's...

Hello dear reader!Wow, is anyone else glued to the TV watching the Olympic swim trials? I love watching these races, especially the women. Katie Ledecky is so fast! And there are so many fine swimmers coming up behind her. Watching them brought back...