Martha Peterson’s network — One of the many advantages of belonging to a book club is that I am forced out of my comfort zone and into reading books I never would have chosen for myself. Let me tell you, I never would have chosen Martha Peterson’s The Widow Spy as reading material were…

Mira Grant’s “mermaid” novel — Science fiction is not my usual genre. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I have so many other books on my to-be-read list that I don’t gravitate toward sci-fi. …

Pop culture, art, and celebrity — How to make more readers? American beauty companies spent 7.7 BILLION marketing beauty products in 2022. Car manufacturers spent 2.7 BILLION dollars in 2021. Pet food and supplies corporations spent over 1 BILLION dollars marketing their wares to pet owners. But there is no agency or organization that spends billions of dollars to market one…

KKR buys Simon & Schuster — If you follow news of the publishing world, then you remember the failed attempt of Penguin-Random House to purchase Simon and Schuster last year. In November of 2022, the Justice Department ruled against the acquisition citing anti-trust concerns. If Penguin-Random House had been allowed to purchase Simon & Schuster, there…

Beauty in the Rocks — Fearless flowers A long time ago, someone told me to “bloom where I was planted.” I can’t even remember what caused the remark or what situation surrounded it, but the words stuck with me. When I saw this petunia, I thought of that phrase. Obviously, we didn’t plant the petunia there. It…

Two new productions to help you decide — Thousands of books have been made into films. Bestsellers are often bought for movie rights, and if an author is really lucky, her manuscript could be purchased for a movie or television series even before it is published in book form. Sounds impossible, but it does happen. The novels Hidden…

Ann Patchett’s touching book — If the truth be told, I have never been a huge Ann Patchett fan. I read State of Wonder years ago and listened to Tom Hanks’ narration of The Dutch House when it was released. …

Mrs. Mike and The Stars Are Fire — On August 9, 2023, a horrible fire, pushed by fierce winds, rolled over the town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The devastation is unimaginable. Buildings and cars burned to ashes. Scorched earth. Nothing standing. …

Hydrangeas and Knock-Out Roses — Today’s my dear friend’s birthday. Her name is Martha Rose. My favorite gift for those I love is an arrangement of flowers plucked from our garden. Hothouse flowers are beautiful and perfectly shaped, but they’re costly, and I don’t have sweat equity in their growth. My homegrown flowers are imperfect…