I'm trying to stay positive this Thanksgiving, it's always been my favorite holiday. I love that it's all about being with loved ones and not about gifts. I am thinking about all the things and people I am grateful to have in my life. I've hosted Thanksgiving almost every year since my first marriage back in 1972. There were a few years when the kids were young (the years right after my parents died) that they spent the holiday with their dad and their step-mother but, for the most part I've always cooked and enjoyed doing so. This year it will just be the 2 of us, and I'm okay with that. What I'm honestly going to miss the most is celebrating my son's birthday with the family (#43) as we've done every year. He was born on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so his day has always been close enough to be cause to celebrate at Thanksgiving. I'm still cooking a traditional turkey with all the sides but, this year just (2) purchased desserts instead of homemade. On a positive note, I can relax more, stress less and just have it all ready when I'm ready and not at a particular time coordinated by what works for everyone. I don't mind the cooking or the clean up and we love having the leftovers. I look forward to a 2021 family celebration when it is safer for everyone to gather.
What does your day look like for Thanksgiving? Will it be different?
RECENT READS - I read (2) recent releases that I was very disappointed in (1) fiction and (1) NF/Memoir - Have you read these?
Little Brown - 2020
This was book, #3, the conclusion of the Winter in Paradise series was quite disappointing. It begins with an overview of the highlights of the earlier 2 installments which I really enjoyed.
Irene Steele's husband Russell had been living a double life in St. Johns in the Virgin Island. While Iowa City Irene thought he was traveling for business he was living a separate life in a 15 million dollar villa along with his mistress Rosie and their daughter. It is only when Russell, Rosie and the helicopter pilot are killed in a crash that the years of deceit are revealed. Irene and the couple's grown sons head to St. John to deal with the aftermath.
In this final installment, it seems Russell may have also been involved in some illegal activity and perhaps his death wasn't an accident at all. The FBI arrive to seize the villa and all property while more details are obtained and everything is sorted out. Meanwhile, hurricane Irma prepares to wreck havoc with the island.
I thought this final installment lacked substance and was nothing more than fillers, it's not a short novel either and felt rushed. There are a lot of characters in this novel, many of which I wasn't interested in. Irene is also involved with a man named Huck, who was married to Rosie, the woman killed along with Russell. Many of the minor characters, Irenes sons and a few others, are shallow or immature and unmemorable as well. Had this been book #1 of the series, I would have never continued. I admit to flipping pages after the first half to see how the story played out.
Rating - 2/5 stars Greenlights: a memoir; Matthew McConaughey
Random House Audio - 2020
I was so looking forward to this memoir, I think McConaughey is a great actor, with over 30 movies in just over 20 years. Married with 3 children, he only married his Brazilian American wife after she became pregnant with their third child. McConaughey grew up in a dysfunctional family, the youngest of 3 sons. His parents married each other 3x and divorced twice. There were often vicious battles between the couple yet McConaughey seemed to love both parents and, he seemed to seek his father's approval - at least it was evident when he told him he wanted to give up law school for film school.
McConaughey kept journals from an early age, his memoir is reflective of some of those events. The flow of this memoir was off-putting for me, it was read by McConaughey and honestly, it felt more like an acting gig. He uses lots of vulgarities and his thoughts seem to ramble at times. I also found it hard to believe some of the escapes he writes about. His Foundation: "Just Keep Livin" benefits at risk high school students.
Rating - 2/5 stars
