BOOK REVIEW: Life is Short...Wear Your Party Pants

Self help books are not high on my reading list. Along with Mary Poppins, I find them to be unnecessary. Saying that, I do love Loretta LaRoche. She is an internationally respected stress management consultant and I first became aware of her several years ago on PBS. She made me laugh then and I still smile when I think of some of her advice.

Her recent book, LIFE IS SHORT... WEAR YOUR PARTY PANTS is a good example of her wit and wisdom. Some of us may remember being told that certain pairs of underpants were to be saved for a “special occasion”  The same held true for the good china, glassware or table linens. ( I still have a tendency to do that with my cloth napkins). Loretta reminds us to break out and enjoy all of the good things in our life, not only underpants and china, but our friends and our stress.

She points out that stress can be a good thing. Stress tells us that we are alive and can encourage us to a fuller life. “ An amazing life requires resilience” How we handle that stress is what makes the difference. Of course, she recommends laughter to keep it under control.

For example, turn what is bothering you into a soap opera in your head. If you know that you are going to be late for work, rewrite the scene to getting fired, losing your job, your home, you and your family are living in a shelter; eventually you lose husband and children and end up eating out of public garbage cans. As you picture yourself in bag lady garments, your sense of humor should start surfacing. Could all of this happen? Maybe, but what are the odds. This is usually when I picture myself wearing a crown and sash that says “Miss Drama Queen 1957”.

The point is that so many things that we stress over are not going to happen or they are not that big of a deal.

I also like her advice on how much we are affected by the power of words. How we answer the question. “How ya doin’?”  can make a difference in how we are doing. Answer with “Terrific” or Great” and you soon are; same holds true of a negative answer.

Her books remind us how important relationships are. We owe good things to ourselves as well as to our friends and family. We never want to allow stressing over trivial details to tear a hole in our seals of friendship. I think of how many times laughing with my friends just makes me feel freer. She also reminds us that charity is an integral part of all religions. We are at our best when we are helping others.

The advice in LIFE IS SHORT... WEAR YOUR PARTY PANTS may not be overwhelmingly new to you, but sometimes we need some nudges to keep us on track. Loretta Laroche gives us that nudge and laughs with us as we live on. As Loretta says, take advice from your younger self and enter a room with a “Ta Da” or from your grandmother, “ Eat some pasta. You’ll feel better”.

BOOK REVIEW: With No One As Witness

While trying to empty a shelf of want-to-read books, I came across WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS by Elizabeth George. Because she does thrillers and is very prolific she has always been on the edge of my want-to list so I figured the time was ripe.

After the body of a fourth young boy is found in London, Scotland Yard has become aware that they not only have a serial killer to find, but that they are in the middle of a public relations disaster. The fourth victim was white, the first three had been black, or at least of mixed blood, and been overlooked by the local police.

Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley,along with his disgraced partner Barbara Haver and hastily promoted Winston Nkata, has been assigned to find the murderer. The three are hampered by the powers at the Yard being aware that the Media will make much of the fact that the growing number of deaths have been black and the police force is mainly white. Hence the token black face of Nkata at each press conference.

Elizabeth George is not an author that I will probably read again. It may have helped if I had been more familiar with the characters of Lynley and Haver. I understand that they are recurring leads in her books and it may have helped to know more of their backgrounds. That was not my biggest problem with the book.

There is nothing overly original about the plot therefore I wanted to be captured by something else in the author’s style. Instead I was treated to way more information then I needed on the streets of London and personal situations involving lead characters that were never resolved.

The chase scenes were detailed about what streets, passing what points of interests until I wanted to scream to just get on with the chase. Instead of a hold your breath car chase, we got a scenic tour through various parts of London. This may have been of interest to Londoners, but it slowed the action too much for me. The slang was also new to me and at times confusing, though after awhile I was able to translate some of it.  ( I was surprised to learn that Ms. George is an American.)   

The little tidbits involving Barbara and her neighbors and  Winston with a young mother and her son were never fully explained nor resolved. I  assume that this is probably a hook to get the reader into the next book, but I just found it to be sloppy writing.

My apologies to George fans, I know that it is not completely fair to judge an author by one book, but I need a better understanding of characters and less fillers in a book. There are too many authors who do this type of novel to read one that does not suit my taste.

BOOK REVIEW: The Bride's House

Each book by Sandra Dallas builds my respect for the women who came before us. Her historical novels feature strong women facing life’s challenges, challenges that have not changed over the years. These tests could include everything from crossing the country by handcart to raising a family during a depression. THE BRIDE'S HOUSE introduces us to three generations of such women.

Nellie Bent is seventeen years old, dirt poor and one of the few single females in the mountain town of Georgetown. The year is 1880 and the town is just starting to see the mining boom. As she watches the ornate house that she has named “the Bride’s House” being built, she dreams of living there with the man she loves. Due to unfortunate circumstances, she does end up in the house, but married to someone else.

Nellie’s daughter Pearl grows up in the Bride’s House but under the strict rule of her father. There are times that she feels that she is a slave working in a mausoleum dedicated to her dead mother. Not allowed to go to college, Pearl learns the mining business by being her father’s right hand man. All the young men who have shown an interest in Pearl have been turned away by her dictatorial father, including the man she loves.

Pearl’s daughter Susan is the last of the strong women of the family. The time is now the early 1950’s and women have the freedom to go to college, to become more independent. It is Susan’s search for her self identity that starts to reveal the secrets of her women ancestors.

THE BRIDE'S HOUSE could have been another soap-opera type of women’s novel, but this was written by Sandra Dallas. In her hands we meet warm, sympathetic, living, breathing, people. People who are not always perfect, but will catch your interest.

Dallas is one of my favorite authors. She is an excellent storyteller. Her novels may be set in our past, but her stories and characters are universal. Her style of writing is crisp with language that never is condescending to her reader. I like that the secrets revealed at the end of her books add to the multidimension of her characters and give a twist to what the reader believed of them.

I am glad that she is also very prolific because I still have some of her works to look forward to.  

BOOK REVIEW: Life After Life

Kate Atkinson is a fantastic author. I have enjoyed her earlier works like When Will There Be Good Times and Left Early, Took My Dog,  but LIFE AFTER LIFE is brilliant. It is definitely in a class all by itself which means that I may have a difficult time telling you about it.

Chapter 1, “Snow”  11 February, 1910. The snowstorm is is one of the worst that the area has ever seen. Sylvie is about to give birth with only her maid Bridget in attendance. The roads are too bad for her husband, Hugh, or the doctor to make it. Unfortunately, baby Ursula is strangled by the umbilical cord and dies. This prepares the reader to expect a story of a married couple dealing with the death of their baby. Except…

Chapter 2, “Snow” 11 February, 1910. The snowstorm is the worst that the area has ever seen, Sylvie is about to give birth with only her maid Bridget in attendance. Only this time the doctor is able to make it through the icy storm and is able to cut the cord, saving baby Ursula’s life.

Ursula’s life goes on through multiple deaths and rebirths. Each life lasts a little longer and she begins to realize that she can make a bit of a difference in certain things.

As Ursula repeatedly goes through her life, the reader becomes aware of how a simple thing such as a doll thrown out on a roof, or leaving a room to retrieve a handkerchief, or shooting a young Adolf Hitler can change the way your life goes on.

Atkinson must have had post-it-notes all over her office to keep Ursula’s story straight. There were times that I had to depend on the author to keep me from getting too confused. An example was the scene where Ursula was living in Germany and had become good friends with a young Eva and her lover Adolf. There was a very young child who had not been mentioned before in the scene. Two pages later not only was the child explained, but we are in Berlin during the worst of the Second World War. I only had to pay attention to the build-up and trust the talent of Kate Atkinson. Incidentally, this was also the section that moved me the most.

I loved the characters around Ursula. Each member of Ursula’s family was well developed. No matter which version of her life she was living, each stayed true to his or her basic personality. I loved the little touches of humor throughout the book: her mother Sylvie's sense of irony; her Aunt Izzy’s Auntie Mame with an edge; the cook’s terrible cooking. I loved the warmth of her father Hugh and the common sense of her sister Pam.

There are so many adjectives that could be used to describe LIFE AFTER LIFE. Bittersweet, touching, witty, joyful, heartbreaking all come to mind. I would bet money on the fact that you have never read anything quite like it before.  If you decide to read it my advice is to stick with it. Let your suspension of disbelief and the author carry you through. It is a book that will make you ponder your own life’s choice for quite awhile.

THEATER REVIEW: Dorothy in Wonderland

The size of the audience at Bald Eagle Area Drama Club’s production of DOROTHY IN WONDERLAND was a good indication that word is out that those kids do a great job.

The sets were creative and the costumes were beautiful. The backdrop for Wonderland was very effective. The royal court was elegantly dressed and the individual characters were easily recognized.  For me, though, the fun of a junior high production is watching for the future “stars” and, trust me, we saw the future in DOROTHY IN WONDERLAND. Most of all, I was impressed with the fact that I could hear and understand every word spoken on stage. This is not always the case with more “experienced” actors.

A good high school director will try to get as many students involved as possible in a production. This is great for educational purposes and for ticket sales, but creates a bit of a problem for any review. Space does not always allow mention of everyone and there were so many who deserve special recognition.

As Dorothy, Katherine Haagen had to carry the weight of the show and her poise and talent was up to the job. Katerine has been seen in past shows and her experience is evident. I loved the strength that she showed. ( Natural personality or acting?)

In character contrast, Amber Graham made a sweet Alice. I thought that the role of Alice might have been larger, since it took place in Wonderland, but Amber made the part memorable.

The “stars” of the evening may have been Dorothy’s trio of friends. The Cowardly Lion has always been one of my favorite characters and Darren Huyett did not disappoint. His roar made the audience sit up and pay attention! Tim Durachko was a gentle Tin Man, just as a man with a new heart should be. Keep your eye on Xander White. Scarecrow seemed to have a large amount of stage time and lines and Xander was a delight with every appearance.

Dale Dyke was perfect as Glinda the Good Witch. Dale has a particularly strong voice and floated around the stage as only a good witch could. Cami Haines and Margaret Noll as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare played off of each other so well. I assume that their madness was acting and not basic personalities.

There were so many clever touches in the show and I am out of room. But to mention a few: Michael Geyer’s Caterpillar and his bubble blowing pipe, the terrible puns thrown at Nicholas Townsend’s Humpty Dumpty, the arrogant Queen of Hearts and her rather wimpy King of Hearts were Allison Cowan and Caleb Cain ( a person could picture what type of marriage they had!)

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. I am waiting to see the members of the Drama Club show off their individual talents at the Dessert Cabaret Fundraiser on the 7th of February. Their spring musical will be The Sound of Music. Look for it in April 16 - 18.. It should be equally as good.