Spring Roundup

Spring has come early to Colorado--the daffodils are just about done, as are the apple trees (both ornamental and fruiting), and the lilacs are threatening. We actually had a bit of rain yesterday, and I planted red and white onions last Sunday, but the lawn remains absolutely parched.

I am cleaning the flower beds and thinking about when to plant the lettuce, spinach, and peas.

I haven't booked our trip to Scotland in September yet. It may have to wait until next year as flights have gotten prohibitively expensive, and I don't want to fly in steerage anymore. Nor do I want to just let every company pass along the increased costs to the consumer. This consumer is starting to say no thank you. If I sound like a curmudgeon. So be it. I am embracing my Hagitude! See below :)

Just Read (past tense)

The Proving Ground, by Michael Connelly - a solid 5 stars for this newest Lincoln Lawyer novel. I loved the subject matter--how high tech is operating without "guard rails" when it comes to AI, especially those that target children with AI-companions. There is so much that I hate about AI, and I loved Mickey Haller going after it. I think this book should be recommended reading for all middle school and high school students and their parents!

I worked in high-tech for 42 years--my entire career--and industry never has and never will self-regulate. As always, Connelly's story-telling skills are first rate, and his characterization is spot on. Mickey and his staff definitely have their flaws, but they are realistically likeable characters. 

Hagitude: Reimaging the Second Half of Life, by Sharon Blackie - recommended by my 30-something daughter, who is very far off from Hagitude herself, I found so much to love about this book. From the retelling of folk tales that feature both positive and negative images of older women to the Jungian discussions to the personal stories about how the author dealt with aging, this book is chock full of interesting ideas about what it means to become one of the wise women, an elder of the community. 

A Room With a View, by E.M. Forster - a reread of a favorite novel, I really enjoyed getting to know Lucy Honeychurch all over again. Like Lucy, I feel in a muddle half the time myself, and I can truly relate to both her wanting to please everyone and to live her own life honestly and enthusiastically. 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1, by Beth Brower - recommended by JoAnn of Gulfside Musing, this short first-in-a-series novel was delightful. Light, bright, sparkling--I'm eager to read Volume 2. As the title promises, this is the journal of a young Victorian lady who is fighting to regain possession of her inherited home when she comes of age. For some reason, it reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events--maybe due to the general quirkiness. Definitely a book to lift one's spirits when the doom-scrolling threatens to overwhelm.

Blue Lightning, by Ann Cleeves - book four in the author's Shetland series. I was eager to read this for my Reading Scotland project, and I was confident that I would find it wonderful as Cleeves has been growing steadily as a favorite mystery writer.

Alas, this is currently in the Did Not Finish category in GoodReads because...

***********SPOILERS**************

...she kills off Fran, Jimmy Perez's finance near the end. ARRGGHHH! I seriously hate it when great characters are gratuitously axed because the writer doesn't feel like having the main character's arc go in that direction. At least that's what it felt like to me. There was absolutely no reason that Fran had to die for the mystery to be resolved. I simply couldn't bear to read about her murder and Jimmy's grief and guilt over it

I think I will probably steel myself and go ahead and read the final chapters and then mark it read. But, I am not sure about reading any more in this series. And I am definitely not watching the TV show after this!

Speaking of TV Shows

Just watched Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix about Belle Gibson, the Australian social media starlet who convinced her followers that she had cured herself of brain cancer through healthy eating. I was absolutely mesmerized and appalled by the narcissism, self-delusion, and con-artistry of this woman.

As with so many scams, I found myself agonizing over the utter waste of time, energy, and talent. Belle was clearly not an unintelligent person. She was a hard worker. She was media-saavy with brilliant instincts about what works when it comes to building a brand and advertising. If only she had believed in herself enough to go for it without the crutch of making herself into a victim.

In addition to Belle's story, the TV series also told the stories of two other women, both of whom did have cancer, and how they and their families and loved ones helped them deal with their diagnosis, fought with them over treatment options, and loved them throughout their journey. 

I was particularly impressed with how well produced this series was--it really physically demonstrated how addictive external validation via the internet can be. Like The Proving Ground, this show focused on the very real dangers that internet technology pose.

I also started rewatching Monarch of the Glen--the marvelous British show from the early 2000s. Set in the Scottish highlands, it is enormous fun, with fantastic scenery. In a nutshell, Archie MacDonald returns home from London to find he is the new laird of Glenbogle, his family's estate that is under water financially. 

I only watched the first five seasons the first time around and will probably do the same this time. The last two seasons deal with a usurper and, again, I just didn't like the story line that developed.

I don't know if this show is available streaming. I am getting it through a wonderful, old-fashioned process called inter-library loan.

Is anyone else watching orange-loving Jamie Ding on Jeopardy? He's won over $500k and the stuff he knows is just astounding. That said, he has missed a couple of final Jeopardy questions that I was surprised he didn't know. But still--he is pretty darn impressive!

Season of Mysteries, Witchery, and Magic

What a mild Fall we are having in Colorado. No snow yet, not even on Halloween. I've been slowly putting the garden to bed. Geraniums and begonias are now inside, but the pots of herbs are still on the deck and thriving.  

My Christmas cacti are doing their usual pre-Thanksgiving show, which I love, and I'm gearing up to start working on the Civil War quilt again, and toying with the idea of bringing out the puzzle table. The Winter lights are up on the outside of the house, but pumpkins and leaves are still the main decor inside. 

I do love the changing seasons. No, I didn't get to see the Northern Lights display last week. Did any of you?

Here's what I've been reading this season:

Run for the Hills, by Kevin Wilson - I finally got my turn for the audio from the library and was not disappointed. It didn't blow me away like Now is Not the Time to Panic, (the other Wilson book I've read and which I gave 5 stars), but it was still fresh and quirky and interesting and moving. Mid-way through, I started seeing it as a Wizard of Oz story, and lo, the narrator ended up spelling that out near the end--and here I thought I was being clever in making the connection. Anyway, I liked all of the weird characters, never understood the psychological misfires of the dad, but loved how the siblings ended up learning to become a family despite him.

Mysteries

Dance of Cranes, by Steve Burrows - #7 in the fabulous birder-murder series. Our UK police detective, Dominic Jejeune is back in his native Canada, implementing a plan to save his girlfriend from a heinous felon who is back on the loose and out for vengeance against those who incarcerated him. As always, I enjoyed the characters, setting, birding, and convoluted mystery immensely. At 392 pages, these are not short books, but such a pleasure to read. So much more than simple whodunits.

The Rising Tide, by Ann Cleeves - #10 in the Vera Stanhope series, and what a treat. Most of the action takes place on and around Lindisfarne, aka Holy Island, off the eastern edge of England, and the plot deals with old friends who reunite every five years to celebrate their decades-old friendship. Great plot, great setting, such fun to read.

Lindisfarne is in the top 10 places I hope to visit in the not-too-distant future, and I love reading about places I've been or plan to visit.

Mrs. Malory: Death of a Dean, by Hazel Holt - I am quickly becoming addicted to this series, and this is #7. I am not reading them in order, which is fine, but as I find them in used bookstores and my library. This time the story has definite Trollope overtones as the Dean of a cathedral is murdered, and Sheila Malory, as a friend of the family, is bent on finding the killer who just may be one of said family! Also, I good bit of it takes place in Stratford, so again, the setting was just marvelous, and again, is a place I've visited.

Bosch Books - I listened to two Harry Bosch detective novels, The Burning Room and The Crossing, #17 and #18 in the series -- both were excellent and read by Titus Welliver, the actor who plays Bosch in the TV series. Very meta but also very good, just cementing him in my brain as Harry.

Witchy Magic

Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman - After reading and enjoying The Rules of Magic last year, I finally got around to reading Practical Magic. Halfway through I wasn't sure I was liking it, but I did end up enjoying it quite a bit. I know I should watch the movie, and I have read about how the book and movie differ, so fully prepared. And I have almost a year to watch the movie before the sequel, Practical Magic 2, comes out next September.

TV Stuff

We are rewatching the John Adams mini-series with Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. Last episode is tonight, and then we move on to the new Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolution, which started on PBS last night.

We are also rewatching Never Have I Ever, which is a delightful three-season show with great dialogue and wonderful characters. It's a Mindy Kaling thing, and is funny, touching, and a good palate cleanser before going to bed.

Just finished the current season of The Great British Bakeoff last week and hoping they will have some holiday specials again this year. Every time I watch it, I am inspired to try some of the signature bakes, but then I have a cup of tea and wait for the urge to pass! Hope I am not spoiling this for anyone, but Jasmine is totally amazing!

Still watching the current season of The Amazing Race and making the Romanian mici that were featured in last week's episode for dinner tonight. I think risotto will go well with them.

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone, whether you celebrate or not! Thanksgiving is just such a perfect holiday. Giving thanks to the universe for the air we breathe just works.

Mother of Rome and Brit Mysteries

Where does the snow end and the blossoms begin?

Here's a trio of books that I recently read and enjoyed as the fickle Colorado weather played havoc with my need for sunshine and vitamin D. We had three inches of snow a few days ago, but now it is all melted and the tulips, daffodils, and crabapple trees are doing their thing.

Mother of Rome, by Lauren J.A. Bear - another wonderful novel by the author of Medusa's Sisters, which I read and loved last year. This time Bear tells the story of Rhea Sylvia, princess of Alba Longa, who becomes a wolf after giving birth to twin sons, Romulus and Remus--who were fathered by Mars, Roman god of war. 

Alba Longa was the city on the Italian peninsula founded by Aeneas, who fled there with the survivors after Troy fell to the Greeks, back in the mists of time.

This was a wonderful imagining of how Rome was founded, weaving the myths of the she-wolf suckling the infant boy twins, with the Aeneas myth, and throwing in Vestal Virgins as well a hunky river god of the Tiber River. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Rhea as she grew from entitled princess to super mom in wolf's clothing. Her cousin Antho was equally interesting--bartered into a loveless marriage after her father usurped the crown from Rhea's father, but strong and capable in her own right. Like with Medusa's Sisters, the theme of sisterhood runs strong in this novel.

The Crossing Places, by Elly Griffiths - This is the first in Griffith's Ruth Galloway series, which I heard about last year and finally got a copy from my used bookstore, after putting in a request for a copy. Ruth is an archeologist at a university in Norfolk, England, which was the hook that pulled me in. Ruth is brought into a missing child investigation when the local police unearth human bones near the site of an ancient sacred site that is in a salt marsh near where Ruth lives. 

The setting, the story, the main characters (Ruth, her neighbors, the local police, and her university colleagues), and the archeology were all fantastic. I am definitely going to be reading more in this series.

The Darkest Evening, by Ann Cleeves - another blue-covered mystery set in England, this is #9 in Cleeves's Vera Stanhope series. I just love reading about Vera and how she goes about her work. This time she discovers a car abandoned in a snowstorm, complete with an infant inside but the door wide open. Vera and her colleagues solve the mystery of the murdered mother, but not without needing to delve into the farming community's deepest secrets as well as poking around in the skeletons in Vera's own extended family closet.

Gardening Update

The onions, peas, lettuce, spinach, and strawberries are all thrilled with all the moisture over the past week and are healthy and growing rapidly. I've been repotting the seedlings under grow lights, and my guest room is starting to look like a jungle. I cannot plant most things outside until mid-May, but the violas are now in pots on the back deck. 

Love this time of year so much. 

May Day Reading Roundup

While the rest of the world is celebrating May Day, International Workers Day, and Beltane, I thought I would use this opportunity to do another catchup roundup of what I've been reading lately.

The Gulfside Musing Book Club Selections

When I read a review of a book that sounds great, I add it to my GoodReads TBR list. Then, when I want to fill up my hold list at my library, I scan the list and see what I can get. As it turns out, JoAnn at Gulfside Musing reads a lot of books that appeal to me. It just so happens that I got a rash of library books that originated with a JoAnn review, so with no further ado, here are my recent reads recommended by JoAnn.

Dinosaurs, by Lydia Millet - the premise is pretty low-key, but the writing was excellent as was the character development/arc. Essentially a wealthy New Yorker (Gil) is dumped by his atrocious girlfriend and so he relocates to Arizona and makes friends with the family who lives next door. 

There are a couple of quirks that make this a bit more than run of the mill. Gil doesn't just relocate to AZ, he walks there! Yes, all 2500 miles or so. I like to walk and have walked the width of England, but walking from NY to AZ is beyond my ability to comprehend. And the family next door? They live in a glass house.

The quirks are interesting but they are not what make this a good book--they're probably just there to get the attention of someone looking for a fresh angle. Anyway I came to love and respect Gil just as the family next door does. He is a good guy with a good heart and a hardluck story despite his wealth. He strives to do the right thing and learns how to rebuild a life from the ground up, finding connections with the people in his orbit and doing the work to make those connections solid.

I cannot quote the ending because the book has been returned to the library, but it was a lovely, lyrical ending that wrapped the story very nicely.

Oh, and dinosaurs are really just extinct birds. Anyway, the bird theme runs through the novel in a gentle, not overbearing, not in a hit-em-over-the-head-with-a-metaphor way. I love birds and so I enjoyed how the themes of connectedness and metamorphisis made the novel work. 

Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro - I read this immediately after Dinosaurs, and I confess that the storylines kind of merged in my mind. Another family/neighborhood-based novel about living with the consequences of our actions, finding the connections between each other, and trying to do the right thing, even when it is harder than you think possible to do. Essentially, this is the story of two families and how their lives intersect in ways that are not always obvious. I particularly loved the little boy genius whose Dad simply doesn't know how to deal with him and the good doctor across the street who will gaze up at the stars with him and find solace in knowing exactly where they are in the universe.

Now is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson - the other two were solid 4-star books, but for me, this was a 5-star winner. I absolutely loved this coming of age story--such a fresh, interesting approach. And actually, I labeled it a coming-of-age story, but I think it's way more than that. It's about the courage it takes to be an artist, to create something and share it with the world and then watch the world take it and exploit it and turn it into something else that you didn't intend. While I was reading it, I was thinking about literary criticism, fan fiction, TV and movie adaptations, derivative art, and a host of other things all while being immensely caught up in the story of Frankie and Zeke and the poster they created and how that poster took on a life of its own. Loved this book.

Other Stuff

The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly - this is the first in the Harry Bosch universe, LA cop series. I liked this author's later Mickey Haller books so much that I decided to travel back in time to the 1990s and learn more about Mickey's half brother Harry. Definitely a great mystery with Vietnam vets, a bank heist or two, and plenty of action.

White Nights, by Ann Cleeves - I am working my way through both her Vera Stanhope and Shetland series, and this is the second in the Shetland series, featuring island boy Jimmy Perez. It was a good solid mystery in a fantastic setting (up near the Artic circle the nights never actually get dark in the summer) with a great cast of quirky characters and deceptive red herrings.

Less, by Andrew Sean Greer - I just finished this yesterday. It was okay--somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, so I rounded up. I read it mostly for the travel bits, which were great as the protagonist, Arthur Less, travels around the world all to escape going to the wedding of his former boyfriend. Arthur's whining about turning 50 got on my nerves a bit, and I can't say I found his story arc particularly compelling, but I do like travel novels.

Off to Europe

I am headed to Europe on Saturday for a 2-week vacation with my daughter, who just graduated from college. We are starting in Paris, and moving on to Munich, with a short trip to Berchtesgarden, then ending up in Berlin. We are both interested in WWII, and so most of our sightseeing will be visiting museums and sites that figured in the war, although Paris is all about relaxing and getting over jet lag before Germany.

I just got a new keyboard for my laptop, so I may find the time to do some travelogues while on the road. If not, I will share pictures when we get back.

Happy May Day! Hope you have a wonderful reading month ahead of you.

March Madness - finally another roundup

February is always a long month and this year's was no exception. But, we are just over 3 weeks away from the equinox and I can already feel my equilibrium being restored and my fingers have beeen itching to tell you about what I've been reading.

Mysteries

Black Diamond, by Martin Walker - #3 in this marvelous mystery series set in the Dordogne in France and featuring the lovely Bruno as police force of one in a little village in France where he cooks for his friends, hangs out with his dog, and tries his best to keep the peace. In this story, we get a glimpse of the rival Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants who compete for business, both the legal and the illegal kind. I love these books because they aren't just edge-of-your seat stories but provide historical, cultural, and regional sidestories that I like as much, if not more, than the actual mystery plot.

The Madness of Crowds, by Louise Penny - I enjoyed State of Terror (the co-authored thriller by Hillary Rodham and Louise Penny) so much that I just wanted more of Penny and Armand Gamache and Three Pines, so I read #17 in her wonderful series. It was excellent, of course, and delved with the aftermath of Covid and the ethics involved in medical decisions. This is the first novel I've read that references Covid, and I thought Penny handled the subject deftly.

Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves - I've been enjoying this prolific author's Matthew Venn series so much that I thought I would read some of her other series. My library had this one handy, so now I am reading her Shetland series. It was absolutely excellent with many of my favorite elements: small, tight community with secrets, harsh but compelling environment (the Shetland islands are not for the feeble), and well-written plot that kept me guessing until the end.

The Lost Man, by Jane Harper - I've enjoyed Harper's Aaron Falk series, but this was head and shoulders above them. An absolutely outstanding thriller about life in the outback of Australia. Again, love those harsh environments with a closed, tight community carrying a load of baggage and secrets. Harper did an outstanding job painting a stiflingly hot, pressure-cooker story that had a glorious ending. 

Not Mysteries

A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer - my JASNA bookclub is reading Heyer for our March meeting, and my friend Maxene recommended this Regency Romance as a bit atypical with a hero and heroine cut from different cloths than the usual Heyer fare. I loved it--absolutely loved it. Adam is a spare whose older brother manages to die, making him the heir, and then his father dies leaving him a mountain of debt. The solution? That's right--accept the civil contract offered by a parevenu who wants his plain daughter to marry a lord. I loved practical, sweet Jenny who tries hard to make Adam happy, and I especially loved her dad, Mr. Chawleigh, who is the definitive bull in a chinashop but with a heart as big as his bank account. The side characters were interesting and added zest to the story. All in all, a wonderful way to get through the doldrums of February.

The Maid, by Nita Prose - another out-of-the-park novel. Loved it so much. Molly Gray, the hotel maid cum detective, has a very literal approach to life, not unlike Elizabeth Zott in Lesssons in Chemistry and Elinor Oliphant. It's frustrating to watch her not "get it" but then marvelous when the penny finally drops and she sees her way clear. Her moral compass is finely polished and this was a fun, interesting read. I believe this is Prose's debut novel, so I am eager to see what she does next.

Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece, by Susannah Fullerton - I gave this 3 stars on GoodReads mostly because I loved the first half and was bored to skimming in the second half. The first half retold the tale as old as time of how P&P came to be published and the impact its publication made on the oh-so-short life of Austen, and then she dived into commentary about all the major and minor characters, which was fun to read, insightful, and just like a JASNA meeting. The second half explored the various translations, adaptations, sequels, prequels, and Austenmania ad nauseum. I think the book would have garnered another star had it been shorter. Short books can still be good and sell...just saying.

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith - I've heard of this book for years but wouldn't have picked it up and read it without it being the selection of  the GoodReads True Book Talk group. It is a story of life in London during the 1970s to the turn of the millenium, focusing on the lives of Archie and his Jamaican-born wife, Clare, and Samad (an immigrant from Bangladesh) and his wife Alsana, and their children. I just found out that there is a four-part mini-series available on Amazon, so I might watch it. The book was excellent and thought-provoking.

Hope you are all well, discovering great books to explore, and finding your own equilibrium as we approach the equinox. That's something we can all celebrate, worldwide.

Late Winter Wrapup

Okay, technically Spring doesn't start until March 21 and it is snowing and blowing this weekend in Colorado, but it is March so I'm calling Spring!

Since my last roundup, I've read some terrific books (and one dud, The Marble Faun, which got its own post).

The Heron's Cry, by Ann Cleeves - #2 in her new mystery series featuring Matthew Venn and set in Dorset. I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Long Call, and the second book was just as good, with an interesting plot, interesting characters, and endearing returning characters. I love how in just two books, I can see growth and change in Matthew. I love it when the main character in a series is not stagnant--it makes their world that much more real. Cleeves really knows what she's doing.

The Family, by Naomi Krupitsky - I loved this book so much. Two Italian-American girls (Sofia and Antonia) literally growing up together in Brooklyn in the first part of the 20th century. Interestingly, they were born just a couple of years before my own mother, who was born in 1923, and so in reading about their lives in a city I could track her life in a city (Montreal). Thankfully, my own mother's life, while not a bed of roses when she was young, didn't have the pall of the Italian Mafia (the Family, of the title) hanging over it. I was so frustrated by some of the decisions Sofia and Antonia made, but their fallibility made them feel so real to me and the world they lived in so claustrophobic.

La Dolce Vita University: An Unconventional Guide to Italian Culture from A to Z, by Carla Gambescia - this was a Christmas present from my wish list, and it was absolutely a treat to read, from A to Z. The idea is that the author provides mini-essays on a wide variety of topics that are anywhere from a paragraph to a few pages. I loved it, learned a lot, and took my time reading it (just a few pages a night during January and February). Honestly, anyone planning a trip to Italy will not go wrong by reading this before, during, or after the trip. 

Here's a sample of the topics, brought to you by the letter B: 

• Barbells and Bikinis
• Bellini
• Bernini's Angels
• Beatrice (Love at First Sight)
• Botticelli's Venus
• Bonfire of the Vanities
• Burano's Candy-Colored Casas
• Bolognese...Sauce or Dog?

A Town Called Solace, by Mary Lawson - set in northern Ontario, way northern Ontario, I loved this story told by three people, an 8-year old girl, a sixty-something woman, and a thirty-something man. The man is given the house next door to the girl by the woman and their lives intersect in ways that are interesting, affirming, and comforting. I know nothing else about the other books that Lawson has written, but her bio on GoodReads says she is a distant relative of my beloved L.M. Montgomery, so I will be digging into her backlist for sure!

Sharpe's Tiger, by Bernard Cornwell - This isn't the first book about hero Richard Sharpe in the series set during the Napoleonic Wars but it is the first chronologically. Set in southern India, the action concerns the British attack on Mysore in 1799 during their campaign to bring the entire subcontinent under British rule and become a jewel in their crown. While the storytelling is first rate, and Richard Sharpe is an intriguing hero (not pure as the driven snow by any means), I was reading this with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as a backdrop. Cornwell didn't employ stereotypes or paint the British aggression as anything other than it was, but it was still a bit weird to read the book with the current world situation unfolding. I do plan to read more in the series and Cornwell is a terrific historical writer.

RIP Roundup

I had a particularly good RIP this year, one might say I had a RIP roaring time! I completed six and a half mystery books in Sept/Oct and had a marvelous time doing so.

Started Early, Took My Dog, by Kate Atkinson - #4 in her Jackson Brodie series, I loved this, of course, as the setting (north of England and Scotland), the characters, and the writing are all superb. Very interesting with an unresolved ending. I am hoping Tracy Waterhouse surfaces in this next book.

A Tiding of Magpies, by Steve Burrows - #5 in his Birder Murder mysteries. These are always interesting with good characters and good settings.

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley - absolutely terrific. All the hype wasn't far off the mark, and I really enjoyed this page-turner. Definitely channeling Lord of the Flies in this variation on the classic locked room mystery with all the suspects and victim being on an island off of Ireland. Now, I am eager to read Foley's next book, The Hunting Party.

The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves - #1 in Cleeves latest series. Really enjoyed it--Matthew Venn shows great promise as the starring detective with plenty of family baggage for the long haul. Love the small town setting and the bird references.

Thornyhold, by Mary Stewart - I'm a Mary Stewart fan and Lark of Lark Writes recommended it as terrific, and it was! A wonderful good witch story with romance and magic wrapped in a comfortable package. 

Jane and the Waterloo Map, by Stephanie Barron - my JASNA bookclub has invited the author to our November meeting and so I wanted to read one of her more recent books in the Jane Austen mystery series. This was enormously fun with a spunky Jane and I enjoyed her visits to Carleton House (this is during the time when she was reviewing proofs of Emma) and the mystery itself and the characters it involved were all interesting. I love maps and watercolors, so this was just all around perfect.

Final book, half way finished, is Witch Elm, by Tana French. This might actually be the best read of the season--so good. I really cannot predict how it is going to work out.

Happy Halloween!