Winner of the Cherry Cola Book Club!!

Sorry!! I completely forgot to announce this Friday!!!!

The winner is LIZZIE!

Contact me at my email with a street address please.

Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee

Milla's Diary, week ending June 12, 2013

NOTE: This is affectionately written fiction. Any resemblance to royals, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This piece is copyright protected.

Thanks to Nash Rambler  for his encouragement!


June 5, 2013

Lovely lie in after the big "do" yesterday. Dear One [husband] grumping on ride home about The Boy [his eldest son] and Preggy getting all the press. Service a bore....bit hungover and all that pontificating nearly put me into a coma. Heard Rugby Boy [hub's niece's hubby] snore a bit in the back row--Right there with you, mate!

At home Dear One sipped his organic Chardonnay while I belted back a good stiff one before I died. He then proceeded to whinge on about Mummy and Randy [his little brother] till I was ready to scream--I was trying to catch up Coronation Street on the DVR and it was getting juicy.

Just got him to bed and was putting my feet up with a Jilly Cooper I somehow missed and the secret phone bleeped. Seems Pip [father-inlaw] is to have an Op tomorrow--very hush-hush do to the big bash yesterday. Can't have a repeat of the Really Big Do Miss now can we?

June 6, 2013

Borrowed a car from one of the cleaning people and nipped up to the hosptial to check on Pip for the mother-in-law. Went in drag as, get this!, an old lady in jeans! What a hoot! Slipped right thru the press corridor unnoticed. Had to all but pee in a cup to prove who I was inside, but it was worth it. The old boy's face light up like Christmas when I handed over the girlie mag I'd brought. Course he HAD to sneak a peak and set off every bell and whistle in the place! Bod Squad rushed in wielding paddles and smelling salts--can't have him snuff it on their watch! One of the girls chided it him saying "You are a Randy Old Dear aren't you, Sir?" Ole Pip gave her bum a squeeze and then forgot why he was doing so. Phone chirped while I was there--the Ex with a bawdy story he'd heard down the Club. Pip loved it, of course. Not so excited by the Organic Vegetable Pate that Dear One sent (it was due for mark-down, of course). I tell Dear One over and over--just something silly and dirty and he'll be delighted. Like talking to a wall! Haza [hub's younger son] always gets it dead right. Any way, pulled the bacon butty and chips out of the big purse and you'd think I'd brought the old boy a hooker! Gummed it half to death, but oh! he was happy!

Home to do Downton Abbey dinner with Dear One. Choked on the tough mutton he loves and spilled the God-awful interesting wine he'd chosen from that new fair-trade organic line all down my front. Of course the darling did do the gallant thing and sponge down my boobs a bit for me. Not like the footman would care, but it did so perk the Dear One up. Even let me watch an episode of the Street in peace on the DVR after I gave the promise of "more" when the ep was over. Naturally he was re-reading Laurens Van der Post by then so I wasn't wanted. Just as well, the dogs were pining for attention so I simply LAVISHED attention on the poor things--they do so love their Mummy! Read more of the Jilly--quite good it was--then nodded off in front of the telly as Dear One watched "Sense and Sensibility" for the 900-th time.

June 7, 2013

Pip came thru with flying colors. Dear One gnashing teeth over it, but Que Sera, Sera, I say. Had to force him to phone Mummy and express relief. Practically had to write cue cards. It's hell when one's parents are so determined to outlive one, isn't it?

Managed a quick tumble in the hay with Dear One--he's really so sweet about it. Didn't mention that another tampon voucher came in the post today. Let him wallow about on my boobs while I got another ep of the Street in on the DVR. He's really such a lamb.

June 8, 2013

Saw Dear One off on his horse for the Trooping rehearsal. Whinged endlessly about the heat and the bloody bearskin. Promised him a lovely massage with that organic olive oil he loves (does wonders on saddle sores!) after and he went right out the door like a good little soldier! Was just getting going with Coro Street on the DVR when my phone blared the Stones "Satisfaction" so I paused it to natter with Pip who was still a tad loopy from the Op. He'd had a grand sponging off from a Philipino nurse and wanted her to get in the next Honour's List. What a hoot! Imagine little David's eyes popping over at 10 Downing on THAT request!

Sadly, Dear One went into a coma of ecstacy listening to Elgar on what he insists on calling "the hi-fi" so no repeat of last night's tumble. Better luck next time, I always say. Ex sent photo of horse pissing--such a hoot! Saved it for the mother-in-law, of course, she'll likely have Haza set it as her screen saver. Such a dear.


June 9, 2013

Press loving Haza saving that unfortunate young man--"So like Mummy" of course. Had to cut those bits out of the papers before Dear One saw it--we'd have been ALL. MONTH. whinging about She Who Must Not Be Named [SWMNBN] and I hadn't an ounce, not a single ounce, of strength for that. To save the day,  I had them nuke some of that frozen Kedegree and lay out the silver chafing dishes for a proper Downton-style breakfast to sooth Dear One and SAVE. THE. BLOODY. DAY. Of course he noticed the damned honey was  a NEW. JAR. (oh the horrors of WASTE--can you believe it?) and distinctly remembered there had been two spoonfulls left yesterday in the old jar. WORLD. WAR. III.!!!! I don't know why I try with these people! I mean, honestly! How hard is it to open the new jar in the kitchen and slop a little back into the old jar and serve him that? Is this rocket science? Good grief! Have these people never had to police the dog's beloved chew toy or their husband's lucky pants? Some things must be properly MANAGED. Honestly--they've all been to bloody catering college or wherever. This is the sort of thing that MATTERS. It's the difference between me having a sane day or having that vein in my forehead pound literally for hours on end.

Haza nipped home for a few hours in the afternoon, thank God! Like opening a window, that boy. Such a dear! He asked for a "fag" so I called out "Oh, George?" and as the unsuspecting footman entered Haza nearly peed laughing. Good fun, but then soldiers always are.

June 10, 2013

Pip's birthday so ran the gauntlet again dressed as a lolly pop lady and made it safely thru, big purse and all. Bit iffy with the fish and chips and mushy peas ponging away like mad in the purse. Had my id ready for the floor Nazi's upstairs and had the grub to the birthday boy before it was stone cold. He howled over the card--really, where does Haza find these? Too, too brilliant! Even Dear One loved it. Haza's gift was a poster of a busty young thing in ripped battle dress aiming the gun of a tank provocatively. He does know what Grandpa likes, that boy! Dear One's gift of men's organic face toning gel got put aside for the rather outre male nurse. To each his own, I say! We played 'pass the flask' as we watched the news--God knows what they were blathering on about, but Pip kept shouting about Tony Benn for some reason. Brainbox must have slipped again.

At home Dear One had a whinge about all the Press lauding Daddy for merely living too long. Let him have a feel of my boobies and he cheered right up. They always do that to him--so convienent when I just HAVEN'T. THE. STRENGTH. to endure more of his whinging.

June 11, 2013

Edith [hub's little brother] was sent up for the first "official" hospital visit. He whinged about being tired from the Sweedish girl's knee's up, but Mummy took him in hand, you can be sure! Only Randy could have got let off, after all, there's only room for one Mummy's boy in the Realm. Pip loves tweaking the press by adoring Edith. He's a frightful little nance, if you ask me, but then no one does! hahahahahaha. Any way, having established Pip would be alive a few more hours, the mother-in-law grabbed her purse and went up to see the old boy. I'm sure it did them both a world of good. She does have a very raunchy sense of humor when it's just the two of them. So sweet. Must have common interests in marriage, I always say.

Dear One read me the draft of his speech on the loss to British culture represented by the demise of the string vest. No, I'm not making this up. I was trying to catch up the Street on the DVR, but he WOULD continue. A bit long-faced that I missed the joke he'd carefully crafted. It probably was worth a yak, but the Street was getting juicy and I didn't want to miss anything.

June 12, 2013

What a hoot! We met that tv chap--Mr. Bean or something. Dear One is a fan, of course. So loves loo-jokes and silly voices--right sort of comedy. Quite jolly really. Put Dear One in a very bright mood, I must say. Of course in the car he started whinging about something Mummy had praised Randy for and we were off to snooze-ville again. I slowly and carefully worked the ear-bud into my ear and got a chapter of the newest Dick Francis, well his son now I think, in before we reached home. Then Dear One launched a snit over the chauffeur forgetting the Elgar cd and we were off into more emotionalism. By the time we reached home I was SIMPLY PERISHING for a fag cigarette and a drinkie, but oh no! Had to listen to him practice a speech on the importance of children being taught "proper handwriting" with quill pens no doubt, but I was AGAIN trying to get thru JUST ONE BLEEDING EPISODE of the Street and so didn't listen very carefully.

The Boy called to chime in with how Preggy is doing. Honestly! You'd think no one else ever had a baby! It took me four days to convince her that Dear One's awful somewhat tasteless organic Stilton was totally FAT FREE and she could eat it (well, it DID help with the vomiting, but we all know that was self-inflicted. The Boy certainly stayed true to Mummy, didn't he?). A whopper of a lie on the Stilton of course, but she was debating if smoking or starving was better to survive the "fat" she's "piled on." Oh cue the violins for Christ's Sake! I put on more weight before a period than she's done in all the month's of the Century's Most Important Pregnancy. A sprog in the womb must EAT, I say.

Manged to have a stiff one while Dear One soaked in the tub with an organic vegetable face mask and evenmanaged TWO ENTIRE eps of the Street in TOTAL PEACE with the dogs in my lap. Heaven!



More Royal humor: What if Charles HAD married Camilla in the 1970s?

Book Give-Away: The Cherry Cola Book Club

 

I'm giving away a copy of the first book in a fun new series by Ashton Lee! I reviewed The Cherry Cola Book Club earlier this week. Now you have FOUR, yes, FOUR chances to win a copy!!!!

1. Leave a comment here with your favorite Southern food!
2. Post a link on your blog to this give-away!
3. Post a link on your Facebook page to this give-away!
4. Tweet (give me you Twitter name in the comments here) saying why you support public libraries!

For all be sure to leave a comment here with your FIRST NAME, VALID EMAIL ADDRESS and, if you do #2--4 give me the info I need to see these!

Winner will be announced on Friday June 14th! I will post the winner's first name here and will email. Winner has seven days to claim the prize, if necessary I will award it to the next person.

Very sorry, but only those in the USA are eligible to win.

What's on your Nightstand? End of the school year edition!

Ready or not, here comes summer! For now, here are my end of the school year selections!

source:Amazon

The War of Roses is a period in English history that I know next-to-nothing about! (Shocking, I know!) So, don't expect me to point out any historical errors in this one--I doubt there were any though! WHAT A STORY!!!!!!!

Remember, in the Bible, it tells us there is nothing new under the sun? The War of Roses then is simply Gang Warfare--late 15th Century Style. The great warlord, Warwick, the rival gangs York and Lancaster--each with their colors and symblols (rose tattoo anyone??). The gangs fight, steal land, pillage treasuries, bed daughters,etc.

See if this, also, sounds familiar? An heir to the British throne, Edward, is "bewitched" and "besotted" and completely under the thumb of a woman most people can't stand!

This was a story so compelling that I often sat in the driveway until the chapter was done! I was unwilling to go into the house and make dinner till I knew how things came out!!!

I did nto realize, when I chose this one, that it is part of a series. You can bet I'll be listening to more in the Cousin's War. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory.

source:Amazon

I read a lot of serious history, but lately I've been lonely and in the mood to spend time with friends. Since my friends all live about 3 hours drive from my house, I turn to books and movies when I'm lonely. I've also gotten into the habit of requesting books online at the library rather than browsing. One weekend I was book-less, a state I can't abide! So, I browsed our local small town public library. And, I'm certainly glad I did! I now count as a friend and professional "contact," Ms. Maura Beth Mayhew, librarian of  the (fiction, but only 'just'--it's rare for an author to get a library or its librarian this "right"). Faced with the daily battle to keep civic leaders funding her library, Ms Mayhew finds allies in her struggle in a group of readers who join her in what becomes known as the "Cherry Cola Book Club" in an effort to save the library! In case you are wondering, of course there are yummy Southern recipes so you can hold your own LOCAL meeting of the Club, if you so desire. This is a pleasant read, and I know you will enjoy it! No bad language, no violence and a few sweet hints of romance. The Cherry Cola Book Club by Aston Lee. 

Later this week you will have an opportunity to win one of copy of this fun book right here on my blog! Watch for details!! Sorry, you'll have to bake the Cherry Cola Cake yourself!

With 75 miles EACH way to work, I get an amazing number of audio books done each year. But when I picked up a Christmas book by Anne Perry and realized it was part of a series--a series (wait for it!) set in Victorian London, well I just knew I HAD to start at the beginning! Most series today are written for the follower and the newbie alike, so you can navigate from mid-series, but I just didn't want to! I knew I'd love William Monk and I was right! I'm hooked! Not finding the first few books in this series on audio, I bought a kindle package of the first three books. The Face of a Stranger finds detective monk in a bleak hospital, recovering from an accident that has robbed him of his memory. Physically well enough to return to his duties in the police force, Monk must struggle to solve a crime with no memory of his past life!! The story is fabulous, rich in detail, populated with wonderful characters who bring to life Victorian London so vividly you can almost smell the horse droppings! (That's a compliment!) The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry

source: Amazon

To my mind, historical fiction comes in two styles: Excellent and Awful. The author either "gets it" or she doesn't. This is one of the rare ones--a "sort of gets it." My pet peeves with historical fiction are revisionism--especially seeing the story thru the lense of modern-day thoughts and values and making characters too far ahead of their time. Yes, there are people like that. Just not many. So naturally, this book has veered so dangerously into modern-day thought that it's occasionally tough to remember it's historical. There are flashes of excellence here--the last chapter or two for example. But overall I came away finding Anne Morrow Lingbergh, formerly an inspirational figure, to be a ninny--Smith degree or not. The author so hates Charles Lingbergh that I almost began to feel sorry for him. (Ultimately, I couldn't but, that is how blatant the hatred is in this book.) And in a paralell to (what else?) the fanatical supporters of the late Princess Diana, I felt the author justified adultery because she didn't like the views and actions of one person in the marriage.

Editorially, this book is at times, a mess. Page 286 simply doesn't make sense. It's as though a paragraph or two were accidentally deleted and no one realized it. She mentions Anne going to the "washer and dryer" at a time when virtually no household had the luxury of a dryer, but I suppose, being wealthy, the Lingberhs might have had one.

Anne's feelings for Charles are either schoolgirl-gushy or embittered-wife-angry. Charles's feelings for Anne are harshly judged thru a sentimental, modern, lense in which men must always be besotted with women, must text them 900 times a day and basically in which the man must live for the woman and do his best to live as a woman. An exaggeration? Of course, but men of my Grandfather's generation showed love the way Charles did for much of his marriage (not all of his marriage, course): He came home. He provided. He was there. That IS what was expected. Stop trying to change history!

They didn't have GRIEF COUNSELORS or self-help books or Oprah then. Many, many people were very stoical about loss and pain. Even 51 years ago when my twin was still born, my parents were advised to focus on the living child--not to name or photography their deceased daughter. To many people today this is cold. Charles Lingbergh, in my opinion, probably felt like a failure for not being able to protect his family!  Yes, he told Anne to "get over it" in terms a modern man wouldn't use. And, no, he didn't ball his eyes out with his head in her lap--he was a man of his day. Maybe with the bedroom door closed the men who came of age in the 1920s would have been sweet and romantic, but it just wasn't the way men were then, nor was it the way their wives would have expected them to be.

Contemporary writers need to remember that feminism HAS changed a lot. Men WERE more John Wayne than Alan Alda (and Gosh! Am I ever dating myself with that line!) As a father, the portrait of Charles suffers from the same revisionism as his portrait as a husband. Father's ate dinner with their family. The family ate what Dad liked. If Dad was tired, children went to their rooms so he had peace. Mother attended to father first, then the children. There was no such thing as "attachment parenting."

And, this portrait is also naive in giving 20/20 hindsight to the wrongs of Lingbergh's political views. Many people saw things to admire in the fascist build up of post-World War I Europe. No, not genocide! Of course not! I would never, ever advocate anything positive about the Nazis! No form of hatred is 'ok' at any time! But order, stability, prosperity (albeit for the chosen few). There were legions of folks who wanted America to stay totally OUT of European Affairs. Lindbergh, of course, was wrong to support the Nazis in any way--but we know that TODAY because we've seen the outcome. He was naive and didn't want to see the whole picture--he wanted safety for his family.

Charles' infatuation with eugenics--of only the strongest having children, is also very rightly reviled today, but back then it had been championed by no less a statesman than President Theodore Roosevelt and had widespread support in an era when mental illness, alcoholism and other conditions were not understood in today's terms. It's important to keep the story in the views of it's day.

They also need to remember that it is, it's highly unlikely that Anne would have sympathetically embraced her sister's first relationship, nor would she have been sad when her sister finally married a man. It simply wasn't done to be so accepting--except maybe behind a the doors at home. Had the truth come out, it would have destroyed her father's career as an Ambassador and later as a Senator. We may not like this today, but it's the way it was.

Same goes for mental illness. Even in my lifetime, mental illness has not always been "ok." Ambassador Morrow's response to his son's problems were the NORMAL reaction of the day. Yes, I imagine his wife was more sympathetic--Dwight was her child, but even so mother's were cautioned not to "spoil" their children with too much affection. Child-centered life had not yet been invented To Ambassador Morrow, Dwight was his son, his namesake, his heir, part of his legacy and had knowledge of his son's condition reached the press it would have meant the destruction of his reputation as a man of honor as well as the destruction of his hard-won career. Stop trying to make everything into today.

So, why did I finish this book? I truly wanted to like and enjoy it. Like many women, Anne Morrow Lindberg's Gift From the Sea inspired me. And, I've stood in the Smithsonian and stared in awe at the box-kite of a plane called "The Spirit of Saint Louis." I wanted this book to portray the real people. Instead it seemed to portray a politically correct agenda with a couple named Charles and Anne added in for good measure. . The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin.

Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly is the second of Robert Dalby's delightful, 3 book romp thru Second Creek, Mississippi. The "Nit Wits," that indefatigable group of 50--and up widows are back at it, working to elect beloved Mr. Choppy as mayor of second creek as well as helping one of their own cope with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. This little series is sweet and fun--like a glass of tea on a hot day.

source:Amazon

Gregorian Chants? A police action gone wrong? An order of monks still being pursued in the 21st Century by the office of the Vatican once known as the Inquisition??? I LOVED THIS! Fascinating to learn about Gregorian Chants! And, all those French names sound so melodic! This one, too, is mid-series, but my Mom said I HAD to listen to it and she was so right! Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.






What's on Your Nightstand this month? Need ideas on what to read next? Head over to 5 Minutes for Mom to see all the latest Nightstand posts!

"Defrauding" or how men can keep women from stumbling!

source

Thanks to TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" America has discovered Bill Gothard's idea of  "defrauding" or making men "stumble." How does this happen? If you watch the show you know it's because someone forgot to call out the code word "Nike" to warn the men and boys to avert their eyes. Without the warning they could see a women immodestly dressed and be led to think unholy or impure thoughts--hence they will "stumble" in their walk with God and be "defrauded."

Now Mr. Gothard and his ilk think this only happens to men. I beg to differ! As a service to my readers I've put together this blog post to help men protect women from stumbling. The code word to shout , guys, is "Avon" -- your wife or grown daughters and sisters will thank you for remembering to say this. They want to be Proverbs 31 women (and eventually Titus 2 women) so this is a blessing to them! "Avon." Remember it.

Now for the guidance....

First lets start with the foundation of modesty in men's wear: classic white cotton!

source

The classic white, full, short-sleeved, high neck undershirt. Yep, the same one the State Troopers wear--and they wear it for a reason: RESPECT. Women cannot respect a man who is defrauding them with a brazen display of thick, luscious chest hair or smooth, freshly waxed bare chest. Don't be fooled! At church, your white shirt maybe crisply starched and ironed by a loving wife or sister, but it can still DEFRAUD. This then is your essential "shade shirt." There's a reason Mormon's have special underwear beyond it's spiritual uses! This shirt shows a girl you care and shows her, more importantly, that you know modest really IS hottest. Save that sexy Godly chest for the wedding night please. T-shirts at any other time are to be avoided. When absolutely necessary wear only dark, plain colors and choose a size larger than needed for modesty. Shoulders and chests can be seriously defrauding when displayed in tight -tshirts. "Athletic shirts," "tank tops" and V-neck" T's should be avoided at all costs due to the way the set off  those broad shoulders and chest hair.

source

Classic,  full, white cotton briefs--the by-word in male modesty. Not only has no women found them attractive in decades, but they do tend to have appropriate foundational qualities that prevent any jiggling unfortunate movement. Boxers, beloved of worldly men, are far too immodest as they allow not only for jiggling unfortunate movement but allow for an accurate measurement of potential pleasure to be easily...  unfortunate placement of certain body parts. Ditto the wildly indecent "European styles". No decent woman would be seen with a man wearing anything labeled as "European" anyway so we need not further illustrate this example.You maybe asking yourself, how would a maiden or married lady notice such things? When men are not adhering to these principles of modest dressing women's eyes can be unintentionally drawn downward from the countenance to the good stuff  nether regions of man land with unfortunate results: defrauding and stumbling. Maidens, especially those who may have gained access too forbidden romance novels could then have been said to have "comparison shopped" and  find their wedding night less exciting Godly. Fathers, it's up to you to set the standard. 

source

Swimwear is extremely problematic. Not only is much of it "European" and hence immodest, but it offers the double threat of revealing too much both above and below the waist. Regadless of age we recommend long "Board Shorts," preferably in plain, dull fabric with a dark t-shirt and pool shoes (not shown). Without a shirt the chest is revealed and, even more troubling, groin creases can be seen and if no one remembers the code word, "Avon," then women are defrauded. Swimming and beach combing should, of course, be avoided as much as possible as even the most modest swimwear can lead to women's minds straying to thoughts of wet chests an inappropriate nature.

source

 Trousers, like every other garment, are another mine field to navigate. Worldly flat-front slacks are simply taboo. The simply are not modest! Always, ALWAYS, choose pleated, 'relaxed' fit trousers or, better yet, suit pants--both of which have never managed to cause a woman to stumble. Be sure you do not ever put your hands into your pockets. And, key rings should be kept small--they can distract in a front pocket! Athletic trousers with drawstrings at the waist (except above mentioned modest board shorts when absolutely necessary) are to be avoided at all costs. These can make women think of men working out, being manly and sweating beautifully and we don't want that, do we, men? 

Shirts. This is an easy one--whew! I hear you saying! Finally, something easy. With your 'shade shirt' on, slip into one of these and relax.

source

Like classic cotton briefs and pleated 'relaxed' fit slacks, no woman has been known to find a man attractive in a short-sleeve sport shirt since the Eisenhower Administration so you're safe.

Or, for a more business-casual look, try one of these:

source

In picking this shirt, look for the lables "classic fit" or "traditional cut." Do NOT make the mistake of buying these labeled "trim fit" or "athletic cut" and never, ever buy anything in the "Young Men's" or "urban" section! Remember to ALWAYS tuck your shirt in, wear a belt and accessorize your belt with a cell phone holster.

The following type shirt is beloved by many men for it's ease of movement, but it can be a source of distraction to ladies when not carefully chosen.

source

Even with your "shade shirt" these can reveal broad, muscular shoulders or, if worn too tight, abs muscles. This is totally defrauding to women. To be safe, always go up a size and be sure to stick with plain colors--stripes can and will emphasize broad shoulders. Be wary of expensive "golf" shirts! Many are made of silky fabric that drapes beautifully that emphasizes manly muscles and makes women want to touch the man shirt to feel the silky fabric. It has been known that women have equated the feel of an expensive golf shirt to the feel of  high quality European sheets. 

Socks and Shoes

source

This is the most appropriate style and brown is the color of choice. Why? Women, strangely, find men's shoes to be sexy  fascinating. This style has never been known to appeal to a woman, so we highly recommend it. You will have no problem locating these in thrift stores, too, so it will save your wife trouble in locating them.

Socks? I hear you laughing! What could be defrauding about socks, you ask? The thing to avoid here are PATTERNS! Patterned socks lead women's eyes upward in very immodest fashion. In fact, it has been proven that patterned socks were invented by a devil worshipper for this reason! Men's patterned socks are right up there with European-style underpants and Cabbage Patch dolls in terms of Satanic properties! 

These are the socks we recommend:

source

Not only are these socks in an unattractive nylon, but when worn in hot leather or vinyal shoes, they produce a rather nasty odor. This helps women tremendously in avoiding the dreaded shoe & sock lust stumble.

Church attire or suits: 

source

Enough said! Suits must be bought off the rack and preferably in discount stores. They are always, ALWAYS to be worn with  a short-sleeved dress shirt. Again this has been researched! No woman has ever stumbled looking at a man in a discount store suit made of unattractive dacron fabric, with hairy wrists showing. Our research has revealed that hairy wrists protruding from a badly cut suit or sport coat do nothing to make women stumble. 

Ties are a major source of bedevilment for women! Men, you MUST pick these yourself. Women can go into an odd trance at a well-stocked tie counter! Be sure to pick nothing a sales person steers you toward. You want plain, solid colors in unflattering widths. Be sure to accessorize with a cross or American flag tie pin. Our research has shown these are a dead turn off to any woman alive. And, please! Pocket handkerchiefs are "European...."

Finally, there is sleepwear. This one is a piece of cake. Have your wife or sister run up one of these on the sewing machine. Unless, of course, she's been allowed to read the books of that historical hussy, Jane Austen. 

source

A nightshirt should be full-cut and must not hug the shoulders. It should pass the knees and, ideally, should be made of plain dark cotton. A man must, however, resist the urge to wear this without foundation garments! Letting things underneath bob along Unexpected movement beneath the nightshirt is to be avoided at all costs.

There you have it men! Now make your wife, or sisters, clean out your wardrobe and take the offending items to a thrift store no one likes. Your women folk will rise and call you blessed! Your maidens will make it to their first bedding in complete innocence. Remember that code word! "Avon."

NOTE: This piece is SATIRE. I believe EVERYONE should dress modestly, but I do not think that has to mean unfashionably. I do not think modest attire should draw MORE attention. For more on this topic see my post: "Defrauding Duggars: Are the Duggars Modest?" 

Cross-generational romances: Film Version

 Sir Anthony and Lady Edith are not the only cross-generational couple to grace tv or cinema screens!

source: google

  I've been writing a novel lately and it features two couples who cross generations in their choice of spouses. This seems to be shocking today. We think of it in negative terms as a "middle aged crisis" and a "trophy wife." That element HAS always been there, but there is another side to it: that of two people who simply find the right person is the "wrong" age according to someone else. My Grandmother's cousin left college in about 1921 to marry one of her father's friends. He was about 33 years older, but it was a love match and they were quite happy. Hollywood has long celebrated such romances--after all leading men usually are allowed to keep their "star quality" much longer than leading women, though that has changed just a little in
recent years.
 

amazon

 It doesn't take an analyst to figure out where the appeal of older men--younger women romances began in MY life! I first read Gone With the Wind when I was 13 and in my Civil War fanatic phase. Coincidentally, this was the year of it's last trip thru the theaters. I sat in the balcony of an old theater and watched it three times in one week, seeing it exactly as it was meant to be seen. Why in God's name Scarlett became attracted to that dim-bulb Ashley when she had a REAL MAN breathing down her throat still baffles me!  This is the gold standard by which I judge all cross-generational romances. The guy is hot, commanding, charming, and impossible to make commit--well, almost. He's challenging and funny and to smart for his own good! Plus, even in the book, he had chest hair. God forbid they ever remake this (it should be illegal) but if they put some chest-waxing pretty boy in Rhett Butler's glossy riding boots, I'll do more than just scream!

amazon

Like many girls, I learned to love a man in uniform from swooning over Georg Von Trapp in his wedding attire! This is one cross-generation romance that ROCKS. And, if you've ever seen the photos of the REAL Maria and Georg you're grateful for casting that strayed far, far from the original. 

amazon

  CARY GRANT is likely the king of all cross-generational romance movies! Pick up anyone of his films and you'll find him being his dazzling self to some bright-eyed young piece like Doris Day (well, she LOOKED years younger!) or, in this case, Leslie Caron. Grant is exactly the man for the role, too. Sauve, a touch of gray at the temples, commanding, but charming about it. Who wouldn't want him, right?  Leslie Caron, in Father Goose, is at first disgusted by Grant's character Walter--a plane spotter during World War II stationed on a Pacific Island. But, over the course of the movie......Naturally Cary gets the girl--well, the Girl and a boat load of school girls, too--instant family.

While just about anything with Cary Grant works, other starts were not always so lucky, Take Gary Cooper for instance. While he was believable as Grace Kelly's husband in "High Noon...."

...he did not come off as well in "Love in the Afternoon," though it remains an all-time favorite of mine. Just too Grandfatherly and not enough heat. I imagine he cringed when he saw the final cuts. Rather like darling Robert Bathurst's interview when he said his grown daughters thought the Lady Edith-Sir Anthony romance in Downton Abbey was a bit "pervy."  I really don't think it was at al "pervy"--Downton is no Lolita thank you! But, Cooper fizzles on screen as delightful Audrey Hepburn's older love interest. He looks like a man who'd play chess with her father.

Humphrey Bogart, a happily married older man with a much younger wife (Lauren Bacall) pulls it off in "Sabrina" in part because his character, Linus Larrabee, pokes fun at his own age "Joe College with a touch of arthritis." Again, Hepburn is a devistatingly young, lithe woman, but Bogart has a certain attractiveness in the film that cannot be denied.

This movie was remade in the 90s, and while I prefer the original, Ford is exactly the type star who can carry it off.

 James Garner and Sally Field "click" almost immediately as a couple in "Murphy's Romance." While she has to take a tumble in the hay with her ex to finally figure out who the real man in her life is, he's just there waiting for her to figure it out. "I'm in love for the LAST time," would win over just about anyone, but from Garner's lips it's absolute magic and Field finally "gets it" while a whole town's worth of canned-fruit weilding older widows gnashes their teeth.











In historical films this type romance often plays a little better.
 

amazon

 It's hard to get a greater age-range than this splendid silver screen couple! Rex Harrison plays the ghost of  sea captain who romances the young widow who moves into his "abandoned" house. This is sweet, charming and so wonderful. I typically hate time-travel or ghost stories, but this one is different. Don't confuse it with the 60s tv show--this is the REAL thing.

 

amazon

If I tell you that Sean Connery plays a sword-slashing tribesman in the desert and takes a terribly young Candace Bergen for the ride of her life, you'll believe me it wasn't for the sex, right? Just watch this one. Fabulous. And Brian Keith is the best-ever Teddy Roosevelt.

The only Shakespeare play I can truly say I enjoyed READING (not watching--I can watch!!) was "Antony and Cleopatra." The larger- than-life EPIC version of Cleopatra gives her not ONE, but TWO older men dying to be her mate. The great Casear himself as well as dear Antony. And heck! With Rex Harrison as Ceasar and a little- bit- youngish Richard Burton as Antony, who'd not want to watch? She's a scheming little piece, but their middle aged egos are bruised and they're feeling less than manly these days, so she's the ancient world's version of viagra to their Bob Dole. And, she actually does the chasing! Just Wow on this one, ok?






Television has shown us this sort of romance too, and not just on Downton Abbey. 

One memorable British sit com that was on PBS a lot in the 90s was "May to December"--a fun show that I enjoyed, but in which the romance just wasn't present. Why? Anton Rodgers was just WRONG. He had nothing that would attract a young woman named Zoe. I kept yelling at the screen that she should take his sweet, doofy son instead.

amazon

 

"May to December" made the rounds of PBS on Saturday evenings for years.  It's fun British sit com, but it just didn't work as a romance. Why? The star, Anton Rodgers was fat, balding and not terribly funny. Zoe was young and vibrant and you knew it was being on the rebound that got her where she was. The show was funny--mostly due to the two secretaries in Alec's law office, but it was not a romance. And a marriage? Ugh! No. Just no. I didn't blame her for leaving him--baby or no baby.

Richard Bellamy and young wife, Virginia on Upstairs Downstairs

A British costume drama that got the cross-generational romance EXACTLY right was Upstairs, Downstairs in the 1970s. Richard Bellamy, after years of being bossed around by his arrogant, aristocratic first wife, Lady Marjorie, finds himself free to remarry due to...what else? Lady Marjorie and brother Hugo going down on the Titanic! In addition to being free to chase younger women, he aquires a dishy ward (Lesley Anne Down). First he has a protege-mentor relationship that is tragically forced to be platonic since, in a moment of utter insanity, lovely Hazel Forrest marries his snotty, aristocratic (but oh my god handsome) son James (Simon Williams--my first tv crush!). Unlike his son, Richard Bellamy adores Hazel and treats her the way any woman would want to be treated. Finally, in a season Lady Marjorie fans love to hate, he meets a youngish widow whose son is being court-martialed by the Royal Navy. Naturally it's hate at first sight. But, from hate comes true love. They are perfect together--60-ish Richard and about 40ish Virgina are the "One True Partnership" as they say today on Tumblr.


There are "sexy" movies of this genre too. I'm not a fan of graphic sex so I've not reviewed them. But two that make nearly every list of older man--younger women movies are, of course, "The Last Tango in Paris" with a definitely middle aged Marlon Brando and the 90s Jeremy Irons movie "Damage," which has some of the most idiotic sex scenes ever filmed if you go in for watching that sort of thing. The movie has it's dreamy, non-sexy scenes (Jeremy Irons in the tub for example) and plenty of beautiful home scenes, so watching it and fast-forwarding is worth it. I didn't get the "obsession" though--the young woman has  a neck like a rugby player for starters.......but once you meet the doofy son you DO see why she wants Jeremy Irons. Apparently speed dating services weren't available in London then............

Want to read more? Check out the first in my series on older man-younger woman political couples:
Clarissa Churchill Eden 

Or a royal cross-generational romance

Clarissa Churchill Eden

Anthony Andrews as Eden in "Marvelous Year for Plums

"

Many readers know that I'm taking a break from this blog to work on a novel. Among those who are inspirations for my story are King George V and Queen Mary's only daughter, Princess Mary and Clarissa Churchill Eden. Very different women, of different generations, but with something important in common: the married men from a different generation.

I discussed Princess Mary and her husband Viscount Lascelles (later Earl of Harewood) here, but Clarissa Churchill Eden, is a harder woman to put into words.


Part Katherine Hepburn, part spoiled brat, Clarissa has intrigued me for years. And, I admit, I still don't hav have a true read of her. She famously disdained the rites of passage of her class by refusing to be presented at court in spite of being the Great-Granddaughter of the Duke of Marlborough. She hung out with a cerebral crowd that included Cecil Beaton. When she decided to finally marry she chose as her husband not only a man old enough be her father, but one in horribly bad health  and on the brink of serving as Prime Minster at a time when the nation was approaching on of it's top of national crisis of the 20th Century. To say she liked attention would be an understatement.

In my opinion she was about as full of her self as only a 20-something can be. Life would gradually give her just the tiniest taste of humility though. And, let's face it, in England, all her life there was a gal 6 years younger who is still dominating the world stage, so maybe it took more for women to get noticed--even a Churchill. Maybe she was just another boring, "I'm better than you" pseudo-intellectual who wore trousers and smoked in public and hung out with men and women we know today (and likely she knew then) were homosexuals. Maybe she was stuck surrounded by boring, "I'm better than you" pseudo-intellectuals who were a little too safe in taxis and she was desperately banging on the bars of her upper-class prison of a life? Maybe she envied her cousin Sarah (Winston's daughter) and wanted a life on the stage. Maybe she thought she should have been Katherine Hepburn. No, I didn't think so. She was stuck up as a young woman.

source

Or, more likely she was insecure. It would be hard not to be insecure in that family. Clarissa was a Churchill, but she was not a "Winston" Churchill. Her father was the great man's little known younger brother Jack--a successful businessman in the city. Clarissa herself was born well after her brothers in a home shared by the Jack's family and Winston's at a point when Winston's over-the-top-lifestyle left him in reduced circumstances. By her mid twenties Clarissa was an orphan.

source: Getty

Her autobiography, which I found boring, is tough truly sledding. She was literate--VERY literate , and intelligent-- VERY intelligent, but does not communicate well thru the written word. True, most  of the book consists of snippets from diary entries, but there are very erudite diarists out there and she, sadly, is not among them. Like another celebrated younger woman who married an older man (Princess Diana) Clarissa left school with no qualifications, but in an era when that was pretty much expected of young women of her class and very much a badge of honor among the notoriously unbookish aristocracy--her mother, for example, had no idea what "matriculation" meant with regard to education and was unconcerned that her daughter's boarding school stressed "horses." (As I said, this was a different generation and her mother's views were almost identical to that of a young mother known as the Duchess of York, who didn't even believe her daughters she be forced to go to an actual school.) But here she differs wildly from that norm--her friends were, almost to a one, either intellectuals or highly creative individuals.

Wedding day with Uncle Winston and Aunt Clementine. An adoring Eden looks at his young bride. Source

As for Anthony Eden, at first glance he is a conventional man of his class--Eton, Oxford, officer in WWI, but he, too, differed a bit from that norm. He had a passion for art and was fluent in, among other languages, Persian. The word consistently used to describe him as a young man was "sensitive." An understatement. He made a conventional first marriage that fizzled and faltered and finally collapsed. He lost brothers in the First World War and his beloved oldest son, Simon, in the Second World War--a death he characterized as the worst pain of his life. He was a shining star of the Conservative party for many years, but for all of them his light was all but blocked by the eclipse that was Winston Churchill. His years as Churchill's heir were nearly as long as those of Prince Charles to Queen Elizabeth.

So, while Clarissa Chuchill skulked around Vogue, the workroom of Cecil Beaton and the drawing rooms of the upper class intelligentsia leading a Katherine Hepburnish, trousered, existence and Anthony steered the ship of foreign affairs and weekended with the Mountbattens and Noel Coward, both were missing something in their lives. Each Other. They "met," in terms of romantic interest at least, at a dinner party. Eden shyly asked her to have dinner with him and she accepted. And who wouldn't? A woman would have had to be deaf, blind, dumb AND stupid to turn down one of history's great crushes. Eden, so suave and so well dressed that he had a hat named after him, was one the best catches in England. He and Clarissa married in a civil ceremony and had their reception, appropriately enough, at 10 Downing with Uncle Winston and Aunt Clementine.


Tigress or Trophy Wife? Protector or Pandora?


When Winston Churchill finally had dinner at 10 Downing with the Queen and Prince Philip and agreed to retire, Anthony was left holding living in a 10 Downing with, as his young wife famously put it, "the Suez canal flowing thru [the]drawing room." As a warm up to the canal, Britain's first divorced Prime Minister was saddled with the Princess Margaret wanting to marry her late father's divorced equerry--a mess that would have killed many a lesser man on its own. But Suez, and not the Princess, was the last straw. The canal and the bickering over it brought down one of the longest running careers in foreign relations.Here is where the Eden fans begin to disagree over Clarissa and her influence. While first wives can be a huge influence, second, younger, beautiful wives (trophy wives in today's icky parlance) can be Machiavellian. Some unkind souls view Clarissa as an usurper, a devious power behind, if not a throne, than a Prime Minister. Suez was such a phenomenal mess that the leader of the British Military of the time, Eden's old buddy, Lord Mountbatten, tried unsuccessfully to resign and came perilously close to treason in his opposition to Eden's plans.

Never mind that the whole thing was a disaster it must be that Anthony was besotted with his wife--right? Sure, why not! How much stuff was Eleanor Roosevelt blamed for? Hilary Clinton? Denis Thatcher? Clarissa though, saw the whole thing threw a different lense--the lense of Anthony's deteriorating health. She was from the earliest days of her marriage, to use a well-known Downton Abbey quote, "an old man's drudge." Eden, though not yet sixty had the health of a corpse and very nearly died from a botched gal bladder opperation. It was left to Clarissa to try to keep his job, restore his health, and maintain their marriage. All with the world's press watching, of course! Did I mention she was only 36 at this time? Her take on things, with the hindsight of many years as a widow, sounds like this:

"My concern throughout was to support Anthony, and I felt that I could only help by bolstering him up without trying to lessen his load or demand that he rested." (P. 235)

"By now we had been living in a a perpetual state of tension for over three months...Yet when Anthony came up each evening he always seemed calm in voice and manner...I didn't feel I knew enough to interfere in any way. I listened sympathetically, and was interested in the details and behavior of his colleagues. I always assumed Anthony was right because he has so much more experience in foreign affairs." (p. 254-255)

"[Doctor came and said] Anthony's heart and blood pressure were fine but his nervous system was burnt out...finally decided on a month's holiday." (p.256)

A wife young enough to give him children (she miscarried) was asked to deal with the fallout from a totally necessary rest during a world crisis! Could I have done that at 36? I doubt it. After all, when Churchill suffered a heart attack during the war, it was kept a secret even from his wife. His stroke, left his son-in-law, the future Lord Soames, running the country in secret. But, the Eden's were forced to take a holiday, so doctors said, to save Anthony's life, Suez or no Suez. So she's taking care of an uber-high maintainence, older husband, whose job necessitates him trotting blithely across the world stage in full glare of the press! And we thought Jackie Kennedy originated this role? Ok, she did get the trophy children that Clarissa lacked. Can you blame her for being glad when he threw in the political towel?


"I was pleased to leave politics, and htat we could have a marriage without all the tensions, plottings and shenanigans of political life." (p267).

Their "retirement" life featured annual trips to Paris for, among other things, book and art buying,retreats to warmer climates in the winter (including to Colin Tenant's bizarre empire, Mustique), life in an idealy  asthetically pleasing country home where Anthony toiled away writting his less-than-memorable memoirs while looking deboinaire in sweaters with silk cravats tucked in at the neck.

source: LIFE

While her memoirs give only the briefest glimpse in words of her marriage, I think the photos tell another story.First there are countless pictures around of Eden gazing lovingly at his wife. And, in her book, Clarissa published not one, but two photos of Eden in swim trunks, another of him lounging and looking too adorable for words at their home and countless others of him as his suave ever-elegant political self.  Possibly most telling of all (or possibly a totally tongue-in-cheek joke on her readers) a very elderly Clarissa is shown on the back jacket of the book in a tweed jacket and silk scarf in clear emulation of  her late husband's sartorial style.  Not of today's "tell all" generation, I think the pictures Clarissa chose for the book speak louder than words.

Source: Getty Clarissa with step-son Nicholas Eden, 2nd Earl of Avon at Anthony's memorial service

While I still find it hard to warm up to her, and I'm sure many of his colleagues were right to worry about her "hold" over her husband (these were men who, after all, had lost a King to such a woman), I have to come down on the side of Tigress Protector. It was her tenacity that solved his medical crisis, her tenacity that protected his legacy and her tenacity that kept him in the public eye long enough to see the polish put back on his tarnished image. I also wonder--did Jackie Kennedy look at her and see a role model?

All quotes are from Clarissa Eden: A Memoir From Churchill to Eden edited by Cate Haste.

Hacked??

I may have been hacked so will likely be moving this blog to a new address. I will post the details at that time.

What's on Your Nightstand: April Showers Edition

 

Anne Hood is a favorite contemporary author of mine. I met her in her debut novel, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, and have enjoyed her ever since. The Obituary Writer tells the alternating story of Claire and Vivien, two women from different generations united by motherhood, by grief and by love. While there were some glaring editorial errors in this book, the story was amazing. I struggled only to put this down. Like Mr. Emerson's Wife last month, Ms. Hood was able to make the physical act of love into something profound and beautiful that I gasped reading this line: "when he entered her, it was as if something she had lost was returned to her...." (p. 177).[Note: this is not a sexually graphic novel, but I felt this line was really beautiful.] Beauty, love, loss, triumph--this book has it all. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

I'm sure my Facebook friends must have grown weary of hearing me swoon over this book! Honor Harris and Richard Grenville, the King's General in the West, are caught up in the English Civil war. Richard, a rapscallion of the highest order, is the love of Honor's life. A man's man to the core, Richard bears his own version of true allegiance to his lady. The rough times of the war, the rough and ready personality of Richard, the unconditional love Honor holds for him, all create one of the most memorable love stories ever. Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca, and wife of World War II General "Boy" Browning, weaves a web of almost fatal love and attraction that is not to be missed. I seldom buy fiction, but I ordered bought this one and will be re-reading it for years to come. The King's General by Daphne Du Maurier.

Like many romantics, I first read F. Scott Fitzgerald in high school. I soon read every title of his I could locate. In college I took a course on the history of Paris and Berlin in the 1920s, where I encountered Hemmingway's Moveable Feast, and it's highly unflattering story of the two comparing their "manhood." Until then I don't think I'd connected great writers to each other as friends. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, explores both that friendship and the tempestuous marriage of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Like Loving Frank did for Frank Lloyd Wright, "Z," brings the couple fully alive before the readers eyes. The prose is captivating, the characters so believeable, even as their life becomes nearly surreal. Early on, we are shown Scott, who "looked like the man he said he was going to be." And tragically we come to the time when the Fitzgeralds found themselves with "too much everything, not enough anything,? and their beautiful world fell to pieces. Zelda's decent into mental illness is tragically and hauntingly told in the first person narrative of this marvelous book. This is, however, first and foremost a story of love, secondly of everything else. This is simply not to be missed. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.

What's not to like about a small Southern town with a "Miss Delta Floozy" contest? Or, for that matter, what's not to love about a 50-something widow finding love for the second time with a handsome man who used to own a ballroom dance studio? Second Creek, Mississippi, is a town you'd want to call your own. Full of loveable wackos--most of whom are faithful friends and helpful neighbors. Laurie Lapanto and her "Nit Wits"--a group of widows who support and care for each other have a large presence in this small town. And, when their beloved Mr. Choppy's IGA store is threatened with closure they come up with a fabulous plan to save the story. An old rumor adds spice to the mix. I am eagerly awaiting the second installment of this series to arrive for me at the library. Waltzing at the Piggly-Wiggly by Robert Dalby.

 I'm not much for Christian fiction--usually written at a 2nd grade level, chopped up into 15 volumes and over-priced. Lynn Austin is an exception. An exceptional writer who weaves Christian thought and values into fascinating stories. Here's a lovely example from her newest book,  a tale of forgiveness with a side dish of love, set in Reconstruction Era Virginia:

"Because there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is external and can change when your circumstances change...But joy is deep inside us and isn't dependent on circumstances." ALL THINGS NEW by Lynn Austin 





I  threw back Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung and Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. Both were audio books and I just couldn't get into them. Both may get a second try sometime in the print version.

Need ideas on what to read next? Head over to 5 Minutes for Books and see all of this month's "What's on Your Nightstand" posts.

What's on Your Nightstand: March like a lion edition

As well as continuing to write my novel, I've also done a lot more reading (and audio book listening) this month.

My only question about Amy Belding Brown's Mr. Emerson's Wife is WHY did I leave it on my to read list so long! This was superb! It's one of those book I wish I had written--it's that "real" and that moving. These are not cardboard cutouts of famous men and women. These are REAL people and they come alive on Ms. Brown's pages. The passion, grief, longing, heartache, joy, lust, ennui, fickleness, commitment and endurance of a deeply-felt marriage is all right here in one book. These are not mere "pages" of a story but a canvas right in emotional detail--another of those "inner" books I've been speaking of in my recent "Nightstand" posts.

Ms. Brown writes possibly the most amazing line ever penned to describe an act of physical love:

"And how, when he was finished, he displayed such astounding gratitude, as if what I had given him was not my body, but a miracle." (p. 69)

Another line that lept off the page and straight into my heart was this, written about a passionate friendship that may or may not have become physical:

"...she'd given him his most profound experience of the divine..." (p. 304)

This book is so amazing! Three words: Just Read It!

Mr. Emerson's Wife by Amy Belding Brown.

I used to enjoy the late Meave Binchy's books. Then she hit a spell of what I considered "flat" writing that didn't hold my interest. Ms. Binchy died in 2012 and it's a shame in so many ways. Happily, A Week in Winter, restored her writing to my affectionate embrace. This story struck painfully close to home in parts, inspired envy in others, and left me wishing dearly that such a place really existed. I will say the beginning did try my patience, but once the book found it's stride I didn't want to stop listening to it. If you are looking for a nice, comforting book to curl up with during these lion-influenced final days of March, then grab A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy just as soon as you finish Mr. Emerson's Wife.

Chick lit? Yes--but GOOD chic lit! One of the best debute novels in a long time. Characters, while somewhat predictable, (come on it is chic lit!), most of them anyway, felt "real." Loved the back story of the other main character--the house and Barrie. Couldn't go all the way to 4 stars, but 3 imho is darned good and well worth the read. The J.M. Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society by Barbara J. Zitwer.

The Tavern on Maple Street by Sharon Ownes presents the type marriage we all wish to have! A decent, hard-working, devoted man living with his beloved wife in a home made to suit them, doing work together that they love. Apparently he never lays around watching football and she never nags about leaving the seat up so life is great. Joking aside, Jack and Lily, who run the tavern, are a wonderful couple--the kind you'd want next door on your cul de sac.But when their lovely life (not just their lovely home) is threatened both from without and, it seems, from within, they must face hard truths. This makes for an engaging tale that all lovers of chic lit will enjoy. I have previously enjoyed Ms. Owens  Tea House on Mulberry Street, which I reviewed here.

A book can rightly be called a classic when it takes your breath away regardless of it's age, right? After the "Mr. Rochester" story in the last episodes of "Downton Abbey" this season I knew I had to re-read Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.  I first read it in junior high school (it helped spark my infatuation with "older" men!!), but at 51 my memory of it was a bit dim. (Mr. Rochester being not a life-long passion like Mr. Rhett Butler was to become!). For several nights, my Kindle was not long out of my hands. I was mesmerized anew by this story. I do admit that my interest in her life after fleeing Rochester and finding shelter dragged a lot and I skimmed it, I was thrilled again when Rochester re-entered the story. I try to read, or re-read, at least a few "classics" every year (as well as a book or two out of my "comfort zone") to expand my mind a bit. Jane Eyre made me then want to re-read Wuthering Heights, so it is now in progress on my Kindle.

Need ideas on what to read next (after you read Mr. Emerson's Wife, of course!)? Then check out all of this month's Nightstand posts at 5 Minutes for Books.  And, because I was late with February's post, here is the link to my February nightstand post.