With the holidays finally behind me, I jumped back on the reading bandwagon this month, and thanks to a couple storms and a well-placed vacation, managed to read several titles. This month’s reviews feature three very different fiction books, one recommended non-fiction title and one DNF (with a big caveat). Note: If you are interested…
Retro Cocktail Recipe of the Month
Writing The In Crowd has had me immersed in midcentury culture, and nothing epitomized the 50s and early 60s like the classic cocktail. Since I love a good cocktail as much as the next person, I thought that each month, I would share a recipe for you all to try at home. Note: Drink responsibly….
Chill the F— Out
Two weeks into the new year, and already I’m falling behind. This blog was supposed to be up this morning. I’m going to take a deep breath, however and not stress out over one late blog post. After all, I’m pretty sure the ten people who read this blog won’t mind. More importantly, I’m going…
The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965
On November 9, 1965, the 80,000 square miles of the northeastern United States went dark. It began at 5:16 when a surge in in electrical demand tripped a relay switch at a power station near Niagara Falls. Cut off from their supply, power lines up and down the Eastern seaboard slowly drained to a stop….
Top Reads of 2021
Since it’s the first week of January, I thought I would kick off the New Year by putting a bow on 2021. From January through December, I read 35-40 books. (Truth be told, a lot were research books which I forgot to write down.) Not as many as some, but a healthy amount. I’m hoping…
Wishing You the Happiest of Holidays
Emotionally Feeding Yourself
I have a friend who is very good at feeding herself emotionally. That is, when she needs sympathy, support, or encouragement, she has no problem reaching out to get what she needs. I, on the other hand, being the product of 200 years of Yankee stoicism do not. As a result, my friend manages to…
This Month’s Recommended Reads
Phew! November was quite a month. When I look back, I did a lot more reading than I thought. Probably to make up for the lack of reading in October. December is looking like a light reading month as well, thanks to the holidays. However, I’m looking forward to adopting the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod,…
The 26 Days of Encouragement
November 28 was the first day of Advent, which, for Christians, is a season of love and light. Coincidentally, it was also the first day of Chanukah, or The Festival of Lights. This convergence couldn’t be more perfect because for me, the best part of the holidays is spreading as much cheer and brightness as…
Barb’s Holiday Gift Ideas for Writers
It’s the most wonderful time of the year….. We’ve all seen them, those lists of writer gift ideas with suggestions like literary jewelry or a writing themed coffee mug. While I’m as big a fan of writer-themed presents as anyone, there are only so many fun coffee mugs a writer can store in her cabinet….