TRAIN IN THE RAIN 0:00 / 0:00 Train in the Rain The Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said, “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” I prefer to plan a trip and arrive on time. One day, I intended to leave Charlottesville mid-afternoon and get to Alexandria in time for […]
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WHILE THERE’S STILL MUSIC LEFT 0:00 / 0:00 While There's Still Music Left This past fall, my ninety-one- year old father attended my nephew’s wedding in Burlington, Vermont. At the reception, while enthusiastically jitterbugging with another relative, hands did not connect. My father launched into space. Unfortunately, he did not experience a gentle re-entry and
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THE SHAPE OF WATERMOVIE REVIEW I just saw The Shape of Water. The movie was directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) and the screenplay was co-written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. This film is not for everyone. It was especially not for my movie companion who complained, “This is not realistic.” Set in
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BLUE JAYMOVIE REVIEW This made-for-Netflix indie movie is filmed in black and white, shows only two characters on screen, is slow-ish and has no soundtrack, except for a few tunes. Normally, that would be the kiss of death for me—I’d rather watch car insurance commercials or those pharmaceutical ads where they tell you how great
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THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROWBOOK REVIEW The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The novel is dripping with magical realism and reminded me (in a good way) of Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River, which I also loved. Set in New Orleans
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HOMEGOINGBOOK REVIEW With regard to racial strife in the US, have you ever wondered, “How in the world did we get here?” Written by Yaa Gyasi, the novel, Homegoing, provides one answer. The story traces the lives of two half sisters, Effia and Esi, born in the 1700’s in Ghana. Separated while young, they each
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MUDBOUNDMOVIE REVIEW I just watched the movie Mudbound. Set in the 1940’s in the Jim Crow south, the story is about two families who live side by side on a Mississippi cotton farm. The McAllans (white) own the failing farm and the Jacksons (black) work on it. A man from each family goes off to
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THE TRESPASSERA BOOK REVIEW I’ve never liked crime novels, crime movies or even dressing up as a criminal on Halloween. However, this past year I’ve started reading Tana French. Last night, I finished The Trespasser. The main character, Detective Antoinette Conway, is a much-disliked member of the Dublin Murder Squad. To be fair, her
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GIFTEDMOVIE REVIEW Looking for a movie to take your mind off of real life? Gifted may fit the bill. When his sister dies unexpectedly, Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is left to raise his six-month old niece, Mary (McKenna Grace). Turns out, the niece is a math prodigy. Within a day or two of Mary’s arrival
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LAB GIRLBOOK REVIEW When someone in my book club chose LAB GIRL for our next discussion, I didn’t rejoice. With what is happening in the world these days, all I want to do in my spare time is eat Snickers bars and watch The Office re-runs. I was wrong. This is a terrific read. LAB
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