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Murder, Murder, and Found Family
We have an interesting mix of reviews for you this month on SDP! Murder, Murder, and Found Family. But while one of these things is not like the other, the list does illustrate why our group works so well: we’re all very different writers and quite different readers and viewers. This makes for great variety when we’re writing reviews for our blog and great conversations when we get together. But we also value these different perspectives when we’re giving each other advice and critique. Often, one of us sees the things no one else does! And, apparently, this month it’s mostly murder. So let’s start there. Sahar Abdulaziz Murder Your…
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All Book Edition!
This month, we have three book reviews for you in three very different genres. First up, a review of Silent Legacies, by local author and fellow member of the Pocono Liars Club, John Abel: M.A. Moore John Abel’s Silent Legacies takes the reader on a gentle but powerful journey through the trauma of war, and the power of forgiveness and reconciliation for those who survive it. The American Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict our country has known, pitting brother against brother. Neighbor against neighbor. It left a wake of physical destruction, personal loss, and guilt in its aftermath. But the victims of war are not only those who fought…
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Mom’s Pantry
I’m not even home an hour before I’m leaning inside the pantry door, one hand hooked around the handle, my weight balanced so the hinges don’t whine. I’ve practiced this posture. Perfected it. My body knows how to fall into it without thought—until the hinges creak and I adjust, aware now of where I am and what I’m doing. I’m in the pantry and it hasn’t changed. The aroma of spice mingles with the earthier scent of potatoes wafting up from the bin on the floor. Onions. Cumin. The lingering hint of sesame from the time I dropped a bottle of oil. The shelves sag beneath the weight of food.…
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Hidden Letters, One-Star Reviews, and Banana Bread
We have an interesting variety of reviews and recommendations for you this month! Books, tv, music, documentaries, even a favorite recipe. We’ll start with Hidden Letters, and Evelyn’s take on the PBS documentary on how modern women in China are keeping alive the tradition of Nüshu, a secret written language. Evelyn Infante I recently watched PBS’ Hidden Letters documentary: Modern Women in China Keep Alive the Tradition of Nüshu, a secret written language. For thousands of years in China, women were born to obey their fathers, husbands, and sons. The Confucian practice of the Three Obediences kept women confined to the home, their feet bound, and the only roles allowed…
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Music, History, Mystery, and Ravens
Welcome to the February 2023 edition of the Shaggy Dog View Club! It appears we’ve all been reading a lot over the past few months, and Evelyn Infante has been thinking about pretty things. Sahar Abdulaziz And This Shall Be for Music by Susan Moore Jordan is a stunning novel with complex characters and circumstances. Those like myself, who have read all of Jordan’s work, are reintroduced to the Cameron Family (The Cameron Saga: Memories of Jake, Man with No Yesterdays). The main character, Lindsey, is a talented, young, self-absorbed soprano training for a career in opera—a mind-numbingly competitive musical vocation. Everything in Lindsey’s life is plodding ahead as expected…
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A New Year Means New Books!
Among plans to nurture our creative souls, the SDP authors have a lot of new books coming your way in 2023! We have mystery, history, historical mystery, music, mayhem, satire, adventure, and romance on the horizon. Whatever your reading tastes, you’ll always find a fresh take from an SDP author! Sahar Abdulaziz My 2023 writing plan is to have no plan—not to be confused with doing nothing. I want to do something. In fact, the likelihood of me doing lots of something is high. However, I’d like not to plan to do anything—more panster than a plotter, if you permit me to use a literary term to describe my future…
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Murder, Mystery, and Massage
Welcome to the October session of the Shaggy Dog View Club! We have a variety of experiences to recommend this month. I’ll start with what I’m watching, if only because it’s seasonally appropriate. Kelly Jensen After watching and loving Midnight Mass on Netflix last year, I was on the lookout for any new project from director Mike Flanagan. His latest offering, The Midnight Club is available just in time for the spooky season. I went in expecting more horror and came out with a new perspective on the idea of living every day as if it were my last. Briefly, it’s the story of eight teenagers with terminal illnesses living…
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Coming Soon: Shelf Life
Are you ready for more Hearts & Crafts? Shelf Life, the second book in the series, is now available for preorder. We revealed the cover this week and I was beyond excited for everyone to ‘meet’ Grayson Clery – baker, boardgame geek, and best friend ever. Good things come to those who bake. Grayson used to love baking, but the recipe for running his parents’ café changes every day. His dad, overwhelmed by grief, is no help. They can’t even talk about Gray’s mom, let alone the failing business. Of less help is the crush Gray has on Sporty—a trainer from the local gym. Gray barely has time for his friends, let…
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Welcome to the Shaggy Dog View Club!
What’s a view club? It’s like a book club with an expanded inventory. Each month, our authors will share their current inspiration, ranging from books to TV shows and movies to podcasts. Stories are everywhere and writers draw on all sources for ideas. We also like to relax with someone else’s story from time to time. Here’s what we’re enjoying in September: Sahar Abdulaziz My son recommended I read the book PHARMA: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America by Gerald Posner for a book idea I am researching. The book was engrossing, and read more like a historical novel than a dry chronological accounting of how some of the…
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New Release: Sundays with Oliver
I’ve been talking about this book for so long that there shouldn’t be a lot left to say. But, hey, this is me. I can always find another word or two. Sundays with Oliver feels very much like the next logical step in my journey as a writer. Once again, I draw on my own life as a jump-off point as my daughter packed up her life and went away to college. I then went on to explore other aspects of mid-life: Becoming an empty nester Having adult children Taking a moment (or twenty) to look back at everything you’ve done and wonder: has it been enough? Learning to come to terms with…
