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Confessions
As always, we have an eclectic mix of reviews for you this month, but they all have something in common: confessions. Two are from the dead, divulging secrets that change the families they leave behind. The other is from a man who is dying, who knows he is dying, and is trying to make a connection before he goes. There, however, the similarity ends. As Evelyn’s review of The Whale will show, the film is a poignant portrait of a life lived in regret. Sahar’s review deals with last wishes, and my review is a family in chaos (hilariously and sometimes gruesomely so). Let’s get started. Evelyn Infante I recently…
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Good and Evil
This month, we have two very different books and two rabbit holes. While Evelyn explores the other side of death with popular author Dean Koontz, Sahar is tackling civic responsibility and pondering the fate of our nation. Evelyn Infante Because it was written by Dean Koontz, and because the title intrigued me, I purchased his latest novel, After Death without reading reviews. When I finished the book, I read many reviews, mostly written by long-time Koontz fans who compared Koontz’s past work with his latest book and found it wanting. I have to say, I found more bad reviews than good ones. I agree with some of the points made,…
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View Club Favorites 2023
2023 is about done, so we’ve taken a look back at all we’ve watched and read and experienced this year to pick our favorite moments. A lot of them are disturbingly murder-y, which happens a lot with this group! Thankfully, at least one of us is filled with gratitude. <3 Sahar Abdulaziz The Chelsea Detective Have you ever been in the mood to watch something that is not too heavy, not too light, not corny but witty… but with fascinating characters? I’m not a big TV watcher. In fact, I barely watch TV at all, but once in a while, when my mind needs a break, and I want to…
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Politics, Corruption, and Kindness
Welcome to the October edition of the Shaggy Dog View Club. We have another all-book edition from last month with three of our authors recommending three very different books. Kelly Jensen I remember seeing this book on a list somewhere, recommending books with politics and intrigue. The books were rated in order of intricacy from least to most with The Goblin Emperor near, if not at the end. I decided against reading it. My attention span can be difficult to pin down and I utterly fail at politics. Many months later, however, when looking for more challenging reads, I referred back to that list and picked a book at random.…
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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…
