Monthly Archives: June 2020

IOTD …. “🤨 Images of the Day, Special Edition …. ‘This is Serious’ 🤨 …. “!!

23 Tuesday Jun 2020

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This is a horrifying post from Dr. Rex, but it’s something everyone should see.

It Is What It Is

~~June 23, 2020~~

COVID PATIENTS IN ICU

I’m a senior citizen and retired Internal Medicine physician. Never during my practicing years did I experience what I’m seeing now since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I’ve seen pictures, videos of nurses and doctors describing what they are going through. I’ve seen their faces with the ‘marks’ of the facial PPE after hours and hours of continually working with extremely sick patients.

I truly think that ‘common folk‘, who haven’t experienced this closely – as personally or in the loss of a dear one, relative, friend, neighbor – won’t understand the severity and the seriousness of what is happening in the frontlines.

I somewhere saw a Spanish phrase that I’m going to translate:

“Until ‘the deaths’ become ‘our deaths’, we’ll never understand the seriousness of what we are collectively going through.“

HortyRex©

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A dear blogger, cyber-friend wrote the thoughts…

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Kaitlyn Saunders ~ The Skate Kid

23 Tuesday Jun 2020

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9-year-old figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders performed a touching tribute set to Andra Day’s Rise Up, at the Black Lives Matter mural in D.C. this past week. She told CNN:

“I want to replace the negative images people have in their minds with positive ones. I feel free and powerful when I’m on the ice. Like I can fly and no one can stop me. I wish everyone could feel like that.“

 

 

Girl, Serpent, Thorn, by Melissa Bashardoust ~ 4.0 Stars

22 Monday Jun 2020

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Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 20th, 2020

336 Pages

Synopsis: There was, and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, who’s eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

When I first heard about Girl, Serpent, Thorn, steeped in Persian culture and featuring a bisexual protagonist, I immediately said “Count me in!” I’m happy to say that for the most part, it’s entirely deserving of the pre-publication hype.

By far, the strength of this tale lies in its exquisite world building. Melissa Bashardoust truly has a beautiful writing style that draws you in with its myriad of descriptive details, yet never overwhelms you. The character development and romance I’m a little more disappointed in. I loved the anti heroine aspects of Soraya, but I found myself wanting her drawn even darker, given what was done to her. I thought the f/f romance between her and Parvaneh sweet, but as I never really connected with Parvaneh, there was something missing. And finally, I loved the story, and I think Bashardoust has created something darkly magical, but at the end I wanted just a little more.

I think my minor disappointment with Girl, Serpent, Thorn could have been assuaged if this had been written as a duology. But honestly, this is more a reflection on how much I loved the story and Soraya. Overall, this is a captivating fairytale that I believe will have wide appeal among fantasy and fairytale enthusiasts. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

 

 

Words to Remember

21 Sunday Jun 2020

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And for those who have been talking about protests, just remember, this country was founded on protest. It’s called the American Revolution. And every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals, have been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable. And we should all be thankful to folks who are willing in a peaceful, disciplined way to be out there making a difference.

~ President Barack Obama ~

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29-year-old DC resident George (L), slapping hands with 3-year-old Mikaela (R) during protests on June 3, 2020 near the White House. ~ Roberto Schmidt/AFP/ Getty Images

Rest In Peace Carlos Ruiz Zafón

20 Saturday Jun 2020

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This is a tragic loss indeed to readers all over the globe. Thanks to Charles for a wonderful tribute to a truly gifted storyteller.

charles french words reading and writing

R. I. P. Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Readers of the world have suffered a terrible loss.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the Spanish author of The Shadow of the Wind, died of cancer on June 19, 2020. He was a brilliant author, and his novel and the others in his series of the Cemetery of Forgotten books touched many readers.

I consider The Shadow of the Wind not only to be one of my favorite books, but also one of the best and most important novels. If you have not yet read it, you should. It would be the best way to pay homage to this brilliant writer.

Here is a quotation from  that book: “Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time…

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