Whatever Wednesday - Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

 I LOVE Kevin Kwan.  He knows how to write a trashy, classy, funny, fluff novel.   His style is all his own and it's awesome.  Crazy Rich Asians had me hooked.  China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems, and Sex and Vanity - all  warm ups for this cheesy gem of a story.  Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan will be tough to top. 

I  laughed out loud at his dialogue. I find his footnotes on style and ridiculous details hysterical.  I truly don't know if I can explain how spot on he is in describing lifestyles that are beyond our imagination. This book truly is extremely well written ridiculous fluff and it's perfect. 

cover  blurb - A forbidden affair erupts dramatically amid a decadent Hawaiian wedding in this hilarious, sophisticated, and thrillingly plotted story of love,  money, murder, sex - and the lies we tell  about all of them. 

Beautiful people (Rufus,  Eden, Bea, Arabella, Martha, and more)  A mix of old England and new  Asian.  Secret tragedy.  A once great earldom. 

Old money gone.  New  money that's insane.    Read Kevin Kwan and just enjoy the insanity. 

Mic drop.    Oh wait.....there's more champagne......  yeah, you get the idea......um.....yeah....now the private helicopter picks you up and takes you....________________fill in the blank with more champagne.   HA!       Enjoy this ridiculous book.  Trust me.  

Monday Moments - Rest a Spell

We need a bit of a rest on  a Monday.   This photo is from a little Saturday jaunt at our local YMCA on a Saturday morning.  It's a 3/4 mile  walk around a little lake. There's a small fountain.  Generally ducks are waddling about.  And then you get a bonus egret, or whatever this bird is...

Calming and  wonderful.  Take a walk  at your local park  and embrace the spirit.  Aaahhh.  You need this. 

A bonus chuckle for the day.  My friend, Joan's, grandson Theo for Halloween

 

Finally Friday - A Complete Unknown

 Yea, you know him now - Bob Dylan.  But in 1961, Robert (Bobby) Zimmerman arrived in New York  City ready to make his mark  on the  folk scene. 

 In the film, A Complete Unknown, Timothee Chamalet brings Bob Dylan onto the big screen and  tells his story. Here's this kid who seeks out the "biggies" - Pete Seeger (an excellent Edward Norton), Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) - and proceeds to wow them with his songwriting skills. 

He knows his history, is musically talented, and leaps from unknown to  girls screaming in  a few short years. He's playing small gigs and then moves up to the bigger venues, including the Newport  Folk Festival. That's huge.  But there's tradition in  folk  and  Dylan is squirming under the invoked  "rules" pressure. 

I'm not  "blowing  in  the wind here"...when he takes  the  Newport stage in 1965, and plugs in  his guitar along with his band...well the  "times are truly changing". 

This movie is fun, entertaining, informative, and musically wonderful.  I personally admire Dylan songs,  but was never keen on the man and his voice. Timothee Chalamet did  a super job and I appreciated the Dylan story and history that much more.  Thumbs up to  start movie review 2025. 

Happy New Year 2025 - Going Up or Down?

 A fresh start my friends for 2025.  Are you  going up?  Going down? Confused with the twists and turns of life? 

Deep yoga breath. 

Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might - Old Testament

You may  be disappointed if you fail, but you  are doomed if you don't try - Beverly Sills

Begin at once to live...     Seneca

Good luck my friends with 2025.  Let's see where this nutso  journey takes us. Thanks  for being along for  the ride.   Cheers!

Monday Moments - Another Year

My sister was in New York City on November 30th.   When she  checked into a hotel and looked out the window - Surprise!  

The  perfect room  for  December 31st - watch that  ball in comfort. She was only a month early and could actually afford the room in November. Ha!

Can you imagine.....

As you reflect on 2024 (Bah Humbug in my opinion), and  look to  2025 (I shrug my shoulders and look confused), let's let old Will Rogers guide our  path:

So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to  sell the family parrot to the  town  gossip

I wish you good health  and  good cheer and Happy New Year!

Here's  five generations of  Faries from Christmas Day

 

Finally Friday - Enjoy

Hope you're still singing around the Christmas tree, or out for a walk in the snow. 

Settle in with a new book, or just close your eyes and meditate

Be well my friends

Cheers
 

Merry Christmas One and All

Flashback to 2009 - a golden oldie  Santa.   Alas, this guy after many seasons was retired - broken and faded
 

2009 was a snowy Christmas year

Flashback to Abby showing off  new boots.  Now she's twenty with a one year old child.

World Christmas greetings to all

Flashback to silly college girls flirting with Santa in downtown Philly  (me, Helen, Santa, and Joan)

My fave ornament - the tin soldier made from a toilet paper roll.  A Kevin creation many, many years ago (He's 43 now!)

Hope today is a splendid day of good cheer to you and your family/friends.  Love to my blog friends.