Category: Voice from the Middle

Top 3 Books

I’ve been in the same book club for over 15 years. It started, with me logging into MeetUp to find like-minded readers.  The people I interact with once a month are like no others in my circle of friends and that is what makes them so special to me.

They have become friends, but the only thing I know about some of them is their first name and what they think about the books we read. The discussions are always invigorating. If you are a reader and aren’t in a book club yet, seek one out. It is well worth the effort.

I’m a constant reader and Goodreads user. Here are some “book club” books I’ve read in the past three months. If they look good to you, check them out. (See what I did there.) 🙂

– Namaste

Ready_Player_OneReady Player One took me back to the 80’s with the descriptions of the computer/video games. It was smart and thought provoking story based in the year 2044. The lonely world  depicted, can be compared to the present day trends the world is moving towards. It combines nerdy computer speak with likeable characters. I really enjoyed the read.

The_MiniaturistI’m not going to suggest the next book because although I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a knock out. Also, the majority of my book clubbers had a strong dislike for the book. The Miniaturist is set in Amsterdam and this is what saved it for me. It was nice to learn about the city in the 18th century. The second half was disappointing and the ending was a LARGE disappointment.

The_Relic_MasterIf you want to laugh at a great book, pick the Relic Master. This is about a sixteenth-century relic hunter and the artist Albrecht Dürer who conspire to fabricate Christ’s burial shroud. The history is amazingly correct, but the dry humor is the BEST. I highly recommend this book.

No Politicians Need Apply

I’ve thought of this past election often. I’m sure you have too, what with our current president dominating the media. I have my own theories of why D.C. and the press got it so wrong. The Press and our dear politicians have talked to each other so much, the same opinions went around in circles.

D.C. Democrats loved Hillary. A certain kind of woman, loved Hillary. And, the two groups couldn’t see outside themselves to those who would vote for ANYONE other than Ms. Clinton. In 2008, I caucused for the first time. While I went in supporting a different candidate, in our caucus, ultimately people’s vote for Obama was a vote against Hillary.

Republicans have been fractured since the Tea Party rose up to divide ultra conservative Republicans from the moderates.

The progression of feelings in the Midwest went from frustration, vindication, through disillusionment. Frustration during the election. Vindication when Hillary failed. Disillusionment after Trump took office and made cabinet appointments along with decisions based on what could benefit him and his cronies the most.

For years, the Midwest’s straight-forward, brevity, and practicality attitudes had yielded a desire for a business man to run for President of the United States. warren_buffett_fb-865x452Get rid of the politicians who connive and lie their way through their lives. This was the answer. No wonder they threw a vote in the direction of the first businessman they could, during an election with no good choice.

Today, the troubling point is the Press and D.C. are still getting it wrong. We are watching here in the middle. There are well respected newspapers getting down to Trumps level, instead of reporting on the declining democracy worldwide. The wars we are fighting. The underemployment of millions. Our poverty. North Korea. Let’s stop talking about tweets and the constant lies falling from D.C. Let’s start exploring the steps we as a Nation can be making to move the needle.

– Namaste