2 points – Books

All Barbara’s F books were  Failures but Laura made up for it with two good ones:

I Liked My Life by Abby FABIASCHI

This may be my favorite book read so far this year. The writing is smart, witty at times and full of “truisms” – those nuggets that stop you and make you think. It’s about motherhood, marriage and relationships – and it’s also about suicide, grief and loss. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel but I certainly hope it won’t be long until I can read another Fabiaschi book. Discovering new authors is another great reason to pursue The ABC Life and, in this case, the author not only writes beautifully but is a human rights advocate and has co-founded Empower Her Network, an organization that helps survivors of human trafficking.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. FINN

This well-written suspense thriller is about a New York child psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia. Anna hasn’t left her house in months and spends most of her time watching old movies and spying on her neighbors. One day she witnesses a terrible crime in the house across the park (shades of Hitchcock’s Rear Window) and things spiral out of control. In the age of the #MeToo movement, there’s a recognizable thread that no one believes Anna. Another debut novel, but this time the author is less than broadly admired by his peers. His real name is Dan Mallory and his story is even more bizarre than most fiction, with lies and embellishments part of his daily persona. He has generated quite the scandal within the publishing world.

1 point – Learning Center

Laura: FOLD and Shake

Well, actually it’s Shake and FOLD – a movement that the GREENWorks organization says will save 286 tons of trash or 571,230,000 paper towels every year. I’m up for that so I learned the Shake and Fold method to do my part. It’s all about paper towels and using only one paper towel to dry your hand in public restrooms, rather than using several as most of use usually do. You shake the water from your hands 12 times and then take one paper towel, fold it once and then dry your hands. I’ve tried it several times and it works!

Barbara: FESTIVUS For the Rest of Us

Laura and I are major Seinfeld fans and in keeping with one of their episodes about an alternative holiday to the commercialism of Christmas, we went several years ago to a Festivus celebration at a winery. So I thought I’d see if there was anything behind this holiday and there was. Festivus was conceived by author Daniel O’Keefe and was celebrated by his family as early as 1966, resulting in his son writing the Seinfeld episode.  Festivus includes the “Airing of Grievances” during the main meal, where you can tell each person all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year. This is followed by  the “Feats of Strength” involving wrestling the host to the floor. A tall Festivus pole replaces the traditional Christmas tree. So if you’re looking to make a change this holiday season and you don’t mind arguments and body contact, Festivus might be for you.

Time to move Forward. Farewell to F and soon-to-be Greetings to G!