Sunday Thoughts About Reading

Want to succeed in Life? Read

Want to be seen as intelligent? Read.

Want to appear more attractive? Read.

Want to be healthier as you age? Read.

Want to always have entertainment at your finger tips? Read.

Want to always have a topic for converation? Read.

JOYS AND REWARDS OF READING

Yes, all reading gives you all the rewards mentioned above. Of course, scientific studies have been done to see if there are any benefits of reading. Everything above and a lot more result from reading.

Fact: I love facts like this. Reading improves memory. When you read something new, your brain makes room to fit in the new information.

Men, if you want women to find you more attractive, read. Women think men who read are more intelligent and appealing. 

Exposure to ideas, settings, and characters who are different in every way broaden one's horizons. Every novel has an information plot so you learn from that too. 

Reading lowers blood pressure, staves off mental decline, and helps one communicate well.

All of the health and social benefits aside, reading is the least expensive and most convenient form of entertainment. 

With a cell phone app or a dedicated reading device like a Kindle, one can read any time and any place.

Waiting for the bus? Read. In line at the grocery checkout? Read. Waiting in a doctor's office? Read. Commuting by train, bus, or carpool? Read.

IT'S TRUE

In reading fiction, you see you're not so different from other people. Seeing a book character handle life's problems can help you handle problems in the real world.

Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere. —Mary Schmich

Reading "opens doors and makes life easier, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you read. What’s more, it really can make you feel good!” — Honor Wilson-Fletcher

It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish. —S.I. Hayakawa

I can feel infinitely alive curled up on the sofa reading a book. —Benedict Cumberbatch

If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young. —Maya Angelou

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Reading is one of the pleasures of my life that has taken me to distant lands, other planets, and other eras.  If you don't read, you're missing so much!

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Saturday Share Recipe Basic Casserole Role

I've been busy writing, writing, writing. When I get immersed in a book—or four which I'm finalizing—I turn to casseroles in order to get  dinner on the table.

Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food that most of us remember from childhood.

Either your mom or your grandmother baked casseroles.

I think cooks of every generation learn how to make casseroles because they're easy, delicious, require few ingredients, and are mostly inexpensive.

BASIC CASSEROLE RECIPE

Long ago, an older lady with whom I worked shared this "formula" for casseroles that makes 4 hearty servings. It's easy to stock your pantry with the basic ingredients so you're always able to throw together a casserole. Just use the vegetables you like best, etc.

Basic Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup diced onion

1/2 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups cooked and drained pasta of your choice

Condensed Cream Soup Choice

Meat Choice

Vegetable Choice

Topping Choice (Confession: I use more than called for)

SOUP CHOICES—Select 1 

Cream of Chicken

Cream of Mushroom

Cream of Golden Mushroom

Cream of Celery

Cream of Onion

MEAT CHOICE—Select 1

1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 7-ounce can solid chunk tuna, drained

1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham

1 1/2 cups diced cooked roast beef

VEGETABLE CHOICE—Select 1

1 cup cooked vegetables, drained

Green Peas

Baby Green Limas

Green Beans

Broccoli

Mixed Vegetables

TOPPING CHOICE—Select 1

3 tablespoons buttered bread crumbs

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or Gruyere cheese (more if your family loves cheese)

1/2 cup crushed potato chips

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, saut onion until translucent, stirring often so it doesn't brown. Stir in soup, milk, and black pepper and milk well. 

2. Stir in the noodles, meat, and vegetable just until combined. Avoid mixing too much and "mushing" it up.

3. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes to heat through. Stir the casserole, sprinkle with the Topping, and return to the oven to bake another 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That's my secret for a filling meal that tastes good and is easy to make. I always have a salad too.

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Review of THE LAST SHIP on HBOMax

The Last Ship now streaming free on HBOMax is the best action adventure TV series I've seen in a while.

In case you don't subscribe to HBOMax, you can download episodes from Amazon for a fee.

You can also buy the book on which the series is based, The Last Ship by William Brinkley,  available in ebook, audio, hardcover, and paperback.

Why Watch The Last Ship?

The premise of the global pandemic is eerily prophetic. This from a series begun in 2014 and was concluded in 2018, a year before that damned CoVid virus escaped or was released in China.

The action is compelling and edge of the seat suspenseful.

The characters are appealing and admirable, and you'll cry when they eventually meet their doom. No one is safe. The ship, the Nathan James, is a character in itself. Basically, the ship and its crew are tasked with saving the world.

The ship, its dedicated crew, and the command staff represent the hope for freedom and the  return of the United States to the country we've always known and loved.

The characterization of men and women who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may not only live but live in freedom rather than in tyranny is appealing on a soul-deep level.

The acting is superb. I can't praise the cast highly enough. The main "impact" actors are: Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin (I've loved him since Angel and Firefly!), Rhona Mitra, Charles Parnell,  Marissa Neitling, Travis Van Winkle, Bren Foster, Jocko Sims, Kevin Michael Martin, Christina Elmore, Maximiliano Hernandez, Elisabeth Rohm, John Pyper-Ferguson, Mark Moses, Alfre Woodard, and dozens of others.

Mining Human Nature

When I watch productions like this that are based on conflict grounded in human nature, it's scary. With all that's going on in the world, it's easy to believe that the whole damned thing could fall apart in a global crisis like the one presented in The Last Ship.

Years before our own personal global pandemic of CoVid, Brinkley wrote his book. This series premiered in 2014. How prophetic it proved to be. The only difference is that more than half of the world's population did not die in the real global pandemic.

Our country didn't fall apart as depicted in the series, but it did divide our country even more than we'd already been divided. I've read it left us with 7.2 million adult men of working age who are not employed.

That huge number of men isn't included in official unemployment stats because those men aren't even looking for jobs.

Maybe we'll all come together before another global crisis hits. One can only hope and pray.

Final Thoughts

Absolutely watch The Last Ship. It's worth every thrilling moment. You might not want to start this at night because you'll binge watch until way past bedtime and be anxious to dive in the next morning.

Takeaway Truth

Many in today's world think patriotism is antagonistic. To me, it's not. Patriotism is not being blind to a country's fault but loving it anyway and honoring those who protect us and do what's right and moral no matter the odds.

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Quote Graphic: Louisa May Alcott

I liked this Quote Graphic I made so much that I'm posting it here as a super short blog since I'm writing like a crazy woman.

I usually post these on my Facebook page, JoanReevesWrites.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Follow me on JoanReevesWrites to see one of these every few days.

Take 5 Book Chat With Brenda Whiteside

Good morning! Grab your favorite cuppa and allow me to introduce you to my guest today on TAKE 5 Book Chat.

MEET BRENDA WHITESIDE

Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and romance. 

After living in 6 states and 2 countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona.

They admit to being gypsies at heart so they won't discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.

Brenda's Website * FaceBook * Twitter * Brenda's Blog * Amazon Author Page  * Goodreads

BookBub * Instagram * Sign up for Brenda's Newsletter.

 

TAKE A PEEK: THE POWER OF LOVE AND MURDER

Penny’s secrets can ruin the presidential contender who ordered her family’s murder…and mark her as the next hit.

Penny Spark’s desire to reconnect with family this Christmas exposes her true identity—a secret she’s hidden for thirteen years from the political powers that murdered her family.

Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets Penny, he believes this holiday season could be the start of life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world.

With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender who targeted her family. 

Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hopes for a new life…and love.

TAKE 5 WITH BRENDA WHITESIDE

1. What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to food and drink?

Brenda: Always Mexican food and a margarita, on the rocks, hold the salt. High fat and gooey!

 

2. What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to books?

Brenda: Just reading is a guilty pleasure no matter what it is. I spend so much time writing and promoting that when I climb into bed at night with a good suspense book, I’m at my most relaxed.

3. What kind of book promotion or marketing do you most enjoy doing and what kind do you least enjoy?

Brenda: I love in-person events. Talking to readers and introducing my books is so much fun. I’m a rare extrovert author. I love the vending venues and appearing at book clubs. Least enjoyable is trying to figure out Amazon and how to reach readers with their ad program. The techy stuff makes my head spin.

4. What is your biggest goal this year?

Brenda: In my writing, I have a “get it published” goal. I’m currently co-authoring a series with Joyce Proell and we want to get book two in our cozy mystery series (The Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery books) out by mid-September. 

I have a book of quirky Christmas short stories I would like to get published by the end of summer. And last but not least, I am writing a children’s book with my ten-year-old granddaughter that I would like to finish. Whew!

 

5. What would you change about your career path if you could wave a magic wand?

Brenda: I would start this author thing at least twenty years earlier. I thought I wanted to fill a canvas with paint, but I’ve found filling a page with words to be so much more enjoyable. And I have so many ideas, I’m afraid my life is going to run out before the ideas do.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM BRENDA

The Power of Love and Murder released yesterday, April 25! The other books in the series (book 4 and a sequel to book 1) release in May. You can receive the sequel, A Legacy of Love and Murder, free if you are a member of BNG (Brenda’s Newsletter Group).

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Thanks, Brenda, for stopping by so we could get to know you better! Readers, the weekend is near. I know you're looking for a compelling read that will keep you hooked to the page. Grab a copy of Brenda's new release, The Power of Love and Murder. 

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.

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Writing and a 5-Figure Income

Is a 5-Figure Income possible for an indie author in today's world.

The short answer is YES.

The longer answer follows.

In my first year few years as an indie author, I made a really nice 5-figure income.

As I became immersed in my family's medical problems which had me taking more and more time away from my writing, the income began to shrink.

WHAT I LEARNED

Although it doesn't surprise authors, I suppose it may come as a surprise to readers that life interferes with authors and their best writing intentions. Sometimes, you literally don't feel like writing for either physical or emotional reasons.

Getting to the top of the heap is easier than staying at the top of the heap.

If you're lucky enough to get to the mountain peak, here's what it takes to stay there. Keep in mind that everything in the list below, except the actual writing, requires money up front—$$$—when you may not be generating income yet.

1. Publish often. What's often? I have friends who publish a new work every 4 to 6 weeks. Yeah, that's not going to work for me. I'm older and have some tendon and back problems. I simply don't have the physical energy to write 8 to 12 hours or more each day.

2. Use social media effectively. That means generate new content every single day and also interact with your Followers every day. In today's world, unless you are already established as a bestselling author, you must be on Facebook and probably Instagram and/or TikTok. The more you're on social media; the more you're not writing. (You can hire a personal assistant to be "you" on social media. $$$)

3. Either contract out all the tasks of being an indie author—format, proof reading, editing, cover design etc.—or learn how to do all of them yourself with proofing and editing still done by someone else. The learning curve can be difficult for some. ($$$)

4. Learn how to use Amazon Ads, Facebook Ads, and any other ad venue that has a positive ROI. ($$$)

5. Possess the obvious: good writing, good health, physical energy, long hours, hard work, and emotional energy.

Before you start receiving income from your writing, read this book How To Make A Living With Your Writing by Joanna Penn.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Is it possible? Yes! If it's what you want, go for it. Give it all you've got. I wish you the best luck in climbing that mountain. Just remember to enjoy the journey.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.

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The Writing Life

The Writing Life can be difficult for women. 

Often women who write must shoehorn their writing time into their "spare" time.

That's the time they manage to carve out of a day filled with a job, a spouse / significant  other, children, housework, laundry, etc.

Unfortunately, too many women are in relationships where they're saddled with more than half of the responsibility of keeping a home running and taking care of the children.

Trying to create a writing career can be an exercise in frustration unless a woman writer is able to earn enough from writing to replace her "outside the home" job. Then she can "retire" to become a full-time writer—at home.

The At Home Writer

Oddly enough, being a full-time writer at home means a woman is always there to deal with all the things once handled upon arriving home from a day job. Additionally, this may include children who are now at home with you instead of a daytime caregiver, and you may find yourself the designated person for any and all appointments and emergencies if they arise. 

Until you make sufficient income from your writing—which is really hard in today's world—this is the challenge you face.

I'll be honest with you. It takes a healthy 5 figure annual income to consider yourself a successful author.

I'm a believer in journals and day planners. My day planner keeps me organized, and I also jot personal things from the day into the planner.

I also have a journal which I use for ideas, dreams, book ideas, and planning my writing along with personal events in my life.

Get a journal. There are a gazillion designs available. Get one that speaks to you like the one I show here which is from Amazon.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I bet your wondering how to get to a 5 figure income. Tune in tomorrow when I'll talk about that.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.

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Celebrating 18 Years of Blogging

 

Eighteen years ago, I started SlingWords. That was probably a million words ago.I lost track a few yearsback. This has been a labor of love. Sure, there have been days I missed, especially the last two years, but I always come back to this blog.

Why keep it up after 18 years? I look at my blog as a way to communicate with the world. Like most writers, I spend my writing days alone in my office with only the thoughts in my head and the music playing in the background for company.

I'm at the age where I feel I have a lot of life wisdom and writing wisdom to share with others. That's what I'd like to do—help other achieve their dreams, help them avoid the mistakes I've made, and help them to find more joy than frustration in this competitive business of writing for profit.

I like blogging. I think it's a worthwhile way to spend one's time.

I've learned a lot since I began in 2005.

That's what I tried to impart in the book I wrote on Blogging.

If you'd like a ton of tips on how to blog successfully and pages of resources, grab a copy of my book.

Blog Ops: Search and Destroy Bad Blog Elements, Rescue Hostage Blogs, Be a Better Blogger is only 99¢ but worth far more than that.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I'll keep blogging until the day comes when it's a chore. I may not blog daily as I did for most of these past 18 years, but I will blog more days than not in a week.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.

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1 Secret to Writing Achievement

Have you ever had an idea for something you’d like to create? It could be a quilt, a decorating project, a rose garden, or writing a book.

Whatever the project might be, have you ever noticed how time passes, and you never find the time to get started?

Those embroidered table napkins you were going to do for your sister’s anniversary present are still a pile of linen. That goal of reading all of Jane Austen’s books again fell by the wayside. For writers, creative projects usually mean a book written “just for the fun of it” to see if, maybe, you can pull together a book in a different genre.

Why couldn’t you find the time to do what you wanted to do? Maybe you were inspired, but the inspiration cooled, and, suddenly, the project looked more like work than fun.

SECRET TO ACHIEVEMENT

You may have heard me quote Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the United States. She  said, “If you wait for inspiration, inspiration’s going to go away and look for more fertile ground to work with.”

The way too many writers work is the way most people work on anything drawn from the imagination—they wait for the “muse” to commune with them. However, there’s something all these people don’t know that publishing authors have learned. Inspiration comes to those who work consistently, every day, on the creative project.

DON'T WAIT

The way to get your brain to spew words like an old-fashioned water pump is to keep the pump primed. If you don’t know how an old cast iron water pump works, let me explain.

The pump has a long, cast iron handle. You pump the handle up and down vigorously. After a few seconds of pumping, water spurts out—unless the pump hasn’t been used in a long time.

If the pump isn’t used regularly, you may have to pump and pump until your arm muscles scream in protest, and you’re out of breath. It takes a long time for water to spew out. In fact, the pump may have to be primed by pouring water into it. That will start it pumping water out again.

That’s how writing works. When you write every day, it’s easy to get that outpouring of words. An easy way to prime the writing pump is to leave a scene unfinished so you'll immediately get into it the next day. You can also read over what you wrote the day before and then dive in.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Avoid writing every now and then or only when inspired because it will take a lot longer to get the words flowing.

How To Read a Kindle Vella

Good morning! I hope everyone enjoyed Easter. 

Welcome back to this succinct series about Kindle Vella, the serial reading publishing program Amazon started in 2021.

The Vella program drew little attention when it first started, but now there are hundes of Vella serials available in every genre and sub-genre. I may be underestimating the numbers in fact.

If you missed the first part of this series, just click the link here: Why Amazon Created Kindle Vella. 

Now, here's the rest of the information you need to know to get into this as a reader.

 HOW TO READ A KINDLE VELLA

1. Kindle Vella is currently available only to residents of the U.S.A.

2. Vella doesn't work on Kindle ereaders. I think because it's dynamic content that can change mre quickly than that in an ebook. You see, authors can edit an episode after it's been published. This would be problematic on a Kindle reader because it's set up to download an ebook after purchase and that content is usually not capable of being updated with a new version.

The only exception to that is if an author can convince Amazon that a new version is significantly better. Then they will notify those who already bought the ebook that there's a new version available for free download. They do this through the purchaser's Manage Digital Content page.

3. Kindle Vella episodes can be read on a computer or with the Kindle Reading App on your smartphone. The Kindle Reading App is available for iOS and Android smartphones.

4. If you intend to read on your smartphone rather than on a computer, go to your phone's App Store, whatever it's called, and download the Kindle App which is called simply Kindle.

4. Once you have decided how you'll read and have downloaded an app for your Smartphone  if that's your choice, you'll want to browse the Kindle Vella store. Go to the Vella section on Amazon. 

5. You can also click any Vella link like this one for Stone Angel, a time travel romance. You'll see a bar right above the title of my Vella. On the left of the bar are the words Amazon Vella and on the right is a small image of a key which should show the number 500 in it. 

6. Before you start browsing, immediately claim your 500 free tokens by clicking that icon of the key. A window will open and the tokens will be deposited for you. 

7. Browse the Vellas much as you'd browse a book in a store or online by reading a few pages. 

You can search for Genre or keywords or simply enter a search phrase in the search box. 

The first 3 episodes of any Vella are free so sample as many as you want.

8. When you find a Vella that interests you, use your free tokens to purchase other episodes. 

When you use up all your free tokens, you can purchase more on a tiered pricing system.

By the way, each episode beginning with Episode 4 of every Vella is priced by Amazon, not the author, and is based on the word count of the episode.

Small Sins, a romantic suspense, is my second Vella. I'll be changing the cover on it to something more colorful. I hope you'll give it a try.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I hope this will encourage you to try Kindle Vella. There are some great stories out there.

Why Amazon Created Kindle Vella

Since I'm nearing THE END of my first Kindle Vella—two words authors love to write!—I thought I'd answer the questions I most often receive about Kindle Vella.

By the way, my first Kindle Vella, STONE ANGEL shown at left, has a new look because I finally made time to redesign the cover image.

The art for this new "cover" will probably be part of the cover when I publish the book in a few months.

I'll also be redoing the cover art for SMALL SINS, my other Kindle Vella as soon as I find the perfect art.

Grab your coffee and let's get comfortable while I explain this new reading format.

WHAT KIND OF STORIES ARE ON VELLA?

The Kindle Vella stories fall into the same genres as other books on Amazon and other book sellers. That means Romance in all its sub-genres, Fantasy, Erotica, Science Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Western, Historical, Contemporary, Young Adult, and any other genre you can think of.

WHAT IS A KINDLE VELLA EPISODE?

 A Vella can be a series of short stories with each short story published as 1 episode. A Vella can also be a book with each episode representing 1 chapter of the book. My 2 Vellas are structured as books. 

SMALL SINS is a romantic suspense that will conclude around Episode 50, that is, 50 chapters.

STONE ANGEL, a "big book" paranormal romance, is set to conclude around Episode 85, or 85 chapters.

WHY KINDLE VELLA?

This publishing program was created for the reading audience who already read serials. This audience is huge because life is often too busy for readers to find time to read full-length books. Short chapters or episodes can fit into anyone's schedule which is one reason short stories are so popular in today's reading world.

Serial publishing uses reading apps and/or web reading. Most serial publishers offer reading apps for iOS and Android.

OTHER SERIAL PUBLISHERS

Serial Reader which is free and features the classics with a 15 minute reading time.

Serial Box which follows a TV series format with episodes costing $1.59.

Crave which is iOS only and costs $10.00 for a book which is doled out in monthly installments.

JukePop which is web reading only and follows a type of crowd funding protocol where a reader can download an author's work for free but is then expected to support the author voluntarily with donations.

WattPad and Radish Serial Fiction are perhaps best know. With WattPad, users pay a monthly subscription fee. With Radish, Readers purchase coins using a tiered pricing system. The more you buy, the cheaper the coin with the top tier being $9.99 for 200 coins. Each episode costs a different amount based on the length.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I hope I've interested you in these "short reads" made for readers with only small blocks of time for reading entertainment.

Come back Monday, April 10, to learn excactly how to find these stores in the Amazon Online store and HOW TO READ A KINDLE VELLA.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.

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Review: The Gilded Age on HBO

I was surprised by the scathing reviews of The Gilded Age which I read after watching Season 1 of this series. 

I think the reviewer wanted this to be an American version of Downton Abbey which it wasn't. It's a brash, in your face story about a time in America's history past when the world was changing.

America was post-Civil War. Fortunes were being made and lost. A new class of the super wealthy were emulating the royalty of Europe with their mansions, balls, embellishments of home and person, and arranged marriages.

Maybe it's just me, but I found the series captivating and definitely binge worthy.

I didn't know what to expect when I decided to watch this HBO series on a Sunday evening other than it was set during the period of time when America seemed to be minting millionaires by the dozen.

The era of The Gilded Age was the American equivalent of the latter part of England's Victorian era.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Created by Julian Fellowes, the man behind the beloved Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age displays  the same class separation, the same materialism, and the same use of arranged marriage to strengthen a family's power and wealth.

Directed by Michael Engler and Salli Richardson Whitfield and Produced by Holly Rymon and Claire M. Shanley, this HBO production is a must see if you're a fan of Regency and/or Victorian England.

CAST

The reason I chose to watch this was because Christine Baranski was one of the leads. I'll watch anything she's in because she's just so darn good in everything. In this, she plays the iron-willed Agnes van Rhijn, a widow who married to support her sister.

Most of the remaining cast members were new to me, but they are superb in their roles. These include: 
Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell, a woman determined to be admitted to New York's "high society" ruled by Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor played by Donna Murphy.

Louisa Jacobson is completely believable as Marian Brook, the impoverished and sweetly naive niece who comes to live with her Aunt Agatha and Aunt Ada.

Morgan Spector as George Russell was charismatic and compelling. Oddly, I found his character likable in spite of his single-minded focus on expanding businesses and making millions. Yes, he was ruthless, but he was honest if he was treated honestly. His moral code was strictly old testament. If someone tried to cheat him, woe be to that person. He'd grind them into the dust.

I think the reason I found him likable was because of his honesty, his obvious love for his social-climbing wife, and the fact that he was faithful to her. He didn't dally with the women who worked for him.

Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook, a spinster who missed out on her opportunity for marriage, was such a nice surprise. She wasn't as flighty as she first appeared. She was gentle and loving. You'll be surprised when you discover why she wasn't able to marry.

Denée Benton as Peggy Scott was remarkable. She's a young journalist estranged from her family and trying to make her way in the world as a writer. In that era, she had two strikes against her: being a woman and being African American.

Harry Richardson as Larry Russell, the son of George and Bertha Russell, is intelligent, sweet, and honest. His desire is to make his own way in the world and not live in his famous father's shadow.

Taissa Farmiga is Gladys Russell, Larry's sister who hasn't had her "coming out" yet, and who is already a mark for Oscar van Rhijin, Agnes's unscrupulotus son played by Blake Ritson. 

Of course, there are many other cast members, and it was nice to see Jeanne Tripplehorn, Robert Sean Leonard, Audra McDonald, and Nathan Lane.

If you find yourself interested in the America of The Gilded Age, you might want to check out some of the books on the subject. The one shown above is by Milton Rugoff and is a Kindle edition of his hardcover published in 1989.

If you want the original Hardback edition of Rugoff's book, it's also available on Amazon.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Don't be put off by the reviews. I can't wait to see Season 2 of The Gilded Age. If you loved Bridgerton, you'll fall in love with this series too.

DROP BY AND VISIT JOAN ONLINE

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