Janet Flaugher

THE AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE Lucky, lucky load of hay.  Make a wish and turn away.  My grandmother taught me that.  I can remember wishing for good health and a long life for myself and my family.  I wonder what makes hay lucky?  Whether grass or alfalfa or rye, it is a common plant–undistinguished except by  …

Rachmaninov Is “The Wind Beneath My Wings” When I was a young woman I knew everything.  I often fought with my mother.  After those battles which in my own mind I invariably won by resorting to cruel juvenile personal attacks–I hate you, You hate me, You’ll be glad when I’m dead–she always forgave me and …

I Celebrate the Women I join the world to celebrate the women – the scientists, the poets, the artists, and the patriots – who names light up the skies. Whose impressive contributions to our world are recognized. Angelou, Curie, Elizabeth, Earhart, Bernhardt, Rudolph, Malala and more, So many more. So many more. So many more. …

The Witch Doctor’s Wife by Tamar Myers. Did you like Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible? M.C. Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Dinesen’s Out of Africa, or the film Blood Diamond?  Then this is a book for you. A wonderful mystery writer, Myers takes us on an excursion to the Belgian Congo for a spellbinding tale …

1/19/2026 The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl This charming little book follows Stella St. Vincent, self-proclaimed frugal recluse, who inherits an $80,000 trip to Paris after her estranged socialite mother’s death. Against her better judgement, Stella travels to France. While browsing in a bookstore, she becomes involved with a group of aspiring young writers and …

1/5/2026 Native Speaker, by Chang-rae Lee Henry Park has spent his entire life trying to become a “true American” – a native speaker – in his adopted country.  His harsh Korean upbringing inhibits his quest.  He cannot break out of his Korean world of hiding emotions but remembering everything.  He becomes alienated – a “stranger …

12/8/2025 A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote  I think during the holiday season it’s a comfort to the spirit to read something tender and uplifting.  If you haven’t already read it, A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote fits the bill.  If you’ve already read it, it’s worth a reread.  Best friends come in different shapes …

11/17/2025 The Women by Kristen Hannah I was disappointed in this story about the women who served as Army nurses in Viet Nam.  It is definitely a tale worth telling, but I was hoping for a deeper dive into the politics, more about PTSD and the psychological impact, more about the aftermath.  The book is …

11/10/2025 Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce If you haven’t yet read Miss Benson’s Beetle, drop everything and get it.  The unlikely heroine, Margery Benson, strikes out to pursue her outrageous dream of discovering the “golden beetle”, after getting sacked from her teaching position for stealing a co-worker’s boots!  On the run from the police, …

The Bear in the Chair  (a new children’s book by Janet Flaugher) THE BEAR IN THE CHAIR by Janet Flaugher  On a Saturday morning, that was coolish, but fair, I was reading a book by the living-room stair.  Then I heard a great snorfling and grumbling somewhere, And I saw something move in the overstuffed …