As The Raving Queen, I Am Uttering A Proclamation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Let me tell you something about The Strand Bookstore, darlings.  Going there on a Saturday is like braving Macy's during the Christmas holiday season.

                              I know, because David and I did a Strand run, yesterday.  The pushing and shoving were unbelievable.  I am telling you, it was as bad as a subway car, when crowded.  And dumb people just standing there, seemingly catatonic, blocking my way from books I want to get at, and peruse.

                                So, I, as The Raving Queen, am uttering a proclamation that hitherto, on a day when I am to be in the store, the place be put on notice, so that, when I make my entrance everyone gets the hell out of my way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 When I enter the Strand, I am on a MISSION, girls, and I know damn well where I am going, and what I am looking for.  March in, shop, pay, then leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    I expect the kind of royal treatment Norma Shearer gets, when she walks into the beauty shop, in the opening scene of 1939's "The Women."

                                     I am no dime store doxy, like Joan Crawford, as Crystal Allen.  I am The Raving Queen, damnit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Therefore, all in the Strand shall bow before me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Blythe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Today, darlings, is the birthday of the fabulous Blythe Danner.  I still want to know where she gets her hair done, because I want to go there, and have mine done.

                                So, Happy Birthday, Blythe!  Along with Lee Radziwill, you are perhaps the last remnant of glamour in New York City.  In the thirty plus years that I have been living here, the quality of glamour has gone to Hell, in a hand basket!!!!!!!!!!!  And not even a designer one!

                                Blythe is not only a symbol of what should remain, but one of the most cherished and genuinely gifted actresses out there.  At 76 (her age today), Blythe not only looks stunning, but can just about out act anyone who is put before her.  I love her appearances on "Will And Grace."  And I love her work in movies.  She should have received an Oscar nomination for "I'll See You In My Dreams."

                                 How to celebrate Blythe Danner's birthday?  Well, that is up to Blythe!

                                 As for the rest of us, I suggest we have tea, with cakes and dainties, to honor Miss Danner!

                                 Happy Birthday, Blythe!  And please come back to the stage, soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liane Moriarty Does It Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       The first thing to be said about "Truly Madly Guilty" is it has nothing to do with the 1990 film, "Truly, Madly, Deeply."  The second thing is discussing this is difficult because there are several huge reveals in this book, and working one's way toward them is part of the fun of reading the book.

                                         And, let me caution you, until the first reveal, I was not so sure.  Moriarty starts her tale of a set of married couples, whose lives are altered by one afternoon barbecue, on a slow note, teasing the reader as it goes along, for the first one hundred pages or so.  I was just beginning to tire of this, wondering if I had made a mistake, when BAM!  Up pops the first reveal, which made my jaw drop--and, for those who have read it, my reaction was the same as Clementine's--and then the novel is off to the races.   And does not stop till the final sentence, which is as gentle and soothing as a child's bedtime story.

                                         What "Truly Madly Guilty" revealed to me was that, while Moriarty may not be a literary world beater--she is no Donna Tartt, darlings!!!!!!!!--she is, nevertheless, a master manipulator of narration, and one who lays out her plot plans--story and characters--as carefully as a detective working a murder case.  This is her special skill, which is why, though each story may be different, you know one of her books is going to take one on a thrilling ride.

                                           A ride I urge all readers of surprise, suspense fiction to take.

                                           The only guilt one should feel about the book is passing up the opportunity to read it, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Something to do in between periodic screenings of "The Women," and planning one's Spring wardrobe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Groundhog's Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             According to sources, Punxsutawney Phil, the official Pennsylvania ground hog, did not see his shadow, so we are going to have an early Spring.

                               Yeah, right. After this Winter, I damn well hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             But the month is getting off to a start with its first big event.  Which also marks the halfway point of Winter.  So, if we have gotten through the first half, one would think the second would be easy.  Don't be so certain, dears.

                               I hope old Phil is right.  I am ready for Spring.

                               Aren't we all, darlings?????????????????

Girls, I Cannot Emphasize Enough How Important It Is We Hydrate Our Skin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             
                                                    "Look at my hands.  Mother said you could
                                                      always tell a lady by her hands."--
                                                    Evelyn Keyes as Suellen O'Hara in "Gone
                                                       With The Wind" (1939).


                                        Suellen had a point, dears.  Though we are freezing up here in the Far North, it is just as important to hydrate our skin in the Polar Vortex, as it was at Tara.

                                         You should see my hands, girls.  Dried, cracked and peeling in some places; this Winter has sure done a number on me.  How do I get through it?

 With this, darlings!!!!!!!!!  CeraVe moisturizing cream.  Each morning, after my bath, I luxuriously rub it into areas of my skin.  Results don't happen right away,  but with perseverance, things can be brought under control.  

Sometimes, at night, when I remember, I also use CeraVe night cream. It is even creamier than the moisturizing lotion, and makes me feel like a Hollywood movie star!  And isn't that what we are all aiming for, girls????????????????

                                             I cannot stress the importance of skin health, no matter if one is sweating at Tara, or freezing up north in the Polar Vortex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Moisturize, deodorize, accessorize!  It has been my mantra, for decades!

                                             Fit for a queen, just like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Candlemass Eve, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              This month begins on a celebratory note, albeit an evil one.  Candlemass Eve is the night the witches mock the rituals of the Church, and then--at midnight!!!!!!!--sacrifice a virgin!!!!!!!!!!!

                              No wonder this guy looks so terrified!  Maybe he is still a virgin!  He does not look like he has seen much action, nor ever will.

                              The tradition calls for female virgins to be sacrificed.  But times are tough these days, even for witches, so what is a poor witch to do?  Where can she find one?

                               So, this guy is off the hook!

                                I wonder if ugly virgins count?  You know, like spinster librarians??????????

                                I suppose any port in a storm, when needed.

                                 So, Happy Candlemass Eve, darlings!  And make sure you are safely tucked away in your beds, by midnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome To February, With Cynthia Hart's Victoriana Calendar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             No one knows more about Victoriana than Cynthia Hart, whose calendars can still be ordered online to my delight.  With Valentine's Day a key event, February, though we are still stuck in Winter.  I am a bit disappointed the calendar is not embossed in red, to commemorate Valentine's Day, yet it still has that Victoriana feel.  That feel of elegance and gracious living that I aspire to, and treasure.  Just like Princess Lee Radziwill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Besides Valentine's Day is a plethora of events--Ground Hog's Day (tomorrow), Blythe Danner's birthday (Sunday), a visit to the dentist (!!!!), and two theater outings--to "Call Me Madam," at City Center, and "Once Upon A Mattress," at the Gallery Players in Park Slope.

                                                So, February is shaping up to be an exciting month. Short, sweet, and with my nephew Matthew's and my sister's birthdays, as well.

                                                  Here is to the second month of the year, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!