Bettyville, by George Hodgman, is one of the funniest and most compassionate books I’ve ever read. It perfectly captures both an elderly parent’s panic and frustration at losing control of her daily activities and the caretaker child’s alarm as his own independent life fades away with each domestic upset (missing shoes, disappointing hairdresser visit) that becomes a crisis in his mother’s eyes, but below the exasperation on both sides, the love between the two is always there, abiding and deep.

Thank you to my family and friends for their encouragement and to the writers, artists, and editors who have given me so much help: Marvin Cohen, Laury Egan, Liz Hanellin, Betty Harris, Mark Hefferan, and Jana Jevnikar.

Just finished Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff.  My favorite books are the ones whose characters I fall in love with. Like the ones in this imagery-rich book, those characters are usually flawed but charming, hardened in a way that in the end renders them vulnerable.