​I am a huge reader. This should not come as a shock. It is inspiring to see how others put words together. I do "like" other people's reviews and often choose my books based on them, yet, aside from writing reviews for friends' and colleagues' work, I have never wanted to recommend what I am reading. I know that genre, time frame, and character are very particular for most people. But I recently read a book that made me want to scream the title on a busy street corner.
I found this book riveting. The book title is "Beneath a Scarlet Sky" by Mark Sullivan. You know the kind I am talking about; I read it while cooking, in the bathroom, and about any place I could fit it in. It became an obsession.
The story is multilayered, and I can't say too much without giving it away. Still, I would sum it up by saying it is the story of a young Italian boy whose determination and tenacity helped him survive WWII against all odds. I know, you are thinking, not another book about WWII. Well, I thought the same thing until I was about 25 pages in.
It is the kind of book that, once finished, you might not be able to read for a few days as you rehash the story and reread the epilogue over and over. There was so much to unravel. The author does a beautiful job of making us question what we believe to be true.  
Each word and idea is carefully calculated to make you feel…think….
So in a conversation with Mom, who had just finished it, I sympathized with her questions and finally shared with her that I believe the main idea of the entire story is this: Good and Bad are simply a matter of perspective. These exact lines appear in the story, but for me, they were also the background of all the action.
So now I am thinking and talking to just about everyone about this concept. On the most basic level, we can use a person living in a ghetto who steals bread to feed his family. Our immediate, first-world response would likely be he is a criminal. But do you think his family would feel that way? Do you think he would?
The lines between good and bad are very blurry. Even the classic story of Robin Hood broaches the topic. Yet how many of us taught our children, Robin Hood was a criminal? Exactly!
Your perspective might change, and you will learn and grow with one story.
So back to the point, if you are looking for a good (great) book, pick up a copy of "Beneath a Scarlet Sky." You are welcome.

Dessert First, Please
Family is lovely and complicated but, at the same time, often predictable. Whether we are talking about holidays, a birthday, or a simple Sunday dinner, family get-togethers have a sort of rhythm. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents converge at the designated time carrying presents or covered dishes, depending on the celebration. The conversation moves from recent events and career updates to upcoming weddings, births, and promotions. Drinks are passed liberally around, and the laughter and noise increase. Then, as dinner is called, the family moves en masse to the dining room table. Grandma and Grandpa on the left, the host at the head, while cousins and sisters strategically place themselves in chairs near their favorite dish or family member. 
There is comfort in these rituals. Once the meal commences, I can almost always predict who will be in the kitchen pushing out the plated food, who will jump up to serve, and most importantly, who will offer to clean up and do the dishes. Fortunately, these unwritten roles have been passed down seamlessly as our older parents know to relax in their satiated happiness, and the children take over their positions. 
But a few weeks ago, my world and everything I knew was turned on its head when a friend told me about her Thanksgiving tradition. "We eat dessert at 2 PM and dinner at 6 PM." Wait a minute. I had about a zillion questions. The first is why?
I was raised on the theory that dessert can only be had once your plate is clean. Sweets were given as a reward. Even as a child, my mom would do her best to instill healthy eating habits and monitor how soon we had a snack or a treat, as she would call it, so as not to affect our hunger at dinner time. I can hear her saying, "Don't eat too many sweets. You will ruin your dinner." Now my friend not only turns up her nose at this rule but outright defies it. Her theory is that the best part of any family celebration is grandma's apple, or chocolate cream pudding, or pumpkin pie. Yum. So, if you wait to eat the best part of dinner until after the meal, you miss the chance to enjoy it because, well, you’re full! Relish in their goodness first. You can even have seconds on an emptier stomach if the mood strikes you. 

What about you? Are you ready to spit in the face of tradition and forge your own path? Maybe it's not upsetting the order of dinner and dessert for you. Perhaps you have found another way to shake things up.  Tell me hwat you are thinking?