The Literate Kitty

So, a little about me. ( Trust me, it'll all make sense soon. ) I devoured the entire Nancy Drew book series—more than once—when I was little.    It followed, then, that sometimes one of my Barbie dolls got to act out being a detective; I was completely hooked on the idea.   Even now (years later!), whenever I read a mystery novel—or watch one in show/movie form—a little part of me is still right there in the detective’s shoes.   I’m hardly alone in my secret dreams of being a P.I., of course.    For most of us, though, that’s all it remains... a fantasy we live out vicariously on the page or screen.    But imagine, for a minute, what might’ve happened if you’d scrambled to make that dream a reality.   If, say, you finagled your way (possibly over-hyping your abilities a tiny bit) into an apprenticeship with not just a private investigator... but with a  legendary  one.   Well, then you might get something like the tale that u...

If there’s one type of person whom others should reconsider messing with, it’s a midlife woman who has finally, at long last, come into her own... Take Mrs. Muriel Blossom. At 68, she’s already lived two-thirds of her life.     She’s been a wife, a mother, and a working woman... and now, after nearly 40 years of marriage, she’s a retired widow.   She’s also the recent—and very,  very  lucky—holder of a winning lottery ticket, which has vastly improved the prospect of her golden years.  Finally,  she’ll be able to see the world... something the homebody Mr. Blossom sadly never had any inkling to do.   But, while Mrs. Blossom has never been one to attract a lot of attention— particularly not from the opposite sex! —she suddenly finds herself in a full-blown, real-life, torn-from-a-movie-script plotline.    On a fancy cruise ship, traversing the Seine, with eligible men seemingly coming out of the woodwork [cue a deliriously-raucous renditi...

When two people get married, they--at least, ideally--feel they know each other pretty well.   Their likes and dislikes. What makes them laugh, and the things that make them sad or upset. Their habits and eccentricities.   But how well do we ever  really  know another person? There’s always  something  we’re holding back... something embarrassing, that we’re ashamed of, or that we simply know our partner wouldn’t be cool with.   That’s normal.   The thing is, there are little,  unimportant  secrets... and then, there are deep, dark, hidden things that have the power to change  everything  we thought we knew.   Kimberly Belle delivers a tempting souffle of the latter variety, in  The Paris Widow .     From the moment Stella and Adam had their meet-cute, it seemed they were meant to be together.   A quiet, calm guy—who nerded out over the cool old architectural interior treatments he found and sold to his...

Bonjour!   (Passport stamp from Charles de Gaulle) I’ve been back home from my first ever trip to Paris for a few days, but already, a little part of me wonders if it was all just a dream.   Was I really, truly  there? Did I see those historic places, see those works of art, eat those foods?   [ To be fair, the brutal head cold that sunk its viral little claws into me whilst across the Big Pond is probably to blame for any brain fog.. .]   Anyway, my photos (and American Express card) prove that I really, truly  was  there, and  I have thoughts...     (Notre Dame- refurbs in progress) First, Paris is a city of beige.    [ Yes, I know, that doesn't sound great. 😅 Stay with me, here!]   It’s a city full of tall, old, beige buildings... a great many of which are decorated with beautiful wrought-iron balconies (some merely decorative, others usable) or stained glass, and often jazzed up with greenery and flowers.   So in...

The only thing worse, to a typical college freshman, than having  their  parents come for a visit, is having  everyone’s  parents on campus to visit.    In other words? The dreaded Parents Weekend... full of assorted activities for students and parents alike, beginning with the opening night dinner, when groups of parents and their kids mingle.   But for five families—who’ve traveled from all over the U.S. to see how their offspring are coping with freshman life—that dinner takes an unexpected turn... when not one of their kids shows up.   Is it just a matter of irresponsible teens, acting out? Perhaps some sort of fraternity/sorority hazing ritual they’re fulfilling? Or...  something else??   That’s the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind in Alex Finlay’s latest thriller,  Parents Weekend .     At small, private Santa Clara University, located on the coast of Northern California, freshmen are divided into small “po...