The Literate Kitty

Anyone who’s been in a relationship (so, the majority of people who’ve reached adulthood, however that’s defined these days) knows that there’s a fair bit of effort involved in keeping things on an even( -ish ) keel.   Another thing those with a relationship or two under their belts know is that things often look rather different to anyone not in that relationship (so, everyone else ). But what happens when someone outside knows just enough of the hidden bits and pieces—the secrets or lies, the silences or tears... the stuff that isn't all "happy families"  on display—to affect what happens next, in the relationship? When that someone purposefully manipulates things, for an outcome only he or she wants? Writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen follow up their previous psychological thrillers (among them, The Wife Between Us , reviewed here , and You Are Not Alone , reviewed here ) with a look at that scenario in their upcoming work, The Golden Couple . ____

A very proper Scottish sexagenarian (well, if by “proper” one means at some point in time around the early-to-mid-twentieth-century), who favors an old-fashioned suit, hat, and cane, sports an impressive moustache, and is well-schooled in a field of magical arts known as sigil-making [more on that later]. Goes by the rather-impressive moniker, Al MacBharrais. A wee hob (as in “hobgoblin”), who might only be taken for a (very) sunburned “little person” by someone who’d had a few too many tipples o’ the Scotch (or Irish, or really, too many tipples of anything ), is overly-fond of all mischief-making (including, sadly, larceny), loves whiskey (and loves salsa, even more), and has a helpful (if uncanny) ability to sort of “poof” from one place to another, for brief periods of time. That would be Al’s assistant, Buck Foi [and you’ll need to swap a couple of letters and say it out loud to catch the self-named hob’s bit of tomfoolery, there]. A fabulously-tatted, tough-as-nails pugilist-

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of one of the single most tragic days of the 21st century: 9/11, the day terrorists from another country (far, far away) succeeded not only in demolishing iconic architecture from a skyline recognized and admired around the world, but—and far, far more damaging—in causing the senseless deaths of hundreds of innocent people, who were just going about their regular lives that fateful morning, with whatever thoughts and dreams were on their minds.   It’s a day now indelibly etched into not only the memories of most North Americans, but one which will also forever more be a part of the collective, worldwide consciousness… a day when everyone around the globe saw how truly horrible and sad such hatred and intolerance could really be.   But this post, well… this post is not about hatred, bigotry, racism (or any other form of negative attitudes or behaviors). No, this post is about a little love letter… to the magnificent city of New York. To its bea