Sundry thoughts

My apologies to G. M. Malliett, even though I didn't criticize Death of a Cozy Writer. My reaction was a purely personal one to the genre. But I have to say she threw in a twist in the plot that was totally unexpected and really got my attention. I won't say more of course because I hate people who give the plot away. I recently was talking to my older daughter, Megan, about Marley and Me. She said she hadn't seen it and I said I wanted to even though it's apparently really heart-wrenching when the dog dies in the end. She got really angry and said, "Don't tell me the end!" And I thought, "Well, Meg, it's about a dog. They don't live that long. Of course he dies in the end, but that's not the point of the movie. It's about what a wild, crazy, loveable dog he was." But back to Death of a Cozy Writer, I won't say any more except to recommend it to all my friends who love Agatha Christie and British cozies. And to add that I'm still reading it.
I am pretty sure G. M. Malliett is a woman (I think her name is Gina) but it made me think of some correspondence I had the other day with a publishing person. When I said my production manager would attend a certain meeting in my place, he wrote back, "Be sure you give him your proxy vote." My production manager is of course Melinda. Gender bias lives on!
An odd note on book reviews: I read today that a reviewer in Russia was sued by an author who claimed the negative review damaged his reputation and caused him and his family emotional and physical suffering (migraines, etc.). He asked for the US equivalent of $150,000 and got $1,000. Both sides are appealing. I'm not a fan of truly negative reviews--they are often more about the reviewer showing off how smart he or she is than about the book, but then again suing a reviewer sets a horrible precedent, even if it is in Russia.
My Frisco family is still at DisneyWorld, and I heard this morning about torrential rains in Florida, but the pictures Jamie posted on Facebook tonight seemed full of sunshine, and the girls certainly looked happy. I joined Facebook to keep up with my children, but I've found lots of other friends on it and am enjoying checking it once or twice a day. One friend has offered to give me a tutorial on using it in a more sophisticated way and I may take him up on it.
Anxiety is still with me. I think I'll call the doctor in the mornng and make an appointment. This is a silly way to live.