Now That My Book's Out...5

After all the newspapers and magazines I’ve been reading for years on end, I’m switching to books! My family supports my new habit with lots of good reads including the one I’m into now—a biography of the great actor John Barrymore. I’ve been captivated by him since seeing Christopher Plummer’s amazing portrayal of a late-in-life Barrymore in the 2011 Canadian film “Barrymore.” The Barrymores are one extraordinary family of actors and actresses reaching back to the mid-1800s and extending up to their most recent talent, Drew Barrymore, who is not just an actress but also a producer, director and author. Creative genes in that family!

I do have one problem with my copy of this particular book, however, and that is mildew. I am literally sneezing my way through it. We buy a lot of used books from various used book sellers, including THE BOOKPLATE in Chestertown, which I highly recommend. https://www.thebookplate.net  Any lover of well-used books knows they sometimes bring with them telltale reminders of the prior owner’s damp house, garage or basement. So we deal with that. My husband has developed a reasonably successful remedy. He stands the book pyramid style over an office air vent, pages fluttering in the warm breeze.  It takes a few days but definitely helps. 

Mildew aside, it’s a terrific read. So when the New Year turned, I toasted not only 2020 but also 1944, the year Gene Fowler wrote Good Night Sweet Prince: The Life and Times of John Barrymore.

Turning briefly from what I read to what I wrote, my book, What Else You Got?, got a wonderful review from Gerald Sweeney in the November issue of The Delmarva Review.  https://delmarvareview.org/volume-12/ We all like a little praise from time to time, and it gave me a real boost to find out how much a professional reviewer liked my book. In fact, he GOT IT! So now I have a new surge of energy to get out there and sell it.