Mickey, who lives with Nancy and Rick Blanchett, is enjoying his copy of All That Remains, a collection of my short stories, now available on Amazon for $1.99. But he got his copy free by visiting http://www.PattiMWalsh.com. That’s right. Free. All That Remains is a book about ordinary—and some extraordinary—folks overcoming adversity. From the brokenheartedContinue reading “All That Remains Is to Read”
Category Archives: Recommended Reading
What Other Cool Cats Are Perusing
When I shared with you last month that Nina had died, I was touched with many expressions of sympathy. Thank you. One subscriber, Sherry, shared the news with her cat, Louie. She said he “let out a long meow and we communicated about how your cat family was now together in the one-cat soul. Further,Continue reading “What Other Cool Cats Are Perusing”
Cancel Patrick?
While the world at large plans to turn itself green on the 17th in honor of Saint Patrick, Nina focused on a different perspective of Ireland’s patron saint. I caught her perusing Wakes Rites, The Ancient Irish Rituals of Finnegans Wake, by George Cinclair Gibson. (Don’t go adding an apostrophe to Finnegans—more on that inContinue reading “Cancel Patrick?”
King (Cake) for a Day
Even though there are no Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans this year, there is one in our neighborhood. So Nina decked herself out in beads and did a little research. She’ll tell you that if you want to know anything about Mardi Gras, there is no better source than the Arthur Hardy Mardi GrasContinue reading “King (Cake) for a Day”
The Assignment and the Fetish
Nina was beyond confusion. She had just read my story “The Fetish,” and demanded to know what on earth do a voodoo priestess and a missing man have in common with Uncle Tom’s Cabin? I could have told her that many American slaves were influenced by the Caribbean practices known as voodoo that date backContinue reading “The Assignment and the Fetish”
Nights Before Christmas
’Twas the night before Christmas when I found Nina browsing The Legend of Papa Noël. Written by Terri Hoover Dunham and illustrated by Laura Knorr, this children’s book is subtitled, “A Cajun Christmas Story.” Since Christmas appeals to the young at heart—and we’re both getting up there in years—I snuggled in with Nina to revisitContinue reading “Nights Before Christmas”
Parting the Thin Veil
As Halloween dawned, I found a perplexed Nina reading The Celtic Book of the Dead by Caitlin Matthews. Subtitled A Guide for Your Voyage to the Celtic Otherworld, the book and its accompanying tarot-like cards explore the immram—a mystical journey to find the meaning of life. Matthews lays out this path by first explaining theContinue reading “Parting the Thin Veil”
Rescued by Ron
Blogger Ron Cat died peacefully in his sleep October 2, 2020, after 18 wonderful years with us. Bob, Nina, and I miss him. Nina seems perplexed by Ron’s absence. She sniffs around his favorite chair, hides in different parts of the house, and demands affection—she’s typically aloof. She found a little solace reading Rescuing Sprite:Continue reading “Rescued by Ron”
Hanging in the Balance
A New Case of the Danbury Shakes
When John Oliver badmouthed Danbury, I donned my best Mad Hatter attitude, pulled out my Danbury Historic Booklet Series, and climbed my family tree. Ron caught wind of my indignation. It got his dander going. See, I’m from Danbury. Although I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I escaped to Danbury when I started college. AtContinue reading “A New Case of the Danbury Shakes”
What the Cats Are Reading 