22 • UPBEAT TIMES • August 2015
Sonoma County, CA. ~ When my daughter was in junior high she discovered a wonder- ful book by Madeline Brent called Moonraker’s Bride. It is light roman- tic, mystery fi ction and perhaps more suitable for a teen-ager, but I also loved it.
A Mystery Within A Mystery
We discovered that Brent had written around eight other ti- tles, and although Moonraker’s Bride was defi nitely our favor- ite, we found ourselves read- ing these other books again and again and again and again. I have read many books but seldom read any work twice, yet each one of these books I have read four or fi ve, or even more, times. Every Thanksgiv- ing when the turkey is in the oven, my special treat is to get to read a Madeline Brent novel. My daughter is now a grown woman with three chil-
dren, but whenever she comes home for the holidays she sa- vors one of the books. These books would never be considered great literature. They’re a bit formulistic in that each book takes place during the Victorian age. Although the heroine always has a strong connection to England, she of- ten travels to counties such as Tibet, China, Hungary, or Af- ghanistan.
Still, we love the simple,
evocative language, the exotic places, the amusing incidents, the unassuming, determined, resourceful heroine, and the clever plot. No matter how many times you have read the book, you always forget who the
real villain is and how
things are going to end. A couple of years ago I went online to see if perhaps there were some titles that I hadn’t read and discovered that Mad- eline Brent is really Peter O’Donnell! Born in 1920 he
Summer GUIDE #2 By Jean Wong
ijeanwong.blogspot.com
was a writer of British myster- ies and comic strips and is best known for his Modesty Blaise series which is about a female undercover trouble-shooter. When his publisher asked him to write romances for women he adapted the pen name of Madeline Brent to attract more female readers.
What is most mysterious and remarkable about this au- thor and her(!) or his(!) books is the fact that over the years I have given or mentioned this book to many people and no one likes them quite the way my daughter and I do. None of my friends has ever matched my enthusiasm for these dear stories. Their responses have been tepid and I have been sub- ject to that now familiar “Jean is so over the top” look. So I am hoping that after reading this article, someone will rush up to me and say, “I just read Moonraker’s Bride and can’t wait to read it again!”
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t
make it a leg. Abraham Lincoln
the Scenes Behind ... continued from page 16
der the Stars, in the beautiful outdoor venue, where as Miller says, “nature intensifi es the ex- perience” is an event to be sa- vored by the audience. Guests are invited to explore the grounds and enjoy pre-show picnicking before each perfor- mance. Transcendence Theatre Company is a collaborative ef- fort with each season having an overall a theme. The theme for this summer festival is “Best Night Ever;” which heralds as a rally call for the cast and crew. Planning for the next season is already underway for TTC. Each year, the title theme for the season is selected fi rst and foremost. Then, the cast is chosen, followed by the song selection and musical arrange- ments. The season is a collab- orative effort amongst the guest choreographers, artists and di- rectors.
Jack London State Historic
Park is located at 2400 Lon- don Ranch Road in the town of Glen Ellen. Patrons can enjoy the show entitled Rhythm of Life on weekends, August 7-13 as well as the Gala Celebration September 11-13. Visit TTC-
Sonoma.org
online to learn
more about the inspiring Tran- scendence Theatre Company.
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info@restoration-studio.com 22 • August 2015 • UPBEAT TIMES
Senator Mike McGuire at the podium.
the Executive Director Adam Brown of the Disabilities Ser- vices & Legal Center, one of the 28 Independent Living Centers in California: “While there is much to be done for the civil rights of those who are disabled, today is the day to celebrate 25 years of effort and advocacy in this area and how much has been accom- plished for the disabled in our community.”
If I had my life to live over, I’d have fewer meetings and more rendezvous. ~Robert Brault
JOKES & Humor # 7
Little Johnny wanted to go to the zoo and pestered his parents for days. Finally his mother talked his reluctant father into taking him.
“So how was it?” his mother asked when they returned home.
Little Johnny replied.
“Did you and your father have a good time?” asked his mother.
“Yeah, Daddy really liked it,” exclaimed Little Johnny excitedly, “especially when one of the animals came home at 30 to 1!”
Disability Act ... continued from page 11
“Great,”
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