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What I’m Reading: Some Bright Nowhere

My Goodreads and Amazon review of Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer (Rated 5) – Dying’s Partners. Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer is an unflinching novel that pointedly asks: How do we care for a loved one who is dying? Who in this world do we want with us when we leave it? Eliot wants to continue caring for his wife Claire, as he has for the decade since her cancer diagnosis. Now that she is terminal, Claire tells him she wants her two best friends to take on that role instead. Demoted to the status of visitor, Eliot must confront his feelings of rejection and inadequacy, while simultaneously handling his grief. Some Bright Nowhere then expands into a sensitive treatise on marriage — the strong bond between husband and wife — and friendship — the fierce attachment between women. How do you navigate parallel tracks of love that threaten to veer into a competition? Although the book is written from Eliot’s POV, Packer also captures the perspectives of Claire, the couple’s grown children, and Claire’s lifelong friend Holly. In perceptive vignettes, readers also glimpse the contrasting dynamics of male friendship. As a certified end-of-life doula, I was impressed by Packer’s accurate portrait of the “work” of dying. And as a novelist (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I valued her ability to delve into the minds and hearts of her struggling characters. Kudos to Packer, who has written a bright and illuminating book about a dark and taboo subject.

Before death do them part

Why writers read: “Books are people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” – E. B. White

The Avocet publishes poem “Carl and Carla”

My poem “Carl and Carla,” about the cardinal couple who winter over in the burning bush outside my dining room window, was published in The Weekly Avocet (April 5, 2026, #696). The Avocet, a poetry nature journal, emails a weekly PDF and prints four seasonal issues a year. The poem, an intersection of my writing and end-of-life doula work, ponders leaving “advanced care directives” not only for ourselves, but also “nature directives” for the plants and animals in our environment. Read more in POEMS.

Northern Cardinals, non-migratory songbirds, are monogamous

Why writers write: “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” – Albert Camus

What I’m Reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot

My Amazon and Goodreads review of Middlemarch by George Eliot (Rated 5) – Doing Due Diligence. Marking the sesquicentennial of its publication, I finally read Middlemarch by George Eliot. Duty requires that I rate this classic novel “5,” but words best register my full reaction. At times, I was engaged by the wisdom and wit of Eliot’s take on small-town country life two centuries ago, notably marriage and the role of women, politics and religion, wealth and status, philosophy and the arts. An end-of-life doula, I was particularly taken with how the wills of (rich) elderly insured the maintenance of society’s hierarchies. At other times, impatient with Eliot’s detours (e.g., into politics) and eager to get on with the intrigues among the characters, I was tempted to skip ahead. Then an astute observation would catch my eye and I feared I’d miss others by skimming. A “finisher” by nature, and also a novelist (see my Amazon author page OR Goodreads author page), I felt compelled to read every word. For those who merely want to fill a literary gap in their education, I suggest they peruse enough (say ⅓) to claim they read Middlemarch. But to appreciate the qualities which merit the book a place in the canon, one must push on to the finish. I’m glad I did. If I may be permitted an oxymoron, it’s a predictable cliffhanger.

Persevere with this classic; it’s worth the effort

Why writers read: “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” – Italo Calvino

How Old Were They? Dr. Washington Sheffield

Doctor Washington Sheffield, an American dental surgeon, was 65 when he pioneered the idea of putting toothpaste in a collapsible tube in 1892. Colgate adopted Sheffield’s packaging in 1896. The doctor made other important contributions to dentistry and dental surgery, creating companies to market them. His toothpaste recipe is still packaged and sold as “Dr. Sheffield’s: The Original Toothpaste.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Thank a 65-year-old doctor for toothpaste in a tube

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer was 14 when he became the youngest U.S. Chess Champion in 1957. He began playing at age 6, when his older sister Joan bought him his first chess set. His legendary success against the Russian chess empire in the following two decades inspired interest in the game among America’s youth. Chess matches between the U.S. and Russia became proxy battles – in the minds of the public, not the players – during the Cold War. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Bobby Fischer’s chess matches against the Russians were proxy battles in the Cold War

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Ray Kroc

Ray Kroc was 52 when he masterminded the McDonald’s franchise. Born in 1902, he spent 17 years selling paper cups and another 17 peddling the Multimixer which made 5 milkshakes at once. Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald, who owned hamburger joints in CA and AZ, bought ten. Kroc suggested they franchise their operation and volunteered to manage it. Seven years later, he bought them out. Sales soared. Today’s global total is estimated at over 400 billion, with 75 burgers sold per second. Kroc remained involved in McDonald’s until his death in 1984. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Entrepreneurship is not reserved for the young; Ray Croc masterminded McDonald’s at age 52

How Old Were They? Toto the Dog

Toto the dog was 5 years old when The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939. She was played by a female Cairn Terrier whose original name was Terry but was changed to Toto three years later. She did her own stunts and when a Winkie guard accidentally stepped on her paw, she recuperated at Judy Garland’s house. Garland became attached to her and offered to buy the dog but the owner refused to sell it. Toto’s salary of $125 per week was reportedly more than the Munchkins were paid. Before her death at age 11, Toto made 23 films. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Toto, age 5 when Oz movie made, lived to 11 and made 23 films

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was 64 when she published her first “Little House” book in 1932. A teacher at age 15, she married Almanzo Wilder at 18 and wrote articles on farming and rural life, becoming the poultry editor of the St. Louis Star. After her daughter encouraged her mother to tell the story of her own pioneer childhood, Wilder began the series with Little House in the Big Woods and ended 12 years later with These Happy Golden Years when the author was 76. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Laura Ingalls Wilder captivated children with tales of her own pioneer childhood

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Website: How Old Were They? Karl Witte

Karl Witte got his doctorate at age 13, making him the youngest person to earn this degree. Born in July 1800 to a German pastor who encouraged learning, Witte spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek by the age of 9. He attended the University of Giessen, where he graduated with a PhD, but his life thereafter is clouded in mystery. He reportedly traveled through Italy in 1818 and unsuccessfully sought work as a lawyer, but he did become known as a scholar of the works of Dante. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Dr. Witte was awarded a PhD at age 13, a Guinness record

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Who Cares? Praised in Historical Novel Review

My novel Who Cares? about aging with dignity, was lauded in Historical Novel Review. The reviewer writes: Drawing on her remarkable knowledge of senior living communities and city politics, the author shows how determined activists with the moral high ground can challenge the might of profit-driven interests and the politicians who back them. She really does leave us asking ourselves: “Who Cares?” Check out the HNR online archives for reviews of my other books. Order Who Cares? from the publisher, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your favorite bookstore or other source. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die