A Bit of Chocolate, A Bit of Gamache

" All you need is love. But a little chocolate

now and then doesn't hurt. "
CHARLES M. SCHULZ

The morning is cool and blustery. And while tree boughs bend and sway, laundry is swirling in its soapy cycle. I meant to have the September edition of the Woman's Daybook ready for yesterday—first Monday of the month and all—except I completely forgot about it. The blank draft stares at me with doleful eyes. My excuse, I'm in the midst of preparing a guest post on InScribe in which I share authors I consider my writing mentors. It goes up on the weekend and I'll post a link once it's available should you want to read it.

Oh, I finished Louise Penny's newest novel in which we find the Gamache family altogether in Paris, France. I loved it! All the Devils Are Here—title based on a quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest—is full of twists and turns, with lots of opportunities for growth and consternation as characters must choose who to trust and what to believe when sorting out truth from fiction. The story was most satisfying on all fronts. 

I bought a small bag of dark chocolate covered almonds. They were meant to be tiny treats over several days. Haha -- fat chance. It did say the bag was resealable, but as my niece noted, it was put there optimistically, not realistically. With eyes glued to the book, my hand kept dipping into the bag and soon every last morsel was gone. So much for decorum and discipline. But, oh, they were so smooth and crunchy and delicious.

As I have no almond treats to offer you—I know it's no substitute, but here is an excerpt from the book:

“Life can be cruel, as you know. But it can also be kind. Filled with wonders. You need to remember that. You have your own choice to make, Armand. What’re you going to focus on? What’s unfair, or all the wonderful things that happen? Both are true, both are real. Both need to be accepted. But which carries more weight with you?” Stephen tapped the boy’s chest. “The terrible or the wonderful? The goodness or the cruelty? Your life will be decided by that choice.” ~ Louise Penny, All the Devils Are Here

  

* * *

" Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that,

as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain. "

DAVE BARRY

* * *

Wishing you a beautiful day.

Heart Hugs,

Brenda

xox

Photo (top):  Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay