Since I got no time or energy on my German trip to read anything serious, I read “middle-aged-lady lit,” which is like chick lit for women my age. This means that all the protagonists are 42 or 43. Nobody my age wants to read about youngsters because the glorification of youth gets tiresome after a while. Besides, it’s boring to read about people trying to solve problems you solved a million years ago.
The two “middle-aged-lady lit” novels I read on my trip are Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughn (bought at Heathrow) and The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine (bought on one of the transfers.) Both novels constitute a very enjoyable, undemanding, relaxing reading. Given that one is about rape and another about egregious forms of domestic abuse, it sounds very bizarre to call them relaxing. But this is the whole purpose of “middle-aged-lady lit.” It helps middle-aged ladies of enough leisure to read these books to process traumatic issues in a non-traumatic way.
If you have to choose one, I recommend Mrs Parrish. The other one had too much in the way of the British class issues and the horribleness of the British aristocrats. I’m sure they are plenty nasty but that idea, too, gets old after a while. Both novels are heavy into “the very rich and the very poor are total sociopaths” narrative.
I want to read more in this genre, so let me know if you’ve been impressed by novels with middle-aged female protagonists. I’m not picky about what these protagonists do. I just want to be entertained.
Clarissa's Blog 
You might want to take a look at “The Alice Network.” “Crazy Rich Asians” is fun and you don’t need to read the rest of the trilogy. ALSO, try “The Little Ftench Bistro” by Nina George.
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“Sarah Vaughn”
When I saw that I thought it was going to be a very different kind of post as it I misread the aughor’s name as Sarah Vaughan, one of the great jazz-pop vocalists (never a huge favorite of mine but many loved her very lush, velvety voice). Here’s one of her signature songs – Misty
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I liked “We Are Not Ourselves” by Matthew Thomas.
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Found a really good article (which mentions the situation in USA too):
Germany and Immigration
The Changing Face of the Country
Many Germans feel foreign in their own country and are afraid that immigration is changing their homeland rapidly. Every fifth person in Germany comes from an immigration background and that number will continue to climb. What does that mean for the country? By DER SPIEGEL Staff
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-and-immigration-the-changing-face-of-the-country-a-1203143.html
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This interview quite convinced me we will soon see immigration of German Jews to Israel as we are currently seeing one of French Jews. Also, her idea of dealing with AfD seems misguided, given the formerly linked article.
Growing Anti-Semitism in Germany
‘We Are Facing a Monster’
In a DER SPIEGEL interview, Charlotte Knobloch, 85, speaks of the fears Jews in Germany have of growing right-wing populism in the country. The former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany is also sharply critical of U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/charlotte-knobloch-about-anti-semitism-in-germany-we-are-facing-a-monster-a-1231782.html
I still do not understand why she stays in Germany, when her family is in Israel.
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