Harold L Daniels is an author of psychological thrillers from the 1950s. I don’t even remember how I ended up with a copy of The Accused but it’s really great, my friends. I highly recommend. The novel is structured somewhat like a courtroom drama but that is simply a plot device.

Beautifully and simply written in an uncluttered style that lacks pretentiousness, The Accused tells a story of Alvin Morlock, a 35-year-old man who has just enough culture and sophistication to hold a modest job as an English instructor at a third-rate college but not enough to know how to enjoy life. In a bout of lonely desperation, Alvin meets Louisa, a woman of absolutely no culture and the coarseness of a shoe scraper. All Louisa wants out of life is chug beer, play shuffleboard at her local, and randomly bet on horses. She deeply detests Alvin for being more evolved than she and he despises her for being so primitive.

What, then, are they doing getting married?

I read the book in a couple of hours, and it’s been a profound pleasure. Remember that there’s no better military maneuver in our ongoing battle for focus than reading a novel.

The same people who rightfully complain about everybody suddenly becoming “open Nazis” based on absolutely nothing cannot resist the lure of engaging in the exact same name-calling:

“You are a white supremacist!” “No, you are!” “No, you are!” “No… Mommy! Billy said a bad word!”

The next step is to start censoring Roald Dahl to make sure we get our turn.

Truly, this screeching of “rayceeesm!” whenever you disagree with somebody should stop. People should be able to express their opinions openly. Public figures aren’t made of sugar and won’t melt because somebody criticized them strongly.

A fresh joke from Ukraine:

In a brave counterpoint to Biden’s visit to Kyiv, Putin visited the other end of his long desk.

Biden is in Kyiv! We knew he was coming but it’s still huge news.

Remember that a year ago Biden thought Kyiv would fall. And now he’s celebrating Ukraine’s strength in Mikhailiv Square.

I don’t have the right to be proud of being Ukrainian but I sure am proud of being American.

God bless these United States.

P.S. It’s 4:15 am, I’m on an Uber going to the airport, trying not to cry (too loudly) to avoid freaking out the driver.

P.P.S. As the news dropped, regular, peace-loving Russians are exploding on social media, demanding a nuclear strike on Kyiv.

P.P.P.S. The official Russian media are trying to suppress the news, keeping it out of the TV coverage. Putin must be very upset because it was always his biggest dream to be loved and embraced by the Western leadership. His biggest achievement in life that he never got over was being complimented by George W Bush. Thank God in heaven that Biden is not Dubya. Or Obama without whom we wouldn’t be in this situation at all.

Reading books is all about leisure and focus, both of which are high-luxury items.