Bookworm with a View

Review: The Odds

2012-01-26T07:14:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: Stewart O'Nan is the one author who is recommended over and over when we talk with authors for the Manic Mommies Book Club. I hadn't read any of his work yet but jumped at the chance with his new novel.

Synopsis: Valentine's weekend, Art and Marion Fowler flee their Cleveland suburb for Niagara Falls, desperate to recoup their losses. Jobless, with their home approaching foreclosure and their marriage on the brink of collapse, Art and Marion liquidate their savings account and book a bridal suite at the Falls' ritziest casino for a second honeymoon. While they sightsee like tourists during the day, at night they risk it all at the roulette wheel to fix their finances-and save their marriage.

A tender yet honest exploration of faith, forgiveness and last chances, The Odds is a reminder that love, like life, is always a gamble.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: The odds of a marriage proposal being accepted: 1 in 1.001. The odds of a U.S. citizen filing for bankruptcy: 1 in 17. If you have already read this novel you know this is the how each chapter begins, clever. I found myself thinking about my life and the odds that could be written to explain it.

From page one, I was able to connect to both Marion and Art. The writing is tender and loving even though we are reading about the last days of a marriage. The weekend to Niagara Falls feels like a final gift from Marion, one last thing to do before closing this chapter and moving forward while Art hopes this weekend will solve all of their issues. He's not blind to what's going on, just hopeful.

This would make for a good book club selection, there is a lot to discuss. I also think I have discovered a new favorite author. Have you read any of his books? Where should I start?

Rating: 4 stars
Soucre: NetGalley

CHECKpoint! Jan 24

2012-01-23T22:23:00.003-06:00

The Ultra is 8 weeks from today! I'm getting mileage in but I'm not even close to ready. I might feel more prepared if I would have been able to get last weekend's long run done outside.  Hopefully next weekend...

To complicate things, I have been distracted... which makes it extremely hard to stay focused!

Observations from my long run: Most of my mileage is done outside, with no flat ground (constant hills up & down).  Sunday afternoon, with a fresh snowfall, I ran my 12 miler at the gym.

When I'm not on the trail, I'm usually on my treadmill at home where the incline doesn't go below 1.5 and I'm often wearing a weight vest.

Setting the treadmill on manual with no incline, my run felt effortless. I also realised that my casual walking pace is now 4.3 mph (13:48MM) - really?!! This explains why people say I walk fast :)

Most of my run was done at 5.8MPH but I did play with speed, going as fast as 7.4MPH for a song's length (anything to get a long run done faster right?).

Conclusion: I think I'm getting stronger.

My Checkpoint! for the week:

Fitness challenges/goals:
- Get back to gym (3-5 times a week)
- Run EVERY day in 2012 (366 days)
- 100 consecutive pushups (prep for Tough Mudder)

Events:
- NJ Ultra March 24
- PA Tough Mudder May 12

Accountability:
- Last week: 35 miles last week, 99 miles in January
- Running: 25 consecutive days
- Pushup goal of 100: I can do 36 consecutive push ups!

This week:
- Stretching: I have a new yoga video for my iPad (I have a yoga 'space' upstairs). I hope to try this a few times this week.
- Ultra training distances: 4, 4, 6, 10, 15 = 39 miles

How was your fitness last week?

This is a weekly post through the Tough Mudder in May (maybe longer). Leave a comment with an update on your week or leave your blog/post link below. I will cheer you on!

It's Monday!

2012-01-22T19:21:00.003-06:00

Washington Valley: SNOW! You can imagine how excited I was Saturday morning to look out the window to see snow falling. We have about six inches of fresh, white, fluffy snow on the ground. woohoo!

The World Traveler was so excited... he was hoping for a power outage so we could use our new generator. We decided to buy a generator after living through four power outages in ten months (about twelve days without power). Losing the contents in two refrigerators, moving three dogs to and from a hotel, walking them, trying to settle their nerves... I won't miss any of that!

I did get out for a walk today (after a long run at the gym), to enjoy winter. Tonight we have rain coming, tomorrow the high is 55 degrees so the snow will be gone in a day or two.

I'm enjoying the snow while I can. Everything is covered in a blanket of white, simply beautiful.

Let's talk books!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): Today I finished reading Spin and I have five/six reviews to write, for the books I read last week while on vacation. :)

I haven't been listening to books recently, I don't know why but I am stocking up audio books from my local library... hoping the desire will return soon.

On my iPad: Can I say this... I LOVE reading on my iPad! I just love it.

I'm reading The Replacement Wife this week. There's something about Eileen Goudge's writing that fits me. This book covers a dark subject, I expect to shed a few tears while reading this one.

Synopsis: Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? Would you believe me if I told you that I don't have much going on this week (other than work and running)? A friend and I will try to see a movie... that's about it. I'm also working on a decorating/organization project...

Life: Pinterest & me

2012-01-20T07:52:00.005-06:00

Dear friend,

In a weak moment, I asked you to send me an invitation to this 'by invite only' website... let me say, it's a life changer. Okay this is an exaggeration but it's safe to say it's a great way to start my day.

Pinterest let's me explore my love for decorating, spending 15-20 minutes each morning sipping a cup a tea, pinning ideas to my inspiration boards.

It's fun finding ideas but more importantly, after only a week, I can draw conclusions about my style choices. I know that I'm not a fan of the color blue and I like order. I wonder what this says about me?

Enough rambling... why do I really love this website? I'm hoping the online inspiration boards will keep my ideas organized. And with the gift of technology, in just one click, I can refer to my ideas while shopping. Making sure I buy what I'm really looking for, helping me complete a room.

Current project: Wrapping/Craft Station
Next project: Three season porch

How do you use Pinterest? I would love to see what you're pinning... cooking, working out, fun stuff... the ideas are endless.

Click here to follow me

Review: You're (not) the One

2012-01-19T08:34:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: I was in the mood for a light/fun chic-lit novel.

Synopsis: Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities, lives by the legend of the bridge of sighs: When a woman kisses the man of her dreams under the bridge at sunset, she will be together with him forever. So eighteen-year-old Lucy seals her fate in the blush of first love with Nate.

Yet ten years later, the pair has completely lost contact-until the day Lucy arrives at Nate's luxury Manhattan apartment with paintings he has purchased from the gallery where she is newly employed. The legend has reunited the couple, and Lucy is overjoyed-until the state of their union is misery.

Type: Fiction (chic-lit)

Quick Take: This is my kind of chic-lit. It's smart, flirty, funny with a twist. I was also reminded of Getting Rid of Matthew while reading this one (the books are nothing like each other, I just mean that I had a fun experience while reading the book, the author kept my interest). Lucy and Nate fall in love (while on a trip to Italy), they kiss at just the right moment, securing their love... forever.

Trip ends, flash forward ten years... they meet again. Lucy has been waiting for Nate, Nate is married. This is a fun story about what happens next.

Think back to a boy you dated or had a crush on in high school. Would you still have a crush today? Would things you adored then still be adorable today? How far would you go to break a spell (the kiss at the perfect moment)?

Chic-lit fans: I loved this book. All I can say is... read it.

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Review Copy (NetGalley)

Life: a week in Paris

2012-01-17T23:11:00.014-06:00

I'm back from Paris, busy re-entering life while I wait for the world traveler to invite me somewhere else. I'm a patient gal... and he did mention South Africa again, just last night. :)

I had a wonderful week exploring all the must see sights in Paris (listed below), I ran everyday, read several books, enjoyed eating anything & everything, and didn't sleep much. Imagine having a banana crepe for breakfast every morning (YUM)... perfect, right?

On the flight there I read a book titled, Paris, My Sweet.

Synopsis: It explores how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a salted caramel souffle's rise, as intensely satisfying as molten chocolate cake, and about how the life you're meant to live doesn't always taste like the one you envisioned. Part love letter to Paris, part love letter to New York, and total devotion to all things sweet, PARIS, MY SWEET is a treasure.

This book motivated me to visit chocolate and macaron shoppes. There's a page listing all of the shoppes to visit, complete with addresses, at the back of the novel. This was of great help... while trying to communicate with non-english speaking cabbies. HA!

Here's what we did in four days:

Notre dame: This is a must see, with gargoyles staring at you from every direction, beautiful windows and the peace you feel upon walking in the door.

This was our first stop after getting settled and taking a nap.

Notre Dame is the center of Paris. It sits on an island on the Seine River, with the first stone placed in 1163.

Arc de Triomphe: In a straight line you travel from Notre Dame, to the Louvre, Champs-Elsyees (shopping) to the Arc de Triomphe. Napoleon commissioned this monument in 1806, visitors can climb to the top to see a splendid view of the city.

After I finished my climb, I was approached my a twenty something man who asked me to dance and tried to kiss me!

Eiffel Tower: A photo doesn't convey the feeling you get when you see the tower for the first time, it's massive.

Built for the 1889 World's Fair. I climbed to the top (about 890 steps), then rode the lift to the very top. click here for an virtual view

Louvre: I can't explain how big the Louvre is, it might be a half mile long! When we turned into the room that is home to the Mona Lisa, live music was being performed. What an experience!

Built in the 12th century as a fortress, many Kings, Emperors & Presidents have added extensions & embellishments. The Louvre Palace houses the Louvre Museum since 1793.

Versailles: Just 20km outside of Paris, Versailles' the name of a village and a palace. Louis XIV moved the Palace from Paris (the Louvre) to Versailles.

Marie-Antoinette and Versailles go hand in hand. It's an over embellished yet tranquil place, with mythological paintings throughout, and magnificent gardens.

Montmarte: I loved the feel of this neighborhood! The streets are lined with fruit vendors and it feels like a neighborhood you want to live in. The windmill in lights helped us locate the Moulin Rouge, which is about half way up the hill.

Keep following the winding road up the steep hill you will land at the famous Basilique du Sacre Coeur. You can see the Basilica from Paris, it's an amazing structure.

Jim Morrison's grave: I'm not a Doors fan but while in Paris... I had to take time to visit Morrison's grave.

Have you watched the movie? It's so good. The cemetery feels crowded with massive structures/headstones. His gravestone is fairly small, and behind a massive one... there were people crying when I finally found it.

Battle of the Macaron: Pierre Herme vs LaDuree. Reading Paris, my Sweet I discovered the lore of the macaron.

LaDuree was founded in 1862. Pierre Herme was a master chef until opening his own chocolate shoppe in 1994. He is known as the Picasso of Pastry.

I bought a dozen macarons from each store, we are going to have a taste off tonight. I wonder who's we will like more.

Random observations: I hate to share some no so happy things but I was so surprised by a few that I'm wondering if anyone experienced what I did.

The French really do not speak English: I'm still shocked by this since it is a tourist city. Try asking someone what type of salad dressings they have... or communicate with a taxi driver. We learned to write everything down, in french.
No smiling please: People do not smile or make eye contact in Paris.
No service: It's true, do not expect service while dining.
Homeless: I hate to even share this but I was shocked by the homeless population in Paris. We even saw people sleeping on the sidewalks, heartbreaking.
Smoking: ICK! The sidewalks are covering with cigarette butts, you can hardly avoid the smell.
Dirty streets: I haven't been to a city with trash on the streets/sidewalks in years. NYC is SO clean!
Pick pockets: You can't miss the 'beware of pickpocket' signs (they're everywhere, even in Notre Dame)
No 'coffee to go': This must be an American/Canadian thing. Without visiting a Starbucks... I wasn't able to get a latte to go. Something I desperately wanted for my morning strolls.
Very little nature: It took me a few days to realize what felt off, while the streets are lined with trees... in January it's basically colorless. Don't get me wrong... it's a beautiful city, rich in history and architecture. It's just not very colorful in January. I bet it's amazing in Spring.

Conclusion.... I loved the idea of little squares of shoppes in one central location (several streets meeting, creating a square of sorts). The architecture is stunning, absolutely stunning. Many of the streets are cobblestone, some are narrow and winding letting you imagine life 500 years old.

I LOVED Madeleine (it's a neighborhood), you must have lunch there, then visit LuDuree and Maille. Don't forget to pick up some Chocolate Chaud, delicious. I know exactly where I want to stay on my next visit.

Now it's time to unpack and start ~~planning~~ dreaming up my next international adventure.

Review: The Ruins of Us

2012-01-17T08:15:00.004-06:00

Why I picked it: I love literary fiction, it's my favorite genre. I also really enjoy novels set in the Middle East and India, the complexities of living in these countries read like another character in a novel for me.

Synopsis: An emotionally resonant story of an American expatriate who discovers that her husband, a Saudi billionaire, has taken a second bride—an emotionally turbulent revelation that blinds them both to their teenaged son's ominous first steps down the road of radicalization. A story of love and betrayal, fundamentalism, family and country in the Middle East.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: I loved the book and since I hadn't read anything worthy of 5 stars in months... I'm happy to say the drought is over!

The synopsis doesn't due justice for this book. It's a complicated tale of Rosalie's life, her decision to marry a Saudi Arabian business man, moving from the US to Saudi Arabia to raise a family in a different culture than how she was raised.

Rosalie lives a blessed life to a billionaire, with two children and a marriage that's comfortable. Life is no longer exciting, but this all changes the day she goes shopping for a gift for her daughter. The store owner asks her how she enjoyed a recent gift purchased by her husband.

Told from different perspectives, the story unfolds letting the reader learn more about the culture, social issues, beliefs and the struggle to find balance/peace.

I don't want to share too much of the plot but I would love to read this for book club and discuss it. If only I could pick every book we read!

Rating: 5 stars
Country: Saudi Arabia
Source: NetGalley

CHECKpoint! Jan 17

2012-01-16T20:31:00.001-06:00

I'm back! We had a wonderful time in Paris but more on that in a separate post. :)

Let's just say I paused on fitness and enjoyed all that Paris had to offer last week. Now that I'm back home and have recovered from the holiday's... it's time to focus on getting in the right distances or I will struggle on March 24th.

Race day is 9 weeks away.
Consecutive days running: 18 (79 miles)

My Checkpoint! for the week:

Fitness challenges/goals:
- Get back to gym (3-5 times a week)
- Run EVERY day in 2012 (366 days)
- 100 consecutive pushups (prep for Tough Mudder)

Events:
- NJ Ultra March 24
- PA Tough Mudder May 12

Accountability:
- Last week: 30 miles last week with only a 6 mile long run (a 12 was on my calendar)... I did terrible on my training and need to make up for it this week. I'm starting to feel unprepared so I need step it up.
- Stretching: It's a must these days but I can always do more.
- Nutrition: Within an hour of returning form vacation, I was at the grocery store picking up a few things to start recovering from my enjoyment in Paris.

This week:
- Pushup goal of 100: I need to continue working on my strength and will start lifting again
- Ultra training distances: 3, 4, 6, 8, 12

How was your fitness last week? Do you have any events coming up?

This is a weekly post through the Tough Mudder in May. Leave a comment with an update on your week or leave your blog/post link below. I will cheer you on!

Paris!

2012-01-13T16:52:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post today.. Well it's almost midnight for me since I'm in France!

We are having a wonderful time and in Mari fashion... I have us on the move. We have climbed and visited monuments, toured the Louvre and treated ourselves to crepes.

Please leave a comment if you have been to Paris and have any 'must see' places/restaurants for us to visit.

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend? Tomorrow morning I have a long run planned, which includes running around the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. Then a day at Versailles.

I will be back next Tuesday with a post about my trip. There are some interesting things to share!

Review: The Language of Flowers

2012-01-10T21:35:00.001-06:00

Why I picked it: After reading so many wonderful reviews, I just had to read it.

Have you watched the book trailer for this novel? I watched it before reading the book, which made me want to read it even more! What is it like to try to love, if you've never been loved yourself? This is the question the author tries to answer.

Synopsis: The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: I have read so many great review for this book... I enjoyed it but it did have it's slow moments. I listened to this one and am left wondering if I would have the same reaction if I read it.

That said, it's a lovely story that leaves the reader both comforted and restless at the conclusion of the book. It wraps up neatly at the end, something I wish didn't happen even though Victoria deserves this ending.

I thought it might be fun to answer a few of the discussion questions from the back of the book, if you have read this one... feel free to share your opinions. I didn't spoil anything with my answers (if you haven't read it yet).

Three discussion questions from the back of the book:

What potential do Elizabeth, Renata, and Grant see in Victoria that she has a hard time seeing in herself? Victoria is extremely hard on herself, reading this book I often felt she didn't feel she deserved to be loved or part of a family. The walls were up.

At one point her social worker has Victoria move into an apartment, with rules and a timeline to accomplish a few things. Victoria struggles in this situation. It was an emotional part of the story.

Life begins to have a purpose when Renata asks for help at the flower market. This gives Victoria an opportunity to make a little money... and be surrounded by a world of flowers which is comforting to her.

Elizabeth, Renata and Grant see a broken person who needs to be loved and is gifted with flowers. Seeing how she cares for them tells the true story. She is a woman capable of love and generosity.

One of the major themes in The Language of Flowers is forgiveness and second chances – do you think Victoria deserves one after the things she did (both as a child and as an adult)? Almost everyone deserves a second chance, if they own up to mistakes and acknowledge/ask for forgiveness. Easier said than done, right?

Victoria is broken but on her way to becoming a strong woman. I wonder what her life is like ten years in the future.

At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows without roots. What does this mean, and why is it such a revelation for her? This metaphor is important. Victoria may not have a conventional family but she has a network of people who want to love her, support her and be with her. Her revelation... once she realizes she is loved and decides to be loved, she finds peace in knowing that she has a family.

Family are the people who actively participate in your life, support you, are there for you in good times and bad times. Sharing a blood line isn't the only factor and sometimes this isn't even relevant.

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Library (audio)

CHECKpoint! Jan 10

2012-01-09T20:18:00.000-06:00

It was an amazing weekend in northern NJ, with temperatures close to 60 degrees on Saturday. A perfect day for a long run, wearing shorts and a t-shirt!

The trail was busier than I have ever seen it, mountain bikers at every turn... all this traffic made for a messy/muddy run. I lost my footing several times and wiped out once, running the last four miles covered in mud. Thank goodness I walked away with only a few scrapes and my left thigh is bruised.

This weekend I will be running my long run... wait for it... in Paris!

My Checkpoint! for the week:

Fitness challenges:
- Get back to gym (3-5 times a week)
- Run EVERY day in 2012 (366 days)
- 100 consecutive pushups (prep for Tough Mudder)

Events:
- NJ Ultra March 24
- PA Tough Mudder May 12

Accountability:
- Last week: Big mileage jump this week, 31 miles!
- Stretching: It's a must these days but I can always do more.
- Nutrition: After cleaning out the pantry, throwing away every temptation, you won't find anything unhealthy here. I rely on protein shakes and naked juice for nutrition... they are my go-to foods.

This week:
- Pushup goal of 100: I can do 31 consecutive push ups, up 5 from last week.
- Ultra training distances: 3, 4, 6, 8, 12

How was your fitness last week? Do you have any events coming up?

This is a weekly post through the Tough Mudder in May. Leave a comment with an update on your week or leave your blog/post link below. I will cheer you on!

It's Monday!

2012-01-07T16:38:00.000-06:00

(photo from
MarthaStewart.com)

Washington Valley: This was the first weekend since October that we weren't hosting a party, going to a party or entertaining out-of-towner's.... whew!

As mentioned in the post just below this one, I spent the weekend getting organized (and I ran 20 miles... but more on that tomorrow). I reorganized the laundry room and cleaned out the bonus room. Now it's time to come up with a theme for the bonus room... and start decorating. I'm interested in making a wrapping/shipping station, a place to store wrapping paper, boxes and more. Don't you love this twine organizer?!

After about five hours of work I brought my husband to the room to show off my work, he was so happy and responded with 'I think I will use that table to rebuild my airplane'. ummm... he must not have read my post (HA).

I will continue with my decorating/organizing up there... how long can it take to rebuild an airplane?

Let's talk books!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): Last week I finished The Odds: a love story. It's the kind of story that sits with you... sad yet hopeful.

A Real Book: I'm reading The World We Found (Umrigar). I'm about 100 pages in and while I'm trying to read this one slowly, I am going on vacation on Wednesday and would like to finish it before my flight.

As university students in late 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable. Spirited and unconventional, they challenged authority and fought for a better world. But much has changed over the past thirty years. Following different paths, the quartet drifted apart, the day-to-day demands of work and family tempering the revolutionary fervor they once shared.

Then comes devastating news: Armaiti, who moved to America, is gravely ill and wants to see the old friends she left behind. In the course of their journey to reconnect they must confront the truths of their lives—acknowledge long-held regrets, face painful secrets and hidden desires, and reconcile their idealistic past and their compromised present.

Listening to: I haven't had much time to listen to books recently. Last year I enjoyed listening to books while running, this year I'm not interested. So my listening has dropped significantly. I'm listening to The Story of Beautiful Girl, I'm a third done (enjoying it very much). I will have plenty of time to finish this book this week.

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? We have company arriving Monday - Wednesday and Wednesday evening I'm heading to Paris!

Life: time to get organized!

2012-01-06T15:45:00.008-06:00

The holiday's are over and life is adjusting back to normal. I have been busy cleaning out drawers and closets. Getting organized.

This afternoon I'm spending the day doing loads and loads of laundry. The aftermath of holiday guests and prepping for next week's company.

Potential inspiration room!

Getting Organized: Do you get an overwhelming urge to get organized in January? I do! I recently read an article about the recommendations associated with the Chinese New Year - opening doors to let good energy into your home, clearing out the bad energy from the previous year.

With the last of the Holiday decorations down, it's time to straighten up spaces in my home that have been neglected since early fall.

I recently added The Inspired Room to my reader, I love seeing her collection of articles and photo's. She's done the hard work for me, I could spend hours clicking from her blog... click here to see 12 creative rooms for organization.

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Laundry Room: Mine has been taken over by Lily (the dog). It's not a big room to begin with and after putting an extra large kennel in there... I have lost my space. This weekend I'm planning to reorganize, making room to fold clothes without carrying a hamper to another room.

While looking for inspiration I had an epiphany... the cupboards above my washer/dryer are empty.

So I have a plan. It involves a trip to Home Depot but this weekend I will get this organized.

Inspiration for bonus room!

Bonus Room: Do you have one of these 'odd' rooms? It's a finished space above the garage, it's cold, big and where I ~~toss~~ store anything and everything that I don't care to look at. I'm going to make part of it Christmas storage. I'm also interested in making a craft area up there.

I'm not a crafter but I would like to keep gift wrap, mailing stuff, etc... in one place. This seems like a great solution, one that will keep me organized!

How do you keep your family organized?

Review: Carrie goes Off the Map

2012-01-05T05:57:00.000-06:00

Why I picked it: I requested this one from NetGalley after seeing Staci mention it on her blog. Click here to read her review.

Synopsis: Carrie Brownhill, recently dumped by her fiance, is determined to get away from men forever. Yet she finds herself stuck in a VW camper van careening through the English countryside with the intriguing Matt Landor, MD, and he seems to be just what the doctor ordered for a broken heart...

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Where to start.... I didn't love this one but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it.

Let me explain, I don't read much of this genre and yet I decided to read two books back to back. This was the second one. I loved the first read which probably lifted my expectations.

This novels starts with a bang, I was hooked. But by the time the RV trip happens... I found myself not caring much.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Source: NetGalley

Review: After the Party

2012-01-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

Why I picked it: I bought this novel, to read while traveling for work after reading Shellyrae's review (on Book'd Out).

I love dark/twisty novels that could happen.

Synopsis: Eleven years ago, Jem and Ralph fell deeply in love. They thought it would be forever, that they’d found their happy ending. As everyone agreed, they were the perfect couple. Then two became four, and an apartment became a house. Romantic nights out became sleepless nights in. And they soon found that life wasn’t quite so simple anymore. But through it all, Jem and Ralph still loved each other. Of course they did.

Now Jem is back at work part-time as a talent agent. Ralph, a successful painter, is struggling to come up with new, hopefully groundbreaking, work for his upcoming show. But the unimaginable has happened. Two people who were so right together are starting to drift apart And in the chaos of family life, Jem feels like she’s losing herself, while Ralph, stuck on the sidelines, feels like he’s lost his muse altogether. Something has to change. As they try to find a way back to each other, back to what they once had, they both become momentarily distracted—but maybe it’s not too late to recapture happily ever after…

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: I really enjoyed this book, loved the writing style and the vocabulary was brilliant. I haven't read Ralph's Party but didn't feel this was necessary, I do however plan to read it... I adored the author's writing and hope to read more of it with Ralph's Party.

Back to After the Party... as I read this novel it felt like I was invading Jem and Ralph personal space at times, kudos to the author for making me feel this way! Relationships, work, children, neglect, acceptance, love... it's all in this novel.

If you read/enjoyed Little Children you will like this novel (less the creepy felon guy). I thought it might be fun to answer a few of the discussion questions from the back of the book, if you have read this one... feel free to share your opinions.

Three discussion questions from the back of the book:

Why do you think Jem so easily agreed to Ralph's trip to California when she was already feeling overwhelmed? Jem's answer is more complicated than this but to summarize it... I felt that Jem was so exhausted (both physically and emotionally) that she didn't have the energy to say otherwise. Having Ralph leave for a week gave her time to herself... a vacation for herself (Ralph didn't help much and having him gone was a relief at times).

On the topic of infidelity, what did you think about Jem inviting Joel over for curry and beer on her last "single" evening before Ralph's return? Both Ralph and Jem have encounters while Ralph is visiting a friend but I was actually more sympathetic to Jem's situation... that doesn't mean I felt her behavior was acceptable. They both behaved poorly, longing for acceptance and looking to fill a void.

Jem and Joel's friendship was interesting and well explored. Joel's reactions were real, I liked how he was developed.

Jem and Ralph don't see eye to eye when Jem finds out she's pregnant. At first, Ralph tells Jem that it's her decision and he'll go with what she wants to do. Then he has a change of heart. Imagine you're a close friend of the couple. What would you advise? Reading this question should tell you that this book covers some tough topics. Jem is pregnant with her third child and contemplates having an abortion. I don't want to talk about what happens just in case you want to read this book, but I will say it tugs at your heart while reading the book.

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Personal Copy (Nook)

Checkpoint! Jan 3

2012-01-03T04:47:00.002-06:00

I may have lost my mind this week (thanks Sheila)... I signed up for Tough Mudder (click the link to watch a video of the event)!

So my year is starting with a bang...
- My fitness resolution is to run at least a mile a day for 366 consecutive days (it's leap year)
- March 24: New Jersey Ultra
- May 12/13: Tough Mudder

My husband was so excited when I told him I wanted to sign up, he mentioned that a few people at work ran the course a few months ago... we now have a team!

Wall of Shame: The day after I signed up for the Tough Mudder I asked my husband to install monkey bars in our basement. He and our son built 'the wall of shame'. It's a ladder going up the wall, and will have a few monkey bars across the rafters... for training. Since I have no upper body strength, this will be so helpful for my training. If I can climb this with only my arms, I should be ready.

My son's girlfriend filled the wooden boards with words of encouragement. Super Fun!

Now I'm lobbying for a rope to be installed so I can learn to rope climb. My husband is working on this request.

My Checkpoint! for the week:

Accountability:

- Last week: I had a light week, running just 18 miles. I should have run more but I choose to enjoy time with family over long runs. This week I will start ramping up my mileage.
- DailyMile December 100 mile challenge: 101 miles (woohoo)

- Stretching: better than last week! 15 - 20 minutes a night

- Nutrition: Mostly good. This week I start a hard core nutrition plan.

Fitness challenges:
- I still need to work on finding time for about 30 minutes of stretching.
- Back to gym I go! I need to build up strength for the Tough Mudder

This week:
- Run everyday with 5 days of training distances: 3, 5, 4, 10, 5
- Get to the gym at least three times for weight training (working up to 5x, plus all the running I need to do)

How was your fitness last week? Do you have any events coming up?

This is a weekly post through the Tough Mudder in May. Leave a comment with an update on your week or leave your blog/post link below. I will cheer you on!

Sign up:

It's Monday!

2012-01-01T21:51:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

I have had the most amazing two weeks. Taking time off from life to enjoy my family. During one of our day adventures we were stuck in traffic for three hours. At one point we sat for almost an hour without moving... my son jumped out of the car to buy pretzels for everyone from the street vendor. Only in NYC - HA!

Mostly we watched movies, played video games, worked out, put puzzles together, simply said we enjoyed each others company. Christmas Day was the most amazing day, my husband and son joined me on a run in the woods. Love!

Let's talk Books!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): I haven't been posting reviews but I have been reading, on my new iPad. Yep, the World Traveler bought me an iPad!

I have five reviews to write/post. I hope to post most of them in the next few weeks.

Hmmmm.... I was listening to a Slate podcast over the weekend... and heard them ask, when you listened to an audio book, did you read the book?

Another question they discussed was... how much of a book do you have to read to say you read the book? Do you have to finish a book to say you read it or can you read half of a book, stop reading and if you are able to discuss it... is that good enough?

I found the second question interesting since I 'read' a few books in 2011 that I didn't finish but feel I could participate in a book discussion. I don't count them as read though, and in GoodReads... I don't flag them at all. How do you mark books you didn't finish... for your personal record keeping?

On the iPad: I'm starting reading The Odds: a love story today. I'm just three chapters in but I'm interested!

Valentine's weekend, Art and Marion Fowler flee their Cleveland suburb for Niagara Falls, desperate to recoup their losses. Jobless, with their home approaching foreclosure and their marriage on the brink of collapse, Art and Marion liquidate their savings account and book a bridal suite at the Falls' ritziest casino for a second honeymoon. While they sight see like tourists during the day, at night they risk it all at the roulette wheel to fix their finances-and save their marriage.

Listening to: A few weeks ago I mentioned starting The Story of Beautiful Girl. I haven't had a minute to listen to a book all month, but I'm still planning to listen to this one next.

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? My family is still in town. Our time is wrapping up, I will be shedding tears soon. Then it's time to start planning for my trip to Paris... it's next week!

Life: adios 2011!

2011-12-30T07:46:00.002-06:00

Abseiling Empress Falls (Australia)

Adios 2011, bring on 2012!

2011 was both exciting and sad for me: I ran my first Ultra Marathon in January, spent three weeks in Australia, and a week in Italy. We had many visitors throughout the year, trips to the city, and dinner parties to plan. Countless evenings were spent sitting on the deck, reading a good book with a glass of wine, watching the sunset.

I don't care to remember/reflect on my fourteen day's of strike fright.

M's six year battle with Breast Cancer came to an end in February and my friend E died in September after a four year fight. They are warriors who have played a role in the person I am today. We are capable of so much more than we expect. Try harder, live harder, love harder, laugh harder.

2012 is shaping up to be a year focused on personal growth. I'm excited!

Books: I'm amazed I read over 60 books this year. That said, I haven't read a 'great' book since September. You know the type, the book you find yourself telling everyone to read. I am reading a book right now though that I believe will hold this status, The Ruins of Us. I have 100 pages left... it's wonderful.

The books I'm drawn to usually tell a compelling story while introducing me to a new part of the world or a culture I know little about. Mixing in some fun/light novels along the way and I have a good blend of reading genres.

While I can't pick one favorite book for 2011, I can narrow my list down to my top three: Jerusalem Maiden, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, and Amaryllis in Blueberry. Since I'm writing this before I finish The Ruins of Us... I can't include it but I expect it to make the list. It's my kind of book.

Revealing the list (in order of reading them):

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

Amaryllis in Blueberry
The Civilized World
The Mistress of Nothing
Jerusalem Maiden
Little Princes
Rules of Civility
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

Then there are the books I read over one weekend that I adored:

The Bungalow
The Best of Me
Here.Home.Hope

What are your favorite books read this year? Do you have a list of must reads for 2012 started?

Checkpoint!

2011-12-26T17:41:00.001-06:00

Do you believe in New Year's Resolutions? If yes, 2012 is just five days away... have you made your list?

I have signed up for the DailyMile 1,000 mile challenge. That's it... so far.

Can I start a resolution Feb 1? I am interested in trying to run 365 consecutive days but realistically... I can't do this until Feb 1 (previous commitments rule this out before the year starts).

My Checkpoint! for the week:

Accountability:
- Last week: I had a light week, running just 17 miles. I ate too many sweets and tortured myself Christmas day by getting on the scale only to discover that I didn't gain one pound (woohoo).
- DailyMile December 100 mile challenge: 87 miles
- Stretching: fair
- Nutrition: Surprisingly well considering it's Christmas week. That said, I can't wait to get all the sweets and snacks out of the house.

Fitness challenges: I need to find a way to fit in 15-30 minutes of stretching. I'm only in week two of training and my left hipflexor is extremely tight (the entire leg actually).

This week: Training officially kicks off this week. Training plan: 4, 5, 6, 8, 5

This is a weekly post through March (race day is March 24th). Leave a comment with an update on your week or leave your blog/post link below. I will cheer you on!

Sign up:

Happy Holiday's!

2011-12-23T09:03:00.001-06:00

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas everyone!

Family: Our son is home for winter break and I'm happy to say he's doing fantastic! Looks healthy (last year he came home very thin), and loves school. We are SO proud of the man he's becoming.

The World Traveler is home. My house is full!

While the World Traveler wraps up a few things at work (before taking a few days off)... I have been enjoying every single minute of time with our son. We have been shopping, to the movies, dining out, baking, cooking, prepping for Christmas Eve/Day meals...and watching more movies at the 'drive in' (the golf simulator).

He and I spent time yesterday at the bookstore... a dangerous place for both of us. Ordering a cup of tea, reading, buying...

Today I plan to wrap gifts while watching Christmas Vacation (one of my favorites), get in a run (it's 55 degrees out), take a nap and read. A perfect day!

Wish List: Having my family together for the holiday's is plenty for me but if I'm making a list... filled with things in and out of reach... here are a few things I might enjoy:

- a trip to Paris
- iPad: so I don't have to share my husband's work iPad
- new running shoes
- a new watch: I love this Omega but it's $11,000... a girl can dream!
- Lotions and potions: always a favorite gift for me!

My list tells a story, other than new running shoes... I really don't need or want anything. I'm blessed with a wonderful family, a lovely home, good health, and a life filled with adventure. My cup is overflowing.

Confession: I am going to Paris in January :)

Reading: I finished Carrie Goes Off the Map last night. Next up: The Ruins of Us. I haven't had a minute to myself so I haven't started The Story of a Beautiful Girl, this may wait until January.

I will be online over the next week, reading, commenting, sharing... but I'm not sure if I will post anything new. Instead, you might find me at the spa (I have a gift certificate to use)... or working on a puzzle, reading, touring ghost homes, taking a day in the city, skiing (if the temps drop), hiking, exploring, napping... simply enjoying my family.

From my family to yours, we wish you and your family a safe, joyful holiday!

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-12-20T08:15:00.005-06:00

Where are the reviews? I know, I know... but I have been reading books, blogs, and my favorite Internet sites... discovering even more books to add to my TBR pile.

A few years ago my Omaha Book Club read Getting Rid of Matthew (click here to read my review), a light/fun chic-lit title that I loved. I loved the humor. So I'm thrilled to Jane Fallon has released a new title, The Ugly Sister.

Are you an Emily Giffin fan? If yes, her next book will publish in 2012!

Lastly, I ordered a copy of Born to Run last night. Why am I just discovering this book? Maybe I will discover the secret to keeping my hips loose! I get so inspired reading running memoirs.

Do you have any books you can't wait to read?

Born to Run: An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?

Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

The Ugly Sister: When it comes to genes life's a lottery....

As Abi would be the first to know. She has spent her life in the shadow of her stunningly beautiful, glamorous older sister Cleo.

Headhunted as a model when she was sixteen, Cleo has been all but lost to Abi for the last twenty years, with only a fleeting visit or brief email to connect them. So when Abi is invited to spend the summer in Cleo's large London home with her sister's perfect family, she can't bring herself to say no. Despite serious misgivings. Maybe Cleo is finally as keen as Abi to regain the closeness they shared in their youth?

But Abi is in for a shock. Soon she is left caring for her two young, bored and very spoilt nieces and handsome, unhappy brother-in-law - while Cleo plainly has other things on her mind. As Abi moves into her sister's life, a cuckoo in the nest, she wrestles with uncomfortable feelings.

Could having beauty, wealth and fame lead to more unhappiness than not having them? Who in the family really is the ugly sister? ~ discovered on Leeswammes blog

Where we Belong: Emily Giffin fans will be excited to learn that she is publishing a new novel in 2012! My update is so fresh that I can't find a book cover! Click here to read the first chapter

First paragraph sneak peak: I know what they say about secrets. I've heard it all. That they can haunt and govern you. That they can poison relationships and divide families. That in the end, only the truth will set you free. Maybe that's the case for some secrets. But I truly believed I was the exception to such portents, and never once breathed the smallest mention of my nearly two decade long secret to anyone. Not to my closest friends in my most intoxicated moments or to my boyfriend Peter in our most intimate ones. I didn't even discuss it with my mother, the only person who was there when it all went down, almost as if we took an unspoken vow of silence, willing ourselves to let go, move on. I never forgot what happened, not for a single day, yet I was also convinced that sometimes, the past really was the past.

It's Monday!

2011-12-18T19:38:00.009-06:00

Washington Valley: Our steady stream of entertaining has come to an end. We had just one small dinner party to host and one overnight guest last week, a nice ending to a super busy month.

Go big or go home! That's what over a thousand of us did Saturday night at the Santa Pub Crawl. 'The Green' was a sea of red and white. SO much fun.
Now it's time to relax, enjoy family, run, read a book, see a movie or two, go to the spa... you get the idea. :)

Virtual Cookie Exchange: Don't forget to add a recipe to the cookie exchange! You don't have to bake (brilliant)... just share a family favorite or something you wish to bake.

CHECKpoint!

I know many of us are trying to achieve goals, from fitness to crossing off a bucket list goal. I need all the motivation/cheering I can find as I start training for another 50K and I also like being held accountable... it's easy to skip a run when your tired... so I thought it might be interesting to start a weekly meme to cheer each other on. I will post this every Monday, to check in.

Whether your goal is big or small... let's hold ourselves accountable, share our triumphs/set backs, and cheer each other on!

Running: I just signed up for a 1,000 mile challenge for 2012 (on DailyMile) and noticed there's another challenge to run 2012 miles next year. Wholly schmoley... that's a lot of miles! I will pass on 2012 miles.

DailyMile December 100 mile challenge: 68 miles this month
Weekly Mileage: 27 miles
Goals for this week:

Stretching: The extreme tightness has returned to my left leg. I dealt with this last winter and it's something I'm hoping to avoid while training for this Spring's run. I need to spend time daily with the foam roller or the next four months will be very uncomfortable.
Nutrition: Do you consider yourself nutritionally balanced? I need to refocus on aspect of life.

Leave a comment or share a link to your blog, I'll stop by to cheer you on:

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): I finished reading You're (not) the One Saturday morning. It was a light/fun read. I'm reading another chic lit novel this week which is exactly what I need.

On the iPad: I've read about 30 pages of Carrie Goes Off the Map.

Listening to: I started listening to The Story of Beautiful Girl a few days ago. Have you read it? My neighbor says it's wonderful.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? Our son comes home this week! I haven't done much shopping yet, but with all of our social engagements done I can look forward to shopping, wrapping, etc... Will you be traveling for Christmas/Hanukkah ? or entertaining? Are you ready?

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-12-15T08:39:00.001-06:00

I haven't read any of O'Nan's work but it's recommended to me over and over. Author's recommend his books all the time, I'm excited to read his new novel and am hoping to discover a new favorite author.

The bar is high and Umrigar is at the top of this list of favorite authors. I'm anxiously waiting to read her next novel which is released early 2012, choosing to wait and read it when I have time to take in every sentence. I don't want to rush through any of the titles listed below, I will savor every word.

Do you have any books you can't wait to read?

The Odds: A love story: Valentine's weekend, Art and Marion Fowler flee their Cleveland suburb for Niagara Falls, desperate to recoup their losses. Jobless, with their home approaching foreclosure and their marriage on the brink of collapse, Art and Marion liquidate their savings account and book a bridal suite at the Falls' ritziest casino for a second honeymoon. While they sight see like tourists during the day, at night they risk it all at the roulette wheel to fix their finances-and save their marriage. A tender yet honest exploration of faith, forgiveness and last chances, The Odds is a reminder that love, like life, is always a gamble.

The World We Found: As university students in late 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable. Spirited and unconventional, they challenged authority and fought for a better world. But much has changed over the past thirty years. Following different paths, the quartet drifted apart, the day-to-day demands of work and family tempering the revolutionary fervor they once shared.

Then comes devastating news: Armaiti, who moved to America, is gravely ill and wants to see the old friends she left behind. In the course of their journey to reconnect they must confront the truths of their lives—acknowledge long-held regrets, face painful secrets and hidden desires, and reconcile their idealistic past and their compromised present.

The Ruins of Us: Saudi-born author Keija Parssinen's stunning debut offers the intricate, emotionally resonant story of an American expatriate who discovers that her husband, a Saudi billionaire, has taken a second bride—an emotionally turbulent revelation that blinds them both to their teenaged son's ominous first steps down the road of radicalization.

Review: Down from Cascom Mountain

2011-12-14T14:12:00.001-06:00

Why I picked it: Staci (Life in the Thumb) sent me this book after she read it and mentioned that she thought it was a novel I would enjoy. I love it when I'm reading a book and start thinking about which friend to pass it on to. Thanks Staci!

Synopsis: In Down from Cascom Mountain, newlywed Mary Hall brings her husband to settle in the rural New Hampshire of her youth to fix up the house she grew up in and to reconnect to the land that defined her, with all its beauty and danger. But on a mountain day hike, she watches helplessly as her husband falls to his death. As she struggles with her sudden grief, in the days and months that follow, Mary finds new friendships-with Callie and Tobin, teenagers on the mountain club's crew, and with Ben, the gentle fire watchman. All are haunted by their own losses, but they find ways to restore hope in one another, holding firmly as they navigate the rugged terrain of the unknown and unknowable, and loves lost and found.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Down from Cascom Mountain starts with a bang. We quickly learn that Mary's husband has fallen to his death, what happens after ultimately a story of hope. As you turn the pages you discover that the characters in the novel are all seeking closure from the past.

Mary's father in-law caught me off guard with his forwardness, I couldn't believe some of the things he said to Mary. Yet we all know people like him. Most of the new friends that Mary makes are teens/college kids working on at the Mountain, in a camp environment. This setting worked for me.

I appreciated Mary's relationship with Ben. They helped each other heal.

Like Staci wrote in her review, 'At first glance you really don't think any of the characters have a single thing in common, but after sitting back and letting myself absorb what I read, I realized that no matter what age, sex, or life experience, grief can be a constant companion for any lost and hurting soul.' Well said!

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Personal Copy

A Virtual Cookie Exchange

2011-12-12T14:50:00.005-06:00

I have been joyfully busy this holiday season, spending time with friends, meeting for lunch, shopping, trips to the city, running, spa days, entertaining, hosting... having a wonderful time.

While I have been enjoying life, I have forgotten to bake!

We have been invited to friend's for Christmas Eve this year. I would like to bring some homemade cookies with us, I would also like to deliver some to our neighbors to celebrate the holiday's.

I need ideas - cookies, bars, any favorite treat!

When: December 12 - 20

Bloggers: Post a recipe to your blog and add your post link below.
Email readers: Please join in by simply replying with a cookie recipe. I will gather the recipes for a weekend post to share with everyone.

For those who don't like to bake, the best part is that you don't have to bake anything, just post a favorite cookie recipe. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Be sure to look at the comments, tons of recipes have posted there. ~Enjoy!

My families favorite holiday cookie: The frosted sugar cookie. The World Traveler likes them lightly sugared while our son enjoys them 'smashed' with every topping available. I pass on this cookie.

My favorite cookie: I love Biscotti, so does my family. It's also a great gift.

Confession: I've never made Biscotti before so I'm looking to Martha Stewart for help.

I will try a few different versions but... with my new found love for figs (thanks to my vacation in Australia earlier this year) I plan to try this recipe:

Holiday Fig Walnut Biscotti

Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon anise seed, chopped
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
1 cup coarsely chopped dried Calimyrna figs (6 ounces)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and anise. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until they're pale yellow and hold a ribbon for 1 second when whisk is lifted, about 5 minutes. Whisk in zest.

2.Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in figs and walnuts. Lightly spray a parchment-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Divide dough in half on parchment. Spray hands with cooking spray; form each piece of dough into a 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Bake until dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed, about 25 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let logs cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

3.Cut each log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place slices, cut side up, on sheet. Bake 7 minutes, flip biscotti, and bake 7 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enter your link below (please post the direct link to your recipe post):

It's Monday!

2011-12-11T21:05:00.002-06:00

Washington Valley: A holiday party, running, and spending the weekend with one of my closest friends made for another wonderful/busy week.

We hosted a dinner party Friday evening, then my husband flew to Green Bay first thing Saturday morning to go to the Packers game with friends. This made for a perfect weekend for one of my friends to visit, to see the house, go for a run and spend the day in city (shopping, spa... a girl's day). Perfection!

Running: Do you have any fitness goals this month as we indulge over the holiday's? I recently discovered the challenges component to DailyMile and signed up for a 100 mile challenge .

Status: 41 miles for the month.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey)

Wolf Hall: oh boy.... I'm not doing well with this read-a-long. I finished parts 1 & 2 but think I need to stop reading this book. I might pick it up and finish it later but if I'm honest... I'm not engaged and since I'm just so busy this month it's not the right time for me to attempt to read this one.

Nook: I started reading You're (not) the One earlier this week and am anxious to get back to it. It's chic-lit at it's finest and a big plot twist just happened!

Synopsis: Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities, lives by the legend of the bridge of sighs: When a woman kisses the man of her dreams under the bridge at sunset, she will be together with him forever. So eighteen-year-old Lucy seals her fate in the blush of first love with Nate.

Yet ten years later, the pair has completely lost contact-until the day Lucy arrives at Nate's luxury Manhattan apartment with paintings he has purchased from the gallery where she is newly employed. The legend has reunited the couple, and Lucy is overjoyed-until the state of their union is misery.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? It's so important to focus on today and enjoy every moment (not worrying about tomorrow), this is my mantra this month. My friend just left, my husband is traveling, we have company coming midweek for a two day visit, and are hosting a Santa Claus/Mrs Claus happy hour party next Saturday that I need to prepare for. It will be another fun week, filled with social commitments.

I'm embracing this season!

Life: a holiday party!

2011-12-11T15:11:00.009-06:00

Friday night kicked off the holiday season at our house when we hosted my husband's team dinner party. This is something he likes to do, serving a home cooked meal as a token of appreciation to his work team and their companions.

The house was decorated and ready for a celebration, the menu was created... but one thing bothered me as we prepared to host this dinner. I kept telling the World Traveler that we needed to find a way to get people to move beyond the kitchen. We needed a plan.

We accomplished this by having our guests enter our home through the front entry (modeled after this photo from Ballard Designs), walking into our entry/formal living room. The entry was decorated with over a dozen huge poinsettia's (from Costco), garland & white lights adorned the railings, with candles lit, festive music on, and a wine bar/cheese station.

Wine and Cheese course:
Brie topped with caramelized onions, cranberries and chopped pistachio's
Assorted cheese & crackers
Wine

Moving the cheese course to our living room let my husband to sneak away unnoticed. We had everything prepped ahead of time which meant I could top off glasses of wine and mingle a bit, while he finished the main course.

Main Course:

Moving from the cheese & wine station to the dinner course, we moved into the kitchen/dining room.

The tables were decorated with a casual tablescape, using the white collection from C&B. The tables looked similar to this photo, infused with white candles, green napkins and pine cones (I forgot to take a photo).

Menu:

Mixed chop salad with balsamic fig dressing

Szechuan green beans
Roasted red pepper, garlic, parmesan gnocchi
Scallops (with garlic, havarti)
Prime rib
Salmon (cooked on the grill with maple syrup and Dijon mustard seed)

Dessert

When someone offers to contribute, I rarely say no... we welcomed the gift two lovely dessert options for us to enjoy. What we didn't expect was that five of our guests brought a dessert item to share, creating a full buffet of dessert choices!

Menu:
Apple Pie
Chocolate cake with butter frosting
Italian cookies and pastries
Fruit torte
Two dozen french pastries
Puerto Rican Coconut pudding

Followed by Latte's and Espresso

Our guests left with a poinsettia and chocolate. It was a wonderful evening.

A great way to start the season!

Review: The Blue Sweater

2011-12-07T15:45:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: I saw this book at a friends house last summer. She had just returned from a conference where the author was the guest speaker. In my quest to learn how to give back, this was a great book for me to read.

Synopsis: The Blue Sweater is the inspiring story of a woman who left a career in international banking to spend her life on a quest to understand global poverty and find powerful new ways of tackling it. It all started back home in Virginia, with the blue sweater, a gift that quickly became her prized possession—until the day she outgrew it and gave it away to Goodwill. Eleven years later in Africa, she spotted a young boy wearing that very sweater, with her name still on the tag inside. That the sweater had made its trek all the way to Rwanda was ample evidence, she thought, of how we are all connected, how our actions—and inaction—touch people every day across the globe, people we may never know or meet.

She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called "patient capital" can help make people self-sufficient and can change millions of lives. More than just an autobiography or a how-to guide to addressing poverty, The Blue Sweater is a call to action that challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world.

Type: Memoir/non-fiction

Quick Take: I'm so glad I listened to this book since I may not have finished it if I was reading a paper copy. How many books have you started a book only to close it with the intention of finishing? I was expecting a heartfelt compassionate book about one woman's journey, this book is more academic... explaining the system, it's weaknesses, discovering ways to empower women and make a difference.

I do encourage everyone to read this book - it was eye opening reading how Jacqueline navigates a male dominated world, not taking no for an answer with the end goal of making the world a better place for women and children in Africa. She also deals with cultural hurdles, being a white business woman in Rwanda, and at times the women she's working with do not always agree/understand what she's trying to accomplish. Eye opening.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: personal copy (audio)
Countries: Rwanda

MMBC: January Selection

2011-12-05T21:09:00.004-06:00

Can you believe the Manic Mommies Book Club has read 35 novels over the past three years?

I recently discovered the stats for our discussions. About 250 people download/listen every month... I wonder who's listening!

We have discussed books with Jane Porter, Elin Hilderbrand, and Joshilyn Jackson… we’ve also talked to several debut authors over the years. Reading a range of books, from award winning titles to light summer reading, historical fiction to memoirs.

Some of you may remember the night I called in from the emergency room asking you to keep me company while my son was in surgery (an average day, right?). We also have mom’s calling in from baseball practice, while grocery shopping, and one reader listens to our chats during chemo (sniff).

Whether you participate live, while making dinner, from karate, or in the bathtub… I would like to thank all of you for making our book club a wonderful experience. As you can see, our book club holds a special place for many of us. Where else can you discuss a book with the author from the comfort of your home (in sweats), with a glass of wine?

To kick off our fourth year, we are reading/discussing a book BEFORE it’s published. What a treat!

Synopsis: Madora was seventeen, headed for trouble with drugs and men, when Willis rescued her. Fearful of the world and alienated from family and friends, she ran away with him and for five years they have lived alone, in near isolation. But after Willis kidnaps a pregnant teenager and imprisons her in a trailer behind the house, Madora is torn between her love for him and her sense of right and wrong. When a pit bull puppy named Foo brings into Madora's world another unexpected person—Django Jones, a brilliant but troubled twelve-year-old boy—she's forced to face the truth of what her life has become.

An intensely emotional and provocative story, Little Girl Gone explores the secret hopes and fears that drive good people to do dangerous things . . . and the courage it takes to make things right.

Who: Anyone can participate
When: January 18th at 8PM EST
Call in details: 724-444-7444, Call id: 90383#, Pin: 1#

Giveaway: To enter this month’s 24 book giveaway, send me an e-mail, putting ‘Little Girl Gone’ in the subject line. Please include your shipping address in the body of your message.

Note: comments are not considered entries

Winners will be selected at random on Sunday evening, December 11th

It's Monday!

2011-12-04T21:29:00.007-06:00

Washington Valley: Christmas arrived this weekend! The tree is up, banisters are wrapped in garland and lights, and the old world Santa's are on display. I love Christmas, everything about it.

Friday night we are hosting my husband's holiday party (yep... we entertain... a lot), serving a sit down meal that's made from scratch.

You might be asking yourself... why? My husband and his team travel sixty - seventy percent of the year, eating out all the time. So... this evening is carefully planned, a special night for the team and their companions/spouses who make all this travel possible.

I'm waiting for the final headcount so I can pick a theme and create our tablescape (about 25). I also need to pick up the gifts for our guests, create the menu, buy the food, prep the food, stage the evening... I REALLY want to get everyone out of my kitchen! Why do we all stand in one room when there's so much more to enjoy? Did you notice I didn't say cook the meal.... the World Traveler will handle meal creation.

Did I mention that I have company coming Thursday for a girl's weekend?

Let's talk books!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): I was traveling for work last week, spending 12+ hours a day in training/dinner events. So I decided to read escapism, I needed a mental break. I read After the Party - I like to call this genre reality fiction rather than chic-lit. It's a sad love story about a couple dealing with some major challenges. It was exactly what I needed.

Purge: I put this down while I was traveling since I knew I wouldn't have the mental space for this book. I'm 60 pages in, loving it so far.

Wolf Hall read-a-long: I'm behind but hope to catch up early this week. Thank goodness for audio!

Do you have any exciting plans this week? Are you ready for your holiday celebration?

October/November Recap

2011-12-04T09:41:00.004-06:00

Highlights: I didn't post an October recap due to the chaos of the snowstorm/power outage which quickly moved into a month of company, running, traveling and holiday's.

October started with a visit home to see family, then The World Traveler left for the month (traveling the world for work) which gave me a month home alone to focus on a few decorating projects. I painted two bedrooms, decided to run another Ultra Marathon, and found a home for most of Frank & Barbara's stuff.... I was super busy! Let's not forget the welcome home party for my husband, which was just one day before the snowstorm.

November kicked off with our son's birthday, taking time to explore my surroundings with friends (day trips to New Hope/Lambertville, NYC, dining at several local restaurants, etc..). The back half of the month was filled with preparing to Thanksgiving, next weekend's holiday party and a steady stream of visitors planned in December.

Running: 70 miles in October, 100 miles in November

Let's talk books!

October Reviews: Between traveling and my husband being gone most of the month, I was able to read more than normal in October.

After getting my son's room ready for his visit, it has quickly become one of my favorite rooms in our home. I curled up with a blanket and latte, reading The Best of Me in two days. Bliss

The Best of Me - 4 stars (loved this one)
Good to a Fault - 4 stars
The Orphan Sister - 3 stars (MMBC selection)
The Marriage Plot - 4 stars (book club pick)
Outlander - (audio, DNF)
Maine - 3 stars (audio)

November Reviews: I adored The Bungalow, reading is in two sittings. I also loved The Dressmaker (which not released until Feb 2012).

The Bungalow - 5 stars
The Language of Flowers - 3 stars (audio)
The Dressmaker - 4 stars

Conquering my TBR pile: In my September recap post I mentioned that there are three titles I planned to read in October. I'm happy to report that they will be conquered soon:
Good to a Fault - read/reviewed in October
Down from Cascom Mountain - read in November
Purge - reading now

Review: Outlander

2011-12-01T11:17:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: I have been warned, really, that this is not a book for me. Many of my friends have told me not to read it. But when I read Kristi's review (Peetswea) mentioning that it's her favorite novel read this year, I wanted to try it.

Synopsis: The year is 1945. Claire Randall is traveling with her husband when she touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is hurled back in time to a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord 1743. Catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, she soon realizes that an alliance with James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, might be the only way to survive. Thus begins a work of unrivaled storytelling that has become a modern classic.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Sorry Cheryl, Nancy, Kristi and others who were so excited for me...I didn't finish this one. I listened to more than half of the novel before skipping 13 CD's and jumping to the last two so I could hear the ending. Guess what? I didn't feel like I missed anything in the plot, it just picked right up with James suffering another beating, her tending to him and him finally disappearing.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if the story was half the length, sometimes I would listen of two hours without any plot movement.

Did you know the target audience is 16-18 years old?

Have you read it? So many people love this book, please tell me what I missed.

Rating: n/a
Country: Scotland/British Isles
Source: Library (audio)

Review: The Bungalow

2011-11-29T21:19:00.004-06:00

Why I picked it: I read The Violets of March earlier this year and since I loved the writing style and storytelling... I had to read The Bungalow.

The Manic Mommies Book Club read and discussed The Violets of March with Sarah Jio last summer. Click here to listen/download our discussion.

Synopsis: In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.

A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

Type: Historical Fiction

Quick Take: I'm so happy that I was sick last weekend... creating time to read this novel in two days. I was completely absorbed in Anne's story. It's a love story at it's core but it's also a reminder of the sacrifices many made during WWII.

Jio's storytelling is brilliant, it felt like I was in Bora Bora watching lives change. Friendships are tested, love is found and lost (sometimes by death) and there is plenty of heartbreak. Ultimately this is a story of love and perseverance in tough times. There's so much I want to share... but I don't want to ruin the story. Let me just say that I couldn't put this book down.

Read it!

Rating: 5/5 stars
Country: Tahiti (Bora-Bora)
Source: NetGalley

It's Monday!

2011-11-27T16:45:00.002-06:00

Washington Valley: We had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Thanksgiving was a big success, everyone enjoyed themselves, staying much later than we thought they would stay. This is good news - our friends are getting to know each other, we are becoming family to one another.

The rest of the weekend... I finished a book, read another and started a third. Running, shopping, and movie watching made for a wonderful weekend. Friday we surveyed the storm damage to our property - we lost a HUGE tree that actually split down the middle, falling in two directions. We also saw bear scant just 15-20 feet from our driveway. They are close!

Running: My favorite trail is finally cleared from last months snowstorm. I don't officially start training for the Ultra for two weeks but I have been trying to get in as much mileage as possible. Running 3-4 miles every day through a terrible cold... I'm happy to say I will achieve a 100 miles if I get in a five mile run tomorrow before leaving on a business trip.

Mileage: 27 miles last week - 95 miles in November.

In the news... 100-year-old smashes world record for the oldest marathon runner as he completes Toronto race in 8H25M. Incredible, running 10 miles every day... now that's inspiring!

Let's talk books!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): I finished listening to The Language of Flowers, read Down from Cascom Mountain in two sittings, and started Purge over the weekend. I also started listening to Wolf Hall, I plan to read it rather than listen but it's a nice way to get a jump start.

Purge: I have owned a copy of this book for a few years, this book is one of my three must reads for 2011.

Synopsis: Purge is a breathtakingly suspenseful tale of two women dogged by their own shameful pasts and the dark, unspoken history that binds them.

When Aliide Truu, an older woman living alone in the Estonian countryside, finds a disheveled girl huddled in her front yard, she suppresses her misgivings and offers her shelter. Zara is a young sex-trafficking victim on the run from her captors, but a photo she carries with her soon makes it clear that her arrival at Aliide’s home is no coincidence. Survivors both, Aliide and Zara engage in a complex arithmetic of suspicion and revelation to distill each other’s motives; gradually, their stories emerge, the culmination of a tragic family drama of rivalry, lust, and loss that played out during the worst years of Estonia’s Soviet occupation.

Purge is a fiercely compelling and damning novel about the corrosive effects of shame, and of life in a time and place where to survive is to be implicated.

Next up... Rain: The author sent me a copy after reading my comment on Book'd Out. I will bring this book with me on a business trip this week.

Synopsis: Set in provincial Australia in the early sixties, Rain is a multigenerational family saga that chronicles the lives of three generations of the Wallin sawmilling dynasty. It explores the often difficult but enduring ties between mothers and daughters, men and women: the sacrifices, compromises, and patterns of emotion that repeat themselves through generations.

In a journey that spans four decades and crosses the globe, Rain is an epic tale of the choices and consequences that comprise one family’s history. By turn dark and amusing, Rain delivers an emotionally charged revelation about love, loss, guilt, self-discovery and redemption. The enduring question of family bonds—escapable or not, divides, conquers, and triumphs.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? I am traveling for work most of the week for a training convention, with day and evening activities planned. I'm excited to meet several people I work with from all around the globe, for years.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T10:18:00.006-06:00

It's Thanksgiving in America and tomorrow officially kicks off the holiday season.

When our son was a young boy we would spend the day traveling to family for an uneventful/quiet day with good food, returning home to watch a Christmas themed movie. Our son would beg to put the tree up, we did this every year (until he went to college).

This year we are excited to host a feast for our friends. It will be a casual day filled with football and a good meal. I've had fun putting the tablescape together, using our everyday white dishes but I did purchase the passion flower salad plate (photo below) from Crate and Barrel to add a punch of color to the table.

Have a safe, wonderful day. Eat too much, take a nap and for those of you who shop on Friday - good luck!

This holiday has provided some memorable moments for our family. I will leave you with a few, hoping I can do them justice. If you laugh/cringe, I did my job:

Oops! I will never live down the year I forgot to put sugar in pumpkin pie.

Not so favorite dish: My husband's mom made his favorite dish every year. Unfortunately it was actually his least liked dish. I never saw ANYONE take a bite of this concoction but we always brought some home.

Traditions: This vegetarian is in charge of making the turkey gravy. I always get a kick out of this since I can't taste it for flavor.

Most unexpected meal: Shortly after moving we were invited to spend the day with new friends. Self proclaimed 'fantastic cooks' we were more than surprised to see gravy from a jar, just add water stuffing from a box, canned yams in juice. Did I mention that the turkey was under cooked after six hours in the oven?

My poor husband went home hungry.

Nothing lives up to the Omaha stories:

A drunken day: The 'we drank too much' ~~day~~ years. It's safe to say, the Thanksgivings spent with our Omaha friends were all a disaster. Our first holiday with this group was insane. One couple brought a case of wine, placing ten open bottles of wine on the dinner table. A bottle per person! My husband and I gracefully exited as early as we could (after helping clean up of course).

Wednesday night: It's annual pie making night, same house every year. Ordering pizza, catching up with friends, watching our hostess make pie.

I was so excited the first year - spending the night with an Omaha Martha Stewart! Confession: I make pumpkin pie (organic) from a can with store bought wheat free crust.

Every year she makes about a dozen pies... that's a pie per person. Opening canned fruit filling and pouring it in a crust... or whipping up instant pudding, pouring it in a pie crust and declaring it DONE! Don't get me wrong, this is all good - it's just the idea of a pie per person and the craziness of the evening makes me chuckle.

It was so sweet to watch her make all these pies, working until well past midnight. I never asked her why she didn't make pumpkin pie.

Mine is better: I make the BEST sweet potato pie - people ask for it every year. They talk about it during the year. I'm never surprised when I'm asked to bring this dish. My secret? I use organic garnet yams, cooking them the day before.

Have you ever had three versions of the same dish on the table? One year the hostess asked me to bring sweet potato pie. Two other women demanded they bring the same dish (claiming they make the best SPP). Each bringing enough to feed twelve people.

We spent just a few holiday's with the Omaha group before opting for a quiet meal at home, watching football, movies, no drama. Bliss!

Review: Deep Down True

2011-11-21T18:12:00.004-06:00

Why I picked it: Manic Mommies Book Club (August 2011)

Synopsis: Newly divorced Dana Stellgarten has always been unfailingly nice—even to telemarketers—but now her temper is wearing thin. Money is tight, her kids are reeling from their dad's departure, and her Goth teenage niece has just landed on her doorstep. As she enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn't end in middle school…and that sometimes it takes a real friend to help you embrace adulthood in all its flawed complexity.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: At the surface, Deep Down True is a story about a woman navigating divorce and rebuilding her life but you quickly learn this novel is about so much more.

Dana is juggling all aspects of life. from finding a meaningful job, discovering who her real friends are, connecting with family, and learning how to co-parent with her ex-husband. Mix in learning to date, a niece who comes to stay and a few bumps along the way... this book makes for a good book club discussion. Everyone will connect to at least one part of the story.

Click here to listen to our lively discussion with author Juliette Fay.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Source: Personal Copy (Audio, iTunes)

It's Monday!

2011-11-20T15:04:00.000-06:00

Washington Valley: It's cold & flu season. My husband gets sick throughout the year since he's exposed to so many germs. I can't explain it but with all the bugs he brings home, I tend not to get sick. I like to think it's because I focus on healthy eating, working out, sleeping eight plus hours a night. :)

Well... my house has been hit, forcing us to slow down this weekend.

I hope we are healthy in time for Thanksgiving!

Running: 29 miles this week

Let's talk books!

MMBC: Wednesday evening we discussed The Orphan Sister with Gwendolen Gross. If you would like to listen to our discussion, you can download the audio on iTunes, or click here to listen.

Wolf Hall Read-a-long: I bought a copy of Wolf Hall the day it was released with the intention of reading it while I traveled to Napa for the Manic Mommies Escape (2009). I read just twenty pages.

I have been meaning to read this book for over two years. I even own two formats, the hardcover and an unabridged audio copy.

Just last week I was going to ask if anyone wanted to read this with me, then I found a read-a-long for this novel. I signed up immediately. Are you interested in reading this book? If yes, click here for details.

Reading Schedule:
December 4: Progress post for Parts 1 & 2 (pages 3 to 148)
December 11: Progress post for Parts 3 & 4 (pages 149 to 388)
December 18: Final Progress post for Parts 5 & 6 (pages 389 to 604)

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): Not feeling well allowed for plenty of time to read. I finished The Dressmaker (loved it), and read most of another novel. With the holiday week ahead of us, I expect I will find plenty of time to read/relax.

On the iPad: I'm enjoying The Bungalow. It's a quick read and the story has kept me engrossed from the first page.

Synopsis: In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.

A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

Audio: After seeing so many positive reviews for The Language of Flowers, I knew I would read/listen to this one. I'm about a third of the way through and this is another great selection.

Synopsis: The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. It's the first Thanksgiving for our friends from Germany and Australia and we hope to give them a wonderful holiday. The table is set, food purchased. Wednesday afternoon I will make pumpkin pie and put the salad together. Prepping as much as possible in advance so we can enjoy the day.

I'm looking for sidedish ideas... do you have a favorite 'must have' that I should make? Any family traditions that make the holiday special? I'm looking for ideas!

Review: The Orphan Sister

2011-11-17T09:47:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: Manic Mommies Book Club selection. I love it when listeners recommend books for us to read, it’s even better when the author is available to discuss the book with us!

This month we read an interesting novel about triplets, exploring the relationships of a set of identical twins and their triplet sister who shared a womb. I always read/hear about twins and their connections but have never thought about how might this be different for the triplet who doesn’t share the ‘identical’ label.

Synopsis: Clementine Lord is not an orphan. She just feels like one sometimes. One of triplets, a quirk of nature left her the odd one out. Odette and Olivia are identical; Clementine is a singleton. Biologically speaking, she came from her own egg. Practically speaking, she never quite left it. Then Clementine’s father—a pediatric neurologist who is an expert on children’s brains, but clueless when it comes to his own daughters—disappears, and his choices, both past and present, force the family dynamics to change at last. As the three sisters struggle to make sense of it, their mother must emerge from the greenhouse and leave the flowers that have long been the focus of her warmth and nurturing.

For Clementine, the next step means retracing the winding route that led her to this very moment: to understand her father’s betrayal, the tragedy of her first lost love, her family’s divisions, and her best friend Eli’s sudden romantic interest. Most of all, she may finally have found the voice with which to share the inside story of being the odd sister out. . . .

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: We had a wonderful discussion with author Gwendolen Gross last night. Not having sisters I tend to overlook the theme of sisterhood. I don't do this intentionally, instead I connect to other elements in novels... so it was nice exploring sisterhood and triplet sisters on the call.

At the core, the novel explores the need for pairing. The longing we have to be a couple, through friendships, relationships, siblings, or marriage. We follow Clementine through her life journey (into her late twenties) as she longs to find her pair. Although she has a strong connection to her sisters she tends to feel like an extra at times, her sisters are identical twins who's lives haven't diverted from plan. Clementine's journey has taken a few course corrections but she's finding her way.

Mix in a missing father, postpartum, animal rescue and more... this makes for a wonderful book discussion.

If you enjoy Barbara Delinsky, Jodi Picoult novels you will enjoy The Orphan Sister.

Gwendolen's Book Recommendations:
500 Acres and No Where to Hide (McCorkendale)
Alice Bliss(Harrington)
The Highest Tide (Lynch)

Click the green button to listen from here, the discussion lasts 46 minutes. It's also available on iTunes (search Manic Mommies Book Club) or click here to download/listen.

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Personal Copy (Nook)

Review: Maine

2011-11-15T00:14:00.012-06:00

Why I picked it: I had to read what all the fuss was about.

Synopsis: For the Kellehers, Maine is a place where children run in packs, showers are taken outdoors, and old Irish songs are sung around a piano. Their beachfront property, won on a barroom bet after the war, sits on three acres of sand and pine nestled between stretches of rocky coast, with one tree bearing the initials “A.H.” At the cottage, built by Kelleher hands, cocktail hour follows morning mass, nosy grandchildren snoop in drawers, and decades-old grudges simmer beneath the surface.

As three generations of Kelleher women descend on the property one summer, each brings her own hopes and fears. Maggie is thirty-two and pregnant, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her imperfect boyfriend the news; Ann Marie, a Kelleher by marriage, is channeling her domestic frustration into a dollhouse obsession and an ill-advised crush; Kathleen, the black sheep, never wanted to set foot in the cottage again; and Alice, the matriarch at the center of it all, would trade every floorboard for a chance to undo the events of one night, long ago.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: While reading this book I kept thinking about a Haigh novel that felt similar. Lot's of emotion yet moving slowly from start to finish. I know someone who was so excited to read this book, solely because the title. Maine is a secondary character at best. I wonder if she has read it...

I'm sorry to say I was left unsatisfied when I finished this one. I anticipated the ending after the big secret is revealed early in the novel, in my opinion the secret needed to slip out at the dinner table. That would have made for an interesting situation.

This is a story filled with family drama, alcoholism, and several other themes. I enjoyed the family relationships most so to explore this a bit more I thought I would answer a few of the questions listed in the discussion section:

If you had to choose one word to describe the overriding theme of Maine, what would it be? Family Loyalty. There's a lot going on in this novel, people running away from family, entitlement, a potential affair, secrets (many of them)....

What was Alice’s motivation for changing her will? Why did she wait so long to tell her family? Alice didn't understand, or didn't want to understand that her son set up the Maine calendar (staggering visits) so that she wouldn't be alone. She thought her children didn't like each other, and while it wasn't a close family, I did feel they had a connection to the Maine house and family.

Not telling her family about her plans was terrible and the easy way out. I kept waiting for this news to be shared. Keeping this a secret let her feel control and she made reference to the shock they would experience so she knew what she was doing. Alice wasn't a warm and fuzzy person.

Which of these women would you like to spend more time with? Are there any you’d never want to see again? I didn't care for Ann Marie but her story is the one that kept me reading. She felt entitled, and was a bit of a 'Debbie Downer'. She didn't like her husband much, craved order and seemed unhappy. Her doll house obsession seemed to replace life, she could control of every aspect of the doll house. She did keep the book entertaining though...

I gave my audio copy to my neighbor a few weeks ago, I can't wait to discuss this book with her. Have you read it?

Rating: 3/5 stars
Source: Library (audio)

It's Monday!

2011-11-13T17:52:00.001-06:00

Washington Valley: This might surprise you but... I'm not the best recycler. It's hard to recycle when you live with someone who doesn't believe in recycling. So, I try but I can do better.

So one of my solutions is to try to never bring a plastic bag into the house. My car is usually loaded with cloth bags but this weekend I didn't have one bag with me when I went grocery shopping.

I always let my fruit and veggies roll freely on the conveyor belt and am worried the cashier will wrap my eggs in a plastic bag before placing them into my cloth bag. So when the cashier asked "paper or plastic" I requested paper and explained that I didn't want any plastic. Why do I feel guilty for not accepting plastic? I had a store manager give me an earful once (hello Omaha!), telling me that paper bags cost more than plastic and if he could he wouldn't have paper bags available for shoppers.

Back to my story. Imagine my horror to see the bag boy put my groceries in paper, then placing the paper bag into a plastic bag! I gently reminded him that I didn't want plastic. His reply, "most people want plastic around the paper bag". I bit my tongue but boy did I want to explain to him that I asked for no plastic... somehow five plastic bags made it around my paper bags.... I removed all of them and asked the teen to reuse them for the next person and to please not toss them in the garbage.

I was really bugged after looking around at all the carts with plastic bags on the outside of paper. I wish grocery stores would stop providing bags...

How would you have handled the situation?

Are you a paper, cloth or plastic person?

Let's talk books!

Manic Mommies Book Club: We will be discussing The Orphan Sister Wednesday night (8PM EST), with author Gwendolyn Gross. Have you read this book? Feel free to leave a comment with any questions you might have for the author.

Call in details: 724-444-7444
Call id: 90383#
Pin: 1#

Synopsis: Clementine Lord is not an orphan. She just feels like one sometimes. One of triplets, a quirk of nature left her the odd one out. Odette and Olivia are identical; Clementine is a singleton. Biologically speaking, she came from her own egg. Practically speaking, she never quite left it. Then Clementine’s father—a pediatric neurologist who is an expert on children’s brains, but clueless when it comes to his own daughters—disappears, and his choices, both past and present, force the family dynamics to change at last.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): I didn't find one minute to read last week, not one minute. So... when my husband went golfing Sunday afternoon I grabbed the iPad and retreated to my favorite reading place. Giving myself the gift of one hour to read, before running a few errands.

On the iPad: I will finish The Dressmaker in the next day, I'm happy to say I'm loving the book. It's not too challenging but about an historical figure. I'm learning while reading, which I love to do.

Synopsis: Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.

I'm not sure what I will read next but I have a few good books to chose from:

The Bungalow: I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Jio a few months ago for the MMBC and have been waiting to read this book for a few months. Thanks to NetGalley, I will read it soon.

Synopsis: In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.

A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

Rain: I discovered this book on Book'd Out. Imagine my surprise when the author read my comment and emailed to say she wanted to send me a copy for review.

Synopsis: Set in provincial Australia in the early sixties, Rain is a multigenerational family saga that chronicles the lives of three generations of the Wallin sawmilling dynasty. It explores the often difficult but enduring ties between mothers and daughters, men and women: the sacrifices, compromises, and patterns of emotion that repeat themselves through generations.

In a journey that spans four decades and crosses the globe, Rain is an epic tale of the choices and consequences that comprise one family’s history. By turn dark and amusing, Rain delivers an emotionally charged revelation about love, loss, guilt, self-discovery and redemption. The enduring question of family bonds—escapable or not, divides, conquers, and triumphs.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? What are you hoping to read?

Life: a week in photo's

2011-11-12T07:55:00.005-06:00

My house is still asleep and I'm taking a few minutes to catch up on email, blogs, the news...

Another crazy busy week in Washington Valley - exploring our town, traveling around NJ, NY, and PA (with a friend visiting from Omaha).

Yesterday we spent the day in Lambertville/New Hope. Have you been there? I highly recommend it. I'm in love with a few of the shops, we had lunch at an amazing Inn, followed by wine tasting and finding a few old homes with ghost stories.

We just happened to be there on Veteran's Day and saw one grave surrounded by at least a dozen American flags... At closer look, it's the grave of George Coryell. Written on the tombstone is... the last survivor of the six men who laid the “Father of his Country” in his tomb...

A writer was well acquainted with Mr. Coryell, and talked with him about George Washington’s funeral, knowing that he had been one of the bearers on that occasion.

He told her that after the body had been lowered in the grave, with appropriate ceremonies, each member of the lodge drew from his right hand his glove and threw it on the coffin.

Isn't that amazing... to be walking down the road and stumble on so much history?

I can't wait to go back and take a ghost tour. Have you ever been on one? I wonder what if we will see anything. Do you believe in ghosts?

Washington Valley: I'm beyond excited to tell you that we have a plan for the dining room. Last week while exploring Madison (NJ), I walked into a furniture store and found the fabric for our dining room chairs. We have a plan, now we have to find the fabric... this will take time. It's from Nicaragua.

I also have buy-in from the World Traveler to bring in a decorator to help me with layering. We're almost done. I'm stuck and need a little help.... let's see what her fee is before we get too excited. :)

This weekend: I have one last treat for our friend before dropping her off at the airport, followed by an eight mile run and a much needed haircut. Tonight we will relax and watch a movie. Tomorrow... nothing.

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend?

I'm having fun sharing photo's for Snapshot Saturday, as you can see this week was filled with exploring the area we in which we live. We are just getting started, there still so much to see!

Last photo includes: Madison town square, chair shopping, tree damage on my favorite running trail, Mole (in the Village), Black Horse Inn in Mendham (they were giving away apples), Times Square, Sister Act!

Review: The Marriage Plot

2011-11-10T08:06:00.002-06:00

Why I picked it: This novel was selected as the first book selection for a new book club that my friends and I have started. It was my choice, and a risky one.

Why this book? I knew the reading habits of only two gals but thought this would be an interesting choice after everyone said they want to read outside their comfort zone. Some of the women I have met just 2-3 times before our discussion... college/dating seemed like a safe place.

Synopsis: It's the early 1980s--the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.

As Madeleine tries to understand why "it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France," real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead--charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy--suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus--who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange--resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Before recapping our discussion, let me say that I enjoyed this book very much. The first section is packed with information and the reader might be concerned that the entire book will follow the flow of part one. Don't get stuck here... it's reality fiction, a love triangle/personal growth story.

One of my walking friends wasn't able to finish the book. She tried to read it but I think it's safe to say she hated it. Everyone else enjoyed it. I did walk away from our discussion wondering how this novel reads internationally. The women who read this book with 'English as a second language' really struggled with some of the vocabulary and section one was difficult for them. I would love to read reviews from my friends outside the US to see if they had a similar experience.

I did write all over my copy, noting paragraphs to discuss. As mentioned in the synopsis, Madeleine is a romantic who writes her thesis on love and the classics. I loved this statement to Madeleine:

"...was there a novel where the heroine gets married to the wrong guy and then realizes it, and then the other suitor shows up, some guy who's always been in love with her, and then they get together, but finally the second suitor realizes that the last thing the woman needs is to get married again, that she's got more important things to do with her life?..."

I was satisfied with the ending, it was exactly what I was looking for.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: personal copy

It's Monday!

2011-11-07T07:03:00.003-06:00

Washington Valley: Robin's in the house!

I have always been lucky to have fun/social neighbors, people who I probably would never meet if we didn't live next door to each other. Robin (family and two dogs) lived right behind us in Omaha, our dogs shared a one acre yard for eight years. After her family went to bed she would sneak over with a glass of wine, chat and watch Grey's Anatomy/American Idol with us.

This week will be filled with relaxation for her but we do have plans almost every day. From a day in the city, Broadway, exploring Pennsylvania, shopping, book club, and so much more...

Let's talk books!

NJ Book Club: I'm excited to say I have finally met enough women who are interested in starting a book club. Tomorrow night we are meeting for the first time, to discuss The Marriage Plot. Have you read it? I will post my review later this week, with a recap of our discussion.

Manic Mommies Book Club: Last week we met to discuss The Midwife's Confession (a rescheduling of our October book). You can listen/download our discussion here, or directly from iTunes. We are discussing The Orphan Sister on November 16th.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): Let's see how much reading I get done this week... I hope I find time to relax.

Audio: I just started The Tiger's Wife. The Omaha Bookworm's read/discussed this book in September but with the strike I wasn't able to read it in time. It's my kind of book so I'm sure I will enjoy it.

Synopsis: In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

On the iPad/Nook: I'm about 100 pages into The Dressmaker. One of my favorite books read this year was The Mistress of Nothing, so it will be nice to read about Lady Duff Gordon's early life as a designer. It's a page turner, if I can find/make time to read this week... I know I will finish it quickly.

Synopsis: Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? I have another busy week planned but it's a good busy!

Life: my week in photo's

2011-11-05T08:26:00.003-05:00

Washington Valley: As my Dad said yesterday..."it was just another average week for you... you do like to live life"

In case you missed it (ha), the northeast was hit with it's first winter storm last weekend. One week later, our neighborhood looks like a tornado blew through. About half of the trees have been cut down, the brush is piled along the street, waiting for the city to find time to pick it up. I'm told this may take a month!

Good news: The snow blower I bought my husband for his birthday works!

It's hard to believe but the night before the storm we hosted a small 'welcome home' party for the world traveler. 33,000 miles in 17 days, traveling from NJ to Minneapolis to Washington DC to Dubai, Manila, Indonesia, Hong Kong and finally back to NJ.

His trip was cut short by a week, the flooding in Bangkok is terrible. Another trip around the world (25,000 miles).

What he didn't tell me...!

The World Traveler was showing me photos from his trip last night and when I saw this one I calmly asked him, what's this?

He said, "I had to take a photo of it in case I died". I have no idea what happened but this is the stuff that scares my family...

Snapshot Saturday: Somehow twelve people managed to stand in the kitchen all night (why does this always happen?) - the dogs relaxing in hotel post storm - who knew the copper for the indianhead penny was mined for just three blocks from our house - video skype with our son on his birthday! - dinner out... we didn't know that Halloween was rescheduled and I'm sorry to say that this was the most popular costume. The first time you see it it's funny, seeing ten plus guys sporting a wrapped gift loses it's shock value. Of course my husband took this as a moment to embarrass me.

I'm off for a ten miler today!

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend?

Running: November's plan

2011-11-02T07:05:00.003-05:00

The Ultra doesn't happen until March... which gives me permission to run on the treadmill when the weather is bad (like last weekend). It should be 50 degrees on race day, so no need to run outside when it's 10 degree's this winter. I don't mind running in the cold weather, it's the trail system that concerns me (what if I hit a patch of ice while running downhill)...

I can't tell you how many text/emails I received on Saturday, from friends asking me if I was running or planning to run at the beginning of the autumn storm. I had a 10 miler planned in the afternoon, on my favorite trail. When the snow came in I decided to head to the gym and run on the treadmill. Next came the power outage. The run didn't happen.

Here's my holiday plan:

Treadmill time: I'm going to try to fit in a daily power walk over lunch. This gets me away from my office and let's me work on my speed walking. Yesterday I walked on the treadmill at 4.2mph, 4-6 incline, 42 minutes. Something I have been working to on for about a month now. I'm soaking wet when I complete this workout. Love it.

Mileage: My training plan calls for 123 miles this month. This includes just three ten milers, building a strong pace for when training officially kicks off mid-December.

Runs signed up for:

- Turkey Trot (5K): This is our town's local holiday run. Last year my husband made it less than a mile before his calf seized up. Poor guy, let's hope this doesn't happen again this year.

I have been busy rejoining the online running community. Signing up for virtual runs and challenges (click to sign up):

- Pile on the Miles Challenge

- Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

- DailyMile's 50 Miles for Turkey

Have you signed up for any fun challenges to keep you motivated/focused over the holiday's? Have I missed any running events?

As we enter 60 days of food temptation, parties, social events, excuses to skip a workout, good luck staying fit!

Review: The Paris Wife

2011-11-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

Why I picked it: I had come close to reading this book several times so when a good friend told me it was a must read, I knew I had to read it.

Synopsis: A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.

Type: Historical Fiction

Quick Take: This is a heartbreaking portrayal of love and loyalty. As I listened to this book I kept thinking about how sad Hadley must have been. I didn't get the sense that life was joyful for them. Hemingway was often depressed. That said, I did feel the love she had for him. It was only at the end of listening to this book that I had compassion for their marriage.

I loved all the references of Paris, prohibition, life in the 20's, and learning more about a circle of authors.

I had forgotten that Hemingway's family is filled with depression and suicide. It's tragic.

Shortly after reading this book, a friend and I saw the new Woody Allen movie (Midnight's in Paris). It was so much fun to recognize authors, wive's, etc in the movie. A fun complement to the book.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Library (audio)

It's Monday!

2011-10-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

Washington Valley: Friday night we had about a dozen friends over, to celebrate my husband's homecoming. We had a wonderful time.

Then Saturday happened.

Let me start but telling you that I was giddy with excitement to see snow flakes in the air Saturday morning. The forecast called for up to two inches of snow.

By the afternoon, our neighborhood looked like it was hit by a tornado. Since the leaves haven't dropped yet, the snow weighed down the trees. Cracking, snapping, dropping, thud.

Our power went out early afternoon, the house was 57 degrees Sunday morning. Burr!

I'm writing this Sunday evening... our power came back on about two hours ago. Now it's time to recover from an unexpected storm.

Let's talk Books!

The Manic Mommies Book Club meets Wednesday evening (8PM EST). We are discussing The Midwife's Confession, with the author!

Have you read the book? If yes, feel free to join us.

Call in details: 724-444-7444
- Call id: 90383#
- Pin: 1#

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey): Without power I decided to read The Marriage Plot, my book club's November selection. I read half the book Saturday night. Two of the gals are struggling with it but I'm happy to say I'm enjoying the book. It's a little too detailed in parts but overall the book is very good and I can't wait to find out how the story ends. That's a good sign, right?

Have you read it?

Do you have any exciting plans this week? My week will be focused on cleaning up the yard, getting estimates to replace fallen trees, and preparing for company.

Life: my week in photo's

2011-10-28T00:02:00.042-05:00

Confession... I take a LOT of photo's with my phone. Lately I have been enjoying instagram, a fun app for the iphone. It's a fun way for my family and friends to stay in touch 'real time' with a splash of pizazz.

I snap photo's while running... in attempt to capture the moment. It's funny how much I notice while running that I might otherwise overlook.

This week in photo's: running in the rain, hand painted silk fan from Hong Kong (gift from the world traveler), one of my many decorating projects, fall has arrived, last weekends painting/decorating project done, & getting bar ready for tonight's party!

Are you using your camera phone to capture life? If yes, I would love to see your week in photo's!

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend? To welcome the World Traveler home...we are hosting a casual get together tonight. I'm so excited!

Saturday morning update: I'm finally participating in Snapshot Saturday! I love seeing everyone's posts but I never find time to participate.

Review: The Best of Me

2011-10-27T10:30:00.004-05:00

Why I picked it: I was walking with a friend who told me she was reading a book that she couldn't put down, when I asked her for the name of the book she said it was the latest Sparks novel (it was her first time reading this author). I didn't know he had a new novel (yikes).

I didn't plan to read it right away but picked up a copy while shopping at Costco last Friday. I finished this book Sunday morning, curled up on the sofa with a blanket and a latte. Perfect start to my day.

Synopsis: In the fall of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for a funeral. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers soon realize that everything they thought they knew-about themselves and the dreams they held dear-was not as it seemed. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: I know what to expect when I select a Sparks novel, a heartwarming love story with some adversity/drama. I might even shed a tear if I connect to the characters.

Amanda has been married for over twenty years, her husband has a drinking issue. Their life isn't bad but they have suffered loss in many forms over the years. Dawson runs away from life, unable to find closure from his first love... which was over twenty years ago. The two reunite at a funeral, embarking on a journey over the next few days that will change their lives forever.

If you enjoyed The Love Song, you will enjoy The Best of Me.

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Personal Copy

Review: Good to a Fault

2011-10-25T01:03:00.011-05:00

Why I picked it: I bought this novel as a new release, on a business trip to Toronto in 2008. I decided to read it in October, along with two other novels that I have been meaning to read for a while.

When I mentioned my plan, Judith (Leeswammes Blog) mentioned she had a copy of the book and also wanted to read it so we decided to read it together. She asked me a few questions (answers below), make sure you click to her review to read the rest of our conversation. A great way to read/discuss a book!

Type: Fiction

Synopsis: Clara Purdy is at a crossroads. At forty-three, she is divorced, living in her late parents' house, and near-ing her twentieth year as a claims adjuster at a local insurance firm. Driving to the bank during her lunch hour, she crashes into a sharp left turn, taking the Gage family in the other car with her. When bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer, Clara decides to do the right thing. She moves Lorraine's three children and their terrible grandmother into her own house—and then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness: exhaustion, fury, hilarity, and unexpected love.

What, exactly, does it mean to be good? What do we owe each other in this life, and what do we deserve? Good to a Fault is an ultimately joyful book that digs deep, with leavening humor, into questions of morality, class, and social responsibility. Marina Endicott looks at life and death through the compassionate, humane lens of a born novelist: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance in between.

Quick Take: I didn't care for the characters all that much but that's okay, this book is a story of humanity and the testing of boundaries (the message jumps off the page).

Judith's email mentioned that she 'loved the happy-family feel and how others helped out Clara.' I had a different response while reading the book, I struggled with Clara's decisions. I guess I was narrow minded in my reading experience... looking back I understand Judith's comment but I still don't understand Clara.

Can I say I loved the writing and descriptive nature of the book? Dolly, Lorraine's daughter and the Grandmother kept my interest. I wanted to know what happened to them. Click over to Judith's review to read the rest of the review.

This book has left me thinking, for that alone it deserves four stars.

Let's get to the questions:

Judith: After reading my review, is there anything that you had a totally different reaction to? We don't always enjoy the same books, but with Good to a Fault we did, so I'm wondering if we liked/disliked the same elements in the book.

Mari: My first reaction, while reading this book, wasn’t a good one. I found myself disliking it so much yet I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know what happened to Clayton (Lorraine’s husband) and I enjoyed the roughness of Lorraine. Being homeless and longing to provide for one’s family… unthinkable. I cared about this family. I would love to know what happened five years later. How’s Dolly? Is Lorraine healthy? Is the family settled? I wasn’t all that invested in Clara.

Judith: What did you think of the reverend, what was his role in the book? Did you notice how he lost some of his faith straight after the break up with his wife but later gained it again (or do I see this wrongly)?

Mari: He tried to explain to Clara that she didn’t need to get involved with the family post crash, and I was surprised that he wasn’t interested in going to the hospital to visit with Lorraine (at Clara’s request). I didn’t like him all that much, he was a weak person. But again… maybe this is what happens to someone after years of a terrible marriage. I agree with you, he seemed to be a stronger person by the end of the novel.

Judith: And what about Darwin, Lorraine's brother? Why was he introduced as a drunk but then later helped out so brilliantly?

Mari: Darwin is a free spirit! He brought a lightness to the book, he really wanted to help Clara while helping Lorraine’s family. Did you ever wonder, if the family was there temporarily, why he made all the house improvements? Could you imagine coming home and discovering someone built a room in your basement without asking? I’m a literal/rigid reader… you can see why I struggle with imaginative stories!

Judith: Of course I also want to know what you thought of Clara. Could you imagine being like her? What would you do the same/different?

Mari: What can I say about Clara… the situation was so strange, she invited a circus into her home. In America there would have been housing options for the family. If I was faced with a similar situation and chose to help the family (I like to think I would)… I would pay for an apartment for a month/two rather than getting lost in my home. Compassion is wonderful but boundaries need to be set (smart decisions).

In the end, Clayton’s family walks out of Clara’s life as we would expect, only to leave a new grieving process to begin for Clara. I think she realized how important family is, she really wanted to keep the children.

It was great reading a novel together and having a chance to discuss it. Let's do this again sometime. Thanks Judith!

Rating: 4 stars
Source: Personal Copy

It's Monday!

2011-10-23T20:20:00.003-05:00

Washington Valley: It was an amazing weekend in northern New Jersey! Sixty five and sunny, no wind. The world traveler comes home this week and since I had one last weekend to myself... I turned 'la nostra casa di albero' into a retreat (translation: our house in the tree's).

The plan: daily walks, good meals made from scratch, reading, running, yoga, and plenty of sleep. It was lovely.

I'm energized and ready for a new week.

Running: Last week I signed up for another ultra marathon (on a whim), ran 31 miles, including running Jess' 3.7 mile Cupcake run.

My left leg hasn't been the same since last fall's huge wipeout so I wasn't surprised to wake up to a super tight leg (from bum to foot) Sunday morning. I have a strategy to manage this issue, constant stretching and time with the foam roller... to keep things loose. Just five minutes on the roller is a miracle worker.

Let's talk Books!

Congratulations: Caroline from Singapore was the winner of the Literary Blog Hop! I'm so happy to be sending a few books that are hard to get to her. Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the giveaway, discovered my blog and to my new followers. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and life stories.

Something special: Judith (Leeswammes' blog) and I will be discussing Good to a Fault on Tuesday. Come back to read our discussion about this novel, it's a good one.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey):

Audiobooks: I'm working my way through Outlander, it's a long book to listen to... 28 CD's. I hope to finish it this week. I'm enjoying it, just not as much as some of you, if I have a complaint... it's that I don't think the book needs to be so long and I find myself wishing the end was near (to move onto the next book).

I picked up some must listen to audio books this week: The Night at the Circus, The Tiger's Wife, Maine, and The Marriage Plot. WOW!

Books: I gave myself permission to relax and read this weekend! I read The Best of Me, finishing it Sunday morning with a latte, snuggled in my new favorite room (a room I finished decorating last week).

On the iPad: The iPad returns this week (from a trip around the world, without me)... I have two books waiting to be read, The Winters in Bloom and The Lady of the Rivers. Have you read either of these? Which should I read first?

Do you have any exciting plans this week? My husband's coming home this week - WooHoo! He's been gone for almost a month... It will be so good to have him home. Boy do I have some stories to share with you, let's wait until he returns safely...just in case he has a 'good' travel story (from Hong Kong to America). :) Have a great week everyone!

Running: and you thought I retired...

2011-10-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

A year ago, almost to the day, I signed up my first ultra. Last January I crossed the finish line and added ultra marathoner to my resume, checking off my last running goal. woohoo!

I put on a good show, telling my family that I was ready to transition to shorter distances... my marathoning days behind me. My husband didn't believe me, neither did our son.

So here we go... I just signed up for the NJ Ultra (March 2012)!!

Watchung v NJ Ultra:
- I ran on a sheet of ice with eight inches of fresh snow in Watchung

- Watchung Ultra was considered an extreme event (tough conditions, few runner's, minimal race day support on the course)

- NJ Ultra is a BIG event, with four races on the same day: marathon, 50K, 50 Miler and 100 miler
- $50 (Watchung) vs $125 (NJ Ultra) - the entry fee alone explains a lot

- No medals for the Watchung, just a pat on the back (I finished in third place). Running beanie and T-shirt for NJ Ultra plus finishers medal, expo, pre-events/post-events.

I long to run a 50 miler but my hips won't let me. This is when I remind myself that I'm grateful to be able to run and since I LOVE training... I'm happy with any distance.

Lastly, I have a wall of Bowerman (co-founder of Nike) posters from Boston 2001 plastered by my treadmill... so, imagine my excitement to see this quote on fb this morning:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people" - Bill Bowerman

This is my mantra as I take on winter training, again. Training doesn't officially start until mid-December, in the meantime I will focus on increasing my weekly mileage.

Wish me luck!

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-10-19T08:40:00.002-05:00

One of the books I recommend over and over is The Birth House, especially for book clubs. There's so much to discuss... so imagine how excited I was to discover The Virgin Cure this week. The last time I was this excited for a book release was when I was waiting for Her Fearful Symmetry.

A few hours after reading about The Virgin Cure, I went for a walk with a friend who was telling me about a book she's reading, a book she can't put down. Want to know the title of this book? It's the new Sparks novel! I didn't love his last two books but I think I will read The Best of Me if she still loves it come the last page.

Do you have any books you can't wait to read?

The Virgin Cure (Feb 2012): "I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart." So begins The Virgin Cure, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the year 1871. As a young child, Moth's father smiled, tipped his hat and walked away from her forever. The summer she turned twelve, her mother sold her as a servant to a wealthy woman, with no intention of ever seeing her again.

These betrayals lead Moth to the wild, murky world of the Bowery, filled with house-thieves, pickpockets, beggars, sideshow freaks and prostitutes, where eventually she meets Miss Everett, the owner of a brothel simply known as "The Infant School." Miss Everett caters to gentlemen who pay dearly for companions who are "willing and clean," and the most desirable of them all are young virgins like Moth.

Through the friendship of Dr. Sadie, a female physician, Moth learns to question and observe the world around her, where her new friends are falling prey to the myth of the "virgin cure"--that deflowering a "fresh maid" can heal the incurable and tainted. She knows the law will not protect her, that polite society ignores her, and still she dreams of answering to no one but herself. There's a high price for such independence, though, and no one knows that better than a girl from Chrystie Street.

The Best of Me: In the fall of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for a funeral. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers soon realize that everything they thought they knew-about themselves and the dreams they held dear-was not as it seemed. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

When we danced on Water: At eighty-five, Teo is ready to retire from the bombast and romance of life as one of the world’s most influential choreographers. But when he meets Vivi, a fortyish waitress at a Tel Aviv café, the fires of his youth flare back to life—his passion for a woman’s touch, his long-buried anguish at his wartime experiences, and his complex engagement with dance. Vivi’s life will change, too, as the warmth of Teo’s affection counterbalances her harrowing time as an Israeli soldier in an illicit relationship. For both, their investment in art, and indeed in life itself, will reawaken as the ghosts of their suppressed pasts—from Warsaw to Copenhagen, Berlin to Tel Aviv—cry out for forgiveness and healing.

It's Monday!

2011-10-16T20:20:00.002-05:00

Washington Valley: A friend's husband turned fifty this weekend, setting a high bar for all upcoming birthday's. The world traveler in Manila so I was honored to be included in most of the festivities.

Friday night they chartered a boat to bring us from Jersey City to Long Island for dinner. It rained on our drive to the pier but the sky was amazing on the ride to dinner and the night was a success.

Saturday night's party was at their home BUT this wasn't any party. Not only did they have the night catered, they hired a photographer, and... transformed their living room into a dance floor, with a DJ!

The weekend felt like a wedding but since I haven't been to a wedding in years... I enjoyed every minute.

Let's talk Books!

Don't forget to sign up for the five book giveaway just below this post, and take time to visit a few of the 50 other blogger's hosting giveaways.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey):

On the Nook: I never thought I would say this but... I'm lost without my my husband's work iPad.

I'm reading The Orphan Sister, the MMBC November book club selection. It's an interesting novel about triplets, exploring the relationships of a set of identical twins and their triplet sister who shared a womb. I always read/hear about twins and their connections but have never thought about how might this be different for the triplet who doesn’t share the ‘identical’ label.

Listening: I'm still listening to Madame Tussaud. It's about the French Revolution and a wax sculptor who is invited to teach the art of sculpting at the palace but ends up making death masks, balancing loyalties between the court and her family.

I'm hoping to finish this book this week, it's not holding my attention but I am trying to push through. I have only listened to three hours... in two weeks... that's not a good sign.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? In addition to the celebration, I painted two bedrooms, finished the master bath and fluffed our stuff last week. So this week I'm hoping to relax. Wish me luck!

Literary Blog Hop: Third Edition

2011-10-15T09:40:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited for this weekend! Not only am I busy attending 'wedding like' festivities, it's the literary hop.

Many of the people who read my blog are not book bloggers (a betting gal would say most are not book bloggers) - so when I sign up for anything book blog specific I know they have no idea why or what I'm talking about. If this describes you ... keep reading, there's a FANTASTIC book giveaway listed at the bottom of this post!

If this is your first time visiting my blog, feel free to stay and catch up my life. My husband and I moved across country (USA) last summer - while he's busy traveling the world.... I'm busy decorating, training to run any distance... 5K's to ultra marathons, and blogging about my unexpected life just outside NYC. Click here to read my LIFE: stories worth sharing posts for 2011.

Let's get to the giveaway!

When: October 15 - 19

One lucky person will win: ALL of the books described below (not just one of the five, ALL of them)!

How to sign up: Leave a comment with your email address, so I know how to find you. If you have a blog (book or otherwise), leave a link to your blog and I promise to visit. I love to see my followers climb, so don't forget to become a followers/email subscriber. I'm planning to discover several new blogs this weekend!

Thank you so much to Judith from Leeswammes blog, for creating/hosting this wonderful blogging event. Click here to see the other blogs hosting giveaways - I can't wait to relax, catch up with my favorite blogs, discover new ones.... and sign up for a few giveaways.

The Collection: I'm honored to share/giveaway five book recommendations, from five of my must read blogs. I asked them to share one of their favorite books read this year - and they all jumped at the opportunity. I'm always discovering new titles on their blogs. Thank you ladies!

I'm sending the books, so this drawing is open Internationally! GOOD LUCK!

Bibliophile by the Sea recommends, Good Hard Life: An amazing story that just might be my favorite book of 2011. The novel is a work of fiction, with author Flannery O'Connor as a main character during the last few years of her life. A life cut short at 39, from complication of Lupus.

Book Chatter recommends, Model Home:The Zillers and their three children—live the good life in a gated Southern California neighborhood, but the sun-bright veneer hides a starker reality. As Warren desperately tries to conceal a failing real estate venture, his family falls prey to secrets and misunderstandings, both hilarious and painful, that open fault lines in their intimacy.

Their misguided attempts to recover their former closeness, or find it elsewhere, lead them into late-night burglary, improbable romance, and strange acts of betrayal. When tragedy strikes, the Zillers are forced to move to one of the houses in Warren’s abandoned development in the desert.

Leeswammes recommends, The Beauty of Humanity Movement: Gibb's fictional portrait of contemporary Vietnam should be essential reading for anyone mulling a visit to Hanoi, whose profusion of motorbike traffic and culinary aromas issues from these pages with graphic verisimilitude. Gibb uses the city's street food and thriving art scene to reflect both continuity and change, particularly as experienced by her three central characters…

Life in the Thumb recommends, Faith: Estranged from her family, Sheila McGann returns home when her older brother, Art—a popular pastor—finds himself at the center of the maelstrom. Her strict mother is in a state of angry denial. Sheila’s younger brother, Mike, has convicted his brother in his heart. But most disturbing of all is Art himself, who dodges Sheila’s questions and refuses to defend himself.

As secrets begin to surface, Faith explores the corrosive consequences of one family’s history of silence. A suspenseful tale of one woman’s quest for the truth, Faith is a haunting meditation on loyalty and family, doubt and belief.

Lit and Life recommends, The Coffins of Little Hope: Essie, an octogenarian obituary writer for her family's small town newspaper. When a young country girl is reported to be missing, perhaps whisked away by an itinerant aerial photographer, Essie stumbles onto the story of her life. Or, it all could be simply a hoax, or a delusion, the child and child-thief invented from the desperate imagination of a lonely, lovelorn woman. Either way, the story of the girl reaches far and wide, igniting controversy, attracting curiosity-seekers and cult worshippers from all over the country to this dying rural town. And then it is revealed that the long awaited final book of an infamous series of YA gothic novels is being secretly printed on the newspaper's presses.

Review: Second Nature: a love story

2011-10-14T07:37:00.002-05:00

Why I picked it: The plot sounded interesting, different, and I was ready for a darker story.

Synopsis: A fierce and moving tale of one woman’s fight for her identity and her life when fate holds out a second chance. Sicily Coyne was just thirteen when her father was killed in a school fire that left her face disfigured. Twelve years later, a young surgeon, Eliza Cappadora, offers hope in the form of a revolutionary new surgery that may give Sicily back the grace and function she lost. Raised by a dynamic, tenacious aunt who taught her to lead a normal life, and engaged to a wonderful man who knew her long before the accident, Sicily rejects the offer: She knows who she is, and so do the people who love her. But when a secret surfaces that shatters Sicily’s carefully constructed world, she calls off the wedding and agrees to the radical procedure in order to begin a new life.

Her beauty restored virtually overnight, Sicily rushes toward life with open arms, seeking new experiences, adventures, and, most of all, love. But she soon discovers that her new face carries with it risks that no one could have imagined. Confronting a moral and medical crisis that quickly becomes a matter of life and death, Sicily is surrounded by experts and loving family, but the choice that will transform her future, for better or worse, is one she must make alone.

An intense and moving story of courage, consequence, and possibility, Second Nature showcases the acclaimed storyteller at her very best.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Before writing this review I read a few reviews online to read reactions to the novel. While it's well crafted I struggled with a few things in the book. What I'm learning, about myself, is that I need to stay away from books with fire.

When Sicily is thirteen she loses her father in a fire and she herself is badly burned. As an adult, she has built a life for herself, filled with friends and is engaged to a wonderful man. After learning a deep, dark secret about her fiance, she calls off the wedding and decides to go forward with a life changing surgery that turns her from burn victim to beauty. Post surgery she finds love but the isolation is overwhelming. Her life may have been better before the surgery.

One reviewer wrote:

I challenge anyone to read Ms. Mitchard's description of that fire and NOT be affected in some way; I found myself haunted by it. Her words will mesmerize and terrify you simultaneously, and at the end of the first chapter you will not be able to put the book down.

Having lived through a fire (I was actually in my house with my nine year old son), I am still haunted by the smells, the crackle of the flames, the post events... if you don't have first hand experience, it's hard to explain/understand how it impacts you the rest of your life. Let me get off my soapbox and back to my review...

The description of the fire wasn't emotional for me, it didn't haunt me. That said, the fire is just one chapter and told from a young girls eye so I moved past that quickly since this novel is 'post fire'. What bothered me was that the novel revisited events/feelings over and over and over.

Now that I'm done reading the book, I like it more than I did while reading it. The concept was great and I loved the ending.

I seem to be alone in my opinion as this novel is getting 5 star reviews on BN.com. I'm sure it has to do with my personal experience.

Book'd Out and I read/chatted about this one via comments, neither of us loved it. Click here to read her review.

Rating: 3 stars
Source: Review copy, NetGalley

Running: falling into my favorite season

2011-10-13T11:23:00.004-05:00

Fall is my favorite season for running. I love the smell of the leaves on the ground mixed with dew, watching the colors change, cooler temperatures.

What I don't like are huge wipeouts in the fall! Remember last year when I rolled down a hill, scrapes everywhere. This wipeout (my first) forced me to slowdown but I'm still enjoying the outdoors.

A few weeks ago a neighbor and I started walking daily. A three mile 'hike' with baby in tow. Tomas sits on his mom's chest, in a baby carrier, enjoying the view while my friend gets the benefit of 15 extra pounds. I was a bit jealous of the added challenge to the workout so yesterday I bought myself a weight vest for our walks. 16 pounds. I will let you know how I like it later this month.

I won't run in the vest but it’s great strength training and I’m told the benefits are wonderful for bone density.

BONUS: I bet I will feel lighter when I run in Jess’s virtual run next week!

Race details:

Distance: 3.7 miles (in honor of Jess's 37th birthday)
WHEN: October 17-23
WHERE: Pick your favorite local route or jump on the treadmill.

Click here to enter

Are you enjoying fall? I'm hoping to take a day trip to either the Poconos or the Hamptons to see the colors... in the next week, if all goes well... fingers crossed!

Review: Everything we ever Wanted

2011-10-11T00:05:00.023-05:00

Why I picked it: I had just finished reading a few very dark novels and wanted to return to my comfort zone, family drama seems to be something I keep coming back to.

Synopsis: How do you choose between your family and your history?

A late-night phone call on a Sunday evening rarely brings good news. So when Sylvie, a recently-widowed mother of two, receives a call from the head teacher of the school she's on the board of, she knows it won't be something she wants to hear. The school was founded by her grandfather, and she's inherited everything he strived to build up - a reputation, a heritage, the school and the grand old family house. And with this inheritance comes responsibility.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: At the surface this is a perfect choice for me. After reading two novels by Shepard it's fair to say she writes with the same level of detail as Jennifer Haigh. It felt like I knew the characters for years by the midpoint of the novel and the second half moves quickly.

I would have loved to spend more time with Joanna. She was the most interesting character for me. Starting with her childhood obsession, fueled by her mother, she marries into a specific family... thinking her life will change significantly.

Her obsession with her husband's high school sweetheart starts to unravel the life she's so carefully built. Always feeling like an outsider in her husbands life, she stands on the periphery watching a family secret start to works its way to the surface.

Even a few days after finishing this book I'm left wanting to know what happens to Joanna and Charles (after the novel ends), this is usually a good nod that I liked a book.

When I first posted that I was reading this novel someone left a comment saying that they bailed on this book, not a good sign.... I will tell you that if you don't like to read books with little dialog you might struggle with this one. That said, it worked for me. This would make for a good book club selection, there's a lot to discuss!

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy, NetGalley

Life: for the love of family

2011-10-09T09:25:00.006-05:00

I'm in Minnesota this weekend, for a family visit.

This weekend we buried Martha's ashes on her family land, about three hours from my Dad's house. A magical place.

I was overcome with emotion most of Saturday as I witnessed an overpowering sense of love and gratitude for Martha. She was loved!

A steady stream of tears left me unable to share how much Martha means to me (to her blood family, our extended family). If I was able to talk without blubbering I might have shared the story of the day Gaga went to our son's school. She called us that night to tell us that our son told that class that he's part Indian. He just assumed he was Indian since his Gaga's Indian. How cute is that!

After returning from Wisconsin, we spent a wonderful evening with my brother's family. I can't begin to express how much I miss them. Having quality time was just what I needed.

I will leave you will an introduction, look at this guy! His name is Max. He's a ten month old Golden Doodle and the newest member to my brother's family. He is the most adorable, mellow dog I have ever met.

I will be back midweek, I have several reviews to write/post. I have read a few books, have 3-4 books waiting for me at the library (all audio), and a few decorating projects to wrap up.

I'm exhausted just thinking about next weekend, but that's a post for another day.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-10-06T07:11:00.000-05:00

I'm planning to buy a copy of The Marriage Plot next Tuesday (the day it's published). Confession: I haven't read Middlesex. So... it's hard to explain why I'm excited to read The Marriage Plot. Have you read The Virgin Suicides or Middlesex? Do you recommend either title?

Do you have any books you can't wait to read?

The Marriage Plot: It's the early 1980s--the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.

As Madeleine tries to understand why "it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France," real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead--charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy--suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus--who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange--resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

The Forgotten Waltz: In Terenure, a pleasant suburb of Dublin, it has snowed. Gina Moynihan, girl about town, recalls the trail of lust and happenstance that brought her to fall for "the love of her life," Seán Vallely. As the city outside comes to a halt, Gina remembers their affair: long afternoons made blank by bliss and denial. Now, as the silent streets and falling snow make the day luminous and full of possibility, Gina awaits the arrival of Seán's fragile, twelve-year-old daughter, Evie-the complication, and gravity, of this second life.

In this extraordinary novel, Anne Enright speaks directly to the readers she won with The Gathering. Here again is the momentous drama of everyday life; the volatile connections between people; the wry, accurate take on families, marriage, and brittle middle age. With The Forgotten Waltz Enright turns her attention to love, following another unforgettable heroine on a journey of the heart. Writing at the height of her powers, this is Enright's tour de force, a novel of intelligence, passion, and distinction.

Review: The Girl with Three Legs

2011-10-04T00:06:00.012-05:00

Why I picked it: I enjoy reading memoirs, reading other people's stories. A memoir about life experiences and culture (even when the story is tough) makes for a powerful read.

Synopsis: A victim of FGM and an arranged marriage to an abusive cousin, Miré was also witness to the instability of Somalia’s political landscape: her father was a general for the military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, and her family moved in the inner circles of Somalia’s elite. In her journey to recover from the violence done to her, Miré realizes FGM is the ultimate child abuse, a ritual of mutilation handed down from mother to daughter and protected by the word “culture.”

Type: Memoir

Quick Take: Can I say this... I'm so glad I decided to read this book. The author writes her story without gruesome detail but enough to express the pain she endured, for being born a girl.

After having her female parts 'cut off' at age thirteen, she is sewn up... only to be opened by her future husband. To avoid being graphic... imagine the hygiene issues this creates once a month.

As part of their culture, this 'gift' makes girls more attractive to potential husbands who are chosen for them. In Soraya's story, her mother chooses a cousin to be her future husband. Someone who treats her terribly and she is forced to escape to save her life.

I wasn't prepared for Soraya's story. Not only did she receive her 'gift' but the infections and healing process are more than any girl should have to endure. I knew about FGM before reading this memoir but I wasn't aware of...or didn't think about... the healing process. Soraya has many complications post surgery, they will haunt you and I'm shocked to learn that this is still viewed as an important cultural experience.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy (NetGalley)

It's Monday!

2011-10-03T06:55:00.012-05:00

Washington Valley: Another rainy weekend, another busy weekend. When my husband and I were at Home Depot yesterday I had an ah-ha moment. My husband was talking about 'value add projects' around the house (I was trying to get him to hang a painting, in his eyes this wasn't a value add...). BUT sanding the front door and staining it was a 'value add'... even in the rain. So this morning our front door looks amazing, just don't touch it! My point, maybe he's the reason why I like weekend projects so much. HA!

Our October calendar is already full, with social events, travel, running, and more. Have I mentioned that I'm back in school? I'm taking a class at Princeton, Art and Engineering.

Do you knit? I started a new knitting project last week. It's so calming to sit on the porch, listening to a audiobook and making something. A friend and I are getting ready to learn how to make socks... please tell me they are easier to make than they appear, all those knitting needles scare me.

Let's talk Books!

Congratulations Kerrie, winner of a copy of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey):

Back to Paper: I'm putting my iPad to the side this week and reading a book from my bookshelves. Last night I started Good to a Fault, a book I purchased in 2008. The writing is amazing and the story grabbed my attention on the first page. A good sign.

Synopsis: Absorbed in her own failings, Clara crashes her life into a sharp left turn, taking the family in the other car along with her. When bruises on the mother prove to be late-stage cancer, Clara tried to do the right thing, moving the family into her own house and upending her life in the process.

Audio: I'm taking a break from Outlander (waiting for the second set of discs from the library). I hope the story starts to get exciting soon though or it will be hard to stay engaged for 11 more CD's. Claire and Jamie has just married, a major plot twist. So I'm hopeful.

So, while I wait... it's time to move to the French Revolution and Madame Tussaud.

Synopsis: Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum. After months of anticipation, the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king’s sister is so impressed that she requests Marie’s presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting.

Marie becomes acquainted with the king and queen, she steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Do you have any exciting plans this week? I'm going home later this week! I can't wait to spend time with family and meet the newest addition, Max. Max is a 10 month old puppy that my brother's family adopted last week.

September Recap: exactly what I needed

2011-09-30T07:10:00.002-05:00

Highlights: This month was filled with birthday's, impromptu dinners, golf events, book club, evenings with friends, Project Trash or Treasure and more. I'm happy to say that life is finally feeling normal - preparing for the strike, strike work, and Hurricane Irene are distant memories of summer.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Let's talk books!

Books read in September: 5, including: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, Theodora: actress, empress, whore, The Paris Wife (audio), Second Nature: a love story, and The Lantern

Favorite book read this month: It's a fun one this time, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. Three of my friends have read my copy... and there's a book giveaway just below this post. click here to enter the drawing.

September Reviews:
Emily and Einstein - 4 stars
Exposure - 4 stars
I Married You for Happiness - 4 stars
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School - 4 stars
The Lantern - 3 stars
The Legacy - 4 stars
Theodora: actress, empress, whore - 4 stars

Conquering my TBR pile: It's time to refocus on my bookshelf. I have put together a must read list, books that I have been meaning to read for months/years. I will read these before the end of the year (hopefully this month).

Good to a Fault: Purchased in Toronto in 2008!
Purge: Purchased in Boulder in 2010 at one of my favorite bookstores in the US
Down from Cascom Mountain: a gift from Staci (Life in the Thumb) this summer. I was planning to read this in August as I commuted for strike duty. This book has traveled with me for months, it's time to read it.

Looking ahead to October: I will finish project Trash or Treasure and decorating the guest room. I am traveling home for a quick weekend visit to see family and have also signed up for a few 5K runs. The calendar is full, it will be a busy month. And let's not even mention... I could be called back to strike work (we have been alerted, sitting, waiting to find out).

Review: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

2011-09-28T21:53:00.002-05:00

Why I picked it: I'm finally caught up with my summer reading! With the stack of books on my broken Nook behind me to was time to pick some new reading material. So, when I was offered a review copy of this novel I jumped at the chance to read it.

Giveaway: I have an extra copy that I would like to give to a lucky reader!

To enter: While I love new followers to the blog, it's not a requirement.... just leave a comment with your email, so I can reach you.

Giveaway ends Sunday evening, Oct 2 (open internationally)

Synopsis: After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, writer Kathleen Flinn returned with no idea what to do next, until one day at a supermarket she watched a woman loading her cart with ultraprocessed foods. Flinn's "chefternal" instinct kicked in: she persuaded the stranger to reload with fresh foods, offering her simple recipes for healthy, easy meals.

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School includes practical, healthy tips that boost readers' culinary self-confidence, and strategies to get the most from their grocery dollar, and simple recipes that get readers cooking.

Type: Memoir/Cooking

Quick Take: A delightful book, filled with stories and laughter. Have you ever wondered if someone is watching you grocery shop? What are you putting in your cart?

I learned so much and think I may have just put a ban on Parmesan cheese from entering my house! Did you know it has up to 70% more sodium than Parmesan-Reggiano and it also has lower quality standards?

My kitchen is stocked with chef quality gadgets but I don't know how to use them... as I read this book I kept reading parts out loud to my husband. We both learned quite a bit and noted a few of the recipes included too.

Confession: this vegetarian had to skip the chicken chapter on water injections and learning how to cut a whole chicken.....

If you enjoyed Julie and Julia... you will love this one. I will be buying copies of this book for gifts, a great selection.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy/Net Galley

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-09-28T18:02:00.001-05:00

I don't know much about Mozart's life and this first book sounds like a page turner!

Do you have any books you can't wait to read?

Mozart's Last Aria: 18th century Austria, where Mozart’s estranged sister Nannerl stumbles into a world of ambition, conspiracy, and immortal music while attempting to uncover the truth about her brother’s suspicious death. Did Mozart’s life end in murder? Nannerl must brave dire circumstances to find out, running afoul of the secret police, the freemasons, and even the Austrian Emperor himself as she delves into a scandal greater than she had ever imagined.

The Hypotist's Love Story: Ellen O’Farrell is an expert when it comes to human frailties. She’s a hypnotherapist who helps her clients deal with everything from addictions to life-long phobias. So when she falls in love with a man who is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend she’s more intrigued than frightened. What makes a supposedly smart, professional woman behave this way? She’d love to meet her! What she doesn’t know is that she already has. Saskia has been masquerading as a client, and their lives are set to collide in ways Ellen could never have predicted. This wonderfully perceptive new novel from Liane Moriarty is about the lines we’ll cross for love. It’s about the murky areas between right and wrong, and the complexities of modern relationships. ~ discovered on Book'd Out

Sticks and Stones: Maddie had thought the support group might help her. But with a sense of almost giddy relief she can't identify at all with these women. She knew what Jake would say - sad, sorry bunch of females... drowning in bitterness and the inability to move on.But Maddie also thought she'd escaped Jake. She had gradually allowed herself to drop her guard and enjoy moments of family life free of fear. But now six years later, Jake's found them. And he's taken the children. And he is going to make Maddie pay. ~ discovered on Tell me a Story

Review: Theodora: actress, empress, whore

2011-09-27T00:05:00.015-05:00

Why I picked it: Simple... I knew nothing about Theodora and wanted to learn about her.

Synopsis: For citizens of Byzantine Constantinople, the name Theodora evoked strong reactions--awe, lust, and doubt to name a few. Sadly, Theodora is all but lost to history. Like Elizabeth I and Cleopatra, Theodora was expert at wielding power from the throne. Unlike those famous rulers, Theodora was not born into royalty. Her rise to become Empress of the Roman Empire began in the bear pit of the Hippodrome.

Born to the famed stadium's bear-keeper, Theodora's early life was drastically altered when her father was killed by his beloved bear. In order to keep their family afloat, Theodora and her two sisters were indentured to Menander, coach of one of the city's foremost dancing troupes. A natural performer, Theodora learns dance, acrobatics, and comedy, and by the age of fifteen, became the star of the Hippodrome. Like almost every actress of the time, Theodora was also a child prostitute.

At the age of eighteen and at the height of her popularity in Constantinople, Theodora decides to abandon her career in favor of following her lover Hecebolus to The Pentapolis (modern day Libya) where he is the new Governor. She leaves behind her beloved sister Comito, her theater community, and her daughter Ana, whom she barely knows. When things turn sour with Hecebolus Theodora escapes to a religious community whose views conflict with the contemporary Roman state.

Theodora renounces her former life, undergoes a religious conversion, and is eventually sent back to Constantinople as a spy. She is soon sent to meet Justinian, nephew to the Emperor Justin. Theodora works closely with Justinian and eventually he asks for her hand, changing the law forbidding former actresses from marrying, opening doors for all women. After their marriage, Theodora and Justinian stand side by side as he is crowned Emperor and she, his Empress.

Type: Historical Fiction

Quick Take: Reading books about the women who made up our world inspire me. So many women took control of their destiny, a lesson we can all use to our benefit.

Theodora may be smart and sassy but she's not the prettiest of gals. She loves to entertain and her talents are acknowledged one night but selfish acts force her life to take a different turn. She does move upward and at times is forced to take a few steps backwards after making poor decisions (her emotions get the best of her at times).

Her life journey is intense at times but after running from a situation she has a spiritual experience that transforms her life, resulting in setting realistic goals and direction for her life.

This novel is wildly entertaining, descriptive and enlightening. Did you know HBO is making a series based on Theodora? I can't wait to watch it!

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: NetGalley

Life: a treasure hunt

2011-09-26T15:17:00.009-05:00

How many times have I mentioned Frank and Barbara's stuff?

I sadly have come to the conclusion that all of this 'stuff' is not going to disappear on it's own... it's time for me to take control.

It's hard for me to express the quantity and size of 'stuff' left behind - a neighbor stop by today for a walk and I decided to show her what I have been working on... she was horrified.

Phase one: Separating Junk from Treasure

I spent all day Saturday going through EVERY box to make sure I didn't throw away anything of value. I unwrapped each item and made four piles: paper/boxes to be recycled, garbage, donations, and keep. The keep 'pile' includes just two things for our son:

- a dozen comic books from the 50's/60's in plastic sleeves.

- one old baseball filled with autographs (we have identified a few names). I do see the name Mickey... but can't confirm Mantle is the last name. If the name is Mickey Mantle, all my work will be worth it. :)

I did find two 'beyond ugly' trinkets I will give as white elephant gifts. I already know who's receiving them! HA

Booked out: Believe it or not... I found more books this weekend... now I have over 600 to donate/recycle.

Fabric: Hiding on the top shelf in the storage room were over 20 bolts of horrible fabric, so bad that I felt it was my responsibility to make sure no one used it! This went in the trash bins last week. There was so much fabric that it took me about an hour to carry it from the basement to the curb (including curtains from their home in North Carolina). They moved curtains.... Danny the 'junk guy' will be so upset with me when he learns that I donated this stuff... to the landfill. He's goal is to add nothing more to landfills.... sorry Danny. I promise to be more green going forward.

For the love of paper: For a man in his fifties, I am blown away by the quantity of work paper Frank kept. I have boxes and boxes of paper to get rid of (most of the boxes are too heavy for me to lift). The boxes of paper span twenty feet by 3 feet, 18 inches high.... all flagged for recycling. I just wish I knew why he kept it. Maybe I'm sitting on a corporate secret of some type?!!

And then there are the Christmas decorations: I will find a home for this stuff. I think one of my neighbors is interested in donating it to her church.

Giveaway below is now closed...

I found this hand quilted tree skirt in one of the boxes. It's impeccably made and quite beautiful.

I have a tree skirt that is part of my family's tradition so I will not be keeping this but I thought I might offer this to someone, in attempt to find a good home for it.

It's spans five feet from left to right (for a full size tree). Knowing how much I paid for my tree skirt 15 years ago... I'm guessing this is worth at least $100.

Send me an email if you are interested (sorry...US residents only, it would cost me a fortune to send this international). If not, no worries... I will donate it with the other Christmas decorations.

Phase Two: The Furniture

After I finish phase one I will start looking for homes for four TVs, two kitchen table/chair sets, two beds, a futon, a sofa, several bar stools, a pool table and more.... (in a pear tree)

Have you tackled a project like this before? I welcome any/all advise. WHEW!

Life: happy to be exhausted

2011-09-25T09:03:00.004-05:00

Washington Valley: Have you missed me? I have been so busy this week that I haven't found time to sit long enough to read...anything (a book, text messages, email, favorite websites... you get the idea).

My husband's annual golf trip was this week, and since I am not going to the Escape this year (potential strike)... I decided to accept EVERY offer to socialize with friends. Boy did I have a busy week!

In addition to a few impromtu coffee's and hikes with friends, I had book club Tuesday AND Wednesday. Thursday night I went to the movies, and spent Friday evening with a neighbor for a knitting session.

Then Saturday happened... after my plans cancelled I decided to start going through Frank & Barbara's boxes. 15 hours later... everything is organized into categories: recylcing, garbage, and a small keep pile.

How does one have so much 'stuff'? To jog your memory, we bought our home just over a year ago, from Frank's sister. Frank & Barbara passed suddenly and the sister asked to leave a few things. A "few things" included 500+ books, a house full of furniture, Christmas decorations and over 50 boxes of paper. Thank goodness our basement is unfinished!

After getting a bid to remove everything for $1,000, I decided to do it myself... opening every box to see if there is anything worth keeping. I did find a few things, but this process/experience deserves it's own post...

Violinist's are hip? Thursday night my son sent me a video clip for violin sensation Lindsey Stirling . He told me that he would like to have my violin someday and regrets not learning to play. For the record, he wouldn't have wanted to play the violin when he was little.

Click here to watch an amazing video of Lindsey Stirling (she dances while she plays the violin).

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey):

On the iPad: I did download a copy of Second Nature last weekend. I'm intrigued after reading the first few chapters.

Listening: Better late than never... I'm listening to Outlander. It's a long book, 696 pages! I'm probably the last person to read this one - have you read it? Do you recommend the other books in the series?

Do you have any exciting plans this week? Other than a busy work week, I will making trips (many trips) to the goodwill and recycling center. My goal is to have most of Frank & Barbara's stuff removed from the house by the end of October. A big task.

Review: Exposure

2011-09-22T00:05:00.022-05:00

Why I picked it: A Manic Mommies Book Club selection - after reading the synopsis earlier this year I forwarded it to one of the MM listeners (a teacher) to see if she thought it would be a good choice for the book club.

Synopsis: Amelia Wilkes’s strict father does not allow her to date, but that doesn’t stop the talented, Winsome High School senior from carrying on a secret romance with her classmate Anthony Winter. Desperately in love, the two envision a life together and plan to tell Amelia’s parents only after she turns eighteen and is legally an adult. Anthony’s mother, Kim, who teaches at their school, knows and keeps their secret. But the couple’s passion is exposed sooner than planned: Amelia’s father, Harlan, is shocked and infuriated to find naked pictures of Anthony on his daughter’s computer. Just hours later, Anthony is arrested.

Despite Amelia’s frantic protests, Harlan uses his wealth and influence with local law enforcement and the media to label Anthony a deviant who preyed on his innocent daughter. Spearheaded by a zealous prosecutor anxious to turn the case into a public crusade against “sexting,” the investigation soon takes an even more disturbing and destructive turn.

As events spiral wildly out of control and the scandalous story makes national news, Amelia and Anthony risk everything in a bold and dangerous attempt to clear their names and end the madness once and for all.

Quick Take: WOW is my first reaction to this subject of this novel. Exposure is based on true events but I hope Harlan's reaction has been sensationalized to create drama for the reader. Teenagers think they are invincible at times and tend to come up with strange/hopeful solutions, this is displayed well in the second half of Exposure.

It's a bit of a Romeo and Juliet love story in modern day.

My son didn't have a camera phone until he was in college, for this I'm thankful! The author's story (it is based on her son's situation) is one to concern all of us, technology can complicate our lives.

We had a wonderful discussion with the author last night, watch for the audio to post to iTunes in the next few days (search Manic Mommies Book Club under podcasts).

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy

Review: The Legacy

2011-09-20T00:04:00.002-05:00

Why I picked it: The cover grabbed my attention and after reading the plot I knew I wanted to read this book. I enjoy stories filled with family secrets and stories with grandmother's (learning about life from another generation).

Synopsis: Following the death of their grandmother, Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, a grand and imposing house in Wiltshire, England, where they spent their summer holidays as children. When Erica begins to sort through her grandmother’s belongings, she is flooded with memories of her childhood—and of her cousin, Henry, whose disappearance from the manor tore the family apart.

Erica sets out to discover what happened to Henry—so that the past can be laid to rest, and her sister, Beth, might finally find some peace. Gradually, as Erica begins to sift through remnants of the past, a secret family history emerges: one that stretches all the way back to Oklahoma in the 1900s, to a beautiful society heiress and a haunting, savage land. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal—and the heartbreaking legacy left behind.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: From a blessed life in NYC, to the rough daily life of a rancher's wife, to running an English Manor, Caroline's story is one of mystery.

This is a complicated story that unfolds at a nice pace. As the synopsis above mentions, one of the granddaughters decides to find out what happened to a cousin who disappeared years ago. The letters provide the clues to solve the mystery but they also expose a life no one knew about.

I loved Caroline as a character. There is a point in the novel where her story ends... I wasn't ready for her story to end. I can't remember the last time a character stayed with me like Caroline has (wanting to know more). Well done!

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy (NetGalley)

It's Monday!

2011-09-18T21:28:00.004-05:00

Washington Valley: Fourteen months after the big move... I discovered that we DO have friends in New Jersey. Enough to host fourteen for an impromptu dinner party Saturday night, to celebrate my husband's birthday.

Like blending a good wine, we mixed a few friends from the neighborhood, a few of my friends and some of my husband's golf buddies (plus spouses). It was a magical night.

Let's talk Books!

I think I'm finally caught up with all things book related. This weekend I finished reading the last requested book from NetGalley, wrote a few reviews, worked on the MMBC and scheduled reviews for the next three weeks!

My laptop with my personal email has been down since Labor Day weekend, I fixed this today. Now I can read email in Outlook. WHEW!

Reviews scheduled for this week: The Legacy, and Exposure

Manic Mommies Book Club: Wednesday night we will be discussing Exposure with the author. Have you read the book?

Call in details: 724-444-7444
Call id: 90383#
Pin: 1#

Please join us!

What I'm reading (hosted by Book Journey):

On my iPad: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying this book. I can't seem to put it down and find myself reading parts to my husband. I have learned so much and... I think I like this book more than Julie and Julia.

Listening: I'm listening to The Paris Wife. Historical fiction, about Ernest Hemingway and his wife. A great love story.

Do you have any exciting plans this week? Tuesday night the Omaha Bookworm's are meeting (I will join via video skype), Wednesday the MMBC meets, the Hampton's on Thursday and I might travel into the city to visit Erin & Kristin (Manic Mommies) on Friday. It will be a busy week but a fun/rewarding week.

Life: a change of seasons

2011-09-16T07:25:00.006-05:00

Washington Valley: Yesterday was a windy day here, leaves floating to the ground all day. Squirrels running around, playing and looking for acorns.

I guess fall is really here.  I'm ready for cooler temps, running on a blanket of leaves, a roaring fire, football and those cherished last evenings sitting on the deck to watch the sunset.

Life and Death: When I was young my dad had several friends die in one year.  I remember him explaining that life tends to happen in three's. A buried memory that I'm thinking back to as Cancer seems to be invading the lives of those near me this year.

A few new diagnoses, a few have had organs and tumors removed, three have died. Without going into the details... it's safe to say that I'm having a tough week processing everything, feeling like I should be doing more.

A good friend of mine died last weekend.  Every day I run, I run for her. We picked our next adventure just last month.  I'm finding comfort knowing that she is no longer struggling to breath and the physical pain gone but I'm sad for her family and everyone who knew her. She's the most courageous women I have ever known, handling her diagnosis with such grace and surviving years longer than expected (strength). I'm honored to have her in my life and am a better person having known her.

Reading: I finished The Girl with Three Legs. It was completely different from what I was expecting. If you are on the fence, go ahead and read it. The author does a wonderful job explaining her journey without being graphic.

BBAW: Most of the blogs I read are not participating in BBAW this year (odd) but I have been enjoying reading posts from a few of my go-to bloggers. A YA book won best book of the year, and the short list was made up of only YA titles. How does this happen?

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend? I'm happy to say that we have no plans this weekend!

Review: Emily and Einstein

2011-09-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

Why I picked it: I picked this book up at the library, thinking it would be a great book to listen to while commuting to work last month.

Synopsis: Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.

Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man?

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: What a delightful story, unexpected.

Sandy’s born into a wealthy family and is used to getting what he wants in life. Emily is a sweet woman with a big heart, all she wants is to build a life for herself and to love someone. Sandy is killed in an accident and is given a second chance when he comes back to life as a dog, Einstein. This story is told by both Emily and Sandy/Einstein. It’s more than chick-lit, it’s filled with funny moments as Sandy adjusts to Einstein’s four legged body, seeing Emily grieve, discover secrets about Sandy and rebuilt her life.

Emily adopts Einstein and starts talking to him, not realizing that Einstein is Sandy. I enjoyed the banter with all of the characters and the personal growth that Emily experiences. This is a fun, quick read that I’m happy I read.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Library, Audiobook

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-09-13T12:46:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to read all three books listed below, the second is a memoir that sounds perfect for me. I had an ah-ha moment while reading the synopsis...

Have you read The Internationalists? Last night while talking with a friend, she mentioned this is a must read. I also need to get started on The Tiger's Wife... for book club next week!

There are SO many great books to read this fall, what's on your must read list?

The Little Shadow (Sep 2011): The Little Shadows follows three sisters into the backstage world of Polite Vaudeville before and during the First World War. Overseen by their fond but barely coping Mama, the sisters set out to make their living as a singing act after the untimely death of their father. With little in their favour save youth and hope, the sisters navigate their way to adulthood among a cast of extraordinary charmers, charlatans, ruffians and impresarios—and once in a rare while, a true star with transcendent gifts. From the brightly lit stage into the little shadows that lurk behind the curtain, the art of vaudeville—in all its variety, madness, melodrama, hilarity and sorrow—echoes the art of life itself.

It’s hard not to hate you (Sep 2011): In the midst of a health and career crisis, Valerie uncorks years of pent up rage, and discovers you don't have to be happy to be happy. You don’t have to love everyone else to like yourself. And that your Bitchy Twin might just be your funniest, most valuable and honest ally.“The hate in you has got to come out.”

After being advised to reduce stress by her doctor, humorist Valerie Frankel realized the biggest source of pressure in her life was maintaining an unflappable easing-going persona. After years of glossing over the negative, Frankel goes on a mission of emotional honesty, vowing to let herself feel and express all the toxic emotions she’d long suppressed or denied: jealousy, rage, greed, envy, impatience, regret.

Me and You (Feb 2012): a funny, tragic, gut-punch of a novel, charting how an unlikely alliance between two outsiders blows open one family’s secrets. Lorenzo Cumi is a fourteen-year-old misfit. To quell the anxiety of his concerned, socially conscious parents, he tells them he’s been invited on an exclusive ski vacation with the popular kids. On the morning of the trip, Lorenzo demands that his mother drop him off before they arrive at the train station, insisting that his status will be compromised if he shows up accompanied by his mother. Reluctantly, she agrees, and as soon as she is safely out of the vicinity, he turns around and makes his way back to his neighborhood, to put his real plan in motion: for one blessed week, Lorenzo will retreat to a forgotten cellar in his family’s apartment building, where he will live in perfect isolation, keeping the adult world at bay.

But when his estranged half-sister, Olivia, shows up in the cellar unexpectedly, his idyll is shattered, and the two become locked in a battle of wills—forced to confront the very demons they are each struggling to escape.

It's Monday!

2011-09-12T08:24:00.010-05:00

Washington Valley: The kitchen is 90% done! Ugly valance down, fresh coat of paint applied, wall decor up, new accessories and dishes purchased/ unpacked/ washed and put away... I have just one more update and the kitchen is done.

Next project: A carpet installer is coming out this week to measure for carpet runners - up the front stairs, down the hallway and down the back stairs. My husband mentioned last night that he is thinking about replacing the carpet in our bedroom.

I enjoy seeing rooms transform. Did you notice that as I cross off the kitchen... more items are added to the list?!

Let's talk Books!

What I'm Reading:

iPad: Last night I started reading The Girl with Three Legs: a memoir. This is more than a book about a different culture. I may agree with the author, this is a form of abuse, but many believe it's a right of passage (into womanhood).

Synopsis: A victim of FGM and an arranged marriage to an abusive cousin, Miré was also witness to the instability of Somalia’s political landscape: her father was a general for the military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, and her family moved in the inner circles of Somalia’s elite. In her journey to recover from the violence done to her, Miré realizes FGM is the ultimate child abuse, a ritual of mutilation handed down from mother to daughter and protected by the word “culture.”

Audio: I will pick up The Paris Wife from the library early this week, I can't wait to read this one.

Do you use NetGalley? If yes, how do you manage your wish list? Do you request books as you find them (keeping a supply on your ereader) or do you request one/two books at a time? I made the rookie mistake of downloading several books at once... adding to my list as I found items I wanted to read. I'm finally reading the last book I requested back in June! I found a few books that I want to read, with spring 2012 release dates, but I haven't requested them yet...

Books I can't wait to read!

2011-09-10T07:03:00.004-05:00

Last month I bought this cookbook, super natural every day, for a friend and decided to buy myself a copy too.

I LOVE this cookbook.

Earlier this week I received a text message, from my friend, that said 'made page 66 tonight, everyone loved it'... to which I replied 'we made page 88, highly recommend'. Tonight I'm making page 86 and can't wait to send my neighbor a text with an update.

Do you have a go-to cookbook? I bring cookbooks to the grocery store with me, this one has already made a visit... the first of many.

Below are a few books I can't wait to read, the last two I saw on BN.com today... both titles are new to me.

Do you any books you can't wait to read?

Baking Cakes in Kigali: This soaring novel introduces us to Angel Tungaraza: mother, cake baker, pillar of her community, keeper of secrets big and small. Angel’s kitchen is an oasis in the heart of Rwanda, where visitors stop to order cakes but end up sharing their stories, transforming their lives, leaving with new hope. In this vibrant, powerful setting, unexpected things are beginning to happen: A most unusual wedding is planned, a heartbreaking mystery involving Angel’s own family unravels, and extraordinary connections are made—as a chain of events unfolds that will change Angel’s life and the lives of those around her in the most astonishing ways. ~ recommended by Jennifer, a fellow Chaos Chronicles listener

An Accidental Mother (pub date Sep 27, 2011): After her divorce, Kate Kindred decided that she would live her life without children. But then she fell in love with Jim, a handsome, caring man who had custody of his young son, Michael. And she fell in love with the boy, too. During the six years they all lived together, Kate learned the deep joys of motherhood that was the gift that Michael gave her. But when her relationship with Jim ended, he denied her any contact with Michael. And her heart was broken. An Accidental Mother beautifully describes the joys of mothering a young boy through complicated times. With sweet simple anecdotes and complex emotions, Kate Kindred marks every page with tears, including those that the most loving laughter can bring to any parent.

Second Nature: a love story: A fierce and moving tale of one woman’s fight for her identity and her life when fate holds out a second chance. Sicily Coyne was just thirteen when her father was killed in a school fire that left her face disfigured. Twelve years later, a young surgeon, Eliza Cappadora, offers hope in the form of a revolutionary new surgery that may give Sicily back the grace and function she lost. Raised by a dynamic, tenacious aunt who taught her to lead a normal life, and engaged to a wonderful man who knew her long before the accident, Sicily rejects the offer: She knows who she is, and so do the people who love her. But when a secret surfaces that shatters Sicily’s carefully constructed world, she calls off the wedding and agrees to the radical procedure in order to begin a new life.

Her beauty restored virtually overnight, Sicily rushes toward life with open arms, seeking new experiences, adventures, and, most of all, love. But she soon discovers that her new face carries with it risks that no one could have imagined. Confronting a moral and medical crisis that quickly becomes a matter of life and death, Sicily is surrounded by experts and loving family, but the choice that will transform her future, for better or worse, is one she must make alone.

An intense and moving story of courage, consequence, and possibility, Second Nature showcases the acclaimed storyteller at her very best.

Review: The Lantern

2011-09-08T00:57:00.002-05:00

Why I picked it: If I'm completely honest... I picked this book after seeing it all over the internet. It's getting a lot of press and I was curious. I enjoy gothic novels (ie: Niffenegger) and thought I would enjoy this one.

Synopsis: When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, an abandoned house in a rural hamlet in the south of France. As the beautiful Provence summer turns to autumn, Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt both her lvoer and the run-down old house, in particular the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful first wife, Rachel. Whilst Eve tries to untangle the secrets surrounding Rachel's last recorded days, Les Genevriers itself seems to come alive.

As strange events begin to occur with frightening regularity, Eve's voice becomes intertwined with that of Benedicte Lincel, a girl who lived in the house decades before. As the tangled skeins of the house's history begin to unravel, the tension grows between Dom and Eve. In a page-turning race, Eve must fight to discover the fates of both Benedicte and Rachel, before Les Genevriers' dark history has a chance to repeat itself.

An evocative and sensuous tale of romantic and psychological suspense set against an exquisite landscape, The Lantern is a gripping story of past and present, love and jealousy, secrets and lies, appearances and disappearances that captures our age-old terror of the dark.

Type: Fiction

Quick Take: Let me start by saying this book was good, not great. I'm not sure if part of my confusion was due to reading an ARC on my ipad. Some of the chapter numbers were sideways, some normal. I was reading into this... trying to decide if this would help me understand who was narrating a particular chapter, or if we were time traveling to the historical part of the book. I never figured this out.

I wasn't emotionally attached to the characters but I can say I enjoyed Eve's story. She becomes obsessed with Rachel, Dom's first wife who he refuses to talk about. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I read it in a week's time. Give this one 100 pages for the story to develop. The pace picks up and you will enjoy the descriptiveness of France, the house and Eve's emotions.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Source: Review Copy (NetGalley)

Review: I Married You for Happiness

2011-09-06T16:39:00.001-05:00

Why I picked it: I have been enjoying NetGalley and this title grabbed my attention.

Synopsis: Slender, potent, and utterly engaging, I Married You For Happiness combines marriage, mathematics, and the probability of an afterlife to create Tuck's most affecting and riveting book yet.

“His hand is growing cold, still she holds it” is how this novel that tells the story of a marriage begins. The tale unfolds over a single night as Nina sits at the bedside of her husband, Philip, whose sudden and unexpected death is the reason for her lonely vigil. Still too shocked to grieve, she lets herself remember the defining moments of their long union, beginning with their meeting in Paris. She is an artist, he a highly accomplished mathematician—a collision of two different worlds that merged to form an intricate and passionate love. As we move through select memories—real and imagined—Tuck reveals the most private intimacies, dark secrets, and overwhelming joys that defined Nina and Philip's life together.

Type: Fiction/Novella

Quick Take: This book pulled me in immediately. Nina's husband dies suddenly and she spends one last night alone with him and years of memories. Telling their daughter makes Philip's death real and Nina is not be ready, yet.

This book is just under 200 pages long and packs a punch. The memories span over 40 years of marriage, from meeting each other to the birth of their daughter, from lovers/affairs to tender memories. I read this book in just two sittings. I loved every minute of it, until the last page. There's nothing wrong with the ending... just that I had already build an alternative ending to end the story in my head.

I'm so glad the cover of the book didn't sway me from reading it (I still don't understand the cover). Have you read it? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: NetGalley