Book Club

Mom and Dad flew home earlier today.  It was such a fantastic visit with them - probably one of the best {their first to Los Angeles}.  Hubs is suggesting that I stay busy this next week to distract me from missing them.  Luckily for me, my book club met tonight.

Earlier this summer a few friends and I started a book club.  This month, we read A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  It was an interesting read about a futuristic dystopia told by Offred, the Handmaid.  We never learn her real name - only that she is the Handmaid of a Commander whose first name is Fred.  This is how all the handmaids are named as part of their Commanders' identities.  Her voice was compelling and I was so drawn into her story.  I loved the way she flipped from present to flashbacks.  While I can't say I loved the book, I have to say that I couldn't put it down.  I finished it in less than a week and gave it four stars on Goodreads.

What are y'all reading now?  Any friends in Pasadena want to join us next month?

Recent Reads

I'm reading {listening} to a book on tape {err..mp3}, Where the River Ends by Charles Martin.   He's a Southern lit guy, and I like the way he captures the South with his words and stories.  Basically, he is Nicholas Sparks meets Pat Conroy.  Today, on the drive home, I heard this description of Southerners and it resonated with me and reminded me of my people.  It reminded me of where I came from.

"[Southerners] talk slower often stretching two syllables into five, use phrases that make little sense on the surface, dip Copenhagen and drink beer simultaneously, and have no desire to understand a New York minute.  Admittedly, college degrees are not the norm.  PhDs are few.  And while outsiders drive across the bridge and see little more than drunk rednecks, they do well to never confuse cultural difference with ignorance or stupidity. 

Beneath the twangy exterior, they value common sense, make due with less, laugh easily, and will give you the shirt off their backs.  They are the salt of the earth.  When you’re not in a hurry, pull up a chair and you will find your stomach full and that laughter has creased your face with wrinkles."

 Where the River Ends, Charles Martin

What do you think?  What words ring true to where you came from?

Recent Reads

{picture found here}

I am a reader. I've always been a reader {which is probably why I majored in English Education in college}. I get it from my dad. He is the most voracious reader I know...and could open his own used book store, seriously. When my sister and I were little, he would take us to the library and let us pick out as many books as we wanted. Thanks, dad, for giving us a love of reading and books.

Lately, I've been re-discovering how much I LOVE the library. All of the books I've read in the last six months have come from our local library. Here are some my recent reads...maybe it should be a goal of mine to read a book a month {since that seems to be where I'm headed anyway}.

1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.

Perfect beach read {which is where I read it}. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as Secret Life of Bees.

2. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Loosely based on the life of Laura Bush. I had to remind myself that it was fiction.

3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

This book was so good and a fun read. I'm a big fan of Southern lit. Set in the 1960s, this book portrays the life of several house keepers in the Deep South. I highly recommend this book.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

After hearing a lot of buzz about these books, I finally decided to pick one up. And...I couldn't put it down. A well-written mystery novel for anyone who likes that genre. {Disclaimer: this book has some graphic and disturbing details about serial killings}.

5. The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

The second book of the trilogy. We learn more about Lisbeth Salander and her past. Another great page-turner. {Not nearly as graphic as the first novel}.

What have you been reading lately?

P.S. Mike, I promise that our bookshelves won't look like the ones in this picture...at least not until we have a bigger house.

Lunch Breaks

Okay, it's been forever since I've actually posted on this thing. I told myself that I wouldn't start a blog unless I actually posted with regularity. So many amazing things have happened in the past month and a half that I haven't talked about: the Oak Island 10K, my birthday and starting p90x are just a few. You know, life just gets busy. The last thing I want for this blog is for it to be another thing on my to-do list that isn't happening.

Lately, I've been taking my lunch breaks as actual breaks! It is quite the phenomenon. {Previously, I used lunch-time as a time to run as many errands as possible, balance the checkbook, or write thank you notes.} About a year ago, my mom gave me some advice that I really needed to hear. She told me I needed to take the time to actually eat my lunch instead of running around like a crazy woman. If there's anything I've learned in my 29 years, it's to listen to my mother...
Last week, I couldn't stop reading this book, American Wife. SO GOOD!! For several lunches I sat outside under a tree and read to my heart's content. Do you have any fun summer reading suggestions?

In other news, I hope to post pictures or thoughts from the first half of my summer in the coming days. We are headed to Blue Springs this weekend for the 4th! Excited for sunshine and sandbars!