Saturday Snapshot

Here are a couple photo's of beautiful homes from our trip to Heidelberg, Germany in 1996.....

My husband and I went to Germany to visit my family and we took a trip to Heidelberg. I love the beauty of European homes and as we walked the streets of Heidelberg I took photos of these two homes that caught my eye. 

We were able to get up close to this home as we walked the streets of Heidelberg. I found the bridge/walkway fascinating from the street view. 

                  (Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books)

Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~

Is a place for readers to share what books came into their house last week and explore great blogs!

(April host is Mari Reads)

It's a good thing that I did some spring bookshelf cleaning this weekend as I received quite a few books in the mail and for kindle books this week. I have a few bags of books to donate to the library and pass on to friends. 

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman (from the author)

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian (from Random House)

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

(From Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting and Netgalley)

Kindle Books from Netgalley:

Catching Up On A Sunday ~ A Special Package in the Mail

This week was a stressful one. So, it made my day when a package arrived from Beth Hoffman, one of my favorite authors with her newest book, Looking For Me, that will be released next month. To add to the excitement, Beth will be in town speaking and signing books on June 1st and I will definitely be there! For those who follow my blog, I was at Beth's book signing for her first book (Go Here to read post), Saving CeeCee Honeycutt which is prominently featured in my header picture above of my favorite books. 

Here are some pictures to see how beautifully Beth wrapped the book:

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

Highlights from his week on the blog:


Giveaway for ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes ends next Sunday April 14th, 2013. US only.  Please go here to enter, or link on the sidebar to the right. 


Review: A Year at 32 September Way by Mary Ylisela


Review: The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

Saturday Snapshot ~ Labryinth

Labyrinth Stone Carving from Grace Cathedral San Franscisco, California

My husband took this picture of the Labryinth Stone Carving that we bought at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California years ago.  Grace Cathedral is a beautiful church in the heart of San Francisco. Wikipedia describes the Grace Cathedral Labryinth:

Laid out on the floor of Grace Cathedral is a labyrinth that is based on the famous medieval labyrinth of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres (The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) located in Chartres, France. It is said that if a visitor walks the pattern of the labyrinth it will bring them to a meditative state. There is also another labyrinth outside of the cathedral in its courtyards.

We walked the two labryinths, they have one outdoor and on indoors. I preferred the indoor, carpeted one as I enjoyed the beauty and quiet of the church. It was relaxing and calming, but I can't say it brought my husband or I to a meditative state. Check out the links above to see pictures of the labryinth and the beautiful Grace Cathedral. 

I found this video on Youtube that shows the outdoor labyrinth and Grace Cathedral. 

(Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books)

Review: The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

After I read  The School of Essential Ingredients , I envisioned a sequel and hoped that the author would write one.  (You can read my review HERE, it is one of my favorite books). The Lost Art of Mixing is a long awaited sequel which takes us back to Lillian's restaurant where we catch up with several of the same characters as well as a new cast of quirky characters. Lillian is struggling in a relationship with Tom, a widow who is still tied to the memories of his wife. Chloe, who is Lillian's assistant at the restaurant and lives with Isabelle who is dealing with the progression of her Alzheimers. Al, the accountant has a close friendship with Lillian and loves the power and tantalizing smells of her food. He is a lonely man in a lonely marriage to Louise who is struggling with her own issues. The story follows the characters as they are struggling to work through issues in their lives and they are all connected through the center link, Lillian. I enjoyed the book, the beautiful phrases and connections to food and emotions and how Bauermeister connects words and emotions to the food and cooking.  The writing is lyrical in these moments. I must admit that I so wanted to love this book as much as I loved The School of Essential Ingredients. I didn't find the character development as engaging or as interesting. I wanted to know more about Lillian and found her character a bit disconnected and flat. There were tender and funny scenes that brought out the characters although there was not enough depth and connection for me as a reader. The ending was a bit abrupt and it makes me wonder if there will be a follow up book. Bauermeister is a talented writer, her writing flows and there is beauty in her lyrical words and phrases that I appreciate. 

Disclosure: Thank you to Putnam books who sent me an e-galley copy through Netgalley for review.

Spring Kindle Reading!

My friend Staci at Life in the Thumb, started a Spring Kindle Cleaning 2013 project to read Kindle books during the month of April. Staci is focusing on reading Netgalley kindle books.  I decided to join in the fun and read some of my Netgalley books. I'm not sure that I will get through them all in April but I will sure try!

My books are below:

Review: A Year at 32 September Way by Mary Ylisela

A Year at 32 September Way is a gem of a book that I found when the author , Mary Ylisela was promoting it for free on Amazon (Kindle Edition). I must say that this was the best free kindle book that I've ever ordered. The cover art and the setting in Italy grabbed my eye right away. This is the story of five different people from all over the world that moved to Italy for a year and they all stay in the same apartment building. Their Italian landlord, who owns the building plays a major part in the novel as well. They each have their own reasons for wanting to live in Italy.  As time goes on during the year, each one changes and finds a new chapter in life as they explore life in Italy. Some things are positive and some are life changing events. Among these experiences, friendships and romance bloom and truths are told and revealed. The charm of the city of Verona is revealed through the characters experiences. I wanted to be there in a cafe having a cappuccino watching the people and soaking in the cultural experience. I found the story engaging and the characters were well developed with their individual stories woven together well. When I finished the book I was longing for a sequel and am thrilled that the author has just published a sequel, Another Year at 32 September Way available in paperback or Kindle edition. 

Tuesday Intros~Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph where we share the first paragraph or two of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon.  Feel free to grab the image and participate. 

 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

My Tuesday Intro pick is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This book has received a lot of praise and many of my book friends have said it is one of their favorite books of 2013. I just received a copy of the book, and I am hosting a giveaway so see my sidebar to go to the link and enter, or go HERE.

Prologue
2007

When he emerges from the bathroom she is awake, propped up against the pillows and flicking through the travel brochures that were beside his bed. She is wearing one of his T-shirts, and her long hair is tousled in a way that prompts reflexive thoughts of the previous night. He stands there, enjoying the brief flashback, rubbing the water from his hair with a towel.

She looks up from a brochure and pouts. She is probably slightly too old to pout, but they've been going out a short enough time for it still to be cute.

"Do we really have to do something that involves trekking up mountains, or hanging over ravines? It's our first proper holiday together, and there is literally not one single trip in these that doesn't involve either throwing yourself off something or"—she pretends to shudder—"wearing fleece." 

~ Excerpt From Bookbrowse, go to link to read the first two pages. 

The first chapter, titled "2009", pulled me in more than the prologue so keep on reading!

What do you think? Would you keep on reading 

or move on to something else?

Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~

Is a place for readers to share what books came into their house last week and explore great blogs!

(April host is Mari Reads)

Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham From Big Honcho Media

Free Kindle Books:

The Summer of France by Paulita Kincer 

Rusty Nail (Jack Daniels Mysteries) by J.A. Konroth

Where Bluebirds Fly by Brynn Chapman

Catching Up On Sunday

Happy Easter, Happy Passover to those who celebrate!! We are finally getting some warmer weather here and it's especially nice to have sunshine! I'm anxious for the new season of Call the Midwife to start tonight on PBS. Does anyone else watch it? I'm a fan of the British PBS shows, there is nothing in comparison in the US, in my opinion. 

This week, my son and I were on spring break and we had an easygoing week which was nice. We both needed the break. Fortunately, we only have 9 more weeks of the school year until summer. 

This week on the blog:

On Monday I posted my Mailbox Monday and new books I received.

I am reading The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister and posted a Tuesday Intro

I posted a review on Where'd you go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Saturday, I posted a Saturday Snaphot

I updated my facebook page for Redlady's Reading Room and added a link on my sidebar to the right. Please follow me there. 

Giveaway for ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes has been extended until April 14th, 2013. US only.  Please go here to enter, or link on the sidebar to the right. 



Have a great week!

Saturday Snapshot

I took this picture last summer, at a duck pond near where we live. It's actually set nicely among outlet stores and is a nice quiet spot to watch or feed the ducks. We often ride our bikes here in the summer. It's not warmed up here enough for spring, the trees are bare and the skies are gray. This picture reminds me of how much I'm looking forward to the blue skies, sunshine, flowers and green of the trees. Spring, where are you?! 

 (Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books)

Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Where'd You Go Bernadette is a unique, humorous and fun story. It is told from the perspective of Bernadette's teen-aged daughter Bea who is considered mature and smart beyond her years. The story is told in epistolary fashion through letters and email switching to Bernadette's perspective and it also included her father Elgie and a few other interesting characters. The story is set in Seattle where Bernadette is an antisocial mom married to Elgie who is a workaholic at Microsoft. The book pokes a bit of fun at Seattle, Microsoft, rich entitled kids and their families and private schools. I appreciated the fresh style and humor of the book.  I found myself laughing at many of the  outlandish situations Bernadette gets herself into that are for the most part, unrealistic, although very funny. 

I listened to the book as an audio book (loaned from my local library) and found it worked well in this format. I listened to it in my car on my commute to and from work and looked forward to driving so I could listen to the book. The narrator Kathleen Wilhoite made the audio book work perfectly for me. Kathleen was a character on Gilmore Girls, a favorite show of mine. For those who are fans of the show, Kathleen played Luke's sister Liz. She has the perfect unique voice to fit the characters. 

This was an enjoyable, fun and engaging book. I'd highly recommend this novel in either audio or print editions. 

Tuesday Intros~ The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter, First Paragraph where we share the first paragraph or two of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon.  Feel free to grab the image and participate. 

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

My Tuesday Intro Pick is The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister. I read and loved Erica's first book The School of Essential Ingredients, (read my review here) so I knew that I had to read  the sequel.  It's actually one of my favorite books and I featured it in my new blog header at the top of my blog. You can see the book featured on my favorites bookshelf, right in the middle! I am reading an e-galley on my kindle and it's already pulled me in. Since I am on spring break this week, I expect to finish it quickly. Although this may be the kind of book that I don't want to end quickly. 

Here are the first two paragraphs from an excerpt posted on the authors website, go here to read the rest of the excerpt. 

THE LOST ART of MIXING

PROLOGUE

Lillian stood at the restaurant kitchen counter, considering the empty expanse in front of her. It was a Monday morning at the end of December and the restaurant held the calm that occurred only after the onslaught of holiday feasts, the culmination of a culinary season that began in the fall. In those months of ever shorter days, sometimes the only ingredients Lillian’s customers could be bothered to take from their own kitchen cabinets were boxes of macaroni and cheese, bread for toast, and the restaurant provided both memory and inspiration—golden half-globes of squash awash in butter, a lamb shank braised with the patience it would take to get through winter. After the exhilaration that was summer in the Pacific Northwest, autumn was like the sigh of an adolescent who realizes he must indeed grow up. It was Lillian’s job to remind the people who sat at her tables that being an adult, the passing of a season or a year, was about more than just being older.

Still, Lillian thought, sometimes it was nice to be in the hush of an empty kitchen, without the heat of the ovens, the extra bodies of prep cooks and,dishwashers and bussers and servers. This was what fed her—this moment of stillness, the long, cool stretch of the counters and the give of the thick rubber mat beneath her feet.

What do you think? Would you keep on reading 

or move on to something else?

Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~

Is a place for readers to share what books came into their house last week and explore great blogs!

(March host is Caitlin at Chaotic Compendiums)

• Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman (from Touchstone)
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (From The Penguin Group)