Tag Archives: Books

Say goodbye…

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…and there it goes…

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Look at those roots!

Look at those roots!

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Maybe I will stop here.

Maybe I will stop here.

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All gone!

All gone…almost.

Readers, my hair is gone…well almost. I have some fuzz left. Yesterday while I was in the shower washing my hair a small clump came out and I was freaked out. I knew that I was going to have to shave it because I did not want to have that happen again. No waking up with my hair all over my pillow. That would be too much. I will probably use a razor this weekend to get the rest. That picture will not be posted. You wouldn’t think that a little fuzz would make such a difference but it does. Shaving it wasn’t as big deal this time however, it still sucked. My hair was so soft! Hopefully when it grows back, it will be just as soft. Who knows what it will look like next time.

So soft.

So soft.

Me and Simon

Me and Simon rest in on the couch.

Such a good boy.

Such a good boy.

Shout Out

By Eve Sch

By Eve Schaub

Panny can't wait to try it!

Panny can’t wait to try them!

Stephen and Eve S.- Thank you so much for the syrup and maple cream. Since they live in Vermont I know they will taste great! I can’t wait to try them both this weekend. I am very excited to read Eve’s book. She has been on the Dr. Oz Show and Fox News to name a few shows and has been interviewed my countless of newspapers and magazines. Their whole family went an entire year without any sugar! I can’t even begin to think how hard it was…I will know soon though. If you are interested in lowering your sugar intake or stopping all together, take a look at her book. From what I have seen, read and heard, it is a great read.

Whatcha Reading?

Right now I am on a historical fiction kick. I am reading The White Princess by Philipa Gregory. I also read The Kingsmaker’s Daughter. I have read many of her books in the past that focused on the Tutor Royal Family aka Henry VIII. I like her books. I know there is a lot of fiction in these stories but they are somewhat educational. They have taught me that being King or Queen or a woman back then kinda sucked. You could trust no one if you are the King because everyone wants you dead and your job. Being a woman just sucked. You are property of your husband and your father before that. If they could only see us now.

The book that kicked off my historical fiction kick was Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough. It takes place in the 1920’s-30’s in Australia and it about two sets of twin female siblings. So four sisters growing up after WWI and the different paths they each take. It was good but I am not sure if the characters are anything like the women of the the time. These women were written as very strong, outgoing, outspoken women and I am just not sure if the women back then were like any of the sisters. Falling in love in one day? Getting married a week later? Telling your husband you are leaving him to live with another man? Telling a man off in public? Marry a gay man so he will fund your medical education? Sure things like that happen now but in the ’20s? I am not sure. Oh! and their father is a man of the Church so, I am just not buying it. That being said, I would recommend it. If anyone reads it or has read it, let me know what you think.

I also read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (I wrote about it before). I think I have read all her books to date and this one did not disappoint. It takes place in Australia present day. It focuses on three women and a death/murder in the town, so there is a little mystery. Read it.

Readers, thank you for all the writing suggestions. I will keep them in mind as I think of topics to write about. Have a wonderful Friday! Be Good and Be Safe!

Whatcha Reading?

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Readers!

Whatcha Reading?

The Cuckoos Calling

The Cuckoos Calling

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling

From Booklist

London PI Cormoran Strike’s final feud with his arguably insane fiancée leaves him camping in his office, wondering how his last two clients will keep him afloat and pay for his new secretary, Robin. When a childhood acquaintance asks him to investigate his supermodel sister’s apparent suicide, Strike finds a distraction from his problems that’s happily attached to a check. Lula Landry was surrounded by rabid paparazzi, a drug-addled social circle, a dysfunctional adopted family, and a shifty, newly found birth mother, making suicidal despair hard to dismiss. But with Robin’s surprisingly adept assistance, Strike dismantles witness statements, applying masterful deductive skills to find evidence of murder. This debut is instantly absorbing, featuring a detective facing crumbling circumstances with resolve instead of clichéd self-destruction and a lovable sidekick with contagious enthusiasm for detection. Galbraith nimbly sidesteps celebrity superficiality, instead exploring the ugly truths in Lula’s six degrees of separation. Strike bears little resemblance to Jackson Brodie, but Kate Atkinson’s fans will appreciate his reliance on deduction and observation along with Galbraith’s skilled storytelling. –Christine Tran –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
As with books written by English authors set in England, I have at times no idea what they are saying. I will admit that I am not up on my English slang. Other then the occasional “what? What?”. I really enjoyed the book. The two main characters are both relatable and likable. Cormoran, is, like me, and amputee which I thought was pretty cool. However from the sound of his prostheses and dealing with it, I am much better off! There are no wizards in this book it is a murder mystery. I think J.K. writing as a man works for her.
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling
From Amazone

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days-as he has done before-and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine’s disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives-meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. 

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before… A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, THE SILKWORM is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.

This is book two in the London PI Cormoran Strikes series. It takes place about six months after the first one ends and learn early on it is right before William and Kate get in engaged. Nice to but a time with the setting (although to be honest it could have been taking place   day, you can’t tell). I am about one-third through this book so far and am liking it just as much as the first. In the first book we learn a lot about the world of models and in this book we learn about the publishing wold. One I think our author probably knows a bit about. Once again, no wizards or muggles, just a mystery and so far a pretty good one at that.

Big News!

I looks like all four of The Girls laid an egg today! How cool is that Readers?!

 

 

Whatcha Listening to? Whatcha Reading?

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Whatcha Listening To?

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Band of Horses-Live at The Ryman

We have been big fans of Band of Horses for years now. My Man and I have seen them about four times and The Boy has seen them once. Last month when we went to Nashville and visited the Ryman, we saw that they had played a show there recently. I was super excited when about a week ago I saw that they released an acoustic album of the songs they played there over two nights. I LOVE this album. I love the reworking of the songs especially The Funeral and Older. So, so good. I also love how after almost every song they are like “thanks y’all! or Thank you so much!.” Such nice boys. Check it out!

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Hoizer-Take Me to Church EP

I know nothing about Hoizer. Well, I just google him and apparently he his from Ireland so I know he has one hell of a sexy accident. That counts for something right? Anyway, I heard his song Take Me to Church on XM radio and really liked it. The EP contains a total of four songs and I like all of them! From what I read, it looks like he is hitting it big in Ireland and starting to tour in Europe as well. Maybe he will soon hit the states and release a full length album. So far I like what I hear!

Whatcha Reading?

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Cockroaches- Jo Nesbo

I know I have mentioned Jo Nesbo before on a pervious Whatcha Reading. Since he is originally from Norway not all of his books get released in English in order. He became pretty popular in the US when Snowman came out and since then they have been translating his older books in the Harry Hole series. Cockroaches is one of them. I am about half way through and am enjoying it just as I have all of his books. Even with all his faults (he has many) Harry Hole is a character you can’t help cheering for.

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Still Life with Bread Crumbs- Anna Quindlen 

From Booklist

Rebecca Winter was once a famous photographer, and, with any luck, she will be again. Having achieved surprising early success with her feminist “Kitchen Counter” collection, Rebecca, now 60, finds herself on fame and fortune’s flip side. With her former torrent of royalties dwindling to a trickle, Rebecca has been forced to give up her perfect Manhattan apartment for a paltry upstate cabin, and with marauding raccoons, stray dogs, and trigger-happy hunters, life in the country is proving to be no walk in Central Park. Luckily, Rebecca still has her camera, and she soon finds inspiration for new work in unexpected places, often in the company of a bird-watching roofer named Jim, whose quiet companionship proves to be just the balm she needs to fully embrace her unfamiliar surroundings.
What got me to read the book in first place was that the main character was once a famous photographer. Being that many moons ago I dreamed of being a famous photographer, I thought it would be a good read. And it was. Don’t think it is all about photography, it is a story of a woman, in her 60’s (she is not written like any 60 year woman I know) trying to kick-start her life again. Who of us hasn’t had to do that two or three times?

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Stella Bain-Anita Shreve

From Publishers Weekly

Shreve’s 17th novel is a tragic yet hopeful story of love, memory, loss, and rebuilding. A young woman wakes up with amnesia in a battlefield hospital tent in Marne, France, in 1916. She thinks her name is Stella Bain, and she thinks she knows how to nurse and drive an ambulance. As she recovers, she returns to duty in this new environment, caring for the wounded and dying. When she arrives in the city exhausted and destitute, she’s discovered in a park by a doctor’s wife, who takes her in. The doctor, Augustus Bridge, is a cranial surgeon with an interest in psychiatry. Stella becomes a €œquasi-patient€; he finds a way to get her into the Admiralty, and, when a former friend recognizes her by name, her memories return, including the fact that she has children—and the reason why she left them. The amnesia and its cause are only part of the story; the lack of understanding at the time of the consequences of witnessing the horrors of war, for both men and women, also plays a key role.
I love reading historical fiction and this one did not disappoint!!
Readers, what album can you not stop listening too? What book can you not put down?

Whatcha Reading? Listening To?

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Whatcha Reading Reader’s?

Here are some of the books I have read over the last month or so.

The Last Anniversary- Liane Moriarty–A good, fun, fast read with a little mystery.

Summer People- Elin Hilderbrand–A good, fun, fast read.

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The Blue Bistro-Elin Hilderbrand–A good, fun, fast read.

The Beach Club-Elin Hilderbrand–A good, fun, fast read.

White Fire-Preston & Child–This one took awhile to get into. I did enjoy it but I don’t think I will read any others in the series.

The Secret Keeper-Kate Morton–I have read all of her books and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn’t my favorite.

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I just started listening to How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper via Audible. I have listened to a few of her books before and loved them. The narrator is Amanda Ronconi and she does a wonderful job. The book does have a werewolf in it but it isn’t a super natural book. It just happens that one of the guys is a werewolf. It is a very funny read and I suggest it and her the “Nice Girl” series. Molly Harper is also the narrator the series and does a fantastic job.

What am I listening to?

Arcade Fire- Reflektor–It is ok. Not my favorite of theirs. To be honest I was kind of disappointed. No need to rush out and get it.

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Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon- Mechanical Bull- I am very happy to say, I love this album! Not as good as Only By The Night but very a close second. Check this one out!

What are you reading? Listening to?

 

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away….

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Hotel Yorba Landscape Pictures

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Coop/Run Foundation

Coop/Run Foundation

Stairs are done!

Stairs are done!

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Below is a great story on how important it is to have a good foundation of family and friends surronding you when you have cancer (or any illness for that matter). I can’t begin to tell you how much my My Man and all of my friends and family have helped me. I couldn’t have gotten through all this without them.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/53088893/#53088893

Whatcha Reading?

I finished up The Wife by Meg Wolitzer and The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty recently. The Wife was ok. I liked her book The interesting’s much more. The ending  to the Wife was very abrupt. I was like Wait? What? I really thought I had missed something. I flet like she kids got bored writing the thing was like “The hell with it. I’m done.”

I really liked The Husband’s Secret. It posed a few tough “What would you do?” questions that I am still not sure what my answer would be. I really got into the book and finished it in about 3 days. It takes place in Australia, so I had to get use to the comments about Good Friday being the beginning of Fall and some of the slang I didn’t get but overall I it was good. Right now I am reading What Alice Forgot also by Liane Moriarty. I am only 10 pages into the book, so I will let you know if it is as good as The Husband’s Secret.

I am also listening to a book on audio. It is called The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I saw her interviewed on the Today show about her book and thought it sounded good. I think they have a book club and this is the current book they are reading. Shannon is like 24 years old and this is her first book. She has already sold the movie rights and ithe book going to be a series. So far I like what I hear. The story takes place in London in the future. If you are into audio books I recommend this one. The narrator, Alana Kerr, is doing a great job so far. A bad narrator can kill a book for me. I have been known to stop listening all together due to the narrator.

It has been overcast and rainy here in the ATL for the past two days. I fear the weather will slow down the chicken coop/run progress and the rest of the landscaping. Fingers are crossed that it clears up later this morning like it did yesterday. Busy day today. I have financial plans to work on and finish, two conference calls, laundry that needs to be started, need to go to the bank and I really need to go to Trader Joe’s. The Boy’s lunch is looking pretty pathetic!

Reader’s! Have a wonderful day!!

Waking Up is so Hard to Do….

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Reader’s!

Is it me or is it almost impossible to wake up on a Tuesday after a long weekend? I love long weekends but waking up is so tough and now for the rest of the week I will be thinking it is one day behind. I have a lot to do in the next two days. I have three conf. calls for work, trades to make, follow-up letters to write, house to vacuum, laundry to wash, bathrooms to clean, grocery shopping and packing for my trip to the hospital. Pickles. Life suddenly got very busy after being lazy for three days. Does this happen to you too?

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Now that Labor Day is over, I am ready for Fall. I am. Like right now. Let’s close up the pool, pack away the shorts and pull out the jackets and jeans. Fall is my favorite season and I am ready for it to begin now. However, living here in the ATL, I think I have to wait a bit longer. Other than rain, the temperature for the rest of the week will be in the high 80’s. I will have to wait for my mid 60’s.

Whatcha Reading?

I have not been in the mood to read anything since I started chemo. I think the chemo makes it hard for me to focus on one thing for too long and I found it impossible to concentrate on reading. My friend Jennifer C. had suggested the book The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. I started reading my last time in the hospital but couldn’t get into it. This weekend I tried again and had a very hard time putting it down. The story is about a groups of friends growing up in the 70’s and follows their lives, through marriages, break-ups, politics, AIDS etc., to present day. I really enjoyed it even though I did not really like a few of the characters. I finished the book yesterday and decided to give another one of hers a try. I am now reading The Wife and am liking what I have read so far.

Question

What is your favorite season? Why?

Talented Family…

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My Talented Family

My Dad!

My Dad!

I have some really talented people in my family. I am going to tell you about two of them today. First is my Dad, Kerry J.Grinkmeyer. He has written a children’s book called The Christmas Web. The following is an explanation on how the tradition came about.

The day after Thanksgiving, 1992, we introduced the Christmas Web in our home with the placement of Magic Wands into their socks that had for years been hung at the fireplace mantel. Attached to each Magic Wand was a piece of yarn (a 70 yard piece of yarn). When our two teen-aged children came down Christmas morning, they found that the yarn was wound through the house – around window latches, door knobs, chairs and doors. It ended in a closet or cabinet which held their special Christmas gift from one of Santa’s elves, an elf who had been looking out for them for the past year and knew of their desire for this special Christmas gift.– From The Christmas Web website.

The Christmas Web

The Christmas Web

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He has been chosen by Wal-Mart for their Get On the Shelf contest and he needs your help! Please go to the website daily and vote! If he gets enough votes, he will move on to the next level of the competition. The link will take you to the page where you can vote daily.

My SIL, Ginger!

My SIL, Ginger!

Next is my sister-in-law Ginger Grinkmeyer. I have known Ginger since we were both 17, so really she is my sister. Anyway, she has always been very talented. Getting a gift from her, is an event. You feel bad opening them since the wrapping it’s a piece of art on its own. She has a thriving business down in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, called The Workshop. Her website, Spools of Twine, also sells some of her art.

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She was recently featured on the SolWal website. It is a wonderful article about her and the workshop. There is also a great video at the end of article. Please go look at it. If you are down in Santa Rosa Beach (50 Uptown Grayton Circle, #3, Grayton Beach, Florida 32459) or near the area go check out her store. You will be happy that you did!

I love my family and you should too! :)