Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Eleanor and Park

Posted in Books on January 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I rarely feel compelled to write a review of a book unless the author specifically requested it, I signed up to help promote it, or I received it for free in exchange for a review. I don’t really put a lot of stock in reviews until after I’ve already read or bought a book, so I forget that other people might.

But I can’t hold back with Eleanor and Park.

This book has been recommended to me a lot, so I recommended it for book club this month. I’m so happy I did.

I love it.

I felt 16 the whole time I was reading it. I relived the angst and the constant inner monologue of what-everyone-must-be-thinking and all the feels. It is the best description of a teenage crush/love story that I have ever read. Eleanor and Park are sweet and weird and cute and awkward, and I love them.

There are some great lines here. I usually jot lines down, but I couldn’t stand to put the book down long enough. So I took snapshots of them.

[PSA – what follows is vaguely spoilery, so if you’re a purist and haven’t read it yet…well, stop reading and go get it so we can be fans together!]

It started with a teacher describing Eleanor’s speaking voice:

IMG_0792

“That’s a voice that arrives on a chariot drawn by dragons.”

Eleanor describing Park:

IMG_0793

“Like the person in a Greek myth who makes one of the gods stop caring about being a god.”

Park describing Eleanor (forgive the bad quality – it’s highly possible I was in mid-squee while taking the photo):

IMG_0794

“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

Park second-guessing his present for Eleanor:

IMG_0796

“Jewelry was so public…and personal, which was why he’d bought it. He couldn’t buy Eleanor a pen. Or a bookmark. He didn’t have bookmarklike feelings for her.”

This line. Oh, Park. Sweet thinker:

IMG_0797

“If she weren’t made of so many other miracles.”

Seriously. *heart cleft in twain*

I have more pictures, but you get the point.

Read this book. It won’t take long. I read it in one sitting (and you’ll want to, so put aside a few hours for it).

It’s been a long time since I read something this impossibly sweet.

Read Full Post »

Resolved, 2015 Edition

Posted in Beauty, Books, Fun, Renaissance, Resolutions, Writing on January 2, 2015| 2 Comments »

This year is going to be a great year, if for no other reason than I’m turning 40, and I plan to be obnoxious about it – even more obnoxious than I usually am. I already celebrate for a whole week. This year, I’m celebrating the whole year. I almost made “forty” my OneWord365. The only thing that stopped me is that there aren’t many songs that fit that theme, and I’m going to need a playlist.

But it’s totally in the back of my mind. It’s going to be a focus, even if it’s not the main focus. I can just tell.

As with every year, I have writing goals, reading goals, and one word that will be my theme of the year.

Writing:

1. Write an average of 5,000 words toward a work in progress per week. That’s 5-10 hours a week. That’s 260,000 words. That’s finishing Feast and Fishbowl and getting a good chunk of another project, whatever it will be, off to a good start.

2. On the blog, I’d like to continue some series, start some new ones, and get some more guest posts. I would like to consistently post three times a week, even in weeks when I’m feeling quiet, which means writing posts ahead of time and getting them scheduled. I just want to be more organized and intentional about it.

Reading – three sets of 40:

1. 40 books by people of color. In examining the diversity of my influences (friends, music, things I read, etc.), I do okay in most areas. My blog reader is especially diverse; only about 20% of the bloggers I read are white/straight/middle-class/etc. You know – me-ish. There is room for improvement across the board, though, and nowhere is this more obvious than in my book list from 2014, which is remarkably whitewashed. This year, I am going to be more intentional about diversifying my reading list, and I’m going to start with race as the diversifying factor.

2. 40 classics. Every time I see lists of 100 pieces of classic literature that pop up (you know the ones – the braggy ones that show up on your well-read friends’ Facebook pages that encourage you to compare your reading list to theirs), I can’t even say that I’ve read a majority of them. And I know that comparison is the thief of joy, but I also suspect that when I watch The Newsroom, I would probably enjoy it more (assuming that’s even possible) if I had a better grasp of Don Quixote. I also know that reading works that stand the test of time will assist in teaching me to write works that stand the test of time, and I am very much interested in that.

3. 40 miscellaneous books – just for fun. I am including a third category to pay homage to all those books I read as part of book clubs and lazy days off and other such times. I also think that fun is an important element of reading, particularly this year, because fun is my word of 2015.

Theme – fun:

My first thought when choosing my one word for this year was “responsible.” After all, I just spent a year chasing beauty. Gorgeous, lovely, magical beauty. So my reaction to that was that I should follow it up with something more serious. Something to bring me back down to earth. Not that I ever left, really.  It turns out, down on earth, it’s actually quite beautiful.

But I have goals for the year. Practical goals. Goals that require focus. Goals that require structure. Goals that embrace the quotidian (which is a word I also love, but for very different reasons).

The problem I kept running into when thinking about any of these words as my theme for the year is that I associate them with boredom. I think of them as dull. Lifeless. Scarce. What I hear is “Reign it in,” as if I haven’t done enough of that in my life already.

Enough.

Also, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m turning 40 this year. I am happy to be turning 40, because I have earned every year. I’m going to herald in this milestone. There might actually be trumpets involved.

There will probably come a year when I want to reclaim sensible words and focus on them, because they’re not bad words. There’s nothing inherently scarce about them. I just don’t think this is that year.

I considered making “Renaissance” my word. It encompasses both practicality and beauty, knowledge and art, form and function. But while I can definitely see all sorts of things being incorporated into my year (because learning is delightful), I can’t see it providing the sort of focus I’m going for.

This is a year for celebration. For a bit of decadence. For carousing and merriment and revelry. For indulgence. For liberality.

For fun.

Fun is so simple that I have the urge to pick another word for it. Merriment is a good word. Hullaballoo. Hoopla.

I don’t want to hide behind the word itself, though.  As fun as “fun” sounds, it’s not actually easy for me to do. It is much more like me (especially in the last ten years or so) to slip into that person who plans a great theme party and throws so much energy into planning and execution that I’m exhausted by the time the day of the party arrives. As you might imagine, parties aren’t so fun for me when I’m tired of them before they ever begin (reason #1 that I probably will hire a wedding planner if I ever get married, but that’s another blog post altogether).

So I’m keeping the plan – and the word – simple. Fun.

Are you setting New Year’s Resolutions?  If so, what are they?

Read Full Post »

Portals of Water and Wine by R. L. Haas

Posted in Books on December 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In the wee hours of this morning, I finished Portals of Water and Wine, the first in what promises to be a terrific trilogy by R. L. Haas.

powaw

My first reaction to finishing was to implore Rachel to “Write, Faster.” Because I’m gonna need the next one as soon as possible.

There are many reasons why I think you should buy, read, and fall in love with this book, but I’ll stick to my top three.

3. The Twists

Without giving away any of the plot, suffice it to say that when one is writing a story where ____ happens or someone does ____, it is tempting to get to resolution as soon as possible. We like good things to happen to good people and bad things to happen to bad people, and we want it to be straightforward and easy. But that’s not real, and that’s not good storytelling.

That’s not a problem in this book.

There are twists and turns, and they happen as jarringly in this story as they do in life. I kept glancing down at the percentage bar on the bottom of my Kindle. 85%. 90%. 95%. I kept thinking, “Whew.  That’s it. The book’s almost finished. It’s done. We can all relax.” Nope. The twists kept coming just as strongly at the end as they did in the beginning. The end is an excellent setup for the next installment.

2. The Imagery

This beautiful fantasy world that Rachel has created is so easy to picture. Her descriptions are gorgeous. I was right there with the main character, going breathless at the sights before us.

Better yet, she somehow avoided what many authors seem to think is a necessary dullness in describing the characters’ appearances like they’re walking down a runway, so everyone has to stop what they’re doing and watch politely before the story can go on. She describes them by weaving the descriptions into the story in a way that it not only gave us a description of what they looked like but of who they are and, in some cases, even helped move the plot along.

Which leads me to my number one reason…

1. The Characters

Getting to know the characters in this book – and growing to love them – was a gradual process. That is exactly as it should be. Too often, first chapters read like the characters’ social media profiles, telling us what the author wants us to think of them. As a reader, though, I don’t want to be told by a third party what to think or how to relate to a character. I want to observe the character and draw my own conclusions.

Rachel trusts her characters to reveal themselves. And they do.  And I love them.

This will mean very little to anyone who doesn’t know me from fandom days or who has never been an active part of a fandom themselves, but I have to say it – these characters are so alive that I want to write fanfiction about them.

For a point of reference, when I say that, it puts them up there with such iconic characters as Superman and Lex Luthor. Pippin and Merry. I’ve only read the first of this trilogy, and I already have an OTP (and no – I’m not going to tell you who it is…it’s too soon…maybe after the second book…maybe).

Buy this book. Buy the paperback. Buy the ebook. But buy it.

And Rachel – thank you.  And write faster!

Read Full Post »

Real Talk Tuesday – God in the Everyday

Posted in Books, Real Talk Tuesday on November 18, 2014| 4 Comments »

The quiet season has begun.

November and December are busy months in the everyday, but they are quieter months as far as blogging goes. During the last two months of the year (particularly November), it’s normal for me to average a post or two a week. Part of this phenomenon is taking a break after the madness that is 31 Days. Part of this phenomenon is due simply to my writing being directed elsewhere.

Mostly, though, I’m just more reflective during these days.  While reflection tends to make me more melancholy, it also makes me more…me. When the weather starts (finally and hallelujah) getting cooler, my soul cools down its surface angst and mindless busyness as well. I am more content to get slow. I am more content to savor small things.

I am more content – happy, even – to focus on simple things and to focus on one thing at a time. Other times of the year, my mind would be focused on what is coming up at work or my to-do list. Those things are there, but they stay at work and on the list until it is their turn. That leaves focus for important things, like inviting the spider family who keeps trying to come in from the cold to hang out in the tree outside instead.

[Seriously, spiders.  Just feel free to make that whole tree your home. You don’t want to come in my house anyway.  It smells like tea tree oil and lemon (and, coming soon, cinnamon and peppermint). You would hate that, spiders.]

photo (14)

I am more content to go to bed early – and to get up early – to read.

A good predictor of my mental state is whether or not I am reading or writing. If I’m not reading or writing (or, God help us all, if I’m doing neither), I am not myself. All the ordinary, wonderful things become just more annoying things on my list to get through and check off. I forget this so easily. I am relieved to be in a season of remembering and watching again.

I am re-reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World.* I am reading it a chapter a night and making room for it to sink in. It’s no coincidence that I’m taking more walks, drinking more tea, and seeing the daily activities that I often view as chores as spiritual disciplines.

I’m linking up with Marvia’s Real Talk Tuesday. Join us?

*Affiliate link

Read Full Post »

Bookworm

Posted in 31 Days, Books on October 27, 2014| 1 Comment »

photo (9)

Yesterday, my sister and I met Margat at Ol’ South for (late) breakfast before hitting the Fort Worth Friends of the Library Book Sale. I enjoy book sales at the Denton Library, but the one in Fort Worth is massive, so I like to make it to that one at least once a year if I can. I especially like to make it on $15-a-box day, which is what yesterday was.  Happy.

Step 1: Carb loading at Ol’ South (mmm…Belgian waffle…).

Step 2: Drive to the FW Friends of the Library Bookstore. Follow the crowd to either of the large surplus rooms near the store.

Step 3: Put your name on one of the empty boxes in the corner.

Step 4: Get a handheld basket.

Step 5: Go a little crazy.

I made out like a bandit:

photo 1 (1)

Those two boxes represent several hours of collecting a basket of books and hauling them over to my little corner of the room where the treasures I found were being held. It was a lot of work. I sweat a lot. My arms and legs are sore today.

Then I came home and hauled all of them up the stairs. Then I took a nap.

I made some great finds.  Lots of Isabel Allende that I didn’t have before. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Many books to fuel my Feast course (including a copy of The Joy of Cooking, which I’ve always wanted and just never got around to buying).

But I think my favorite find was this one:

photo 2 (1)

I feel that the person who came up with that title could be my friend.

So that was my movement for Sunday. Now to find a place on the shelves for my new books…

I am committing to 31 Days of Movement.

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – September 2014

Posted in Books, Denton, Food, What I'm Into on October 1, 2014| 9 Comments »

Processed with VSCOcam with b5 preset

September is always such a tease. It gives us a few cool days. A friend whose birthday is in the middle of the month says that Jesus always makes the weather nice for her special day, and I’m inclined to believe her. It always manages to make its way back up to the 90s at some point during the month, though. I could do without that.

Looking forward seemed to be the theme of this month. I am about to start October Unprocessed and 31 Days of Movement, so I have been collecting recipes and ideas for exercise that fits into a busy lifestyle. So I have stacks and stacks of cookbooks and get-your-life-together books all around the apartment.

September was full of friends and food. The DFW Story Feast had fondue night. There is a particularly telling picture of me where I am not at all looking at the camera but rather am focused on the smothered piece of bread at the end of my fork. I do love cheese. We meant to art journal that night, but…cheese.

I tried Hypnotic Donuts and Cultivar Coffee for the first time.  They have branched out from Dallas and made their way up to Denton, and I’m so glad that they did. Sonja and I each had a donut and then went back for poutine and a chicken biscuit. And it took me the entire time I was there to realize where I had seen this couch before:

photo (12)

My grandmother had this exact same couch. If you look closely, you can see the pictures of the pheasants. This made me feel oddly at home. It seemed fitting that I should be eating biscuits and drinking really strong coffee near this couch.

That’s right.  Getting all my bad habits out of the way before I start an October of eating and doing things that are good for me.

Other than cookbooks, I have only read two books, but I enjoyed them both. Cassandra Clare’s City of Heavenly Fire was a quick read and a nice (albeit very predictable) conclusion to the series. But Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair was my favorite. I feel bad for it, being my favorite in a slow reading month. It’s not hard to be the better of two. But even if I’d read twenty books this month, it probably would still have been my favorite. It was clever cornucopia of literary references, and it made me want to read everything mentioned.

As far as music goes, I have had either Rude or All About That Bass stuck in my head all month. I only find one of them tolerable. It’s been tedious. I would like to say that this is teaching me patience, but I’m pretty sure it’s just fueling my rage.

Micah and Raven both had birthdays this month.  They’re getting so big, and I see them so rarely. I might have to make a dash to Fort Worth in October to visit.

So that’s my September. What was your September like?

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – join us!

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – July 2014

Posted in Books, Denton, Food, Story Sessions, TV, What I'm Into on July 30, 2014| 2 Comments »

photo 3 (5)

July is pigtail weather. July is also finding-things-to-do-indoors weather.

What I did:

For July 4th, I made Sloppy Joes (Mom’s recipe that is basically meat, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish – also good on lentils but drain the relish first to avoid soupiness), Caprese Salad bites (although mine didn’t look that pretty…in fact, they were mostly assemble-yourself bites), and White Sangria (after comparing several recipes, I just dumped peach nectar, vanilla vodka, brandied peaches – aside: delicious – and Moscato in a pitcher) and made everyone come to me.  Then I watched the fireworks from my couch.  Happy.

The DFW Story Sisters came to Denton this month.  So naturally, we hit the square.  We started at Jupiter House, wandered through Recycled Books and SCRAP, and followed dinner at Abbey Inn up with ice cream.

Michelle, Steve, and Savvy came to visit the next weekend.  They brought over Mr. Chopsticks for lunch, and then we spent the afternoon on the square collecting leaves, looking at books and candy, having a little dance party, eating ice cream at Beth Marie’s, and having dinner at LSA. 

 

photo 1 (4)

 

Her fannish glee in mid-squee.  We swear she picked Smallville up all on her own with no coaching. I love this little face!

Supper Club hit Wine Squared again this month.  I think we’re in love.

photo 3 (4)

What I read:

I again spent the month looking over cookbooks.  I’m going to stop pretending this is a seasonal thing. Cookbooks are my jam.  Ohhh…jam cookbook! *plots*

Moving on…

My two favorite recommendations:

 – Joy the Baker. If it were possible to make love to a cookbook…

And apparently, others have felt the same.  About every ten pages or so of the library’s copy, I would find crumbs or flour dust between the pages.  On the one hand, I totally understand.  These recipes demand immediate baking.  On the other hand, come on, people!  Library books are communal books!  All the more reason to buy my own copy, I guess.

Everything I have tried so far is glorious, but I especially recommend the vegan pumpkin walnut bread and the banana rum cake with brown butter frosting.  Or the goat cheese-pepper-cocoa truffles.  Or the coconut macaroon ice cream. Oh, I can’t choose.  Just buy it and make it all.

– The Runner’s World Cookbook. Part of me thinks, “Most of this information is on the Internet somewhere.  I could just look there for free.” I can’t bring myself to settle for that, though, when all of it is right here, neatly organized into one beautiful book. 

Reasons I will be buying this book:
1. The charts and lists. It gives a easy comparison guide for different grains, fats, and proteins. 
2. A basic whole grain pancake recipe, followed by two pages of batter and topping variations – most of which I would have never thought of on my own, and I experiment a lot. I can’t wait to try the Speakeasy Special and the Sweet Southerner pancakes.
3. Chicken Not Pie. As a loather of chicken pot pie, I appreciate a recipe that takes everything I would like about it and leaves out the rest.
4. Steel Cut Oatmeal Risotto. This is an example of my favorite thing about this book – they took food I love and made in a slightly different way to make it new and interesting.

To watch:

This is a short list.  I’m making my way through Boston Legal.  It’s hilarious. I recommend it, if for no other reason than to see William Shatner and James Spader in flamingo costumes.

My favorite things people did on the Internet:

  1. Luke Harms tells married men how to act around women.
  2. Beth Morey takes on sex and marriage.
  3. Robin Korth became my hero. 
  4. Confused Cats Against Feminism.  Because they’re cats.
  5. I joined Equal Exchange’s Red Cherry Challenge – will you?
  6. All the #FaithFeminisms – but especially this one by Abi Bechtel.
  7. Reason #482 to love The Bloggess.

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – come on over and tell us what you’re into!

Read Full Post »

The Light Between Us – Interview with Beth Morey

Posted in Books, Story Sessions on July 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Light Between Us ebook cover

(Originally posted at Story Sessions)

I pre-ordered a copy of Beth Morey’s new book The Light Between Us.  Then, because I just couldn’t wait for it to get to me, I grabbed the ebook the day it was free on Amazon.  Whether you read the paperback or ebook – this book will delight. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, follow these instructions:

1. Buy this book.
2. Find a large, uninterrupted block of time, because once you start, you’re not going to want to put it down. Have to work? Two words – personal day. Have kids?  One more word – babysitter.
3. Spend the day inhaling this book (on a beach with a cabana boy who brings you umbrella drinks, if at all possible).

The Light Between Us is the perfect beach read.  It’s fun and full of romantic angst, and some of the scenes will definitely steam up your sunglasses.

And now, I bring you Beth Morey:

1. As an indie author, you had a longer task list than the average author to get this book to print.  What was the most challenging part of the process?  What was your favorite part of the process?

The most challenging part was editing.  And then realizing that I hadn’t edited nearly well enough before I released my book.  That was, um, painful.  But also educational.  I still hate editing, though.

My favorite part was writing, and watching the story unfurl.  I have never felt so full of soul purpose, so in line with how I am made.  It was (and is) a very powerful experience.  I also loved picking out my cover.  The thrill that gave me was possibly embarrassingly strong, but I’ll own it.

2. You have mentioned that The Light Between Us was a romance, but not necessarily a Christian Romance.  Why is it important to make this distinction?

I kept having this curious experience.  I’d say that I was writing a romance, and then the person I was talking with would say, “Oh, I love Christian romances!”  But my book is not a Christian romance; The Light Between Us shares none of those standard Christian romance genre characteristics.  It is more explicit sexually and in terms of language, and the values of the characters are not at all what a reader would expect from a Christian novel.  Faith is barely mentioned.  So I felt I needed to make this distinction to be fair to my readers.  I didn’t want them to feel misled.  If I hadn’t been [LS1] such an openly Christian blogger, I don’t think I would have felt the need to delineate this.

3. What is the most surprising thing that has happened since The Light Between Us was released?

I have been able to not take on some seriously negative reviews of my book.  I am a person who has a deep (and unrealistic) need to be well-liked by everyone.  And writing a book and putting it out there for all the world to consume?  Yikes.  I had a coaching call with Elora a few weeks prior to my book’s release, and dealing with negative reviews was one of the three things I wanted to talk with her about.

That said, I think I’ve dealt surprisingly well with the negative reviews.  I have been able to find some distance, to take what’s constructive and leave the rest.  It has actually been a deeply growing experience.  I feel like I am maturing both as a writer and a woman through this experience.

4. Tell us about your new project. What are you working on now?

I am working on a contemporary fantasy that is based loosely upon Celtic myth, starring a main character named Eveleen.  It might be Young Adult, but I’m not sure yet.  In any case, it’s something completely different from The Light Between Us!  It’s also feeling a good bit longer than The Light Between Us.  My romance novel was a short novel, about 66,000 words long.  Eveleen’s story is currently 30,000 words long, and I’m feeling like the story is only just ramping up.

5. Who are your favorite writers? Why?

Neil Gaiman, Audrey Niffenegger, Anne Lamott, Mary Oliver, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rumi, Terry Tempest Williams.  They write with texture, grit.  It is a visceral experience to read them.  I feel as if I am almost literally chewing, tasting, and swallowing their words.  Also, they tend to write on multiple levels; a bird is never just a bird, a laugh is never just a laugh.  I long to write with this power.

6. If you could be a character in any story that you’ve ever read, what story would you want to join?  Why?

Oh wow.  What a question!  How can I choose?  Perhaps I could be Bastian of The Neverending Story, stealing away to a musty tumble of blankets in his school’s attic to literally fall into the book he was reading.  Or Lucy of The Chronicles of Narnia, with her courage and goodness and faith, not to mention all her adventures.

7. Finally, for the writers who have an idea for a book or have started the book or have even finished a manuscript…and now they’re stuck – what advice do you have for them?

Get help.  I could never have finished The Light Between Us without the support of dear friends.  I had a few friends who welcomed my daily emails bearing the new words I’d typed into being.  I didn’t need them to read these words, only to expect them, to receive them, and to come back with a resounding “you can do this; you are doing this!”  At about 30,000 words into The Light Between Us, I was ready to quit.  Their support rallied me, assuaged my doubt, and gave me strength to continue writing into the unknown.

You don’t have to work in a vacuum.  In fact, I think you should consider avoiding doing so.  Find a kindred or two that you trust, and ask them to walk with you.  Life begets life.

Beth

Beth writes, paints, and dreams in Montana.  She is the author of The Light Between Us, a new adult romance, and the creative healing workbook Life After Eating Disorder, and is also the owner of Epiphany Art Studio.  Her words and art have appeared in various publications, such as Somerset Studio, to linger on hot coals, Still Standing Magazine, Wild Goslings, and Disney’s Family Fun.  In addition to her quirky little family and their three naughty dogs, Beth is in love with luscious color, moon-gazing, and dancing wild.  She writes soul into flesh at her blog, and is saving the world at Act Small, Think Big.

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – June 2014

Posted in Books, Story Sessions, What I'm Into, Work, Writing on July 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Oh, June.  I’m into you.  I didn’t expect to be.  Maybe the surprise of it is what makes it so mesmerizing.

photo 2 (2)

The snow cones don’t hurt, either.

Words:

Poetry, food, and friends.  Even with two jobs in full swing, June demands vacation reading. I moved my reading lamp to the bedroom, so I have been drenching myself in the poetry collections I keep on my bedside table every night and every morning.  Suddenly, waking up isn’t so hard to do.

Chocolat – Long-time lover of the movie (because Johnny Depp.  And chocolate.  But mostly Johnny Depp), I knew I’d love the book as well. This book will make you hungry…in so many ways.

Ruth Reichl’s debut novel Delicious! was wonderful.  I am biased, because having collected most of her other books and tried most of the recipes within them, I love her and sort of want to be her when I grow up, but Reichl knows how to tell a story.  Also – don’t worry – the gingerbread recipe is at the back of the book.

And my friend Beth Morey’s The Light Between Us was launched this month.  I ordered a paper copy but I couldn’t wait for it to get to me, so I grabbed an e-copy as well. It’s a fast read, because you don’t want to put it down.  This book + beach + mai tai = perfect day.

Friends:

June was full of fun.

Our Supper Club went to Wine Squared for Sumptuous Sundays on Father’s Day. We enjoyed a wonderful three-course meal with wine pairings for each course which included the most glorious pork loin I’ve ever eaten and a port I actually enjoyed. We, of course, hastily signed up for their wine club.  We’re hooked.

Summer seems to be the time for transitions. Several friends have moved/are moving/got new jobs, so I got to celebrate with them. My old boss Dennis got a job at another school, so the Dean of Students office (where he worked at UNT) had a farewell party for him. Lisa from my book club moved back to the east coast, so we had a special book club meeting (read: night of wine and Texas-themed food/presents) to send her off.  And Jayne and Connor are moving to Juneau soon, so I got to see her last week and will see her again at their garage sale on Saturday.  Added bonus – I bought this adorable thing from them, which is the perfect cabinet for my liquor:

photo 4 (2) photo 5

Dear Savvy turned two.  What she’s into?  Daniel Tiger and butterflies.

Savvy

 

(And cake.  And Daddy.)

Because none of us could make the in-person Story Sessions retreat in Austin, the DFW Story Sisters decided to have our own party.  Adela hosted us for an evening of wine, food, and conversation, and it was a balm to my soul.

Products:

Um, who knew about Arbonne and failed to tell me?  Kim lured me to a party one Friday with the promise of wine (pretty much the only reason I’ll ever leave my house on a Friday evening), and I’m so glad she did.  I tried all the things, and I AM NOT ALLERGIC TO ANY OF THEM. This never happens.  I ordered the daily face regime for sensitive skin and the deodorant, but I want to buy everything.  I’m having a party in August, and I’m at least going to sign up to be a preferred customer.

Equal Exchange’s Red Cherry Challenge -in addition to their already stellar business practices that ensure a livable wage and a workable business model for coffee farmers, Equal Exchange is donating ten cents for every pound of coffee purchased this year to the Red Cherry Fund, a grant program for farmers in El Salvador and Guatamala, where climate change has wreaked havoc on their businesses. I pledged to buy five pounds of coffee a month (which is actually a pretty conservative estimate for me).  Will you join the challenge?

TV/Movies:

The first weekend of the month, I did a little dogsitting, which means I also did a lot of Netflixing.  In one weekend, I watched Season 3 of Sherlock (!!!) and both seasons of Orange is the New Black (also !!!). The dogs were incredibly calm, aside from during that pesky storm incident, and I like to think it had something to do with my good taste in programming.

Well, I say they were calm.  This is the look you get from Maddie when you suggest that she “go outside” during OITNB:

photo 1 (2)

No one gives side eye like Maddie.

I also watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  I liked it, but I don’t know if I would have liked it as much as I did if I hadn’t been chatting about it via Facebook with the Story Sessions while watching it. It was clever.  You should see it.

The Internet:

– Women ignoring men as art

– June 4 was National Hug Your Cat Day, and The Bloggess encouraged all of us to celebrate.

– This was followed two days later by National Donut Day. Mmmm….donut….*salivates*

– Addie Zierman wrote The Non-Blogger’s Guide to Blogging series. This is the first blogging series that hasn’t made me want to throw my hands up in the air (and wave them like I just don’t care) and erase everything I’ve ever done online because why bother if I’m not going to be perfect at it. If you want to improve your blog but can’t stand advice on how to improve your blog, go give it a read.

So you can see why I have such a crush on June this year.  Link up with us over at Leigh Kramer’s blog to let us know what you were into in June!

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – May 2014

Posted in Books, Food, Getting It Together, What I'm Into, Work, Writing on May 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I love this May.  May is usually crazy and full of transition.  And this one was, too, to an extent.  But the weather has been unseasonably cool and gorgeous:

sky

And my day job is Summer Housing (i.e., working with college students) instead of Summer Conferences (i.e., working with minors…who…I’m sure it’s different when they’re your own…but working with other people’s children makes me never want to find out).  So I had a fantastic May and a fantastic start to summer.

photo (6)

How May makes me feel. This cat understands me.

Here’s what I’m into this month:

To write:

I started my Getting it Together series on the blog.  I am enjoying the food.  I am tolerating the cleaning.  My entryway is giving me fits.  I hope the rest of the rooms aren’t this much of a struggle.

My favorite post that I wrote this month was Badger. It was good to talk about it, and I think I was fair enough.  It’s hard to be fair when you’re telling your side of the story.

To read:

Summer (and perhaps my Getting It Together project) have me dreaming up food ideas and being drawn to ideas that others have dreamed up.  So I read cookbooks and foodie memoirs and foodie fiction even more than usual.

There are not many books that I read and then need to go immediately and buy because I can’t stand the thought of being without it.  A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg is one such book.  This is my favorite book that I’ve read this year. It’s a treasure.  And arugula salad with dark chocolate bits?  Pretty much the best idea ever.

I also read Keepers by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion.  Most of the book is meat-intensive, which I am not, but I will end up buying it for the sauces alone. I’m a sucker for a sauce.

To watch:

I have continued my obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I will probably end up buying it by the end of the summer.  Such great characters.  Such amazing one-liners.

I have also watched Chocolat four times.  Because chocolate.  And France.  And Johnny Depp. I will probably watch it four more times before I return it to the library.  Because I checked out the book, so I’ll need to watch it again after I finish the book.  NEED.

To hear:

I’ve been writing and scheduling posts for What Not to Say, so I’ve been listening to my WNTS station on Spotify. Maybe not safe for work, depending on your workplace.

To eat:

May has been DELICIOUS.  As part of my Getting It Together series, I’m going through some of Mom’s recipes, so May has tasted like my childhood.  There was cavatini (which is basically pasta, sauce, ground beef, pepperoni, and cheese, all in one glorious dish), chicken salad, and sausage balls. I’ve also made a couple of loaves of beer bread, which makes fantastic toast for breakfast. Food at my house has been so good that I haven’t even wanted to go out, which is unusual for me, but it was a nice change.

 

We’re gathering at Leigh Kramer’s blog to talk about what we’re into – join us!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »