Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Turning the BookPage


I've mentioned before how much I enjoy perusing the complimentary issues of BookPage on offer at my public library.

A few highlights from the March issue ...
Librarians list ten books they are excited to share with readers in March.  Three of these were already on my radar, but I appreciate the reminder!  I am looking forward to Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's The Nest, Lyndsay Faye's Jane Steele (if you haven't read her Timothy Wilde books, get to it!  Gods of Gotham is first), and Helen Simonson's The Summer Before the War.

The ad you can glimpse to the right there is my first clue about a collection of never-before-published-in-the-U.S. short stories by the late, great Maeve Binchy.  The collection is called A Few of the Girls, which sounds just like something a Maeve Binchy character would say -- "A few of the girls and I are going for dinner and a nice glass of wine.  Join us, won't you?  It'll be grand."  That's not a quote from the book.  I don't always love short stories, but I do love Maeve Binchy and have been collecting hardcover editions of all of her books for a dozen years or so.

Looking forward to any March books?  Have you found BookPage at your library?


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

What I'm Into Right About Now

I'm linking up with Leigh Kramer by way of Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what I'm into these days.

It's stretching the truth to say that I'm into coloring, but I have settled in for a few colored pencil and adult coloring book sessions.  Perhaps I defeated the purpose (relaxation/stress reduction?) by telling myself, "Do a lovely job so you can put your final product in a frame."  But, as you know, if I like it, then I'm going to put a frame on it, and that's a nice satisfying process for me.  I think it would be fun to have a few moms over to color, chat, and enjoy some coffee, Diet Coke, or adult beverages.  I'll report back if I attempt such a gathering. 

I have a reputation for being a pretty good salad artist, though I am often disinterested in my own creations.  I was on a kick last week, however, and ate salad at home every darn day.  I don't shop at Whole Foods regularly, but I was in there out of convenience and picked up a big container of pre-washed baby kale.  Such an excellent salad base.  I love the texture and find it less prone to the slimy-ness that often plagues spring mix.  The salad of the week was:  baby kale, diced apples, gorgonzola, thinly-sliced red onion, and balsamic vinaigrette.  Once I topped it with an eight-count grilled nugget from Chick-fil-a.  YES.

After last week's World Read Aloud Day, I'm getting back into the habit of reading aloud with all three kids.  The first chapter of Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family was a success.  Megan P. sure loved these books as a girl. 

My grocery store flowers have seen spring-like sunshine, rain, sleet, and snow out my kitchen window since I purchased them last weekend.  I imagine March will continue to be a mixed bag, but as mild as this winter has been, I'm not complaining about that. 

I'm not yet into taking a break from Facebook, but I'd like to get into it or, rather, out of it.  Time suck, irritant, and blah blah blah.  Even with the post-it affixed to my screen, I found myself checking it this evening out of ingrained habit.  Typing it into the browser bar is muscle memory or something.  I'm going to try to be more intentional about not wasting time browsing and following rabbit holes of comment threads and profile snoops. 

Finally, no accompanying photos, but I am super into my audiobook, The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley (narrated by Erica Sullivan).  Just loving the story, the characters, the pace, the NYC setting, everything.

I also inhaled the Amazon Prime series, Schitt's Creek.  Great cast -- Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Elliott, and two of Levy's adult children.  Quirky-without-being-annoying characters.  Lots of laughs.  Will hate waiting for the second season.

What are you into these days?  I'm especially interested in salad ideas.