Good morning and Happy Sunday! It's 7:30 AM and I'm sitting in my favorite chair with a big cup of black coffee and my laptop. Once again, the week flew. It began with thirty roses for our thirtieth wedding anniversary and dinner at our favorite inn/restaurant, where the halls were decked and ready for Christmas. Midweek we took my father out to lunch to celebrate his 80th birthday. Later we sang and he blew out the candles on a pumpkin pie, his favorite.
In the midst of all the celebration, and perhaps just as remarkable, it is December 6 and we still have had nothing more than a trace of snow! It looks as though this weather pattern will continue for at least another week..
Finished this week//
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
For book club, I'll share my thoughts after our meeting.
Current reading//
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A National Book Award winner, written in verse
Emma by Jane Austen
Started this on Friday for the #Emma200th Readalong .. loving it already.
On the blog//
Book Brief: Guaranteed to Bleed by Julie Mulhern
#AMonthofFaves: 5 Popular Books Worth the Hype
Tuesday Intro: The Red Garden
The Classics Club: Spin #11
New books in the house//
Although I vowed not to load up on books prior to the TBR Triple Dog Dare, it appears I am doing just that...
Death With an Ocean View by Noreen Wald (Netgalley)
My cozy mystery phase continues...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Another kindle daily deal... I need an intervention!
by Anthony Trollope
It's Trollope and Christmas!
by Denise Kiernan, narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Audible had a sale last week.
Around the blogosphere//
There is another Classics Club Spin coming up - number 11! Check back Monday morning to see which book I will read before February 1.
The week ahead//
I MUST do my Christmas shopping. That's it... no other goals. Wish me luck.
How was your week? What did you read?
This post will link to It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
I have brown girl dreaming out from the library. I am hoping to get to it before it has to go back.
ReplyDeleteHillary - It's a very quick read... you can do it! :)
DeleteI saw the $1.99 Kindle deal for Nightingale and was annoyed that I'd bought it a week earlier at regular price! I also added The Girls of Atomic City to my TBR after Nonfiction November...will be interested to hear your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteSarah - It makes me SO mad when that happens! I'm worried about all the praise the book has received, but I'm sure I'll like it $1.99 worth. The Girls of Atomic City sounds so interesting.
DeleteHappy Anniversary! beautiful roses!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jill!
DeleteHappy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that The Girls of Atomic City was a really good book.
Of course Emma is an superb and incomparable novel.
I am looking forward to reading your upcoming thoughts on these books.
Brian Joseph - I will probably be using most of my audible credits for nonfiction and classics next year. The Girls of Atomic City sounds like a fascinating story.
DeleteHappy Anniversary!!! An 'it' for yourself (though that's not a very romantic way of putting it, is it?) I'm going to try to read the Christmasy Trollope around Christmas...together with the Christmas scenes in Emma, of course1
ReplyDeleteAudrey - Thank you! I'm going to save the Trollope for Christmas week reading, too. Hope to finish Emma fist, but I'm not making much progress this weekend.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful week! I need to do Christmas shopping, decorating, and card sending.
ReplyDeleteKathy - I may let the cards go this year... we'll see.
DeleteHappy anniversary! The restaurant looks lovely. Yay for cozy mysteries! I hope you're finding several that you like. The Girls of Atomic City is on my TBR. It sounds like such a fascinating story. Have a great week and good luck with your Christmas shopping!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I was a little sad there wasn't another country club mystery to pick up, but the one from Netgally looks good... first few pages make it sound like fun!
DeleteCongrats on your Anniversary! And your Dad's 80th, and no snow! Sounds heavenly. BTW, I've finished Brooklyn (as you know and thanks for the 'like') and now starting on Nora Webster. Delighted to find that it's a "sequel".
ReplyDeleteArti - I had no idea Nora Webster was a sequel to Brooklyn! That gives me even more incentive to reread Brooklyn before seeing the film.
DeleteI read somewhere online that Colm Toibin was writing Nora Webster first and in the beginning chapter he wrote about Eilis Lacey's mother visiting Nora and telling her about her two daughters and her son Jack and that made Toibin think of writing about the Lacey's family first. And there he had Brooklyn written before NW. Not actually a 'sequel' but same town set in Ireland (not following Eilie in Brooklyn). NW the character is mentioned in Brooklyn twice.
DeleteArti - So interesting! Thanks. I really love Toibin's writing.
Delete30 roses sounds so lovely (congrats!), and the 80th birthday celebrated with pumpkin pie sounds great...I'm more pie than cake myself.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your books...I really loved The Nightingale and enjoyed The Red Garden. I'm realizing that I never actually read the book Emma....how did I miss it?
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Laurel-Rain Snow - I'll probably read The Nightingale in FL this winter. They hype has me worried, but it does sound like a book I'll enjoy.
DeleteCongrats to you and the hub and your dad - all significant milestones.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the shout out! I've already started reading my own damn books, and I'm feeling very much at peace with it. I do think I'll do a university library check out of Brown Girl Dreaming in 2016. I can see it coming already.
ReplyDeleteAndi - Should finish Brown Girl Dreaming tonight (so good!)... then I'm on it!!
DeleteNice pics- and happy anniversary! That inn looks like a beautiful place to eat. We haven't had any snow since the little bit we got in November, and I'm not complaining! It's actually been pretty mild here.
ReplyDeleteGreg - Thanks, we love that inn, it's right on the lake and has a beautiful view! Still no snow in our 10 day forecast. So strange...
DeleteMy husband does the roses for every year, too, only mine are white because that was what I carried on our wedding day...those are lovely books!
ReplyDeletePatty - This is the first time my husband has done the same number roses as years... I was shocked!!
DeleteI loved The Nightingale! A great bargain. Happy Anniversary. We are snowless to and I am just fine with that.
ReplyDeleteNise' - Everyone seems to love The Nightingale. It's one of those books that the hype worries me a little...
DeleteHappy anniversary! A rose for every year is lovely :)
ReplyDeleteThe Trollope Christmas story collection is fun--I really enjoyed 2 of the 3 I've read so far, the other 1 was a bit of a yawner, but that could just be me.
The Girls of Atomic City appeals to me--I will look for that one.
Have a great week.
JaneGS - The rose for each year surprised me. He's never done that before! I'm going to save the Trollope for Christmas week if I can. After finishing The Last Chronicle of Barset, I kind of miss him ;-)
DeleteA celebratory week, congrats on the anniversary. Good luck with the shopping, you had me laughing about the needing intervention, but The Nightingale is so... good.
ReplyDeleteKathryn - I'm glad to know you like The Nightingale... sometimes the hype and praise make me nervous, but all those readers can't really be wrong. All the kindle daily deals are killing me lately. I should stop even checking them until I get a few more read!
DeleteI recently picked up a selection of Christmas books from a variety of classic authors, but I may just have to add Christmas at Thompson Hall to my ever growing collection of Christmas stories. I find classic stories are great to collect at this time of year as I'm more likely to read those year after year as opposed to more 'modern' reads that may well not date that well.
ReplyDeleteAh, 30 roses is just beautiful! I hope you enjoy your Christmas shopping and have a great reading week!
Reading With Jade
Reading with Jade - I like the idea of reading classic author's Christmas stories... really looking forward to Trollope's collection!
DeleteHappy Anniversary :-) Those Christmas decorations look amazing and your father's birthday sounds wonderful too. I hope you continue to enjoy Emma by Jane Austen; what a wonderful read for the Christmas period.
ReplyDeleteJessicabookworm - I'm enjoying Emma quite a bit. Have read all of Jane Austen's novel except that one...seems silly to have 'saved' it for so long!
DeleteThank you, Vicki. I should be able to finish Brown Girl Dreaming tonight... it's such a good book! Reads quickly, too.
ReplyDeleteI want to add of of these to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading!
You will find my post here: http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/2015/12/07/29200/
Lori - I've been on a roll lately :)
DeleteWhat a sweet husband, 30 roses for 30 years; that is certainly memorable. The inn looks very charming. Wow, there is such big fandom for The Nightingale. I may move that up on my TBR. For Jane Austen's works I have to audio it. The character conversations drive my eyes nuts as they're like garden mazes.
ReplyDeleteStefanie - I hope to see if I love The Nightingale soon. Laughing about your garden maze comment, but agree Austen's character's conversations can get very convoluted!!
DeleteBelated happy anniversary! That is such a huge milestone.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jillian!
DeleteFirst of all, happy anniversary! Beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I am so wanting to read brown girl dreaming, too. I have heard such great things.
Third, thanks for telling me about the Classics Spin, I always miss them somehow!
Becca - I finished Brown Girl Dreaming yesterday. It's definitely as good as everyone says!
DeleteA lovely week of celebration, the roses are gorgeous, congrats on 30 years. You won't regret The Nightingale, it's my favourite book of the year!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing Sheila's 1st book of the year again, always a lot of fun and #ReadMyOwnDamn Books, what an awesome hashtag, I so need to do this one. Have a great week, hope we both get Christmas shopping done lol
Teddyree - I think Andi has come up with the best has tag ever!! Hope you have a good week, too.
DeleteHappy Anniversary. 30 years is awesome. :) Loved Brown Girl Dreaming - I think I bought my copy while we were in the US last year.
ReplyDeleteMyra - I finished Brown Girl Dreaming yesterday and loved it, too!
DeleteLove the cover onTthe Red Garden.
ReplyDeleteENJOY your week, and Happy Anniversary.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My It's Monday, What Are You Reading
Elizabeth - I'll be curious to see what my book club thinks of it.
DeleteHappy Anniversary! Your photos look lovely! It looks like you picked up some good books. Enjoy the rest of the week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat. Now I just need to find time to read all of those books!
Deleteafter watching live when she received the award, I read and really loved Woodson's book
ReplyDeleteEmma - I finished Woodson's book yesterday and loved it!
Delete