The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe
Hello, friends, it's good to be home. After nearly two weeks of travel and a couple family weddings, we're finally back! Wedding #1 was in the central NY town where we lived for 30 years. We stayed with my parents for 5 days and spent time with my entire family before returning to CT to regroup for a couple of days. Next we flew off to Santa Fe for wedding #2. This time for a nephew on my husband's side of the family... more relatives, celebrations, plus plenty of shopping and sightseeing. I'm exhausted, but very happy! The photo above is the view of Santa Fe's famous cathedral from the terrace outside the wedding ballroom.
Now that we're back, unpacked, and the laundry is done, I'm ready to start MY summer vacation! The zero-gravity lounge chair and a stack of books are calling...
Recent reading//
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
I am not a romance reader, but decided to try this because it's the August selection at Modern Mrs. Darcy bookclub. The discussions there are fun and I especially enjoy the live author chats if I've read the book beforehand. Plus, readers seem to love Katherine Center. The Bodyguard featured a cute story and I did enjoy reading it - a perfect airplane book. But overall, it felt a little too light and far-fetched for my taste.
⭐⭐⭐
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Now this is my idea of a perfect summer read - family drama, coastal New England setting, some lovely quotes, realism (maybe too much?) with both humor and sadness, and quick reading. It's ideal for a day at the beach or pool... or zero-gravity lounger on the porch in my case. I have a feeling this may be one of those books where my rating rises as I continue to think about it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Life is a seesaw, and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nicky here with me at the fulcrum. Don't move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to.
Current reading//
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
I'm 500 pages in now, but didn't pick this up at all during our travels. It's still an excellent read and I'm trying to decide whether to go back to my slow, steady pace or just power through. We'll see...
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
I just started this one yesterday and after 50 pages, I really like the writing and am intrigued by the main character.
The week ahead//
Even though we're home for a while now, I am planning another quick trip to central NY to see my parents, get my hair cut, etc. That'll just be for a night or two. Otherwise, I plan to read, take morning walks with an audiobook, and maybe I'll even rediscover my kitchen ;-)
How have you been these past few weeks? What have you been reading?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
Welcome home. After all your travels and all that excitement, I can imagine how ready you must be just to relax at home for a change. Weddings are some of my favorite things these days because they offer an optimism that I seldom experience anywhere else lately.
ReplyDeleteAt some point, like you at the 500-page mark of Team of Rivals, I always find it difficult to refrain from "powering through" to the last page of a book. That usually does work out well for me, but every once in a while I end up wishing I hadn't changed my pace because it resulted in me enjoying the last bit less than all the rest of the book. (I'm not sure this makes much sense.)
Sam - I completely agree about the optimism of weddings. They are truly the happiest events I can think of... and we still have one more left this season. Our daughter is getting married September 14.
DeleteYes, that's exactly why I'm not sure about powering through Team of Rivals. I will try and pick up the pace slightly... maybe finish by mid August. Also thinking about stopping at some Civil War battlefields (again!) on our drive to/from Florida this winter.
Santa Fe has a lot of really nice attractions and restaurants, though on our most recent visit we thought it was a bit disappointing compared to the past. Sounds like you found plenty of good stuff there.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - We've been to Santa Fe several times over the years and didn't notice much change this trip. That said, much of our time was taken up with family and wedding activities. Much of the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts was closed, but the Santa Fe Botanical Garden seems to have grown.
DeleteWelcome Home! It sounds like you’re enjoying the summer! I enjoyed both The Bodyguard and particularly Sandwich. Have a great week JoAnn!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jodie... I'm still thinking about Sandwich!
DeleteJoAnn! It's great to see your post. Love the photo of the cathedral. Bet you had fun but it is always great to get home. That is quite a bit of traveling in a short time frame.
ReplyDeleteWell I am on the list for Sandwich but waaay far down in the line, so that will be a while. Glad you like the main character in Fresh Water for Flowers. It was an interesting journey with her life, past and present, in my opinion. I know I offered before but if you want the hardcover of Three - it's yours :-) It is very fat though.
Big "news" for me is I got hacked and so my posts need updating. My credit card was also used all over the place and so new ones were issued. I thought my tablet was beyond hope after being blocked from so many sites and having to reset to factory settings. Ugh. Just now getting to blogs and setting up new bookmarks.
Enjoy your chill out time on the porch! Looking forward to September, you let me know when a good time could be.
Oh, no Tina!! I'm so sorry you got hacked - what a pain to get that all sorted out. I hope the worst of it is behind you now.
DeleteThanks again for your kind offer to send Three, but It's probably too big of a book for me to read comfortably in hardcover. The paperback of Fresh Water is about my limit... anything heavier I read on the kindle. It's just more comfortable.
I'm hoping to be ready to start September in late August... it'll be good to read Pilcher again! In the meantime I'll finish Team of Rivals, Fresh Water, and probably Persuasion by Jane Austen, which is pretty short. I've got my porch time all planned, lol!
Oh, the Basilica looks beautiful lit up at night! You have certainly had a busy time with two weddings and travel. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer reading & relaxing. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree about Katherine Center's books. I really enjoyed one, but have given up on others as they are too light & fluffy.
I had to laugh about the "maybe too much?" comment about the realism in Newman's book. Yeah, maybe a little too much, but I still loved it. Definitely one I'll read again.
Glad to hear that you're enjoying Fresh Water for Flowers. I'll get to it later this year...
I'm almost finished with Joyce Maynard's hefty novel, The Bird Hotel, which I'm loving. It was a little slow to start, but once I got hooked, I didn't want to stop reading. Should finish it this afternoon. Then I'll start in on Bear by Julia Phillips. It's not on my Summer Reading Challenge list, but I spotted it at the library and couldn't resist! I'm also listening to The Wedding People by Alison Espach. The narration is great and in spite of the light, somewhat romantic premise, I'm loving it.
Have a great week!
Les - The Cathedral was such a beautiful backdrop to the wedding reception! Around sunset, the light stone practically shimmered in the sunlight... the lights coming on behind the stain glass was pretty amazing, too.
DeleteSandwich was so good, it made me move We All Want Impossible Things closer to the top of my TBR. You loved that one, too, right? Did you read it in print or listen on audio?
Fresh Water feels like it's going to be a slower read, but I'm okay with that as long as the writing is good and I'm interesting in the characters. Both of those boxes seems be checked already.
The Bird Hotel is another book I picked up as a kindle deal , so I'm glad it's got you hooked. The sequel to Count the Ways is out now, and I'm hoping to get to that one soon, too.
The Wedding People is another summer novel I'm interested in that's getting a lot of buzz lately. Glad to know the audio is good, too! When will we ever get to all the books we want to read, lol!!
Yes, I loved We All Want Impossible Things. I read a library copy and immediately bought the paperback once I finished. I can't remember, but I think I sampled the audio and didn't care for it, so I rec you go with print edition.
DeleteI will probably read the sequel to Count the Ways (The Light Gets In ??) later in the year.
Yep, The Wedding People has been a fun listen. :)
Les - Great, I've added the ebook to tbr list. Thanks!
DeleteWelcome back! Sounds like a great time. I'm sure you are ready to just sit back, relax and read. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yvonne. I'm definitely read for my summer downtime now!
DeleteI am certain you enjoyed all those marvelous traveling adventures, but I am equally certain you are glad to settle back and do some relaxing summer reading. Glad you enjoyed the Katherine Center book as well as Sandwich. I returned Sandwich early; I didn't have time to read it. I may try again later this summer.
ReplyDeleteDeb - It was pretty great seeing so many people in the past month, especially for such happy occasions, but I am more than ready for some summer reading and relaxation!
DeleteI loved Santa Fe so much I considered moving there until I learned that water is a premium quantity there and thought I don't need to add to an on-going shortage.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Santa Fe is such a beautiful, unique place! My brother-in-law and his family have been there since the 80s, so we've had several opportunities to visit. Like much of that part of the country though, water is a precious resource and supply is an ongoing concern.
DeleteI really want to read Sandwich. I need to give it some time though since I just finished The Berry Pickers and need a little break from emotional books, and Sandwich looks like another one that might get me. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are having a great summer!
Erin - Sandwich is certainly an emotional read. You're probably smart to wait a little while after The Berry Pickers before picking it up.
DeleteOoh, Santa Fe is fun. I hope both weddings were successful and not too stressful. Enjoy your summer reading!
ReplyDeleteAj - The wedding were both beautiful, though the airline issues a week or so ago gave the bride some extra stress. In the end, I think just one couple was not able to get there. One more wedding in September (our daughter!) then we're done for this season!
DeleteWelcome home! The cathedral is beautiful and it sounds like quite the season of weddings for you. Fresh Water for Flowers is on my TBR as is the Katherine Center. I think it's more my kind of book than yours! But not every book is for everyone which is why we have such a fun variety to choose from. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - So true! The Bodyguard was a nice change of pace for me, (and perfect for travel reading) but I think Elin Hilderbrand is my lighter author of choice.
DeleteTravel is so much fun, but it can also be tiring. It feels good to be home, relax, read, and hang out.
ReplyDeleteHelen - You are so right!!
DeleteWhat a marvelous summer you are having! I definitely love Santa Fe--the art, the architecture, the food, the vibe. Wonderful city.
ReplyDeleteSandwich sounds like my kind of book. I started reading How to Read a Book early, so now I am thinking Sandwich might be my airplane book in September.
Welcome back :)
JaneGS - I'm lucky to have family in Santa Fe... we're hoping for one more wedding out there within the next couple of years. Fingers crossed! If you can hold of on Sandwich until September, that would make n excellent travel book, too... although I was crying at one point, so that could be embarrassing. It's under 250 pages, too, so a perfect length. Will be curious to hear what you think.
DeleteSounds like you need some down time in a nice chair with a good book. Though your travels and events sound pretty great. Love the Santa Fe church photo. So good! The Sandwich novel interests me as a perfect summer novel. I could use a story not too heavy. I hope you have lovely weeks ahead. Central NY seems a peaceful place ... with 30 years of memories. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSusan - Amen to that... though the travels have been a lot of fun. We've been with my parents for a few days now and tomorrow we head home!
DeleteExhausting as it may be, all your travel adventures sounds so amazing and fun to me! I have only been to Santa Fe once, and only for the day, but I remember I thought it was pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteJinjer - The last coupe of months have been so much fun! Now I'm going to cherish this home time before we kick into high gear for our daughter's wedding.
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