It's Sunday Morning

Here I am still in Florida. We head back to Maine tomorrow.

Our friends visited for a few days and we had fun boating and fishing.

Dorothy and I took a day off from the guys and went to Barnes & Noble in Ft. Myers where we each bought a few books.

I got:

the dead & the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer,

Maisy's Nature Walk by Lucy Cousins for my granddaughter,

10 Poems to Change Your Life Again and Again by Roger Housden. It has "Gate C22" by Ellen Bass in it and that's one of my favorite poems.

I also got the magazine, Artful Blogging and some colorful stationery and stickers.

We are both English teachers and really enjoyed ourselves!



This was the wrong book to take out on the boat! Yikes! Scary! But I couldn't stop reading. As usual, Patterson and Roughan know how to tell a story. This is a quick but enjoyable read.

I got the book at Borders for 40% off. I really hate paying full price for his books because they go so fast!

Enjoy your Sunday and your reading, everyone!

Readers

What, in your opinion, is the definition of a “reader.” A person who indiscriminately reads everything in sight? A person who reads BOOKS? A person who reads, period, no matter what it is? … Or, more specific? Like the specific person who’s reading something you wrote?

When my son and his girlfriend visited us at camp for a couple weeks, she and I spent quite a bit of time together while the guys were out fishing. The first thing I asked her was, "Do you read?" Then I laughed because of how that sounded. Of course, I knew she could read but wanted to know if she loved reading. To me, that's what a reader is: someone who is gaga over books and reads voraciously. Unfortunately, she wasn't a book reader but did have magazines that she read. Does that make her a reader? Not in my book! (They have since broken up and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next one WILL be a reader!)

In The Florida Sunshine

Good Sunday morning, everyone!

I'm sitting here in the sunrise and the world is pink.

I put off reading this book because of the title. Love Walked In? Give me a break! And gag me! Why read the book when I know what happens?

Or so I thought! Then I saw it in the "Our Staff Recommends" section of the Nonesuch Bookstore in Saco, Maine and it had such a warm review that I figured I'd give it a try.

And I'm so glad I did! Marisa De Los Santos is a wonderfully poetic writer with a unique way of describing feelings that made me say to myself, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that!"

Her characters are just so darn likable and the story moves along at a nice clip and the writing (Did I mention the writing?) is magnificent! Here's one little simple example: (BTW, Clare is eleven years old.)

Clare walked over to the sofa and smoothed her hand over the embroidered shawl draped over its back. She hated to sit against something so beautiful without at least touching it first, letting it know she noticed it.

Cornelia stood and, with a swift motion, lifted the shawl off the sofa, set it floating in the air like a great butterfly, and then let it alight on Clare's shoulders.

See what I mean? I actually want to reread the book just to savor the language. I'll definitely be looking for her new book called Belong to Me.

What Are Your Kids Really Up To?

Update: My husband and I will be on vacation for ten days. I'm taking my laptop with me but don't know when I'll have an internet connection.


How far would you go to snoop on your teenagers if you thought they were in trouble?

That's the issue in this book. Mike and Tia are concerned parents who put a program on their son's computer to track his emails, etc. because he hasn't been himself lately.

From there the action is non-stop. As usual, I enjoyed Coben's writing and the fact that he doesn't preach and leaves the reader to answer the above question for him or herself.

A Cozy, Rainy Sunday

Good morning, readers, and Happy Father's Day to all dads!

My reading has been kind of slow-going this week because of the end of the school year and all I had to do to get my room ready for the summer. I'm not complaining, though! It feels great to be on vacation!

I did manage to finish Body Scissors by Michael Simon and really enjoyed it. I wrote a few words about it in the post below.

Now I'm on to Hold Tight by Harlan Coben and, as usual, it's a good story. Great escape book!

Finished

I really enjoyed this book! It is gritty and no-nonsense. The dialogue is real and the characters are not idealized; they are flawed just like the rest of us. The pace is quick and sharp. Now I really want to read the first in this series.

I won this book in J. Kaye's raffle and am glad I did!

Summer!

Well, not quite on the calendar but temperature-wise, it's supposed to be almost 90 here today and very humid.

Of course, yesterday was supposed to be quite warm, too, but, when I pedaled to the beach, I had to put my sweatshirt on right away.

I wrote a letter then planned to read for awhile but the cool breeze made goosebumps on my legs so I headed back to camp.

I'll try again today.

Body Scissors is a book I won from J. Kaye's raffle and I'm enjoying it very much. Thanks, again, J. Kaye!

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

This early Picoult is a simple story of love: between a mother and child and between a husband and wife. It is rich in visual images and literary devices. Her descriptions are just delicious.

This was a library book and I've already returned it so can't add any quotes as examples. Sorry.

But if you are looking for an engrossing read, something that will take you away and is well written, I'd recommend this one.

Reading Habits

Have my reading habits changed?

Good question! I think I'd have to say no. I still love a good story. I'm still looking for escape. I'm still looking for something that is well written. And, really, that's about it.

The only real change is that I read so much more poetry than I used to. I've purchased at least a hundred poetry books over the last 10 years or so and have read every poem in every one.

I Love Sunday Mornings

The weatherman said cloudy with a chance of showers today. Right now at 7am there isn't a cloud in the sky and the sun is drizzling through the oak and pine treees. Looks like I might make it to the beach for a bit of reading afterall.

I'm still reading Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult. This is her second book published back in 1993. The writing is beautiful and while the story line is a bit slow, I'm actually savoring that because of her magical words.

This book is about motherhood. Paige's mom deserted her and her father when she was 5. Now that she's a mother, she doesn't feel qualified to be one. It takes an honest look at what it's really like during those first few months of taking care of a first child. I remember it well!

My husband is still sleeping and it's quiet and peaceful. I think I'll make myself a cup of coffee and put a little Bailey's in it for a treat and sit and read in this golden morning.