Three New Books

We took off Saturday morning for Portland, Maine and stayed overnight.  Great time!  Except I ate way too much!

When we got down there, my husband dropped me off at Ocean Park Beach just south of Old Orchard Beach while he went to a motorcycle shop.  This is the beach I bike to during the summer but rarely get to see in the winter.  I loved it!  Very few people were around and it was quiet and peaceful.  Luckily, the weather was beautiful: sunny and mid thirties.

After a half hour walk, I settled on a bench and turned my Kindle on.  I can't get a signal where we live in NH, but here, it was working fine so I downloaded I, Alex Cross.

Next up was a visit to Border's Books in South Portland.  I browsed for books I'd like to download and bought three I'd rather have as real books:

I've had a D60 for almost a year now and still need help figuring it out.  I've read the first 28 pages and already found three things I didn't know. 

It's written in language anyone can understand, even me!

Well worth the money.  And, because I have a Classroom Discount for teachers I got 25% off all the books I bought!

I have a wonderful collection of over 300 poetry books so I couldn't resist buying another one to add to it.

These poems are all written by poets still living and are easy to understand on a first reading.  Well, I've only read a few so far but I looked through and read snatches here and there and they all seem approachable.

I stumbled across The Pioneer Woman's blog last fall and really enjoyed reading it.  At the time she had just finished publishing her cookbook and was getting ready to go on tour to promote it.

I was thrilled that the bookstore had it in stock. 

It's a different kind of cookbook.  Each page is full color and each recipe is illustrated.  And it's funny!  She tells the story of being a city girl and meeting a cowboy and falling in love and moving to the country and having four kids.  She doesn't take herself too seriously and makes comments all the way through the recipes.

For example, in her recipe for Creamy Mashed Potatoes step 7 reads: Add the butter.  Feel really guilty.  And step 8 reads: Add the cream cheese.  Feel even more guilty.  Then step 9 says: Next, add the half-and-half and stir together.  And let go of your guilt.  Food is to be enjoyed! (At least that's what I tell myself.)  See what I mean?

I've read almost the whole thing already!

So, all in all, a very nice getaway.  And I've got today off so more reading will get done!