A day at the State Fair…

Over the past weekend, spent a day at the fair. The fair is a huge deal- it’s the beginning of fall to me. The food, the rides, seeing people having a good time, and oh my- the people watching. It’s a fun time always.

I’m not a fan of all the rides- the ones that twirl you around in the air are not for me. However, I love the pirate ship. I can’t explain it- and I’ll ride it at least twice. My brother hates it. But he agreed to ride it with me one time if I’d ride something he wanted to ride. That is how I got on the ride that takes you high up, then drops you down really fast. It’s not sooooo bad, but not one that I was like “Let’s do that again!”

Pirate Ship- Fav Ride

After we rode those rides, we walked around some more- just seeing the sights and smelling the good food smells. My mom decided she wanted something to eat, so we found a place to eat. Then me and my brother mentioned the donut burger. My dad was instantly intrigued. So him and my brother went to go get one. Now, don’t get me wrong- I thought it’d be gross. Donut, meat, bacon and cheese? Together? Who in their right mind would this was good? I was wrong. Something about the flavors just worked. Now, it’s not something you want all the time. But, it is good.

Donut Burger

While they were getting the donut burger- my brother decided a deep-frien twinkie was in order, as well. Never had that before either- actually not a huge Twinkie fan. But, that was good as well.

Deep Fried Twinkie

Between the food and the fun of hanging out with my family at the fair- something that now only happens every once in a while as opposed to yearly (because of busy schedules, living in different places, etc, etc) Saturday was a day to remember.

 

Ferris Wheels…

Went to the state fair over the weekend. It was a fun time, hanging with my family. Cold weather, though. Later on that night, me and my brother were walking around after riding some rides and eating some fair food. I looked over at the Ferris Wheel, all brightly colored and lit up against the blackness of the night sky- and I felt happy- watching the colors change.

It’s the little moments like this that make me smile.

The Ghosts of Manhattan by Douglas Brunt

Douglas Brunt’s debut novel is about Wall Street and what the life entails (and can cost you).

Meet Nick Farmer. 35 years old. Bond trader at Bear Stearns- a job he tells you he got partly because he played lacrosse in college. Nick’s a good looking man-and appears to have a good life. Clearing 7 figures a year, married, a job that requires him to party, close the deal with trades, and a unlimited access to drugs and alcohol. It’s the ultimate lifestyle for a young man. But Nick’s beginning to realize that the lifestyle is costing him- the partying, the drugs, alcohol- it’s not as easy to bounce back as it was in his 20’s. And it’s costing him in his marriage, as well.

Nick still likes the money- even if it doesn’t like the job or the extra-curricular aspects about the job. As the book progresses, the reader sees that Nick is changing- the hypocrisy is getting to him. Then, an analyst for Bear Stearns tries to tell the management that life is going to get ugly- the financial market is changing and awful things will happen if serious changes do not happen at Bear Stearns. Because Wall Street is about excess and being the life of the party- no one wants to listen. But does Nick? Does Nick leave while the party is still happening or does he wait till the party is way over?

Ghosts of Manhattan is a voyeuristic look into the life of Wall Street and the men of Wall Street. It’s a good book, with a solid storyline.

Recommended.

*Thanks to Touchstone Books for providing a copy of Ghosts of Manhattan by Douglas Brunt for review. The thoughts expressed above are my opinions and review of the book.

Interview with Bibliosue…

A few months ago, an event happened called Booktopia. Thanks to Twitter, I was able to start tweeting with one of the people attending the event- she always had interesting comments about books, so I began to read her blog, and really enjoyed that, as well. After meeting @bibliosue in person (in real life, her name is Suzanne); I knew this was a person and a blog that would be defintely worth keeping in touch with. A few weeks ago, I asked if she would mind asnwering some questions for a blog post for me. Suzanne agreed, and so here we are. Thanks so much @bibliosue!

If you enjoy the interview and want to know more about Suzanne, check out her blog. Suzanne also tweets as @bibliosue on Twitter.

Interview with Bibliosue:

Why did you decide to become a book blogger? Was it to discuss books with others? To recommend books? When did your blog debut?

I started my blog in November of 2009.  I’ve always searched out people with whom to talk about books and reading, and when I discovered the Books on the Nightstand podcast it led me to so many online connections to do just that – Goodreads,Twitter, and book blogs.  I started my blog just to write about what I’ve read, and most of the time if I’ve liked the book it will be a recommendation.  It’s just a hobby for me though; I don’t have the desire to spend hours and hours on it, especially when I could be spending that time reading 🙂

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Margaret Atwood, Nick Hornby, Rohinton Mistry,

Do you enjoy going to book signings and meeting authors?

Absolutely!  There aren’t many close to where I live, but there’s an indie bookstore about an 1 ½ hour drive away that has great events and I try to make it there when I can.

Is there a book that you think is outstanding, but others dislike?

I recently read and absolutely loved Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks, but a friend of mine with similar tastes didn’t like it at all.

Is there a book that others rave about, but you think is not worth the hype?

I couldn’t get through The Passage by Justin Cronin, but I think it was because it’s just not my type of book.  I strongly strongly disliked Emma by Jane Austen, which some people consider her best novel.

Name an author  (or authors)that you would like to have dinner with.

In no particular order (and not necessarily at the same time):  Margaret Atwood, A.J. Jacobs, Nick Hornby, Bill Bryson, and if he were still alive, Christopher Hitchens

Name your Top 5 favorite books.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood , A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (I’m re-reading this now and it’s still amazing), The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (this list changes regularly!)

Do you have any #literaryconfessions?

I’m a bit ashamed that I’ve never read Little Women

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

Sarah Jio’s third book, Blackberry Winter, is a tale that will leave readers experiencing many emotions: Sadness, happiness, hopefullness, and joy. This is book that the reader keeps on reading not only because they want to know what happens, because they MUST know what happens. Sarah Jio has a gift for sprinkling enough clues and intrigue into each chapter to keep the reader guessing and intrigued. The book is written in a past and present time format with information being left for the readers in both time periods.

Seattle, May 1-2, 1933: Vera Ray, a hotel maid, leaves her 3 year old son in bed while she works the night-shift at the Olympic. She hates to leave Daniel at home by himself, but really has no choice. She reasons that he’ll be ok in the bed asleep while she works. The next morning, she leaves work to see that Seattle is experiencing a heavy snow.  When Vera gets home, the bed is empty. And all that she can find of Daniel is his teddy bear-outside in the snowy weather.

Seattle, May 2nd, Present day: Claire Aldridge wakes to see Seattle covered in a snowy blanket. Her editor at the Seattle Herald wants a story on the “blackberry winter” and remarks about the coincidence of the date. Claire, at first, does not think there is much to the story. But as she begins to find out more about the last time a “blackberry winter” happened- she is proved wrong. Not only is the story a much bigger deal, the story has links to the present.

Weaving a tale of 2 women of 2 different decades, Sarah Jio tells a story of strength, weakeness, poverty, riches, and the sadness of a lost child.

Highly recommend.

At this writing, Sarah Jio’s Blackberry Winter has made the NYT Bestseller’s List. Congratulations to Sarah Jio!

Literary Friday, ya’ll….

Been a couple of weeks since I posted about a #literaryfriday- September flew by and my hard drive crashed last week. Fun stuff, right?

Here goes:

1. Deep South Mag and their weekly Literary Friday is HERE. Tons of Events, news, and literary items in this weekly installment; but most notably: Oprah Winfrey included the book The Cutting Season by Attica Locke on her The Best New Books of October 2012. However, Deep South Magazine had already included The Cutting Season on their Fall/Winter Reading List. The Cutting Season looks like it’s off to a good start being on 2 different reading lists. For Deep South Magazine’s full Fall/Winter List- click HERE. Grab a book, and get ready to enjoy the fall and winter seasons!

2. September 30- October 6 is Banned Book Week.  You may have seen some of the cute pictures (especially the spoof of Carly Rae Jespen’s Call Me Maybe) this week as part of the week. Deep South Magazine has an article about Banned Book Week as well as Southern Spines.

3. She Reads is giving away a copy of Erika Marks newest book, The Mermaid Collector, today. I’ve already been raving about how good this book is, heck, even posted a countdown clock about the book’s release date. To win a copy of this book, all you have to do is make a comment HERE. Enter the contest, and find out about the magic of The Mermaid Collector first-hand.

4. If you haven’t read Sarah Jio’s Blackberry Winter, I encourage you to read this book. Great storyline and characters. Also, it’s the She Reads October Book Club pick.

5. Check back here for reviews on Blackberry Winter, The Mermaid Collector, and Ghosts of Manhattan. Have read the first 2, finishing the last book.

As always, enjoy the weekend and Happy Reading!

 

 

The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks

Erika Marks second book, The Mermaid Collector is a must-read. Set in a coastal town in Maine, after reading this book- you may just believe in the magic of a mermaid’s tale.

Tess, the main character, is 35 years old- and walks a line between wanting the town of Cradle Harbor, Maine to accept her and wanting to tell the townspeople off. Stemming from having a mother who was free spirtited artist that the town never accepted, Tess is finally on the verge of being accepted since the town has aked her to create a mermaid scultpure for the festival.  Tess is a bit whimiscal, a believer in magical things, signs, and astrology.

Tom Grace, on the other hand, is new to town- and the town ladies are not too nice to him after leanring that he will be living in the lightkeeper’s light house and will not be allowing visitors (as they wanted for the historical factor). Tom is practical and steady.

When the two meet- will it be a case of opposites-attract? Will Tess have found her perfect match? Or will Tom be too practical for her?

Packed with subplots of the Tales of the Mermaids and stories of secrets in families- The Mermaid Collector weaves all the plots together in a convincing tale of love, trust, mistakes, forgiveness, and the power to believe in the magical aspects of the everyday life.

Books I read in September…

September was not a good month- book-wise. Between a wedding and a Carrie Underwood concert/fun girl weekend, the books did not get the attention they normally do.

Here’s the list:

1. Murder of the Cat’s Meow by Denise Swanson- cozy, light and fun reading. Skye has a wedding date set! If you’ve normally been enjoying Denise Swanson books- this is no exception. Although, she is using Skye to promote her “Dime Store” series a bit. And Trixie (Skye’s BFF) wants to write a book- she considered using an old title of Denise Swanson’s; but Skye let her know that a book was already out by that title. Cute-ish plugs for her series.

2. Death in Four Courses:A Key West Food Critic mystery by Lucy Burdette- second in the series. Haley finds herself in the middle of another troubling situation- except this time Eric, her friend and confindant, may be in more trouble than her. Fun reading, food descriptions, talk of Key West. Cozy-type book that you can curl up with.

3. The Glass Castle by Jeanneatte Walls- I cannot talk about this book anymore. Depressing. Read it for book club. Will not read again.

4. A Brew to a Kill by Cleo Coyle- Coffee, coffee, coffee- good mystery, and a development in the story of Mike and Claire.

5. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley- interesting. Sci-fi, with a mystery. Fans of things like X-Men will enjoy.

What did you read in September?

Today is the Day: The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks is released!

It’s here! It’s finally arrived! Today, today, today- Erika Marks second book, The Mermaid Collector, is out. So go to your nearest book store (indie, Amazon, chain) and buy this book.

I have my copy, and have read a couple of pages. Too early to tell if I’ll enjoy it like Little Gale Gumbo, but I have high hopes.

If you decide to buy it, come back around and let me know thoughts on it. Love to hear what others think.

 

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

The Rook was recommended to me, and while I didn’t love it I thought I would- it did have some good parts. The story begins with Myfanwy Thomas, standing in the rain, with dead people around her wearing latex gloves. She has no memory of how she got here or why she has 2 black eyes.

Interesting teaser, right? Well then the story takes you on a ride of sci-fi type things- think X-Men, Ghostbusters, and others of that type- a long ride filled with some good plot, some bad plot, and some plot that needn’t have happened. The book for me was about a 100 pages too long. The ending seemed a bit anti-climatic- especially after all this big build-up to it.

Overall, I didn’t hate the book- but I wasn’t wowed by it either.