TUESDAY POTPOURRI: BOOKISH EVENTS, ETC.

I love Tuesdays!  And Mondays,Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays!  Every day of the week has something special that gets me out of bed in the morning.

As you may know, Tuesdays are about New Book Releases.   Today I found TWO new ones to download.

The Liar’s Child (e-book), by Carla Buckley

I’ve been waiting for this one for a while.  I love the author, and the blurb grabbed me.  Here’s a snippet:

In this intense and intimate family portrait that moves at a thriller’s pace, a troubled woman faces a gripping moral dilemma after rescuing two abandoned children from a hurricane.

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Then I found this book from a long-time favorite author:

All the Wrong Places (e-book), by Joy Fielding

Four women—friends, family, rivals—turn to online dating for companionship, only to find themselves in the crosshairs of a tech-savvy killer using an app to target his victims in this harrowing thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of See Jane Run and The Bad Daughter. 

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So…what a day so far!

Yesterday brought the usual Monday Weekly Updates, and then I decided to really clear out my bathrooms, cleaning and organizing.  I hate the task, but always love the feeling afterwards.

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On the weekend, I hung out with my granddaughter Fiona:  lunch at Yard House and photos at my condo afterwards.  Here’s one of Fiona enjoying a cup of coffee at the pub table.

The two of us:  Fiona took the selfie.

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Currently I am reading The Next To Die, by Sophie Hannah.  So far, it’s interesting, although I’m not quite sure where it’s going.

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So…that’s my life so far this week.  What adventures are you enjoying?

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SUNDAY POTPOURRI: DISCOVERING THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS…

Happy Holidays!  Are you all feeling the spirit of the season?  I have slowly grown into it, especially since I always have a Hallmark movie on…and also have enjoyed time with family for the past few weeks.

It all started with Fiona’s eyeglasses, the Christmas gift she requested. We had fun picking them out, and then luxuriating in a lovely dinner while waiting to get them afterwards.  Here’s Fiona, enjoying a drink, and my pretty beverage is in the forefront:

Then we picked up the glasses, and a few days later, Fiona sent me this photo (below) of her wearing one of the two pairs we bought.  She said she took the selfie on the way to school and apologized that she hadn’t dressed up for the photo.  I like it!

This past week, I enjoyed a mani and a new hairstyle that included a trim and a brightened purple streak.  I took my First Book of the Year photos…but I’m not showing them here today.  Instead, here is a different one:

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I started reading The Adults, by Caroline Hulse, and it is good so far.  I can tell that I’m going to love a book when I feel an immediate connection that just flows.  It doesn’t have to be one of my fast-paced thrillers for that to happen, but when there is such a connection, the pages turn seamlessly.  So I’m eager to get back to it.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE

“This debut is the whole package: realistic, flawed characters placed in an increasingly tense situation, resulting in a surprising, suspenseful novel.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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It has been raining here, so I’ve stayed tucked away indoors.  Should I go out today, or cuddle up with my books and my movies. Sigh.  I need to pick up a couple of gift cards, at least.  Maybe I’ll go out later.

Do you have internal monologues with yourself about your day?  Or do you wake up just knowing what to do?

Have a great holiday week!

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TUESDAY POTPOURRI: GATHERING TOGETHER BOOKS, FAMILY, & FRIENDS

Welcome to another Tuesday Release Day!  I do love perusing the list of releases, and sometimes I even download a new book…or two.  My photo, above, features my new mani…and my Kindle, Paige, ready to enjoy my treasures.

But today I picked up some older books that I have bookmarked on Amazon:

Emily, Alone, by Stewart O’Nan, came out a few years ago, but someone mentioned it on a blog…and it piqued my interest.  It is actually a sequel to another book, Wish You Were Here, and although I was tempted to add that one, too, I stopped myself. 

Synopsis:  A sequel to the bestselling, much-beloved Wish You Were Here, Stewart O’Nan’s intimate new novel follows Emily Maxwell, a widow whose grown children have long moved away. She dreams of visits by her grandchildren while mourning the turnover of her quiet Pittsburgh neighborhood, but when her sole companion and sister-in-law Arlene faints at their favorite breakfast buffet, Emily’s days change. As she grapples with her new independence, she discovers a hidden strength and realizes that life always offers new possibilities. Like most older women, Emily is a familiar yet invisible figure, one rarely portrayed so honestly. Her mingled feelings-of pride and regret, joy and sorrow- are gracefully rendered in wholly unexpected ways. Once again making the ordinary and overlooked not merely visible but vital to understanding our own lives, Emily, Alone confirms O’Nan as an American master.

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I do love older characters, probably because I am getting older, too, and can relate to some of the same experiences.

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I also enjoy A. J. Banner, so I downloaded After Nightfall, a book that has been out for a while:

 

 

Synopsis:  Imagine your closest friend utterly betraying you. Years later, when she seeks forgiveness, you invite her to your engagement party as a gesture of reconciliation. But seething hostilities rise to the surface, ruining everyone’s evening. After an awful night, your friend’s battered, lifeless body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff.

Newly engaged Marissa Parlette is living this nightmare. She should be celebrating her upcoming wedding, but she can’t shake the image of her friend lying dead on the beach. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she take a purposeful step into darkness? Desperate for answers, Marissa digs deep into the events of the party. But what she remembers happening after nightfall now carries sinister implications: the ugly sniping, the clandestine meetings, the drunken flirtations. The more she investigates, the more she questions everything she thought she knew about her friends, the man she once trusted, and even herself.

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I am currently reading The Three Beths, by Jeff Abbott, a compelling page turner.  I should be finished by day’s end.

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Tomorrow, some members of my family will meet at a neighborhood restaurant for a pre-Thanksgiving lunch…and to catch up.  Then I’ll be joining friends on Turkey Day.

How is your week unfolding so far?

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THURSDAY POTPOURRI: SPRING DAYS, PAST & PRESENT…

Good morning, and welcome to some visual images of life and family.  Today I’ll be featuring my great-niece Margaret…and a few others.

Emily and Margaret are showing off their Spring festivities:

Now take a look at our little flower…among the flowers:

Another glimpse of Margaret:

Now let’s step back in time…to a similar spring day, Circa 1982, when Emily was a baby.  She is not visible in this photo, but her older sister is on the far right.  Others include my niece Amy, left; my daughter Heather, middle front; my younger brother and his youngest son, in the back:

Back to the present, Fiona is showing off another new look:

Her cousin Aubrey, with her brothers, at Alec’s graduation from U.C. Berkeley:

Let’s take another look way back in late 1997, although we have moved beyond spring:  Fiona and Aubrey at play in my guesthouse in the foothills.  I was looking for a photo of that futon earlier, and stumbled upon it among some images I had scanned.  It has shown up in numerous houses of mine over the years, but after its time with the rough-housing kids who lived in the guesthouse, the frame broke. Sigh.

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Keeping up with the various branches of the family is an ongoing process.  How I love the role Facebook plays!

What does your Thursday look like?  What weekend plans are about to unfold?

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FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PAST & PRESENT…FAMILY & OBSESSIONS…

This week (and last) have brought a mix of new library books, recent downloads, and NetGalley and Vine Review reads.  (Above:  The New Neighbors, by Simon Lelic, purchased on April 10).

I like the feeling of making some progress toward acquiring books that I didn’t buy, while also enjoying the bliss of a new release book “whispering” toward Pippa, my Kindle.

So far I have borrowed five books from the library’s Overdrive System…and read four of them.  I just received A Nantucket Wedding, by Nancy Thayer.

Wedding bells are ringing, a family is reunited, and new love is blooming—for better or worse—in this captivating novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Island House and Secrets in Summer.

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This weekend, I plan to start reading some of my new and older downloads…and also spend some time with my granddaughter Fiona.  We have tentative plans for dinner and movie watching.   I love her new look (below); her hair is growing out, and it looks good on her, IMO.  I am even getting used to all the piercings.  LOL.  My daughter has a lot of tattoos, so these girls are definitely expressing themselves.

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Here is my daughter, some of her tattoos showing, with David, on their honeymoon trip to Europe.

 

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She has changed a lot since the days when she was a pre-teen.  Here is a shot of her in the townhouse, Circa 1980s.  Those were the days of flipped hair and jeans tucked into socks.  Back then, she was already preparing for her hair styling career.  (Note:  on the left, see my desk with a landline style that one doesn’t see anymore.  Nor do we usually see landlines).

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I still have a few landlines, though: Below, the Minnie Mouse phone is on display in my office.

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This designer pay phone (which works!) was one I purchased while living in that townhouse.   I also have a Winnie the Pooh designer phone that is resting on a shelf above my office nook…for the day I might want to bring him down.

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So now you know some of my secrets…I love designer phones; I enjoy photos from the past; and I am also in the moment with my family and love showing them off a bit.

What are you sharing today?

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FRIDAY POTPOURRI: CELEBRATING SPRING…AND FAMILY…

Good morning!  Welcome to another Friday with my obsessions and tidbits.  Today I’m celebrating Spring, since we finally have blossoms and sunshine (Ah-choo!). 

Yes, there is a downside to Spring…and despite the allergy meds and occasional use of my inhaler, I do celebrate it.

Today I will share some family photos.  Little Margaret is my sister’s one and only grandchild, so she gets lots of attention.

 

My niece Emily, with Margaret…who seems unsure of how to feel about that flower…

 

She is definitely not ambivalent about the beach…

 

And she looks truly content here…relaxed and comfy…

The family “dynasty” began for my sister and her husband 42 years ago.  My sister is the second from the right.  They have four grown daughters (L to R:  Emily, Beth, Katie, and far right, Dorothy).  They have one granddaughter, Margaret.  My brother-in-law seems truly proud to be surrounded by so many women…LOL

 

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What are you sharing today?  Come on by and let’s chat.

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THURSDAY POTPOURRI: A MIX OF YOUNG & OLD, HOME & FAMILY…

Morning ablutions set the stage for my days, beginning in my little en suite bathroom, which I’ve decorated with some favorite things.  The little pottery containers, the candle, and the photo of a lounging woman are a mix of old and newer things.

The candle is one I bought in 1968!  I had walked to the shop in my suburban Sacramento neighborhood, toddler and infant in tow. I picked up the candle from the home section, felt a connection to it, and dropped it into my basket.

Now, almost 50 years later, that candle has survived numerous house moves (more than 20 at last count!), and except for a small crack on the side, it is almost as good as new.  It reflects a time in my life when candles, incense, peace, and love were at the forefront.

Do you enjoy things that speak to you of your history?

Nowadays, my mornings begin with coffee at the computer.  Today’s morning shows something like this…books, a bulletin board with memorable photos, and the cute rag doll that reminds me of how dolls fit into a bookish life.

 

Here is a glimpse of the blog header at this site:

 

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Across town, Fiona has launched her independent life in her new apartment…here she is at work:  she doesn’t look that happy.  Maybe it is a boring day…

 

At home, these friends await her, and I know she is looking forward to joining them:

 

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Several states away, in North Dakota, my step-great granddaughters will soon be turning four:  Bella and Lilly, showing off their happy faces…

 

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Such a mix of young and old, home and family.  What does your world look like this January?

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FRIDAY POTPOURRI: FAMILY, CONNECTIONS…

After reading Keep Her Safe, which I finished last night (click title for my review), I removed Did You See Melody?, as it was a duplicate.

Now, as I contemplate the remaining print books, I am also focusing on the numerous e-books languishing on Pippa.

But today is not about those books, but about sharing photos from the week.  My granddaughter Aubrey is enjoying her time in Prague (and Berlin, and other neighboring countries).  Here’s one I like.

 

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Let’s skip on over to a small town in North Dakota, where my step-grandson Spencer is enjoying time with his kids.  Here he is with Bella and Lilly:

 

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Lilly, Maddix, & Bella….

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Getting ready for Halloween:  Lilly & Bella…

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Now…let’s travel back to California, to LA and celebrities.  Here is a photo of my first grandson Alec, now 22 and a senior at Berkeley.  Yes, that’s Janet Jackson holding him.  At the time, she was secretly married to Rene Elizondo, the brother of Alec’s cousin-in-law, Hugo, a definite “six degrees of separation” thing.  I actually met Hugo and his wife Cherie, who is Alec’s mother’s cousin.  They enjoyed hosting parties for family and friends.

If you live in LA, anything can happen.

 

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So that’s my story today.  What are you sharing?

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FRIDAY POTPOURRI: CONTINUING A JOURNEY….

Good morning, and welcome to another post spotlighting unique photos.

As most of you know, my second son visited my eldest son in Prague this past week, after spending some time in Spain and Ibiza.

Let’s take a peek at some of the sights.  Left to Right:  Craig, Brett, Aubrey, and Aubrey’s roommate.

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Brett, with a Prague at night backdrop….

More Prague at night…

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Gorgeous building…

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A visit to Budapest…

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Brett, Aubrey, & Friend…in Vienna…

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Brett and Aubrey enjoying the view…

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Meanwhile, here at home in my cozy nest, I’m reading and enjoying movies and TV. 

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FRIDAY POTPOURRI: SAYING GOODBYE TO SUMMER….

Last night, I decided to stop in at Mimi’s, one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood.  Instead of my usual soup or salad, I went for the Quiche Lorraine and a salad, with a strawberry margarita.  Very satisfying accompaniment to my book, Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

Now I am going to share some photos of family as they enjoy the last days of summer.

First…Noah spent Labor Day weekend at Shaver Lake with his mom and her friends….and doesn’t he look like he’s having fun?  LOL.  Not so much…but he’s a teenager.

 

Heather and her husband David are enjoying each other in the open air of the mountains, with a lake nearby.

 

Now…check out Fiona’s brand of fun…creating still another look for herself:

 

In the southern part of the state, Aubrey and friends are enjoying their versions of fun in the summer:

 

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We all celebrate summer and its ending in individual ways.  What do you enjoy about summer, especially when it is ending?

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