The Sunday Salon: It’s a Sunny Day Edition!

Southern California has been experiencing the worst case of June Gloom since…I don’t when! Dark skies and cool temps which add up to lots of reading time for me.

However, today it’s sunny! The sky is blue so we are heading to Ojai to visit Bart’s Books. Some of you may recall my post about it. It’s the outdoor bookstore with a ton of charm. If you missed that post, click here to read it. It’s really something. I am going back because the last time I went, I forgot my book list. I am also going back because I am doing a Spotlight on Bookstores post for She Is Too Fond of Books.

Since yesterday was completely gloomy, I sat on the couch and finished Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. It doesn’t come out until later this month so at the request of the author, I am holding off on the review until its release date. I also started My Cousin Rachel, The Link, and The Shadow of the Wind. I swore that I would not read more than one book at a time but all of these are so good that I cannot put any of them down!

I just made chocolate chip pancakes so the kids are bouncing off the walls. Time to throw myself into the shower and start my day. I am excited about my trip to Bart’s Books. I wonder what treasures I will come up with this time (must print off TBR list now).

What do you have planned today?

Friday Finds: Wicked Plants

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Here’s my one find:

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

Here’s the blurb from Amy Stewart’s website:

A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis; a vine that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Nature’s most appalling creations in an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend.

Menacing botanical illustrations and splendidly ghastly drawings create a fascinating portrait of the evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.

First off I love the cover of this one! Secondly, what a unique concept for a book. I would love to read this one.

Chatting with friends about books and life…