Reading | Book Chatter

It’s been a great weekend so far. Yesterday, my book club met to discuss The Goldfinch. I finished it in the nick of time. Seriously. I had a hard time reading that one steadily but I really, really enjoyed it and that last 5% on my Kindle was, well, amazing. It’s one of those books where you definitely feel as if you’ve been on a journey. I miss it a little bit.

Last night, we hit the first concert at the park. It was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen. You can see some of the crowd above. The band was a Journey tribute band and I must say, the lead singer sounded almost identical to Steve Perry. The music was awesome and the forty-somethings, holding each other and singing to Don’t Stop Believing was funny and cool at the same time. BOTH kids came with, which made it extra nice. Yes, I am talking about The Teen!

Anyway, we snacked and lounged and hung out. It was the perfect way to end the day.

Today? No one feels like going to church except The Teen so he’ll go and I suspect we will end up at the bookstore or the market or both. You know how I hate the market. I really want the food to just appear but no matter how hard I wish, it never happens.

In other news, I entered this design contest to win a signed copy of Murakami’s new book. I’ve posted everywhere about it and will continue to do so until it ends on 8/8. I apologize in advance if you tire of seeing the posts but seriously, it’s two clicks and you don’t need to like a thing in order to vote. Voting can take place daily. I’ve seen many of you vote already and I can’t tell you how grateful I am . To vote, click here.

What am I reading?

Now that I am done with The Goldfinch I am back to my Summer of King with The Regulators. I also realized that I never finished The Three. Probably not a good sign. I mean, I really thought I HAD finished it but looking at my Kindle I left it at 69%. Oops.

What am I cooking?

It has been pretty hot here. The only thing that sounds good right now, is maybe a foo-foo salad with candied pecans and feta or something like that.

What am I watching?

I got Better Off Dead in the mail yesterday from Netflix. I am anxious to share that one with The Girl and Teen.

What are you up to today? Are you reading a must-read book? If so, do tell.

Grab Your Book

Guess what, guys? Today is my Friday! I know some people have to work over the holiday but I think many of you are off. What do you have planned for the long weekend? BBQs? Picnics? Trips to the beach? Initially I thought we might have some people over. At least, that is what The Girl thought. She dreams up these gatherings on her own. Unfortunately, after working all week the last thing I want to do is throw a party of any kind. Call me anti-social. I’ll forgive you.

Right now, the plan is to make a big pot of chili, grill some burgers and hot dogs and watch a bunch of movies. The movies? Haven’t picked them out yet but it doesn’t even matter. Me, in front of the TV with my feet up is all that matters and if that happens, all will be right in the world. I also plan to mix-up some Mint Infused Limeade. We sampled this drink a few weeks ago and it was very refreshing! This drink is non-alcoholic but you could add a little vodka if you wanted to add a little something to it.

Mint infused limeade — Photo & Recipe from Food & Style

Somewhere in all of this we will watch the Nathan’s hot dog Eating contest! It’s a tradition to watch but depending on who is in it, I sometimes have a mini-gag fest with myself. It’s just not attractive to watch a bunch of guys scarf food down in that manner. And yeah, it somehow does not affect our own hot dog eating, which is a little weird if you ask me.

Fireworks? We might all pile into the car last-minute to see the fireworks in progress, but I doubt we will want to after the sloth of the day. None of us like crowds and we have the Otter Pup to consider and she’ll be 4 years-old tomorrow! We knew she was about 5-6 months old when we rescued her so we picked July 4th for her birthday. She has been a joy. I think she likes us too. Can you tell?

The Otter Pup and The Hub — The Otter Pup is 4 years old!

Oh, and I can’t forget the reading can I? That is a huge part of my weekend. Especially since I am still limping along with The Goldfinch. Much more fun to discuss is The Summer of King. I started The Regulators and it’s reminding me a bit of Mr. Mercedes, at least in its opening. It takes place in the summer so it’s the perfect read for me right now. I just want to drop everything to read it. I am not that far in, only about 15% but I can already tell that I am going to like it.

That said, grab your book, pour a refreshing drink and enjoy your weekend!

Chatting with friends about books and life…