Summer | Book Chatter

Backyard — Pimm's Cup, My Kindle and The View

On Friday I posted a recipe using Pimm’s liqueur and made a promise to do something summery and just for me this weekend. Well, I’m happy to say that I made good on my promise. I prepared a traditional Pimm’s Cup which is basically Pimm’s, ginger ale and lemon, fired up my Kindle and spent a good chunk of the day in my backyard. The little one was with dad who was visiting his brother across town. The big one was grounded and carrying out his sentence in the privacy of his bedroom, so that left a sunny, afternoon all to myself. And yes, that is a jelly jar. I drink out of mason jars all the time.

I put a large pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove to simmer away for tonight’s dinner and read The Stand while sipping my refreshing drink. Later, a friend of ours is coming over for dinner, but it will be real casual with good conversation and yummy food. Sigh. I only wish that my son had behaved himself and that he wasn’t grounded, but I can’t really dwell on that too much. Kids have to learn the hard way sometimes.

I am a bit off kilter with my reading schedule. I had planned to finish Tinkers, but it’s sort of a heavy book even though it’s so short. It’s not the type of book to read on a beautiful, sunny day but then again, neither is The Stand! I checked out Homecoming by Schlink for this month’s book club meeting so at some point I am going to have to start reading it. It’s not calling my name right now though.

Book Download – Kindle Survey Results

You know how I was making such a big deal about downloading my first paid Kindle book? Well, apparently 44% of you agree that the first download is quite important:

Kindle Survery Results — Kindle Survey Results

For the record, my first FREE download was Emma by Jane Austen.

My first PAID download was You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried by Susannah Gora

I picked YCIMIYT because the Brat Pack totally defined who I am today. I was in high school when those movies came out. I dressed like them, I listened to the same type of music. Those movies felt like they were based on my life. I still watch them today and my iPod is filled with music from that era.

What I learned? If you see a book you want, just download it because with all of my waiting, it fell off the bestseller’s list and ended up being $4 more. Lesson learned.

Happy Sunday to you!

First off, doesn’t this drink look delish? See the little slice of cucumber? I’ve never even heard of Pimm’s before but it’s gin based and tastes of spice and citrus. When I saw this on NPR the other day, I felt the need to share it. The traditional Pimm’s Cup includes lemonade, but the photo that I included shows a variation made with pomegranate juice. Yum! I could totally see myself sipping that drink with a great book in my hand. You can view the recipe here. Thanks to NPR for the photo and the recipe.

My brain is in summer mode, but unfortunately, when you work full-time, that luscious feeling of summer doesn’t really hit you in quite the same way. I’ve been a tad stressed with the morning routine lately. Getting the little one off to day camp is difficult when she is so darn exhausted from all the fun she had the previous day. What a bear!! So by the time I get to work, I am ready for a break, but no, the boss doesn’t seem to agree so the projects keep coming.

What I’ve been trying to do is pack a nice lunch so that I can sit outside and read or hole up in somewhere to catch-up on The Hills. Yes, I watch that show and am quite addicted. If I manage to do that, the day passes nicely.

As for the weekends, I try to make it as summery as possible. Cook-outs, lots of reading, cold refreshing drinks (like the one above, which I have yet to try BTW). Anything that puts me in a summer mood because the work week sucks! There is no other word that describes how I feel. I like my work and all that but please, it’s SUMMER! Lighten-up a bit. Life will go on.

If you are in the same boat, wanting to kick-off summer in a big way but can’t do it large-scale because work or other commitments interfere, then let’s promise to do something this weekend that’s just for us. You know, something to put us in a summery mood. You can make the drink I shared above, or you can get all girly and paint your toes some hot, summer color, or you can hit your local Starbucks (book in hand) to enjoy one of their However You Want It Frappes. The Light Soy Strawberry Frappe (no whip) is yummy! I’ve indulged in a few.

Sound like a plan? I’m not quite sure what I plan to do myself but it’s happening because this girl needs a pick-me-up!

Chatting with friends about books and life…