Already Home by Susan Mallery

Already Home by Susan Mallery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a new Susan Mallery fan. So far this is my favorite.

Jenna's marriage has ended. Her ex, Aaron, though charming and good-looking, had systematically destroyed her self-confidence and her creativity. So she has left L.A. behind, returned home to Georgetown, Texas and bought a store front to open a cooking store, Grate Expectations. But she is terrified. What does she know about retail. She knows kitchen, but selling and customers, Yikes!

Just as she thinks she has a handle on the store, ( she hired a quirky woman, who seems to know people like the back of her hand), her birth parents show up on her doorstep.  Why now, why at this late date?

This story has family, love of good friends and a hint of romance. It is a story about starting over while going back to your roots. It is about how love can change a person's perspective. This is the first book I've shed a tear over in awhile.

Now, do you suppose there will be another, so I can find out if Jenna and Ellington continue to build a relationship? Does Grate Expectations actually expand and make a go of it?  Maybe Violet can finally let go of her demons and find true love. Let's hope!


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April is National Poetry Month - Do You Haiku?

Julia at Diary of a Word Nerd reminded me that April is National Poetry Month. I haven't been finding any new and interesting words in my reading of late, so I decided to share this one for my entry in Bermuda Onion's Weblog 's Wondrous Words Wednesday meme. 


haiku :  an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively; also :  a poem in this form usually having a seasonal reference — 

Since it is Cherry Blossom Festival time in our nation's capitol and I heard that they had rain on Tuesday I am sharing the following haiku I found on a site called Suburban Haiku. 


cherry blossom rain
sound of a love song passes
with the traffic
— Dawn Apanius

 These are two of about 20 that were on that site when I logged on yesterday. This one made me grin!

Blossoms open up –
stop the presses, some good news
unfolds in D.C.!
— Melissa Romero Fortner


Have you ever written haiku or any other form of poetry?  I have written rhyming verses, not actually poetry. I think I will give haiku a try. 

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Living Vicariously! Dreaming of France

Normally I do not get to post to Paulita's meme about France. I have never traveled to Europe and probably will not get to do that . But I can live vicariously through the travels of my family. The last time I posted to this meme was when my nephew and his new bride were on their honeymoon. You can revisit that post here.

Today I am sharing a couple of picture that were taken by the wife of my other nephew, the older brother of the couple who honeymooned in France, Italy and England. I am not sure what the occasion is for this wonderful vacation for them, but probably it is to celebrate his 10 anniversary of being cancer free. Whatever the reason they are there, I am happy for them. And I am glad to share their adventures even from my armchair at home. 

 I am not sure, but I think these are pictures of a beach or beaches in Nice.  Maybe some of you world travelers out there can confirm.

Certainly it is beautiful water and sky and probably a much needed respite for my nephew and his wife. They live in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and are the parents of two beautiful little girls.

So I am Dreaming of France and you can too by clicking the link and joining Paulita and her fellow bloggers.

Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Judy

Saturday Snapshots : A near finish.

Sharing just a couple of photos of a recent quilt. Go to West Metro Mommy Reads to check out the few rules and see what other bloggers are sharing this week.

I have been working on a quilt as a gift to my DIL. She graduates from ASU (Arizona State University) in May. Her degree is in Creative Writing with a minor in Communications. She will graduate Summa Cum Laude. We are very proud of her. If you know anything about me, you will know that she is a non-traditional student, she is 46.  A great accomplishment for her.


This is the quilt top done, but not quilted or totally finished.

 I just got the quilt back from the long-arm quilter and the binding is now sewed on the front, waiting for me to hand sew it to the back.  All the large squares are fabrics that have words. There is a newspaper print from the 60's, a travel brochure depicting Route 66, some antique postcards, the Declaration of Independence.

 The quilting is a large meander, with words interspersed. Words that are important to her: books, write, read, sister, daughter, grandmother, church, God, roses, chocolate, wine.........etc.

I hope she will like it. It is a pattern called Big Quilts by Debbie Bowles, I have also called it "Words Squared".

The next several evenings will be getting the binding sewed down and a label made.
Have a great week everyone.

Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday- North of Beautiful

What are you anxious to read soon?  Share the first chapter, first paragraph of your next read at Diane's blog, Bibliophile By The Sea.  Write a post and link up at Diane's blog.

I hope to start this one soon. It has been on my list for several months and I finally made the trek to the Young Adult section of our library to check it out.

North of Beautiful
Justina Chen Headley
Hachette Book Group
February 2009
Young Adult

Fate Maps

Not to brag or anything , but if you saw me from behind, you'd probably think I was perfect. I'm tall, but not too tall, with a ballerina's long legs and longish neck. My hair is naturally platinum blonde, the kind that curls when I want it to and cascades behind my back in one sleek line when I don't. While my face couldn't launch a thousand ships, it has the power to make any stranger whip around for a second look. Trust me, this mixture of curiosity and revulsion is nothing Helen of Troy would have ever encountered.
   Please don't get me wrong: I've got all the prerequisite parts - and in all the right numbers, too: one nose, two eyes, and twenty-four teeth that add up to not a bad smile. But who notices pearly whites when a red-stained birthmark stretches across the broad plain of my right cheek? That's exactly why I never went anywhere without my usual geologic strata of moisturizer, sunblock, medical concealer, foundation, and powder. 

I hope that this is the story I am anticipating it to be.    Would you want to read on?



Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

This book will be my 11th library book on my way to meet my goal of 28 at Sheila's blog. You can watch my list grow at my 2015 Challenges page.

Saturday Snapshots 4-4-15

Sharing a couple of pictures taken yesterday while visiting our great grandson. His momma had just left to run a few errands in preparation for her husbands birthday party last night. JR cried when she left, so I distracted him with a small bowl of some Cheerios. It worked. He immediately decided to empty the bowl and put the Cheerios in the indentation of his wooden shape puzzle. I think Mickey and Pluto look pretty good with cereal on them. What do you think?

Share your snapshots on Melinda's blog, West Metro Mommy Reads. There are a few rules, check them out at Melinda's site. Mostly that they are safe for all eyes and they are photos taken by you or a family member or friend.


Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

What's In A Name 2015 - Animal : Blind Your Ponies.

Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West. 
Published 2011 
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill


Sam Pickett is hiding from the nightmares and violence that has invaded his life. He is an English teacher that ends up in the tiny, hopeless town of Willow Creek, Montana. In addition to his English classes, he is asked to coach the basketball team. They are a sorry sight, and their record speaks for itself . For the last 5 years he has coached and they are still 0-93. He wonders, why me?  There are a few supporters in the small town, Andrew Wainwright, Ray Collins, and Elizabeth Chapman. This year will be different, how?

Enter Peter Strong, Elizabeth's grandson from the Twin Cities, MN. His parents are divorcing and they have sent him to Grandma while they sort it all out. Also a foreign exchange student shows up to live with Mervin and Claire Painter. Two of their daughters had been exchange students, one to Spain one to Brazil, they felt the need to reciprocate. They are hosting Olaf from Norway, hopefully, a son to fill the void felt by Mervin.  When they meet him at the airport gate, they are surprised by his bright blue eye, his straw-colored hair, and boyish grin. Also, he had to duck as he walked through the gate. He is 6' 11''.  Mervin wonders if he plays basketball.

Thus begins the new season for the Willow Creek Broncos and Sam Pickett. And what a season it will turn out to be.

I really enjoyed this feel-good, but not sappy sweet story. The setting is not far from where we live, so it felt personal. I love the small town feel, the camaraderie. The characters where fun to get to know ( well most of them). I loved Grandma Chapman's spirit, and Diana Murphy's insight.

The only thing that spoiled this wonderful story was the editing of the e edition I was reading. Clumsy grammar, hyphenated words where they should not have been, capitalization of the A in afternoon (frequently). I hate that.  I intend to try to find a print edition of this book and compare. Also I will probably read other books by this author, because I like his writing. But I will be careful to only use print book editions.

Am I the only one this happens too? Do any of you find blatant errors in ebook editions?

I gave this story 5 stars because I loved it. And I think the editing was not the author's fault.

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy