A Year in The World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller

A College Professor turned writer.  This book is about a woman and her husband both tenured college professors who decide to leave their positions and travel for a year using Tuscany as her home base.  It just so happens that aside from this book, the author has written others so I guess my thought of leaving my position to wander around Europe and write a book and oh yea have it published is a bit of a stretch having never written nor had a book published. 

So the book is really not a travel book in the true sense of the word.  She definitely is no Rick Steves or Foder or Frommer.  These are travel books that fall into the category of how to travel book.  Hers is more a journal where she shares her experiences as she visits the various cities and countries.  She is definitely writing from a teacher’s prospective because she describes the actual location or points of interest but she writes about the history of the places and things she visits.

Many of my friends have heard me talk about taking a year and living in Europe.  I like experiencing more than travelling.  What I mean is while I like to explore new places, I would really rather immerse myself in the place not try to see a million things in 10 days. Let me see if I can clarify my statement.

Shortly before our marriage my soon to be husband received transfer orders to Germany to work at the 97^th General Hospital in Germany. We were jumping for joy, at least I was because this is something I had dreamed about.  So we moved to Frankfurt.  Unlike many of the other military folks we met, we were not afraid to venture out even in the first days of us being there.  I remember going on the U-bahn to the Zeil (the downtown shopping area) and just being overwhelmed (in a very good way) by the sights and sounds of the pedestrian traffic.  We discovered that street vendors sold hot dogs in a little tiny bun with a hole so that the hot dog sat in the hole like a popsicle.  No mustard mind you, ketchup.  I was in love since ketchup is a food group in my book.  We than found Kaufhof, the department store which had so many neat things and a wonderful gourmet food market that carried so many new and wonderful treats.  Oh and then there was Tshibos and Educhios, coffee shops where you went to the counter ordered a coffee in a ceramic cup and drank it there.  Starbucks was not realty yet. Did I mention the Christmas markets, they were glorious! They are best at night when it is dark and the lights on the booths start to twinkle and you can smell the Gluhwein ( a sweet red wine served hot) which for my wine buddies is a must.

I can remember being in Luxembourg, in a restaurant and sitting next to this Elegant looking couple who in the span of five minutes went from talking in French to German and then switched to English when they heard us talking and started asking us a few questions. And then there was this Bed and Breakfast we found in Piding, Germany that was roughly 20 km north of Salzburg. We seemed to end up here when we felt like decompressing.  Our host, after we returned the second time gave us the most beuatiful room with an ederdown that literally enveloped you when you lay in bed.  Its warmth and softness ensured that we had the most restful night of sleep ever.  And who needed an alarm clock when there was a cow outside your window.  These visits are where I fell in love with Salzburg.  I felt such an affinity to the city.  Perhaps is is becuase my mother's family is from Austria.  We wandered through the streets to discover amazing wonders and one of the things I still have in my house is a carving of an old man's face made by this man we discovered off the beaten path.

I can go on and on but I think you see where I am coming from.  While the Louvre is a must see in Paris, there are so many things to do and experience that are not in your guide books but which you can only really experience if you have the time to experience the culture.  You really don't get this opportunity unless you live there for awhile.

The book is an interesting perspective on travelling although this couple is actually “living” in Europe but spending their days seeing all of the amazing sites in a foreign country without the rush of having to catch a flight back to the states way to soon.  Dare I dream that I can do this as well? I do hope so!

Romance Novels Summer Fun Somethings begin but oh those Summer Nights

I actually read romance novels because (1) every so often I like to read books with happy endings (2) they are fun (3) they are relaxing and require very little thinking.  And let’s face it everyone can use a de-stressor in their life.  So when I find that work and life is getting to be a little too much I pour a glass of wine, find a quiet corner and read my romance novel.  One author I have recently discovered that fits the bill is Mary Kay Andrews.  I like her writing, there is a little humor and a decent story.   I really enjoyed Deep Dish which pits two TV chefs against each other in the hopes that they become the next Rachel Ray of Bobby Flay.  She has just release a new book which I have added to my list, Ladies Night.

 

Recently my book club was asked to preview a new book by Barbara Delinsky and we had great discussion about it.  It has just been release this month so you all might want to put it onto your list of reads.  It is Sweet Salt Air and it covers a large variety of topics like dealing with MS from the perspective of the person suffering from the disease, to the family members trying to cope.  There is also lots of romance.

 

I also like reading Sandra Brown who often combines mystery with romance.  Here are some of my picks below. Just click on any of the books. I hope you enjoy them.

 

 

       

Drakes cakes Yodels and yes the Twinkie is coming back

 

 

I blogged about this before and I will blog about it again.  Twinkies, cupcakes and donettes all from Hostess will be back on the market in July.  Three cheers for the Twinkie.

The company that had gone bankrupt after a fight with its union was purchased.  Some of the brands and snacks were sold off to other companies.  Mckee Foods which makes little Debbies snatched up Drake’s cakes which consisted of my beloved coffee cakes and Yodels those mini chocolate rolled cakes that made my heart want to yodel when I took a bite.

So to all you Twinkie lovers who were going through withdrawal, you’re about to get your favorite snack food back.  Just a few more days!

Read  all about it.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/sweetest-comeback-twinkies-hit-shelves-july-15-6C10423619

Inferno Dan Brown

In typical Dan Brown form this book grabs you from the very beginning.  It starts out with Robert Langdon waking up in Italy in a hospital.  He doesn't even remember being in Italy.  In fact his last memory was two days prior when he was in Massachusetts. Along with a lovely lady doctor, we follow Langdon through Italy as he tries to unravel a mystery.

The book focuses on Art influenced by Dante from Florence, Italy who was a poet.  He wrote the Divine Comedy sometime between 1301 an 1321.  It is considered one of the greatest pieces of Italian literature.  It is Dante's vision of an afterlife with a person having to move through three levels Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise (Heaven) so their soul can reach God.

One of the things I love about Dan Brown books is the art history.  I remember when I first came to DC I would hop on the metro and go down to the mall to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  If you are planning a trip to the DC area it is a must see, so add it to your list.  I used to spend hours happily wandering through the different galleries.  When guest would come into town, that was one of the first places we went. 
I still get there occasionally but because of time constraints not as often as I would like.  In case you are interested in art as well or at least books that the art world is the backdrop for the book check out my post on the Art Forger by B.A Shapiro or A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny.

One of the interesting things written in the book that really had very little to do with the story line but was stated by Robert Langdon I guess to illustrate his deep knowledge of history was the origin of the children's nursery rhyme/playground song Ring around a Rosie. According to some historians, the ring around the rosie referred to a symptom of the Black plague.  The pocket full of posies was to mask the smell of decay and death and the ashes referred to cremation after death.  There are of course many who dispute this interpretation.  I can tell you that I will never think of it as an innocent child's chant.

Once again this is a great summer read.  For that matter it is a great read.  I really enjoy Brown's books.  I see another movie adaptation on the horizon. 





            
A recreated death mask of Dante
at the Palazzo Vecchio.  The
artifact in the book that was stolen

Other books with art as the backdrop

                       

Sunday Notes on Monday. What's Good to read?

 

 

 

Sunday Notes on Monday


So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that I every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

I usually do not do well on the Sundays that are focused on Hard cover books because as a rule I either read the kindle version of a book or a paperback copy.  So it is not surprising that I have only read one book on the list this week and that is Dan Brown's book Inferno.  Please check later in the week to read my post.  I should give myself double credit for this read since this week it is number one on the list and that is after being on the bestseller list for only five weeks.  It is a fast paced thriller and it is really good.  Perfect for a vacation read so if you are flying somewhere or planning on sitting on a beach include this on your reading list.  Even if you are planning nothing of the sort put it on your list.  The book on my reading list this week is The Hit by David Baldacci.  I have read both the John Puller novels The Forgotten and Zero Day which I really enjoyed so check out my previous posts on those.  I am also adding Bad Monkey to my list since I have read Carl Hiaasen before and liked his books.  Check out my post entitled Skinny Dip.  To round out my list from the bestseller list I have also added Zero Hour by Clive Cussler.  I read others of his and enjoyed them as well. Based on my choices it looks like I am in my thriller, mystery fiction mode.

So it looks like I have a lot to read this week and in the weeks to come and of course I will keep you informed.  Enjoy my posts this week!  And if you want any of the books mentioned and plan to order them from amazon just click on one of the books below which will take you to amazon and order what ever you wish to read or order.  Thanks!  Have a great week.

           

 



Trader of Secrets

Going on vacation? This book is practically screaming Take Me! Take Me!.  I can definitely see myself on the beach under an umbrella drinking a Salty Dog  (no salt thank you very much)and reading this book.  A Salty Dog is grapefruit juice and gin or the one I sipped at Taste the other night is  grapefruit juice and grapefruit vodka over ice.  That would put it into the fruit and vegetable food group.  Perfect!

This book has a little of everything.  There is a maniac gun for hire known as Liquida who happened to cross paths with Paul Madriani a lawyer.  While working on a legal case Paul got on the wrong side of Liquida, not a good thing when we're talking hit man and now Liquida is after Paul, his family and associates. The FBI had Paul in a safe house for awhile but then set him loose in the hopes that he would lead them to Liquida who is high on their most wanted list.  I guess the FBI got miffed when there was an explosion in front of the capital and he was the number one suspect.

The action starts in the United States and then goes global.  And just to throw in some more excitement, two programmers from NSA are selling weapons secrets to the enemy,  Yes the two stories do collide in the book which is a thrill a minute and should be read.
 

Come Home

Lisa Scottoline


At first glance you would never think this was a murder mystery novel.  But it is a murder mystery. Jill is a pediatrician getting her life back on track after a devastating divorce.  She has met a new man whom she plans on marrying and she and her young daughter are doing ok.  One rainy evening Jill thinks she hears someone calling her name.  Is it her imagination or is it real.  Turns out it is very real.  It is Abby her estranged step daughter crying hysterically and claiming that her father has been murdered.  The police and he ex's older daughter think it is a suicide.  It certainly looks like it is but Abby is sure it is not and comes to Jill to try to help her prove it. Jill is so happy to see Abby since she was so little when she married her ex that his girls became hers and she loved them.

 

Jill's fiancé wants no part of these girls and says he is at a point of his life where after Jill's biological daughter is grown he is done. He views Abby who granted has lots of problems as someone he does not want in their life.  He gives Jill an ultimatum me or them.  Personally I thought that the fiancé was extremely selfish regarding this particular issue.  Sadly this is a very realistic attitude.

 
This is a good beach read

A Week in Winter

 
A Week in Winter is Mauve Binchey's last book.  Sadly the author passed away almost a year ago.  She wrote a number of novels including Circle of Friends which happens to be my favorite of her books.  If you are not familiar with this book it a story of three friends all with different backgrounds who end up going to University together.  If you haven't read it,  you may want to give it a try.  You might also consider watching the movie which I loved with Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell.


One of Binchey's strengths is her character development and this last book is no exception.  The story takes place in Stoneybridge, Ireland a small town on the west coast.  As with many small towns everyone knows everything about everyone.  The character the story revolves around is Chicky Starr who has her own unique story. 


She leaves Stoneybridge to come to America.  Life doesn't turn out the way she had hoped so she returns with a fabricated life so the people in her small town accept her back.  She opens a Bed and Breakfast and the stories of the people who stay at the B and B the first week become the novel.

To read a little more on Mauve Binchey I have attached a link to a New York Times article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/books/maeve-binchy-writer-who-evoked-ireland-dies-at-72.html?_r=0

Sunday Notes on Monday What is Good to Read

 

 

 

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that I every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

Once again I only scored a two out of ten points having read The Great Gatsby and Beautiful Ruins.  The interesting thing about this weeks top ten paper back list is that most of them are fairly new to the list.  In other words this list has almost completely turned over in a short time.  I can honestly say that I really have no desire to add any of the remaining eight onto my must read list.  I am not saying the other eight are not good, how can I, I haven't read them but they the one sentence description does nothing to entice me.  Perhaps if I had week at the beach I might feel differently but I have a very heavy work schedule and I have to must reads on the top of my list.

I am reading Dan Brown's new bestseller Inferno which I will be blogging about in the next week and The Hit by David Balducci.  I have just finished the book Secret Daughter which I will be sharing with you as well. Another book that I am in the middle of is Trader of Secrets which I am really liking. If you liked my blog on Skinny Dip or you have read and enjoyed Carl Hiaasen, he has a new book Bad Monkey also on my list.

Here are books I would like to share with you.  Some I have finished, some are on  my list.  Click on any of the books to find them on Amazon.com.  Have a great week.

         

Have a Heart it's Dad's Day

 




My Dad is going to be 87 ( I think) in a couple of weeks.  This past week he had heart surgery.  One of the arteries in his heart was 80% occluded.  Luckily two stents were placed and we hope that does the trick.  It was very scary.  I am fortunate, I have a brother and sister-in- law that are both phenomenal and followed my Dad's procedures and progress every step of the way.  I truly don't know what I would do without both of them. 

So of course I spent a few days with him and we spent an evening going down memory lane and having a good laugh.  It was wonderful. 

Then I read the Sunday Parade section of the Washington Post and there was an article entitled "Lunch with Dad".  This article talked about a son's memory of going with his Dad to his law office and how at lunch they would go to this place and he would always order a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich.  It made me think about  the times my Dad took me to work with him.  He was a buyer for Gimbel's NY.  FYI, Gimbel's was at the time, Macy's biggest competitor.  Technically we were not suppose to buy anything at Macy's but I must confess, I did occasionally sneak in and buy something.  I am sorry Dad it was a small something if that helps any. 

Around midday, we would go to Horn and Hardart which was the most amazing place ever!  For those of you who have never experienced a meal at Horn and Hardart I am going to try to walk you through the experience but if you have never been it is truly difficult to capture its essence.  You walked into to this "luncheonette" that was pretty basic.  The one we went to was a combination of a cafeteria line and a wall of glass and chrome compartments that were coin operated.  The coins used were nickels and there was a place within the cafeteria were you could exchange bills for the coins and then the sky was the limit.   Well not really.  The food was your basic sandwiches, coffee, pies, pastry and cakes.

Like I said the one my Dad took me to was a combo restaurant so it had evolved from its original format.  I remember I always got the macaroni and cheese.  This mac and cheese was heaven in a bowl.  It was creamy and cheesy and amazing and there was nowhere else to get this type of macaroni and cheese in my world. My Mom never made it at home.   It was a Treat with a capital T and then to top it all off, my Dad would give me some nickels and I would go to the chrome and glass wall of food and buy an ORANGE ICED Cupcake. Yum!  This is were my love affair with the cupcake started.  For all you chocolate lovers they had chocolate cupcakes as well, but sadly I was extremely allergic to chocolate and could not eat them.  The orange ones were fine by me.

Years later when I came to DC the Smithsonian actually had an exhibit that had the food dispensers from the Automat.  It was thrilling to walk in and see a piece of my childhood.  Sadly the Automat closed and my Dad and I had to find a new place.

These memories will last for the rest of my life.  It was one of the few times that I had alone time with my Dad growing up and it was wonderful.  I am glad I had it than and I am glad I got to spend time with him this weekend.  I am blessed.

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

 Lunch with Dad  in this week's Parade http://www.parade.com/22374/johndonohue/lunch-with-dad/








There is actually a book written about the Automat on amazon.com.  Click on the picture below and check it out.

Only Time will Tell

A Jeffrey Archer Novel.  I haven't read one in ages and it was good to crack this one open.  I really like how he develops his characters.  They are all so British. I mean that in a good way.

Only Time Will Tell is book one in the Clifton Chronicles and it starts out with Harry Clifton in 1920 with World War I having just come to an end.  Harry is told that his father was killed in the War but we know better.  He is dead but you have to read the book to find out just how he died.  Harry and his Mom live with her family in Bristol and they just get by.  His Mom is adamant that he gets an education and luckily all sorts of opportunities open for him as he wins a scholarship to a great grammar school and the story takes off from there. And of course you will want to read book two and three of the Clifton Chronicles.  I know I plan on it!

Bringing Books to life

Holy Guacamole Batman!!!!!!  Amazon.com has created a program called Storyteller. Storyteller is a free online tool that turns scripts into storyboards, complete with characters and dialogue that can then be shared with others for feedback.  I AM SO IN!  This may be the most brilliant computer application I have ever seen or wanted to use.  I CAN NOT WAIT TO TRY IT. 

Can it REALLY BE TRUE?  Read this article.  See what you think.

 

https://socialreader.com/me/content/LmGEL?utm_campaign=cl20130607&utm_medium=email&chid=70644&utm_content=win060713-276&email=suz531%40msn.com&utm_source=reengagement

Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America

This is a biography about a Train station really a terminal because it is the beginning and end of the line for trains that pass through it.  I use the word biography loosely because a biography usually refers to people not places but Grand Central definitely has a life of its own.  Walk into it and you can actually feel the pulse of the building.  Well maybe it is more the collective pulse created by the masses of people that course through it on a daily basis.  

The Park Avenue Tunnel was built in 1875 and was used by three railroad companies. By 1902 44,000 people used the station per week which totals 16 million people per year.  That is mind boggling.  That is an amazing number of people for the time.
 

In 2013 the terminal is expected to service a million passengers and 21 million tourists. That is a lot of humanity flowing through the massive structure.  And you don’t necessarily need to board a train.  You can shop, catch a meal or people watch even if you never plan to leave the city.  

When the first train lines were built, no steam engines were allowed beyond a certain point so carriages with horses were used for that portion.  The “trains” were literally horse powered. These horse powered carriages would stay in service until 1917.  Later the line would have six wood burning stream engines.  What started as a seven mile track would end up to be 131 miles north and then connect the last 22 miles toward Albany.

Grand Central Station really began to take the shape we see today once the electric engine replaced steam.  Steam was messy, hot and spilled out into the air above.  Once electric was introduced the area above the tracks became prime real estate.  Also the Grand terminal with its waiting rooms and fancy restaurants was born.  Aside from the impressive space within, there are little gems like a hidden spiral stairway and a place where if you whisper you can be heard across the room.  It is a magnificent building with a fascinating history and was central to the growth of Manhattan and its Burroughs.

The book details the history really well

Prince William and Prince Harry are not the Only Royalty on the European Block

We commoners tend to think that the only real royalty is Queen Elizabeth II and her family.  That is not true, although they do get the bulk of the publicity. There are royal families all over Europe or at least royal lineage of the monarchies that use to rule the countries.  The UK royals are still sitting royals and therefore get the most attention.  Millions and millions of people watched on the TV when Prince William married Kate Middleton.  Yes of course her gown was gorgeous.  Yes she was a beautiful bride.

 

Well on Saturday Princess Madeleine of Sweden, 30, and Manhattan banker Christopher O’Neill, 38, were married and yes her gown was gorgeous and yes she was as well.  The couple was married in a Stockholm celebration that drew about 500 European royals and wealthy jet-setters. The church ceremony was at the royal chapel. Her dad is King Carl XVI Gustaf who is Queen Elizabeth's third cousin maybe thrice removed whatever that means. My bet is nobody watched this royal wedding. Follow the link below to see the pictures.  Beautiful.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/06/08/swedish-royal-wedding-princess-madeleine-and-nyc-banker-christopher-oneill/

Sunday Notes on Monday. What's Good to Read?

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that I every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

Sadly this week I did not do well.  In fact, I didn’t read one single book on the list.  Zero points for Susan. The truth is I usually wait to read a book when it comes out in paperback. However, I am adding Inferno by Dan Brown to the top of my list and will be reading it in the next week or so.   

I have been concentrating on other things to read.  In fact, I have a few good books that I will be blogging about in the coming days. For all of you non-fiction lovers, I just read Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America which I enjoyed.  It is an amazing train station with lots of history that was almost torn down had it not been for Jackie Kennedy stepping in and saving this New York Landmark. If you are unfamiliar with the Grand Central Terminal it is this beautiful building located on 42^nd street and Park Ave.  Many of you probably will recognize it because it has been the backdrop in many movies.  It was built in 1871 which if you do the math, it is 142 years old. It is one of the busiest train stations in the world and 200,000 NY commuters travel through it every day. Yes every day! It is a work of Art. My post on this book will be on June 12^th. 

If you are a Jeffrey Archer fan than I suggest Only Time Will Tell, the first book in the Clifton Chronicles.  Watch for my blog on this book this week as well. 

Right now I am reading Secret Daughter which I will be blogging about so stay tuned.

Check out some of the books below, they all make great summer reads.





            

Tail Spin

This is an FBI Thriller with two of my favorite characters Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich who are agents married to each other.  I know these characters because I have read several of the books in this series and I remember when they met maybe 11 or 12 novels ago.  There is definitely heat between them and they seem as happy in this novel as they did in the others.  That is a long time in book time.  They work as a team meaning they live together and work together. And they work a lot of good cases together.  They always get there man or woman or in some case both in the same novel since she often writes a main story line and an underlying story line that meet somewhere in the plot.

Jackson Jack Crowne is an FBI Special agent.   He is on a mission and is piloting a small plane with one passenger when it crashes in a somewhat remote area. He survives so does his passenger but the plane going down was no accident. It seems someone wanted the passenger a psychiatrist with a lot of influential patients dead.

Rachel Abbot is the illegitimate daughter of the late John James Abbott. The sad thing is Rachel had just found out about daddy.   She is on the run because someone is trying to kill her and she is thinking the best place is Slipper Hollow, Kentucky where her Uncle Gillette lives and who she knows will protect her.  Of course Uncle Gillette is a recluse and a former Marine and he can be as bad assed as the next guy especially when someone is after his niece.

Rachel witnesses the plane crash and ends up helping Jack and so their stories become intertwined.  You noticed I had mentioned Rachel was the illegitimate daughter of the late John James Abbott. Well the deceased did not die of natural causes and Rachel wants to know who did it.  She also thinks that her newly discovered family members are the ones who want her dead. Lots of money etc., you know the deal.  I have to say I loved this book.  It’s a thriller, murder mystery and a romance tied up in one package.  A fun beach read.