Sunday Notes on Monday

If you have been reading my blog by now you know that 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 Hardcovers but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th, 2013 post. 

No surprise I did not meet my goal this week.  I usually don't when it comes to the Hard Cover List.  But I did read one book on the fiction list and one on the non-fiction list both very good.  The fiction book is the Invention of Wings written by the same author who wrote The Secret Life of Bees.  The non-fiction book was Lean In.  I have really changed my way of thinking since I have read the book Lean In.  I make a bigger effort to "sit at the table". 

I have read two great books which I will blog about this week.  Still Life With Bread Crumbs which I chose to read for two reasons. The first is because I have read her book Black and Blue and thought it was a good book and the second was because the title fascinated me. You all know how I love a good book title.

The second book was King's Deception.  This a Steve Berry Novel and I really loved his other book The Jefferson Key.  I love how he winds his story around historical events.  The story is fast paced with his character Cotton Malone going after the bad guys yet again.  It is worth picking up and reading.

Have a great week.

The Orphan Train

Two orphans years apart develop a very special relationship. Vivian is an older woman.  Her life started out in Ireland but when her family experienced unfortunate circumstances they moved to America.  Unfortunately, things did not work out well in America.  Vivian loses her family and as an orphan is put on a train with other orphans that takes her to the Midwest.  Interestingly enough these orphan trains actually existed.  It was a supervised welfare program that moved orphans or abandoned children from highly populated cities in the East to foster families in the Midwest.  

Molly is in the present day foster program.  Like Vivian her foster families have not really proven to be a great experience.  What started as a community service project for Molly ends up to be a blessing for them both.

Seating Arrangements

Weddings bring people together to celebrate the union of two people.  Often there is a lot of "stuff" going on that is not really part of the ceremony.  What I mean is a group of people are gathering and anything can happen good or bad.  Family members who haven't seen each other in awhile are thrown together.  Sometimes that is not a good thing sometimes it is great.

In Seating Arrangements Daphne is getting married to Greyson. They are in love and she is seven months pregnant.  But they are cool with it. They are gathered at the summer home of Daphne's parents. Daphne's Mom has planned the entire wedding a long with a wedding planner of course.  Her Dad is clueless about most everything.  He also has been lusting after one of the bridesmaids and decides to act on those feelings.

And then there are the seating arrangements.  Who sits with who.  Who you can't seat together.  Anyone who has ever planned an event knows exactly what I mean.

 This is a day where you want everything to go perfect and according to plan. But in this book there is a whole lot of crap going on surrounding the big day. 

The book is a satire on the whole big event and it is interestingly written.

Red Velvet Cupcake Murders

Its been a long time since I read a book that qualified as one for my foodie quest.  In case you all have forgotten, I am on a quest to read books with some type of food or food reference in the title.  That is why when I saw the title of this book I had to dive right in and see what it was all about.  You all know how I love cupcakes.

And speaking of dive, that is what one of the characters does in the book.  There is a catered affair in the lobby of a condo that has just open up for business.  To feed potential customers while they look at the real estate, Hannah, owner of The Cookie Jar has been contracted to provide her always popular Red Velvet Cupcakes. 

The secretary of the police department takes a nose dive off the balcony of the penthouse.  It looks like she was pushed, but who did it.  She can't remember what happened.  She can barley remember her name.

Then the fiancée of a former boyfriend of Hannah's turns up dead.  Who is the suspect why Hannah of course. 

The story is pretty week but the recipes look DELISHOUS.

How Lean In Circles work

I had blogged about an article talking about Lean In and Lean In circles.  Here is how they work.

http://leanin.org/circles/

Until the End of Time

I have read Danielle Steele before but it has been awhile. So when I saw this book I thought I'd give it a shot.  I needed a book that was not to heavy and that had a happy ending.  Every now and then it is important to read a book with a happy ending.

The story focuses on four people; Bill and Jenny and Bob and Lilybet. I can't really tell you too much about the story or I will give the entire book away but I will give you a brief overview.  Bill is an estate attorney in his father's law firm.  He really isn't happy being a lawyer.  By chance he meets Jenny  who is a fashion consultant with clients who are up and coming fashion designers. For him it is love at first site.  They marry. How does their marriage turn out.

Bob is a book publisher.  He owns a small publishing firm that is just getting by.  Lily has a passion for writing.  She has been working on writing a book for awhile and wonders how she will get it published.  She is Amish and she knows that her strict father would most likely forbid her from having it published. 

One day she finds this book on a bench and looks inside to see who it is published by. It happens to be Bob's firm.  She sneaks the book to him and he loves it.  When they meet he realizes he loves her as well as the book.  What will happen to them?

If you need a light romance novel you might choose this one. It was number ten on the Washington Post Bestseller list this past week

A Year after Lean In

I read Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In and found it truly inspiring.  It definitely made me look at things differently in all aspects of my life, in a good way.  Almost two years ago I started working on an all male team, that is until I came onboard.  At first it was very hard but I think I am making some progress.  I kept a couple of things in mind.  I am a smart woman and I can do my job.  It got me through the tough times.

I have provided a link below.  It is to an article that was in the Sunday March 9th Washington Post. I found it in the outlook section which I read every Sunday to see what is cooking on the bestseller list.  It is a really interesting article on creating Lean In Circles.  It is an interesting read and if you haven't read the book yet, consider adding it to your must read list.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-year-after-lean-in-these-are-sheryl-sandbergs-truest-believers/2014/03/07/407b0e8e-9dac-11e3-a050-dc3322a94fa7_story.html

Sunday Notes on Monday

Snow is quickly becoming a four letter word here in the Mid Atlantic.  Once again the region woke up Monday morning to snow falling at a very rapid pace.  Luckily for me, my company did not open which I am very thankful for on so many levels.  The first being that the majority of our staff are out on the roads all day seeing patients.  On the best of days this can be grueling but in the snow it is just overwhelmingly difficult. It is almost like fighting to stay alive.  On a more personal note, I am relieved I do not have to drive and I have the opportunity to sit back watch the snow and of course read. Also waking up this Sunday the sun was shining and the temperature was a balmy 46 degrees.  Perfect temperature for me.  I am not a big fan of summer heat.

If you have been reading my blog by now you know that 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 paper backs but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post. 

This week I hit the jackpot having read five out of the ten novels on the fiction list and a bonus point for The Monument Men the number one non-fiction paperback this week. Sitting in the Number one spot is The Hit by David Baldacci.  He is one of my favorites.  In case you haven't read him some of his books that I have read are Zero Day and The Forgotten. 

I just finished the book sitting in the number ten slot Until the End of Time.  I needed something light and as I mentioned before this is very very light.  Look for my post on Wednesday.  This week I will also blog about a book that will fit nicely into my foodie quest.  It is a who done it mystery and the book contains recipes. 

Why Mess with the Clocks?

Ordinarily I don't pay too much attention to Day light savings time.  I just remember Spring ahead and Fall back and I adjust my clocks accordingly.  It is so much better in the Fall since you gain an hour of sleep.  Or is it so much better in the Spring because you have more evening daylight hours?  I guess it is a matter of perspective.

This year is a little bit different.  My work hours are crazy and I need every hour of sleep.  I mean when you are working twelve to thirteen hour days on a the weekend you lose an hour of sleep it really hurts.

SILLY ME.  I thought day light savings was a scientific adjustment of the earth and sun rotation.  Not even  close.  One of our fore fathers, a thrifty one apparently, Benjamin Franklin was the one responsible for its birth. He commented that natural light is more cost effective than artificial light and the idea stuck.

It wasn't until World War I that the United States jumped on the band wagon in an effort to save fuel.  In 2005, George W changed the months for this time adjustment to March and November. 

I like daylight savings time.  Rather I like the extra hour of sunlight starting in early March.  I guess the time change was just a little harder this year.

I found an interesting article you may enjoy.

http://sheltonherald.com/12074/why-do-we-have-daylight-savings-time/

Dogs as stars

Have  you ever noticed how many films have a dog that plays a big role in that movie.  I mean where  would the movie Scooby Doo be without the lovable dog Scooby Doo.  Who can forget that tiny little dog named Verdell that was eating out of Jack Nicholson's hand.  Who would have thought Jack Nicholson would even put up with a dog as a costar.

What about the yellow lab Marley in the movie Marley & Me.  No Marley no book.  NO book no movie.  Take a look at other dogs with staring roles.

http://t.entertainment.msn.com/dogs-in-film?toc=movies

The Polar Vortex hits Niagara Falls

It takes a lot to freeze a body of water that travels at the incredible velocity the waters of Niagara Falls  travels but in comes the Polar Vortex and the Falls like icicles.  And we in the Mid Atlantic are complaining about a little snow and some cold temperatures.  Ha!

Take a look at these spectacular pictures.  I didn't think it was possible for the Falls to ever look like this.

http://news.msn.com/world/a-frozen-niagara-falls

The Invention of Wings

If you have read The Secret Life of Bees and liked it than you will love this book. I have read both of her other books and found her second novel The Mermaid Chair not quite as good as The Secret Life of Bees.  Therefore, I was hesitant to pick up this one but it is number 5 on the combined fiction and ebook list in the New York Times so I thought why not.  I am so glad I read this book.  It is now my favorite of all her books.

There are lots of great characters in this book but it really is told through the eyes of two women; Sarah a woman from a well to do family and Hetty/Handful a family slave.  The setting is Charleston, South Carolina and it begins in 1803.  Sarah's father is a well respected judge with a plantation to run and that means he is a slave owner.  Handful is one of the "house" slaves and is given to Sarah on her 11th birthday.  Sarah refuses to accept her "gift" but her mother insists.  She then decides she will give Handful her freedom and using her fathers law book rights the request for her freedom.  Her father tears it up.  This is the first we see of Sarah's rebelliousness.

Even though the circumstances of the two woman are very different they are more similar than one might think.  Both are bound by something, therefore, neither of them are truly free. Handful is physically bound to Sarah's family and often exposed to horrific punishment at the hands of Sarah's mother a cold, aloof woman.  Sarah is bound to her family's strict code of what is right and wrong for a woman of her times.  Even though she is rebellious her parents have enslaved her mentally.  Handful on the other hand mentally has always seen herself as a free woman.

Aside from the fact that the book is well written it is historical fiction which made it an even better read for me.  Sarah Grimke and her sister Angelina(Nina)  were real life abolitionists and suffragettes.  At the end of the book the author talks about the liberties she took when writing the book with regards to what were the real facts and what she changed to better suit her story. Sometimes that bothers me when I am reading but not in this case.  Perhaps it was because I was not as familiar with these woman in history as I have been with others written through a fictional perspective.  All in all I would highly recommend this book.  And if you have not read Secret Life of Bees consider reading it as well.



 

Dogs Really do get what you Say

Humans and dogs process voices in the same area of the brain.  Scientist have actually done studies on this subject.

To directly quote the article "The really striking thing about the emotional result is that the human brain responds to dog emotions the same way it responds to human emotions, and that the dog brain, similarly, responds to human emotions the same way it responds to dog emotions"

I can definitely see that happening.  When my dog use to great me, wagging his tail, thrilled to see me he invoked happiness in me. And I don't care what anybody says my dog understood what I was saying.  And even though he did not "talk" to me in English he certainly communicated what he wanted.  We had a really good thing going on.

Follow the link below.


http://t.living.msn.com/family-parenting/pets/dogs-process-voices-like-humans

Sunday Notes on Monday

The first Day of Spring is March 20th.  I am not rushing the seasons.  I think I am one of the few people on earth who like winter.  I even like snow with two caveats, I don't like to drive in it and I don't like to shovel it.  But I love to watch it fall as I sit in my family room and I do love to walk in it. Once again we are on snow watch here in the Mid Atlantic.  They are saying a potential of four to eight inches.  My hope is that if it snows it snow a little so driving to work is not a nightmare or that it snows a lot and I can't get out of my neighborhood. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

If you have been reading my blog by now you know that 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 Hard covers but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post. 

This week I have read only one of the books on the list The Invention of Wings by the same author who wrote Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair.  While I loved Secret Life of Bees I was a little disappointed in her second book so I hesitated a little when I saw this book.  It did not disappoint.  I will be blogging about it this week. I also picked up a Danielle Steele book.  Actually it was a book on CD.  I have been doing a lot of driving and needed something very light.  This was very light I mean very light.  But I will talk about it this week.  If you need something light and fluffy this is certainly a potential choice.

This past week I read  Songs of Willow Frost and was pleasantly surprised.  The main characters are Liu Song and her son.  The story is a sad one of a young Chinese girl who is taken advantage of by her step father and gets pregnant.  She chooses to keep her son and tries desperately to make a life for them both.  Unfortunately the odds are against her.  I really liked the book.

Got a lot of good stuff on my list so I haven't decided what I will choose to read this week.  So Happy reading and have a great week

Songs of Willow Frost

The book starts in the year 1934.  The United States is in a Depression and there are many many people out of work.  Young children are left at orphanages.  Not because their parents are dead although many are, but because the parents can not afford to take care of them.  They figure rather than make them live on the streets they leave them at an orphanage where they will hopefully be taken care of.  Willie Eng is one such child. Willie is a twelve year old Chinese boy who ends up at Seattle's Sacred Heart Orphanage.

He is somewhat content until he goes to see a movie, a rare and wondrous event the orphanage allows each child to go to once a year on their "birthday".  While at the movie he catches sight of a Chinese actress who he is pretty sure is his mother.  The sisters at Sacred Heart have told Willie his Mom is not alive but after seeing Willow Frost on the big screen he is sure it is her. 

He plans his escape and sets out to find his Mom.  The story than goes back to 1921 to tell Willows story and how William fits in.  It tells about the struggles these characters go through and how they try to find love and happiness and in Willow's case forgiveness.  Most of this story is a very sad .  Willow being a Chinese American faced much prejudice and hardship.  Her son did as well.

This author also wrote Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which was also a really good book.  If you haven't read it, it is a good choice.  So is this one.