Adultry

She is not happy.  Yes she has a wonderful husband, great kids and a job she likes but she is not happy. What is happiness anyway? Coincidently she hooks up with an old boyfriend.  He is politics.  She doesn't care.  Apparently neither does he.  They hook up and start having a relationship.  The question is what are the ramifications of their actions and who will get hurt.  By the way this is by the same author who wrote The Alchemist a book that is still on the NY Times Paperback Trade Bestseller list. I am thinking not quite as good. What do you think?

My Perfect Pantry

If you have checked out my cooking blog you know I am obsessed with my pantry.  Check out my post on this book.

http://tryingtocookbysuzc.blogspot.com

Still Foolin Them

I love Billy Crystal.  Who can forget him in When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, and Analyze that just to name a few.  Even his voice is funny,  he lends it to the character in Monsters Inc. That is why I couldn't resist this book.  The book first came to my attention when Billy Crystal was paying tribute to Robin Williams on The View.  I actually listened to the book on CD for the simple reason, he is the narrator and he is Marvelous.  I was driving a lot the last week and I barely noticed since I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face.  He also holds a special place in my heart because he is my home boy.  He grew up one town over from where I grew up, just a little ahead of me.

Being as famous as Billy Crystal  has more perks than just being recognized and loved which is what I found out listening to the book. One of the many stories he tells is about his beloved baseball. His first love was baseball.  Actually growing up on Long Island and having the Yankees and the Mets so close makes baseball many people's love, but he actually played the game in school.  He ended up acting but he never forgot his first love.  For his 60th birthday he was signed by the New York Yankees to a ONE DAY CONTRACT. This was no joke or walk in the park.  He played and had an at bat.  I guess if I was famous I would like a one day contract to dance with the Rockettes in the Macy's Day Parade. Dreams are wonderful aren't they!

Anyway after he leaves the field he is told that the big guy George Steinbrenner wants to talk with him.  Steinbrenner told him he was being traded for Jerry Seinfeld.  The way he told the story was hilarious but when he talked about the trade I was laughing so hard I wasn't sure I could drive.  It is a very funny book.  If you decide to try it I recommend the audio book but reading it is good too.  Enjoy! For More info on this book follow the link Still Foolin Them

Sunday Notes on Monday

 

 

It has been a long time since I wrote my Sunday Notes on Monday Post.  I guess it is because I have grown bored with my game of reading the top ten paperback or hard cover books in the Washington Post and seeing how many I have read.  I will get back to it.  I just need a break.  My reading list is a little shorter than usual as well.  I really don't know why.  Maybe there are not as many interesting books at the moment.  I am sure in the next week or so things will pick up especially since the holidays are so close.  I just can't believe that it is mid October already. 

I just finished the Dove Keepers which was an amazing book but hard to read at least for me.  Check out my post from Saturday.  I am now reading three books at one time which is very rare for me.  I really like to have only one book going at a time.  I guess I started juggling the books because I had a week off and so my mind was not focused on work but rather relaxation.  Reading is relaxation to me.  The first book is Five Days Left.  I am half way through and I am surprised that this book is not more popular.  The second book I have going is Billy Crystal's book Still Foolin' Them and the last is a book written with a holiday theme.  Yes I am doing my holiday themed books again this year.

Since work has been busier than I expected I have not been able to post twice a week which was one of my goals in the beginning of the year so I plan to at least continue to post every Saturday and if I end up reading another book I will probably post on Wednesday as well.   I reserve the right to post anytime if there is something that I feel the need to share with you.  So check here periodically but I will be talking about the Billy Crystal book next Saturday. 


You can get additional info on these books if you click on book you are interested in.

   
 

The Dove Keeper

This was an extremely difficult book for me to read.  Not because the vocabulary was especially challenging but because of the subject matter.  It was brutal.  It centers around four Jewish women's stories.  The Romans come into their village and pilfer, rape and kill on their quest for supremacy.  Their stories are heartbreaking but through it all they survive somehow.

 In today's world the story almost repeats itself.  This time it is not the Romans who are terrorists but groups of extremists.  They behead people, they kidnap girls and women that they don't have a right to and they bomb and kill thousands of innocent people.  Why?

Where She Went

This is the Sequel to If I Stay.  Sometimes you can read the second book without reading the first book, but in this case you really need to read If I Stay or you will not understand what is going on in the book. 

In the original book the story was driven from the main character Mia's prospective.  She was in High School and was an extraordinary cello player.  It was her whole world until she met Adam.  She applies and is accepted to Julliard but is faced with an unfortunate set of events in her life.  She is faced with several very big decisions.

Where She Went is written from Adam's perspective.  He is now a well known musician touring all over the world.  He has everything but Mia in his life and he is still trying to figure out why she left.  This book ties up the loose ends and explains why Mia left and where she went.

If you have a kindle, this book is a great price on Amazon.  Just click the book above to get more info.

One Plus One

The book Me Before You was one of those books that I can't stop thinking about.  I think it was the combination of a good story line and the quirky main character.  That is what compelled me to pick up another book by Jojo Moyes, One plus One. The characters are what really drew me in and in this book there are five great characters if you include the dog who by the way is great. Big, bulky, sloppy and so loveable.  If you are a dog lover you will know what I mean.

Jess is a single mom of two children.  One is her biological daughter who she had when she was sixteen.  The other is her husband's child with another woman.  Two years ago her husband walked out on them having made bad decisions and bad investments.  He had what seems to have been a nervous breakdown and had to go rest.  So he went back to his Mom's house.  Turns out it might not have been a nervous breakdown just an escape. 

Tanzy Jess' ten year old is a mathematical genius and she has the opportunity to attend a private school on a scholarship.  While the scholarship is substantial it is still not enough to cover everything.  The story which is humorous in places, sad in other is her journey to find the money to give her daughter a better life.  The amazing thing about this character is her ability to stay upbeat and keep her family together. That means dealing with her "son" who is 10 years younger than her and her daughter with little help and support.  It is a great read.