The Invention of Wings A Good Deal

Just in case you have not read this book yet, you may want to put it on your list especially if you have time off for the Holidays.  The book focuses on the life of two women with very different stories but who curiously have a lot in common. It is based on historical facts. I have a blog post on this book  on March 5, 2014. Amazon has this book at a special price that is well worth it.  If you want more info on this book follow this link Invention of Wings

The Divorce Papers

I was a little skeptical of this book when I first started to read it.  Not because of the content but because of the format.  The book is about of course a divorce but somehow a criminal defense lawyer gets the case when all the divorce lawyers are either  tied up or away.  Sophie was only suppose to do the initial interview and fact finding but the client liked her so much the client requested she stay on the case.  Through a series of memorandums, emails and letters ( this takes place circa 1999 right before email became the norm) the author does a great job telling the story with intelligence and wit.  Usually I don't enjoy a story told through letters etc. but Susan Rieger did a great job pulling it off. For more information on this book click on this link The Divorce Papers

A Nantucket Christmas

This is your feel good family holiday story.  Nicole comes to visit a friend on Nantucket, meets Sebastian who is divorced and they fall in love.  She marries him and moves permanently to Nantucket.  Everything is wonderful except for the fact that Sebastian's grown daughter still is under the delusion that her parents are going to get back together again.  As if! She schemes to make it happen.

The whole family arrives in Nantucket for Christmas.  I am not saying another word.  It all ends well.  It's a nice feel good holiday book.  I would give it a Ho Ho

Sunday Notes on Monday

I had a fantastic weekend. My daughter scored two tickets to the Meredith Vieira Show and asked if I wanted to go. I could not say yes fast enough. There’s something so exciting about watching a show being taped, and the guests were genuinely interesting. The episode airs January 6th, and I’m eager to see how it all comes together on screen. Spoiler alert, one of the guests was Jill Biden.

After the show, we hopped on the subway and headed downtown to Union Square. Hard to believe I’d never been there, especially since I grew up just outside the city. We had lunch at Lillie’s—great atmosphere, cozy and charming.

Because I had a lot on my plate, we went up late Thursday night and came back Saturday, but we packed in plenty of fun. I drove, so I brought along an audiobook: Lucky Us by Amy Bloom. Let’s just say—it’s different. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Also, stay tuned—I’ll be talking about The Divorce Papers in my next post.

Wishing you a great week and Happy reading!

Tree at Rockefeller Center. Took the shot from the NBC Building.  Looks much prettier in person.

 

Working Stiff Kind of like Bones meets Ducky

At first I thought this book might be a little too boring or too graphic for me. After all it is written by a forensic pathologist and they can see some pretty grisly things and believe me she does. It was neither.  I guess it is because I love watching shows like NCIS and Bones. 

The author started out as a surgical resident but found it wasn't what she wanted out of her life.  She applied for a residency in California in forensic pathology and then ended up doing a rotation at the New York Office of the Chief Medical Officer.  You can just imagine the variety of cases she saw there. Like the time a big crane hit one of the construction crew while he sat drinking is coffee.  Let's just say that his brains were splattered on the NYC street and he never knew what hit him.

Just to keep things clear, a forensic pathologist as defined in the book is a specialist who investigates sudden, unexpected deaths or violent deaths by visiting the scene, revisiting medical records and performing an autopsy all while collecting evidence that might be used in court. The forensic pathologist must be able to recognize what everything is and looks like in the body and understands how everything works.  I feel like we have a lot in common.  I work on sick or dying/dead computers and must diagnose what caused their demise.  She must do the same on humans except all are dead.

 So for all of my medical friends this book is going to be a walk in the park for you. Something you deal with all the time.  And for my friends who like the shows such as NCIS, Bones and Rizzoli and Isles this book is right up your alley.  If you want more information click here  Working Stiff

The Christmas Train

 

I love travelling by train. When I graduated from college I would take the train from DC to NY all the time.  It was a nice reprieve from flying which I did for my job all the time. Train travel gives you a lot of freedom to do things you can't do if you fly or drive.  For example you can sleep on a train while it is moving which I guess you can do if you fly but I have never been able to do this. People have been known to snooze  while they drive but it is not recommended. Accidents happen, no good.  You can drink alcoholic beverages, again not recommended when driving.  You can walk around, read listen to music and watch the world go by from your window.  I think you get my drift.

In the Christmas Train, Tom Langdon decides to take the train from DC to LA.  Actually the decision is made for him since he has been banned from flying for two years. Long story read the book. Since he is a journalist, he decides to write about his train travel experience.  Why not he is already experiencing it.  Once he boards the train he meets a very interesting group of people and is very surprised when Eleanor the one that got away is on his train.  Imagine that.  Bam! The train ride has now become really interesting. In addition to the interesting characters, there is a thief on board and the train gets stuck on the tracks because of an avalanche So Christmas is a little different for those on board.  But different is good right?  Oh and there is a twist in the story, one I did not see coming but only because I wasn't really paying as much attention as I should have, silly me.  I really enjoyed the book and would give it a Ho Ho Ho my highest rating for a holiday book.  If you haven't read it yet give it a try. For more info on this book follow the link The Christmas Train

Sunday Notes on Monday

I had a week off for Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful.  I usually am responsible for cooking the Thanksgiving feast but I did not prepare anything this year. Instead my family and I decided to do something a little different.  We went to Philadelphia.  I had been to Philly when I was in college but only for a day and most of it was spent at a conference so really that doesn't count.  We stayed at the Wyndham In the historic district and the location was great.  We were three blocks from Independence Hall, two blocks from Betsey Ross' House and for all my foodie friends eight blocks from Reading Terminal. I think you all get the picture. Public transportation is great as well.  We went to some good restaurants there which I will talk about on my other blog Trying to Cook.

After spending a few days in Philly we hopped onto I95 North to New Jersey and spent Thanksgiving day at my parents'.  Both of them were not up for cooking and for the first time ever we pre-ordered the meal from Stop and Shop.  For all of you living in Maryland the Stop and Shop folks own Giant as well.  Surprisingly the food was pretty ok.  Not as good as home made but certainly good in a pinch. Then it was home again before the holiday traffic on the weekend.

Staying in hotels gave me some time in the evening to read especially since it was snowing in Philly on Wednesday and although we braved the cold and wet to go out that evening we gave up around 8:30. We were cold, wet and tired from our day of sightseeing. As promised, I finished A Sudden Light by Garth Stein and posted my blog this past Saturday. It was very different from another one of his books that I had read,  The Art of Racing In the Rain.  I  finished two other books The Divorce Papers and Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner so look for those posts in the next week or so.  I enjoyed both books.

And if any of you have any leftover cranberry sauce which we did, check out the dessert recipe I found to use it up or if you don't have any leftover perhaps you should get another can or make your own.  Check out the recipe on Trying to Cook.

Not sure what I am going to read next.  Once again the number of books sitting next to my bed is huge.  So many choices.  I will keep you posted.  Have a great week.