While I Was At The Porches I Read...

Our little jaunt to Massachusetts last week provided me with lots of time to read...I am more of a day time reader than a night time reader and I love reading in the car.  For some reason...after dinner...each night...we were vibrantly awake but the minute our heads hit our pillows we were comatose...I chalk it up to lots of fresh air and lots of walking...even Lucy was a good sleeper while we were away.  My husband and I woke up each morning asking each other what happened to whatever we were watching on television and neither of us knew...

We were only away from Wednesday until Saturday...but each night involved a lovely dinner at our favorite restaurants and a well deserved vodka martini and maybe one glass of wine with dinner...dinner was always local and fresh...often fish and lots of yummy early veggies...and at Mezze...our most favorite place...we even finished with strong pressed delicious coffee...and we still could not keep our eyes open...we are not getting older...we just appreciate sleeping!!! 

Anyway...whilst away...I read...all reviews are on goodreads, Amazon and NetGalley.

Ellen Morgenstern...The Night Circus...yummy!!!
Marcus Sedgewick...White Crow...interesting!!!
Sara Grant...Dark Parties...dystopian at its best!!!
Amanda Hocking...Hollowland...zombies really do freak me out!!!

Unfortunately...I bought a few new irresistable Kindle books...that I could not live without...

Meg Cabot...Overbite
Emma Michaels...The Thirteenth Chime
Julia Platt Leonard...Cold Case
Megan Abbott...The End Of Everything

I received a beautiful copy of
Felix J. Palma...A Map Of Time
and a lovely copy of
Ellen Hopkins...Triangles

These were both from ShelfAwareness...I love ShelfAwareness!!!

And the sweetest thing...this book was gifted to me by
Two Brothers Metz
Gypsy Knights

I am running as fast as I can and will read and review everything soon!!!

Why I Love Summer...in 50 words or less...

 

We literally just got back from one of my favorite places to take a road trip to...

I know I have told you about The Porches Inn in North Adams, Massachusetts.  I just love this place.  We have been there at least 4 or 5 times and I love it more each time we are there.  Here are my reasons...again...

It has tons of porches.  There was even a porch off of our room.

It has amazing bathrooms with rainshowers.  I love amazing bathrooms with rainshowers.

Lucy Grace gets to come.  There is one entire section for people who travel with their pets.  Other than the resident kitty, Sabine, I think Lucy is their only kitty guest.

It is across from MassMoca...this terrific museum with shows and performers and other amazing things.  One of our favorite restaurants, Grammercy Bistro, is in the museum.  It is just plain fun to have dinner there...always delicious, friendly staff and no surprises.

The inside of the inn looks like this...as though you are in front of your house because they actually used to be old mill houses that were magically connected together.  I love this!!!

The rooms pretty much look like this...some are bigger...but all have the most amazing bathrooms with those rainshowers...have I mentioned just how much I love rainshowers?

There is a pool and a spa and a workout room but we always walk on this long lovely trail called a rail trail...the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail...you can bike or skate or walk and even push a stroller with a noisy Tonkinese cat inside.  You can walk in the forest or by a lake and stay on this trail the entire time.  People are friendly on the trail and only every once in a while do I hear someone say...that's a cat not a baby!!!

And seriously...the museum is very cool.   I think it was an old mill or factory too and now it is just full of surprises with constantly changing stuff.

This was outside of the museum this year...the idea of a Prague artist who actually created a machine to make these weird black egg carton like things to make this...well...this...piece!!!

This bird has always been by the gardening shed where we park our car...unique and vibrant!!!

So...we sleep in and drink coffee while we catch up on emails on our iPAD2's and then we go walk or bike...we grab salads or sandwiches from Wild Oats and picnic in one of the many parks in the area.  I mean...we can't explain why we love it so much...we love going to Grammercy Bistro and Mezze for amazing dinners...we love the walks...it is actually in a sort of sad depressed area...lots of empty old factories in this oddly enticing town.  It is close to Williams College that this year has amazing theatre productions and The Clark and of course MASSMOCA...but I think our main attraction is this...

The Porches breakfast lunchbox!!!

Now how cool are they?

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack...And A Quick Summer Review...

Well that break didn't last long...hee hee hee!!!

Our air conditioner stopped working yesterday!!!

Add that to the list of things that are being replaced/repaired and growing by the minute...

The kitchen...countertops and a bigger island

Master bath...bigger shower

Roof...new...cedar shingles are dropping like pennies from heaven

Air Conditioner...repair or new...yikes!!! 

 Waiting for the verdict from our air conditioner doctor.

See sad xray above...

Let me just say that last night's sleeping circumstances were adventurous...

my husband put every fan we own into our bedroom...

cat fur was flying!!!

I could not hear anything.

I have a headache today...

Now to Will Lavender's book...

Obedience...his first book was the first book I ever KIndled on my first Kindle...

Is this sort of a right of passage?

Like your first kiss?

Anyway...I degress...

I loved Obedience and have been waiting for what seems like forever for his second book.

I think I even wrote him a "Dear Will" letter to ask him what he was up to.

Anyway...I digress...

Dominance is a fabulous book.  It involves the characters in Obedience about 10 years later.  And the same bad things that happened then are happening again...now.

That is all that I will say.

The writing is masterful...the suspense is unbelievable and the plot is unwrapped bit by bit magically.

My advice...read both...read Obedience first and then take a little break and read Dominance.

You will thank me...and Will Lavender!!!

Happy Thursday and think positive thoughts about my air conditioner!!!

Taking A Bit Of A Blogging Break...

Too much going on so I am taking a few days off from blogging...I will read blogs but not bother to post...

See you in a few days...

We need naps!!! 

It's Summer...Reviews Are Short And Breezy...

Perfection in a beach read. 

Makes you want to head to Nantucket and walk on Tom Nevers Beach and eat lobster and fish and boat and bike and seal watch.

Makes you want to sit at a local Nantucket bar, order a great martini and people watch.
Makes you crave muffins and hot coffee while you sit on the deck and read the morning paper.
Two women...both dealing with major tragedies and life style changes spend the summer together...sort of reluctantly.
A little bit of a Bernie Madoff story for one wife...but the book was still very good.

In a totally different vein...we are back in high school...back in time with a time machine and time travellers...

Intense.
Dramatic.
Mesmerizing.
There are two more books in this beautiful series.

How is your summer?

Are you relaxing with a great book?