Reading: I read 5 (!) books in June (all reviewed here on my blog):
- "The Three Weissmanns of Westport" by Cathleen Schine (for my library book club)
- "All the Rage" by Darcy Lockman
- "The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore" by Jared Yates Sexton
- "The Man They Wanted Me to Be" by Jared Yates Sexton
- "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe
Last week, I attended my fourth meeting of the local library's book club, where we discussed "The Three Weissmanns of Westport." I was amused that most of the group members shared my own "meh!" reaction to this selection. ;) I won't be around for the July meeting, and there is no meeting in August, so our next book & meeting won't be until September.
(I chose not to read the July selection -- "A Guide for the Perplexed" by Dara Horn -- since there's plenty in my own TBR pile to keep me busy on vacation...! Has anyone read that one? Should I have taken it out anyway??)
Current reads:
- Mrs. Tim Gets a Job by D.E. Stevenson (for my online D.E. Stevenson book club/fan group -- related past posts here)
- Living the Life Unexpected by Jody Day (for a Gateway Women Community reading group -- we are going through it & discussing it, chapter by chapter, with some video guidance by Jody herself.). I read an earlier version of this book in 2013, "Rocking the Life Unexpected," and reviewed it here. An absolute must-read for anyone struggling with how to build a life without the children we'd wanted/hoped/expected to have.
- City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (the Gateway Women Community book club selection for July -- I think I will be taking this one on my trip with me...)
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
- Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
- Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
- Notes to Self by Emilie Pine
The first was "Rocketman," the "musical fantasy"/biopic of Elton John, whose music was a staple of my teenage years in the Seventies. (The guys at my school were CRUSHED when he came out as bisexual in the mid-70s... like the crazy outfits & glasses weren't a clue?? Of course, we were pretty innocent -- stuff like that just was not seen nor talked about back then -- maybe in New York or San Francisco, but definitely not in smalltown Prairie Canada.) We both enjoyed it a lot. I have never seen Elton in concert (tried but failed to get tickets to his farewell tour shows here in Toronto), but my sister has two tickets to his farewell tour concert in October, and says one of them is mine if I want it (and want to make another trip home). Dh looked at me as the credits rolled and the house lights came up and said, "You HAVE to go to that concert." Let's just say I'm leaning heavily toward YES. ;)
The second movie we saw was "Late Night," with the always-amazing Emma Thompson, in a part written specifically for her by her co-star, Mindy Kaling. Can I just say how great it was to see a woman my own age kicking it onscreen?? I think she deserves, if not an Oscar, at least a nomination.
And the third was "Yesterday," which I mentioned in my latest #MicroblogMondays post, here. (Short take: we loved it!)
There is not much on TV at the moment, but I've been watching season 3 of "The Handmaid's Tale." I'm not sure my parents get Bravo (the TV channel it's on here) so I'm going to set the PVR while we're there. I may try to stream the episodes on my laptop as they become available, but their Internet service is not particularly high-speed, so we'll see...!
Listening: I thoroughly enjoyed episode 1 of The Full Stop podcast, which launched earlier in June, and am looking forward to episode 2, coming soon. (Until then, there's a bonus episode -- outtakes from episode 1 -- available on the podcast website.)
Drinking/Eating: After three years living here, I finally persuaded dh to try a little cafe that is within a short walk of our condo (like, under five minutes)(even WITH all the construction that's making it more difficult for us to walk there right now!). The community where we now live is predominantly Italian, but this little eatery features Argentinian as well as Italian & other foods & sweets. They are open for breakfast & lunch, and their specialty is empanadas! I haven't tried one of those yet, but so far, I've tried the quiche & salad special and a tuna melt sandwich on rye bread; dh has already fallen in love with the grilled cheese sandwich. Once the road construction hereabouts ends (sometime later this year), I predict we will become regulars!
Buying (besides books, lol): New summer clothes (badly needed) for dh :) -- including three pairs of new shorts, a pair of black Dockers and a new summer shirt.
Wearing: My summer wardrobe... finally!
Trying: To figure out how to cram in everything I want & need to do before we leave on our trip west to see my family...!
Feeling: That familiar "William Tell Overture" pre-trip feeling coming on, lol...
Loving: My family -- the one I came from, our west, and the one here that I married into. :)
You HAVE to go to that concert.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have a cafe you can make your "local." It's part of settling into a neighbourhood, making it your village, and why I'd love to live in an apartment in the city. We have fifteen minutes to walk to get to our two locals.
Seriously, you need to go and increase your reading challenge target! You've reached my target for the year. And I've just managed to get to 50%, so I'm finally ON target for the year! lol
I see I've missed the Gateway bookclub thingy and podcasts. Lots to catch up on. (And looking forward to starting Handmaid's Tale again.)
There is a new Starbucks that just opened up in a plaza nearby too, just a bit further down the main road than this cafe. It would involve crossing the street -- which is currently under construction, of course :p -- but there ARE traffic lights, and once it's all done...!
DeleteI will probably increase my reading challenge target next year. I thought about doing it this year, but decided to see how I did. Guess I was up to the challenge! ;)
Missed last night's episode of The Handmaid's Tale (#5), but have it PVRd.
Yum, I love empanadas. You'll have to let me know how they are at your cafe.
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