New Books For My Trip

Well, I finally finished that book that I started reading back in June - (I think). I can't remember exactly when I started it, but I always like to find a good book to read in the Summer, when I have more time to read! This is the book that I just finished ----

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I really liked this book!! There are 39 chapters, and long about the middle of the 21st chapter... I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN!! I mostly read while I was hanging out by (and in!) my pool.

I would start out by laying on my float with my sunglasses on my face, my hat on my head, my foot on the edge of the pool (to keep me in one place!), my cool drink by my side and my book in my hand!! Then... as I got hot... (and I did!!)... I would scoot off of my float and sit on the steps of my pool and prop my feet up on the handrail. Then... I would move to the edge of the pool, where the umbrella gives shade, and stand for a bit, all the while... reading and reading! I only read on Friday & Saturdays, tho.

Last weekend, was when I got to chapter 21!!! Since then... I have not only read by the pool, but everywhere!! I HAD to find out what happened to poor Griff!!! -- Plus, since I was so close to finishing the book, I decided that I wanted to finish it before our trip. That way, I could start a fresh one while we were ON our trip!

Here is what Amazon has to say about the book ---

Foster Speakman, an eccentric Texas paraplegic millionaire, offers $500,000 to Griff Burkett, a disgraced former NFL quarterback fresh out of prison after serving a five-year sentence for racketeering, to impregnate Foster's wife, Laura. Foster insists the child be conceived naturally (The way God intended). Broke with no prospects, Griff takes the job. Meanwhile, Stanley Rodarte, the crooked detective behind Griff's arrest, is bent on pinning an unsolved murder on him and takes to terrorizing Griff and those close to him in the hopes of nailing him when he self-destructs. After Griff's stint as stud takes a bad turn, the ex-footballer must track down the one man who can secure his freedom. The tension builds as lust, greed, pride, wrath and envy threaten to undo everyone in this tightly told tale of modern temptation. (Aug.)


Also --

Foster Speakman and his wife Laura lived a charmed life before fate denied them the one thing they wanted most -- a child. Fresh out of prison and out of prospects, Griff agrees to do a job for the Speakmans that demands secrecy. But he soon finds himself once again in the spotlight of suspicion when an unsolved murder comes back to haunt him. While safeguarding his new enterprise, Griff must also protect those around him, especially Laura Speakman. Griff stands to gain the highest payoff he could ever imagine, but cashing in on it will require him to forfeithis only chance for redemption...and love.

Sounds good, doesn't it?? --- It is!

So, now that I have finished that book... in which I bought at Goodwill, by the way! (I rarely buy books new unless they are a book that I plan on keeping.) .... I needed to find another good one for my trip.

Yes. I have PLENTY of books at home, but I love the fun of "hunting" for a good book! My favorite author is Mary Kay Andrews, and she has a few books that I haven't read yet. Here's the link to the Amazon page where you can see and read about her books -- LINK. Her books are light-hearted & funny. They also usually involve a little bit of romance & mystery. A little bit of it all! She is a Georgia Girl and therefore, most of her books take place in Georgia.

Anyway.... I went to the library in hopes of finding at least ONE of her books that I hadn't read yet. Nope. There weren't any. Well, there was one. It was her Christmas one. I don't think Summer is a good time to read a book that has to do with Christmas. I'll save that one for Winter!

So, then... I started searching for another Sandra Brown book. I saw a few. But, none peaked my interest. I ended up leaving without a book, but made my way back to Goodwill to look there. They have a large selection of books, but they are in NO ORDER what so ever!! So, you have to "crank" your neck to one side in order to read each title and/or author! Luckily, I can spot fiction books pretty easily.

I scanned the shelves and found not one, but THREE books that caught my eye! All three seem to be light-hearted books like Mary Kay's. I do not recognize the authors, but the books seem "fun". Two of them are by the same author -- Beth Harbison. I am not sure if one is a sequel to the other, or not. I decided to first read the one that seems to come first, but bring along the second one as a back up book, in case I finish the first one!

Here's the one that I am going to read first ---

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Here's what Amazon has to say about this book ---

From Publishers Weekly


Arriving just in time for beach-read season, the effervescent hardcover (mine is soft-cover!) fiction debut of cookbook author and romance novelist Harbison features four D.C.-area women who meet weekly to swap and chat about... shoes. Trying to get a handle on her massive consumer debt, Lorna Rafferty posts an Internet ad looking to trade footwear with women who have good taste and wear size seven-and-a-half. A senator's trophy wife, Helene Zaharis, is dreaming of escaping her loveless marriage when she stumbles upon Lorna's post. Overweight phone sex operator Sandra Vanderslice struggles to overcome her agoraphobia long enough to attend the shoe meetings. After a few funny missteps, the threesome finds a fourth member, Joss Bowen, the nanny of a shrewish socialite's hellion boys. Joss couldn't care less about shoes, but uses the group as a reason to get out of the house. Harbison does a fine job of showcasing how each woman is trapped—Lorna by her debt, Helene by her marriage, Sandra by her self-image, Joss by her employment contract—and how the fresh eyes of the group allow them to see themselves in a new light. Harbison creates vivid, convincing characters and handles them well. Reading this novel is like eating a slice of cake. (June)

From Booklist

In this entertaining novel set in Washington, D.C., three very different women are brought together by a shared passion: shoes. They meet once a week to trade Manolos and Maglis, but soon they rely on each other for much more. Lorna, a debt-ridden waitress, founded the group to curb her destructive shopping sprees. Helene, a senator's trophy wife, attends to escape her loveless marriage and the banality of high-society life. Sandra, an overweight phone-sex operator, hopes the group can help cure her agoraphobia. They're joined by Joss, a young nanny, who doesn't care about shoes but needs a place to avoid her demanding boss. The four women become fast friends, trusted advisors, and eventually business partners. Readers will root for these four plucky women. Like the designer shoes that pepper its pages, this book is pleasing and stylish. This frothy confection is sure to fly off the shelves this summer.
 
Like I said... It sounds light-hearted and fun! I'll fill you in on the second one after I finish this one! I love to read in the car, and we'll be in the car quite a LOT! There is a good chance that I will at least finish the first one!

I have to tell you what the clerk at Goodwill said to me when I was checking out...

She saw the books that I was buying and asked (while laughing!!).... "Girl! Do you have a thing for shoes??"  It was quite cute! I had to say... "No. I just have a thing for fun light-hearted books!"

A to Z Blog Challenge - T

Letter T

Thunder

I get excited when I hear thunder in the distance! I enjoy thunderstorms... as long as they are not severe and include Tornadoes! It's funny, tho. I only enjoy them if I am home. If I am not at home, I am wishing that I was! I guess it is that "safe" feeling of home, that helps me to enjoy the thunderstorms. I would also rather them come during the day, rather than at night, so that I can enjoy them more!

Toys

I thought this word was appropriate because no matter what age we are... we still have them!! Kids have toy truck, cars & dolls. Teens have their Ipods, video games, & cell phones. Adults even have theirs in the form of Ipods, laptops, motorcycles, sports cars, electronics, etc. The list could go on and on! Even our pets have toys!! For me.... my toys are my Ipod Touch, my laptop, & my camera. What would you consider your toys to be??

Tablescapes

This is a new hobby of mine that I have just starting enjoy over the past few months. I first learned about them from a friend of mine who showed me a book of hers that combined cooking & table decor. The author is Sandra Lee and she has a TV show on the Food Network called "Semi Homemade". Anyway... I now enjoy reading and seeing what my fellow blogger's tablescapes are! It is a wonderful way to get ideas! **** I have finally finished my Easter Tablescape and will be posting those pictures in a seperate blog, later. Be sure to check back!! (I will also post a "link" HERE, for that blog post when I am done with it!)

Travel

I love to travel enjoy traveling!! Who doesn't?? I love to see new places and visit old favorites. The place that I REALLY want to go to right now is England! Miranda really wants to go there, as well. I am hoping that when she graduates college in two years (hopefully!), the two of us can make our dreams come true by going there! One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to was Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was soooooo pretty with it's big Amish farms, with all of their greenery and the colorful clothes hanging out to dry! It was just such a beauiful and also "peaceful" place!

Trees

I enjoy trees, very much! I am so thankful that of where I live. Our house is surrounded by so many beautiful trees! We live on 2.25 acres and almost all of it is trees! Only in the winter, can I see the houses that are next door to mine. I like that! We have many "hardwoods", such as Oak, Poplar, Maple and my favorite... Dogwood! They have the most beautiful white blooms in the Spring! We also have Cedar, Holly and the good ol' Georgia Pine trees! I was sitting out in my back yard yesterday, just looking at MY trees and enjoying the beauty of them. I also thought about how I would love to learn more about the trees that I have. I can recognize many of them, but I also know that there are several different types of Oak trees and I do not know the differences. I am sure that there are other trees that I have that I don't even know that I have!!

Here's a recent photo that I took of our new dog pen. This is just a "sampling" of the many trees that I get to enjoy every day!

Bucket List #19-21

I am a day late posting these next three. Sorry about that! I got interrupted and had to wait until today to finish! ~ Enjoy!

#19 --- Camp at least one night in every state --- I'm not so sure that this is going to actually happen.... but, hey... I can still dream about it! Ya see.... Hubby and I used to talk about traveling all over the country while towing a 5th wheel (a VERY large camper, for those of you that don't know!), but now I'm not so sure that he's still wanting to do that. His thoughts on camping have changed a bit. I still think that this would be a blast to do, but I can't do it by myself!

#20 --- Go camping in NC and go white water rafting as family. --- Now... THIS we CAN do with the "pop-up" camper that we have now! I have only been white water rafting one time and LOVED IT! I went with our church youth group to the North Carolina mountains for a youth retreat and while we were there, we went rafting. We went down the Nantahala River. It wasn't really rough until the end, but it was great fun! Dtr. #1 was with me. Hubby & Dtr. #2 have never been. I think it would be so much fun to do it as a family!

                                          

#21 --- Attend the Country Music Festival in Nashville with my girls --- This is something that my girls and I have always wanted to do!! It looks like so much fun! We would stay in downtown Nashville and go to all the concerts that we could! We would stand in lines to meet our favorite singers and hopefully even get to attend some fan parties, too! Yes, it would be crazy! And yes, it would be wild! But.... FUN!!!

                                       

Bucket List #7-9

#7 --- Spend a week (or more) at Disney World and take my time seeing everything --- I have been to Disney World many times, but have always been "rushed" thru the parks.  I want to go and take my time and see things at my own pace. Maybe have 2 days to explore each of the 4 parks. That would be wonderful!

#8 --- Spend a Christmas in a mountain cabin, as a family --- I have this "picture" in my mind of us (and maybe our extended family, too!) renting a cabin up in the mountains and spending Christmas there. The cabin would have a huge fireplace and we would bring our own Christmas tree. We wouldn't bring any decorations for the tree, but would bring supplies to MAKE our own decorations once we got there. (Guess that means that we would need to arrive a few days before Christmas!) We would have fun playing board games and cards. We would take walks in the woods and maybe even have a campfire outside. We David would cook a yummy meal for Christmas Day! Of course, if it snowed on Christmas Eve, then that would be awesome!!

#9 --- Visit New York City and have plenty of time to see everything --- New York City would be another place that you wouldn't want to be "rushed" to see! (Well, actually.... I wouldn't want to be rushed on any vacation!) I have never been to New York City. I would love to see Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and Ground Zero. I would also love to see at least one Broadway play. I think it would also be fun to visit one of the morning news shows, like Good Morning America.

Bucket List #4-6

#4 --- Visit Italy & tour Rome and have plenty of time to explore --- Last year, I read two different books that were set in Italy. By reading those books, I developed a love for Italy and a desire to go there someday!  I checked books out of the library and did my research. I figured out exactly where I wanted to go. (Well, Hubby would be with me!) We would fly into Venice and spend a couple of days there, exploring. Then, we would take a train across the country to Rome. Along the way, we would make stops in places like Florence and the Tuscan Valley.

#5 --- Visit the Virgin Islands - Go to “Jost Van Dyke” --- I had never heard of Jost Van Dyke until Kenny Chesney wrote about it in one of his songs called "Somewhere in the Sun". I had to look it up to even know where it was (or WHAT it was!). Once I realized where it was and how beautiful it is..... that was all it took! Now, I want to go there! The song talks about a bar named "Foxy's" and the "Firewater Rum" that they have there. I looked up Foxy's on the computer and actually found it! Hubby and I even ordered a T-shirt & hat from there! Someday, we'll make it there! --- And we'll already have the T-shirt! (and hat!)

#6 --- Visit Austrailia --- I don't know much about Austrailia other than what I've seen on TV and in pictures, but I like what I see!! I have always had an infatuation with the continent. I would love to see Sydney and also (maybe) snorkel over the Great Barrier Reef. I say "maybe" because I am terrified of sharks, and from what I've heard... the Great Barrier is NOT the place to go if you are afraid of them! But, it looks so beautiful!!! I also love the way the Aussie's talk!

Bucket List #1-3

Since my mind has been blank lately and I haven't been writing, I decided to blog about my BUCKET LIST! I wrote this Bucket List several years ago, around the time the movie "The Bucket List" came out with Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson in it. --- A movie that I really need to go back and watch!

I think I will blog about 3 things on my list per blog entry. That will spread them out over.... gotta' think here a minute.... about 33. 3 days. So, that's a whole month's (plus more!) worth of blogging! Wahooo!!!!!

By the way.... the things on this list are in no real order. They are just in the order that they came to my mind when I wrote the list.

#1 --- Live to see my girls marry the right man, have children and be happy --- Yes. This is very important to me. I want to live long enough to see them each marry, settle down, have children, and be happy. Of course, they can't just marry "anybody"! He has to be the right guy for them. Someone that I know will love and respect them, and take care of them, the way that they deserve to be. I want to see each of them settled into a nice home and start their families. If they choose to have a career... I pray that they are working and doing something that they love and not working just because they have to pay the bills. I pray that their children are all born healthy and that my children live to see this very thing happen to their children.

# 2 --- Celebrate 50+ years of marriage with my Hubby --- We are already at 25 years! We just have 25 more to go!! I pray that we can make it to 50 years and even longer! I pray that we are both healthy and are still very active. I pray that our love will do nothing but grow stronger.

# 3 --- Visit all 50 states --- Yes. I want to travel all over the country and visit each state. Not at one time, of course! But, over time. I have already been to 13, but still have a long way to go! I live in Georgia, and have been (by car) as far west as Louisiana and as far north as New Jersey. And then of course, I have been to Tennessee and Florida. So far......the most beautiful countryside that I have ever seen is when I went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my mother-in-law. The prettiest beach that I have ever seen is Santa Rosa Beach on the Gulf Coast. The best city that I've been to is a toss up between Nashville & New Orleans. Well.... I guess I need to throw Washington D.C. into that mix, as well. It's a great place to visit, too!