Ah, vacation — is there a lovelier word in the English language?
I’m taking a much-needed break — from work; from blogging; from normal life — in California. In an effort to recharge, the blog will be “dark” for a while . . . but I promise I’ll be back. With more pictures than you’ll probably want to see in a lifetime.
Y’all be good while I’m gone, now. No funny business. No wild house parties. In bed by 10 p.m. at the latest, and don’t you let me hear you stirred up any trouble.
Filed under out and about
Walking around Arlington National Cemetery on a Capital Photo History Tour.
For more Wordless Wednesday, visit here!
Filed under wordless weds.
Armchair travelers rejoice! Kate Klise has penned a funny, light and speedy read transporting readers through Madrid and Paris with two love stories entertaining enough for me to devour the whole thing on a three-hour train ride. And I have no regrets.
“A successful chef and single mother, Daisy Sprinkle is on vacation with her teenage daughter, Coco, who picks up the wrong duffle bag at the airport. That situation is not improved by the note Daisy finds tucked into her carry-on, apparently from the man in 13-C. Daisy is in no mood for secret admirer notes or dinner dates. Or even men, for that matter.
“Andrew doesn’t know what possessed him to do something like that. Hitting on strange women on airplanes is definitely not his typical style. But there was something about the woman in 6-B that could not be ignored. Of course, now he has no time to think about her, since his son Webb seems to have made off with a budding fashionista’s luggage.
“Determined to make the best of a bad situation, Daisy cooks up a plan to calm her daughter’s panic over the lost bag with a week of fabulous food, shopping, and museum hopping. Andrew is busy working on his latest project and hoping Webb finds enough to entertain himself. Little do they know the teens are making their own plan. . . one that will ultimately reunite Ms. 6-B and Mr. 13-C.” (Goodreads)
If In The Bag sounds like a kooky novel relying on uncanny coincidences to further the plot, you’re right — and I liked it. Though far from unpredictable, it’s easy to see how fate plays a role in joining together four people; the whole novel has a sort of “Sleepless In Seattle” feel to it. You know what I mean? Like everything is destined to work out, but only the audience can see it. And we’re along for the ride.
Good thing I love “Sleepless In Seattle.”
Though Coco’s typical-teenage-character whining (“Mooooom! You’re ruining my life!“) nonsense took a while to stomach, I eventually took a shine to her. Both Coco and Daisy are struggling to sort out their roles in the mother-daughter dynamic, especially as Coco gets older and prepares for college. Their trip to Paris is supposed to be a chance to reconnect and recharge their batteries, especially for Daisy, but nothing seems to be going their way.
After a luggage mix-up, they’re linked to Andrew and Webb, a handsome father-son pair, and it’s not complicated to see that Teen Girl A will feel a spark with Teen Boy B. Communicating exclusively through email, In The Bag focuses often on the role of digital courtship versus the more traditional ways of getting to know someone (like, you know, in person). Daisy is wary of technology while Andrew embraces it; Coco and Webb are, of course, glued to whatever Internet cafe they can find abroad. I liked the explorations of “modern” courtship — they made sense, and Klise wasn’t heavy-handed about it. The whole “OMG people don’t really talk anymore” overtures popping up in contemporary fiction are getting stale.
Those who love a side of scenery, French food and wicked descriptions of Europe with their love stories will definitely find plenty to enjoy in In The Bag. Flipping between sunny Madrid and romantic Paris, it’s the sort of novel that will have you wanting to pack a bag immediately. (Just hope it doesn’t get lost.) Though I got more of a sense of France than Spain, that’s probably because Webb spent his time in Madrid talking to Coco in Paris — so we see less of the city through his eyes. Still, the travel aspects were fun, and I enjoyed the “Americans abroad” perspective.
In The Bag definitely has crossover appeal. Adult readers and chick lit lovers will relate to the harried-parents-doing-the-best-they-can relationship between Andrew and Daisy; teens have plenty to get their blood pumpin’ regarding the sweet but flirtatious evolution of Webb and Coco’s emails. By the time the pair meet face-to-face, I was grinning — I mean, who wouldn’t root for those crazy kids? And when things don’t go exactly as planned, I could sympathize. For as much as I had to suspend disbelief at points, Coco and Webb’s meeting was painfully realistic.
Though I sometimes get twitchy about labeling something a “summer read” (it can just seem dismissive), that’s exactly how I would describe In The Bag: light-hearted fiction that can be easily consumed while working on a tan. It doesn’t demand too much of you. It can be read in chunks and set aside for days or gobbled up all at once; either way, it doesn’t lose its charm. It’s fun and frothy. And that cover is too cute.
3.5 out of 5!
ISBN: 0062108050 ♥ Goodreads ♥ LibraryThing ♥ Amazon ♥ Author Website
Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for my honest review
Filed under 3-star reads, book reviews
Spencer gets the credit for really introducing me to the woods.
Growing up in rural Western New York, my boyfriend has fond memories of playing on the family property and appreciating the great outdoors with his family. While I was eating ice cream and watching Nickelodeon as a kid in suburban Maryland, Spence was disappearing behind trees and digging up the backyard. He likes to camp, builds stuff (like bonfires) — and I consider him pretty rugged. Me? I’m more of a whiny, wilting flower.
Though air conditioning and running water are my friends, I’m coming to appreciate the splendor of being outside. Of stepping out of florescent lighting and getting real sun on my skin. Of turning off my phone (okay, who am I kidding — putting my phone on silent) and soaking up the moment. Working a standard 9-to-5 office schedule, I don’t get moving much . . . so when the weekend rolls around, I get antsy if I’m cooped up the whole time. I like slathering on sunscreen and wandering out with my camera.
So we go to parks now. Spencer introduced me to walking through Southern Maryland, my home of more than two decades, and we’ve found places I never knew existed. All that greenery helps me step beyond my own head — part of some much-needed perspective. I love walking through green spaces now, even seeking them out. When Lu took my sister and me to Washington Square Park in Manhattan weeks back, I could barely take in all the gorgeousness.
Sunlight and nature? They make you feel alive. Took me a while to learn what others have known forever, but sometimes that’s the way with me.
Lu and me in Washington Square Park
Spence in his favorite woods
Filed under out and about
It’s giveaway time once again, friends! Courtesy of Random House, I have two copies of Melanie Gideon’s Wife 22 up for grabs.
For fans of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary and Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It comes an irresistible novel of a woman losing herself . . . and finding herself again . . . in the middle of her life.
When Alice Buckle, who has been married to William for nearly twenty years, receives a survey in her e-mail from the Netherfield Center for the Study of Marital Happiness, she is in the doldrums. She loves her husband but they’ve grown distant, she is bored with her job, and her adolescent children need her less now. And she has reached the age at which her mother died. So as she idly begins answering the questions, she finds herself baring her soul in an anonymous survey she never even intended to respond to. As she struggles, she realizes it has been years since anyone asked deep, serious questions of her, and really listened to her answers. Soon her entire life as she knows it is called into question.
If you’re looking for a modern look at one woman’s struggles with marriage, motherhood and everything in between, I have a feeling Wife 22 will fit the bill. Other reviewers have loved it, and I’m eager to dive in myself! Check out an excerpt and Gideon’s website and Twitter, too.
Two winners will each receive one copy of Wife 22, out May 29 from Random House — and if you’d like one of them to be you, please fill out this form (U.S. only, please). Contest runs through 12 p.m. (noon) on Wednesday, May 23, when I will randomly select two winners and email them for their mailing addresses.
Update on 5/23: Congrats to winners Sasha and Kathy! Ladies, I’ve emailed you.
Gearing up for my weekend in New York City, I wanted a themed cosmpolitan read — and Sam Wasson’s Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. seemed to fit the bill. Though the nuances of some references probably went over my head, it was still a quick and enjoyable read — perfect for the train ride.
“Audrey Hepburn is an icon like no other, yet the image many of us have of Audrey — dainty, immaculate — is anything but true to life. Here, for the first time, Sam Wasson presents the woman behind the little black dress that rocked the nation in 1961.
The first complete account of the making of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. reveals little-known facts about the cinema classic: Truman Capote desperately wanted Marilyn Monroe for the leading role; director Blake Edwards filmed multiple endings; Hepburn herself felt very conflicted about balancing the roles of mother and movie star. With a colorful cast of characters including Truman Capote, Edith Head, Givenchy, ‘Moon River’ composer Henry Mancini, and, of course, Hepburn herself, Wasson immerses us in the America of the late fifties before Woodstock and birth control, when a not-so-virginal girl by the name of Holly Golightly raised eyebrows across the country, changing fashion, film, and sex for good.
In this meticulously researched gem of a book, Wasson delivers us from the penthouses of the Upper East Side to the pools of Beverly Hills, presenting ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ as we have never seen it before: through the eyes of those who made it. Written with delicious prose and considerable wit, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. shines new light on a beloved film and its incomparable star.” (LibraryThing)
Oh, Audrey. Has there ever been a more elegant, beguiling star? Despite having never seen “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” as a teenager, I was adamant I would channel her for my senior prom. I wore a long black dress, the white pearls; my hair was swept up in that signature style. All I lacked was a cat named Cat, and that was probably fine; I can go without white hair on a black gown.
Oddly enough, more than 40 years after the release of “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” I arrived for pre-event pictures with a group of friends and discovered there was another Audrey in the group — and her name was also Megan. Though initially horrified that my fellow Megan had such a similar look (same hair, similar dress, pearls, etc.), I now look back with amusement at the staying power of such an iconic woman. Two suburban high schoolers as miniature Audreys — in 2003.
As mentioned, I knew little of “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” before renting it in 2011. I knew it was famous, that Audrey was glamorous — but the behind-the-scenes of what made this movie so controversial in its day? That’s where author Wasson stepped in. Providing enough background on society’s temperature in 1961 and the unexpected choice of good girl Hepburn as a charming prostitute, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. was a treat that taught me a little something, too.
For devout fans of the famous film, I’d imagine they’ve seen this song and dance before — but Wasson clearly did his research and might have uncovered new things. He begins with Truman Capote, author of the original “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” and weaves in stories of who the “real” Holly Golightly could have been. Though the women possibly inspiring the character might not have considered it a good thing, there’s no doubt Holly captured the American imagination. And all these years later, we’re still talking about her.
Beyond Capote’s characters and their journey to the big screen, we get glimpses of those who brought the movie to life: director Blake Edwards; composer Henry Mancini, who wrote the haunting “Moon River”; famed costume designer Edith Head, who felt displaced after Audrey’s wardrobe selections were usurped by Givenchy. Pivotal to the book, too, is Audrey’s struggles within her marriage and attempts to start a family. Throw in a generous dash of feminism and changing ideals of womanhood and you’re left with a quick read that attempts to do much — and largely succeeds. Could it have delved deeper into many issues, especially Audrey’s abusive relationship? Sure. But that would been an entirely different book.
If you’re only vaguely familiar with “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” have no fear — Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. did a solid job of explaining “the woman behind the little black dress that rocked the nation,” as the jacket copy so accurately states. If you enjoy “making of” glimpses at life for the rich, famous and everyone in between, this makes for a fun read.
4 out of 5!
ISBN: 0061774162 ♥ Goodreads ♥ LibraryThing ♥ Amazon ♥ Author Website
Personal copy won from Amused By Books
Filed under 4-star reads, book reviews
Welcome to write meg!
I'm Megan -- your resident writer,
reader, cupcake maker, latte sipper, crocheter, world traveler and book queen.
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