Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday Salon: More Connie May!


Good morning to all my friends! Another crazy week is behind me, another week closer to the end of school! Is it just me, or do all of you with school-age kids get a little antsy as May draws near? Although I like my routine, I do look forward to a few months without homework, sports practices and a whole lot of running around. Which is what this week was all about. I also had a dentist appointment and a dermatologist appointment, and I was actually pretty verbal with them to just LEAVE ME ALONE! Stop poking me for just six months please. I had to balance out my doctor-angst with a respectable round of golf on Thursday.

It has gotten hot down here in Florida, with plenty of rain, so everything is growing again. Which means yard work and lots of sweating. We have had a strangely cold winter, so I'm actually ready for this. It also means that my walks may get ugly, but I won't give them up!

We had book club this week, and my BFF joined for the first time which was exciting. We discussed Lisa Scottoline's Look Again, which drew a fairly unanimously snarky attitude from all...unbelievable, predictable, but with some excellent discussion points, which we pursued spiritedly over wine. (Review coming next week.) No word on the next pick yet...

Highlight of the week! Connie May Fowler came back into town for a signing at Borders. She invited me to share a glass of wine with herself and some other friends afterwards at a nearby restaurant, and who was I to not make this work out? About a dozen of us, mostly people from her past creative writing classes, all sat around talking and laughing and having a ball. I was drawing on my super-human strength to NOT act like an infatuated fangirl idiot. She was such a delight to hang out with...one of these people that makes sure she focuses on each and every person at the table, and has a big enough heart to love us all.

Smaller but still exciting highlight of the week! I finally got an iPhone. This is the first time I've had a phone that was actually manufactured in the decade in which it is being used. As luck would have it, my old phone stopped working earlier in the week, and the cheapest alternative was to buy out the contract that expires in July (my husband accuses me of accidentally on purpose running over it with my car). Now I can Facebook and Twitter on-the-go! I'm on the lookout for cool bookish apps - any recommendations would be appreciated!

So my reading week was fairly productive. I finished On Folly Beach by Karen White, and this was a real treat. What's not to love about a book that covers WWII, a South Carolina barrier island, a little indie bookstore, lovers' notes found in old first edition books, and a lighthouse? Review and guest post coming in a couple of weeks, when the book is released. I also read The Outsiders and watched the movie for the Read the Book/See the Movie Challenge. Now I'm giddily embarking on my Prey books for the upcoming tour in mid-May. I do so love Lucas Davenport. The kids and I are making good progress on the 6th Harry Potter audiobook, I finished Joshua Ferris' The Unnamed (which left me confused and bereft), and am now on the long journey of listening to Under the Dome by the masterful Stephen King.

My latest Bookmarks mag just showed up, so it is time to do a little drooling over books I probably will never get to read unless I clone myself!

Am I boring you? I just realized I'm getting lengthy. I'm feeling chatty this fine morning. Joy spilleth over. Pass it on. Life is good. Have a great Sunday!


23 comments:

Alice said...

I like it when you get chatty, Sandy. And there's no way I'll ever get bored with you. LOL!

Julie P. said...

Not boring at all! Feel like we're friends chatting about books! Love it!

Harvee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Harvee said...

Enjoy your iPhone. On Folly Beach sounds like a pleasant read. Here's my Sunday Salon

Ana S. said...

You did not bore me in the least! I can't even imagine getting to hang out with a favourite author. That's so exciting :D I'm sure I *would* have acted like an infatuated fangirl idiot, so I admire your strength :P

rhapsodyinbooks said...

How fun is that to go for wine with an author and group! And getting an iphone sounds wonderful. Good for you for not giving up your walks - I use any and every weather excuse not to go!

caite said...

"an infatuated fangirl idiot"

Oh, I so know what you mean. a friend of a friend is a very famous author...who will remain nameless. She has published a large number of books, NYT bestsellers and I have read every one.
My friend and her husband went on a trip to an unnamed US location and visited with her...had lunch...dinner twice...went sightseeing...and it was all I could do to remember how to use my knife and fork and hold a conversation.
I think she may have gotten the impression I am a bit weird...lol

caite said...

I meant to say that I was along on that trip with my friend and her husband to visit famous author...or it would make no sense, would it?

Jackie (Farm Lane Books) said...

Wow! Not only do you get to meet your favourite author, but now she invites you out for a drink! I'm so pleased for you - it must be so exciting!

JoAnn said...

Love these chatty posts! How cool that you get to share a glass of wine with a favorite author AND get an iPhone all in the same week! Hang in there, summer vacation will be here soon...

Alyce said...

I'm bummed that people haven't been liking Look Again, because I picked up a copy through paperbackswap. Maybe I'll enjoy it as a light read this summer, since I'll have really low expectations. :)

Congrats on the iphone and the fun times with Ms. Fowler!

Molly said...

Boring me? Hardly - your posts are always so entertaining (love the comment about not being able to read all the TBR books unless cloned)

How exciting for you to go out for a drink with Connie May. Did you have to pinch yourself the entire time?

I have always said that I look forward to school starting in August in order to get back into a routine --- and I also look forward to school ending in May so that I can relax and not be so structured. I totally understand where you are coming from.

Continue to enjoy the warm Florida days. Sure wish you could send some of the sunshine to the midwest.

Frances said...

Never boring but let me skip right to what stands out for me here. The iPhone. I have one and love it. Have become dependent upon it. But I must warn you as one intense person to another. This thing will suck you in. You will spend the first month tinkering and getting apps and rejoicing in it and then wonder where all the time went. I will be looking to see how your progress goes. :) Happy reading! (on the iPhone)

Gavin said...

Wow, what a treat, hanging out with one of your favorite authors! You've had another busy week, Sandy. Boring? Never!

Heidenkind said...

Your school ends in May? Ours ends in June.

Jenners said...

You're not boring ... an overachieving, speed reading, walking all the time dynamo maybe but not boring!

Melody said...

I always enjoy reading your thougths on books, and anything in general, so you're definitely not boring me. :)

I can't wait to read your thoughts on On Folly Beach! I'm a fan of Karen White so I can't wait to read this book!

Beth F said...

Enjoy your magazine! And good going on the iPhone. When I got my Blackberry last fall I was totally addicted for a while! And you are getting lots of Connie time lately.

Ti said...

I'm ready for school to end too. Homework is such a chore and really puts a dent in my reading time.

Don't ever worry about being chatty. Makes me feel as if you are right next to me, chatting about life.

Zibilee said...

So, so happy that you got to have wine with Connie! That rocks! Also, congrats on the new iPhone! I know there are some audiobook apps out there. I will have to try to find out the names for you. There is also a Netflix app that you can use to add movies to your account. Glad that you had such a wonderful week. I hope this one is awesome too!

Kathleen said...

Life is indeed good! Glad to see all of the bright spots in your life but then again I think you would find some even if there weren't any! I can definitely relate to the kids being out of school...I am counting the days!

Anonymous said...

I just got the recent Bookmarks mag too. I immediately drew up a bath so I could soak and read my news Bookmarks at the same time!

The Bumbles said...

Doh - I left this nice long comment for you earlier today but Blogger ate it :0( And now I'm too tired to replicate it. But I enjoyed reading about your week as always.