Sunday Salon: Mer-men, Disney and Stephen King

Good morning my long lost friends!  I feel I have been neglecting you this past week.  I will make it up to you with a lot of blabbing.  If I look back at the last six days, I was literally out of the house for four of them...finishing holiday shopping, meeting friends, exchanging gifts, all that stuff.  I also had a Christmas party with my golf league that included a Yankee swap with ornaments (why do we always fight over the shirtless mer-man?). 

And the cherry on top of this whirlwind week was yesterday...taking my son and three of his friends to Disney for 12 hours to celebrate his belated birthday.  Actually, before you feel bad for me, it was a pretty pleasant day.  These were four really good kids.  I turned them loose on the long lines and sat in various shady spots and listened to my audio book.  At the end of the day, only my feet were complaining.  (Off the subject...I am completely offended that we wore shorts to the park A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS!  If it weren't for all the gorgeous decorating and lights, I'd think it was April or May.)

I'm slowly getting caught up on my review-writing.  I've resolved to write at least one a day until I'm caught up.  Right now I only have three more to write.  That will be a little holiday gift to myself...it sure feels good when I'm not behind!

I've been fairly unproductive in the word-reading business this week.  No wonder!  I did finish "The Future of Us" by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, and found it sweet and comforting.  I then started a book I got in Chicago called "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn, which is a cozy mystery narrated by a dog.  The dog doesn't die, I have been told, so it's OK.  I might be 50 pages into it.  I just need a chance to sit down and dig into it - it's cute.

On audio I finally finished "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson.  I just shake my head.  That review is going to be tough to write.  I had such high hopes.  Compliments of the long lines at Disney, I was also able to finish "Never Knowing" by Chevy Stevens for my Heathrow Literary Society next month.  Another tough one.  I will have to try to separate my feelings between the story and the narrator, but both were an issue.  I have just started a book written by Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Franscesca called "Best Friends, Occasional Enemies" as part of the Solid Gold Reviewer program. 

The big news is that according to my library, the new Stephen King audio book is IN TRANSIT TO MY HOUSE!!!!  Bring it on baby.

Today, my daughter has horseback riding lessons, and I have pimped my husband out to set up risers at the school to earn us better seats for the Christmas program next Tuesday.  I'm hoping that maybe my husband and I will get a chance to go out bookshelf shopping later (!!!). 

I will be taking a little blogging break December 22nd through the 26th, because let's face it - who is going to be reading blogs?  Even now I am hearing crickets chirping.  I need the rest anyway.  Tomorrow and Tuesday I will be posting my best of lists...hope you aren't overloaded on them yet!  I wish you all a very restful Sunday!