Sunday Salon: Birthday Blessings

 Happy Sunday to all of you!  I will admit that I have neglected my blogger friends this week, and for this I apologize.  I guess I'm keeping summer hours, plus there has been busy-ness and I've been trying to get caught up a little on review-writing.  Same old story, I know.


But!  This was my birthday week and a lot of fun was being had.  There was some seriously excellent, exhausting working out going on (had to close my eyes and pray when I heard Andre declare that he was going to "break me".  I had to crawl to my car that day.).  But it is all good.  I had to compensate for the debauchery I knew was to come.


My husband's nephew and girlfriend flew into town mid-week, and will be here for about six weeks.  Whenever Polish folk get together, there are lots of gifts and food and drink.  Plus I had my birthday dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant called Enzo's (more drink) and then again with friends at the Tommy Bahama restaurant (more drink).  Good times!


I also did a bit of shopping in honor of my birthday.  I received gift cards to Dick's Sporting Goods, Banana Republic and Tommy Bahama, so I had to spend them.  And I...uh...BOUGHT A TWO PIECE!  OMG.  Something I haven't done since college I think.  I'll probably be horrified to wear it in public, but it was something I had to do for myself.  Guess I'd better keep doing those sit-ups.  


I also got gift cards to Amazon, so my account is full and ready for Kindle ordering.  On my short list is "Code Name Verity", "Wild", "Beautiful Ruins", "HHhH" and Gillian Flynn's back list.  I'm getting it all baby.  But then I also just received Wendy Wax's newest book "Ocean Beach", and Kathy/Bermudaonion got me the newest Jo Nesbo ARC (HOOOOOAHHHH!!!) so I've got my work cut out for me.  I may not come up for air for months.


I finished listening to Mary's Roach's "Spook" this week on audio, then started "American Dervish" by Ayad Akhtar on the iPod and "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung in the car.  All good stuff for the ears.  I also read Alma Katsu's "The Reckoning" (the sequel to "The Taker") and holy crap people, SO GOOD.  So, so good.  I'm going to try to sit down and write that review today.  I just picked up the part photograph/part graphic novel "The Photographer" and hope to get through that quickly so I can start "Ocean Beach".  Life is not bad when you are surrounded by this much literary goodness!


Hope everyone has a restful Sunday.  If you have seen the National weather, you can see that Florida is getting a huge amount of rain, so I don't know how much I will get done outside today, but we will do our turn at the animal shelter later.  Have a great week!