Sunday, July 1, 2012

Sunday Salon: Summer Hours

 Happy days my friends, because as of yesterday, I AM ON VACATION!!  It was much needed.  I feel like in some ways, I've been hanging on by my fingernails just waiting for this very moment to come.


We drug ourselves through this week somehow!  We received a good foot of rain or more from Tropical Storm Debby.  We needed the rain, but good Lord it was nearly overwhelming.  We welcomed heat in the high nineties with open arms - bring on the sun.  My daughter also wrapped up her summer school this week, after a month of meeting new people and paving her way into her freshman year.


Our Books, Babes and Bordeaux also met this week to discuss "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (one of my personal favorites ever).  It was my turn to choose July's selection, and OF COURSE I chose "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.  Because I believe everyone should read it and get a good mind screw just like I did.  


I was pretty excited to be contacted by Jo Nesbo's US publisher, Pamela Cortland from Alfred A. Knopf, who offered to sponsor a Jo Nesbo giveaway on my blog, in honor of his new book "Phantom" that is coming out in October.  Stay tuned for more info on that in August!


So anyway, vacation.  Yesterday, 10 members of my family all converged upon a beach house on Lake Michigan, and will be here for a week.  Then we will head to my parents' house on the farm for another week and a half.  I'm looking forward to doing some running, some reading, and maybe even a couple of trips into Chicago, my favorite city in the whole world.


Speaking of reading, I'm just a slug.  On audio, I did finish "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung, and "American Dervish" by Ayad Akhtar...I enjoyed them both.  I just started "Criminal" by Karin Slaughter.  In print, not so good. I did finish "The Reckoning" by Alma Katsu (loved it) and am about halfway through Wendy Wax's "Ocean Beach".  Hopefully I'll pick up some speed while on vacation but I'm not holding my breath!


I have decided to keep summer hours in the month of July here on the blog.  That just means that there will be no posts on Friday.  I hear crickets chirping on Fridays in the summer anyway, so I don't think it will be a big loss.


I probably won't be very diligent about visiting this week, but I'll give it a weak attempt.  Hope you all have a wonderful week, and hopefully I'll have some fun pictures to post next week of our activities.




24 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Enjoy your much needed vacation! You're going to miss Andre! lol

JoAnn said...

Hurray for vacation - you DESERVE it!! Enjoy your time with the family.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I'm making my way through Phantom even as we speak!

Nise' said...

Have a fantastic vacation! I live on Lake Michigan (in West MI), I will wave to you. Which side are you on?

ds said...

Have a wonderful vacation!

Carrie K. said...

Sounds absolutely heavenly - enjoy your time off!

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Enjoy your vacation! I really want to read Gone Girl.

Here's what my week looked like:

MY SUNDAY SALON POST

Anonymous said...

My book club is also reading Gone, Girl this month! I am only through the first chapter but I am already thinking I will love it. Enjoy your vacation!

Unknown said...

I'm number 12 in the queue for Gone Girl. I think I'll get it by the end of the month. The library has 7 copies.

Enjoy Chicago for me. I love Chicago. Will you go to the American Girl store. C.J. and I had the best time in the American Girl story. It was not the "best time" the company wanted to have, but the place is amazing! There's also a very cool little art museum just a few doors down from it. I can't remember the name of it, now. ...

And we had fun at the Cubs game, too. They won!

Peppermint Ph.D. said...

I've been hearing a lot of crickets around the old blog here lately myself. I'm glad to hear it's not just me ;) Have a wonderful vacation!!

Anonymous said...

Have fun! (And tell me you left Andre at home.)

Alyce said...

That is a lot of rain! Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorites too. I hope you have a very fun and relaxing vacation!

Heidenkind said...

chirp chirp ;)

Beth F said...

Happy vacation ... and enjoy your summer hours.

Meg @ write meg! said...

Yay -- hope you're having a fab time away with your family! I hear you on the summer hours: things have slowed to a craaaaaaawl in the blogosphere lately. But that's perfectly fine -- everyone needs a break.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Enjoy Lake Michigan! You're going to have so much fun!

Unknown said...

Have a wonderful trip!!! I started Gone Girl today...thank you for choosing it.

Unknown said...

It sounds as though you are getting as much rain as us. I'm not sure we are going to get a Summer here in the UK. All it does is rain :-(

I'm now #1 in my library queue for Gone Girl so I should have it by the end of the week. I hope I enjoy it as much as you do.

Enjoy your vacation!

Unknown said...

What a fantastic vacation, Sandy! You so deserve one too! I hope you enjoy it.

Awesome news about the Jo Nesbo giveaway! You also reviewed fantastic books the last 2 weeks including Gone Girl and several other mysteries which sound fantastic. I apologize for not yet commenting on them...I will soon but I have already made a book list courtesy of your awesome reviews!

Relax, have fun, drink lots of wine! And Enjoy!

Ti said...

Well I saw how you started vacation and I must say that I approve. A vacation that starts with deep dish pizza has to be good. Enjoy!

Julie P. said...

Wish you could send some rain our way!

Kathleen said...

Sounds like you have some great things planned in the weeks to come. Enjoy!

Melissa said...

I'm bummed that Criminal isn't very good. Unfortunately, it's a series I'm invested in and I'll end up reading it.

Jenners said...

My summer hours are turning out to be one post every three weeks!! ACK!!

I still need to read The Taker … maybe that will be next book unless the new Tana French comes out soon -- I know it is in July sometime. I should check on that preorder!