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Melanie
surburban mom to 3 boys and 1 lil girl, avid reader, scrapbooker, and baker
Interests: favorite books: peace like a river, snow flower & the secret fan, the first 10 nancy drews, to kill a mockingbird, jane eyre, kite runner, year of wonders, jane austens, major pettigrew, every last one,
Recent Activity
Ill send you mine...I have a lil box and this will just fit.
Giveaway: Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
If you haven't read it already, you really should. :) It was a big hit in both of my bookclubs. Thanks to the good folks at Penguin, I get to give one away to celebrate the paperback version. Just leave me a comment and tell me what book is on your must read list this summer...besides th...
Thank you for visiting and for your kind words. I wish you much success and hope Perla continues to be well received and enjoyed by readers.
TLC Book Tour: Perla by Carolina De Robertis
Perla by Carolina De Robertis, 256 pages. Available now in hardcover, Kindle, Nook, and ebook from Knopf Doubleday. A coming-of-age story, based on a recent shocking chapter of Argentine history, about a young woman who makes a devastating discovery about her origins with the help of an enigma...
Hi Beth!
Thats funny - I say the same thing all the time! I definitely have some gaps in my education :) Are you coming to bookclub on Monday? If not Ill send you the new Maisie with the book you won. And Rachel has my Downton Season 2 if you would like it when shes done...
Hope to see you soon
Melanie
Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) by Jacqueline Winspear
Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) by Jacqueline Winspear, 352 pages. Available in hardcover, ebook, Kindle and Nook from HarperCollins. Early April 1933. To the costermongers of Covent Garden—sellers of fruit and vegetables on the streets of London—Eddie Pettit was a gentle soul with a near-ma...
Awesome! Please send along a picture if it happens.
Little Free Library...
saw this on the news and almost burst into tears for all the sweetness....you know i dream of a bookmobile, this seems pretty close (picture of the first little library, taken from the website) Using Books to Build Community http://www.litttlefreelibrary.org sometime in between unpacking boxes ...
I got a similar reaction, but planning a mini field trip to the one near our church (about 20 min away). I think seeing one in person might make an impact and we'll be sure to bring some books to add!
Little Free Library...
saw this on the news and almost burst into tears for all the sweetness....you know i dream of a bookmobile, this seems pretty close (picture of the first little library, taken from the website) Using Books to Build Community http://www.litttlefreelibrary.org sometime in between unpacking boxes ...
Oh Judy, thats so cool. Did you like the book?
The Darlings by Cristina Alger & Giveaway
The Darlings by Cristina Alger, 352 pages.Available in hardcover, ebook, Kindle, and Nook from Pamela Dorman Books. A sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences. Now that he's married to Merrill Darling, daughter of...
thanks! I was relieved it wasnt too heavy :) I only read a few pages of Swamplandia before I returned it to the library - bad timing. Ill be interested to see your thoughts!
The Darlings by Cristina Alger & Giveaway
The Darlings by Cristina Alger, 352 pages.Available in hardcover, ebook, Kindle, and Nook from Pamela Dorman Books. A sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences. Now that he's married to Merrill Darling, daughter of...
oh I feel so bad for you all...hope everyone feels better quickly.
the horrible terrible sickies.
the tummy bug. we've all got it. and it's the first time that all six of us have come down with something. let's just say it's NOT fun. wish me luck. hope you have a beautiful,blessed,HEALTHY weekend.xxo
thanks, i'll be singing Tennessee all afternoon. also, i offered to pay my 13 year old per cd to load them all and he said NO. humph.
finally k stumps me with 80s british music lyrics all the time (i never know the titles to any since they are obscure and have nothing to do with the song) but i am the movie line girl.
For Reasons Related To Music
There are many, many reasons for which I love Matt; many of them are music-related. Here are just a few: 1. He introduced me to Ben Folds back in 1997. Albeit with a knowing, slightly annoying smirk because he knew how I would always have to give him credit for finding one of my favorite musicia...
Ris - I did the exact same thing with season 1 - up until almost 2am (on a school night!) I paced myself a bit differently for season 2. But that was more TV than I've watched in months! I've heard I should also check out Lark Rise to Candleford, have you seen it?
10 on Tuesday: extra January edition ...
1. Oh I wish I could figure out which blog I read that referred to February as extra January, but am adopting is as it suits this little month so perfectly. Anyone have any big plans for leap day? Do tell. 2. Every Friday this month, Evie and I have visited our new library (not the cl...
Hi friend! Are good libraries on a list of criteria for your next move? :) Evie is exhibiting strange eating habits also - you know our bus stop is at the Chik Fil A and she would be happy if we picked up her meals there 3x a day. Karl has been taking the boys running in the evening and Owen is showing signs of having a talent for it - he went 2.5 miles yesterday and then played basketball! He clearly didnt get his energy or athletic tendencies from me. Please share your soup recipe if you end up liking it! We are having black bean and kielbasa chili tonight - its raining so no outside time tonight.
10 on Tuesday: extra January edition ...
1. Oh I wish I could figure out which blog I read that referred to February as extra January, but am adopting is as it suits this little month so perfectly. Anyone have any big plans for leap day? Do tell. 2. Every Friday this month, Evie and I have visited our new library (not the cl...
Seriously...you have a gift! I love to see your girlies' parties they are so thoughtfully planned and look like a blast! Happy 4th birthday Sadie-lady.
*love*ly things-rainbow birthday party
okay...so a rainbow birthday party doesn't technically fit into a valentine's theme. but i LOVE throwing parties. so parties belong on my love list! i think we all know there is nothing new under the sun (rainbow??). i planned this party with the help of pinterest. how in the world did i EVER th...
I'm so glad you stopped - I miss moments like that with the boys and E is too young to have any strong inclination to stop.These days I am in weird spot with a teenager (puberty in full swing) and a toddler. I never imagined I'd be dealing with texting and potty training in the same week, but so it goes...
That Ticking Clock
One of Bridget's favorite new conversations to have over and over with me is the one about how when she goes to kindergarten in the fall, I'll be ALL BY MYSELF and WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT HER. And then she laughs gleefully, because she is so excited for kindergarten. She has this conversation whe...
I didnt have a problem overlooking her because I was so into Elsies story. I hope you enjoy it!
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy, 304 pages. Available in hardcover, Kindle, Nook, and ebook from Crown Publishing Group. In 1945, Elsie Schmidt was a naïve teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she was for her first kiss. But in the waning days of the Nazi empire, with fo...
Yes, the saturation level seems quite high in that genre. I read these last spring, and am finishing up the last of 2 for review this year - then I will be breaking also. I finally mailed your book box, hopefully it will bring some much needed distraction from your abysmal library options.
3 on Thursday: 22 Brittania Road, The Last Time I Saw Paris, The Lost Wife
22 Brittania Road by Amanda Hodgkinson, 323 pages. Available in hardcover, Kindle, Nook, and ebook from Penguin. In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months wh...
I love book signings - and am excited to read it. Glad you made it home safe.
An Evening with Erin Morgenstern
Thursday was a pretty eventful day for me. I traveled to Russellville that afternoon to do some ACT prep with about 50 juniors and then traveled on to Nashville to the Nashville Public Library to hear Erin Morgenstern read from her amazing novel, The Night Circus. I can't say enough good things ...
Youre right Kathy - nothing ever is :)
I Read Memoirs in the Fall...Part 3: Foodie
Tout Sweet: A Memoir by Karen Wheeler, 320 pages. Available in paperback, Kindle, Nook, and ebook from Sourcebooks. Blogger and fashion editor Karen Wheeler has written an entertaining account of her spontaneous decision to move from London to the French countryside. She intends not just to ...
thank you :)
The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar
The World We Found: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar,320 pages. Available in hardcover, As university students in late 1970s Bombay, Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable. Spirited and unconventional, they challenged authority and fought for a better world. But much has changed over th...
Kathy - I feel safe in saying you read more books than anyone I know! Enjoy those stacks in 2012 :)
2011 Favorite Reads
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - I can't think of anyone who does historical fiction better. She inhabits the time and the people and I am left thinking I read a non-fiction book. I would fall on my sword that what she wrote actually happened. And maybe it did.... ...
I am so glad you liked Rules of Civility. It took me totally by surprise and I love it when that happens. I will be curious to see both your 2011 list and your thoughts on 1000 gifts.
2011 Favorite Reads
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - I can't think of anyone who does historical fiction better. She inhabits the time and the people and I am left thinking I read a non-fiction book. I would fall on my sword that what she wrote actually happened. And maybe it did.... ...
I haven't read The Paris Wife yet! I'm hoping my book club will choose it. I'm looking forward to seeing your list.
2011 Favorite Reads
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - I can't think of anyone who does historical fiction better. She inhabits the time and the people and I am left thinking I read a non-fiction book. I would fall on my sword that what she wrote actually happened. And maybe it did.... ...
I am printing at home - youd think easier, right? My printer isnt the best, but that isnt the whole issue. The downloading, photoshopping, and print set up (since those darn pl pockets are all whackadoodle sizes) followed by the blinking you are out of ink lights are the problem. I finally did print some and they were all the wrong size. Yeesh.
Africa? Tell me more!
this week i am...
...making lots of soup - this one, this one and this one There is no better feeling than cleaning out the veg drawer/fridge and realizing I can make lots of soup. My fave recipe site is epicurious, mainly because of the reviews/comments. I almost always end up tweaking the recipe based on the r...
Thanks, E. I dont know 35 seems like a healthy number - I wouldnt want to discourage you from more reading, but I would argue you were much more productive in other areas. :)
Happy New Year! Bring it 2012...
(created at tiny prints) Winter has arrived in Maryland and it is even more unpleasant than I remember. It is the wind - blustery is too Winnie the Pooh sweet for the bone chilling gusts we are getting. It is enough to make me seriously consider adding socks to my wardrobe. (You all know I ne...
Hooray & Congratulations! And for the record, I like you too. :)
They like me -- they really like me!
Shortly after New Year's, Angie from Ella Publishing Co. emailed and asked me to join them for 2012 as one of their new Ella Friends! I've done some work with them in the past (guest posts and contributions to their journaling e-book), so I was thrilled to get a chance to work with them again! I...
love the room - it's so you. i craft/scrapbook on the floor too and create a 360 degree mess! thank you for hanging my jane print in your creative space, that makes me happy :)
how i organize my craft space
so here are a couple of disclaimers. my room is not fancy. i wish i had the martha stewart crafting furniture-i dream of that furniture!!. nope. my furniture (besides the fabulous sideboard) was found at garage sales. one of the tables is actually a computer desk from college! my room is NOT pri...
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