It's Monday, What are you Reading?

An interesting week - had some moments at the beginning of the week where I was able to curl up and read then the middle of the week hit, it went downhill on the reading side of life.  So not as big a week as last one, but still some good reads!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie
These Things Happen by Richard Kramer
Making Piece by Beth Howard
My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr
The Good Woman by Jane Porter
All Is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen

Currently Reading:

Perfect Bait by Michael Fowlkes

Next on the TBR pile:

Enchanted by Starlight by Tina Hook

Across My Doorstop

One week of books and a video, it was a good week.  Because Hurricane Sandy packed quite a punch to NYC, our NYC trip to Random House was rescheduled, so instead we spent the day at the DMV changing my name officially and shopping.  

Charlotte sure loved having me home on Monday and Tuesday, she didn't understand my return to work on Wednesday!

What came across your doorstop this week?

For Review:
Perfect Bait by Michael Fowlkes  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Enchanted by Starlight by Tina Hook  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Paternity Test by Michael Lowenthal  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Winnings:
The First Husband by Laura Dave  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Stay by Allie Larkin  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop (Goodreads  Amazon)

Swapping:
The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Tying the Knot by Susan May Warren  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Shopping with mom (all her fault!):
That's (Not Exactly) Amore by Tracey Bateman  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Catch a Rising Star by Tracey Bateman  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Mitchard  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Brambles by Eliza Minot  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Review: Presidential Retreats by Peter Hannaford

Presidential Retreats by Peter Hannaford

Publisher: Threshold Editions 

Pages: 352 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Where do you go to relax when you’re the leader of the free world? Even the president needs to get away from it all sometimes. From George Washington to Barack Obama, each of our presidents has sought solace from the tightly structured daily routines of the White House. As Ronald Reagan once said of his California ranch, “I do some of my best thinking there.” Peter Hannaford takes readers on a fascinating armchair vacation with each of our leaders, offering unique historical context for the why and the where of their chosen retreats.

Which president asked visiting foreign dignitaries to send him seeds to plant at his family home? Who called his vacation property “Sherwood Forest” because it was “a good place for an outlaw”? Which adventure-loving Commander-in- Chief set up a Summer White House in New York every year? Who liked to cruise aboard the presidential yacht when faced with momentous wartime decisions? Who polled the American people to help him decide where to vacation?

Kritters Thoughts:  Call me a dork - but every once in a while I love to read a little non fiction about presidents and history.  Maybe it is because I live right next door to Washington, D.C.  Or maybe because I like to think that the President and his family are regular people and have a story beyond the White House.  This book fulfilled all my nerdy needs and at just the right time - middle of a crazy election season!

A book that is centered around where the Presidents and their families vacationed, it was a different take on each President's history and what they each found important in regards to how to spend their "free" time.  Each President received their own chapter that started with their childhood, then a background of the major decisions that were made while they were in office and then it ended with a description of the retreats that they made while they were in office and then where they spent their time after they left office.

I absolutely loved this book.  It was such a great take on the Presidents and so interesting to find out where each one found a break from their intense jobs.  The inclusion of information on how to visit each retreat at the end of the chapter made a great piece of reference for me to want to hit some spots that are local for me.  I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about the Presidents and want a little more access to their life beyond the White House.

Rating: the perfect beach read

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 62 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon and Schuster via Edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

October - the start of Fall

picture

Well October started with a bang, my work trip that I spent 9 months planning went off without a major hitch and now October is leaving with a bang called Hurricane Sandy.  I am hoping that Miss Sandy doesn't ruin my fun NYC plans for this weekend; fingers are crossed!

October 2012 will go on record as my most well read month.  I read a few novellas and some good ole chick lit that were page turners.  Wondering if I can keep up the pace through the holidays.

How was your October?

Books Completed:
1. Sweat by Mark Gilleo
2. Until My Soul Gets it Right by Karen Wojcik Berner
3. The Shadow Man by Mark Murphy
4. Swann Dives In by Charles Salzberg
5. Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster
6. Justice by Jade Varden
7. You Don't Know Me by Susan May Warren
8. The Tower by Jade Varden
9. Death by Jade Varden
10. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
11. Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth
12. Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell
13. Grace Unexpected by Gale Martin
14. Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
15. Things Remembered by Georgia Bockoven
16. Runaway Mind by Maggie Reese
17. There Goes the Bride by Holly McQueen
18. Presidential Retreats by Peter Hannaford
19. Dangerous Past by A.F. Ebbers
20. The Twelve Days to Christmas by Michele Gorman
21. All I Have to Give by Melody Carlson
22. Blood Line by Lynda La Plante
23. Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie
24. These Things Happen by Richard Kramer
25. Making Piece by Beth Howard

Total pages read, clicked, and flipped: 7,402

Where Have I Been Reading?:
Washington, D.C. (2)
Chicago, IL
Savannah, GA
NYC, NY
Chicago, IL
Silverwood, CA (3)
Minnesota
Philadelphia, PA
England (2)
Boston, MA
New Hampshire
New York (2)
California
Jamestown, CA
London

Austin, TX
Hong Kong
Portland, Oregon

Review: Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Publisher: Random House 

Pages: 190

Format: ebook 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  They met over their dogs. Both writers, Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp, author of Drinking: A Love Story, became best friends, talking about everything from their shared history of a struggle with alcohol, to their relationships with men and colleagues, to their love of books. They walked the woods of New England and rowed on the Charles River, and the miles they logged on land and water became a measure of the interior ground they covered. From disparate backgrounds but with striking emotional similarities, these two private, fiercely self-reliant women created an attachment more profound than either of them could ever have foreseen. 

The friendship helped them define the ordinary moments of life as the ones worth cherishing. Then, several years into this remarkable connection, Knapp was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Kritters Thoughts:  An honest look at friendships between women - a relationship that should hold just as much value as the one between spouses.  My mom always told me that your significant other can not be your only relationship, they can't be everything for you.  This book drove that lesson home page after page.   

Yes, the vital role of friendships between women is the platform for this book, but I took home something a little more close to my soul.  The relationship between dog and human.  As you may all know if you follow along for awhile, I have a pup (Charlotte) who is my child, companion and best gal.  (Especially when the boy is on duty in the late evening hours)  So as it stands right now Charlotte is also my child and I treat as such, I am maternal and the disciplinarian.  This Christmas will be 3 years of Charlotte in our household and I still can't imagine our lives without the little 16 pound bundle.  Both of the women in this book found their dogs to be a vital part of their lives, yes relationships with humans matter, but a relationship with a dog is a whole different thing.

Although, I am not the target age audience for this book, I would still urge a younger group to read this book to remind ourselves that relationships beyond the romantic ones we have with our spouses need to be nurtured and help shape who we are.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 60 out of 25