How to Bake a Perfect Life

I picked up How to Bake a Perfect Life: A Novel from Target (yes, I had a gift card). I love books that are about family relationships between women and this book had complex relationships in spades, mother/daughter, grandmother/granddaughter, sisters, aunt/niece, and more. The book features three different points of view and was an enjoyable read. Since the mother owns a bakery, it also had recipes! (6)

Spring is in the air!

Today I got up early and read, admired my blooming hyacinth, forsythia, and daffodils, met a friend for lunch (falafel salad, yum!), took a leisurely stroll, decided the out the door and down three stores line was just too long to stand in for cupcakes, hung out at home, and went out to dinner with My Heart's Desire.

Townie

I heard Andre Dubus III read at a university event last year and it was my favorite reading ever. I went because of how much I liked House of Sand and Fog.

 I got my hands on Townie: A Memoir when it was hot off the presses.  Yes, it is in hardback so I used a gift card and a coupon. This memoir pulls no punches, is dark, violent and heartbreaking, and most of all is the story of a writer.

I really enjoyed (perhaps consumed would be a better word) this book and immediately shared it with my honorary Jewish grandmother so that she could read it too.  (5)

Books I wanted to like but didn't

I had high hopes for Karen Russell's Swamplandia!.  Everywhere I looked, I saw good reviews.  I had a coupon and a Groupon (!) so I bought this book in hardback.  Hardback's not something I usually do.  In fact, if you were to open most of my hardbacks and peek at the front page, you would probably find inscriptions on them since most hardbacks I have were gifts.  Alas, this book did not live up to the considerable hype.  (3)

I'll admit it, I liked Ann Brashares Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, Book 1).  I even saw both movies in the theater.  So I thought her novel for adults, My Name Is Memory, would be good.  Instead, it wasn't.  (4)

Today I am grateful for comfy clothes, online newspapers, Green Monsters for breakfast, Barry White songs, books on CD from the library, Roku (My Heart's Desire and I are totally hooked), spring is 17 days away, already joined CSA so have fresh, local produce to look forward to, being happy for other people, costume jewelry, Girl Scout cookie season, and one of my favorite children's books, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.