Parking Garage Book Mural

I love this picture! 

For more information about the photographer, Michael R. Allen, and to see his other works, check out this Flicker link --  

Borrowed from http://www.thelitwitch.com

 

WWW Wednesdays September 7

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• I am currently reading Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda.

• I recently finished The Gin & Chowder Club by Nan Rossiter and The Chocolate Diaries: Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life by Karen Linamen. My thoughts on The Chocolate Diaries is here. It was a great little book with some great advice and some yummy reading!

• Next I think I am going to read either What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (it's a library book and I need to get it back) or I need to get started reading the book for my book group Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I have to be honest, I am kind of dreading reading Eat, Pray, Love. I watched the movie and loved it. But who wouldn't love a movie with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem? But reading the book? Can't say I am excited about it. How about you all - has anyone read it and what did you think? Should I open my mind and give it a chance? Do you think I will like it? 

 

So many books..... so little time!

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

The Andreas sisters were raised on books – their family motto might as well be, ‘There’s no problem a library card can’t solve.’ Their father, a renowned, eccentric professor of Shakespearean studies, named them after three of the Bard’s most famous characters: Rose (Rosalind – As You Like It), Bean (Bianca – The Taming of the Shrew), and Cordy (Cordelia – King Lear), but they have inherited those characters’ failures along with their strengths.

Now the sisters have returned home to the small college town where they grew up – partly because their mother is ill, but mostly because their lives are falling apart and they don’t know where to go next. Rose, a staid mathematics professor, has the chance to break away from her quiet life and join her devoted fiance in England, if she could only summon up the courage to do more than she’s thought she could. Bean left home as soon as she could, running to the glamour of New York City, only to come back ashamed of the person she has become. And Cordy, who has been wandering the country for years, has been brought back to earth with a resounding thud, realizing it’s finally time for her to grow up.

The sisters never thought they would find the answers to their problems in each other, but over the course of one long summer, they find that everything they’ve been running from – each other, their histories, and their small hometown – might offer more than they ever expected. ~~synopsis from author's website

I loved, loved, loved this book! You have 3 quirky sisters from a quirky family that have to come together when their mom gets sick. But really, that is not the reason they all come home. They are each dealing with issues in their lives and home is the 'safe' place. Almost immediately they fall into the same roles that they had when they were growing up, even tho' they are all completely different in their other lives. 

There is a lot of wisdom in this story and it is wonderful to see the sisters 'figure it out' and see the paths they choose. This is a book that I read slowly so that I could savor it. I am looking forward to reading it again, it is that good! If you have sisters, you will be able to relate to the dynamics of the sisters in this book. Aren't we all a little weird  around our families?

(P.S. I am one of 3 sisters and the only one in our family that is not quirky)

This book has some great lines - check out my post for a couple of my favorites.

Author's website

The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Linamen

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes? 

Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

The subtitle of this book is Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life. Don't ya love it? 

What an amazing book! This book contains some great advise, presented in a very fun way. And the author talks about chocolate -- a lot!  How yummy is that? Ms. Linamen has a great sense of humor and I think I would love to be her friend - she would be so much fun. 

Some of her chapter titles and her words of wisdom at the beginning of the chapters are a hoot. Check these out and if these don't make you want to read this book, I don't know what will.

Great chapter titles 

• Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen  
• There's More to Life Than Chocolate (Sometimes There's Chocolate with Nuts) 
• Chocolate-Covered Bacon Lollipop, Anyone?  

Words of wisdom that I enjoyed  

• In case of heated argument, add chocolate. It makes everything sweeter and can help two people stick together.  
• Prayer. Friends. Laughter. Tears. What a recipe for healing! Throw in some chocolate and there's a good chance you could fix the world. 
• Every morning, put eating chocolate at the top of your to-do list. That way, you'll always get one thing done. 

I will especially follow that final words of wisdom tidbit - it makes sense to me!

 

There are also some great recipes and ideas for enjoying chocolate throughout the book - bonus!! 

 

I really enjoyed this book and got some great advice but not in a 'preachy' kind of way. It did give me some things to think about. I loved her writing so much I am going to check out some of her other books. Maybe Ms. Linamen can help me in other aspects of my life. 

 

Author's website 

 

Ms. Lineman's list of books 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. The opinions in this review are my own.

Labor Day Greeting

Micky and Minnie say it all! 

 

And I love Maxine so I had to include this one too! 

I hope everyone has a great day and hopefully you have the day off. 

But if you don't, thanks for laboring.