Friday Reads and I'm all messed up...

I'm operating on vacation time, which means I've no idea what day of the week it is, what the date is, and I can barely keep track of time (East Coast vs West coast because I've only changed half the clocks in my life). But I'm having a fabulous time! My vacation plans got all changed once my wife and I reached San Francisco -- my brother and his wife decided to join us for these two weeks, so we scrapped some of LA and will be hitting other towns instead. I love trips like this, and I'm thrilled to spend time with my brother and his awesome wife and adorable children.

My FridayReads is The Imaginary Emperor: A Tale of Old San Francisco by Steve Bartholomew, a historical novel inspired by the man who, in real life, declared himself emperor in 1859.  Isn't that just so California?

Happy New Year's to everyone.  We'll be celebrating quietly this weekend as my wife  will be running a half marathon on New Year's day.  What a crazy woman!  I plan to cheer as she takes off then settle in with a book!

What are you reading this Friday?  Any ambitious New Year's plans?


Comments

  1. pickyDecember 30, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    What a fantastic New Year's! Enjoy your family. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Natalie~Coffee and a Book ChickDecember 30, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    Happy New Year to you and your wife, Audra! I look forward to another blogging year with you in 2012!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peppermint Ph.D.December 30, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    Happy New Year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BlodeueddDecember 31, 2011 at 6:59 AM

    Lol, I know the feeling! I have no idea what day it is anymore

    ReplyDelete
  5. Col (Col Reads)December 31, 2011 at 10:18 AM

    Happy Vacationing and Happy New Year, Audra! Sounds like a great book to read while driving the California Coast!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ZibileeDecember 31, 2011 at 11:45 AM

    I am reading Let the Right One In, a very creepy and disturbing Swedish vampire story, and will be celebrating the new year by eating mega nachos and ice cream sundaes with my family and my best friend. It's going to be a glorious evening!!
    Have a great time over there!

    ReplyDelete
  7. bookspersonallyJanuary 2, 2012 at 6:04 AM

    Hope you've had a fabulous vacation. Love the notion of someone declaring himself emperor... almost makes you want to go out and declare yourself something, doesn't it? why not? Happy New Year, Audra!

    ReplyDelete
  8. TiJanuary 2, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    I am all messed up too after being off for two weeks. Back to work tomorrow though.

    Hey, you had some nice weather when you came down. It is like 82 right now in So Cal!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekend reads, or it's sunny, sunny, sunny!

Image
Hoping to finish this New Adult romance, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. First Son Alex thinks he loathes British prince Henry but it turns out they maybe have the hots for each other. It's pretty cute and very escapist.

After something like 28 days of rain, we're finally promised a sunny weekend so I'll be doing yard work for infinity. (My front yard is such a jungle that a landscaper actually jackknifed in the road to give me their card so if that's not a sign from the universe, I don't know what is.)

What are you reading this weekend? Or, what else will you be doing?
Read more

Halfway through my reading year: a few thoughts

Image
I've had to increase my yearly reading goal three times already.

I'm just flabbergasted at that; pretty much since I was pregnant, so the last five years, trying to get in the reading I wanted has been a struggle.

Exhaustion when Unabridged Kid was a babe, and then the struggle to balance parenting and working. Slush-brain and mush-brain. Then, I don't know, disinterest. But unbelievably, this year, something switched.

Maybe it's just that the kid is a kid now, and I'm sleeping a little better; work is brisk and interesting and I've time to read and an interest in reading.

I've read 54 books so far, which I can't even believe.

I've done 16 of the 24 tasks for Read Harder 2019. (And, accidentally, accomplished 12 of the 26 Reading Women challenge).

I'm very, very behind on my historical fiction challenge, but I feel okay with that, because I feel like I can cram those reads in very easily. (I mean, along with romance, hist fic is my catnip.)

Unbe…
Read more

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Image
Title:The Orchardist
Author: Amanda Coplin

Genre: Fiction (Historical / early 20th Century / Pacific Northwest / Oregon / Horticulture / Teenage Pregnancy)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Perennial (3/5/2013)
Source:TLC Book Tours

Rating: Liked, possibly loved. This one will grow on me, I suspect, as time goes on.
Did I finish?: Oh yes.
One-sentence summary: Set in early 20th century Oregon, a orchardist helps two pregnant girls on the run and the experience has explosive results for all.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: I'm of two minds: a little bit I like it for the colors, and the bucolic setting; but up close, the image is sort of rendered like one those paint programs that makes photos look like canvases. It's odd.

I'm reminded of...: Alice Hoffman, Doris Lessing

First line: His face was as pitted as the moon.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Ohemgee, borrow or buy, especially if you like narratives set in the American West.

Why did I get this book?: I re…
Read more