Five Days Left

 

From Goodreads:

Destined to be a book club favorite, a heart-wrenching debut about two people who must decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice for love.Mara Nichols is a successful lawyer, devoted wife, and adoptive mother who has received a life-shattering diagnosis. Scott Coffman, a middle school teacher, has been fostering an eight-year-old boy while the boy’s mother serves a jail sentence. Scott and Mara both have five days left until they must say good-bye to the ones they love the most.

 Through their stories, Julie Lawson Timmer explores the individual limits of human endurance and the power of relationships, and shows that sometimes loving someone means holding on, and sometimes it means letting go.  

 

From Me:

I'm not quite sure what I think of this book. 

At first it was so-so for me, then it was good for me and by the end it had me in tears (in a good way).

It was all those things mentioned in the Goodreads review-- the power of relationships, what a topic!

This might be a good book club book as the discussion could be endless.

3.876 stars from me!

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted each week by

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

 

This week's question is:

 Name one book you've read in the past that still haunts you today.

 

My answer is:

It would have to be Stephen King's, The Shining.

I loved it and it is one of my favorite books ever. 

But I was reading it at our cabin, in the woods.  Granted, we have neighbors--it's right by a Wallowa Lake State Park-- but they are few and far between.  And it's the woods!  Dark Forest. Wild animals roaming about.

For some reason, I remember being alone.

Reading at night.

 

NOT A SMART THING TO DO!

 

It has always amazed me how that man can put a string of words together in a sentence that scares the hell out of you.

I mean---it's words.  Written down.

That's it.

If I do it, it sounds like this:  It was a dark and stormy night and the creepy monster was peeking thru the window as I sat reading a Stephen King novel.

See?  Not so scary.

Whether you like scary or not,  you have to agree it takes talent to be able to scare and unnerve readers by just words on paper.

 

I am participating in a read-a-long this month:  Salem's Lot.

This one might stay with me for a long time too.

Yes, another Stephen King book.

Outdoor Wednesday

On Wednesdays I'll sometimes join A Southern Daydreamer and her Outdoor Wednesday meme to share these pictures.

Stop by and check out other great photos of the outdoors!

Once in a while, I take the train to see my grand-kids in California.

I love the train.

I know that it's slower than taking a plane, BUT for me, I can catch train here in town vs driving 2.5 hours to the airport, and then paying for parking.

It's roomier than a plane.

You can get up and walk around on a train.

You can go to the little cafe on a train.

You can sit in the observation car on a train.

TRAINS ARE GREAT!

They are just really, really slow. ( Amtrak)

If you live on the West Coast that is.  There are a lot of mountains.

Anyway, I love to take the train to the Bay Area.  I look at it as  10 hours of forced reading for me.  Ohhhhh, that's so sad.  (she laughs)

Train tracks follow a different path than the interstate freeway system. Interstates were made to go the fastest way---not always the prettiest way. You really need to drive the back highways and roads to see pretty.

Trains usually go  thru industrial areas,  backwoods, and some seedy areas.

I took some photos from my last trip in the spring.  Just shots from my train window.

They're not great photos, but I just find the whole train thing-- interesting, fun, melancholy (train whistles at night) , romantic, wistful....

This is the first set of photos.

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros

I don't always join in, but when I do--I love to go around and see what books other bloggers are anticipating.

First Chapter, First Paragraph

Tuesday Intros

is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea.

Bloggers post the first paragraph of a book they are thinking of reading --- and get everyone's opinion to see if it grabbed them from the beginning or not.

Click here to join the fun!

My paragraph?

Paris

May 14, 1924

Dear Parents,

Last night I visited a club in Montparnasse where the men dress as women and the women as men.  Papa would have loved it. and Mama's face would have crinkled in that special smile she has for Papa's passion for everything French.

The place is called the Chameleon Club.  It's a few steps down from the street.  You need a password to get in.  The Password is: POLICE! Open up!  

The customers find it amusing.

My book?

What do you think?

Should I keep reading?

Supper Club (or Cooking Club #4)

SUPPER CLUB!

This theme this time for our Cooking Club was originally:  American Regional Cooking, Great Lakes Region.

Sally and Paul were our hosts.  

They are Wisconsin born and bred and they thought it would be fun to go the 

Supper Club route.

Supper clubs are so old they are popular again!

We tried the best we could!

We did a bit of research and what we really found out is:

WE ALL WANT TO GO ON A ROAD TRIP TO CHECK OUT WISCONSIN 

SUPPER CLUBS!

Sally found this on the Wisconsin Supper Clubs  website:

Primer to Wisconsin Supper Clubs

by Wisconsin Supper Clubs on July 11, 2013 in Beloit, Reviews, Supper Clubs

The 615 Club relish tray – Beloit, WI

You know you’re in one of these Wisconsin faves if:

1. The owner greets you warmly when you come in and immediately asks how your family is.

2. A relish tray is the first thing the waitress sets down on the table, and it sports celery.

3. Everyone’s drinking whiskey or brandy old-fashioneds.

4. The server brings warm cinnamon rolls or sticky buns to eat with your salad.

5. Your nonsteak dinner options include liver and onions. (Or, on Friday nights, a fish fry.)

6.The waitress tells you the most popular dessert is a liquor-spiked ice cream drink.

7. You can’t order lunch or breakfast, but the bar may very well open during Green Bay Packers play-off games.

8. They let you order dinner at the bar and then go to your table when your meal is ready.

9. Most likely, the building, and the business, have been there for more than 50 years.

10. The bar has TVs, but they are rarely turned on–unless the Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers or Packers are on.

So... how did our hosts do?

They greeted us warmly (but forgot to ask about our family)

A relish tray was the first thing that graced the table

We had Brandy Old-Fashioneds

They did NOT bring warm cinnamon rolls or sticky buns to eat with our salads.

(they seriously thought about it tho)

Our non-steak/prime rib DID include a Fish Fry (no liver and onions tho, but that's okay)

Our waitress (Sally) DID tell us that the most popular dessert is a liquor spiked ice-cream drink.

And all the rest!

We didn't have the TV on a Packers game THIS time, but the last Cooking Club? We had the TV on for the Packers and Seahawks game---in another room so we could check the score--and we had a Packer fan and a Seahawk fan in the same room!

Most importantly--

We all have SO MUCH FUN!

Just talking food and being silly.

Silly? 

Yes! (more on that later)

Paul made a "Supper Club" sign!

We were the North Woods Supper Club.

NOTICE IT'S PLACEMENT ABOVE THE ENTRANCE TO THE KITCHEN.

In my research, there were only 5 things served at Supper Clubs as appetizers.

ONLY 5 things EVER!

Relish Trays

Fried Cheese curds

Cheese spread

Beer Cheese spread

and 

Shrimp Cocktails.

I went with the classic shrimp cocktail.

Shelly kept us on Supper Club track with an iceberg lettuce wedge.

Blue Cheese Dressing and bacon bits to boot!

Shelly is the permanent substitute to our Cooking club.  She and Lorin fill in when someone is gone.

This is our 4th cooking club and Shelly's 3rd. 

(We missed April and Doug)

So much fun and laughter was going on, that I forgot to get pics of the 

HOT DISH brought by Gina-- Tater Tot Casserole

and the other HOT DISH made by Sally-- a brat and potato beer dish

Did I forget to mention we had a Supper Club Cat?

Phyllis.

She joined us for dinner.

The lovely Supper Club meal was finished off with Apple Pie by Debbie.

Apple Pie is my favorite dessert of all time!

Supper Clubs normally have:

a liquor spiked ice cream drink

apple pie

or

cheese cake

Remember I said silly?

Well, after dinner, when we were having pie and coffee (some of us were still working on our old-fashion),  we brought out the cigarettes.

The CANDY cigarettes!

Thanks Sally  and Paul for hosting such a fun evening.

By the way--Sally was voted the most awkward cigarette holding person ever!

Paul on the other hand?

Debbie E. looked kinda natural too.

When she saw this picture she said "I look exactly like my mom"

Gina won 2nd place (or maybe tied with first) on awkward cigarette holding.

The Handyman and Shelly?

Look pretty at ease there.

Phyllis had  had enough!

Food, fun and friends!

It was a great evening.

Much fun for us FOODIES.

Next month the theme is:

FAMOUS CHEFS

It Should be fun.

Cooking Club #1   Meals your mom used to make

Cooking Club #2  Cajun Cooking

Cooking Club #3 -Let's all go to Hawaii

Cooking club #4  American Regional Cooking--Great Lakes Region, featuring SUPPER CLUBS.

Cooking Club #5  Famous Chefs


I am linking up with Weekend Cooking, hosted by 
Beth Fish Reads.