Coming Soon...

Hi Friends! Sorry for being such a stranger these past few months; V. and I have had some big (and exciting) changes, including a relocation to Arizona.  Now that we've finally settled into desert living a bit, I have high hopes about resuming my blogging.  After all, there are dozens of recent reads to share with you!

To reflect this new start, I decided to give the blog a facelift as well, but it's a work in progress, so pardon the mess.  Hopefully it will look super-cool in the next couple days.  Maybe not as super-cool as anything my graphic designing brother could create, but passable at least.

Since you have been oh so patient with me, I thought I'd share a quick list of "bests" from these last few summer months:

1. Best book I've borrowed all summer: Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett.  My mom lent this to me (for a second time) while I was visiting the Adirondacks.  I read it years ago and remembered enjoying the experience, but it was so lovely to revisit the intricate, nearly dreamlike world woven together by Patchett.  

2. Best book I've been given: the lovely Sarah from the equally love blog TWIMO gave me a copy of The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.  For those of you who are familiar with the title bakery's confections, you can understand the excitement of being able to replicate favorite treats like old fashioned, red velvet, and chocolate heaven cupcakes, not to mention banana pudding and lavender shortbread. YUM.  And for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting this Savannah, GA gem, you should seriously think about making it happen.  Like tomorrow. You will thank me, I promise.

3. Best book based on a Shakespeare play: okay, a rather limited category, but still!  A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley, won the Pulitzer Prize a few years back, and offers a compelling--albeit at times strange and disturbing--re-imagining of King Lear.  Be forewarned: Smiley's version of Lear might just make your stomach churn.

4. Best Book for my mom to read: The Mom Squad is looking for a new read, and I'm thinking she should give The Art of Fielding a try.  I'm in the middle of it right now and so far, so great.  Other potential titles that are on my short list for upcoming reads include: The Age of Miracles, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (thanks for the suggestion, Aunt Lorin!), A Visit from the Goon Squad, and The Marriage Plot.

5. Best Book I've read: 1Q84, by Haruki Murakami. I was thinking of saying best book I've read this year, or perhaps best book I've read since I can't even remember when, but suffice it to say that I really enjoyed Murakami's latest masterpiece.  It manages to be at once utterly fantastic and yet vividly real...you know, one of those books that immerses you in a world so mysterious and impossible and eerily familiar, with characters you just can't shake.  If you like Murakami as much as I do, and if you're okay with a commitment (the book can either be purchased in a three-volume set or as a single, 900 page tome),  I would definitely give it a try.

Alright, that's it for now, but I look forward to chatting with you all again very soon!