It’s no coincidence that we celebrate Valentine’s Day and National Condom Day on February 14th. If you are looking for love remember to use a condom when you love so you can continue to love for a long long time. If you plan on staying home to spend time with those you already love have a wonderful day celebrating why you love each other. And remember…no matter how you love, or whom you love, or if anyone else understands your love…today of all days, love on.
I love – and hate – when I begin a book that I can’t put down so I speed read late into the night just to see what will happen next and before I know it I’ve finished the tale. That’s what just happened with Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder.
The story takes place during the late 1850’s in a small out-of-the way town in Ireland and revolves around two characters: Lib, an English atheist and Florence Nightingale trained nurse and Anna, a devoutly Catholic 11-year old who has survived on ‘manna from heaven’ for 4 months. We follow Lib and Anna over a two-week span of time, as they go from wary strangers to fast family. Along the way questions of family, faith, science, service, media, and fame are explored. Ms. Donoghue is so adept at weaving a nuanced, layered tale I found myself going from ‘no way’ to ‘what if’ before ending in ‘of course’ after finishing the last page and then immediately wanting more.
This is the third Emma Donoghue book that I’ve read and she has become one of my favorite fiction writers. I first read Room, which I found to be claustrophobically incredible (although it left me with no desire to view the movie adaptation). My next Emma book was Frog Music , a murder mystery about a cross-dressing, bicycle riding frog catcher that I learned was based on actual people living in San Francisco during the smallpox epidemic and heat wave of 1876. After reading a bit more about Ms. Donoghue I am adding The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits , Life Mask , and The Sealed Letter to my must read list. If these books are half as good as the first three I will be in for a real reading treat.
How about you. Have you read any of Emma’s books? Which was your favorite? Id love to know…
It’s been fifteen years since the first National Wear Red Day, which sought to educate women about the number 1 lady killer – heart disease. A decade and a half later heart disease still kills too many women, often because they fail to recognize the warning signs specific to females. Help your heart stay healthy by exercising, following the food pyramid eating guidelines, quitting smoking, and having your cholesterol levels checked. You can also sport some red this Friday to let the world know just how much you value your heart – and the hearts of those you love!
For the past week I have done nothing but lie flat on my back, trying to recover from a bulging disc. I’ve binge watched so many episodes of Real Housewives (Atlanta! Beverly Hills! London!) and Fixer Upper that I am feeling an overwhelming need to get a spray tan and a tight dress so I can shiplap my entire house. I’ve played endless rounds of online Scrabble (W 10 L 2) and surfed the web for anything to keep my mind off the pain. Here are a few things that caught my eye:
Hoping you have a lovely – and pain free – weekend!
I always like to wear something stylish on my birthday. I received some lovely clothes for Christmas and have been saving some of the items to wear on my big day. Since I have to work I don’t have anything special planned but I am counting on a nice homemade meal followed by a few episodes of The Crown and Vikings with occasional pauses for phone greetings from my loved ones. All in all a perfect way to celebrate another year of life!
If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know I love to travel. Whether it’s a day trip, weekend get-away, or week long adventure I am always game to go. Next up – Miami and Havana!
I spent 5 years in the 80’s living in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach so going back to South Florida to visit my old haunts (and friends) is going to be a blast. As if that weren’t enough I am also going to spend a few days in Cuba – a place I’ve always dreamed of visiting but never thought I’d actually get a chance to see in person.
I know plenty about South Florida and next to nothing about Cuba so I’ve purchased a few tourist guides (Fodor’s Cuba (Travel Guide) and Lonely Planet Cuba (Travel Guide)) and created a Cuba Ricky! inspiration page. I also sent off for a new passport, since the last time I traveled out of the States was to ring in the 21st century at the foot of Edinburgh Castle.
I love the endless possibilities and the planning that go along with travel and over the next few months I will be sharing my plans with you. Have you spent any time exploring Miami or Havana? Do you have any tips you can share that would help me plan my trip or suggestions for places to go, things to do, and – perhaps most important – restaurants I should visit? I’d love to know…
I have been reading ‘Three Sisters, Three Queens‘ by Philippa Gregory and I find myself aggravated and intrigued by turns… Continue reading “Her majesty’s a pretty nice girl…”
With temperatures hovering in the single digits I’m looking forward to building a fire, making a tasty appetizer tray, and settling in to watch ‘The Golden Globes’. TGG is my favorite award show of all (and there will be plenty from now until February 26th when the Oscars air) because it combines beautiful people, high fashion and copious amounts of booze.
I am a sucker for red carpet fashion and end up spending way too much time on the internet the next day, examining everyone’s outfits. I am looking forward to seeing what Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga, Hailee Steinfeld, Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman, Evan Rachel Wood, Issa Rae, Thandi Newton, and Lena Headey decide to wear since each has a unique style. Coincidently, each these ladies have appeared in my favorite 2016 small and big screen flicks, so I am rooting for them to be able to complete their looks with a Golden Globe!
Did you see any of the nominated movies and TV shows? What was your favorite movie from 2016? How about TV show? Will you watch the Globes? Who do you think will win? I always fill out a ballot and see how closely my choices mirror the actual winners – if you like to do the same you can download a ballot and we can compare notes (and fashion favorites) come Monday.
One of my favorite gifts to receive is a book, or more specifically, books. My Santa Momma gave me 9 books that have been on my ‘2B…or not 2B Reads‘ Pinterest board for awhile now. I am almost finished with my current read and then I’ve got a big decision to make – what gift do I begin first? Decisions, decisions…just the sort of dilemma I love to resolve.
Happy 2017 everyone. I hope Santa treated you well and you got to spend lots of quality time with those you care most about. I enjoyed a week of downtime and cooked, binge-watched movies, TV shows, and sporting events (Go Clemson), and played nightly cutthroat Scrabble games with family and friends.
I am not a big one for New Year’s resolutions (see here). Instead, I use January 1st to brainstorm about the future. Last year, I hoped to find inspiration through books, movies, fashion, travel, and art. Looking back through my posts from the past year I can say that I was definitely achieved my goal, finding influence through my travel (here), fashion (here and here), and reading (here and here).
As for 2017, I will continue to find inspiration as I always have while setting a few goals for myself (such as posting on a more regular basis). As the year proceeds I will be sharing my creations and adventures with all of you so stay tuned. And thank you for reading – it means the world to me.
All the best for 2017!
The Grey Goddess 