GUILTY PLEASURES CAN BE NECESSITIES: WAITING ON “THE THINGS THAT MATTER” — OCT. 3

Welcome to one of the more pleasurable bookish events of the week; Waiting on Wednesdays, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine, is our chance to drool about the delicious books we’re awaiting.

I love all things stylish and beautiful, and I’m a bit obsessed with feathering my nest.  Hence my home is filled with books with glossy pages (as well as all the other kinds of books I read).

Today’s feature is from that Maven of Style, Nate Berkus, whose book The Things That Matter will be released on October 16.  Yay!  Not long to wait.

 

Does your home tell the story of who you are?

In The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus shares intimate stories from his life, introduces us to people who influenced him and helped him forge his sense of style, and opens up about the remarkable experiences that have left him forever changed, all of which find expression in how he lives today. From his most cherished flea market finds, to his beloved books and photos, to the many extraordinary mementos he’s collected in his travels, every piece defines who he’s become and what endures in his world.

Berkus invites readers into his own home as well as into twelve others, including a sleek steel-and-glass high-rise that soars above Chicago, a rustic cottage in the Hudson Valley, an ultra-chic atelier that maximizes every inch of space, a Greenwich Village townhouse that holds multiple art collections, and a study in meaningful minimalism in Marfa, Texas. The distinctive interiors beautifully displayed in this book offer revealing portraits of their owners’ lives and the inspiring choices that have made them who they are today.
 
The Things That Matter convincingly lays out Nate Berkus’s philosophy that things do matter. Our homes tell our stories, they reflect the places we’ve been and the people we’ve loved along the way—and there can be no more beautiful design for living than that.

***

I can’t wait!  And I’m featuring this book on my “guilty pleasures” blog because I love to showcase the beautiful things I love.  Now I’m off to see what you’re awaiting.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAYS — SUMMER BREEZE — MAY 2

In the upcoming summer months, I plan to indulge in some of my guilty pleasures.  Not all of them are chocolates or mimosas; I do love to curl up and read something that takes me to the beach (or a lake) in my mind.

Join our host, Jill, at Breaking the Spine, to see what everyone else is waiting for as the summer months roll around.

Today I’m spotlighting a book from a favorite author who specializes in “guilty pleasures” books.  Nancy Thayer’s Summer Breeze, due out on June 5, 2012, will be on my list.

 

New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer never fails to imbue her novels with warmth and wisdom. In Summer Breeze, the author of Beachcombers and Heat Wave tells the wonderfully moving story of three women who forge a unique bond one sun-drenched summer on New England’s Dragonfly Lake.

Morgan O’Keefe feels trapped in a gilded cage. True, the thirty-year-old mother agreed to put her science career on hold to raise her young son while her husband  pursued his high-powered job. But though Morgan loves many things about staying home with her child, she misses the thrill of working with her colleagues in the lab. She’s restless and in dire need of a change.

Fed up with New York City’s hectic pace, Natalie Reynolds takes up her aunt’s offer to move to the Berkshires and house-sit her fabulous lakeside house for a year. Passionate about applying brush to canvas, Natalie is poised to become the artist she has forever longed to be. But life on Dragonfly Lake is never without surprises, and for a novice swimmer like Natalie, the most welcome surprise proves to be the arms of a handsome neighbor pulling her up from the water for a gulp of air.

When her mother breaks her leg, Bella Barnaby quits her job in Austin and returns home to help out her large, boisterous family. Among her new duties: manning the counter at the family business, Barnaby’s Barn, an outdated shop sorely in need of a makeover. While attractive architect Aaron has designs on her, Bella harbors long held secret dreams of her own.

Summer on Dragonfly Lake is ripe for romance, temptation, and self-discovery as the lives of these three women unexpectedly intertwine. Summer Breeze illustrates how the best of friends can offer comfort, infuriate, or even—sometimes—open one’s eyes to the astonishing possibilities of life lived in a different way. This captivating novel displays a prestigiously gifted writer at the height of her storytelling powers.

***

Don’t you want to join these characters at this beautiful lakeside retreat?

What books are you hoping for today?

 

 

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY — LESSONS IN LAUGHING OUT LOUD — NOV. 30

Welcome to another edition of Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Here at the blog I’m devoting to guilty pleasures, chocolate, mimosas, and life’s pleasures in general, I’m happy to showcase a book about some of those very things.

Lessons in Laughing Out Loud, by Rowan Coleman, is my pleasurable treat for the day.  To be released on 3/20/12, this is a story that spotlights how one young woman finds pleasure again by regaining her self-esteem.

Blurb: 

Internationally bestselling author Rowan Coleman delivers a heartwarming new tale about a recent divorcee who finds the courage to tackle her weight issues, her love life, and the dark family secret that has haunted her for years.Willow Briar (known as Will) is thirty-six-years old, five feet two, and a size eighteen. Now that she’s divorced, Will’s social life revolves around her job—working for her demanding talent agent boss Victoria Kincade—and her best friend Daniel Fayre, a successful fashion photographer for whom she harbors a secret crush.An identical twin, Will has struggled with her self-esteem for years—particularly when she looks at her slim, married, happy sister. One day she finds her luck suddenly turning around after buying a fabulous pair of vintage shoes that make her feel slimmer, taller, and sexier. These shoes seem to have a secret history, and Will starts to wonder if they are a little bit magic.

Little does she know not even a magic eight ball could predict the shocking turn her life is about to take or that the courage she needs to confront her deep-seated issues will require more than a fashion makeover—it will take a life makeover. Armed with newfound confidence to begin her journey, Will finds the courage to face the dark family secrets of her past—and claim the future meant for her.

***

Doesn’t this blurb make you want to find your own pleasurable moments in life?  I hope you’ll come on by and share any delightful tidbits you’ve discovered.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY — CHOCOLATE COVERED MURDER — NOV. 16

 

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

If you’d like to participate, share an upcoming release and link up at Jill’s blog.

Today I’m happy to share another chocolate treat in the form of Chocolate Covered Murder, by Leslie Meier, to be released on 12/27/11.

 

Between a cutthroat dessert contest and her daughter’s new job at the fanciest chocolate shop Tinker’s Cove has ever seen, Lucy Stone is on a steady diet of tempting treats! But with a killer on the loose, and Valentine’s Day around the corner, there may be nothing sweeter than revenge. . .

It’s frigid in snow-covered Tinker’s Cove, and Lucy is fighting the winter blues–and her widening waistline. No one in their right mind would vacation in Maine this time of year, but to boost the economy, the town is launching a travel promotion for Valentine’s Day. As a reporter for the Pennysaver, Lucy is assigned a puff piece on upscale Chanticleer’s Chocolates, and its deliciously handsome owner, Trey Meacham. But when a local fisherman drowns suspiciously, Lucy’s certain her investigative skills could be put to better use. . .

Everyone is shocked when Fern’s Famous Fudge loses its status as “Best Candy on the Coast” to Chanticleer’s pricey newfangled confections. And Lucy soon discovers there’s another tantalizing tart behind the counter. Sultry store manager Tamzin Graves is only too eager to serve her male clientele–who find her as mouthwatering as her beef-jerky-spiked truffles. Leaving a throng of jealous women in her wake, it’s almost no surprise when Tamzin is the next to turn up dead, her body covered in chocolate. . .

Could a bitter ex-wife be behind the crimes? Or a candy shop competitor? There’s no sugar-coating the truth, and as Lucy closes in on the culprit, she may find herself locked in the clutches of a half-baked killer. . .

***

I’m eagerly awaiting this delectable novel, which I can devour for my Cozy Reading Challenge of 2012.

What are you waiting for?  Tell us more….

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY — THE COCOA CONSPIRACY — NOV. 9

Here we are celebrating the upcoming book releases we’re eagerly anticipating through our Waiting on Wednesday event, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

In this, my latest blog, I’m eager to share a bookish treat that fits right in here—this place for all things chocolate—and for my “guilty pleasures.”

The Cocoa Conspiracy, by Andrea Penrose, is a cozy mystery in the Lady Arianna Mystery series, due out December 6, 2011.

 

Lady Arianna’s gift of a rare volume of botanical engravings to her husband, the Earl of Saybrook, has something even more rare hidden inside-sensitive government documents which would mark one they hold dear as a traitor of King and country. To unmask the villain, they must root out a cunning conspiracy-armed only with their wits and expertise in chocolate…

***

I’m new to this series.  In fact, cozy mysteries are the books I often drool over because of their covers and because I enjoy all things cozy, but which I only seem to occasionally read.  So that is why I signed up for the Cozies Reading Challenge for 2012…and why I am showcasing this particular book.

The fact that it has “cocoa” in the title, and this is a blog about chocolate (and mimosas) and all the guilty pleasures…is simply coincidental.  LOL

So what delightful picks do you have today?  Please come on by and share.