For those who have visited this blog—or my Potpourri site—you know that I’m a big fan of soap operas.

In 2011, two of my favorites were cancelled from the ABC network….and an Internet project was launched.  It seemed as though it would never happen, but on April 29, 2013, All My Children and One Life to Live came to Hulu.com/

It took the first week for me to work out the kinks and find my viewing mojo.  With the help of an HDMI cable, I can now connect my laptop to my flat screen TV…and voila!  Viewing pleasure.

Each episode is around 30 minutes in length, but I like this for a couple of reasons.  The pace of the show is faster….and I can watch with very little fuss or time spent away from other activities.  Online viewing is great in another way:  you can watch anytime!

What are your guilty pleasures?  What treats do you give yourself?

Welcome to some bookish/guilty pleasures fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!

Today I’d like to revisit Blossom Street, with Debbie Macomber’s book:  Summer on Blossom Street.

Beginning:  (Lydia Goetz)

Wednesday morning, a not-so-perfect June day, I turned over the Open sign at my yarn store on Blossom Street.  Standing in the doorway I breathed in the sweet scent of day lilies, gladiolas, roses and lavender from Susannah’s Garden, the flower shop next door.

***

56:  Anne Marie was touched by the girl’s generosity.  Ellen had spent all the money she’d saved from her allowance on trinkets for her school friends, as well as Melissa, Anne Marie’s stepdaughter, and her baby boy.

***

Amazon Blurb:  Knitting and life. They’re both about beginnings–and endings. That’s why it makes sense for Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle’s Blossom Street, to offer a class called Knit to Quit. It’s for people who want to quit something–or someone!–and start a new phase of their lives.

First to join is Phoebe Rylander. She recently ended her engagement to a man who doesn’t know the meaning of “faithful, ” and she’s trying to get over him. Then there’s Alix Turner. She and her husband, Jordan, want a baby, which means she “has” to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson joins the class because he needs a way to deal with the stress of running his family’s business–not to mention the lawsuit brought against him by an unscrupulous lawyer.

Life can be as complicated as a knitting pattern. Just ask Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, finally have the happiness they wished for. And then a stranger comes to her bookstore asking questions.

Or ask Lydia herself. Not only is she coping with her increasingly frail mother, but she and Brad have unexpectedly become foster parents to an angry, defiant twelve-year-old.

But as Lydia already knows, when life gets difficult and your stitches are snarled, your friends can “always” help!

***

Now that summer is on the horizon, I am eager to visit Blossom Street.  What are you eager to read today?

Welcome to some bookish/guilty pleasures fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!

The author whose book I’ve chosen today is one of my favorites.  I so enjoy her writing style and themes which is why it is almost impossible to let a new book of hers sit on my nightstand while I diligently work my way through the books ahead of it in the queue.

Tapestry of Fortunes, by Elizabeth Berg, is a book I’m happy to shout out about today.

Beginning:  When I was growing up, my mother’s best friend was a woman named Cosmina Mandruleanu.  I liked her for a lot of reasons:  her name, of course; her ash-blond hair and throaty voice and loud laugh; her bangle bracelets and black nylons and the way she was generous with the Juicy Fruit gum she always kept in her purse.

***

56:  When I start down the hall, I hear Lise on the phone.  She’s angry, shouting.  “Well, I’m sorry that I bothered you.  I haven’t heard from you for a while and so I thought I’d check in.  I won’t keep you.”

***

Amazon Blurb:  In this superb new novel by the beloved author of Open House, Home Safe, and The Last Time I Saw You, four women venture into their pasts in order to shape their futures, fates, and fortunes.

Cecilia Ross is a motivational speaker who encourages others to change their lives for the better. Why can’t she take her own advice? Still reeling from the death of her best friend, and freshly aware of the need to live more fully now, Cece realizes that she has to make a move—all the portentous signs seem to point in that direction.

She downsizes her life, sells her suburban Minnesota home and lets go of many of her possessions. She moves into a beautiful old house in Saint Paul, complete with a garden, chef’s kitchen, and three housemates: Lise, the home’s owner and a divorced mother at odds with her twenty-year-old daughter; Joni, a top-notch sous chef at a first-rate restaurant with a grade A jerk of a boss; and Renie, the youngest and most mercurial of the group, who is trying to rectify a teenage mistake. These women embark on a journey together in an attempt to connect with parts of themselves long denied. For Cece, that means finding Dennis Halsinger. Despite being “the one who got away,” Dennis has never been far from Cece’s thoughts.

In this beautifully written novel, leaving home brings revelations, reunions, and unexpected turns that affirm the inner truths of women’s lives. “Maybe Freud didn’t know the answer to what women want, but Elizabeth Berg certainly does,” said USA Today. Elizabeth Berg has crafted a novel rich in understanding of women’s longings, loves, and abiding friendships, which weave together into a tapestry of fortunes that connects us all.

***

So I shall enjoy my “guilty pleasures” read; I hope you will stop by and share your thoughts.

Not too far into Oodles of Poodles (A Pet Rescue Mystery), the acerbic director of the movie, Hans Marford, is murdered, and Veterinarian Carlie Stellan, who was observed arguing with him over animal treatment, is deemed a Person of Interest. Naturally, Lauren, who considers herself an amateur sleuth, agrees to try to figure out who murdered him.

While there were cute scenarios involving the animals, and some of the dialogue was funny and even interesting, I didn’t find this mystery to be very captivating. The amateur sleuth was definitely not very adept at the job, and we can emphasize the “amateur” aspect. She bluntly asked people if they had committed the murder, and then queried them as to what their motives might have been. Not at all professional, but then she is supposed to be an amateur.

In the end, the mystery is solved, and only accidentally, and not by anything Lauren has done. When the perpetrator was revealed, I did not even have a very good fix on this thinly developed character.

I did feel the purpose of the shelters and the movie featuring these issues were valuable themes…and this one is a story that animal lovers will probably enjoy. But I wouldn’t recommend it for those who are expecting a sleuth who knows how to follow the clues. 3.5 stars.

Welcome to some bookish fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!

What better way to spend a Friday?

My selection today is from Oodles of Poodles, by Linda O. Johnston.

Beginning:  I adore animals, and will do nearly anything not only to save them, but to make them happy, too.

That made it particularly hard to look through the chain-link fence at the end of the kennel run in the facility I was visiting and see that adorable, sad doggy face.

***

56:  She aimed her next wry smile toward the coffee cup in her hand.  “Imagine really nasty and you’ll have it.”

***

Amazon Blurb:  Shelter manager and pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver once again takes on the role of amateur sleuth when there’s a murder on a film set . . .

Has Hollywood gone to the dogs? Pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver is observing production on a new movie called Sheba’s Story. The title character—a white Miniature poodle—is played by many similar-looking poodles, and to make sure no animals are harmed, Lauren’s friend, veterinarian Carlie Stellan, and Grant, a handsome representative from the American Humane Association, are on location. But when the film’s director is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run after arguing with Carlie about animal safety, it’s up to Lauren to clear her friend’s name and catch a killer before someone else ends up in oodles of deadly trouble.

***

Cozy mysteries are another of my guilty pleasures, so I’m eagerly awaiting my journey through this one.  Come on by and let’s chat about your books, your guilty pleasures, or whatever….

Sometimes our guilty pleasures in life are not about sweet things, like chocolate or even mimosas.

Yesterday I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a delectable feast of Corned Beef and Cabbage…with my daughter.

Is there anything more yummy?  Perhaps a little green beer along with it?  Or maybe just some good wine…or even some Irish whiskey.

Are you feeling the pleasure yet? 

What is your favorite thing to do on St. Paddy’s Day?

Enjoying life’s guilty pleasures

Sometimes it may seem as though this blog is about touting life’s pleasures, to the exclusion of our responsibilities and obligations.

But that’s not our motto.  No, it’s about making sure to include the guilty pleasures (or even just our simple pleasures, with no guilt involved).  Enjoying our days, even as we also try to meet our obligations.

Prioritizing those obligations is important, however.  Is it absolutely necessary to have an immaculate house?  Is reading for pleasure verboten?  Must we only think of what we must do?

Here’s a thought about clean houses:

Okay…my house is not in danger of bringing the Health Department to my door…and I do like a level of organization.  Just because I want to find things.  And even photograph my spaces, for blog headers and posts…lol

However, there is probably more dust on the surfaces than I need….

So let’s imagine how you’ll feel as you approach your golden years and ponder the things you will regret…and those you won’t.  I’ll bet you won’t be thinking you should have cleaned your house more often.  But you might wish you had gone on more trips, spent more time with friends and family, and just enjoyed MORE.

What do you think?  Does feeling good and enjoying life somehow take away from the important things?  Or do those pleasures enhance your life?

I vote for plenty of pleasure mixed in with the other ingredients of each day.

Welcome to another Monday of Musing, hosted by Should Be Reading.

We have a list of several possible things to chat about today:

Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

***

I do like to rant about the guilty pleasures in my life on this blog.  And many of those are books I’m drooling over.

Amy Hatvany is an author I discovered within the last couple of years, and her upcoming release is one I’ve preordered:

Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

More details:  Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Then there’s Kate Atkinson’s upcoming release that I’m seeing all around the blogosphere, although my copy won’t be coming until April…GRRR!

Life After Life feels like a departure for this author, who has brought us a great detective series with characters I love.

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.

Does Ursula’s apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can — will she?

Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best.

***

Don’t these look and sound delicious?  Here’s another cover for Life After Life….

I’ve also seen other covers around the blogs.  I wonder which one I’ll actually get?  This is a book I ordered as a print version…lately I’ve been buying for Sparky to help deal with my overflowing shelves, but I had to have it as a physical book!

Do you find yourself missing the print books when you’re reading on your Kindle or Nook?

What are your favorite kinds of books…from authors you love?  Or from new and recently discovered ones?  Here’s a book I’ve reviewed for a blog tour starting today:  check it out!  Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans is not just a guilty pleasure for me…it’s a story that digs deep into the hearts and souls of the characters, revealing secrets and mysteries of the past.

Curl up and rediscover the things you love and the characters who engage you.

Welcome to another Musing Mondays, an event that allows us to rant, to share, and to visit other blogs.  Check out Should Be Reading for the other participants.

Here’s what we do:

Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

***

Last night, I started reading a book by Rainbow Rowell, called Attachments.  I’d had my eye on this one for awhile, but because this author is new to me, decided to borrow the book from the library.

Amazon Description:  Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it’s someone you’ve never met.

***

I’ve read a few chapters, and I’m already enjoying the characters.  The story alternates between the two women whose story comes out in their e-mails; and then we get to meet Lincoln, whose job it is to stop personal e-mailing in the office.

I can already sense the dilemma he’s in, as he finds himself increasingly intrigued by the two women.

What are the rest of you ranting/sharing about today?

Welcome to Chocolate & Mimosas

Welcome to another Musing Mondays, our special event for bookish thoughts and rants.

Our Prompts:

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

***

As I study these prompts, I am torn between them.  Yes, I have discussed each of them at one time or another.  And today I’m at a loss.  Would that be fodder for a rant?

First of all, let me say that I am loving my current read:  The History of Us, by Leah Stewart.  I’m only in the beginning chapters, but already I’m seeing so many issues that will reach out and grab us.  Family has a way of doing that, don’t you think?

But what I’m really thinking about is how one of my guilty pleasures is memoirs written by celebrities…or authors.  It’s a toss-up as to which ones I love most.  Probably the author memoirs feed my mind, while the celebrity ones feed my curiosity.

Like the one I read yesterday:  The Art of Men, by Kirstie Alley (click for my review)

I’m glad I borrowed this one from the library.  While I enjoyed satisfying my curiosity on some things, it’s not a book that I want to keep.

That’s one of my reading habits lately.  With books on my list that aren’t destined for my library:  go online and request them from the library.  I’ve been doing that lately, and getting the requested books surprisingly quickly.

Perhaps I’ve waited long enough, until the buzz factor has died down.  Whatever….I’m glad to be doing this.

I am also downloading more books for Sparky.  This helps with the bookshelf issue, and also avoids shipping costs.

But some books must end up on my shelf, like this one coming  in May:

Looking for Me, by Beth Hoffman, is lovely to look at…and destined for my shelves.  So I ordered the print version.

This one will also satisfy a guilty pleasure, as it’s about refurbishing antiques and collectibles.  What I love to do!

So….let’s sum up:

Guilty pleasures, new and old reading habits, and satisfying my bookish love in new ways.  A rant?  Or just a musing….