Twenty Four At Heart

The Derby Square Bookstore

Piles of books everywhere.

The Derby Square Bookstore in Salem, MA is definitely unique.  You can barely walk in the store because there are stacks of books everywhere.  Finding the cash register when it's time to pay for something is also a challenge.  Somewhere, amid all the stacks, is a small "hole" where a man is hiding with a cash register.

It's hard not to fall in love with this store, but don't expect to find a particular title without help from the employees.  It appears to be pure chaos with aimless stacks of book, although supposedly there is some type of method to the madness.

This is a "must see to believe" type of store.  I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Lost in Laziness

I'll be back tomorrow with a "real" post.

So far, my holiday weekend has consisted of a combination of family time and pure laziness.  It has been WONDERFUL.

Beach, pool, beach ....

Isn't the water so pretty in the above photo?

I'm so lucky to live here.

I went to see Hangover II yesterday.

I did a little summer clothes shopping for my two boys too.  They'd outgrown everything in their closets.

(Did you know shorts for guys have gone shorter and tighter?  Welcome back to the eighties!)

I've been reading, and enjoying, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  It's very appropriate subject matter for Memorial Day when so many of us are remembering, and feeling thankful for, those who have served our country.

I watched Gran Torino via Netflix one night.

Sometimes, it's so nice to turn off the real world and all the responsibilities that go with it.

I hope you're enjoying some down time too!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Random Frivolity

I have one or two more serious subjects I'll be blogging about soon, but today I'm going to keep it light.

Light and breezy ... just like a feminine hygiene commercial!

(Because none of us have enough of those in our lives, do we?)

I want to follow up on a few things from prior posts.

•  Thank you to one of my readers for suggesting I get a Saltwater Canvas beach bag for the summer.  I ordered one, and I'm eager to get my hands on it.  It should be arriving this week, and I can't wait to put it to use.

I'm particularly thrilled it's made out of mesh so it won't accumulate sand at the bottom.  Also, it has lots of pockets which will be just perfect for my wine opener suntan lotion.

•  Phoebe's babies are growing so fast!  She's gotten very protective of them, so I shot this photo with my 400mm lens instead of from inside the grotto:

And yes, I only see three babies.  I think, perhaps, the fourth didn't survive.  They're twelve days old now.  They're very crowded in their nest.  They have real wings and feathers.  I think they'll be learning to fly soon.  I'm still swimming in the pool each day, but I've been staying out of the grotto so Phoebe won't chirp like crazy stress out.

•  I recently read The Color of Water by James McBride.  I loved it and highly recommend it to those of you who haven't already read it.

•  Briefcase has been traveling nonstop, including weekends.  As a result, I've spent a few evenings getting caught up on movies via Netflix.  I'm always way behind everyone else on movies, but I've recently watched and enjoyed:

     1.  The King's Speech

     2.  The Illusionist

     3.  The Queen

     4.  Temple Grandin

     5.  Secretariat

•  My son, RC (the one in college), is home for the summer so I'm back to having two of my three kids in the house.  There's a lot of testosterone floating around my house.

•  Lastly, but most importantly - I want to thank all of you for being so supportive of me as I've worked my way through this recent pain flare-up.  I know I'm horrible about responding to comments, but I read every single one.  You are OFTEN the strength that gets me through my worst days ... 

Thank you!!

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Thursday's Chronicle

I went to one of Orange County's finest day spas for a massage yesterday.

It sounds so fancy-schmancy.  Unfortunately, I visit the spa for therapeutic, not pampering, purposes.  (Some of you may recall, the last time I visited the spa a man named Sick worked on me.)

I'm always in bad shape pain-wise for a few days after a therapeutic massage.  I won't bore you with the my-body-is-more-of-a-train-wreck-than-usual details, but basically it boils down to ....

I'm jacked up on major doses of pain meds and trying to write a post right now.

Forgive me in advance for typos/grammatical errors/general rambling?

Today, I thought I'd cover some "news" I've been meaning to get around to.  I even titled today's post Thursday's Chronicle because it makes it sound so newsy and official, don't ya think?

(It is Thursday, isn't it?)

Wouldn't it be funny if I titled the post Thursday's Chronicle and it was really Tuesday?

* snort *

Since I can't put two thoughts together at the moment, I'm going to try to update you using bullet points.  

Soooooo clever of me!

•  I had an awkward encounter with a woman's nipple outside of the steam room yesterday.

•  My first bullet point probably shouldn't be listed in something official titled Thursday's Chronicle.

•  But - really, I did!

•  Flirty Diva Tees sent me this cute t-shirt after reading my four year anniversary post about my car accident and ongoing struggle recovery.

 

•  Isn't that nice of them?

•  I've been nominated for three (!) local/Orange County blogging awards.  (Favorite Local Orange County Blog, Favorite Orange County Personal Blog, and Favorite Orange County Humor Blog.)  I'm VERY honored to have been nominated at all, let alone in three categories.

•  I'm not going to ask for you to go vote for me. 

•  There are a lot of bloggers in Orange County who really, really, want the validation of being recognized in any way/shape/form for their blogging efforts.  It isn't that I don't like validation and/or getting an occasional pat on the back too (I do!) ... but it's more important to many of them than it is to me.  I've decided to support all the wonderful Orange County bloggers from the sidelines this year.  I wish each and every one of them the best of luck in this local contest.

•  Whew!  It was really difficult to write all of that blogging-award stuff while on pain meds.  I hope I made sense?

•  There were a couple very touching comments on yesterday's post (including one from my daughter).  If you have time to go back and read them, you won't be sorry.

•  I'm currently reading an excellent book called The Pain Chronicles.  I recommend it to any/all of you who suffer from chronic pain.  I also recommend it to those of you who love someone battling chronic pain.

•  I finally caved in and upgraded to Photoshop CS5.  (These are the types of things I do - meaning, online shopping and playing with photos - when sidelined for a few years days.)

•  I'm not very good at getting back to everyone who emails me/comments when I'm going through a bad pain flare up.  I apologize.  I do read every single comment/email you send.  

•  I appreciate (!!) your emails and comments more than you know.  There are many days when your kind words get me through the day.

•  Now, about that awkward encounter with a nipple ....

© Twenty Four At Heart

Books I've Enjoyed Lately

** Yes, publishers send me free books to read with the hope I'll review and publicize them.  No, this is not a sponsored post. I didn't get a free copy of any of the books listed.  Every book named in this post was my personal selection.  **

My writing time yesterday was spent at the Plastic Surgery Party.  I'll have all the details for you next week.  Since I didn't have a lot of time to write, I'm focusing on great reads today.  It's a simple topic and dear to my heart.

I love to read.

Here's a list of a few fiction books I've read recently and really enjoyed:

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

During the summer I also read:

Driving Sideways by Jess Riley

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

All my travel these last few months was great for catching up on my reading.  I inhaled books while waiting around in airports and flying.  The top four books listed were my favorites, but perhaps that's because they are the one's I've read most recently.

How about you?

Have you read any good books lately?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!

© Twenty Four At Heart

I am a Lover of Books

Before I go all bookish on you today, I have to comment on how much I appreciate all the feedback yesterday.  Infidelity, relationship issues, trust between friends ... they're all volatile topics.  Readers had very strong feelings about yesterday's topic and those feelings came out in your comments and emails.  If you didn't have a chance to read the comments yesterday, you might enjoy doing so today.  Some of them were very enlightening.  Some of them were very angry.  Some of them made me laugh.  Some of them also educated me on activities which take place at bachelor's parties.

<blush>

The cover story of Time this week is, ironically, titled Unfaithfully Yours.  Infidelity is an important topic and I'll come back to it again soon.  For today, I'm going to move on to a lighter, happier, subject.

I love books.  

I love my Kindle (electronic reader).  

My regular readers already know about my love for the written word.  Periodically I've asked you to submit lists of favorite books and bribed you to do so with prizes.  It's something I love to do because I always come away with a lot of new ideas for good reads.  I've found some wonderful books from suggestions left by readers.  It's a win-win! 

I like all sorts of books depending on the mood I'm in.  A few of my favorites over the last few years are Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, Pillars of the Earth (and the sequel World Without End) by Ken Follett, The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, and Pretty in Plaid by my fellow blogger Jen Lancaster.  

Oh, and if you want total raunchy romance (explicit) one of my readers recommended the Nauti series by Lora Leigh.  I've only read one book from the series but I'm still fanning myself off.  It's steamy stuff and not for the easily offended.  Of course, if you were easily offended you wouldn't be here visiting me, would you?

All of that being said, I'm doing it again.  I have to be on planes a lot over the next month and a half.  When I'm on planes, or sitting in airports, I consume books at an amazing rate.

I'm offering up a $30 Amazon gift card to one reader today.  

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment giving me the title of a book you've enjoyed.

I'd love to hear of good books you've read this summer, but the title of any book you've appreciated will do.  It can be fiction, nonfiction ... it can even be a cookbook.  

Each comment is worth one entry.  

You may enter as many times as you wish.  If you have five books to recommend, leaving five separate comments will get you five entries but listing them all in one comment only gets you one entry.

I will use a random number generator to pick one person from my comment section as the winner.

Comments must be left prior to 11:00 p.m. Pacific time tonight to be eligible.  I will announce the contest winner tomorrow.  

Good luck and thank you in advance for some great book suggestions!

© Twenty Four At Heart

I Knew My Life Was Erotic?

I've been a little restless these last two weeks.  My schedule has been busy, but my mind has not been stimulated.  I've been going through some painful turmoil with my arm and the resulting PT, MRI, doctor visits, thirty foot needles, etc. have been time consuming.  Briefcase flew out for a week long trip on Mother's Day.  My kids have been so busy I've barely seen them.

I'm restless.  I'm antsy.  I need ... something.

I downloaded a few highly recommended books to my Kindle.  I consumed them in no time.  I was tired of thinking books.  I decided to download an Erotic Novel.  Technically, I guess it's a Romance Novel but ..?  I don't read trashy novels very often.  Once in awhile I'll read one at the beach when I totally want my brained turned off and my body turned on.  Probably one book per year filled with mindless smut is enough for me.

Now, I'm not going to tell you the name of the book I downloaded so don't ask.  It's supposed to be hot and steamy and rawr!  Instead, I find myself laughing out loud and mentally editing the book as I read it.

In the book the heroine has "two strong sexy men catering to her erotic whims."  First of all, I immediately nicknamed the heroine Ho Ho.  Once I did that, it became very difficult to take her exploits seriously.

Ho Ho has two men wanting to please her.  

How many women really want two men?  I mean in reality, not in fantasy.  Two men to drop their socks on the floor, invite guests over unannounced, bitch about the bills, leave the toilet seat up, and "forget" to mention when their family is coming to visit.  

Hypothetically, of course.

There are a lot of threesomes in this particular book which I wasn't expecting.  Not that I really took any time to form expectations, but I figured it would be a typical romance novel with a man and a woman who overcome obstacles to eventually be together. 

Isn't that the case in just about every heterosexual romance story out there? 

Instead, I'm reading about Ho Ho and her two men.  One of her men is Genius and the other is Hung.  

Stop laughing!

Once in awhile she spends some *time* just with Genius.  They discuss physics while they're getting physical.  <snicker>  Other times she spends *time* just with Hung.  Ho Ho and Hung definitely do not discuss physics together.  Ho Ho and Hung do take a lot of showers together though.  

Showers with very slippery soap as it so happens.  Oh, and there's a conveniently located shelf in the shower at the perfect height for ....

Frequently Ho Ho, Genius, and Hung all get together at the same time.  

I don't think Ho Ho knows that Genius and Hung sneak away together now and then too.

And oh yes, one time Ho Ho snuck off with one of Genius's female staff members too.

This book has something for everyone I suppose.

I just wish I could stop laughing long enough to take it seriously.

Do you ever read romance or erotic novels?  Does anyone have any good recommendations?  Perhaps novels with an actual plot in addition to steamy romance?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Kindle My Flame

I have a new love in my life.  It's truly been an unexpected love affair.  I thought I couldn't love any more deeply than I already did, but alas, I've fallen hard.

I have a new toy.  No, my gift basket hasn't arrived yet.  (It has been mailed though so it should be arriving any day now!)  I received birthday money from different family members, I added in a little of my own, and I splurged on myself.  This is out of the ordinary for me.  I usually have a hard time indulging myself.  Unexpected birthday money?  Let's save it for the kids' Christmas presents or spend it on the house. The last couple years have been tough.  I decided I deserved something special just for myself. 

I bought a Kindle.

First of all, this is not a paid product endorsement.  I promise.  

Second, some of you are asking, "What the hell is a Kindle?"  Apparently, Oprah recently reviewed the Kindle on her show.  Probably a lot of you saw that?  I didn't see it because I never, ever, have time to watch TV. Let me give a brief explanation for those readers who are unfamiliar with the Kindle.  A Kindle is an electronic reading device invented by Amazon.  It is about the size of a paperback book, extremely lightweight (10 ounces I think) and very thin.  Here's a picture of PR holding my Kindle sideways. 

Amazon came out with the Kindle about a year ago and I've been eyeing them warily ever since.

The Kindle has an "electronic paper" non-glare screen.  Non-glare being very important. You can increase your reading font to whatever size you are comfortable with.  You can order books and receive them wireless in 60 seconds or less.  And no, you do not need to be in a wi-fi zone to do so. The wireless service is the same as that used by cell phones.

You can subscribe to many newspapers (NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal ... hey, even my local Orange County Register) and they will be delivered to your Kindle overnight on a daily basis no matter where you are.  A few blogs and many magazines are also available on Kindle.

OK, here's where I admit that I don't know if the Kindle is available yet outside of the United States.  If it's not, I imagine it will be soon.

I love to read.  I love bookstores.  I love books.  I love the smell of books, the feel of books, the touch of them in my hands.  Nothing could ever replace that love.  For the last year I've tried to ignore all the wonderful features Kindle offers.  Now that I have a Kindle, now that I've actually held one in my hands and read that beautiful six inch screen, I'm sorry I waited so long to make the purchase.  

I am a voracious reader.  When I have time to read I inhale books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs at an amazing rate.  I'm constantly donating the books I've read to our local library.  I don't think they can believe the number I've dropped off.  I feel guilty about the number of trees that have sacrificed their lives to support my reading habit. Kindles are a very "green" product.  Which is not to say I won't still read some books in book form.  But my Kindle?  Sigh ... I love it.

There are so many cool things a Kindle does, I can't possibly list them all in one post. Is it expensive?  Yes it is, but it will pay for itself in no time.  The price has dropped from around $400 to $359.  One of my readers told me about the Oprah discount (now expired) and I got mine for $309. Most of the hot bestsellers, however, only cost $9.99 so you save money on your books. (About a $17 saving on each hardcover bestseller and no shipping or wireless costs!)  I've downloaded several books so far and only one was nine bucks. (Water For Elephants - oh how I love that book!)  The other books I've ordered have ranged from three to six dollars.  That's a substantial savings!

Your Kindle can store around 200 books and if you add a memory card when it's full you can probably add another 200 on it. What happens when it's full?  You can change your memory card to make more room or delete books.  You don't really lose the books you delete though because Amazon keeps every Kindle purchase in a cyberspace library for you and if you want to re-read a book you've deleted you can just download it again (for free).  This is also a great safety net in case you ever lose your Kindle. 

Why?  Why would I love a machine over a book?  My Kindle has 190,000 books available right now and that number is growing quickly.  If I'm at a baseball tournament with PR and I have a two hour wait between games I can pull it out from my purse and read.  If I finish the book I'm reading, with the push of a button I instantly have another to begin. Without going anywhere!  

Imagine just for a minute ... doctor's waiting rooms (where I've spent an awful lot of time these last two years!), dentist's offices, PT, airports, sitting in the car waiting to pick up your kid at school or activities.  The places you can whip that Kindle out of your purse or briefcase to read are endless.  It's lightweight enough to transport it around with you easily.

The Kindle comes with a real-life leather book cover that it fits in so you still can have that wonderful sense of holding a book in your hands if you want it. 

This is absolutely the ideal gift for anyone who travels.  Take one 10 ounce electronic book with you for 3 weeks of travel and never run out of reading material. Well, ideal for anyone except for Briefcase.  He loses everything he takes with him traveling ... sunglasses (countless!), iPods (three!), books (countless!), anything and everything.  It's too bad because otherwise this would be the perfect gift for him. 

If you love books, add a Kindle to your wish list.  I think you'll love it as much as I do! 

Contest Day #4

Happy Halloween!

(Photo taken at Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach.) 

It's been a great birthday week!  Thank you everyone for participating in my 24th Internet birthday party. 

I have to tell you, two of my favorite things are reading and writing.  I consume books, magazines, and blogs at an amazing rate.  Lately I've been thinking I could use some new reading material.  I've been searching the Internet and the bookstores for some good reads.

The one place I still need to look is Amazon.  Amazon is probably my favorite online site.  I can spend hours perusing all the books, music, dvds, gifts, and everything imaginable they have to offer.  I think it's only fitting that I indulge myself a little this week since it's my birthday week.  I'd like you to join me!

Today's Contest:

I am giving away TWO Amazon gift cards valued at $50 each!

You may continue to enter all contests through this weekend.

You may enter as many times as you'd like - one entry per comment. 

Winners of all contests will be announced on Monday, November 3rd.  The contests will close at 5 p.m. Pacific time on my real birthday, Sunday, November 2nd.

Winners will be picked randomly utilizing the Random Integer Generator.

Just leave a comment telling me the name of a favorite book, or blog, to help me expand my reading horizons! 

You may also still enter here to win an iTunes gift card valued at $25!

You may also still enter here to win a Starbucks gift card valued at $30!

You may also still enter here to win a Target gift card vaued at $40! 

Happy 24th birthday to me!