Books I've Read

Dear ITSS Reader,

   As summer comes to a close, you all must have read a few books, while traveling, camping or just laying at the beach. Personally, I've read quite a few starting in the spring and into the summer. All of these stories are varied, which is good. This all thanks to our book swapping parties and a couple of shopping excursions to Costco and Barnes & Nobles. The last one I read is my favorite close second in Julia Child's memoir. 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is such a great fictional story based on the German Occupation of one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Great Britain during WWII. I know you may think that sounds boring and tedious. But one, it was educational and two, though it's a piece of fiction based on facts, you really believe these people exist. They become your friends. I laughed out loud and cried and smiled throughout the book. It's written in the style of letters exchange by quite a few people. I had mixed emotions about this, but then I couldn't wait to read the next letter. This is a must read, I think my Mom would love this book. 

Go here to purchase!

Now reader, this next book is alarming and educational. I probably wouldn't have picked this up, but someone at the book swap party said it was a must read. It's a piece of Non-Fiction.  Why is it alarming?  Because as I sip my latte's and take walks on the beach I am oblivious to all the seedy interactions taking place around the world. You will see inside U.S. politics and the manipulation of so many people and countries for greed. Made me irritated and mad, but I feel slightly more informed. Personally I think this should be a movie, although parts of it I'm sure have already been used. It features a few countries, Panama and Saudi Arabia sticking out most in mind. If you are like me and grew up in the 70's you'll understand the oil crisis issue (long lines at the gas pump ring any bells) in the U.S. much more after you've read this book. 

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This one is a very small attempt at satisfying your Downton Abbey drought.  It's a quick summer read of how American's love having titles and do all they can to make sure their rich little girls marry an aristocrat of some sort. 

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Julia Child's story made me want to go back to school. In fact I checked out a few culinary schools looking for a good story and to feed my pastry passion. This is a delightful read and an inspiring tale of how a woman can start a new career later in life. If you didn't love Julia before this you will afterward. This goes on my top 10 list of favorite books. 

Go here to purchase!

If you can't travel aboard physically, how about mentally? This book took me to Venice and an intriguing fictional story of glass blowing. It made me want to go back to Versailles, you'll have to read why, and back to Venice and the Island of Murano. Now Glassblowing is one more thing to add to my ever growing list of things I want to learn if I had eternity to do so. 

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Did you read Eat, Pray, Love or just watch the movie?  If you read it you'd love Luca Spaghetti, which is why I picked this up.  He's a funny story teller and a passionate Italian and AS Roma fan.  I fun read.  

Go here to purchase

Now reader I do hope you are intrigued by these books.  It's a nice mix of serious, fluffy, informative, inspirational stories both real and imagined.  Enjoy but please tell me what are you reading?  What was your summer favorite book? Tell me please.

Sincerely,

Tanya

Books I've Read

So at the very first book swap party I was determined to leave with only

one

 book, as I have shelves of books at home. However a 10 year old and his Nani convinced me that

The Hunger Games

 was a must read.  I hadn't seen a 10 year old that excited about a book in a long time.  So I took the book and Sunday morning opened it and that night finished it.  I literally couldn't put it down, it was that good.  On Monday I had to have the other two books, so I called Deb and asked her for them, even begging her to leave them on the porch since she was going out that evening.  The other too I read within the next week, work got in the way of my 24 hour marathon read.

This sequel is pretty good, I enjoyed it almost as much as the original.

Sums up the story but my least favorite of the three.

I really enjoyed the

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

 I may have been drawn to the title because of my own self-titled story about my travels to Cuba

here

.

This is a sweet story about a time that is a bit of an embarrassment to Americans during the WWII and the prejudice against the Japanese.  I found it very informative and Jamie Ford a wonderful storyteller.

Another book I haven't seen the move to yet, I always like to read the books before I see the movie version. This way my imagination can determine who and what everyone looks like.  This is another commentary on prejudice and opening peoples eyes to that fact we're all human beings.

The first computer I worked on in my first job was

this

.  I've grown up with the Mac and in my industry everyone aspires to do the kind of marketing that Apple does.  So while I haven't read a biography in a long time this was a must read.  Insightful journey into a genius mind, albeit with a nasty style of management.  He did get it down and revolutionized an industry and the way we interact with each other.  As for management style I think I know a few people who have read this book and do exactly as he did, and to them "no thank you."

I'm working on a few more on my nightstand and hidden in all kind of places that I keep discovering.  So as I get thru those ones I'll post about them.  Enjoy the above for now.

Peanut Butter Bars

So this last week was a whirlwind.  Book swap party, 30th wedding anniversary party and children books party for a baby to come.   Pheww.  For the book swap party, which was given by "My Life At Playtime," I volunteered to make a dessert.  While surfing Pinterest I found a gorgeous peanut butter bar and I was determined to make it for this party.  For the recipe go here.  Only comment on the recipe is that I would put the pan in the refrigerator right after you put the second layer of peanut butter on.  It needs to harden a bit before you smear the last layer of chocolate.  

Since this was a book swapping party I took one of my old college books that I wouldn't will on anyone, Plato's Last Days of Socrates.  I cut up strips, wrapped them around the cold bars and tied them with twine.  This made up for the fact that cutting these bars was a hot mess.  These are decadent, very rich, I saw people cutting them in half, but well they came back for the other half too.

As for the books I chose, well I only wanted one and I took three, sorry SB, I couldn't help myself.  I chose The Help, The Hunger, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  That last one has my name written all over it.  I'll tell you how I feel about them once I get them read.  I have SOoooo many books right now.  

One last thing, I have to say I'm liking my iPhone photos better than my expensive camera, go figure.

Happy 4 Year Blog Anniversary

On June 27th I've been a blogger for 4 years.  Time got away from me to post that day, but I still love using this place as a creative outlet and sharing my travels and food adventures.  I really thought this blog would be more about food, but when I took an edit of the site I realized I post more travel adventures then food.  Which makes sense as travel logs are my favorite types of books to read.

Here's a few I keep going back too and recommend. And yes E I do read my books more then once and thus I do need a bookshelf (more to come on that later).

I follow David's blog and now on twitter....he is hilarious.  

A great view on what it's really like to live in Paris.

 

Another book I re-read just about every summer.  I want to buy a house is Tuscany in another life.

I've read most of Frances Mayes books all are very good: Bella Tuscany,  A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller and recently read Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life.

Recently I discovered Bill Bryson.  I read A Walk in the Woods and laughed out loud so I just picked up the book above, Notes from a Small Island. And again, I lay in bed laughing out loud.

 

And finally Peter Mayle.  I tried to read this book in my early twenties when I was just started my advertising career.  I wasn't into it.  Give myself a number of years later and I reread this book and loved it.  Peter is an old ad guy moved to Provence and writes a witty tale.  I've read just about everything he's wrote Encore Provence: New Adverntures in the South of France, Toujours Provence, French Lessons: Adventures iwth Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew and one of my favorites A Good Year, also love this movie with Russell Crow and Marion Clotilde.

I personally hope to find new fun reads and enjoy yet another year posting away and snapping pictures of interesting things I see and hear.  Thanks to the very few followers for coming by to check up on the adventures.