Saturday, March 27, 2010

Spring in France, or Italy

Spring Break has officially arrived in my town, only my husband has to go to work today.  It's a special Saturday for high school seniors considering coming to the university in the fall. Rick will teach a shortened class for them today on communication and popular culture.
 
I don't have to teach today - I'll be reading.  Yesterday afternoon the kids and I visited the public library.  I put several books on reserve, browsed the shelves, and came out with:
  • Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes (a memoir)
  • Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France by Peter Mayle
  • The Time Paradox by Philip Zimbardo (non-fiction)
So you can see, I'll be spending my Spring Break time traveling between France and Italy.

spring reading

Thinking about picking up a fiction book to start as well.  I just finished a preview copy of Marybeth Whalen's The Mailbox, which releases this summer.  I enjoyed it and think it will make great beach reading. As always, I'm all ears for any good reads you've found recently.

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have a well planned Spring break. Hope you enjoy your journey as you travel between the two cities. I've always been a reader (mostly fiction) but for sometime I had lost my joy in reading but this week it has returned. I found some wonderful fiction books several years ago through eHarlequin that are inspirational in content with the stories. They have really been a blessing reading about people who lost their way and then found their way back to the Lord. Of course there is always the romance which intrigues me. They are called Love Inspired through Steeple Hill, very well written by Christian authors without all the, well you know the type of books I'm talking about that leave nothing to the imagination.
    Have a nice spring break.

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  2. I'm looking into The Mailbox as well for my April reading...Some other ones: 66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb or Daisy Chain by Mary E. Demuth. I'm undecided...but I may check out The Time Paradox that you mentioned...

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  3. FallingintoFavor - just FYI, The Mailbox doesn't release until June. I was reading an advanced copy that isn't in stores yet. So plan that one for June and work on others on your list until then. :)

    FromtheHeart = so glad you've got your reading groove back!

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  4. I'm in the middle of reading Jodi Piccoult's latest, "House Rules"...usual thought-provoking stuff from one of my favourite authors.

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  5. Hmmm tuscany and provance are my favorite vacation destinations. been to tuscany 7 times and 5 to provance... This year again tuscany... it is really as beautifull as they say...
    We go camping there for 3 weeks!

    What are the best parts of US to visit?

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  6. I love the new look on your blog. Guess it's been a while since I stopped by to see you!

    I loved reading Charles Stanley's book, How to Reach Your Full Potential for God.

    Have a great break!

    Blessings,
    Pearls

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  7. I am reading Pride and Prejudice and So long Insecuritey by Beth Moore.

    Love your list. I may have to check those out.

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  8. Have you read Mayle's Year in Provence? One of my absolute favorites. If you're into travel literature, Under the Tuscan Sun was good, though not as "Hollywood" as the movie, and The Olive Harvest by Carol Drinkwater and A Year in the World by Frances Mayes were both fair (but not entirely memorable).

    My current "must read" recommendation to just about everyone is We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch, about the Rwandan genocide. Really gut-wrenching, but important.

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  9. Wendelijn, that's so hard to answer. The US is huge and vastly different dpending on where you are in it. So the best places to visit would depend on what you like.

    Looking for a big city, and culture with a metropolis vibe, gotta go to New York City - or maybe D.C. Looking for a Tuscan vibe, hit the wine country in California's Sonoma Valley. Want magestic mountians and winter sports, head to Colorado. Want something tropical, go to Florida. (Miami combines a big city with a tropical locale.) Want sweet Southern exposure (think of the scenery in Forrest Gump) head to Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA.

    We've got desert cities in Nevada and Arizona; we've got grassy plains in the mid-west, we've got sleepy fishing villages in New England. The list goes on - each major section of the U.S. has different topograhty and a different vibe. So it' s all about what you like!

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  10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I highly recommend this book, it is very charming and you wish you could visit all the characters. I loved escaping in this book, it is a jewel.

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  11. I, too, travel frequently between France & Italy! :) And one day I may even actually GO there LOL. I think I may pick up some new books tomorrow.....thanks for the inspiration :)

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