Now that summer has drawn to a close, what was the best book you read this summer?

For me, it was hands down Carrie Lofty‘s Starlight. Damn that woman writes a good book!

(Links take you to full reviews on Goodreads.  Go ahead and click. Sometimes the snark is worth it.)

The Dragon and the Pearl (Tang Dynasty #2), Jeannie Lin
2 stars
Despite two characters who were the most intense thinkers, navel-gazers and ruminators, I still enjoyed this book. The wonderful setting and history do a lot to smooth other the almost total lack of dialog.

In The Flesh (Ladies Sewing Circle #5), Portia Da Costa
3 stars
I’m still shaking my head over the ending of this one. It’s worth the read just to get to the giant clusterf*ck, OMGWTFBBQ ending.  (And the sexy times are pretty steamy, too.)

The Walking Dead, Volume 16: A Larger World, Robert Kirkman
2 stars
I WANT MORE ZOMBIES. All this postulating on the nature of evil and trust and community and faith and hope and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Hear me, Mr. Kirkman?  Moar zombeez, plz. Kthxbai!

A Wedding Wager (Blackwater Brides #2), Jane Feather
2 stars
I am an Old Skool Jane Feather fan, but this was so boring I …… Zzzzzzzz.

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great, Eva Stachniak
2 stars
A sucker for a gorgeous cover, this book sucked me in … and spit me back out about 200 pages later. Overly long and drawn out, this book could have been much better had it lost 100 pages.

Starlight (The Christies #2), Carrie Lofty
5 stars
I think I can make the official Perusals Announcement that Carrie Lofty is the Queen of Awesome. Fascinating setting (Glasgow in the late Industrial Revolution), with a North & South character dynamic done oh-so-right. Hot, sizzling, and wonderfully descriptive. Carrie Lofty FTW!

How is your summer reading going?  Read anything that’s a MUST READ?

A Night Like This (Smith-Smythe Quartet #2), Julia Quinn
2 stars
Mild summer entertainment with a governess in disguise heroine and a paranoid hero. Sub-par for Quinn, but a pleasant enough diversion. (How’s that for damning a decent book with faint praise?)

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1), Jamie McGuire
2 stars
“Twilight meets 21/Bringing Down the House” in this train-wreck of a YA romance. Heroine is a doormat with an aptitude for poker and hero is a co-dependent, stalkery mess. Ugh. First half of the book was ok, hence the two star rating.

Butterfly Swords (Tang Dynasty #1), Jeanne Lin
3 stars
Middling romance, but amazing setting and excellent job by Lin in weaving history into the narrative without resorting to info dump. Hard to do in a shorter-format romance novel!

Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, Rolf Potts
2 stars
Hyper-conscious travel writer recounts his adventures around the world. Too meta for any real enjoyment or sense of place/culture. Not my cup of tea.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
3 stars
I can see why it’s become a “new classic”, but it still pales in comparison to Looking for Alaska.

not my x-ray … but pretty much what happened in both arms.

On June 10th I went out for a run. The first run in almost a year. Looping back around to descend the hill I had previously (huffing and puffingly) climbed, I tripped … fell … and broke both elbows (bilateral radial head fracture).

Five week and a half later and I’m at the limit of my patience. I just want to be WELL already. The list of things I can do is still much longer than the list of things I can’t, but the “can’ts” are feeling heavier and heavier. I want to be able to push myself to seated from lying down or from seated to standing. I want to swim, drive a car, play volleyball and tennis. I want to be able to carry things that weigh more than 2 lbs.

The most challenging thing has been not being able to teach or practice yoga. Five weeks and counting … and my practice has been entirely “off the mat”.

My practice is no longer about downdog and getting into crow. Right now it’s about acknowledging these feelings of frustration, anger and self-pity. It’s acknowledging the few extra pounds that have appeared on my body in the last month and a half. It’s not a fun or easy practice. It’s pretty much sitting in sh*t and just trying to breathe. It’s hard and it sucks.

But I will get better. I will heal. Someday I’ll be back to falling on my face in crow. Someday I’ll stick the damn pose. Someday I’ll be able to swim and carry heavy bags and drive and move my body around the way I want. It will happen.

Patience is a virtue … but sometimes it really bites.

Here’s what I did manage to read in June.

Liberating Lacey, Anne Calhoun
4 stars
Everything a contemporary erotic romance should be. Hot, spicy and with enough plot and character development to carry the story even without the sex. I do wish there was more hero perspective. I liked him!

Beguiling the Beauty (Fitzhugh #1), Sherry Thomas
2 stars
Blegh. This book made no sense. Nothing and no one was realistic or consistent. However, Thomas did enough set up for the rest of series that they might be good. We’ll see…

Fifty Shades of Grey, E. L. James
1 star
Just go to the full review, please. All the ranting has exhausted me.

Portrait of Seduction (Seduction #2), Carrie Lofty
4 stars
Art forger Greta falls madly in love with Oliver, half-brother to a lord, but in disguise as his valet. Excellent exploration and nuanced writing on roles and stepping out of those roles to go after what the heart wants.

Song of Seduction (Seduction #1), Carrie Lofty
4 stars
Gifted musician Mathilda has admired composer Arie De Voss for years. When they finally meet, sparks fly, though not as expected. Lofty’s writing about music is the real star of this novel. Read it and then go listen. It’s an experience to change you as a reader.

The Princess & The Pea (Love Spell #2), Victoria Alexander
1 star
This is my full review: Dingbat-Manic-Pixy-Heroine from Chicago meets oh-so-perfect British Lord hero in saccharine, silly romance, with too many BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGS that were just plain stupid. The only saving grace of the book are the cars. 1895 cars are cool.

The Horsemaster’s Daughter (Calhoun Chronicles #2), Susan Wiggs
2 stars
With a heroine who’s a little too perfect and a hero who’s a little to alcoholic-Alpha, this one was a struggle to get through. It felt like someone rewrote the characters of Clan of the Cave Bear into a mid-century American romance. Meh.

Links go to full reviews on Goodreads.com and an * marks favorites.

 The Walking Dead:Volume 14, Robert Kirkman
4 stars
I miss the zombies! There’s some gun-toting, zombie-killing madness, but the exploration is mostly internal. The new cast of characters is starting to dwindle, so I’m wondering if/when/how we’ll meet some new people.

The Walking Dead: Volume 15, Robert Kirkman
4 stars
Winter is coming … Wait. Wrong series. Heavily Rick centered (oy), the final image of this book is either the best thing that’s happened or officially jumping the shark.

The Bride Stripped Bare, Nikki Gemmell
1 star (DNF)
Narcissistic navel-gazing disguised as erotica, and no I’m not writing about 50 Shades of Grey (that’s coming later).  Awful, awful book.

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China, Leslie T. Chang
3 stars
“The history of a family begins when a person leaves home.” This book works best when Chang allows the stories to stand on their own, rather than her own narrative. They both were good, but could have been two books.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, Jenny Lawson
4 stars
By turns laugh out loud hilarious and heartbreaking, Lawson’s memoir exemplifies the genre done right. Jenny is at her very best when spinning a tale of ridiculous hilarity and making the reader cry from laughing so hard.

A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal, Meredith Duran
4 stars
Back on her game after some earlier misses, Duran’s written a stand-out late-Victorian era twist on Pygmalion. Nell was wonderfully feisty without veering into Manic-Pixyville, though I wish there was more Simon.

Links take you to full reviews on Goodreads.com and and * marks any books that are favorites.
 Trial by Desire (Carhart #2), Courtney Milan

4 stars
Ned Carhart might just be my favorite romance novel hero. He was anything but in the first book, but now he’s matured and ready to show the world he’s not a naive, good-for-nothing wastrel. Milan does everything right with Ned, though it leaves the heroine a little in the shadows.

Unraveled (Turner #3), Courtney Milan
5 stars
This book confirms Milan’s place as the very best romance writer today. Complex and nuanced and with two of the best, most interesting characters  ever penned, this is a cannot miss read.

Pinocchio, Winshluss
3 stars
“Interesting” post-modern, apocalyptic retelling of Pinocchio. The cynicism of this retelling didn’t win me over, but the images are very striking.

If I Fall (The Blue Raven #4), Kate Noble
3 stars
Historical romance novel re-telling of “When Harry Met Sally” combined with “Mean Girls”. Uneven in the telling, though the theme of expectations was thoughtful and well done.

*I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t), Brene Brown
5 stars
Shame-researcher Brene Brown takes years of research and makes it accessible and immediately relevant for women everywhere to overcome shame. Belongs on every bookshelf next to Reviving Ophelia.

The Walking Dead: Volume 13, Robert Kirkman
4 stars
Insides the gated community, the survivors struggle to fit in with varying degrees of success. Mostly I’m just waiting for Carl to die. He’s annoying.

The Alchemists Daughter, Katherine McMahon
2 stars
Great science, dense heroine. Not worth the time spent.

Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
2 stars
Read for Book Club. The first 3/4 of the book are so good and illuminating into what life was like in the middle of the plague as it swept through England. However, the ending was so awful, unbelievable and silly that it brought the whole rest of the book down.

A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove #1), Tessa Dare

4 stars
I profess undying love and devotion to any book that can use the phrase “HMS Priapism” to such great comedic effect. Wonderful, romping, sexy romance. Excited for a new series.

Don’t Lets Go To The Dog’s Tonight, Alexandra Fuller
4 stars
Poetic, poignant and brutally honest, Fuller’s memoir of growing up white in Africa. A perfect bookclub book; the kind that gets better for sharing with friends over wine and discussion.

Thank you to all the friends, family, coworkers and neighbors who called, texted, sent flowers and cards, brought food and entertainment (extenda-forks!), sent gift certificates, and offered Netflix and HBO log-ins. I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

Thank you to my parents who were willing to drop everything to drive ten hours round trip to take care of me. Recouping/regrouping in Rangeley under your care was the vacation I very much needed. The combination of your love and the Maine mountain air really will cure anything.

Thank you to Paul’s parents who reached out from day one with care and support. Big thanks to Paul’s dad for being my chauffer, guardian and physical therapy buddy on that first day.

Thank you to Sandy, for getting me to the ER, feeding me soup, and hanging out at Starbucks. Eventually I will “shut up” with the thanks.

Thank you to the baristas at the Newton Corner Starbucks who comped our drinks and made sure my straw was easily accessible.

Thank you to the Newton Wellsley ER staff. Your patience, kindness and compassion were huge when my “sprained” elbows turned out to actually be broken.

Thank you to Dr Ruchelsman and PA Andrew. You guys rock. Thank you for your knowledge and for attempting to aspirate my elbows. Sorry I cried.

Thank you to the Harvard University Health Service staff for all your help with getting records transferred and assisting a gal without access to a printer or fax machine.

Thank you to my coworkers for the beautiful flowers and for yelling at me to stop working and get off email. I eventually listened.

Thank you to the physical therapy team at Holyoke Center, especially Sheryl Goodrich.  Thank you for getting me in so last minute and for being so positive about my recovery.

Thank you Liza for keeping me whole while in Rangeley. Your mad taping skills and wonderful MFR talents have been key. I do not think I’d be where I am now without you. You have a true gift for healing.

Thank you Sandy Panzella for a fabulous chair yoga class. I am honored to have finally met you.  Thank you, too, for the Ayurvedic counseling and herbs. I’m feeling better already!  Though I promise to take it slow.

Thank you Universe, for hearing that I was getting overwhelmed with life. I’m not sure you needed to be so drastic with you message of “slow down”, but message received. Loud and clear.

And most importantly, thank you Paul. You fed me, brushed my teeth, put my glasses on, learned how to make a ponytail, learned how hair barrettes work,  kept me clean and dressed. You let me cry and then made me laugh. You took on all the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking. If that wasn’t enough, you added on chauffeur and physical therapist, all the while working full time from home. In between the conference calls and daily work, you took it all on without complaint. Your mantra of “well get through it and we’ll have fun doing it” helped me stay positive. I love you. I love you so much. Thank you.

Living in small urban apartments with even tinier kitchens, my cookbook collection has to be kept pretty small. If a cookbook is going to enter the house, it has to be both inspiring and useful. I like books that have good advice on what to actually DO with food, rather than a collection of glossy pages with overstylized displays.

These are the ones I return to day after day, week after week for inspiration, instruction and delicious food.

Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook: The classic red and white plaid cover is a classic all its own. This was one of the first cookbooks I ever had. I think my parent’s gave me a copy when I got my first apartment. It has everything from how to hard boil an egg (the most used/dog-eared page) to fancier, classic dishes. It’s also a great reference for substitutions and conversion, which are always useful!

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” books are the best reference tools out there. There’s a good reason why there’s one of them on pretty much everyone’s shelf. It’s an amazing reference tool and full of interesting twists on every type of veggie and legume imaginable. When I see a new fruit or veggie at the farmer’s market, this is my go to book for figuring out what to do with it.

Clean Food: Love this way this is organized by season, with fresh recipes and lots of inspiration. This is a new book for me, so I’m still exploring it, but so far everything I’ve made from it has been absolutely delicious!

Veganomicon: Pretty sure this is the pinnacle of vegan cooking right here and even though I’m not vegan, I’ve cooked pretty much everything out of this book at least twice. Every recipe is stellar and the substitution guide for making other recipes vegan friendly is indispensable.

Delicious/Pinterest: Not traditional cookbooks, but I use these two platforms for bookmarking, tagging and saving lots of recipes. Delicious has better search functionality, but Pinterest is making a strong showing with it’s great graphics.

What are your 5 essentials?

Where am I?

Between 9 and 5 I’m working, after 5 I’m teaching, and after teaching I’m sleeping. Sandwiched somewhere in between, I still read. Lunch hours, bus rides and the precious few minutes before I zonk out at night I sneak in a few pages. Luckily, I’ve hit a really great run of wonderful books and authors. It’s almost as though Karma is acknowledging what little reading time I have and gifting my with some fantastic stories and characters to make up for it.

How do you sneak in those quiet moments for reading (or other leisure-pleasure) activities when life gets busy?

Here’s March … a little late, but really good!

Proof by Seduction (Carhart #1), Courtney Milan
3 stars
Milan is my new favorite romance author and I’m devouring everything she’s written. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but it’s a solid story. The secondary character is the hero of the next book and THAT has me on the edge of my seat.

Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms, Eugenia Bone
4 stars
Eugenia Bone (best. name. ever.) makes me want to grab a basket and head out into the woods. Part memoir of her fascination with fungi, part scientific text, the science never gets too overwhelming. However, the most interesting bits tend to get relegated to the footnotes. Still craving mushrooms though.

The Impossible Dead (Malcolm Fox #2), Ian Rankin
3 stars
Finally letting go of my Rebus love and settling in with Malcolm Fox. The city of Edinburgh is an even darker place than usual in this installment. Rankin is still the best a crafting authentic, atmospheric mysteries.

Unclaimed (Turner #2), Courtney Milan
5 stars
I honestly might go back at some later date and put a star next to this one as a favorite. The more I sit with the story of Mark and Jessica, the more I love them, this story and pretty much everything Milan touches. Fan girl swoon!

Wicked Becomes You, Meredith Duran
2 stars
A great set up, but half way through I got BORED. It was all tell and very little show and it started to read as a farcical, overly long travel monologue. Feh.

When Maidens Mourn (Sebastian St. Cyr #7), C.S. Harris
4 stars
Loved the Arthurian Legends premise and the insight into the Tenneyson family. Hero and Sebastian are one of my favorite literary couples and this latest installment took me from tears to cheers.

*Habibi, Craig Thompson
5 stars
This is why graphic novels are awesome, because images can show the subtle complex emotions that language fails to capture. A story about stories, and everything else in between, Habibi is a gem and a MUST read.

The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1), Meljean Brook
2 stars
Some of the best world building I’ve read, but the asshat of a hero and the rapey sex scenes were too much old skool for me to stomach. Too bad, because the heroine was fantastic and complicated and could have made it into the great Pantheon of Literary Heroines if she hadn’t been saddled with this jerk.

texting image via shutterstock

Text Neck is apparently THE new thing.

Apartment Therapy had a recent article about “text neck“, that slouching, slumping motion of the head and neck from constant texting/game playing/use of handheld devices.  On the heels of Apartment Therapy, Lo over at Y is for Yogi has a great post on some yoga poses to counteract text neck.

In addition to all the other great suggestions to fix text neck, I wanted to throw in my two cents (of course).

Here are some simple yoga poses to help relieve the symptoms. You don’t even need to get out of your desk chair, the couch or the bus seat to do them.
Stretching Out Text Neck 

Getting Ready
First, put down the phone. Face down. Good.

Sit up straight and scootch your behind forward until you’re sitting on the edge of your chair.

Shoulder Rolls
As you breath in, scrunch your shoulders way up to your ears.
Exhale, roll the shoulders down your back, drawing shoulder blades together.
Repeat this movement 3 more times. This stretch brings movement back to the tops of the shoulders and the shoulder girdle.

Neck Stretch
Drop your right ear towards your right shoulder. Keep the right shoulder relaxed; try not to hike it up towards your ear. Slowly roll your chin down to your chest and lift it back to center. Repeat on the left. This will lengthen the scalene muscles, which are the big web-like muscles on either side of your neck.

Eagle Arms
Sit up straight, reach your arms out straight, bend the elbows and wrap your right arm underneath the left. Lift the elbows up towards your chin and breathe. If this feel awful for your shoulders, place the right hand on top of the left shoulder, and the left hand on top of your right shoulder. Which ever variation you have, breath for 4 deep breaths on each side. This stretches and opens the upper back.

Seated Back Bend
Sit up straight once more and reach your hands behind you and hold on to the back of your chair. As you breathe in, sit up real tall and pull the belly and ribs into your chest. As you exhale, lift your gaze a little higher and arch the upper spine back just a bit. Deep breath in here as you hold, exhale, come back to regular seated posture with hands in your lap. Repeat twice more. This opens the front of the body, chest and neck, couter-posing all the hunching and crunching.

Happy, safe texting!