Tonight's the Night

Despite being terribly sad, commenting on the book will begin at 7:00 pm sharp!

Jack Layton will be missed, his tenacity, his fierce dedication to improving the lives of ALL Canadians was unmatched on our political sphere. Canada has lost a great man, his legacy will live on.

I think I may have the start the comments tonight with a toast...

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the first book that you ever read more than once?
I am going to leap to young-adulthood, because there's no need to rehash the children's books I made my mother read over and over again. But the first book I remember reading repeatedly was Anne of Green Gables.

What book have you read the most times? And how many times?
I have read every book in the Anne of Green Gable's series multiple times. I have read Rilla of Ingleside (the last book), oh, about ten times.

What about you? What book have you read over and over and over...? Do you have a book you read once a year at approximately the same time?

I'd love to know which books never get old....

And...

The Paris Wife has won...clearly!

I will be snacking on Brie cheese, a nice baguette and some grapes.

I plan to drink this wine. Your favourite Beaujolais will do just fine if you can't get your hands on this one.

Seriously though, time for me to get reading. I've been hearing I may have been overly ambitious with my deadline.

I'm really looking forward to the 22nd...cheese sure....but I hope you are too!

My Experimental Book Club

I gave up on my blog.

While I love writing, I was finding it so incredibly difficult to find motivation and write authentic pieces. Seeing that authenticity has always been so important to me, I stopped when I felt I was finding nothing but banality in my heart.

I needed time to revisit my motivation for writing. I needed to understand why I was doing this. And really came up with only one reason. I want to share what my passion, in all its wonderfully geeky wholesomeness, is.

So to that end…

I love books. Always have, always will. I love delving into a good read in the comfiest corner of the house with a cozy blanket and a couple hours for me and my “friend”.

And I have always wanted to have a book club that’s meaningful to me. I want to share the books I love with all the people in my life that love reading like I do.

So I am starting an online book club, so that no matter where you live, how far away you are from me, you can be a part of my awesome book club and join in the conversation. Hopefully interspersed within the postings about the club I'll manage to share something witty and engaging (generally focused on my secondary loves...politics, wine, photography, food, design, fashion) here and there.

This is how it’s going to work.

We vote on the books below

1) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
2) The Art of Racing in the Rain by Gath Stein
3) Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart

Voting ends Sunday July 24th at 7:00 pm EST. I will post the winning book, along with a themed snack and a matching wine on Monday July 25th (participate in the foods if you so wish)!

We then meet back here, on Monday August 22nd at 7:00 pm EST, to have a conversation via the comment section on the blog.

Bear with me, this first month is intended to be a test. I don’t know how the conversation will work out doing it all via the comments section. If it doesn’t work I will refine for next month, give a new discussion method a chance. But maybe the hosting the discussion on the comments section will work out just fine. I have my fingers crossed!

Fire any questions my way! Here's to hoping some of you like the concept and give my experiment a whirl! Now vote!

Gatecrashing

I enjoy my escapism as much as the next girl and well a good piece of chick lit can be in order from time to time.

I have a penchant for the author Sophie Kinsella who also writes under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. So while I was travelling for work I picked up "The Gatecrasher" in the hopes that Ms. Wickham would provide me with an entertaining easy read.

And to be honest, I enjoyed the book quite thoroughly. That is until the last 30 pages or so.

I found the characters genuinely likeable; they were both flawed and honest (by times). Wickham managed to weave an intriguing story that kept me reading. But the last 30 pages struck me as a rushed ending, an author who was struggling to get to make a deadline, hoping that her readers didn't miss the storytelling left untold.

I certainly missed the ending the book should have had.

My Arms Shake

And, honestly and truly, are shaking as I type.

It's day 2 of the 30 Day Shred and I am not sure I have ever loved and hated someone so much, as I love and hate Jillian Michaels right now!

The description of the video is deceiving. Two minutes of cardio, two minutes of strength, one minute of abs. Repeat! A couple times over....

Seems easy enough?!?

Umm, not so much!

Must admit I'm proud of myself though! I'm sure you would be too if you tried the workout!

I highly recommend, just don't hate me when you're swearing at your tv.

Dealing with the Cobwebs

So I have spent the day trying to clear the cobwebs out my brain, cause yes, the new job still has me so busy that most days I am discombobulated upon returning home to the nest.

So I've made up my mind that this weekend is all about unwinding, relaxing and finding ways of permanently dealing with the discombobulation.

Right now, all the physical activity I'm enjoying is the running around the office I manage to do. And well, as fun as pitching it down to files in the basement to dig something up for the lawyer and then running it back upstairs because we're working on a 20 minute deadline is, it's not quite enough physicality to help me sort out my head at the end of the day.

But the problem is...I hate working out! I enjoy dancing but I'm no longer attending dance class cause it's just too late at night. I enjoy yoga but it doesn't really get your heart rate up. I generally enjoy a good aerobics class but I REALLY hate getting myself together to go the gym, you have to pack a bag, leave the house 20 minutes before the class at least, get to the gym, change, make friends in class, chat with people afterwards...and you know, all I really want is that workout!

So that got me thinking, there's got to be something I can do at home. So today I ordered Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. So many people have commented about what a great workout it is. And you know what - being able to work out in my living room just might be the best thing for me.

If anyone has any advice, suggestions about what to check out, comments about how to find inspiration and keep me motivated - I would greatly appreciate it. I am looking for things that are going to kick my butt! Seriously! It's why I have set my sights on the 30 Day Shred as my first attempt in the workout dvd world.

I figure a good workout each day will help me clear my head. Right?!?

It's got to! I need me some order!

Wish me luck?!?