Tonight’s dinner featured BBQ pulled pork, which I prepared by following our favorite unbelievably easy crock pot recipe before covering the pulled meat in BBQ sauce and serving it alongside steamed broccoli seasoned with garlic salt.
It was good! I also ate an AllieBar while prepping the broccoli. Those things are the jam!
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Early last week I finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. This was one of those books that I completely fell into every time I picked it up. I read the whole thing in just three sittings and the time spent reading ticked away quickly.
For those of you unfamiliar with the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain is told from the perspective of Enzo, a golden retriever/terrier mix. The book is essentially a recount of Enzo’s life from the time his beloved owner Denny picks him up from the breeder. Enzo loves television and enjoys learning all he can about anything and everything. As a reader you cannot help but adore him and his intense love for Denny and, eventually, Denny’s wife and their young daughter, Zoe.
While I really enjoyed the book, I must say that it wasn’t what I expected. I thought the book would be more Marley and Me in nature… I figured the dog would be hysterical and off-the-walls like Marley (and Sadie!). I didn’t expect the dog to be wise and calm. I think it was hard for me to really feel like I was listening to a dog because Sadie is so unlike Enzo in my mind. She’s energetic, hyper and enthusiastic while Enzo is introspective, composed and astute.
Though the book wasn’t as funny or uplifting as I thought, it made me think and kept me interested the entire time. I will caution readers that much of the book is spent in the middle of some grave situations. The Art of Racing in the Rain was much heavier than I anticipated, but I would still encourage anyone, especially dog owners, to read it if only for the thoughts it will inspire in your mind about the importance of loving wholly and enjoying the simple joys in life we so often take for granted.
And now it’s time for another book! I’m thinking a totally cheesy girly book awaits me next…
Just in case you’re interested, here are some past book reviews I’ve posted:
- Water for Elephants
- The Hunger Games Series (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mocking Jay)
Question of the Evening
What was the last amazing book you read?
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The last great book I read was Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. It’s older (1992, I think?), but my best friend was disappearing for weeks at a time, and when I asked her about it, she confessed it was because she was having an affair with the Outlander series! It’s a little intimidating since the first book is 600-something pages long with smaller type, and the first few chapters are slowish, but it picks up to an insane pace and if you’re anything like me and have a penchant for falling in love with completely made-up men, Jamie (the male protagonist) is right up there with Mr. Darcy with respect to Epic Literary Dreamboats! I’m halfway through the second book, Dragonfly in Amber, and it’s just as good!
Another good one is The Guernsey Literary and Potato-Peel Pie Society… can you tell I’ve been on a historical fiction bender lately? 😉
Have you ever read anything by Jen Lancaster? She writes Bitter is the New Black, My Fair Lazy, etc. Her books are easy reads and she is hilarious. I think you would like her books.
yes! i read bitter is the new black. so funny!
I still recommend The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Though it is not a girlie book, it is amazing. I could re-read it a million times, and that is unlike me.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Haddon is pretty fab also. It’s about a boy with autism, and an inspirational read for sure!
I second The Glass Castle. I’ve never been so wrapped up in a book before!
oooh i’m intrigued…
I third The Glass Castle. Such an amazing book. And she recently wrote a second book about her grandmother called Half Broke Horses which was also amazing!
“Manhunt”–all about the 12 days it took to capture John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices after they assasinated Lincoln and attempted to assasinate members of his cabinet. I didn’t think I’d like it that much–my Dad had sent it to me. But I couldn’t put it down. It was a like a soap opera (except really good!)
that actually sounds really interesting!
The Time Travelers Wife is a great book. The movie is sweet and they did a pretty good job with the adaptation I think but the book just has so much more in it and it makes you fall in love with the characters. I would for sure recommend this one. Its a great love story with a bit of sci-fi (he’s a time traveler after all)!
i 2nd this! The book was fantastic! The movie .. meh. i get how they had to edit the book to create the movie, but they left so much out!
Great book tho
I loved Pat Conroy’s “South of Broad”. I read it for book club and after the first 100 pages I couldn’t put it down. It’s about a group of childhood friends that come have come together to help save one of their friends and bring him back home to Charleston.
I’ve also read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, which I loved. It was full of suspense and kept you on your toes.
The Fever Series- Karen Marie Moning!!! Amazing Series!
Loved Hunger Games & Catching Fire, but Mockingjay left a LOT to be desired! I just finished Room this morning on the train and it was fantastic – highly recommend!
Most unique book series ever by Jasper Fforde (British) – starts with The Eyre Affair. It’s sort of a mystery series ABOUT books. Wall Street Journal called it a mix of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They’re awesome.
I am in the middle of a good girlie book if you are looking for suggestions. Falling Home by Karen White.
It is very Sweet Home Alabama meets Hope Floats. I think any girl would like it and it is very much a book where you get into it very quickly every time you pick it up. 🙂
This is awesome. I just read through all these recommendations and wrote them all down! I am always searching for the next good book to read!
A couple of my favorites that I would consider light and/or girly:
“The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing” by Melissa Banks
“Chocolat” by Joanne Harris
And a couple not so light reads:
“The Fifth Sacred Thing” by Starhawk
“The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley
I wish I could think of more off the top of my head. When I moved in with my boyfriend, I had to put most of my books in storage because there wasn’t enough room for them! I miss having my “library!” 🙂
have you read the Something Borrowed, Something Blue series by Emily Giffin… SO good and SO girly 🙂
Ha! I just saw that I posted the same thing. 🙂 They really are great books.
I’m in the middle of “The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls right now and its amazing. I don’t get much time to read but when I do get a chance this book totally sucks me in! I can’t wait to see how it ends…the story throughout it is unbelievable. The fact that people lived like this and children grew up in a family/household like in the book is amazing…
ROOM by Emma Donoghue. It is the story of a young woman who is kidnapped as a teenager and held captive in a small secret room for seven years. The story is narrated by her four year old son who is completely unaware of the actuality of the situation. It a deep dark one but I felt this overwhelming sense of appreciation for life after finishing it. VERY moving.
I really loved “Something Borrowed” and the 2nd book “Something Blue” by Emily Giffin. Funny, fun, easy read girl books.
I definitely agree with The Time Traveler’s Wife…although, if you’re in the mood for light and girly, I would save it for later.
I read A Total Waste of Makeup a few years ago and remember it being a fun, girly read. I don’t rememeber a lot about it, but it would be worth googling.
Oh, and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is great, too, although not necessarily in the girly category. Very different.
And Trail of Crumbs was good, too. It’s the memoirs of a food editor for a magazine where I worked and her story was wonderful. She also included recipes at the end of some chapters.
Still not really in that girly category, but great books. Ok, that’s it for now. 🙂
Bought this book 2 months ago and i haven’t picked it up to read yet because i just have not had the time. After reading your review….I will be starting it this weekend! Thanks for sharing and your pulled pork for the slow cooker looks delicious! A must try!
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. This is my all time favorite book! It’s the first of three. #2 is a must read and #3 is optional. The first one the best of the three!!
I’m currently reading The Friday Night Knitting Club and am really enjoying it. It’s about these women who come together to knit every Friday (hence the name of the book) but it also starts to involve the reader in each of the women’s lives.
We are going to start a bloggie book club. You should think about joining in! I think you would have alot of good book recommendations
http://scatterbrainjane.com/2011/03/09/blog-book-club/