the help: dare i say, loved the movie as much as the book...

any book lovers out there?

well i'm sure you've heard of 

  very popular among book clubs

in fact,

i wrote about her book here

loved her book.  

loved the story.

heartfelt

tearful

funny

all wrapped up in one little story

as you also know,

the movie is now out.

let me tell you...

you.

won't.

be.

disappointed.

can you say 

academy awards?

here's a little tidbit:

and as i was walking out of the theater

listening to the banter from surrounding movie goers,

i overheard that 

one of the lead characters,

hilly holbrook,

aka: two slice hilly,

played by 

Bryce Dallas Howard,

is none other than

the famous Ron Howard's 

very own flesh and blood.

yes.

she's Opie's daughter!

i know.

can't stop talking about this flick.

would love your thoughts on

the book

or 

the movie.

thanks for indulging me.

Colin Cowie: My Love Affair Continues

Enter Colin Cowie:

Just finished his book.

Colin Cowie Chic: The Guide To Life As It Should Be
Amazon $20

AMAZING!

Great tips on entertaining,
guest rooms,
travel,
living in style.

He is all things good:
Simple
Divine
Timeless
and Truly Chic

Don't want to get ahead of myself.
More on him and his magic later.
Trust me.

Just wanted to tell you all
about this little gem of a book.

*all photos obtained from ColinCowie.com

Am I the only one drooling over these
simply, delicious table tops?

And this is just the appetizer...
more on Mr. Cowie later.

Happy Friday, peeps.

Recommended Read

I am a lover of books.

( I know I'm repeating myself here)

Always have been.
Used to L-O-V-E when I'd get
dropped off at the library
and get to stay for hours
when I was a kid

Ah.
Heaven.

Today, I will admit,
I face some serious distractions
that take me away from my long
list of
"want-to-read's":

The Bachelor
American Idol
House Hunters International

I digress.

I want to share with you a great book
I just finished.

No, I'm not talking about this one:

But you can find out more about
Dave Ramsey
and his
Total Money Makeover
here

*Doing pretty good with this guy's plan,
by the way.

The book I'm talking about is:

The Chosen
By
Chaim Potok

I friend recommended this classic.

By the way,
the friend who recommended it is probably
one of the biggest readers I know.
She is never distracted by those silly shows on
the talking box because she doesn't watch one!

Avid, avid reader, she is.

So when I posed the question,
"What is one of your top contemporary reads of all time?"
I knew it was going to be good.

This is what she recommended.

She did NOT disappoint.

This book bought me back to my college days,
of deep thinking and big ideas.
It's heavy peeps.
But heavy in a good, good way.
It has thought provoking timeless themes such as,
faith,
parenting,
friendship
and coming of age.

Takes place in Brooklyn, New York,
circa 1940's.
Two 15 year old boys
living in a Jewish neighborhood.
I won't say anymore...

I encourage you to pick it up.

The last few page are endearing,
tearful and heartfelt.
Grab that box of tissues.

Reader friends,
I highly, highly recommend it.

Please do let me know what you think,
if you, indeed, pick it up.
Or even if you've already read it...
would HEART your thoughts.

As always,

Favorite Freebie... A Reading List

As I spent this past week or so sightseeing and spending time with my family I got to enjoy life through the eyes of another. While my darling mother was being dragged on running trails, through the Tidal Basin and off to soccer tournaments she managed to steal away with enough time to read a book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I'd been raving about lately.


Here is Grandma in the favorite family reading spot.
(She's also going to kill me when she sees I posted this picture in her jim jams)

As I listened to her excitement throughout the story and each turn the plot took I thought about my own favorite reads. I have mentioned my favorite freebie, the library, before and still stand by it.

This is why having a reading list is my favorite freebie this week.

I do so love books and actually keep a "book book" (thank you Kim Stansel for letting me copy your bright idea) to record all that I have read and all that I want to read
(have I mentioned I have a terrible memory, hence, the "book book").


I am asking you, my loyal blog visitors, if you'd be so bold to leave your comments on favorite books YOU'VE read. I'd love to hear the titles of YOUR favorite 5 or even A favorite if you can't actually pin down THE favorite (impossible if you ask me).

Here is my humble attempt at nailing down five worthy favorites:

Favorite Five (...in no particular order)

1. Book Thief, By Markus Zusak


2. Angela's Ashes, By Frank McCourt


3. Outlander, By Diana Gabaldon
(*Beware, this one might be a bit racy)




4. Poisonwood Bible, By Barbara Kingsolver



5. The Kite Runner, By Khaled Hosseini


Again, this is just Five of my favorites from a long list of favorites. Any of these are definitely worth picking up if you haven't already done so. I am always looking for great reads and LOVE to hear about ones that will go on "my list".

As always, thank you for visiting.

PLEASE leave me your comments and add to my list of favorite reads...

Favorite Freebie...The Public Library

As most of you know me, you know that I love to stretch the old greenback like no other.
I think it might be a secret life challenge of mine to see
how far I can actually stretch it.

I have decided to incorporate my Favorite Freebie of the Week in this blog.
These are the things that help me stretch my dollar,
ground me and ultimately get me back to basics.
Some of these ideas or tips you may already do, some maybe not.
It is my challenge for you to explore these Freebies
and decide if they will work for you, too.

My FAVORITE FREEBIE OF THE WEEK is the good old fashion PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Is it the school teacher in me? Is it the lover of books in me? Who knows.

All I do know is that I have the fondest memories of my mother dropping off at the Public Library as a kid during those long summers and parking myself on the over sized, leather baseball mitt-chair and cuddling up for hours with my pile of books. That might be why I went into teaching to begin with. That or that fact that I love the smell of a new book. Anyone else out there love the smell of a new book? Is that weird? I know Kelly Christensen would agree with me. She was also there next to me in that Chula Vista Public Library with her own stack of books waiting for her turn to sit in the over sized, leather baseball mitt-chair.

I just finished the book The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.

Highly recommend this book for any readers out there. Don't get me started about finding a book club...more on that later.

I hope you utilize your local library. It's usually nearby.
It's a great tool.
And it's FREE!

I heard that reading even might make you smarter. Imagine that.

Your assignment this week...go to your local library and check it out (pardon the pun).
I'd love to hear what some of your favorite reads are. Leave me a comment.