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Thirteen Books I Bought This Summer

9/9/2010

12 Comments

 
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Hello, everyone! Ciao a tutti! It's good to be back, although I am still bit a jetlagged. Bleah.

In what is becoming something of a habit, now, I spent the summer months in the US while my handsome hubby stayed behind in Italy to work. While this isn't exactly optimal, it has to suffice until I become a multi-million-selling writer and he can retire early to ride his bike and become my full-time toy-boy.

In light of this fact, I needed alternatives to pass my time when I wasn't doing the final, final, OHMYGODI'MSOGLADIFINISHEDTHESETHINGS!!!! edits, or when I wasn't actively watching Le Tour de France on Versus (and silently screaming every time they mentioned that this was Lance's final Tour - we knew, guys, WE KNEW, ALREADY!!!).

In other words, I needed something to do when it wasn't July.

Anyway, this week, to ease myself back into the groove, I've decided to share

13 Books I Bought This Summer



I bought a lot of books for my mom, who, like me, doesn't read books, but eats them. I decided to turn her on to a couple of authors I admire, and she really enjoyed the selections I made. But I purchased the following titles on her behalf.
I started off with a bang - or four, actually - all of which were by my Critique Partner, the lovely and talented Nell Dixon:
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1) Animal Instincts
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2) Blue Remembered Heels
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3) Crystal Clear
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4) Just Look at Me Now (this was my first project with Nell, and I'm soooo proud of how well it turned out!)
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5) Last Night in Twisted River (Actually, this was *my* copy, but Mom read it before I left the US to come home. It took her a few days.)
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6) The World According to Garp (I couldn't let Mom go another day without reading this one! I couldn't believe she hadn't read it already.)
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7) Whom Must I Kill to Get Published? (Another title by a friend, which I purchased for Mom. She really enjoyed it, too!)
The book-buying frenzy continued, of course. I need more books just for myself! And so, I purchased these titles:
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8) Son of a Witch (The sequel to an old favorite of mine, Wicked - which I discovered by chance in 2001.)
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9) A Lion Among Men (The second sequel to Wicked - I haven't read it yet, but I have high hopes for it.)
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10) That Summer in Sicily (I haven't read this one, yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Marlena De Blasi writes with a wonderful balance between the bitter and the sweet when it comes to recounting her Italian life. I'm hoping it holds true here, where she's writing about someone else.)
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11) Tulagi Hotel (Yet another book by a friend, I have already read this one, and I haven't. I got to read an early draft in book form, before it was heavily edited and had some revisions done. I think it'll be great.)
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12) Die a Dry Death (Another Diiarts friend wrote this, and I'm looking forward to reading all the grisly and well-researched details of this novel. I read chunks of this in a preliminary draft and was captivated. I reckon I will enjoy the final product even more.)
And, finally, a two-fer! I was doing "research" by watching the Tour de France in July, and thought I'd like to have something besides my own notes to refer to when it was over. Luckily for me, I found two great titles for that purpose.
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13a) Tour de France for Dummies (Yes, I qualify. I understand the sport, but this book - although a tad outdated - had tons of inside info I can use in 27 Stages!)
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13b) Roadie - the Misunderstood world of a Bike Racer (I loved this one! It brought back so many memories of tagging along with my cousin when he raced amateur races in the US when we were teenagers. It's both informative and hilarious, full of great details about life in the amateur or semi-pro peloton, and breaks all the info down so even absolute beginners can understand what this crazy sport is really all about.)



So, there you go! 13 Books I Bought This Summer!









Yes, I know...











Not even a long break from routine can make me forget!















So, here you go:






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And hey, he fits the theme! :)
Ciao for now!
12 Comments

13 Things I Have to Do This Summer

27/5/2010

9 Comments

 
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Summer is here and you know what that means...
I have to get ready to go back to the States for a visit. Since I'm leaving in three weeks or so, I have a lot to do in the meantime - and other stuff to do once I'm there!

This week, I'm giving y'all (and myself!) a sneak preview of what lies ahead of me this Summer Holiday:

13 Things I Have to Do This Summer



1) Book the flights. Actually, I've got this done - with no help from Delta Airlines, btw. Grrrr...


(How are you supposed to buy a ticket when the credit card verification system they use throws up a "Untrusted Encryption" message at ya? Huh? Huh? I called Delta's "helpline" and they told me to call Mastercard. Uh, no, ma'am, the problem is your website geniuses are using a system every browser I have says is unsafe to use. Grrrr... again! May I advise you to use a different system? 'cause who knows how many direct customers you're losing in the meantime... Grrr... If I had other options, believe me, I'd take one of them. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with this bunch of sad sacks because hardly anyone affordable flies to where I'm going.)
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2) Pack for the trip. I know, you'd think three weeks should be enough time. But with a little helper like this, I need all the time I can get!

3) Find substitute teachers for the few lessons I'll miss out on.
4) Complete my edits and send them in. I won't have frequent online access after I leave, and even though I've had the release date pushed back to Autumn, I want to complete these for my original June deadline.
5) Straighten up my office. Seriously, it's a disaster area.
6) Change out all my cool weather clothes for warm/hot weather clothes. Then decide which of those I'm taking with me. I don't usually take a lot with me when I go to the US, but when I'm coming home, I generally have extra stuff.
7) Donate my old clothes I'm not wearing any more. I can't bear to throw them out, so I'm donating them to charity. This should make a lot of space in my closet, I reckon.
After I get to the US, I have to:
8) Get my eyes checked.
9) Start back to work on 27 Stages - which has been on hold while I'm doing those other edits.
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10) Watch the Tour de France in July! Woo-hoo-hoo! :) Yeah, it's Versus' coverage, but I'll take it, baby. Go, SexyBank! Go, Spartacus!

11) Take my mom to see Adam Lambert in July. Yes, you read that right. I'm taking my MOTHER to see Adam Lambert. She absolutely LOVES him. This should be fascinating to watch! LOL!
12) Go shopping for clothes. I always have to do this in the US - my difficulties finding modestly-priced clothing in my sizes in Italy are the stuff of legend.
13) Count the days until my hubby gets to join me in August! I start off okay for the first few weeks, but by the time he gets there, I'm missing him like mad!
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Look at him! Can you blame me???

And there you have them. Thirteen things I have ahead of me this Summer.








You know the drill...


















A little eye-candy awaits...

























Remember, it's Summer!








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Don't forget to sun yer buns!


Ciao!
9 Comments

I have the Seasonal Blues, folks...

22/2/2010

0 Comments

 
Warning! Whinging ahead!

I'm feeling a bit down, in recent days. It doesn't make much sense to the outside observer, I'm sure. After all, I'm making acceptable progress on my current WIP, 27 Stages, and things are going okay at work, and things are fine at home, too.

There's nothing generally displeasing about my life at this point, really. There have been some recent emotional upheavals, yes, and I'm still feeling the fallout from these events. I'm dealing. I'm coping.

And I'm still creating.

So what's the problem, then?

I've got the Seasonal Blues. I think it's like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Most folks get this in the winter, because of the lack of sunlight and warmth. This is a big contributor to feelings of depression, which increase around the holiday season (which is hard enough just for being the holidays, anyway, am I right?).

But I suspect that I might have a slightly different, less-heralded version of this affliction:
I hate Spring and Summer.

The longer days, the warmth, the increase of sunlight - all these things and more contribute to my depression in these seasons. My creativity decreases markedly. My desire to do *anything* decreases as the days warm up and the nights disappear.

I'm a polar opposite (pun not intended, but delightful all the same) to my husband, who thrives in warm conditions. He's a sporty type, too, so that goes a long way. Me? Not so much. I stopped enjoying summer heat as soon as I reached my teens. Holidays from school were great, but the heat? No, thanks. I'll take a side trip to Alaska, please. Or the Northwest Territories. Dang, now I've got friends in Northern Europe - maybe they'd like a houseguest for a few months?

Instead, I want to curl up and cry as the heat increases, but I can't, because curling up makes me warmer, which leads to heat rash. Ick. Usually I go home to the US in summer, to visit my family and friends there, and it works out really well since I can't comfortably bear the heat for the full three summer months in Italy.

As a matter of fact, the springtime warming trend itself is enough to send me into fits. I can't wear my coats or sweatshirts or pullovers any more, and that makes me sad. (I loooove my autumn and winter clothing.) I have to start wearing shorts instead of jeans. (BOOOO!) I stop sleeping through the night, because the warmth keeps me awake. I toss and turn, swat at mosquitoes, and end up on the living room sofa so I won't keep Alle awake.

The lack of sleep makes me more irritable than usual, naturally. It also makes it harder for me to make my walks around town for work, especially when it's getting hotter, and hotter, and... Phew! I start eating cereal for breakfast (waaah! I want my milky tea!), yogurt smoothies for lunch, and cold sandwiches and/or fruit for dinner. Poor hubby. He loves fruit, but the sandwiches do get a bit boring - but who can cook in that heat?

By the time June rolls around and I'm packing to go to see my family in the US, I'm having to try to sleep during the day and stay up later and later each night. Especially if I want to write. I've always written better at night, better still when it's cool or cold. My mind goes into overdrive without fear of overheating, I guess. (I'm only partly joking.)

Alessandro doesn't like hearing about this. It bothers him to think I'm actually suffering the least little bit, when he's able to cope so well. All the same, I don't ask for an air conditioner (not practical for the way our home is laid out), and I understand that a return to the US might not always be possible.

I keep my fan at my back to keep me cool, and I keep trying to write. I lower the blinds to keep the sun out during the day (and yes, I even have to close the windows when the temps get into the upper nineties outside. The house stays cooler that way), and try not to do too much once I'm out of my cool/cold shower each morning.

After all this, you might well wonder: "Why is she telling us this?"

The answer is: I don't know. I suppose it's a plea to the cosmos for help, or to my fellow human beings for a little understanding when I become even more "complainy" than usual.

A little seasonal kindness from the Mild Weather Fairies wouldn't hurt, either. If only for the sake of my friends and family, who have to put up with me.

Keep cool, y'all!
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    Kimberly Menozzi

    Author. Happily Married. Survivor of life with two deranged kitties.

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