What's new here is...not much. Our quest to find a good pizza to bring home for takeaway night is proving fruitless. There is one more place to try and then...guess I will make it here at home. My 68th birthday was good and uneventful - as I like it. The pizza wasn't great but the movie Chef was fabulous. Great foodie movie.
North Florida heat has me settled in most afternoons so I am getting reading done. I have read two of the books on my summer reading list. Off to a good start :-)
I loved Napolitano's book Hello Beautiful and she does not disappoint with this novel. Wonderful writing. It was hard for me to put this down and I liked how she let us get into Edward's thought process while he responded to people about how he was doing.
What a delightful book. Reading this I found Major Pettigrew to be one of my all time favorite characters and I would love to be his friend. The setting is a small English village where widower Ernest Pettigrew develops a charming friendship with Mrs. Ali, owner of the Pakistani run grocery store.
Prejudices and gossip run deep with some of the characters ( I didn't care for them as much) but the overall interactions are marvelous. There is quite a bit of humor and an edgy situation near the end which shows a clash of cultures. It has a good ending and if a sequel was written I would most certainly read it.
So that's two for two and I haven't had a DNF from my list so far. Would love to know what you are reading and any challenge plans you may have.
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Chef sounds familiar, but I don't remember if I actually watched it. Glad you enjoyed it, but I'm sorry the pizza wasn't very good. Cheers to another trip around the sun!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Dear Edward, too. I tried watching the series, however, and couldn't stay interested. I also enjoyed Hello Beautiful, and have an earlier book of hers (Within Arm's Reach) on my shelf. Probably won't get to that one for a while.
I've read Major Pettigrew a couple of times and have her new book (The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club) in my stacks for later this year.
I haven't begun reading from my Summer Reading Challenge list, but plan to just as soon as I finish my current book, which is Family Family by Laurie Frankel. It's good, but I'm getting a little impatient to be done with it.
Les, if you like foodie movies this is a good one. The Cuban food alone makes me want to go get some! Thanks for the birthday wishies :-)
DeleteI did not know there was a Dear Edward series and can't imagine how they'd accomplish that, The boook was good though. Have not heard of Within Arms Reach but will check it on Goodreads and our library. I know what you mean about wanting a book to be done. Sometimes I am too invested to quit, I have to dislike a book fairly early on to DNF it.
Happy birthday, Tina! Yesterday was my husband's 68th so you are, perhaps, birthday twins with him.
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoyed both Dear Edward and Major Pettigrew. I'm hoping to find another wonderful read like those in the books I'm scheduling for summer.
Thank you, Deb! No, we aren't birthday twins but close :-) Mine was June 2. I hope your husband had a nice celebration. I did very much enjoy those two books and I am about to start a new book tomorrow. So hot that I am in a lot.
DeleteIt's hot here, too!
DeleteThat's wonderful to be 2 for 2! And happy belated birthday. I have not read Napolitano yet but hope to sometime ... I really liked the Major Pettigrew novel when it came out. It's a good one! I've wanted to read her other novel The Summer Before the War but haven't yet. You're off to a great start and I think you'll like most of your books on your list. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. I am happy to still be on this side of the grass :-)! The Major Pettigrew novel was my first by Helen Simonson so I'm eager to try more of her work.
DeleteBelated Happy Birthday!! Sorry your birthday pizza wasn't a hit. Florida pizza has been a disappointment for us for as long as I can remember! It's serious business here in CT though. New Haven-style pizza is a thing! One of the local icons is planning to open a place on the east coast. Too far for us to go. Chef sounds good... I'll look for it.
ReplyDeleteYour summer reading is going great! I've avoided Dear Edward because of the plane crash, but enjoyed Major Pettigrew quite a bit. I haven't finished a book yet this month. Loving Team of Rivals, but that readalong lasts through July. Horse is great, too. I just haven't had much time to read this month. July will likely be more of the same, but August should be my big reading month! Hope you're surviving the heat and humidity... ugh!
Thanks, JoAnn. Pizza is a serious thing for me! But, if I have to make my own so be it. The reading is going great and I think being in so much is improving my reading time. So. Hot. I am replacing one book on my list with Whale Fall but still plugging along!
DeleteHope you find a better pizza place in north Florida. Enjoy your reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Harvee!
DeleteAh, the neverending quest. I think we have a good pizza place, but no good Indian takeout... But making it at home is good too.
ReplyDeleteHello Beautiful sounds fascinating!
Nicky, sometimes the quest becomes a maniacal mission and I drive too far to find what I hope to be good. hahaha I loved Hello Beautiful and look forward to more by this author.
DeleteSorry you are struggling to find good pizza! I hope you had a good birthday! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy!
DeleteHappy Belated Birthday!!! Why is it so hard to find good pizza? I find I have the best luck with places that have wood fire pizza. But I am not a good judge of pizza because my favorite is cheap-o frozen Totino's Party Pizzas. Hahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteI loved The Chef movie and Dear Edward book sounds good!
Happy Belated Birthday! I absolutely adored Hello Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Hena. Couldn't go wrong with Hello Beautiful :-)
DeleteThe only thing I miss about Memphis is the pizza place that was in our apartment building. Glad the movie was good even if the pizza was only okay. Happy belated birthday! Major Pettigrew is on my TBR so I'm glad to see how much you enjoyed it. Dear Edward sounds poignant and that poor little boy that the book is based on. Like you I hope he is doing well.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, that is a worthy thing to miss - good pizza :-) Thanks for the birthday wishes, I'm happy to have made it so long! Major Pettigrew was quite witty in hs comments.
DeleteHappy birthday! We go through cycles on pizza, but currently we have a place we like that isn't too far away for a pick-up before watching TV. I glad that you liked Major Pettigrew. I did, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy. The hunt for good pizza goes on. I'm not getting my hopes up though. I miss Philly :-) Kinda.
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