More on Memorial Day

Now that I am comfortably seated with my computer on my lap, I can share some more photos from our Memorial Day family gathering.

Mike wanted to get some photos of Connor and Fiona in the Japanese garden. Mattie walked up as they were posing, and all heck broke loose. The kids just love Mattie. Fiona is especially enamored with holding and carrying him. Mike Got some great photos and I just feel compelled to share.

We gotcha, Mattie!

Water break!

You don't have to walk, Mattie! I can carry you!

Lookit! I got me a cat!

See, he likes when I pet him :)

I should add that Mattie was a complete doll during the whole dinner. He let the kids chase him, catch him, carry him, all without a meow of complaint. He did hide in the woods a couple of times, looking for some alone time. But he loves them back. What a bunch of sweeties!

Smiles

Google Wave

I bounce around from day to day. Makeup one day, nerdy computer stuff the next.

But, guys, this is really neat. Google is working on a whole new concept for internet communication.

I heard about it first on Lifehacker:

Google Wave "Is What Email Would Look Like If It Were Invented Today" [News]

from Lifehacker by Adam Pash

Google announced today a new, experimental idea aiming to reshape the future of communication on the web. It's called Wave, and if you believe its developer, it's "what email would look like if it were invented today." It's also going to be totally open source. Intrigued?
Primarily, Wave is about improving real-time communication on the web. I've been waiting all day for Google to upload the video promised on the Wave homepage, but since it's still not there, here's the skinny from Google's mouth:

What is a wave?

A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.
A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.

Pretty broad, right? Wave is clearly something we'll need to see in action and, even better, use before we completely understand how it works. Like email, Wave has been developed as a standard that will be able to run on any server, so it won't belong to Google. Anyone will be able to run their own "wave," and that wave can compete with Google or do whatever it wants to. But since it's created as a standard protocol, different waves can talk to and understand each other.
This addresses an issue that I (and many others much smarter than me) have had with Twitter—namely that it lives on one company's servers, and your information is subject to whatever that company wants to do with it. RSS, email, and IM work using standard protocols that anyone can take advantage of, and since they use standards, I can, for example, send an email from Gmail to someone using Yahoo Mail and know that they'll be able to read it without any problems.
Tech news weblog TechCrunch has a very detailed rundown of Wave (linked below) and the directions Google has taken it so far (it's still incredibly young), but Wave is also very intriguing in the whole future-of-the-web way. It could amount to nothing, but considering the popularity and direction of Twitter and Facebook, the idea of a protocol that turns a similar sort of communication into an open standard sounds very promising.
Wave isn't available in any practical sense to you and me right now, and much of the technology behind Wave requires HTML 5 updates that we won't see completely implemented in most browsers for at least a little while, but you can sign up for Google Wave updates if you're eager to stay updated on any new developments.

Google Wave [via TechCrunch]

Then  I headed to Google's site and checked out their presentation (embedded below).

Wow -- this is really cool! I am totally tuned in on this and think it could be awesome. My mind is already going 1000 miles an hour thinking of uses...

It is due out later this year.

My New Love Affair: Bare Escentuals Makeup

I could say, "Shh! Don't tell Mike," but I think he already knows. I have a new love... Bare Escentuals makeup. Let me tell you the story.

My work travel is on the up-tick. For obvious reasons, I can't go out in public the way I do at work. To be specific, our no-dress-code no-makeup-wearing Tracy doesn't look very good when dealing with clients. I've been checking out Bare Escentuals makeup at Sephora for quite some time. It looked great, it is neat to see in the store, but I didn't want to spend the money on it. A few weeks ago I was reading a post from The Beholder -- a fav blog of mine -- when I saw mention of the good deals you can get on Bare Escentual kits. Dude! The prices were really really good!




Two of the kits caught my eye. The bareMinerals® Get Started™: Eyes, Cheeks, Lips - Light-To-Medium kit looked like a good overall eyes, cheeks, lips solution. You get three brushes, three eye colors, blush, and lip gloss at a savings ($49 for the kit vs $110 a la carte). The colors looked good for me. Hmmm...

I also really liked the bareMinerals LIMITED EDITION Getting Started Kit. It has all the things you need for foundation. Thing(s) you ask? Oh, yes! There are lots of fun goodies in this set. It contains 3 brushes, skin prep, 5 foundation/enhancers, a refillable compact, and an instructional DVD. The price on this one was $60, but it is a $220 value.






 I did the math. $109 for makeup. Was it worth it? I looked at the return policy, I struggled and fought my inner demons, and after two days decided to try it out.


Let me tell you something, girls -- I couldn't be happier! I watched the little video, which helped soothe the panic I got when I opened the box with the foundation and said, "Oh shit... How do I use this?" The video actually took longer to show applying the stuff than to actually apply it. And it is totally easy. I was smart enough to figure out the eyes/cheeks/lip kit myself. Duh...


I like the Bare Escentuals because, 1) I can adjust the coverage and mix colors if needed; 2) easily change my look by adding different base components (I can't really describe it, but believe me); 3) it goes on quick and easy;  4) it stays on; 5) it looks natural! There may be downsides for some, though. If you are used to liquid foundation (I was using Neutrogena Mineral Sheers before, so this didn't bother me), this may not suit you. The kabuki brush included in the starter kit will give full coverage -- I haven't tried it because I am happy with the flawless application brush. If you have a lot of fine wrinkles, you may not like this. Some people feel it sits in the wrinkle lines and magnifies them.

Here I am today. First let me comment on how difficult it is to take a photo of yourself without looking like a dork. Especially when you are a dork. Second, it looks like I am not wearing makeup, right? Aha!! It is supposed to look like that. I just look good like this when get out of bed... Sure I do!


When I wear a lot of makeup, I feel overdone. With this stuff I feel perfect.


Sorry for the boring post for you boys... 

Smiles!

Fun with Boring Photos

We took a few photos in Puerto Rico. I have already shared several in blogs last week. I decided to try something different today.

The photos below were pretty so so when took them. I played with Gimp for a while and changed them a bit... I think they are pretty fun now.

This was Mike's money drying after our kayak trip. He didn't want me to post it because, well, look at all that money! I swirled that part of the desk up a bit. Of course you can still see the values, but it is more fun this way.

And Mike the next day at the hot tub, being silly about getting his picture taken. I aged it and made it sepia toned. Now it looks kind of old-timey.

Just a stupid photo of me Sunday morning. Kind of "puzzling" why I posted it...

I have to say, this is my absolute fave. I was ready to have a wardrobe malfunction with the top of this dress. You'll actually see the cleavage spilling out, even with the neon effect. Also, check out my flip flops. My shoes were killing my feet (next to me on the bench), so I changed out to flip flops.

Gimp is a free image manipulation program. Once you spend a few minutes, pretty easy to use.

Have a happy day!

Happy Weekend

We had a fabulous weekend to round out a great trip to Puerto Rico. We got home from the airport around 12:30 am Saturday morning. We were all keyed up and ended up staying up for another 2 hours (and we had some great Mattie time).

We were up by 8:30 to start the day. We headed to Mike's mother's house to visit and say hello. The kids wanted to give us flowers and show us all kinds of things. It was a nice visit.

At noontime we decided to go to camp. We threw somethings in the car and headed out. We ended up arriving around 3 pm. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time visiting with everyone. Bob and Jean were up for the first weekend and we ended up having a nice bring your own dinner and visit dinner with them. I was out like a light at 10 pm after all the late nights we had (I failed to mention we went to bed around 2 am on Thursday night, too). Mike made it until about 12:30 Saturday night, but we both missed the lightning storm around 1 am.

Sunday was spent reading, visiting, and enjoying the sunshine. What more can you ask for?! We ended up watching The Reader that evening and then went down to the fire. There were lots of people down there so it was a fun place to be.

We headed back home Monday morning after a meeting in the pavillion. Along the way we were held up by the parad in Lebanon, NY. We finally got home around 1 pm and started getting ready for a family cookout. Pat, Deirdre, and the kids came over and we had a great time. I can't get to the photos now, but I will post a couple later on.

Now we are back to reality doing laundry, food shopping, and chores. Mattie sure is happy to have us around!

Smiles

Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in PR

Sunday was a relaxing day for us after the long day on Saturday. We hung out on the beach and took a nice walk.

Good times continued into the evening. We had dinner at a favorite restaurant of Michael's, Miro. Miro serves a variety of food, but specializes in seafood. We enjoyed a lovely seafood grilled plate that included shrimp, scallops, baby squid, calamari, salmon, red snapper, and a variety of other delectable treats. It was outstanding.

You may also notice 1) we got a little sun! and 2) I was attempting to look serious!

Tuesday was a work day for both of us. Mike went to an office, I worked from our room. Then I went to the beach!!!

We had dinner at Pikayo on Tuesday night. This flagship restaurant of chef Wilo Benet was all we expected and more. The food was out of this world and the service was impeccible. It was well worth every penny we spent -- and they were a lot of pennies indeed!

Wednesday was another work day (with some beach for me). I saw Mike off in the morning, then broke some software and headed to the beach.

 

I managed to finish another book (Stuart Wood's Loitering with Intent).

It has been a good trip!

Puerto Rico, El Yunque

Our second big outing in Puerto Rico was an excursion to El Yunque, the rainforest. We wanted to take a memorable trip into the US Forestry Service's only rainforest. We arranged the tour with EcoAction Tours. Reviews I read after booking noted the outfit is a little disorganized. We found that to be true, in part. We were picked up by Peter and Miguel. Peter is the owner, Miguel would be our guide. Apparently they were having a fight (sitting in the front seat, I picked up on this instantly and whispered to Mike), as Miguel later explained with far more detail and frequency than was necessary. After about 2/3 of the pickups, Peter handed us off to Miguel for the rest of the day.

We began the tour by leaving Isla Verde and traveling through the countryside to reach El Yunque. Our guide, Miguel, is a history teacher from Bayamón and grew up on the island. He was very knowledgable and shared some great information throughout the tour.

We stopped along a local beach for photos (sorry, I've forgotten the name). He was kind enough to take our picture.

We loaded back into the van and continued to the rainforest. At this point in our trip, the rain began. It continued off and on throughout the day. Fortunately, it was a nice warm rain and was quite enjoyable. We checked in at the ranger station and got a pass for our group. We then continued through El Yunque to stop at a beautiful waterfall called La Coca Falls.

The fall had crystal clear water and a spiggot that can be used to fill bottles. The water tasted very crisp and clean.

We continued up the road to the Yokahu Observation Tower. This tower gave an incredible view of the rainforest and nearby islands. And check out those rain clouds!

Next on the trip was a hike down the Big Tree Trail, which ends at Cascada La Mina (La Mina Falls). Big Tree trail has an impressive Ausubo (“Bullet wood”) tree and other various natural wonders. The 0.7 mile hike was enjoyable and had a nice path that was easy to navigate. Miguel pointed out a variety of plants and animals along the way an made the hike a lot of fun.

We arrived at La Mina Falls and took advantage of the opportunity to play in the water and take some photos. La Mina Falls descends about 35 feet into a couple of pools. The current was stronger near the falls, as you would expect.

Mike took photos (to protect the camera) while I was the guinea pig model :)

 

We left the falls on a different trail than we came in on, taking La Mina Trail instead. The trail was more difficult than the first one and a great workout for our quads! We hiked uphill for about 500 vertical feet and arrived at the ranger station where we met Miguel (who left at the falls to go move the van).

We stopped at La Muralla for an authentic Puerto Rican lunch before leaving the rainforest. We got the special which included pasteles (I think it is called that), along with rice, beans and other local specialties.

We saw something that was pretty funny after the meal. The roof of the restaurant is the front yard for a house. The owners had a dog tied out on the roof so he could see visitors or sleep in his dog house. You don't usually see that just driving down the street!

Miguel continued sharing local information and stories on the way back from El Yunque. The trip was definitely memorable and worthwhile!



We planned a nice walk in the evening to get something for dinner but were interrupted by a rains storm -- a common occurrence in the Caribbean. We decided on eating dinner at the Cherry Blossom. We had Japanese food that was good. The cook wasn't terribly showy, which was too bad, but the food was good.

Monday was another wonderful day in Puerto Rico!

I have been remiss

on my blogging, again... I am sorry. I have been posting on FB, for what that's worth!

Here's what you've missed. We flew to Puerto Rico on Saturday morning. We were up bright an early (2:45 am for me and 3:00 for Mike) and out of the house by 3:45 am. We arrived at Mike's building to park around 4:40 and made our way to the airport by cab for our 6 am flights. I flew JetBlue, Mike flew Delta (we both come home on the same JetBlue flight).

We landed in different terminals of JFK. I bounded into Cibo Express to get my lunch time treats. I got a smoked turkey sandwich with fresh grilled green apple, sugar snap peas, a cranberry & walnut quinoa salad, Lake Champlain Tanzania bar, and diet Snapple iced tea. Things aren't cheap (the bill was $23), but I feasted on various parts of this food for days -- I still haven't finished the chocolate.

I boarded my connection to San Juan and read and watch some TV on the way down. We arrived at the airport about 20 minutes apart and met up at my baggage claim. A short cab ride later, we arrived at our hotel, La Concha. The room was very nice, in the tower with an obstructed ocean view. Unfotunately, we were right outside a loud fan vent that never stopped (we moved rooms to a pool room with a full balcony the next day).

We unpacked our things and took a trip to the local supermarket for provisions. Nearly every trip we take includes a trip to the store for cheese, crackers, cereal, milk, OJ, and other beverages. We grabbed a quick dinner at Chili's (I know it is an abomination, but we wanted something quick and easy), then returned to our hotel to prepare for our evening adventure.

We booked a trip with Kayaking Puerto Rico for their BioBay Excursion. They picked us up at the hotel at 6:30 pm for the hour + drive to Fajardo. We arrived in Fajardo around 7:45 pm for our 8:30 excursion. We walked around the area and hung out for a bit while we waited. The biobay is big tourist business and we saw at least 3 other companies with tents up for their tours. The group before us came in and were very pleased with their tour.

We had a little lesson about kayaking -- hold your paddle this way and do this and that -- for about 10 minutes. Mike and I have not been kayaking together (I've never been and he has been once, I think). We have canoed, and of course he rowed in high school and did boating as he grew up. We weren't too worried about the experience. The instructor showed us the route (embedded below). We were to leave the ocean bay, kayak through a forest for one mile, then arrive at the bio luminescent bay. We were told two important things: 1) don't hit the roots of the mangrove trees as it can damage them, and 2) do not yell as it disturbs the wildlife.





View BioBay in a larger map

We launched around 9 pm. We began the trip by paddling across the open space to line up. This was a bit comical as a majority of the group (but not us, thank God) had serious problems controlling their kayaks and paddling in sync. People were bumping into one another like crazy. Anyway, we made our way to the river through the forest. Now let me say this, there are no lights in this forest, it was dark out -- I don't know what moon phase -- with thick forest canopy all around. Kids, it was dark. The boats were equipped with a green light on the bow and a red light on the stern. We were to follow the red light ahead of us at all times. The pace was nice and slow (a bit too slow for us, but easy on the arms). The further we got into the forest, the cooler it got. As we moved our paddles in the river, the bio luminescense surrounded them. It is hard to explain, but if could imagine those light sticks you can get and break to glow being in the water and activating each time the water is hit, that is pretty close. We sprinkled water down our arms and legs and got little glows. The darkness of the sky also made the rocks along the sides of the waterway glow.

We reached the lagoon and got to paddle around for awhile enjoying the peaceful setting and incredible bio luminescence. After a while we rejoined in a line and paddled back to the launch point. The whole trip took about an hour and 20 minutes. I can't say enough times how amazing this trip was. We would definitely do this trip again. They took our photo as we launched. Though I posted it on FB, this is another (photo of a photo, sorry) shot that I enhanced using Picnick (which is awesome and free online photo editing -- which was location based in Spanish since we're in PR, and I still figured it out).

We headed back to the hotel and arrived around midnight to a very happening scene. There were hundreds of people partying in the lobby and pool areas. It was amazing. We couldn't miss out on the fun, so we took a quick shower and came back down to have a drink.

As you can see, there were live dancers (she posed for my photo) -- another one was just to the left.

Though we are not in the photo below it gives you a glimpse of the scene.

We enjoyed our day together and finally got to bed around 2:15 am. What a great start to our trip!

There will be more trip updates to come! Stay tuned...

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Deb, Helen, and I went t see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past on Tuesday night. The trailer is embedded below.







It was a great chick flick! We all laughed and got misty eyes at various parts of the movie. The twist on The Christmas Carol's three ghosts was interesting and executed pretty well overall. The ghost of girlfriends past (as opposed to present or future) was the strongest, while the ghost of girlfriends future was most poignant.

Nearly all of the scenes were filmed in or around Boston. I can't wait to see it again on video with Mike so he can tell me where some of the places were that I didn't recognize right away!

We are thinking our next movie will be The Proposal (trailer here)...

A close-up of our birthday gifts: from Girlfriends

I am blessed with not only a great family, but also with a great group of girlfriends. They are always there (even long distance) to share a laugh, a story, or just a random thought. And they are just so thoughtful...

Melissa knows we're always having get togethers in the summer and she got me a fabulous set of salad servers. I just love them! She also got me the book Dewey. My mom read it a couple of weeks ago, and it was on my list of books to get. Melissa is such an amazing mind reader that she just must have known! I can't wait to read it.

Helen is a jewelry treasure trove (what with a live-in jewelry smith) and gave me these gorgeous earrings. Aren't they fabulous?!

And Alison knows how much we love the beach, so she got me this insulated bag that has a matching pareo, hairband and pouch!

I'm feeling so loved!

Have a super day!

Friend Lists: Now in Chat

For us all Facebook heads...

Friend Lists: Now in Chat

via Facebook Blog by Rob Goodlatte on 5/11/09

Since we launched Facebook Chat, many of you have asked for ways to organize your connections and to control which friends see you online. Maybe you want to be online with your best friends but offline with your work colleagues. You can now do that by using Friend Lists to filter your connections in Chat.

Friend Lists let you group friends to more easily share with and view information from specific sets of people. You already can use them to filter your home page, send Inbox messages and manage privacy settings.

From the bottom right corner of your browser, go online with Chat and choose which lists you'd like to include in the Chat pane. You can use your existing lists or create new lists directly from Chat.

Creating Lists
To create a new list, simply select the "Friend Lists" menu on the Chat pane, enter a new list name, and drag the names of people you want to include into the list. You can exclude lists from Chat by unchecking them in the "Friend Lists" menu. If you don't want your friends grouped in Chat at all, you can simply uncheck all the Friend Lists, and you'll then see your friends listed alphabetically.



If some of your friends aren't in a Friend List yet, they'll be included under "Other Friends."

Going Offline
Alongside each list, you'll notice a green switch; when you turn off the switch, you'll be logging off of Chat for that list. Friends in lists that are switched off will not be able to see that you are online or chat with you, nor will you be able to see whether they are online.



Friend Lists are useful in organizing and filtering your experience on Facebook, especially as you have more friends from different parts of your life. To learn about other ways to use them on the site, watch this recent video tutorial.


Rob, a designer at Facebook, will see you online...or maybe not.

How I Feel about Mondays

Don't we all feel this way?!

A close-up of our birthday gifts: Birdbath

We always enjoy visits from Pat, Deirdre, and the kids. Connor and Fiona have a great time playing in our yard. They check out the flowers and look for birds. Naturally, they thought a birdbath would be the perfect birthday gift for us!

Isn't it pretty? It is a pretty shell pattern that makes us think of the beach. Check it out close up.

The birdies will be so happy!

Last year they got us hibiscus for our birthdays. We over-wintered them in our guest room on the second floor and they did great. We have them on the patio for now.

What pretties!

Have a happy day!

A closeup of our birthday gifts: Treasures from the Cape

Pat is always able to find things that no one else can. Her sense of style,  color, and the current trends never ceases to amaze me. She's one hip chic! This year rung in feelings from the Cape. A beautiful turquoise purse. Aaahh...

A beautiful carving set with cranberry gems. Doesn't it just make you want to make a turkey?!

A great serving tray for the summer. We have one at camp, but not here. We are forever running back and forth to the house from the patio. Not anymore with this baby!

She also got me a shirt from Alternative that is awesome. I didn't get a pic though. Here is a snap of me wearing it this morning!

Thanks so much for the thoughtful, fun gifts!

A closeup of our birthday gifts: Internet Connect Weather Station

We've posted about our weather station and all its doodads in recent months. We really like knowing all the meteorological details at a glance. Mike really wanted to take the system to the next level -- broadcasting conditions on the internet so we can get the deets any time.

Being the wonderful Mom she is, Pat got Michael the necessary equipment to upgrade our system to broadcast online. The Oregon Scientific WMR968 is a beautiful touch screen station with a serial output that can be connected to a computer.

We got the serial to USB cable and a software upgrade, and voila! our weather online!

We are now a personal weather station on Weather Underground. We can even make cute little stickers to post on other sites (see our footer and the example below in this post).







Next up, a little website that we customize with even more of our weather data.

Cool (or hot, depending on the day!)!!!

A close-up of our birthday gifts: Clothes

Who knows a girl better than her mom? **Note added here: you all know me pretty darned well, I have to admit!!** My mom (and Brian) outdid themselves for my birthday. Check out this awesome outfit!!!

It is a little hard to see. I got a beautiful new chocolate top, an awesome skirt (this is the back, which is pleated, the front is flat), earrings, and a necklace. And the perfect way to top things off, perfume!!!

I really wanted to model the outfit, but was in a time pinch and it is cold here. I'll have to take a snap when I wear it. I can't wait!

Thanks a bunch, Mom!!!

A close-up of our birthday gifts: Networking

I send my deepest apologies to the non-techies out there as I write this. I didn't have time to take photos of my other fabulous gifts, so today's spotlight is on a nerdy (but much needed) gift.  For years we have been using our Airport Express for Wireless Printing.

The scenario worked out great for several years. As our home computing needs have grown, I have been looking to reconfigure our setup. We have two printers we want to print to regularly (a standard printer and a compact photo printer). We really wanted the convenience of choosing either of the printers to use wirelessly. You all know I am too lazy to unplug my computer, walk into the front hall with it, and hook up to the photo printer... I also wanted stream music to our stereo (from iTunes) wirelessly using AirTunes. This is another capability of the Airport Express. We were not able to do that with our setup because we didn't want to move the printers to the entertainment center.

Whew, what a long story so far. I hope you haven't fallen asleep!!! After years of searching (we are very picky and wanted very specific features) we found a print server that supports 2 USB printers. Woo hoo! The Netgear WGPS606 is a nice little device that has a four port switch, support for two USB printers, and a wireless connection. If you are wondering (Dad, I know you are) why we didn't just get a network printer, well, our printer works fine and we have extra ink for it. We just didn't want to spend the money.

Mike got me the print server for my birthday. I hooked it up last night and we got 2/3 of our computers set up to print. I also setup the Airport Express for AirTunes.

**extra nerdy part coming up
As an aside, the hardware setup for the print server and then for the PCs that access it was a bit of a pain. I spent about 25 minutes trying to figure out how to dedicate an IP address on the router for the print server (which it requires). Software has to be run on each PC to properly configure each printer connection. The Macs, on the other hand, were easy peasy. I just set up an IP printer for each printer by identifying the print server (by name or IP, I used name) and the queue. It took, literally, 2 minutes. Setting up AirTunes was equally easy. After I plugged it in, I spent about 3 minutes in the AirPort Utility and was all done.
**end of nerdy part

I promise that I will have a more interesting selection of gifts up for tomorrow!

Smiles

What I'm Reading (April)

Here's what I've been up to in April. I can't believe it is May 5 already!!!

	The Babysitter's Code by Laura Lippman Kindle Edition This short-story mystery follows a teen-aged babysitter and her unexpected glimpse into the world of adults. It wasn't bad (for free!).
	Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace Kindle Edition   From Amazon: "When Mallory Dawes, suddenly infamous in the States, decided to take that vacation to France, her problems were just beginning: a lost passport. A car swept out to sea. Missing travelers' checks. And a mysterious, if intriguing, man who always seemed to turn up just when she was in trouble... Cutter Smith-code name: Slash-was told to keep the beautiful blonde in his sights. But as his interest in her veered from the professional to the intensely personal, Cutter knew the cost of falling in love would be high indeed. And he would have to pay the price...." This was another freebie from Amazon. I loved it so much, I would have gladly paid for it. It was a good story, a bit predictable, but happy and romantic in the end.
	Afraid by Jack Kilborn Kindle Edition  Kilborn is a pen name for Joe (aka JA) Konrath. I've written a lot about Konrath's Jack Daniels series over the months, and they have really grown on me. This book is billed as being very scary. Here's what the reviewers said: Jack Kilborn's AFRAID is appropriately named. It will scare the hell out of anyone who reads it. Fast and ferocious, this is a dangerous thriller that will take a bite out of you. An absolute must read for anyone who loves the adrenaline rush of a shocking story told with style, speed and savage grace. (Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award winning author of PATIENT ZERO and THEY BITE ) Jack Kilborn's "Afraid" is a true page turner, a novel that offers a million mile a minute action and suspense. Definitely, a must have with constant thrills and chills. (Heather Graham, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author ) Full of colorful characters and dynamic action, this hard-to-put-down page turner will keep readers riveted and squirming in their seats. Hands down, AFRAID by Jack Kilborn is perhaps the best psychological horror novel to come along since Silence of the Lambs. (Michael Laimo, author of DEAD SOULS and DEEP IN THE DARKNESS ) "Kilborn kicks down your psyche's front door and RAISES HOLY EVER-LIVING HELL. Never have I read a novel so gruesome and simultaneously relentless. AFRAID throbs with unmitigated, inexorable. sheer friggin' TERROR." (Edward Lee, author of CITY INFERNAL and BRIDES OF THE IMPALER ) A bloody, terrifying, hurtling assault across a landscape of non-stop mayhem. A guilty, guilty pleasure. (F. Paul Wilson, creator of Repairman Jack ) "AFRAID is one of the most intense, relentless books I've ever read. This one takes no prisoners." (Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself ) "The moment I heard about this book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it." (David Morrell, NYT bestselling author of Scavenger ) "AFRAID is a bungee jump into pure terror, a story that plays brilliantly on all our primal fears, and stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Harris, Koontz, and King. A classic horror novel." (Blake Crouch, author of Locked Doors ) "AFRAID is a masterpiece of unrelenting horror. And I'm not exaggerating. Masterpiece. It's the best piece of fiction I've read in several years. It simply NEVER lets up." (James Rollins, NYT bestselling author of Black Order ) My take: This book was very good. It scared the crap out of me. But, it is not for those with a weak stomach. There is lots of blood and twisted stuff going on... It was very suspenseful and kept me turning the virtual pages!
	Testimony: A Novel by Anita Shreve From Booklist: "*Starred Review* Shreve, consummate crafstman and frequent provocateur, is on fire in her latest novel, a mesmerizing read centering on a sex scandal at a prestigious Vermont prep school. The story is laid out in short, dramatic chapters narrated by a chorus of participants and bystanders, from the beleagured headmaster to the heartbroken parents to the vacuous girl at the center of the scandal. Three star basketball players were videotaped having sex with a freshman, and the tape was then posted on the Internet. The reaction is immediate and the results devastating, destroying marriages, ruining futures, and, most horrifying of all, resulting in a death. Part of what makes the novel so riveting is its graphic rehashing of a scandal familiar from newspaper headlines, but most of this affecting novel’s appeal lies in the way it so carefully fills in the nuances often missing from the headlines. One of the boys, the son of local farmers who was attending the elite school on scholarship, had learned a shocking secret about his mother just prior to the incident and, uncharacteristically, had too much to drink. Conversely, the girl ultimately calls the cops, thereby alerting the media, and accuses the boys of rape because it’s easier than having to face the wrath of her father. Shreve views all of the characters, even the most flawed, with a good deal of compassion, revealing the heartbreaking consequences of a single reckless act. --Joanne Wilkinson"
	Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian From Publishers Weekly: "In his 12th novel, Bohjalian (The Double Bind) paints the brutal landscape of Nazi Germany as German refugees struggle westward ahead of the advancing Russian army. Inspired by the unpublished diary of a Prussian woman who fled west in 1945, the novel exhumes the ruin of spirit, flesh and faith that accompanied thousands of such desperate journeys. Prussian aristocrat Rolf Emmerich and his two elder sons are sent into battle, while his wife flees with their other children and a Scottish POW who has been working on their estate. Before long, they meet up with Uri Singer, a Jewish escapee from an Auschwitz-bound train, who becomes the group's protector. In a parallel story line, hundreds of Jewish women shuffle west on a gruesome death march from a concentration camp. Bohjalian presents the difficulties confronting both sets of travelers with carefully researched detail and an unflinching eye, but he blinks when creating the Emmerichs, painting them as untainted by either their privileged status, their indoctrination by the Nazi Party or their adoration of Hitler. Although most of the characters lack complexity, Bohjalian's well-chosen descriptions capture the anguish of a tragic era and the dehumanizing desolation wrought by war." I didn't know what to expect from this book, but it was good. As with any book about interment of the Jewish, it was sad. It followed the family for several months and painted a pretty complete picture of their devastation. The book was well-written.
	The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff Kindle Edition From The New Yorker: "This ambitious third novel tells two parallel stories of polygamy. The first recounts Brigham Young's expulsion of one of his wives, Ann Eliza, from the Mormon Church; the second is a modern-day murder mystery set in a polygamous compound in Utah. Unfolding through an impressive variety of narrative forms—Wikipedia entries, academic research papers, newspaper opinion pieces—the stories include fascinating historical details. We are told, for instance, of Brigham Young's ban on dramas that romanticized monogamous love at his community theatre; as one of Young's followers says, "I ain't sitting through no play where a man makes such a cussed fuss over one woman." Ebershoff demonstrates abundant virtuosity, as he convincingly inhabits the voices of both a nineteenth-century Mormon wife and a contemporary gay youth excommunicated from the church, while also managing to say something about the mysterious power of faith." This book was great. Not what I would normally read, but it really sucked me in.
	Vision in White by Nora Roberts Kindle Edition From Amazon: "Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother…an encounter that has them both seeing stars. A stable, safe English teacher, Carter Maguire is definitely not Mac’s type. But a casual fling might be just what she needs to take her mind off bridezillas. Of course, casual flings can turn into something more when you least expect it. And Mac will have to turn to her three best friends—and business partners—to see her way to her own happy ending." I am reading this now. I love love love it. Can't wait to finish!!!

I'll keep you posted on this month's books...