Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday Salon - August 21

How can we possibly be nearly the end of August (and, therefore, the end of summer)? What a blur this summer has been! I feel like I haven't done much reading but I know by most people's standards, I've read quite a lot. I'd like to think that I'll get more read this fall. But those of you who know anything at all about me by now know that I'm going to spend quite a lot of the next few months in front of a television watching football. My beloved Cornhuskers will kick off their inaugural season in the Big 10 soon and every fall starts with high hopes for my Oakland Raiders. Perhaps I need to work in some football reading this fall.

We went to a wedding last night, the first of Mama Shepp's boys to get married. I can't believe my boys could possibly be grown up enough to be getting married although the youngest of them are all 22 by now, the same age I was when I got married. Still, all of "my boys" will forever be goofy high school kids, hanging out in my kitchen, forgetting that I'm a grownup and making me laugh so hard.


New York Press has a article about mom-and-pop bookstores this week. Much as I love knowing that I can walk into a Barnes & Noble and find almost any book I'm looking for, I love the idea of walking into an indie bookstore and finding a book I didn't even know I was looking for.
"There’s a word in Danish that doesn’t translate to English. Google Translate will tell you that “hygge” means “cozy” or “coziness,” but it really means much more than that. Hygge, pronounced “hue-gah,” is the happy, satisfied laziness you feel when it’s raining outside and you’re curled up on the couch. It’s the feeling of being at home—of being comfortable—that all humans crave.
Hygge is exactly the feeling you get in tiny bookshops that smell like paper and dust and feature leaning towers of good reads. And it’s the feeling on which the owners of those bookstores count to stay in business."
There's nothing but cleaning (and, of course, some reading) on my schedule this afternoon. It might just be a good day to head off to downtown Omaha and visit Jones Street Booksellers.

Happy 90th birthday to Winnie-The-Pooh today! He looks pretty good for 90, doesn't he?!
This week I'm finishing up "Cocktails Under The Tree of Forgetfulness" by Alexandra Fuller (loving this one!) and then I'm actually ahead of reading for my scheduled reviews. What to read next? What are you reading this week?

14 comments:

  1. I love that word, hygge, but I doubt I could ever pronounce it right, even with phonetic assistance! But it's perfect for small bookstores!

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  2. Awww... I can imagine how it must be to see you kids all grown up - you wonder if it happened overnight, because it's just not possible that they can be grown-ups!

    I didn't realize it is Pooh's bday today, woot!

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  3. I can't believe summer is just about over either. It was a perfect summer here for beach weather for the most part. Hope you have a great week:)

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  4. M&P bookstores are definitely a dying breed, but one I miss for sure.

    Love the Pooh illustrations--I grew up with my Dad reading Pooh stories to be repeatedly as they were among his favorites.

    Have a good week!

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  5. Congrats to your boy!

    I love that Danish word - I look forward to that feeling every day that I come home and I have free time to curl up on the couch and relax. It's perfect :)

    Have a good week!

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  6. Congrats to your son and his wife Lisa! Time sure does fly, both in terms of age and the seasons. I just can't believe it's almost the end of August. I haven't done as much reading as normal either. Actually I'm not even sure I'll break 100 this year. Oh well. Have a great Sunday Lisa!

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  7. It is indeed strange attending weddings of kids you have known since they were babes. We went to such a wedding last night.

    I am reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl for the What's In A Name Challenge and listening to The Pioneer Woman by Ree Drummond!

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  8. Congratulations to your son and his new wife! I also attended a wedding for a friend this weekend, and as it was outside, I about melted my face off! It was a beautiful ceremony though.

    I hope that you have a wonderful week, and that you get a chance to stop by the bookstore sometime too!

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  9. Wait--by mama shepp do you mean YOU?? Congratulations Lisa!

    And I'm still a bit sad that Nebraska will be leaving the Big 12. Actually I have no idea what's going on with the Big 12...is it even 12?

    And finally--bring on fall. So tired of this weather. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a month going by so quickly as I have this month. ;)

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  10. Congrats as well!

    I'm getting ready for Fall with Zombie vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black. Super funny. Look forward to more great reviews!

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  11. I looked at my kids the other day and it hit me just how big they've gotten. The Boy, I already realized but The Girl is going to be 8 and she's sprouted, lost her baby face and her voice has changed. I'm not ready!

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  12. Good for you for being ahead of it all. I am wicked behind. :(

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  13. I want so me hygge in my life right now!
    oh, and congrats to the newly wedded kids. :)

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  14. "Hygge" is the perfect word as we prepare to snuggle in at home with books and puzzles as we wait for Hurricane Irene and her rains and winds.

    I hope I can still remember the word the next time I play Scrabble!

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