BOOKISH THURSDAYS #15: SERENDIPITOUS MOMENTS

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Welcome to Thursday, a day that once seemed lost, with nothing exciting happening anywhere.  But then that changed, and today I am celebrating some of the bookish events around the blogosphere, like Lexxie’s Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts; Kimberlyfaye’s TBR Thursday; and Christine’s Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts.

My featured book today is one I purchased on December 31, 2015, and even though it’s been hanging out on Pippa for a while, it is new enough to count for my Read the Books You Buy Challenge.  It is Better Off Without Him, by Dee Ernst.

 

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Let’s take a look at the book, in terms of foodies excerpts:

 

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Our MC, Mona Berman, has a twenty-year marriage and three teenage daughters.  Here she is enjoying a normal morning of breakfasts, etc.  Here comes one of the teens:

That particular morning, I could see a happy kitten face beneath her grey hoodie, and her hair was in a long braid.  She carefully measured oatmeal and water into a bowl and set it in the microwave, then smiled as she poured her orange juice and said, in her very sweet, little-girl voice, “I put our DNA in Johnson already.  Is that okay?”

I smiled.  Of course it was okay.  For those who need a translation, Johnson is our minivan.  I call it Johnson after the actor, Van Johnson.  I am a huge movie fan, and I watched a lot of old movies on television when I was a kid.  The DNA she was referring to was the science project she and her sister had been working on for the past six weeks.

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Okay, I am already suspicious of this overly sweet girl.  I’ll bet she’s trouble!  lol

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Now we’ll examine this TBR more closely for TBR Thursday:

 

Blurb:  Mona Berman has it all—a twenty-year marriage, a successful career as a romance novelist, and three teenage daughters. But when her husband, Brian, leaves her for someone younger, thinner, blonde, and French, she has to step back and take a good, long look at her life.

First, her career. She can’t continue to write about “Happily Ever After,” so she changes the heroine of her new book from a hot young thing to a forty-something woman who manages to find happiness without a man. Her agent isn’t too happy—the heroine is how old? She doesn’t get the guy in the end? How is that even possible?

But Mona is tough, and she’s got Anthony, her personal assistant, and a few good friends to cheer her on and keep the stiff martinis flowing. And Ben. Ben is her plumber, but not your average plumber. He’s smart enough to know that Brian was never good enough for her, and sexy enough to be cast as the romantic lead in quite a few of her books. The sound of his voice alone can send her imagination into full romantic overdrive.

Then she meets Mitch, who might be just the guy for her. And there’s still Ben, who’s managed to come to her rescue more than once. But—there’s a book to publish, a soon-to-be-ex-husband to deal with, and what has Aunt Lily done this time?

Can Mona work this all out? Can life imitate art, and can Mona write her own happy ending?

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Why have I waited so long?  This one sounds like a fun story about the other side of romance.  What do you think?

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  • Yesterday was a good day to get out of the house, so I met up with a friend at the neighborhood Barnes & Noble.  I love having coffee, chatting, and then browsing books.  Here’s a view of the coffee shop;

 

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  • I found a couple of books on the bargain table….I’ll share more about those on Saturday’s Stacking the Shelves;
  • Afterwards, I hopped on over to The Elephant Bar, in the same parking lot, and had a delightful lunch that included a free appetizer (rewards card), a Pomegranate martini, and a salad;

 

May 25 elephant bar lunch

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  • Back home, I read a little, watched some TV…and started a new series on Netflix Revenge.  (I finished The Killing on the weekend).  I never watched this show on TV…and the first two episodes were okay, but I still prefer the murder mysteries (lol).  But who knows?  When revenge is happening, anything is possible;

 

 

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  • I don’t have much else to chat about…I guess I got it all out of my system when I visited with my friend yesterday…but on Monday, I did take my laptop and coffee out on my newly cleaned patio…which was long overdue;

 

 

may 24 another look at the patio

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What are you sharing today?  Come on by and leave a comment and link.  Enjoy the day!

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6 thoughts on “BOOKISH THURSDAYS #15: SERENDIPITOUS MOMENTS

  1. re: Thirsty Thursday – LOL, taken out of context that DNA conversation can take on a different meaning 😉 Steel cut oats are my fave.

    re: B&N – love, love, love coffee shops especially those with books

    re: The Killing – do try to watch all seasons as the character transformations of both detectives are fun to watch and finale wraps it up well

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, yes, I thought about that out-of-context aspect, too, vvb.

      I also love hanging out in coffee shops with books…I go over there, even when I have nobody to meet there. I take my Kindle, grab some coffee, and I’m in heaven.

      I did watch all the seasons and loved the transformations. That finale left me feeling really good. Especially since there was so much sadness and stress throughout most of the show.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Like

  2. Can’t wait for your review of Better Off Without Him! Loved your lunch out – that martini would be my choice as well 🙂 I watched a few episodes of Revenge but in the end it failed to capture my interest. Have a lovely evening!

    Liked by 1 person

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