Currently

 Link up with Jenn at Perfectly Imperfect to play along!

Current Book(s):

I bought this in an airport when my flight was delayed-delayed-delayed-delayed-cancelled. I was too exhausted to actually read it at the time, but now 

that I'm home I try to sneak away to the roof deck on sunny days and read about a bunch of WASPs sorting their lives out on a tiny island getaway with no

phones, television, internet, or even a grocery store.

I'm actually reading this for the second time. It's not exactly a page-turner, but I'm a history lover this book dishes out all the dirt you won't find in your high school history text. For example, the controversial war hero had an inauguration that resembled a frat party with people literally crawling in the windows of the White House and rolling barrels of whiskey and rum punch onto the lawn.

Current Playlist:

I'm rekindling my love affair with country music! I'd lost hope for a while there.. I cant stand the overproduced pretty-boy garbage that turned me off of any new country music for the past 10 years.. but after seeing Eric Church in concert, I realized the jukebox in the corner of my mind had room for plenty more 

new & old REAL country music. : )

ERIC CHURCH

TRACE ADKINS 

 KENNY CHESNEY

BROOKS & DUNN

PAT MCGEE

ZAC BROWN BAND

GEORGE STRAIT

DIXIE CHICKS

Current Color:

I can't get enough coral!!

   

Current Drink:

  black coffee 

Current Food: 

snacking on some wild cherries

  

Current Favorite Show:

OK so I don't own a television, but my dear friends at Netflix were convinced I'd enjoy Sons of Anarchy and they were right! Occasionally I run across a fantastically written well-cast gangster drama and I'm hooked. Sopranos, The Brotherhood, The Wire... 

and now, Sons of Anarchy. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

  

Current Wishlist:

How about some new aviators? I managed to step on mine yesterday at the pool!

Current Needs:

A week or two in South Carolina to see my faraway friends! I miss y'all!

Current Triumphs:

My recent closet upheaval! I can now see the floor and I don't have 

to carefully wedge hangers in a giant crowded mess to hang up my clothes.  

Current Bane of My Existence:

Gas prices. To a spontaneous road trip lover like myself, it's utterly crippling.   

Current Celebrity Crush:

Bear Grylls. Forever & always. He can drink pee, eat live snakes, and give himself an enema on international television and still be sexy. Now that's a MAN. 

Current #1 Blessing:

I'm pretty excited to be blessed with the family and friends I have. : )

Current Indulgence:

Doing absolutely nothing on my day off. I like to call it a "mental health day."

Current Outfit:

H & M Floral print sundress I got last summer. Camera is officially broken, so you'll just have to take my word that it's cute and VERY comfy.

      

Current Excitement:

This time next week I'll be strolling down the streets of beautiful NYC! 

Current Mood:

Relaxed    

 

Sullivans Island by Dorothea Frank: A Review

I recently borrowed the novel Sullivans Island from my mom, who got it from a friend. Isn't that how great books are discovered? Passed along from woman to woman? I think so.

I used to live 7 minutes from Sullivans Island, (which is near Charleston, South Carolina) so when I was scouring her massive book collection I decided to go with it.  It's a charming place with a sort of spiritual presence. I would often go there year round to walk my dogs, run on the beach, or just sit and stare at the ocean. The last time I was there was for a short visit last March and I had this overwhelming sense that I was deeply connected to the waters of the low country.... I suppose absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

Anyway, the book is about a woman who is blindsided by her husband's mid life crisis and her sudden impending divorce. She is faced with reinventing herself while raising a teenage daughter and revisiting her family history in her ancestral home on Sullivans Island. As the healing process begins, she finds herself exploring the death of her father when she was young and fondly remembering her loving Gullah housekeeper, Livvie. The chapters alternate between 1999 and 1963 creating an intricate story of love, family, civil rights, and community. Many of the women in the book are sharp tongued, witty, and feisty in a way that reminds me of Dixie Carter's character Julia from Designing Women.

Classy AND Sassy.

This book is perfect for an afternoon in the hammock, an evening in a bubble bath, or even sprawled out on a beach towel... definitely a relaxing read. I laughed at the colloquialisms used throughout the book because many of the words and phrases I haven't spoken or heard in years. I was raised in South Carolina and we have an abundance of wacky sayings that people from other parts wouldn't understand. I loved the fact that I recognized street names, restaurants, landmarks, and even shopping centers, but even if you've never heard of Sullivans Island, I think this is a book you'll enjoy.

Rocko & Bowser enjoying Sullivans Island, 2008

I was excited to learn of Return to Sullivans Island, which is about the next generation of this fabulously dysfunctional family. I'll be reading it as soon as I get my hands on a copy!

I'm always looking for the next great book, so let me know about the great reads you can't put down!

*Disclaimer: I refuse to read Danielle Steel/Emily Giffin/ etc.