Simple Pleasures

Last week, Mr. Christoff and I shoveled snow. (Oh, so much snow...) When we were finally able to hang-up our shovels, clip our mittens to the clothesline to dry, and pull off our boots to pad around our warm kitchen in our woolen socks, we were more than ready for lunch. So we cracked open a can of classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and slathered apple slices with peanut butter. And while we sipped steaming, simple soup, Mr. Christoff turned to me and said, "This takes me back to playing in the snow as a kid!"

Ditto, Mr. Christoff. Ditto.

Sometimes, those simple days of childhood seem so far gone. But really, they aren't. Not if we can can find ways to live them all over again like with a rosy nose, plenty of snow, and a simple bowl of soup. Because life doesn't get easier as we get older, does it? There are bills to pay and groceries to buy and taxes to pay and to keep up with all that, there's office angst and traffic jams and migraines.

So, from time to time, grab hold of what makes you feel like a kid again. Embrace what makes you smile. Especially when those things are so simple to find. Like soup. And snow. For my part, I intend to make time for more bubble baths. I'll clear my schedule for those old episodes of Doctor Who. I'll get my hands good and dirty planting geraniums. And I won't be shy about getting my feet wet on a good long walk with my dogs. These simple pleasures, I know, will remind me of my childhood. And they'll make adulthood a lot more fun!

What simple pleasures bring you a much-needed break? When was the last time you indulged in one? Let the R8 know!

Nic's Picks: Sizzling Summer Reads

Now is the perfect time to pick up some sizzling summer reads, because before you know it, school will be out, the beach will beckon, and you'll be ready to dive into your carefully compiled To Be Read pile.

 

My own TBR pile is already tall and teetering. What's in it? I'm so glad you asked! Here are my Top 5 Picks for summer reading:

 

5. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

 

I'm a sucker for an underdog story and Addison's Sci Fi novel promises to be a humdinger. In the novel, 18 year-old half-goblin Maia returns from banishment, navigates the Elvish court, and takes his place as the unwanted Goblin Emperor after his father and elder brothers are killed in a suspicious zeppelin crash. Court intrigue abounds. And Maia must overcome a myriad of challenges. Now that's an underdog story that promises new tricks.

 

4. America Is Elsewhere: The Noir Tradition in the Age of Consumer Culture by Erik Dussere

 

If you've ever felt like an outsider, Noir is for you. From Dashiell Hammett to today's writers, Noir speaks to all of us because, somehow, it's about all of us. Nominated for Mystery Writers of America's prestigious Edgar Award, America Is Elsewhere takes a look at the connection between Noir and the ideas we live with today about masculinity, purchasing power, and success. Hmmm...

 

3. Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter

 

This may be debut author Elizabeth Heiter's first novel, but I'm betting fans won't let it be her last. When a serial killer turns the tables on FBI profiler Evelyn Baine, she becomes the hunted. I hope you'll hunt down a copy as soon as you can.

 

2. The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson

 

Voted UK's 2012 Teen Queen by Young Adult fiction fans throughout the British Isles, Johnson penned this novella in celebration of this year's World Book Day. In it, she gives fans a glimpse into the backstory behind her popular Shades of London series--and I'm a decided fan. If you aren't familiar with Johnson's Shades, but would love to see how YA, paranormal mystery, and Jack the Ripper lore can come together, check out the first novel in the series, The Name of the Star. Whichever selection you read, you'll never look at the strangers you pass on the street the same way again.

 

1. Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

 

 

 

 Milchman's novel is the winner of this year's Mary Higgins Clark Award and as if that weren't yummy enough, it's a psychological thriller about a woman's quest to solve the mystery behind her husband's maybe-not-so-self-inflicted suicide. I plan to read mine with the lights on. And maybe pick up a signed copy since Jenny Milchman will be on tour. Her schedule is jam-packed with possibilities to meet the author as you can see by clicking here.

 

So there you have it! These are Nic's Picks for Summer Reading. Now that I've shown you mine, how about you show me yours? What books are you planning to pull of the TBR pile this summer?