Sunday Salon: Two Weeks in Review

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The Sunday Salon.com
Hello from hot and sunny Orlando! I'm here for the American Library Association's Annual Conference, which is once again proving to be an exciting and exhausting mix of work, fun, networking, book events and reading. My schedule calms down considerably tomorrow, so I hope to spend time drafting some of those reviews I keep meaning to write.

What I Read Last Week The Last Two Weeks
1. Since my last week in review, I finished Blood Defense by Marcia Clark. I am impatiently awaiting the second book in this series, Moral Defense, but I'm excited it's out in November. Two books a year? Yes, please!
2. I also finished The Assistants by Camille Perri on audio, which was entertaining and perceptive. It surprised me. I keep pondering it--in a good way.
3. I picked the new novel from one of my favorite authors, Ann Patchett, to read on the planes to Orlando, and I'm so glad I did. Commonwealth isn't out until September, but it is a masterpiece.
4. I'm currently devouring Wendy Walker's psychological thriller, All Is Not Forgotten, which comes out July 12th. Thanks to many shuttle rides between meetings and events (did I mention it's hot in Orlando?), I read half of it yesterday. I'm also listening to The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. It's fascinating, and I'm learning so much about Chinese cooking and culture.


What I Watched This Week
1. I'm almost done with season 2 of Grace and Frankie on Netflix. I really enjoy this show and its complex characters.
2. ALA is an exhausting conference, and by the end of the day, I want to lay in bed and watch a little tv to unwind from all the library and book talk. Watching the first two episodes of my long-running summer guilty pleasure Big Brother has been the perfect way to end my evenings. I'm disappointed at the identities of three of the returning players, as I read a report that included four very different people, but I am really excited about this year's twists (so far) and the new houseguests. 
3. On the plane to Orlando, I took a break from reading and watched the first two episodes of Blindspot. It was fascinating and entertaining. Unfortunately, the rest of the season isn't available to stream currently, but I hope it shows up somewhere later this summer.

The Best Thing I Bought This Week
In a clear sign of "I obviously spent too much money on Kindle books for awhile," my settlement from the Apple ebook case was almost $200. My jaw hit the floor. I decided to treat myself to a Kindle Paperwhite. I adore my Fire, but I don't always love it for reading text-based books. And I don't love having to charge it every night. My original Kindle is collecting dust on a shelf somewhere, and the Paperwhite is everything I miss about it and more. It's the perfect combination of e-ink and backlight. 

The Best Thing I Ate This Week
In a sign I don't remember many of my meals, I did say yes three times to the passed shrimp ceviche with avocado cream at a reception at Cuba Libre last night. I would have said yes again, but they stopped coming around.

What I'm Looking Forward to This Week
1. Hawthorne snuggles and kisses! I miss him so much, but this trip he is both aware I'm gone and asking for me. During a video chat with him Friday, He put his arms up indicating he wanted me to pick him up, and then he cried when I didn't. While I enjoy having some time to myself, and I love the excitement of this conference, I cannot wait to be back home with my boys.
2. While I'm here, however, I am excited to enjoy a few more loops on my hotel's lazy river. It is so relaxing, and it helps cool me off in this miserable heat.
3. This morning I'm off to hear the daughter of Margaret Mead speak. I'm fascinated by Mead, not only because Euphoria, Lily King's novel inspired by her, is one of my all-time favorites.

Your turn: tell me something great you watched, read or ate this week.

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