Mailbox Monday (68)

Another awesome week of books! Seriously, if I would have known the amazing books I'd be bringing into my home three years ago or so before I got into book blogging, well... I'm not quite sure I'd believe it. As always, I'm linking up with Mailbox Monday.
From Goodreads
Stranger Things by Erin Healy
I will admit I'm not completely sure what this one is about. But it does look like some type of thriller/mystery, so we'll see...

Purchased
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
I know so many people who have loved this book. Plus it's currently being turned int a movie, so if you haven't heard of it yet, you probably will soon. It's actually our book club book for the month, so hopefully it's one I'm just as found of as everyone else.

For Review from TLC Book Tours
The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson
This looks to be a chick lit type book about a woman who finds out her husband is having affair. It also looks to be from the point of view of the woman in the affair, for two takes on the same story. Maybe a slightly overdone concept, but one I'm still excited for.

From Paperback Swap
The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak
I love historical fiction, but I'm not sure I've ever read a book about Catherine the Great. I'm hoping to change that with this book, one I've heard great things about. I believe this sequel for this came out recently as well, so if I enjoy it know there's more of the story to look forward to.

What did you find in your mailbox this week? And have you read any of my finds this week?

On the Run

The Runaway by Terry Kay
Published: October 28, 1997 by William Morrow & Company
Back when I read A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash I mention how much it reminded me to To Kill a Mockingbird. Now with The Runaway I can saw not only did it reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird but also of A Land More Kind Than Home.

All three start off with a child in a small Southern town who is innocent of the political and social issues that those older than them are dealing with. Except while that child is the focus of the entire book in the other two, it isn't the case here. In The Runaway we start of with Tom, a young boy who likes to runaway from home, but about a quarter of the way through the book the main narrator switches to the sheriff of the town. Tom is still mentioned throughout, and is the catalyst for the events that follow, but it isn't really his story.

I'm not quite sure the cover fits the book though. At least until I looked at the covers of both To Kill a Mockingbird and A Land More Kind Than Home, because it actually fits in with the mood of each of those. It's just more that it isn't what I would have chosen, and I don't feel it really captures the essence of the story..

I did have a bit of a hard time getting through this. It was actually our book club book, but I wasn't able to finish it till a few days after we met. It wasn't that I disliked the book, since overall I actually enjoyed myself, it's just that it read slowly. In some ways it read like a dog day of summer, the type where you're enjoying yourself, but the day seems to last forever. But now that I'm looking back, part of me wishes I could go back and relive it.

4/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

Let the World Be Your Oyster

Every since I've been living in Louisiana I've been hearing about Acme Oyster House. But I've yet to actually visit. At least till a few weeks ago when we finally went there for dinner.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting with it, maybe something completely unique and original, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to that. Don't get me wrong it still was good, but similar to a lot of other local Louisiana restaurants.
Although I did go with one of my standard go-to options, an oyster po-boy, along with a side salad. Maybe if I had branched out a little more I would have been happier. Although I did have a slice of their chocolate caramel pie, which was so delicious it disappeared before I could take a picture.

Funny enough after not going to Acme for years, a week later I was there with a large group of friends. This time I went with their shrimp and corn bisque and a again with a side salad was good, but not necessarily out of this world. Although since I was there with such a large group, I did get to try quite a few bites of others' dishes from shrimp etoufee to chargrilled oyters to onion rings to their root beer float.

Although I think I found my favorite out of them all when sampling their crab cake, and now think that the next time I'm there, crab cakes are what I may need to go with.

When was the last time you finally went to a restaurants after years of waiting where it didn't quite live up to expectations?

Saving the Art

The Monuments Men
This was an interesting movie. It wasn't incredible exciting, yet there were moments of excitement. It wasn't incredibly suspenseful, yet again there were moments of suspense. All in all though, it did have a good message behind it.

For me, the main reason I wanted to see it was because of George Clooney and Matt Damon. For the boy it was because of Bill Murray. But I was also pleasantly surprised to see Hugh Bonneville, aka Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey, who was also pretty awesome.

With a lot of movies I've seen lately, this isn't necessarily one you need to run out and see. But it is worth watching, and one I'd gladly sit down and watch again.

February in Review

Another month has come and gone. But as sad as it may be to see it go, I'm definitely ready for things to start warming up in March! But first...

In February..
...The boy made this delicious bowl of chicken and dumplings. I also made Mixed Up Crock Pot Pasta and a White Russian Bundt Cake, although I can admit my contributions weren't nearly as good as his.

..We spent the day with out niece and nephew,
taking them to lunch
and to the movies
to see The Lego Movie.

...I posted reviews of 6 books and 2 movies.
At The River's Edge by Mariah Stewart
Marie Antoinette's Head by Will Bashor
The Taste of Apple Seeds by Kathatina Hagena
Hidden in Plain Sight by Jane Allen Petrick
Everybody Else's Girl by Sarah Sawyers-Lovett
Three Souls by Janie Chang
The Lego Movie
3 Days to Kill
Out of all my favorite was easily Three Souls by Janie Chang.

5 years ago, in 2009, I posted a tour of our first apartment which I ended with this photo out by our pool.
Yes, the photo above was taken in early February and this year it's already March and it still hasn't been warm enough to lay out. But hopefully it happens soon!

What are some of your highlights from this past February?

Oscars 2014

Yes, it's time for my annual Oscar predictions. I feel like I haven't done near as much research as normal this year (aka I've yet to read my EW Oscar Prediction Issue), so we'll see how this goes...

Best Picture: American Hustle
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Best Documentary Feature: 20 Feet From Stardom
Best Documentary Short: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Best Animated Feature: Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (Austria)
Best Original Screenplay: American Hustle
Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
Best Cinematography: Gravity
Best Make-Up: Dallas Buyers Club
Best Production Design: Gravity
Best Animated Short Film: Room on the Broom
Best Live Action Short Film: Helium
Best Visual Effects: Gravity
Best Costume Design: American Hustle
Best Film Editing: American Hustle
Best Sound Mixing: Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Sound Editing: Lone Survivor
Best Original Score: Saving Mr. Banks
Best Original Song: "Let it Go" - Frozen

Feel free to share some of your Oscar predictions in the comments, and I'll be back tomorrow to share my results.

Edit: So I wound up with 13/24, which is about what I've been averaging these past few years. Interestingly enough, I did guess several of the smaller categories correct based only on which name I liked the best!

Mailbox Monday (67)

It's Oscar Sunday! But first, because it is a Sunday, I'm sharing my weekly book haul with Mailbox Monday.
For Review from Virtual Author Book Tours
Comfort of Fences by Stacy Overman Morrison
This is a chick-lit type book about a woman's relationship with her daughter and best friend. The author also sent me a ton of book swag, of which only a small sampling is pictured in the photo.

From Paperback Swap
Spring Break by Katherine Applegate
Last summer I read the first in this series. It may not have been amazing, but I already own the next in the series, so I figured I'd request this to complete it. And again, while it isn't the best, it is pretty perfect to read on the beach.

Also, I'm currently a finalist for The Bookish Babe, or Best Book Blog at My So-Called Chaos. Voting closes today, and I would be incredibly appreciative if you have the time to vote for me.
">Are you planning on watching the Oscars tonight? And what books did you add to your shelves this week?