Getting Ready for 2013

Booktini took 2012 off from blogging, but we're ready to start up again in 2013!  We will be bringing you book reviews, organizing tips, product reviews and lots of fun stuff!  

We will be reading Home Front by Kristin Hannah for our first book of 2013.

We've also selected these books for 2013:

• Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
• Four of a Kind by Valerie Frankel
• The Shortest Way Home by Juliette Fay
• The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman
• Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
• Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
• Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel
• Isabel's Rhapsody by Laura Spinella

A few of these books are by authors who have participated in one of our book club meetings for a previous book they've written. I've provided links to their blogs so you can check them out.  We've also left a couple of slots open in 2013 for any "must reads" that suddenly come along!  Remember Gone Girl this year?  Yeah, those are the runaway hits we like to leave room for!  

Are you in a book club?  Do you pick all your books for the whole year or do you do it moth by month?  I think most of us in Booktini are "planners" and like to have a list for the year with some wiggle room.  Most of us will read other books as well, along with some audio books too.  I am currently listening to Pillars of the Earth right now by Ken Follet.  I love historical fiction and decided to listen to this after listening to his novel Fall of Giants, which is the 1st book of the Century Trilogy.  The 2nd book came out this year, Winter of the World and the reviews were so great that it sparked me to listen to the first novel.  I loved it and plan on listening to Winter of the World next.  Do you listen to audio books?  They make my commute to and from work much more enjoyable.

Night Road

The Booktini gals were lucky enough to win copies of Kristin Hannah's book, Night Road, back in December.

A few of the Booktini gals are Moms of teenagers and this was a tough read for them.  The story is one of tragedy, guilt and redemption and how the events of one night can change lives forever.  For the reader it begs the question "what would you do?"  We all discussed what we would have done, but we all questioned whether it would be the right choice.  As a parent, you want to teach your children to do the right thing, but realistically you know they aren't always going to make good choices.  How do you keep them safe?  How do you forgive?  How do you go on? 

We loved all the characters and I think Lexi was every one's favorite.  What an amazing girl!  We also recommend this book to all the moms and teenagers out there.  It's a great book that will lend itself to some great discussions.  I'd really love to hear a review of the book from a teenager's perspective. 

Special thanks to Kristin Hannah for this fantastic book club contest!

Next month we will be discussing The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

-Christine

Beautiful Disaster

Last night the booktini gals had the pleasure of meeting Laura Spinella and discussing her fabulous debut novel Beautiful Disaster.  We had loads of fun drinking our martinis and asking Laura all about the characters (Flynn makes us swoon!), the different settings (love Georgia!), the storyline (art imitating life?) and the many conflicts throughout the novel. 

Laura also discussed the writing process and the research she did for the book, which included talking to a Special Ops Marine and an ICU Nurse Manager at Mass General Hospital.  So fascinating!  Laura's beautiful writing and seamless transitions take the reader on an emotional journey through love's possibilities and the power of faith.  Laura makes it so easy to fall in love with Mia and Flynn and root for them when the odds are stacked against them. 

In addition to romance, the book takes a close look at friendship and its boundaries.  It examines what motivates people and that things aren't always what they seem.  I always enjoy a love story that stops and makes you think. Kudos Laura!!

If you haven't read Beautiful Disaster, you are missing out! 

Next month we'll be reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, as we all embark on our own happiness journeys - so stay tuned!

-Christine

Booktini in Boston!

The new Art of the Americas wing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is quickly becoming one of the city's most buzzed about places! Located on, Huntington Avenue, near The Fenway, a visit to this neo-classical building is one both the art enthusiast and the novice is sure to appreciate.  As a "Bzz Agent," I received complimentary passes to the museum. (The MFA also offers free admission several days throughout the year, as does Bank of America, which is great, because the tickets are a bit pricey).

Fellow Booktini gal, Heather, & I visited the MFA with our families last week. We were truly impressed with the size and scope of the Art of the Americas wing! Some of our familes' favorite pieces included Copley's famous portrait of Paul Revere and Sully's masterpiece, "The Passage of the Delaware." Other favorites were the Cassatt and Sargent galleries of this wing. "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit," an iconic seven-foot tall portrait by Sargent, returned back from a loan to a Spanish museum in time for the opening of the 500 million dollar expansion. The massive blue and white vases featured in the portrait are also on display beside it. 

 

The multimedia guide was a big hit with my children. Joey & Tommy enjoyed using the iPods to watch cartoon characters give explanations about the artwork throughout the tour. Another fantastic option, offered in the Scharf Visitors Center, is the family tote bag, filled with laminated games, puzzles and note cards that really enhance a family visit. They are free to use for the day. My sons loved picking out a contemporary work from the third floor of the new wing to sketch, using the paper and colored pencils included in the tote. It was a fabulous day trip to Boston and one we'll certainly be buzzing about for a long time! Mobac

 

Time to Organize!

So, I've been cleaning, purging and organizing the bedrooms in my house.  I don't do this nearly as often as I should.  Having said that, I thought I'd post some before and after pictures of my closet.  Yes, I know this is very brave, but I'm doing it in the name of inspiration.  I am hoping these pictures will inspire you to clean out some closets before the good weather comes.  Because the last place you'll want to be is inside cleaning, right?


Here's before:

Can you believe it?  I can hear you gasping!  Relax.  Here's the after:

So much better!  I am very pleased with the end result.  I even organized my shirts by color in rainbow order of course!  I learned a few things about myself along the way.  One is that I don't own any clothes that are yellow.  I thought that was odd.  No yellow.  Not a single thing.  Is that odd?  Are your clothes missing a particular color? 


The other thing I learned is that my chest is the landing site for anything that is going to stain my shirt.  I can't tell you how many shirts I ditched because they had a stain on my chest.  Like in the same spot.  Every single one.  Now, I'm no Dolly Parton but I'm not lacking in that area either.  Does that happen to you?

Well, that's just one small part of the many cleaning projects I've completed in the past few weekends.  The best part is that I have about 8 giant trash bags of clothes to donate from all the bedrooms and closets that have been cleaned out and that's a great feeling! 

Talking Taunton Sports

Here's a great interview about Taunton Brewins Youth Hockey with Booktini gal, Christina's daughter Catie!  This interview was on the Taunton local cable channel this week.  Go Catie!

Tales from the Scale – Month # 2 Results

I'm not gonna lie.  February was not an easy month.  I did great with the exercise and kept up with my routine of kick boxing 4 times/week and I even added in pilates one night/week.  So that was all good.

But the eating?  Not so good.  I could've really used a roll of duct tape for my mouth this month.  Let's see, there were a couple of nights out where martinis and appetizers were consumed.  Then there was the Valentine's Day red velvet cake.  Holy Moly!  You don't really want me to go on, right?  But you get the picture.

So what were the results for the month?  I lost 4.5 pounds, which is good considering all the yummy poor food choices I made.  I am super happy about the inches that melted off (thank you to the super cute kick boxing instructor!)

Inches lost in Month # 2

Waist: 1"

Bust: 1.5"

Hips: 1.5"

Thighs: 0.75"

Arms: 0.5"

I am hoping to make better food choices this month and stay consistent with my current exercise routine.  My goal for March is to lose 7 pounds.  I'll have to be pretty diligent about my eating and exercising to achieve it.