You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches, or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly. She was an expert in all departments of living well.
— quote from Meryl Streep in the New York Times obit on Nora Ephron today. If I am remembered even remotely as fondly as Nora was, I will consider my life a success.
(via Downton Abbey Cocktails: Sybil | The Kitchn)
Lady Sybil
makes 1 cocktail
1 oz gin
3/4 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
brut champagne, chilledCombine the gin and St. Germain over ice. Shake and strain into a flute. Top with champagne.
Haven’t blogged in awhile, but I am 100% intrigued by each of these cocktails and making them come the season 3 premiere.
It’s been awhile since I posted, but with some downtime finally why not? I’ve read a ton lately with a lot of travel visiting friends in recent weeks, in addition to the holidays — here’s some highlights:
Silver Girl By Elin Hilderbrand: Great beach read! A twist on the Madoff scandal with some Nantucket thrown in (like all of her books) - very quick and enjoyable.
The House at Sugar Beach By Helene Cooper: Autobiographical look at the author’s life in Liberia during the good times — and the tumultuous later years. Very interesting, but a bit slow at times.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling: As expected, this book as some absolutely hysterical moments, and much like Tina Fey’s book - you can hear her voice ringing in your ear with every word. Overall a fun read, but in comparison to Fey’s, just not as funny.
Girls in White Dresses By Jennifer Close: Love this book! Very quick/easy read, and especially coming from the perspective of a late-twenty-something woman living in NYC, super relatable. Highly recommend - and am excited to discuss with the girls at book club at our next meeting.
Next up: the second and third books in The Hunger Games trilogy. Got started with them somewhere between Sugar Beach and Mindy Kaling - and the next ones have finally arrived from the library - highly recommend these as well, of course.
At the beach this week, I was able to spend a lot of time reading - something I had been looking forward to doing all summer. Just sitting back in my lounge chair and making my way through my self-appointed summer reading list, I honestly can’t think of a better way to relax and enjoy the time off (except when I also had a homemade mudslide in my hand!). Here’s the list - and my verdict for each!
The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer - The worst of the lot by far. I couldn’t wait to finish it; don’t even think about picking it up unless you enjoy torture. Makes me very hesistant to pick up her latest novel, the hyped The Uncoupling.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe - The opposite of the first book; I couldn’t put it down. Such a fun read, and highly enjoyable for anyone who loved St. Elmo’s Fire and About Last Night like I did, or his more recent brilliant roles on West Wing, Brothers & Sisters and Parks & Rec. Definitely pick it up.
A Soft Place to Land By Susan Rebecca White- A good quick beach read, wouldn’t rush to buy it, or borrow it for that matter, but certainly a fun option if nothing else.
Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner - The latest by this ever-popular author (who also ironically went to my high school), this might be my favorite by her yet. Another quick summer read, I found myself flying through it and enjoying it way more than anticipated.
The Adults by Alison Espach - Our latest book club book, I started this one on Sunday aka the last day of vacation. So far so good…
Last day of vacation, hitting the beach early to soak up every last minute!
The perfect surprise bday gift from my gorg hubby. Cake with my pic on it (hilar!) and silver Barney’s box.
Happy birthday to Guiliana….and my mom! Great day for birthdays :)
