Summer Sangria - Make this Now!

The weather has definitely heated up around here so, I think it's safe to say that summer is officially here!

Anyone who knows the littlest bit about me knows I love wine. I mainly stick to reds which gets a lot tougher during the summer. When the weather is hot, you just want something cold and refreshing. A warm glass of Merlot doesn't usually do the trick.

One of my absolute FAVORITE things to drink during the hot summer months is Sangria. You just can't go wrong with a mixture of wine, sweet fruits and ice cubes.

I am a bit of a Pinterest addict and I have a ton of different Sangria recipes in my collection. This recipe I'm sharing with you now though is my most favorite Sangria of them all. It has the perfect amount of sweetness, yummy summer fruits and best of all - BUBBLES!

Book Review -Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck

Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck
Publisher - Deckle Edge
Publish Date - 9/4/2012
Genre - Biographical Fiction
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

My Rating:

This was one of the books that I brought with me on our vacation to the Dominican last month. I figured it would be the perfect mix of one of my favorite (but sometimes heavy) authors and a light, easy beach read. I was right. This book was the perfect pair to sunshine, sand and some frozen cocktails. 

Hemingway’s Girl takes place during the Depression in Key West, Florida. The novel follows the story of Mariella who comes from a mixed Cuban-American family. After her father’s passing, Mariella’s mother has a difficult time coping so supporting the family falls onto Mariella’s shoulders. When she gambles her wages on a boxing match, she attracts the attention of two men – Ernest Hemingway, famed author and Gavin Murray, a WWII veteran.

A New Beginning

WELCOME to Books and Barrels!!

I have been so incredibly anxious to share my new blog with all of you that I could barely contain myself. I’ve spent the last few weeks prepping all of my new ideas while the new design was put into place. Isn’t it awesome!? This incredibly talented girl over on Venus Trapped in Mars did the new layout – go check out her blog template services. You won’t be disappointed!

Feel free to browse around – and make sure that you follow my new blog either on Bloglovin or by email so you get all of my updates. You’ll find that all my previous reviews are here so if you are behind, catch up!

I’m excited to share a bunch of new things with you guys here including some fun new weekly events like “Winery Wednesday” and “Throwback Thursday”. I will also have a Blog Tour stop coming up in July so stay tuned for that as well!

There are a few features on the new layout that are still under construction so make sure you come back often to check them out.

My FIRST official Books and Barrels book review will be coming up soon and I know you don’t want to miss it.

Thanks everyone for coming along on this new adventure with me – it’s going to be a blast!

Bloglovin

Many of you may not have heard of Bloglovin or know what it is. Well - I'm here to tell you that it's an awesome tool!

Bloglovin is basically Instagram for Blogs. It's free to sign up and gives you one centralized place to easily follow along with all your favorite blogs. Whenever someone you follow posts something new, it shows up in your feed.

It's a great way to discover some really great blogs and keep them all organized in one neat little package.

Go sign up today and discover the amazing world of blogging for yourself!

Oh yea - and follow me too.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tail's From Cyprus - Kirk Bertram

After a brief hiatus for a much needed vacation – I’m back! The great thing about a relaxing beach vacation is that it gave me plenty of time to really knock out some reading. Now I’ve got some good reviews to send your way!

First up is actually a book that I finished right before I left for our trip. Tail’s From Cyprus was an interesting read for me because I am friends with one of the people in the book! That is most definitely a first for me. This novel takes you on a voyage around the world with Emmy, Linz, the Captain and their two cats Snowy and Liza. The entire story is told from the point of view of Liza who is a very smart cat!

The family rescued Liza as a small kitten from the shores of Cyprus when they were docked there as part of their 5-year trip around the world. Liza quickly learns how to live life at sea and she and Snowy get into all sorts of adventures together. Not only does the story describe the cat’s daily life, but it catalogs the human’s journey as well – their struggles, successes and what life is like living on a 45-foot boat.

Liza’s story takes you from the island of Cyprus, across the Atlantic and eventually to Richmond, VA where she settles in to her “mainland” life with the family. This story did leave me a bit torn because I really wanted to hear more details about the family’s adventures at each port they traveled to. When you think about it though, since it’s told from the cat’s perspective, it makes sense that only a certain amount of detail can be shared since Liza rarely traveled off the boat. If you can make peace with that, then I think you'll enjoy the story.

This is a heartwarming, light-hearted story told from a very unique perspective. If you have a good imagination and love animals, get your copy and follow along on Liza’s journey.

Rating: Good 7 out of 10

What Type of Reader Are You?

During one of my internet surfing sessions, I came across a quiz that asked "What type of reader are you?" and I was intrigued. I had never really thought about there being types of readers but, the more I started researching this, I found there were!

I came across quite a few websites that listed out different types of readers - here, here and here were my favorites - so I decided to take some of the best ones and summarize them into this handy chart. I personally fell into a few different categories. I hope you enjoy and that you check out my suggestions for each.

Let me know what type of reader YOU are!

To-Read Tuesday!

I recently realized that my To-Read shelf has A LOT of books on it. So instead of keeping all of you waiting in anticipation for my review, I wanted to start "To-Read Tuesdays" to share some of these upcoming reads with you all. Let's kick this off!

Roses by Leila Meacham

This novel was given to me and its been on my to-read list for a while now. Gone with the Wind is one of my all-time favorite novels and People Magazine's snippet is on the front cover comparing the 2 novels. SOLD. Here's Google's synopsis:

"When precocious 16-year-old Mary Toliver inherits cotton plantation Somerset from her father, the first seeds of familial discontent are sown. By becoming the new mistress of Somerset, Mary betrays her mother Darla and her brother Miles, and the Toliver dynasty will never recover.

And when Mary and timber magnate Percy Warwick decide not to marry, though fiercely in love, it is a decision which will have sad and tragic consequences not only for them but for generations of their families to come.

Set against a panoramic backdrop, Roses is a heartbreaking love story of sex, scandal and seduction. It covers 100 years and three generations of Texans."

Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck

I picked this novel up on a whim while at Barnes and Noble out of the "Last Chance" bin. Hemingway is one of my favorite authors so the title of this one caught my attention right away. The blurb on the back sounded good enough to make the sale. I'm excited to get into this one.

Here's Google's synopsis:

"She remembered when Hemingway had planted a banyan tree at his house and told her its parasitic roots were like human desire. At the time she'd thought it romantic. She hadn't understood his warning."" In Depression-era Key West, Mariella Bennet, the daughter of an American fisherman and a Cuban woman, knows hunger. Her struggle to support her family following her father's death leads her to a bar and bordello, where she bets on a risky boxing match...and attracts the interest of two men: world-famous writer, Ernest Hemingway, and Gavin Murray, one of the WWI veterans who are laboring to build the Overseas Highway. When Mariella is hired as a maid by Hemingway's second wife, Pauline, she enters a rarified world of lavish, celebrity-filled dinner parties and elaborate off-island excursions. As she becomes caught up in the tensions and excesses of the Hemingway household, the attentions of the larger-than-life writer become a dangerous temptation...even as straightforward Gavin Murray draws her back to what matters most. Will she cross an invisible line with the volatile Hemingway, or find a way to claim her own dreams? As a massive hurricane bears down on Key West, Mariella faces some harsh truths...and the possibility of losing everything she loves."

Which novel do YOU think I should read first? What's on your to-read list that I need to add to mine?