JG, my Aunt enjoyed Welcome to the World too but I've yet to read it. I liked Fried Green Tomato's, but I love the movie, an all time fave!

I finished Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! A Novel recently. It was good, but I enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes more.

Aylin, thanks so much! It is scary but I think we'll be ok. He really needs some time off and still has a part time job so I think his being laid off is a blessing in disguise. (He's been so exhausted and unhappy that I've been worried about him for some time - no matter how good his health is, it's not good to be that tired and unhappy with your full time job). He actually volunteered so that his co-worker (with health problems, children, etc) wouldn't be laid off! (Yes, he's a good man (sometimes too good!) and I'm thankful for him everyday). I've been more stressed out about it than he has been - that's our nature, lol!

Thanks for mentioning the neti pot! Ugh, I can't believe I forget all the time to keep up with that. (It's sitting in plain view to the right of the bathroom sink too - duh!) It helps me more than anything else.

Pat Conroy's South of Broad release: 9 days and counting down.

Jo- I'm so sorry to hear your husband got laid off! That seems to be happening a lot lately. Do you have a good feeling about job prospects for him in your area?

I tend to get sinus infections too. I take Flounase and fexofenadine- but I still get them now and then. I think I get them less when i use a nettie pot but I have not been so good about that lately. Reminder to self- just do it.

Again- I'm really sorry to hear of your husband's lay-off. That must be SO scary. I'll say a prayer for your family.

Aylin

Well, the last 2 weeks have been a bit of a blur - Hubby got laid off and I came down with a sinus infection! Yeesh. Adjusting & re-adjusting! Hoping to get a good house cleaning done today at least. The place is a tad gnarly! lol

Hi Dolly! I saw you're reading Siddons. I've read some of her books, and I like her as a writer. I haven't read that The House Next Door though. I'd be interested in reading your critique (review) of it when you finish it.
Bobbie

Dolly wrote: "Hello Jo and Everyone in Southern Lit Lovers,

Currently I am reading "The House Next Door"
by Anne Rivers Siddons. This book is written by the same author who wrote "Nora, Nora" but it is totally..."

I really like Hoffman so will have to check out that new one!

I have been reading The house at Riverton and really like this authors writing. The story is a bit of past and present and woven around war years and early 1900 and later. I hope to finish it today.

Lisa wrote: "I'm currently reading The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews and lovin' it! It's release is today and I hope it does well. All of her ..."

Is it better than her last one, Deep Dish? I was disappointed in how predictable that one was, but I absolutely loved her other books.

I finally got around to finishing Eudora Welty's The Collected Stories. I was profoundly impressed. This woman certainly found her genre in the short story. I much prefer older Southern fiction to what I have read of the new.

Aaawww, now you're making me blush! Thank you! I'm back, tho I'm never fully gone.

My pleasure! You're just such a positive person it's a little dimmer around here when you're MIA. Good to have you back even for a little while. :)

I feel like I just got a great big ole hug! Thank you Tressa!

Jo, please feel free to "unload" away. It's always good to have someone to talk to about what's going on in your life.

I'm so sorry you're having this trouble. I guess that's why we haven't seen you at GR lately. You've been missed. :)

Yes, I sent you the Hoffman recommendation. She's a wonderful writer and I hope you'll have time to read it when you get to feeling better.

Tressa, thanks for the book recommendation you sent me (well GoodReads sent it lol)! Was this the book? (My memory is shot). I read 1 novel by her but of course I can't remember the name! It's on my all time favs shelf.

Besides being busy around here lately & visitors for a week, I've been having a lot of trouble with the arthritis in my hands and it started before our current monsoon weather pattern & wasn't improving with my last 2 @ home iv treatments so my Rheumologist & I decided my iv dosage should be increased from 400mgs to 500mgs & yesterday was my 1st one @ that dosage so I'm a little off today. (And I found out that my blurry/uncomfortable eyes & muscle cramps are "disease progression" - lovely. But that's a whole other kettle of worms & for another time). Sigh! Hope the increase in meds helps. Sorry for unloading.

Oh, I have been seeing that book everywhere! I'll have to fheck it out.

Ladies, if you read Alice Hoffman, her latest book The Story Sisters is really good.

I've been hecka-busy too as of late & trying to catch up this am.

Hey everybody! I haven't checked in for awhile (been crazy busy). I'm currently reading The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews and lovin' it! It's release is today and I hope it does well. All of her books are so entertaining.

Aaaawwww shucks! Thanks Tressa! (I'm totally blushing!)

We did have a good time, just wish we didn't have to cut the trip short by 2 days, but it couldn't be helped, so I'm glad we at least got to get away for a bit.

Jo, I'm so used to your other avatar I didn't recognize you. What a beautiful lady you are!

When Luke gets older I can't wait to take trips to historical places in America. Glad you guys had a good time despite the weather.

Tressa, we stayed in a suite at a Hampton Inn for 1 evening on our way out there & I didn't want to leave! lol

We did the self guided 24 mile auto tour of Gettysburg Battlefield over 3 half days of the trip (because it was NASTY hot & humid 2 of the days and one day NASTY storms passed through, tornado/severe storm/flood warning - got stuck for 3 1/2 hours in the bar we ate lunch in! lol Tornado touched down 15 miles east of us), went downtown into Gettysburg, drove through the college campus, went swimming at the campground we stayed at, had an arcade game show down in the game room... Just relaxed! It was too short of a stay!

Tressa, but you gotta love a Po boy! I do!
Jo, what did you all do in Gettysburg?

Jo, hope you enjoyed your vacation. Right now I'm at the Hampton Inn in Hammond, LA, just got back from a hot, humid side trip to New Orleans. Ate a shrimp po boy and had the world's best banana daquiri. Can't wait to get home, though. I'm a homebody and HATE hotels.

I did not like I Capture the Castle at all. It took me 3 1/2 weeks to finish it. I am now reading A Curse Dark as Gold and it is a good book. I have been doing a lot of writing lately (my main love, reading is second).

Jo did you go to any of the major historical sites there? How far is that from you?

Back from vacation in Gettysburg (too soon) and now feel like I need another vacation already! Hope everyone's been doing well!

I love Pamela Duncan's voice. Every book is a delight!

Luckily the PT seems to be helping my husband. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this could be his road to recovery. At the least it's making him take a second look at how beneficial exercise can be.

Tressa I hope your hubby gets to feeling better. Tendons take a long long time to heal and PT could make them much worse.
I'm just finishing a southern lit book and I hated to see it end. The grandmother character reminded me so much of my gran. From the way she talks to her bluntness. Moon Women

Thanks for the warning, Jo. I'm going to show this to my husband when he gets home tonight. The doctor did an x-ray and saw no signs of a herniated disk. He thinks it's just tense muscles. But he has to do a month of PT to see if there's any improvement, and then he can get an MRI if he needs one.

Tressa wrote: "Camerandi, sorry about your shoulder. My husband has a bad backache and is supposed to see a PT for the first time ever this afternoon. He tried doing the exercises his GP gave him, but he ended up..."

Be careful! Don't let him go to any more PT without seeing an Orthopedic and getting xrays and an MRI! He can definately do more damage since no one knows what's wrong - how can the PT (or GP) even give him appropriate exercises without a diagnosis?! I cannot understand the medical industry's move towards sending a patient for PT before knowing what's wrong with them! Hubby's primary tried that with my husband when he hurt his back in November and we both refused until he had an MRI and xrays so he went to my Ortho, who agreed 100% that no one should get PT without a diagnosis. And it was a good thing he didn't go, he herniated a disk and tore a muscle and some tendons in his shoulder and had they not had time to heal before PT, he would've done extensive damage & needed surgery. It's dangerous! It also happened with my sister in law but she went to PT and ended up needing knee surgery because she did more damage!

Thank s for your concern, Tressa. I hope your husband will be helped by the PT. It helped my shoulder some.

Camerandi, sorry about your shoulder. My husband has a bad backache and is supposed to see a PT for the first time ever this afternoon. He tried doing the exercises his GP gave him, but he ended up hurting himself more! What we think is a popped disc the doctor thinks is a muscle problem. So, he has to take this route before he can get an MRI. Hope you feel better soon!

The muscles on my back legs are killing me! Not used to bending over. I tried not to get in the dirt, lol.

Camerandi wrote: "I am reading I Capture the Castle. It is a decent book so far. I had my last day of physical therapy on Friday. My shoulder still hurts, but not nearly as bad. The PT gave me a lot of at home e..."

Glad you're on the mend & feeling better (even if it's only a little bit)!

Tressa, sounds like a wonderful time and a great garden! So exciting to watch the seeds grow. I've got them sprouting up all over but I've lost track of what I scattered where so I can't wait to see how things turn up! (Lots of herbs, tomato's, tomatilo's, zucchini, and soon pumpkins because I forgot to buy the seeds & saw it on your list!)

I'm reading Orange Mint and Honey A Novel ~ it's different and I'm really liking it so far!

I am reading I Capture the Castle. It is a decent book so far. I had my last day of physical therapy on Friday. My shoulder still hurts, but not nearly as bad. The PT gave me a lot of at home exercises to do, and I am actually going to do them. My sister came to town from out-of-state for the Memorial Day weekend. It was great to see her. We are very close and it's hard for us to get together very often.

I think you'll like it, Kris. She does a marvelous job.

I've got a blister on my foot from planting seven rows of onions, jalapeno, pablano and bell peppers, zuchini and yellow squash, and tomatoes. My yard is so shady so we decided to plant a huge garden at my MIL's house. It was me and my SIL doing the planting today. Someone else is going to have to finish the watermelon, lettuces, cantaloupes, pumpkins, and whatever else they bought seeds for.

My son fell asleep the moment we got in the car and turned onto the highway. He played in the hose but also helped water the plants. He was a good boy today.

I found a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird read by Sissy Spacick so I am going to listen in June. I love the book and it will be fun to listen to I think.

I'm reading Mater Biscuit. Pretty cute so far.

I'm reading Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin, the 3rd and latest in her Adelia Aguilar series that I love. I just finished Dead and Gone by Charliane Harris, the latest Sookie Stackhouse adventure in her Southern Vampire series that I also love, love, love. After I finished it the other day, I went and rented the first 6 episodes of True Blood, the HBO show based on the Sookie books, and I am loving those, too. I might have to break down and get HBO next season just for True Blood.

I love Tom Petty too. It was a good day to be in considering I felt like muck because of the weather. I did spend a little time out in the yard after dinner but not long enough to start shivering again! Now I'm in bed & feeling bleah again. We're supposed to have this weather for the next few days w/gradual increased temps - and humidity.

LOL. You could be doing worse things on a cold Tuesday afternoon. I love Tom Petty!

It's in the 80s here now, but dang this rain. Last year we had a drought, and I'm thankful for all the rain, but I get so moody and depressed when the sun stays hidden for so many days.

Our weekend had some bouts of chilly fog, a few thunder storms, a little humidity and lots of comfy sunshine - today it's in the 50's, WINDY and raining off & on and I'm FREEZING! I wanted to start staining the fence & gate (new section went up Sat) and finish re-potting a few perennials - instead I'm in sweats, huddled under a blanket on the couch watching an ancient Tom Petty concert!

I finished a good nonfiction book called Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven. It's about two college grads who traveled to China back in the '80s, when China had just opened its doors to tourists and the world didn't have email or cell phones. I normally don't like travelogues, but I couldn't put this book down.

It's been raining like cats & dogs here! My three day weekend was a wash. I've got some painting projects I'd like to get to.

I was hoping that Twenty Wishes was going to be as good as A Good Yarn :) I enjoyed that one as well.

I have Twenty Wishes on my shelf, too. I hope to get to it soon.

Twenty Wishes is a good book! A Good Yarn is my fav of that series so far. She has a new one out now, Summer On Blossom Street which I can't wait to read!

I just bought Twenty Wishes at Target yesterday, they had the paperback for $5.99 (down from $7.99). I also read A Good Yarn so I thought this would be good one too.

I did add both Color of Lightning and Enemy Women A Novel to my to read listing too, they both sound interesting.

Judy wrote: "Just finished reading the Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles - not for the faint of heart but fiction based on historical fact - what women faced in Texas following the Civil War."

Her book, Enemy Women A Novel is really good too. It's about a female POW in the Civil War.

Judy wrote: "Just finished reading the Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles - not for the faint of heart but fiction based on historical fact - what women faced in Texas following the Civil War."

I'm putting it on my to read list, thanks for mentioning it.