Katherine Reay's Blog, page 9
June 20, 2014
Sam’s Favorite Restaurants
Last week Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder tweeted me that two diners joined them for dinner because they read about the restaurant in Dear Mr. Knightley. I loved that! And it’s a fantastic place, so I’m sure these two North Carolina travelers enjoyed an amazing meal.
This got me thinking about other places Sam ate – since Alex didn’t like to cook and invited her out lots. All are real places because, although the story is 100% fictional, I think it’s important to put fiction within our reality – and it’s simply fun to blend the two.
So here are some dining ideas in Chicago!
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. Featured as one of the best “pot pie” pizzas in Chicago, this restaurant will not disappoint. Be sure to order the Mediterranean Bread as well and run it through both dressings. Complete yumminess.
Meier’s Tavern. A great place to grab a burger, watch a game and down some tater tots. No fries, please.
The Billy Goat Tavern. Featured years ago in SNL with “cheezborger cheezborger cheezborger no coke pepsi.” Great food and a Chicago icon. Look for the Tribune article on the wall describing the real billy goat and his storied relationship with the Chicago Cubs. Sam ate two cheeseburgers, but Alex politely didn’t comment.
Café Ba Ba Reebaba. Long time Chicago favorite for fun Spanish tapas and a lively atmosphere. Josh and Logan behaved badly here, but we don’t hold it against the restaurant.
And finally, I need to add one of Alex’s favorites: Patsy’s in New York. This Italian restaurant was a favorite of Frank Sinatra’s and still holds that Rat Pack vibe. I’ve eaten there once before my husband ran the NY Marathon and I intend to return this fall before I run the marathon myself. So, if you check it out, let me know what to order.
Have fun and Happy Eating!!!
June 5, 2014
The 2014 Christys Celebration Giveaway!
From now until June 23rd, the Christy Award finalist novels are included in some amazing prize packs. Each week, a different category will be featured and this week it’s First Novel and Contemporary. So Dear Mr. Knightley is there, along with A Cast of Stones and Burning Sky.
Check out the link attached to go to RelzReviews — a great blog — and enter!
Happy Reading!
May 28, 2014
Book Chat!
I’ve been completely MIA lately… We are wrapping up the school year and life here in Seattle as we head in a couple weeks to a new home in Chicago. So, I’ve been chasing down details and wrangling minutia. But I’ve also read some really good books during this time and thought I’d share a bit of that today.
I devoured John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Who hasn’t? And while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I will say that the main characters have very tight, existential dialog – far from that of my sixteen-year-old son. But I figured they had enough against them, they had a right to graduate-level witty repartee. Now I must decide if I’ll see the movie… The book was fantastic and left me in a lingering, sad moment; the movie may either leave me slightly unfulfilled and annoyed or in a sloppy mess of sobby tears.
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 also caught my attention. That, by the way, is the temperature at which paper burns. Somehow I missed this in school and I’m thrilled I did for I don’t think I would have appreciated it appropriately. It blew me away. The writing – sparse, descriptive, tight – and the story was so reflective of social and technological trends we see today. Ifyou’ve read it, I’d love to hear your opinions.
Right now I’m reading Into the Woods by Tana French. I’ll admit I’m only 1/4 in – so I will reserve complete judgment, and I suspect the story will turn dark. I can say this now however – She can write! I find myself re-reading sentences to absorb her use of language, color, texture, etc. The writing really is captivating.
I’ve also had the privilege to read a few ARCs for novels releasing soon. Don’t miss Kristy Cambron’s The Butterfly and the Violin, which releases in July. It is the lyrical story of a violinist in Auschwitz told in parallel with a contemporary story searching for her painting. Completely lovely. And Storm Siren by Mary Weber will release in August. A fantastic YA other-worldly saga with a strong, lightening-wielding heroine who also has a beautiful and vulnerable heart. The twists, turns and suspense in this one will keep you riveted until the final line.
So… Please let me know what you think if you’ve read any of these books. I’d love to hear more as I’ve only offered a taste here… And please let me know what’s out there you recommend. In all the chaos, reading is a lovely and needed distraction.
May 17, 2014
Kindle Daily Deal Today
Thrilled to see it promoted there and wanted to let you know... in case you really need a copy!
http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Mr-Knightl...
May 1, 2014
“Dear Mr. Knightley” is on the 2014 Inspy Awards Shortlist in Debut Fiction!
I am so thrilled and honored to announce that Dear Mr. Knightley is on the 2014 Inspy Awards Shortlist for debut fiction! Thank you all for your excitement and support since DMK’s release last November! Now that my family’s busy spring has stilled for the moment, I am looking forward to settling in with the novels chosen alongside Dear Mr. Knightly in the 2014 Inspy Awards Debut Fiction Category:
Burning Sky by Lori Benton
Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta
A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears
The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim
Please let me know your favorites from this list in the comments below!
April 18, 2014
“Dear Mr. Knightley” has been nominated for a Christy Award!
Exciting news! Finalists for the Christy Awards were announced on Tuesday and Dear Mr. Knightley is listed in the First Novel category.
While I have not read all the nominated titles – though I will soon – I have read three and thought I’d share a little about them here.
Once Upon a Prince, by Rachel Hauck, is a wonderful contemporary fairy tale with nuanced characters and a hero who is both vulnerable and swoon worthy. You’ll enjoy this one!
Rosemary Cottage, by Colleen Coble, grabs your attention with complex characters, twists and measured suspense that she sustains beautifully until the final moment. I think I devoured this book in a day.
Stones for Bread, by Christa Parrish, is the only thing in two years of gluten-free eating that has made me truly miss bread – the taste, smell, texture, every aspect of it. The writing is that rich and the characters so well layered. Don’t miss this one.
And, of course, Dear Mr. Knightley, but you know all about that one…
Let me know if there are others you’ve read. I’m on the case to devour them all this spring – along with moving, writing book #3 and releasing Lizzy & Jane. With all that, I’ll need some quiet moments to enjoy great books… You?
Thanks so much for your support and I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Easter.
Here’s the Christy Awards link if you want to see more of the books listed… Enjoy!
April 15, 2014
2014 Christy Awards
Had to share the news!
April 7, 2014
A Flappy Arm State
I recently posted “Life in Distractions” and now this… Are you beginning to sense a theme? This spring is one of my most busy. We are not only working through the daily family life of two dogs, three teenagers, and two working parents – we are also moving our family across the country this summer and must be out of our house in two weeks AND temporary housing is proving illusive at the moment.
Deep breath…
It’s “All good things. All good things.” (I love Olaf!) Nevertheless, rather than knowing that God’s got this in hand and recognizing that step by step I’m moving through it, I’m wandering around in a “flappy arm state,” in a Daddy Long Legs impersonation (I’m tall.) in which I move piles about the house (see pictures) and dwell on senseless minutia rather than affect any change.
Ever been there?
I suspect you have as I realize that life is spent more in this time of change than it ever is in normal. Is there even such a thing? And if there isn’t, how do we handle that reality?
So I go back to the “Life in Distractions” post and quote its ending line:
I hope your week goes well… I hope you find rest, time to breathe, time to be thankful, time to enjoy the joy of life and the blessing of distractions. And, as for me? Starting here and now… I chose to join you!
Because, once again, I think it says it all. I simply must hang on to the truth a little more tightly. Have a great week!
And PLEASE let me know if you have some insights into all this. I’d love to hear from you!
March 23, 2014
Lizzy & Jane has a cover!
Lizzy & Jane has a cover! I am so excited about this cover – and the story. Here is a blurb to give you an idea of what’s to come and the book itself will be released October 28th!
Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.
Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, she fled from her home, her family and her cherished nickname. As Elizabeth, she has worked tirelessly and honed her ability to create magic in the kitchen, quickly climbing the culinary ladder to run her own restaurant, Feast. But this “magic” has eluded her for some time and Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again…
In desperate attempt to reconnect with food and all that cooking means to her, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals that Jane finds palatable during chemotherapy. I n this place, she also finds Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who have stepped outside their comfort zone to come beside Jane’s family as well.
Elizabeth soon recognizes a long forgotten identity within herself, but her desire to reconnect doesn’t come without pain and fear. So when Paul flies across the country to entice her back to New York, she is faced with a real choice: Stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane or return to New York and the person and restaurant that she knows so well and has worked so hard to create.
March 18, 2014
A Birthday Poem from my Daughter
Anyway, here is a poem my daughter wrote me for my birthday last week. I didn't post it to boast about my lovely daughter (though I think she's pretty great), I posted it because it was such a wonderful reminder to cultivate a thankful heart.
I hope you enjoy it and please leave a comment.
http://www.katherinereay.com/blog/
