Sunday, January 18, 2015

Sunday Salon: January 18, 2015

The Sunday Salon.com

The Scene: 8:33 am  - sitting on couch, coffee in hand (as usual on a Sunday!) I have been up for a few hours because I am still dealing with some jet lag since returning from my trip. I love being a morning person for a precious few days after getting back from a trip!  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some pics from my trip.  If not, I included a few below:

View from Table Mountain, Cape Town

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe


Elephants - Chobe National Park, Botswana


 Reading: Fortunately, between the trip and these early mornings, I have been getting a lot of reading done. This morning I finished Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - it is an excellent mystery/thriller and I think will strike fear in most parent's hearts.  I don't even have kids and was haunted by the secret lives that many kids face while at school. Earlier this week, I finished Nora Webster by Colm Toibin. He is a favorite author of mine and  while I enjoyed his latest book, I am not sure I think it is his best.

Listening: Currently I am listening to Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming. The author narrates the book himself and I love listening to his Scottish accent.  But it is painful to hear him recount the (mostly emotional) abuse he faced at the hands of his father.

 Blogging: Yesterday I posted my review of  The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading others by the author. I am hoping to use my short-lived spurt as a morning person to get ahead on blogging this weekend and catching up on reviews.

Watching : While away, I missed the start of Season 5 of Downton Abbey.   I can't wait to catch up on the first 2 episodes - today's project will be figuring out how to stream from my laptop to the TV so I can watch episode 1 and 2 before episode 3 airs tonight.

While I was in the UK for a meeting last week, I heard about a series there that I think I will like - Broadchurch.  Season 2 just started airing in the UK but Season 1 is available here on Netflix.  I forsee a binge-watching session in my future! Have you seen or heard about Broadchurch?


Looking Forward To: Getting back into a routine - vacation was wonderful but now the routine of going to the gym and eating regular meals at home seems welcome!

Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday!

21 comments:

  1. Glad your trip was helpful in so many ways!

    Readerbuzz.blogspot.com

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  2. I thought I followed you on Instagram, but I missed the photos, regardless. They are stunning.

    My wife and I watched the first season of Broadchurch on Netflix and we enjoyed it. It was interesting to see David Tennant in a different role than Doctor Who.

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  3. Wow. Beautiful Pictures. Christina Baker Klein's Orphan Train irritated me,so I'm a little hesitant to read "The Way Life Should Be." I'm assuming, from the title, that it's set in Maine (title is state slogan). Having life there a long time, I don't think anyone can compete with Elizabeth Strout's books. While Klein says she has lived in Maine, she seemed to sterotype Maine and Mainers in Orphan Train. I hope that's not the case with the current book.

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  4. I saw quite a few of your photos - your trip looked fantastic!

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  5. Beautiful pictures! I watched the first few episodes of Broadchurch but stopped as it was just so emotional and dark. It's an incredible show but the first season was just too much for me. David Tennant does an amazing job. Have a great week!

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  6. Gorgeous photos...glad you had a great trip. It is always good to get home again, though.

    I also enjoyed Reconstructing Amelia, more than I thought I would.

    And I have the Christina Baker Kline book...loved Orphan Train.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  7. Beautiful photos from your trip. I haven't heard of Broadchurch, so I'll check it out. I've really whittled down my TV watching, but then I find great things on Netflix and my sister has Amazon Prime so I want to watch a few of those shows, we trade passwords for streaming!! :).

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  8. Welcome back! I have heard of "Broadchurch" and imagine I will be watching it eventually. My husband has turned into a huge British TV fan and watches ALL the shows he can on Netflix.

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  9. Hey Colleen! I'm back to blogging and have enjoyed catching up with people. Am inviting you to stop by my new blog and chat a while.

    OK, I enjoyed RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA and finished it by being grateful that I don't have a teenager anymore. Whew!

    Beautiful pictures, by the way. Loved the one at Victoria Falls. Enjoy catching up with Downton Abbey. This looks to be a good year on that show. Broadchurch was very interesting. We watched it last year and so there will be a second season? Yay! I did not watch the American adaptation which was called Gracepoint. Not sure how I would feel about David Tennant in the same role, but an American, with an American accent, but the same storyline. It was a little odd.

    Take care and look forward to reading your blog again.

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  10. Beautiful photos! I read Nelson Mandela's autobiography last month, so South Africa has been on my mind.

    I liked Broadchurch!

    Joy's Book Blog

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  11. Beautiful photos! I watched the first season of Broadchurch and enjoyed it. Like Bryan said, it was interesting to see David Tennant not being Doctor Who.

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  12. I loved seeing your vacation photos, what an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing them with us.

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  13. Welcome back, Colleen. I followed you on Instagram so was able to see your pics as you posted. Looked like a fantastic trip. Enjoy getting back into your routine.

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  14. Welcome home! Judging from the Instagram photos, it was an excellent trip. We're settling in for the winter in Florida... fingers crossed our internet gets set up today and I can get back to blogging.

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  15. Your pics are gorgeous! I loved Reconstructing Amelia...it definitely was heavy on the parents not knowing what their kids are up to theme. She has a new book coming out this year - Where They Found Her - I'm looking forward to it!

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  16. I was just getting ready to check if Broadchurch was on Netflix because I never seemed to catch it when Season 1 was on. Your trip looked wonderful!

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  17. Awesome photos! Seems like you had a great trip. I havent heard of Broadchurch but the new season of Downton Abbey is good. I need to read the Amelia book.

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  18. Gorgeous photos. I've heard a lot about Broadchurch and have been meaning to get to it. And Downton? This season was awesome!!

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  19. Your trip looks amazing. I haven't read that Christina Baker Kline book but I did like Orphan Train so should pick up another of hers.

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  20. Welcome back! Looks like a magical vacation. I'm enjoying Downton too.

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