Book Review: Cherokee Summer

On July 23, 2019July 23, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, Uncategorized5 Comments

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Goodreads Summary:

When Ace leaves home to spend the summer in Cherokee, North Carolina the last thing she expects to find is a boyfriend—until she meets Cherokee Tribe member John Spears. As Ace and John’s friendship blossoms, they find their life experiences mirror each other and they fall in love. Despite hurdles thrown by well-meaning family members and jealous frenemies, the star-crossed lovers remain committed to their mutual belief that the universe has drawn them together. However, when Ace sends John a strange text and then suddenly disappears, the two must rely on their trust in each other to save both their lives and their love.

My thoughts:

I requested this book from NetGalley because I was in the mood for some YA and summer was in the title. Pretty simple stuff – but the story I got was anything but. I thought it was going to be a quick little fluff read, but this book dealt with some heavy, important themes that affect today’s teenagers. Alcoholic parents, racism, autism, abandonment, divorce, mental illness, personal safety, teenage sexuality. I wasn’t expecting the depth of the story that I got, but I loved it.

Taken apart, you might think it tried to cover too much, but Antony handled it all brilliantly and with great balance, sensitivity, and mindfulness. The main character, Ace (love that name for her!), is mature far beyond her years. Her dad has checked out of the family, and is there but not really there. Her mother is an alcoholic, a family secret. Her younger brother has autism. And Ace is the glue to hold them all together, forgetting about her own needs, to tend to her family. Until this summer, when her father relocates them to the casino at Cherokee, North Carolina for the summer, and Ace meets John, a member of the Cherokee tribe, and another teen with more on his plate than he should have, and they find themselves drawn together as if they were meant to be. These kids are dealing with issues they should never have to, and are doing it well, and try to carve out something for them as well. However, things start to fall apart and unravel, and things come to a head when Ace disappears suddenly.

I really enjoyed this read, and read not just the responsibility that these characters bore, but also their fear, their desperation to have a typical life, even guilt over wanting to have something for them. I was really rooting for these two!! This book was fantastic, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On July 21, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized20 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

This past week was a flurry of activity! I am leaving this week for Texas, while my two guys are staying at home. I am anxious and excited all at the same time! I am trying to get everything ready for them before I go too, so I am super busy getting my own stuff together, cleaning everything, planning everything – so much to do!! We also had a few days of excessive heat, which didn’t help with running errands, but oh well – I still have a few more days before I take off!

Read Last Week:

I holed up for a few days with Wyatt, reading a bunch of books to him, but I haven’t gotten much reading of my own done. I did start a book by Mary Stewart, who I love, and I am enjoying it. I hope to finish it by Thursday as I am just packing my Kindle! If not, I will just buy the Kindle version I guess though..lol.

Loaded on my Kindle to read:

The whole purpose of this trip is a mom’s retreat, with lots of free time, so hopefully I get lots of reading in!

Nine Coaches Waiting: The twisty, unputdownable romantic suspense classic by [Stewart, Mary]

Wildfire at Midnight: The classic thriller you will not be able to put down by [Stewart, Mary]

Have I mentioned that Mary Stewart is a comfort read author for me? Lol.

Watching:

The Tour de France. It’s pretty much all we watch for 21 days in July.

Posted Last Week:

Paris in July: The Tour de France

How about you guys? What is happening in your neighborhood?

Paris in July: The Tour de France

On July 20, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized21 Comments

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I had intended to post much earlier, but, better late than never!

My husband and I are huge fans of the Tour de France. He started watching much longer ago than I did; I just started watching in 2014 and get excited for July knowing that July means the Tour! I do not have a team allegiance, but generally I am rooting for Astana or Movistar. This year, I am #teammovistar! I had high hopes for Mikel Landa this tour but an unfortunate fall in Stage 10 put him far behind; I am not sure it is in the cards for him this year, and besides, I think his team was pushing Quintana anyway.

I am a person who makes mini-celebrations of many things, and the first day of the Tour is one of them. The morning of Stage 1, we got up early to get breakfast from a new cafe that opened near us, called Provence, which is French inspired. We picked up quite a few delicious bits to enjoy together as we tuned in, and we were not disappointed!

Wyatt loved the corn cookie, which seemed like it was a sugar cookie and cornbread combined. It was really good! We also had a raspberry breakfast cake, a scone with lime and spruce tips, and a chive cheescake! It was the proper kick off to the Tour!

It really feels like so far, this race has been wide open, without the presence of Chris Froome looming over the race. He is such a skilled and fantastic rider, and I think every year the riders start out knowing he is the man to beat. This year, though, things are different. There were many different theories on who had the best chance to take the yellow jersey and win it all, with the number one being Geraint Thomas. Like I said though, I’m backing Movistar this year. My husband is a big Froome and Team Ineos (formerly Skye) fan though, and found himself without a dog in the fight. Over the weeks so far, he has begun rooting for Julian Alaphilippe, a French rider for Deceuninck- Quick Step who is the present overall leader for the Yellow Jersey. Billy also is a fan of Peter Sagan’s, a sprinter who knows how to find his way through the group in those mad dashes to the finish line!

So far, this race has been pretty solid, with some amazing breakaways that resulted in stage wins, including the recent stage win by Caleb Ewan, who actually had a crash during the race and still managed with the help of his team to win the stage! The smallest guy in the Peloton kicked it up into high gear, after finally finding a team that believed in him. Stage 10 was a bummer for some big contenders, including Mikel Landa, as it was a tough stage with the crosswinds, and many riders lost precious time. And unfortunately, riders have had to leave the race due to injuries, as some of these crashes are bad news. They travel at such high speeds on their bikes, along narrow, winding roads, filled with people on the sidelines cheering them on, not to mention the sheer number of other riders in the peloton. I tell people all the time that don’t watch that cycling the Tour is a dangerous race, one that is very tough on the riders from the sheer amount of racing they do day in and out, 5-6 hours a day, up mountains, racing racing racing. It is definitely not a race for the weak of heart.

Some quick little facts for you:

The race was started in 1903 by a cyclist and reporter, whose newspaper sponsored the race in order to encourage more readership. The paper, L’Auto, was printed on yellow paper, which is why there is a yellow jersey.

The race is 23 days, 21 Stages, and 2,200 miles long, through all sorts of terrain, including the Alps and the Pyrenees.

The Yellow Jersey, or Maillot Jaune, is worn by the leader of the race, determined by the fastest combined times overall, not by who wins the stage, which confused me at first. Being a stage winner is still a huge honor and accomplishment however! As of now, the Yellow Jersey rider is Alaphilippe.

The Green Jersey is worn by the rider who is the leading sprinter. This year that is Peter Sagan so far.

The White Jersey rider is the best young rider. This year’s best young rider so far is Enrich Mas.

The polka dot jersey is the jersey is the jersey worn by the best climber through those mountains, called the King of the Mountain. The current King is Tim Wellens.

Peloton is the name for the big giant group of riders, the pack. There are usually breakaway groups in front and stragglers, but the peloton is the pack of the majority.

I’ve added a few books to my reading list – there are so many about the Tour!

I really want to read Lanterne Rouge, which is the name given to the last place rider overall. I like that they have their own designation – and it’s a poetic sounding one at that.

For someone who never watches sports on television, ever, I am a huge fan of the Tour! I recommend giving it a try! We have big plans to actually go see a Stage or two of the tour in about five years, when Wyatt is older. I would love to stand along one of those old roads in the French countryside, cheering the riders along.

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On July 14, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

We had quite a busy weekend! We had the art fair on Friday, then a neighborhood block party Saturday, and then Sunday morning we headed to Belle Isle for the Kite Fest. It was a busy, fun weekend! (Also apologies for such giant photos, I am still working that out)

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Read Last Week:

I had a pretty good reading week last week too!

I picked up Brazen on a whim and absolutely loved it!! It’s a graphic novel that I devoured in a day. I now intend to seek out more of Bagieu’s work. Cherokee Summer is a NetGalley arc that I requested because it mentioned summer. Lol. It is YA and pretty good. Review soon. And I am still reading Hotel Pastis as part of Paris In July, which I have been not that great at so far but I am planning on turning that around this week.

Reading This Week:

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I plan on finishing this up!

Posted Last Week:

Summertime Snippets

Book Review: Last Summer

Watching:

Nothing but the Tour de France!

Summertime Snippets

On July 13, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Lazy summer days are in effect around here. There’s been lots of ice cream eating, hanging out under the apple tree, family time, trying to eat all the lettuce that we seem to have growing, reading lots of library books, and just in general soaking up summertime. This post is a sort of an eclectic bit of randomness, comprised of summertime goodness!

In the last week we have enjoyed some good food-

enjoyed the outdoors, including blueberries from our garden and nature hikes –

read some books, made a crown, and went to the local art fair.

One thing I love about summer are the fireflies. I get so excited whenever I see a twinkle in the dark, with an answering call. It’s even better when you can stand and just see little lights popping up all over, tiny little beacons of hope, as far as you can see. I was super excited to read last year about a phenomenon of synchronous fireflies! It only happens in certain areas at a certain time, and you have to get tickets in advance and all kinds of things – but I so want to go one day!!!

Sadly I have read that these guys are not as numerous anymore! If you are interested in learning how to help prevent them from disappearing, check out this page here. I love their lights in the dark, and would hate to have them disappear forever. They are just so summer to me. I also learned that they are not everywhere – do you have fireflies where you live? Do you call them fireflies, or lightning bugs?

Strawberry Rhubarb pie is another summer time staple for me – my uncle used to grow rhubarb and make us all sorts of rhubarb treats in the summer. Now I usually pick a pie up at the grocery when I go, but I still love it. I saw this article the other day though and I had to share! If you want to listen to the sick beats of rhubarb growing in the dark, click on the video below! How crazy is that! Lol.

I hope you are enjoying summer so far! Any summer favorites for you?

Book Review: Last Summer

On July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, Uncategorized4 Comments

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Goodreads Summary:

Lifestyle journalist Ella Skye remembers every celebrity she interviewed, every politician she charmed between the sheets, and every socialite who eyed her with envy. The chance meeting with her husband, Damien; their rapid free fall into love; and their low-key, intimate wedding are all locked in her memory. But what she can’t remember is the tragic car accident that ripped her unborn child from her. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant.

Hoping to find the memories of a lost pregnancy that’s left her husband devastated and their home empty, Ella begins delving into her past when she’s assigned an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does him. To unravel the mystery of her selective memory loss, Ella follows Nathan from the snowcapped Sierra Nevada to the frozen slopes of southeast Alaska. There she discovers the people she trusts most aren’t the only ones keeping secrets from her—she’s hiding them from herself. Ella quickly learns that some truths are best left forgotten.

My Thoughts:

So. This book. My reaction was a bit unusual for me, I think. I was absolutely riveted to the story that was unfolding and read it pretty avidly and compulsively; however, I didn’t really like the main characters that much! They made a few decisions that I found questionable, but part of reading is getting out of our comfort zone, and this book certainly did that!

This book was pretty crazy, right from the get go. Ella wakes up in the hospital, not knowing why she is there, not remembering that she had lost her baby. Or even being pregnant at all! A baby that she and her husband Damien had been expecting, had even named. Of course, I had to find out what the heck happened, right?

The book takes us through Ella’s life in the times leading up to the accident, and also what is happening in real time. We learn that she and her husband have a pretty passionate love for each other, are driven professionally, and their lives are somewhat laced with deceit and lies. It is very compelling reading, as things become explained slowly slowly bit by bit. There is a point in the book where I am happy with the way things are proceeding – then wham! From out of left field the story changes again. It’s like the book version of white water rafting, and the reader is in for quite a ride!

This book ends on a bit of a mystery – and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Thank you to Little Bird Publicity for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On July 7, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

Last week was a pretty good week! After doing some research I decided to replace my laptop with a Chromebook. I don’t use it for much anymore, other than blogging, online shopping, and other playing around on the interwebs. If I create any documents I use Google Drive, and photo editing and graphics creation I use online sites too, PicMonkey and Canva. So, for now this seemed like a perfect solution. And I have to admit, I love my new Chromebook. 🙂 It is super light and easy to use. So yay, I am back in business! We also did a lot of bumming around the house, which for us is a novelty. Wyatt usually has therapy three times a week so it was nice to have some down time. And then best of all, Billy had a super long weekend, Thursday – Sunday. We bopped around, hitting up our favorite haunts, Belle Isle, the metroparks, my brother’s backyard for a bbq on the 4th. And we even did a new thing – we went out with another couple for dinner and drinks! We had been wanting to try a tiki bar that has been around for slight bit in Detroit, called The Mutiny Bar, and it was so fun. We enjoyed the company and the drinks!

Read Last Week:

The Lost Hours

Karen White is such a go to author for me these days. I wanted something less intense after Crawdads, but this actually turned out to be a pretty emotional read as well! I still loved it, it was an amazing story.

Reading This Week:

I want to try to knock out some NetGalley reads this week, and I picked two from the list to start with.

I also joined up with the Paris in July challenge. Once I decided I was going to join, I put the brakes on my bug book, so I could finish it this month. So I will be reading that as well. I probably will not finish all of these but I am going to give it a try! Lol.

Posted Last Week:

Only one other one, besides my Sunday-Monday.

Hello July!

Watching:

Our tv watching has really slowed down with the summer. We are watching Criminal Minds still on Netflix (there are so many!), and This Farming Life on BritBox because we are apparently obsessed with farms. Lol.

And finally, we have a winner for my Summertime Giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered! Mary, I will be contacting you shortly!

What about you guys? What is happening in your neighborhood?

Hello July!

On July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

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July, you are not my favorite month. I am not a fan of being hot and sticky and sweaty and Michigan summers are hot and sweaty and humid. Our family tends to shy away from the sunlight like vampires, hiding out in the air conditioning during the day, and then emerging in the evening as it cools off. None of us are summer lovers, in this house. But July, you have your own beauty and charm, and this year, I will embrace you more. You are a month of sunshine, and bright colors and flowers. Insects and birds are cheerily going about their business, flowers riot through gardens. There is a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables at the farm markets, bursting with flavor, and more bright colors. That is probably my favorite thing about you July, your vibrancy.

This month is a busy one too. We have so many fun things planned, in our own ways, of course. The fourth of July and family picnics. The lavender festival, the Detroit Kite Festival on Belle Isle. Bastille Day, watching the Tour de France together. Music concerts at the zoo. And three whole date nights for Billy and I, three weeks in a row! A dinner and tiki bar with new friends, a party with old coworkers, and then finally a date night at the zoo actually. I also see many more family dinners – my brother and I are trying to make them as weekly as possible. Iced tea parties with my boy once a week as well. Fresh salads, fresh fruits, simple easy meals. Trips to the library always feel so summery to me too.

As for me, I am going to a mom’s retreat in Texas at the end of the month, just my stepsister and I. I have to admit, I am super nervous. Beyond nervous and anxious. I have never been away from Wyatt more than 8 hours and now I will be gone for three nights. But I am doing it. I am teaching Wyatt to not let fear rule his life, and that begins with me. I have to do things that maybe I am scared to do, to show him that it is ok. I am also excited to go as well. I have always wanted to go to Texas, my whole life, and now I am. There is a chance to see some of my old college friends who moved to Austin as well, which would be a great big bonus. And this is a retreat for moms of kids with special needs like my kiddo, and the event coordinators have so many activities planned if we want to do them – or we can do whatever we want. Two and half days where I can do whatever I choose. So, this is going to be fun. I will get to hang out with my stepsister too, and really get to know her better, as we met when we were older. I am looking forward to that. It is a chance for me to grow, and it is good to push ourselves to that growth. Or that is what I keep telling myself!

I think this month too, I will revisit old children’s classic books, and just books that I loved as a child. I am also doing the Paris in July challenge, so that is on my mind too, all the fun reads and things I can for that. It has also been one year since I decided to start phasing out plastic, with Plastic Free July, and I signed up for a challenge for that as well, to keep me motivated and give me some new ideas. I need a push to get on that again, and the challenge will do well for that!

How about you all? Any big plans for July?

My Sunday/Monday Post

On June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

Last week was a bit of a doozy! Summer hit with both barrels here in Michigan, with 90 degree temps- and of course my air went out!! And then my hard drive died! I felt sort of a like a jinx. Lol. Luckily we now have air again (Wyatt is very sensitive to heat) but alas, still no laptop. I am using my husband’s work laptop so I can’t use it much, so I might be hit or miss on here for a bit until I get a new one of my own. I am hoping for good 4th of July sale! I don’t need it to do much, really to surf the interwebs and blog. However, I do need a lot of memory I think, I have a ton of photos. Anyway, other than that nonsense, we had a pretty decent week, which ended in a shared family meal at my brother’s house. It was a good night.

Read Last Week:

crawdads-1

So this arrived!! And I promptly devoured it. I am calling it my favorite read of the year so far, it was amazing. Thanks Dad for surprising me with a copy!

Reading This Week:

The Lost Hours

When I first read Karen White ages ago, I didn’t care for her work. I had been reading her Tradd Street series and had a hard time liking the main character. But then I picked up a book of hers that was not part of that series, and fell in love. I am slowly but surely making my way through all of her books. I needed a less intense follow up to Crawdads and Karen White is a go to author for me. So far, I am loving this one.

Posted Last Week:

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A summertime giveaway! Enter to win the above decorative book stack by following this link here.

Paris In July

Father’s Day Motor Muster

What about you? What has been going on in your neighborhood?

Paris in July

On June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

It has been a while since I have participated in anything bloggy other than the Weekly Sunday/Monday meme I do; four years, to be exact, since the birth of my son. I never knew if I would be able to commit! This Paris in July event, hosted by Thyme for Tea, will be my first in four years, and I am very excited! I felt like this would be a fun, very doable type of experience for me, and I am looking forward to it.

I am planning on reading a few books set in France, watching a French movie, and without a doubt, watching the Tour de France, as we do every year. We are big fans, and this year promises to be an exciting one, with some of the big names out of the race already before it has even begun. I also hope to do a mini Bastille Day celebration and eat a little French food too!

A little bit about the event from Thyme for Tea:

Paris in July is a French themed blogging experience running from the 1^st – 31^st July this year.

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through actual visits, or through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French! Here’s a link to some of my previous reviews.

There will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of this experience – just blog about anything French and you can join in! Some ideas might include;