Summertime Supper

Pork tenderloin with rosemary and lemon, corn saute with heirloom tomatoes, roasted Yukon Golds, and bittersweet brownies with marionberry ice cream. That's what my friend Sarah made me for dinner last night and it was delicious. Summertime on a plate. Andy was working, so Sarah packed up a to-go version for me to take home to him later (awesome friend, no? Seriously). When he got home, Andy sat on the porch and ate it within seconds, then just held the empty plate out to me with two hands and said, "More."

Sarah has an entire drawer of aqua-blue thrifted dishes. I busted out laughing when I saw it. It's awesome. When she packs a dinner for you to take home to your husband, everything goes into aqua dishes and then onto a little blue-gingham metal tray. It makes you feel very loved.

Thank you for all the pillow love yesterday! Yay pillows! Several people have asked me about which Persephone book is on my bed in the pillow photo, and it was either Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day or Mariana, both given to me by sweet Jane. Those are the only two I have, and I must confess that although I have read them both in the past I just put the book on the bed in the photo because it looked so pretty. Those books are so gorgeous. And they feel good. Smooth and heavy. Must get another. What I am reading is a library book I got yesterday called You Remind Me of Me by Dan Choan. Again, picked more or less randomly off of the shelf; I know nothing about it. I am having trouble picking books lately. Those other five I mentioned a few weeks ago? I started them all and couldn't get into any of them. I hate when that happens. I think it's me, not them. But I must admit that I want a page turner. I want a plot-driven page-turner. I want something I can't put down. Otherwise I just fall asleep the minute I turn on my reading light. And then wake up at 3 a.m. and can't get back to sleep. Grate.

Comments

[Beth]

I need a page turner too! You need to start another Summertime reading list for everyone to join in on (oh wait, this post may turn into that).

The food and the dishes look delish!

[Kelly]

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

[Allison]

You need to go find a copy of A Sudden Wild Magic by Diana Wynne Jones. Failing that, pretty much all her other books are also amazing... but my blog-reading-book-recommending-inner-psychic seems to think that A Sudden Wild Magic is the one to start with. It might be because I just re-read it and loved it again. but you never know. go with your gut and I always allow myself to be swayed by intriguing cover art. The cover of the one that comes up first on amazon is not that great. But my hardcover? It has a woman with a beehive sitting in a lawn chair wearing a pink dress and a green apron and slippers and there's several cats and a hydrangea. All floating in misty-blue-pink with a bit of london below and a castle above. Awesome.

[Susan F.]

If you haven't read The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, do check it out - you won't be disappointed.

[Barb]

Someone recommended Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series to me recently...who was that? Oh, well. Whoever it was said the Plum books are real page turners. A little fluffy, a little smutty but compelling. Sounds like potentially a nice guilty pleasure for summer.

[Misty]

Absolute junk-food reading, really, but still so fun and entertaining: Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books (the first is "Dead Until Dark"). The bonus is there are 9 books in the series so far, so you can keep going. I got through about one every few days, they're that fast, but I loved them. And then you can watch season one on DVD of HBO's True Blood series based on the books (of course, not as good and very, very adult, being HBO and all).

[Amy]

You must read Outlander, the whole series. I resisted them for a longtime. I tend to avoid the "new greatest thing!" which is why I haven't read Twilight yet. I borrowed Outlander from a friend cause we were taking a trip. They are fantastic and addictive and not at all what you'd imagine them to be

[Anne]

Alicia, I recently read Opal: The Journal of an Understanding Heart [Opal Whiteley] and totally thought you'd love it. Orphan girl, loves animals, incredible outlook on life, mysterious princess past...

[jamieofalltrades]

Looks like an amazing dinner.

[linwood avenue]

i just finished "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton

so good!

[Emma]

I third 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult. I second DuMaurier's 'Rebecca'!

'The Memory Keeper's Daughter' by Kim Edwards is a greaaat book - one of those ones where at a certain point you have to take it to the bathroom with you late at night because you can't put it down.

Also love - The Bride Stripped Bare by 'anonymous'

and 'What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day' by Pearl Cleage.

Anything by Elizabeth Berg is warm and comforting for me. And I adore Paullina Simons.

[JudyC]

Very cool! I love deep drawers in the kitchen like that! Next house is going to have a kitchen with cabinets just like that for deep, deep storage of pots, lids, and yummy plates like that!

PS: I cut out 6 Market bags today!

[bee]

try 'the forgotten garden' by kate morton. it got me out of my meh reading rut. it's very daphne du maurier meets 'the secret garden' with a touch of the gothic about it. plus, if you ever daydream about cottages by the english sea as i do (and i have a feeling you just may!) it's doubly good.

this is bee who recommended blind pilot to you a while back. i just love your blog. :) thanks for being such a bright spot in my day(s).

[Anna Claire]

I'm reading East of the Sun by Julia Gregson, about three British women in the late 1920s who travel to India to find husbands. Fabulous characters, compulsively readable but not guilt-inducing trashiness. I'm completely hooked and not 1/4 of the way through yet.

[Jonah Lisa]

Seriously gonna need the recipe for that corn and tomato dish. Pretty please try to weedle it out of your friend and post it???

[The Antidote]

The Persephone shop is the sweetest bookshop to visit x

[Amber Mitchell]

If you would enjoy a cookbook mixed in with life stories I just finished Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl (granddaughter of the late Roald Dahl). I really enjoy Nigella's books and she was similar as you feel like you know her - very enjoyable.

[keely]

The recent favorite I was telling you about but forgot to send over is: "Incredibly Loud & Extremely Close" by Johnathan Safron Foyer. Really good summer read.

[Ninka]

I have just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Maryanne Schaffer, it was just lovely :) I would recommend that, I think you would love it.

[Kimberly]

I'm reading The Book Thief, and definitely recommend it. Very unconventional page turner. Dark subject matter, but with enough humor to keep you reading. Great summer read. I also recommend Garden Spells.

[alison]

I second Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. Also, In the Woods by Tana French.

His Dark Materials Trilogy is the greatest thing ever!

I want a drawer of blue dishes!

[Lisa]

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon is a great page turning series!! You should give it a try :)

[Shelley (Pink House)]

I, too, am having problems finding great books lately. Have we already read them all? Trouble with Kindle is that its mostly the best seller list available for it....so you can't find these old library treasures. I keep thinking...."can't someone just write a GOOD read anymore?" Finishing my third unsatisfying one on the Kindle in the last month.

[shelley]

I just read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I think you would like it. Much of the story has to do with the different relationships Edgar's family members have with the dogs they breed.

[Rachel]

If you are looking for a completely absorbing book that you can't put down, try "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt.