Rachel Simon’s tender memoir, Building a Home with My Husband, is not something you should rush through, or read in small doses. It’s one of those books where you want to set aside a good block of time, curl up in your favorite chair, and savor a leisurely read.

Any couple that has survived a home renovation can attest to the utter chaos that ensues during that process, putting the best of relationships to the test. As Rachel and her husband forge through the process of blueprints and paint chips and deal with finances and insecurity, long-buried feelings bubble to the surface, as Rachel begins a journey of self-discovery and renewal.

The problem with home renovation is that time will not stand still while we choose doorknobs and install flooring. Rachel’s world beyond the doors of this home spins on. Work pressures, siblings, parents, and friendships must be tended to and nurtured. Things go wrong and plans go awry in home renovation and in life. How we choose to deal with those circumstances determines the final outcome.

It’s not really about the house. Building a Home with My Husband is about trust and compassion. It’s about love and acceptance. It’s about attempting to understand the complexities of the human spirit. It is about, as the title suggests, building a home.

Beautifully written!

Now it looks like I’m going to have to pick up a copy of Rachel’s first memoir, Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey.

Building a Home with My Husband

by Rachel Simon

The Food Network’s Giada DeLaurentiis brings her Italian recipes right to your kitchen with easy-to-follow instructions and beautiful photos in Giada’s Family Dinners.

Giada’s recipes will inspire you to experiment and have fun with cooking. If you love Italian cooking, but don’t think you have the talent, think again. “Giada’s Family Dinners” will raise your confidence level as soon as you open the book.

Her suggestions about food textures and flavors will open your eyes and encourage your own creativity to flow. Whether I follow her recipes to the letter or just use them as a guide, the results are fantastic.

This book a must-have for every cook who aspires to Italian cooking. It makes a great gift, too!

I’m not a middle-aged ex-FBI agent with an odd medical condition. That much is obvious. But several chapters into The Dead Man, I found myself viewing the world through the eyes of Jack Davis and internalizing his life experiences, a tribute to Joel Goldman’s remarkable talent for writing in the first-person.

The story opens in 1959 at the scene of a ghastly murder that remains unsolved to this day. Billionaire Milo Harper, of the Harper Institute of the Mind, hires Jack to investigate a series of deaths involving participants in his lucid dreaming research. Seems their dreams may have come true — and that’s not good for the institute. Old wounds are reopened as Jack’s past becomes part of the mystery and the death toll mounts.

Forty-one year-old Harper, fighting a hopeless battle against Alzheimer’s disease, has a limited amount of time to unravel the mysteries of the mind that plague him. Jack, with the FBI hot on his own heels, and his physical condition exacerbated by stress, must push himself to the very limits of endurance. An unlikely pair, often at cross-purposes, who must work against time to put the past to rest.

Not simply a serial murder story, The Dead Man delves deeply into the human psyche — and not necessarily just that of the murderer. A peek into Jack Davis’ own psyche reveals unimaginable sorrow and regret. You just want him to get this right.

I had a hunch who was responsible for the murders about half way through the book, but the ending caught me completely off-guard as the hows and whys of it all become clear in the stunning — and unsettling — conclusion. I suspect that was the author’s intention all along.

As much trouble I had putting the book down each night, I will have just as much trouble getting out of Jack Davis’ head. The Dead Man is a great read!

The Dead Man, by Joel Goldman

I just discovered a great new resource for cookbooks, or books of any genre. Filedby.com is a new site that lists authors from around the world and allows you to search by category or author to find the books you love!

On filedby.com you can create your own profile, write reviews, and leave comments. Click the “Buy It” button and you will be redirected to the online bookseller of your choice (like Amazon and Borders).

For more information, visit: filedby.com

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Simple and timeless. That’s how Randy Pausch’s philosophy is approached in The Last Lecture.

His insights into life and death are not earth-shattering revelations. They are the simple truths that we all carry deep within ourselves, but tend to forget in the whirl of every day living.

Never allow the child inside to be lost. Appreciate the here and now. Attempt the impossible. Dream.

The Last Lecture is a book you’ll want to keep handy. When modern living begins to take a toll, open to any chapter and refresh your soul. Randy Pausch, with the help of Jeffrey Zaslow, left a lasting gift in this book that is suitable for all ages.

We recently had the great pleasure of viewing 1999’s The Big Kahuna, staring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli.

Now that’s my kind of movie! Completely character-driven, this film relies on dialogue and riveting performances rather than action. It’s a familiar story about a couple of middle-aged salesmen trying to wise up the squeaky-clean rookie while coming to grips with the reality of their own lives.

Kevin Spacey scores the choicest lines, spinning words as only a seasoned salesman can. Danny DeVito gives one of his finest performances, pulling us ever closer to his inner demons. Peter Facinelli is perfect as new guy on the block, viewing life through the narrow lens of his idealistic youth.

This film may not be fully appreciated by the young, but we highly recommend this slice of life drama. If you appreciate great writing and acting, don’t miss out on The Big Kahuna. It’ll spark great follow-up conversation.

“Once again using humor to shine a spotlight on a serious subject, In The Trenches Productions presents Living Large with Less. Even more relevant today than it was in 2006, this ten-minute film points to the colossal gap between the haves and the have-nots in America. Somewhere in between the haves and the have-nots live a group of people known as the middle-class, and its ranks appear to be shrinking. The trickle down effect is a bust.”

Mandy’s latest post on the blog Women Over 40 Rock! deals with the current financial meltdown and In The Trenches Productions’ take on it in the short film, Living Large with Less.

Click on over to the blog to read the post, and visit In The Trenches Productions to view this wonderful film and their other offerings. You won’t be disappointed!

No, I’m not talking about the current presidential campaign… I just finished reading Mark LaFlamme’s “Dirt: American Campaign.”

With thoroughly fleshed out characters, intriguing sub-plots, and twists you never saw coming, “Dirt” holds the suspense from the first pages to very end.

A bizarre chain of events involving a love more powerful than death, and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of American politics, are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you enjoy delving into human psyche, this book will not disappoint. I would not recommend it for the squeamish.

Did you know that:

* The official name of Rhode Island is “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” — ironically, the longest official name for the smallest of the fifty US states. (Being a native of “Little Rhody,” I already knew this one!)

* Benjamin Franklin had an illegitimate son, William, who split with his father during the Revolution by remaining loyal to the British Crown.

* John Adams asked Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence because, he said, “I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise.”

* For a a time, Harriet Beecher Stow lived next door to Mark Twain.

These are just a few tidbits from The Intellectual Devotional – American History. The 365 readings are divided into seven fields of knowledge: Politics & Leadership, War & Peace, Fights & Reform, Business, Building America, Literature, and Arts.

The idea is to read one page per day to “revive your mind and converse confidently about our nation’s past.” I found this book so enthralling that I read the first 182 pages in one sitting!

I haven’t been reading much lately, but this book reminded me what I’m missing. If you’ve got time for one page per day, this book will be time well spent.

The Intellectual Devotional
American History
by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim

If you could, would you want to know the date of your own death?

If you knew you had only a few months to live, what, if anything, would you do anything differently?

These are the questions behind the Rob Reiner film, The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The bucket list refers to the itemization of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”

While some of the circumstances in this movie are a bit outlandish, the story is one most of us have contemplated, and it makes its point beautifully. With Freeman providing thought-provoking questions, and Nicholson the more-than-meets-the-eye character, you just might want to have a tissue handy.

One thing is clear. No matter how close the end, it is never too late to learn something new.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Well, it was!

Last night wasn’t, though. We had a wonderful evening at a local vineyard. In the summertime, they show movies outdoors under the stars. It’s such a great way to spend a warm summer night… snuggled up next to someone you love, sharing a bottle of wine.

Last night’s movie was Waitress and it was very enjoyable. Before heading out, I read that this movie involved a lot of pie. Knowing we would be soon craving a piece of pie, we left the popcorn at home and picked up a pie on the way. To be totally honest, we bought two — blueberry and peach. Good thing, too, because if you like pie, this movie will trigger the desire to have some. It is not an action movie, but Andy Griffith plays an interesting character, and I do recommend it for a nice quiet summer night.

Once again, we’re a little late to jump on the bandwagon. Last night we watched the 1990 movie, “Coupe de Ville” and were pleasantly surprised. It looked like it would be a fun movie, and it was. It also had depth, as it delved into the relationship among three very different brothers, coming together after years apart, on a road trip from Michigan to Florida.

The classic rock will have you singing along, and when the brothers get into an argument about the lyrics to “Louie, Louie,” you will be hard pressed not to laugh.

It’s a great popcorn movie!

We’re a little behind the times, but we recently had the pleasure of watching the 2000 movie, “Chocolat” starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. The story takes place in 1959 and revolves around a single mother and her young daughter, who move to rural France and open a chocolate shop — during Lent. Conflict with the mayor, interactions with the townspeople, and long-held traditions combine to create a fascinating tale of perseverance and acceptance. And, oh, the chocolate!