Hi Penelopes,
Long time no see! I’m so sorry to have gone MIA for so long. Thanks to everyone who’s emailed asking if we’re ok. We are! In fact, we’re doing great.
I wanted to do a quick post to introduce you to the now 4 month old (!!) Jackson. He was born on August 16th and weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz. His entrance to the world was nothing I could have ever expected and probably deserves a whole post all to itself. Four months later, I’m just happy he’s here and healthy. Jackson is a super mellow baby, for which this mama is unspeakably grateful.
Being pregnant and having a newborn have taught me a lot about being a Penelope. And, both those things changed me, too. I can’t wait to write more about that in the coming months. Now that Jackson is a bit older and has a more regular schedule, I’m hoping very much to be posting her more regularly. I’ve missed you all so much.
Until then, some photos of our boy.
Jackson on his very first day - August 16th, 2011
Jackson today - full of smiles
Very few things could bring me out of my flurry of baby preparations (I’m overdue by 2 days and counting!). But, a great book is one of them and I just had to recommend this one to you.
I just finished an advanced reader’s copy of “A Trick of the Light” by Louise Penny, the 7th book in the Three Pines mystery series. I’m so happy to report that it was every bit as good as I’d been hoping. And that’s saying a lot because Ms. Penny has set a really high bar.
So, why is this series, set in a picturesque small town in Canada, my very favorite mystery series?
- Penny’s writing is superlative. Her prose is beautiful to read even as it advances each thrilling plotline.
- I have such a crush on her lead character, Armand Gamache. Sure, he’s old enough to be my father, but he’s soooooo sexy and quietly commanding. Love me some Gamache.
- Her cast of characters is amazing. Each one is so fully drawn and real, I feel as if I’ve known them forever. And I care very much what happens to each of them as the series goes on.
But what I love most about Penny’s Three Pines series is that she’s written it as if she firmly believes her audience is intelligent. She doesn’t overexplain, or drop stupid red herrings, or repeat herself or pander to the lowest common denominator. She writes for smart readers and I respect that. Too few authors do that these days, especially in the mystery genre.
The new book is due out on August 30th and if you’re all caught up with the series, make sure you’ve pre-ordered it.
But, if you want to start from the beginning, and I highly recommend that you do that with this particular series, here’s the order in which you should do your reading:
Still Life
A Fatal Grace
The Cruelest Month
A Rule Against Murder
The Brutal Telling
Bury Your Dead
A Trick of The Light
If you love a good mystery, and especially a good police procedural, you owe it to yourself to check out Louise Penny’s books. If you do, please let me know what you think!
Hi Penelopes,
I’m so sorry for yet another round of radio silence here at Penelope Loves Lists. The truth is, I’ve just been so conflicted as to how to handle this period of my blogging life.
As you know, I’m getting ready to have our baby in early August (I’m at 37 weeks -almost there!). The preparation for the little guy (and, even more so, for being away from work to be with him) has simply taken all energy out of me. And so, I’ve wanted to just post that I’m taking a long term break.
And yet, I didn’t want to take away my option to post if all of a sudden I had a bolt of energy and inspiration simultaneously. And I felt guilty for not posting. And I felt guilty for pushing myself to do more than I should.
And back and forth I’ve gone, all the while simply not posting anything.
Man, I am so tired of myself.
So, I’m finally making a decision and putting the blog on official hiatus for a while. I’m not sure how long that will be. I may post in a week, or it may be a whole lot longer. I just don’t know. I hope very much to be back for real in the next few months, but I’m giving myself the option to just see how it goes. Which is very, VERY difficult for me. I’m so not good with “go with the flow.”
I’m thinking this may be my season to learn to do just that. And that’s a humbling lesson to learn, isn’t it?
I deeply love this website and all of you and I miss our interaction, so I look forward to the time when life enables me to be back in full Penelope action.
Until then, and because so many of you have been sweet enough to ask to see some photos of my pregnant self, I’ll leave you with a few pictures from our recent family and maternity photo session with the fantastic photographer Lisa Farrer. Seriously, if you’re in the SF Bay Area, Lisa’s the person to see for family photos, belly shots, baby portraits or wedding photography. Super, super talented photographer and really sweet person. She made my entire, photo-phobic family feel extremely comfortable.
Our spectacularly blended family
Me and my very patient husband
The cliched heart-on-belly shot. Just had to do it.
29 weeks pregnant
Our Boston Terrier, Cooper.
Have a wonderful summer and fall, Penelopes. I’ll see you soon.
