Go Get This Book! Now!

I just finished Gillian Flynn's latest, Gone Girl.  Kindly avail yourself of the services of your nearest bookseller and buy this damn book! It's compelling and inventive and very creepy. Beautifully written, suspenseful, fast-paced--well, I know I'm gushing.  Just read it.  A lot of the time best sellers escape me--crap writing, predictable plot, sort of a lowest common denominator of literature.  But Gone Girl was utterly unpredictable and, I would have to say, masterful.  I couldn't put it down.  Go on.  Go get it.

A Few Things I Love (not in any order)

First and foremost, any book by D. E. Stevenson.  Her books are characterized as "romance," which dismays me.  While, yes, there is romance, there is no bodice ripping, no Fabio on the cover, no heaving bosoms.  These books take place in England and Scotland and they are gently funny and truly uplifting.  Lots of talk about redoing houses,  stopping for tea, and economizing.  But even in light of all that, they are not sappy in the least.  Beautifully written (after all, Robert Louis Stevenson was her father's cousin), they take place any time from the 1930s to the 1960s.  Oh please read one! My favorites are all the "Mrs. Tim" books, Bel Lamington and its sequel, Fletchers End, Amberwell, and...well, I love them all, really.

Brawny Pick-a-Size Paper Towel.   Annoying at first, because whenever I wanted a big piece I invariably got a small piece, or vice versa.  Now I've got my yank velocity down, and I easily get the size I need.  It's so handy!

Always Infinity Pads.  Let's just say, if you remember Stayfree pads from the 1970s, these are nothing short of a miracle.  I am totally serious.  Life changing.  Light colored pants all month long is no longer a pipe dream. And it has to be the Infinity kind, not just the regular ones.

Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc.  It's inexpensive and very tasty.  There is even a hint of effervescence.  It's absolutely acceptable for guests, but cheap enough that you don't feel guilty drinking it out of a plastic cup while floating in the pool.

Lancome Virtuose Mascara.  I like my eyelashes to look thick and feathery, not spiky.  This mascara delivers. It has a curved brush, which I think is instrumental in making the lashes fringey, not spidery.  Not cheap, but worth it.

Nature's Gate Tea Tree Body Lotion.  I have sensitive, easily irritated skin.  This is the only lotion I can use on my legs.  It's got the usual pungent smell of tea tree oil, but the scent dissipates very quickly. I even use a teeny bit on my face if I have dry patches.  The tea tree seems to calm any skin irritations I have.  Very inexpensive.

Smashbox Photo Finish.  Sometimes I am willing to work a bit harder than usual to look put together.  When I want my makeup to look particularly good, I break out the Smashbox Photo Finish.  It's great.  It's like gap-filling paint that smooths out my pores and wrinkles, leaving my skin looking much smoother than usual when I apply my foundation on top.

Okay, well, that's enough for now.