Friday 5ive- September 26, 2025

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a regular post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

It's been a busy September with a lot of traveling, but I'm back. We spent the weekend back home in Auburn, where we spent time with family, ran into old friends, and got to have a Cameron's Bakery long john donut on Donut Sunday at my Mom's house.

1) I was honored to officiate my niece's wedding which took place at Chantelle Marie Lakehouse and Celebration Hall in Auburn, NY. The bride and groom said their vows overlooking Owasco Lake, and it was such a beautiful setting. The bridesmaids and bride (who looked stunning!) processed through a set of doors that added such a special touch. It was a fantastic weekend! 

The beautiful setting for the vows

The doors

2) Two weeks ago I had a craving for a Beef on Weck sandwich and could not find anyone near me in NYC that served it. (I guess it's a Western/Central New York thing.) So I was delighted that when we went to Parker's 129 in downtown Auburn, they had Beef on Weck on the menu! It was my go-to sandwich when we used to take our young sons out to dinner years ago there. The kimmelweck bun with salt and caraway seeds on top make the sandwich. Delicious. And a special bonus- I saw a friend from high school and we chatted about her book club. What could be better?

3) There are a lot of terrific additions to downtown Auburn since we were last there. One such is 

Auburn Bagel Company, where we made three trips in two days to get tasty bagels (they had a huge variety). They make bagels New York style, the owner worked for a time in a bagel shop in New York City.  We know bagels here in New York City and these were fantastic. The highlight for me was their Danish scone- I got the Cranberry White Chocolate and it was incredible. I even got one to take home. 

Where the magic happens- a water bath for the bagels

Bright art for sale lines the walls 

4) Auburn is filled with history, as Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Women's Right to Vote movement, is close by, and many suffragists lived in Auburn. They have a plaque noting where the headquarters of the Cayuga County Political Equality Club stood in 1914-1916. 

5) We stayed at the Prison City Brewery Loft apartments, around the corner from 

Prison City Pub & Brewery.  As you know of my love for books, I was impressed to find a book about female brewers titled A Woman's Place is in the Brewhouse in the living room of the apartment. How appropriate!

I hope you have a safe, healthy week. Until next time.

Friday 5ive- Five Books I Read and Loved

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. I've been on reading roll and read some excellent books while on a mini-vacation over Labor Day.

1) Michelle Huneven is an author who writes heart-piercing novels (Blame and Off Course were both excellent). Her latest, Bug Hollow, begins with the golden son heading off for a weeklong trip with his friends before he goes to college. When he meets a lovely young lady, he decides to spend the rest of the summer with her. His mother is unhappy about the situation, his father thinks he's sewing oats. When he tragically drowns the first week of college, and his summer girlfriend shows up pregnant, the family is thrown into turmoil. This moving story follows the family for the next twenty years as each member gets their chance to tell their story. It's one of the best books I read this year.

2) Sybil Van Antwerp is an unforgetable character in Virginia Evans' quiet and immersive novel 

The Correspondent, which consists only of letters Sybil writes and receives in return. At the age of 77, Sybil lives alone, divorced from her husband years ago, has a strained relationship with her daughter, and a son who checks in on her. She writes letters to people she knows like her sister, with whom she shares book recommendations, and people she doesn't, like authors Ann Patchett and Joan Didion. She has an interesting correspondence with the young son of a friend, and their relationship is charming. Sybil's neighbor would like to be friends with her, but Sybil seems to have difficulty with relationships not on paper. A tragedy from years ago haunts Sybil sixty years later, and explains much of why she is the way she is. It's a lovely story well told. If you liked Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, you'll like The Correspondent. 

3) Janelle Brown's What Kind of Paradise shares the story of Jane a teenager  who lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Montana in the 1990s. Jane's mom died years earlier and it's just Jane and her father who homeschools Jane and keeps them isolated. Her father doesn't trust technology and believes that the internet will be the destruction of mankind as he writes in increasingly disturbing leaflets that he distributes in the local bookstore. It's a lonely existence for Jane, who isn't allowed to have friends (other than the girl whose mom owns the bookstore). Jane is devoted to her father but when he makes her an accomplice to a devastating crime, she has to decide where her loyalties lie. It's a brilliant novel. 

 

4) There has been a lot of buzz about Patrick Ryan's big novel Buckeye. Set in the small town of Bonhomie Ohio, it follows two families from the end of WWII to the Vietnam War. Cal Jenkins works in his father-in-law's hardware store when on VE Day, a beautiful woman named Margaret comes into his store and kisses him as they hear on the radio that WWII is over in Europe. She leaves as quickly as she arrived and he is flummoxed. Cal's wife Becky has the gift of being able to contact the dead, and brings people into their home to help them contact loved ones who have passed. Cal isn't happy about this, and it causes tension in their marriage. Margaret's husband Felix is serving in the Pacific on a supply ship and she waits for word after his ship is hit. This incredible novel follows the outcome of that kiss that causes ripple effects for years to come, even affecting both couple's sons Skip and Tom. The novel tells the story of what is happening in the United States over the thirty years through these two families. It's Read With Jenna's September pick. 

4) My palate cleanser after all this serious stuff is Taj McCoy's spicy romance The Dating Prohibition. Kendra returns home to her family after years away studying with chefs in hopes of opening up a speakeasy supper club. She has returned to help her brother as he opens up his own restaurant, and is attracted to his best friend BJ, someone she has known all her life. BJ wants to help her realize her dream of opening her speakeasy and although he is attracted to Kendra, he tells her she is off-limits because she is his best friend's little sister. But is she off-limits though? If you liked The Bear as much as I do, you'll love this one. There's something for foodies, people who like family stories, and of course spice. 

  I hope you have a great back-to-school week, until next time.

The Dating Prohibition by Taj McCoy

The Dating Prohibition by Taj McCoy

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778368588

Trade paperback, $18.99, 320 pages

From the publisher:

In this spicy new rom-com, an ambitious entrepreneur working to get her speakeasy supper club off the ground is pushed off balance when her childhood crush turns up, hotter than ever––then tells her she's off-limits.

Now that Kendra’s returned home, she can’t help feeling like a kid again—back in her big brother’s shadow, trying to get her restaurant off the ground while his new venture is flying high right out the gate. It doesn’t help that everyone refuses to stop calling her Keke, the childhood nickname she loathes.

The only bright spot is her longtime crush BJ. He’s been her big brother’s best friend for most of her life, and he’s always been that cool, chill guy who was easy to talk to and made her laugh. Now he’s looking at her like she’s all grown up, and there’s nothing childish about the chemistry brewing between them. Even better, he takes her dreams seriously, and he’s ready to help her make her supper club a reality.

But then BJ extinguishes the sparks flying between them, insisting nothing romantic can ever happen because she’s “off limits.” As her investors fall through and her best chance at fulfilling her professional dreams points toward leaving home again for a fresh start, will BJ be ready for love before Kendra moves on? Or will he sweep her off her feet when she least expects it?

My thoughts:

I truly enjoy a novel where the main character is a driven person trying to make their dream come true. Kendra left her job in tech to travel the world and learn from chefs and cooks with the dream of opening up her own speakeasy supper club in Washington, D.C., following in the footsteps of her brother Logan who just opened up his own restaurant there with his wife.

I loved immersing myself in their foodie world, as Kendra and her family and friends pulled together to make Logan's restaurant a success. Reading about all the work that goes into the preparation- ordering supplies, creating the atmosphere, testing recipes- I found it all fascinating.

Watching Kendra work to make her own dream come true, and seeing how even though she faced so many obstacles she wouldn't give up, was inspiring. The relationships among the characters, especially Kendra and her cousin Lani and Kendra and her Auntie Mack, were wonderful and joyful. 

The story has a lot of spicy scenes between Kendra and her brothers best friend BJ, and I did find myself at times feeling like BJ was not being straightforward with Kendra- saying one thing (we can't be together) and doing another (see spicy scenes above). 

I adored the last part of the book watching Kendra's dreams come true. If you are a fan of TV's The Bear, you will love The Dating Prohibition as much as I did. 

This is the second book I've read by Taj McCoy (Zora Books Her Own Happily Ever After- my review here) and I look forward to many more from her.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Friday 5ive- A Trip to Napa Valley

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

It's been a few weeks since my last Friday 5ive, we've been to Boston, Rhode Island and last week we took our semi-annual Napa Valley trip to wine country. The weather was perfect and we had some great wines and delicious meals.

1) We visited one of our favorite wineries Del Dotto where we had the most delicious lunch. The highlight for me was a mini lobster roll that was just the perfect bite. The gardens are just spectacular, with playful statues along the walkway that made me smile. 

2) Old gas stations have been repurposed and turned into takeout pizza joints and wineries. We stopped into Tank winery and it was very cool. 

3) We celebrated a big birthday at Cliff Lede Vineyards, where we had a delightful luncheon in one of the caves. Pat went all out to decorate and we had wonderful time. We even had an impromptu sing along in the cave that was fun and beautiful. Cliff Lede is all about wine, art, and rock and roll, and they have a quite a collection of Beatles memorabilia, paintings by Grace Slick, and a guitar signed by some of the greats like Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, and Edge.

4) It was nearly harvest time and we got to taste grapes right off the vine. We were all surprised at how sweet they tasted, nothing like the grapes you get in the grocery store. 

5) This week's sign comes courtesy of a bar offering free Husband daycare while their spouses shop the cute little stores on Main Street. I'm proud to say we did not have any drop-offs that day but it was early in our trip. If it was towards the end of the trip, we may have lost a few good men.

I hope you enjoy the end of summer and have a safe and healthy Labor Day holiday. Cheers!

End of Summer Reading Roundup

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

End of Summer Reading Roundup

It doesn’t seem possible that the end of summer is fast approaching. it goes by more quickly each year. This month's Book Report features books I recently enjoyed and I hope you will as well.

Many of us have heard about the Magdalene laundries in Ireland where young pregnant teens were sent by their families to give birth, and then forced to give their babies up for adoption. While there, the young girls worked long days in the laundry for no money, and were generally treated poorly as free labor.

In the United States, there were 38 of these facilities. In her novel Wayward Girls, Susan Wiggs sets her story in a fictionalized version of a real-life home for wayward girls in Buffalo in the 1960s. Young girls and teens who were pregnant or whose parents could not care for them or were orphaned or sent by the court system ended up at this home. 

When Marin rebuffs the advances of her alcoholic stepfather, he sends her to Good Shepherd Home, labeled a “reform school". There she bonds with a group of other young girls, and while they try to survive the hardships they faced, they plot a way to escape. It’s a heartbreaking and yet eventually uplifting story.

Kathy Wang’s novel The Satisfaction Cafe opens with Joan, a Chinese immigrant stating she never thought life in America would lead her to stab her husband. How can you not want to read on after that? 

Joan divorces the first husband (the one she stabbed) and ends up married to a much older wealthy American man, and lives what many would call the American dream, even if her husband’s adult children do not trust her. 

It’s a moving story of Joan’s life in America, finding a family, and the clever way she overcame the loneliness that many people face, especially in today’s world. She’s an unforgettable character.

Jess Walter’s new novel, So Far Gone tackles a different kind of loneliness. After he punches his conspiracy theory-spouting son-in-law at Thanksgiving, Rhys Kinnick goes off the grid to a dilapidated family cabin the middle of nowhere in the Northwest.

Seven years later a woman shows up on his doorstep with his two young grandchildren and a note from his daughter asking him to care for them until she returns. He tries to bond with the grandchildren over his love of literature, and when his son-in-law shows up with members of an armed militia to take the children, he is forced into action. 

Rhys rounds up his only friends to rescue his grandchildren and then find his missing daughter. It’s a road trip family story and has a lot to say about where we are as a country. I liked that the characters are not black-and-white (except for one really bad guy), but shades of gray. It’s got humor and heart.

Beck Dorey-Stein’s novel Spectacular Things tells the story of two sisters, Mia and Cricket, who are raised by their single mother. Mom was a high school soccer superstar and headed for big things in college when she became pregnant with Mia.

She gave her girls their love of soccer, and when Cricket shows amazing talent at the game and a tragedy befalls the family, it’s Mia who sacrifices everything to give Cricket a shot at making her Olympic dream come true.

Just as Cricket is on the verge of soccer stardom, it’s Mia who needs her little sister to help her. Cricket has to decide what is more important to her- her sister or her dream. It’s a wonderful story that would make a great book club pick as there is so much to discuss here.

The last book I really liked is an unusual one. Maria Reva’s Endling is about a Ukrainian scientist trying to keep a species of snail from going extinct. To fund this, she secretly works for an organization that matches Ukrainian women with Western men looking for brides.

Two sisters who also work for this organization have an ulterior motive- they plan to kidnap twelve of the men to protest the matchmaking company that they feel exploits these Ukrainian women.

The sisters recruit the scientist so they can use her research van, and when the Russians invade Ukraine, all the plans these women have go out the window, and now it’s just trying to avoid the war and keeping the men alive.

While it sounds crazy, the writing and the characters are impressive, and the tension ratchets up as they try to avoid becoming caught up in the war. It’s unique and brilliant and just nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. 

Friday 5ive- August 8, 2025

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featurng five things that caught my attention this week.

The weekend was so beautiful, perfect weather to sit on my balcony and catch up on my reading.

1) We went to see Just in Time, a Broadway show about legendary 50s and 60s singer/songwriter Bobby Darin. The show is fantastic, with the staging as a nightclub setting. (Darin performed a great deal in clubs like the Copacabana. My companions didn't know anything about Bobby Darin and they loved the show. I knew a little about him, but I didn't realize that Connie Francis (who recently passed away) was his first love. Jonathan Groff gave an astonishing performance as Darin, winning a Tony nomination for it. If you're in NYC, I highly recommend going to see Just in Time. 

2) You see a lot of interesting things walking around the city, but I've never seen anything quite like the sight of an ad for a handyman. On top of his little car. On top of a gigantic box where I guess he keeps his tools? 

3) I like to try new items at Trader Joe's and this week it was Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews (with a  hidden layer of sweet caramel confectionary coating). Need I say more? They are delicious!

4) I binge-watched the sitcom Leanne on Neflix. It's a throwback to the traditional network TV sitcoms starring standup comic Leanne Morgan, with Kristen Johnston as her sister. Leanne portrays a woman married for 30+ years when her husband leaves her for another woman. It's very Southern and funny (if you've seen Leanne's comedy act you'll get it.) Leanne has to deal with her ex-husband, wild child daughter (who's almost 30), a son who is the light of her life, a beautiful grandbaby, nosy neighbor, and her elderly parents. The chemistry between Leanne and Kristen is perfection, and Tim Daly as Leanne's FBI agent love interest is terrific. There's  16 episodes and I hope we see season two. 

5) I read Beck Dorey-Stein's fantastic new novel Spectacular Things in one day this week (on my balcony). It's about two sisters, one of whom, Cricket, is on her way to becoming an Olympic soccer star. Older sister Mia has sacrificed much to help her talented sister realize her dreams. When Mia has a serious situation arise where she needs Cricket to make a choice that could put her career in jeopardy, the sisters face a crossroads in their relationship.

I devoured this story of sisters, it hooked me from the very beginning. We see the challenges their single mom faced to give them a good life, as well as the blessings and curses of being a star athlete with so much potential. 

The writing and characters draw you in, and if you are a soccer fan you will love this story even more. I'm always intrigued by athletes who perform at a high level, particularly if they begin as young children. Even though I don't follow soccer, I was captivated by that storyline.

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Carrie Soto Is Back will want to read Spectacular Things. It was a Reeses' Book Club pick.

Have a safe and healthy week- until next time.

The Cover Girl by Amy Rossi

The Cover Girl by Amy Rossi

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778368267

Hardcover, $28.99, 336 pages

From the publisher:

Find them early enough, and they will always be her girls.

Birdie Rhodes was only thirteen when legendary modeling agent Harriet Goldman discovered her in a department store and transformed her into one of Harriet’s Girls. What followed felt like the start of something incredible, a chance for shy Birdie to express herself in front of the camera. But two years later, she meets a thirty-one-year-old rock star, and her teenage heart falls hard as he leads her into a new life, despite Harriet's warnings. Then, as abruptly as it began, it’s over, like a lipstick-smeared fever dream. Birdie tries hard to forget that time—starting over in Paris, in the dying embers of the LA punk scene, in Boston at the height of the AIDS crisis. She’s not that person anymore. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself.

Decades later, Birdie lives a quiet life. She works modest gigs, takes Pilates and mostly keeps to herself. Maybe it’s not the glamor she once envisioned, but it’s peaceful. Comfortable. Then a letter arrives, inviting Birdie to celebrate Harriet’s fifty-year career. Except Birdie hasn’t spoken to her in nearly thirty years—with good reason.

Almost famous, almost destroyed, Birdie can only make her own future if she reckons with her past—the fame, the trauma, the opportunities she gave up for a man who brought her into a life she wasn't ready for. Just like she’s not ready now. But the painful truth waits for nobody. Not even Birdie Rhodes.

For fans of My Dark Vanessa and Taylor Jenkins Reid, this striking debut novel explores the dizzying fallout of being seen and not heard in a high-stakes industry that leaves no silhouette unscathed.

My thoughts:

At first glance, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book, the modeling industry doesn't particularly intrigue me, but I was immediately captured by Birdie's story. Birdie was just a young teenager when her parents, who seemed not very interested in their own daughter, willingly allowed her to travel on a world tour with the much older rock star, even agreeing to give him what they thought was temporary guardianship of Birdie.

Birdie and the rock star are inseparable, and even though her mentor Harriet tries to move her away from this relationship and back towards her career, it's no use. Birdie is devastated when the rock star dumps her, as the life span of that relationship was doomed from the beginning.

Watching Birdie spiral is so awful; she has no support as she hasn't seen her parents in years and Harriet's past efforts to help Birdie were rebuffed. Thank goodness Birdie has a friend in Bernice, a fellow young model. As Bernice's star rises, Birdie's flames out.

This is a strong debut novel, Amy Rossi has created a memorable character in Birdie. The reader is so invested in her life, pulling for Birdie to get her life back on track even though the adults in her life failed her. I highly recommend The Cover Girl.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting on their Summer 2025 Blog Tours.

Friday 5ive- a Trip to Watkins Glen

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

We made a trip to Watkins Glen, home to the famous Watkins Glen International Raceway. 

1)  While two of our group drove their cars on the raceway, two of us walked around the town of Watkins Glen. There are many cute second hand stores, filled with nostalgic items. One store had bookcases filled with minature salt and pepper shakers, many of them holiday-themed.  The Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein ones caught my eye in particular.

2)  I got to visit my good friend Kelly who lives close by. It was so great to have a glass of Finger Lakes wine and catch up. 

3)  I grew up in the Finger Lakes and there are some items that I just can't find in NYC grocery stores so a trip to the local Tops Supermarket scored some key items. I got salt potatoes (why doesn't Wegmans sell them in their NYC stores?), Dinosaur Barbeque Sauce (hard to find in NYC for some reason) and Gianelli sweet sausage patties. (I have looked all over for sweet sausage patties to no avail- hot sausage yes, sweet, no.) While there, a customer told us to stop at a little place called Art & Nancy's for the best sandwiches in town. We picked up turkey subs to bring to the guys at the track and they were so good, we went back the next day again for lunch. If you ever go to Watkins Glen, stop into Art & Nancy's.

4) One night we had dinner at Nickel's Pit BBQ for delicious Carolina barbeque sandwiches. As I am fan of Prince's music (the best concert I ever saw was Prince at the Carrier Dome), I tried the Little Red Corvette, made with vodka, pineapple juice, vanilla, coconut, and cherry. I enjoyed it, but I was in the minority in our group in that opinion. 

Little Red Corvette

5) Our hotel (Glen Harbor Hotel) was located right on the shores of Seneca Lake, and every evening we had this beautiful view. 

Have a wonderful and safe week- until next week.