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book club

BOOK HUNGRY: about that night

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, blake leyers, karla nellenbach, and myself. we pick a book to read. we discuss via phone. we post a review on our individual blogs the 3rd thursday of the month. click on their names above and enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

ABOUT THAT NIGHT by julie james

what it’s about from porter square books: 

HE’S PLAYING GAMES

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face to face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful Assistant U.S. Attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him.

BUT SHE’S MAKING THE RULES

Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn’t thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can’t say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn’t mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won’t give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he’s never forgotten. . .

my opinion:

a perfect summer read. fun, fast, flirty, smart.

this was actually the third book in a series, but the first one i read. i never felt lost or confused or like i’d missed out by starting with book 3 instead of 1. in fact, i liked the characters and the writing and the premise so much, i ordered the other books in the series from the library and devoured them one quiet weekend.

a lot of times in contemporary stories, references to specific songs or technologies, etc. are avoided so as to keep the story relevant for a long time. ABOUT THAT NIGHT broke that rule as it took on twitter and mentioned facebook and all that jazz. (considering twitter is how us book hungry gals met, it felt a bit like a wink wink nudge nudge.) anyways, this story is a sassy kick in the pants about how tied up in technology we all get — and how things can get blown out of proportion — and how we need to focus on and prioritize the things that do matter.

like romance. and second chances. and family. and twitter. and books. and book hungry gals.

julie james is definitely an author i’ll be keeping tabs on.

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feelings

formula

abby mumford

math has always thwarted me. ALWAYS. it rears its head in my everyday life (yes, as my father and all my math teachers said it would) but it often does so in ways i don’t expect. there are neverending amounts and combinations and formulas and numbers pop up in their sneaky-ninja-like ways and frankly, I CAN’T HANDLE ALL THE MATH ALL THE TIME.

i feel like a prime number in a world of composites.

and now, even the letters are conspiring against me, like this:

26 letters

 

convos with strangers

conversations with strangers #62

abby mumford

strangers? yup, i talk to them. here’s why.

it had been a busy day full of glorious weather and workouts and errands and me, just me. it was a quiet day. i only talked to six total people, but for once, i was okay with that. i needed to recharge my batteries.

having completed my TO DO list, i was headed back to my apartment and i had no plans to leave it once i’d entered. maybe it was the impending solitude. maybe it was her fashion sense, but as the girl walked towards me, i spoke up.

me: i like your dress.

her: *looks up from typing on phone* *is startled* thank you!

i wasn’t sure if she was headed to meet friends, meet a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or perhaps a first date, but the dress was darling and i wanted to pass along some of the sunshine i was feeling. i liked to think she walked a bit brighter to her destination.

i know i did.

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feelings

random acts of kindness

abby mumford

in the midst of a thundercloud, acts of kindness tiny as raindrops can be missed. it’s a good thing i’ve stepped out from under the umbrella.

in puddle #1: my dad dropped off and picked up a dress of mine at the dry cleaners. he also stopped by to see when it would be ready. that’s three extra trips on my behalf.

in puddle #2: my friend N shopped at my favorite book store and when asked if he was part of their regular customer program, he gave my name. essentially, he gave my account credit for buying his book and i’m that much closer to a $7 off coupon.

in puddle #3: sister E let me taste some of her limited amounts of sun tea. it was surprisingly delicious. she also went on walks with me in the scorching 90+ degree heat, did push-ups and squats and lunges by my side, introduced me to the best new sunscreen (sawyer brand), and watched over me when i had an allergic reaction to grass.

in puddle #4: my friend R offered to let me watch season 1 of the walking dead at her house because i’m too scared to watch it alone.

in puddle #5: with a simple comment, my friend A gave me some much needed honesty which reflected a bad habit i was only semi-conscious of.

in puddle #6: a crossfit coach took the time to diagnose my issue with tipping forward during any type of squat and then figured out how to remedy it, all without making me feel lame.

in puddle #7: my friend M listened, commiserated, and then pushed me out of my comfort zone.

thank you all for being so kind and generous and wonderful.

feelings

thank you notes

abby mumford

this arrived in the mail the other day:

MMM thank you

and it’s the coolest thing ever for so many reasons.

(1) my niece signed her name as MMM. we (me + my family members) often use her initials when texting and emailing because it’s faster and shorter than typing her full name, but the fact she’s now using it as her signature? so cool! so grown up!

(2) the excess of O’s in the word so remind me that’s she’s 11 and i don’t have to worry about her being tooooooooooooo grown up.

(3) she finished a book in a week!

(4) her brother is bugging her to read faster so he has something to read.

(5) she lets her brother’s desires motivate and monitor her own habits, which shows what an amazing and gentle and sensitive big sister she is.

(6) they’re like me, in that, as a friend recently said about me to me, “you eat books for breakfast.”

(7) the letter was also the envelope, aka, it was a complicated and fancy folding job by MMM.

(8) handwritten thank you notes are one of my favorite things in the world (to write and to receive) and SILM and brother G have trained their kids well. in fact, i still have a postcard from when MMM was about 6 hanging on my fridge because her misspellings created the funniest note ever.

(9) i can feel the love all the way from the west coast.