What's Up Wednesday- July 2nd!

 Summertime, Summertime & CP's of Awesome!

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up.  Should you wish to join, check out Jaime's or Erin's lovely blogs and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of the post.

WHAT I'M READING

Books of the week: 

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES- Smart, funny, wonderful in every way. I'll have to write a full review of this one later. Suffice it to say, I highly recommend it.

RED EARTH AND POURING RAIN- Wonderful imagery, complex and many layered. This book is not for everyone. An eighteenth-century warrior-poet is reincarnated into a typewriting monkey. All of the rich history of India is laid bare through one man's experience. And at 600+ pages, it's also heavy enough to weigh down your beachmat. (A stalwart for summer reads)

WHAT I'M WRITING

Words. (I'm guessing I should be more specific than that, but it really does sum it up very nicely) I wrote a chapter about how it's sometimes more important to be understood than to be loved. I wrote a bit about a freed slave who refused to leave because he would rather work for someone who wanted him to be free. I wrote some more words about how orchids are exceptional liars. I wrote two sentences that I truly loved. (and quite a few more that were just okay) In balance, I think those two sentences were worth the rest of the muddle. We'll see.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO/ WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

• I got to meet one of my CP's of Awesome in the Flesh!!! It was wonderful and surreal at the same time. (To meet someone you've chatted with online for Years, and then they are there in person and you can actually hug them!!!...Totally Surreal) She was only in town for a few hours so we just hung out at the beach, bounced around in the waves and talked about books. (She's probably also going to kill me for posting this picture of us, post-salty swim with way too much sun) (forgive me Andrea :)
• I'm going to a Writer's Retreat in August (yay!) where I will get to meet another one of my CP's of Awesome. *dies on the floor* Honestly, when I started this whole writing thing, and this online "social" stuff, I had no idea it would lead to meeting Real People (who are Awesome in every respect)
• Looking forward to the 4th of July celebrations. A friend of ours invited us to spend the 4th on his boat so we can watch the fireworks over the bay. I love fireworks. Best use of gunpowder Ever. (Celebrate your American Independence with a aerial display invented by the Chinese during the Song Dynasty (circa 960) and currently made in China) (Perhaps followed by some Freedom Fries) *grin* Nationalism. Gotta love it.