Mendicino Fire by Elizabeth Tallent

Just reading "No One You Know", tells me author Tallent knows us all very well. The story of a hidden affair and divorce, and then the moving on... but not quite...
Very well written short stories about relationships of all kinds. It's time to make a winter reading list, and you can start with this one:)

Read what the publisher, Harper Collins, has to say...

The long-awaited return of a writer of rare emotional wisdom.
The son of an aging fisherman becomes ensnared in a violent incident that forces him to confront his broken relationship with his father. A woman travels halfway across the country to look for her ex-husband, only to find her attention drawn in a surprising direction. A millworker gives safe harbor to his son's pregnant girlfriend, until an ambiguous gesture upsets their uneasy equilibrium. These and other stories—of yearning, loss, and tentative new connections—come together in Mendocino Fire, the first new collection in two decades from the widely admired Elizabeth Tallent.
Diverse in character and setting, rendered in an exhilarating, exacting prose, these stories confirm Tallent's enduring gift for capturing relationships in moments of transformation: marriages breaking apart, people haunted by memories of old love and reaching haltingly toward new futures. The result is a book that reminds us how our lives are shaped by moments of fracture and fragmentation, by expectations met and thwarted, and by our never-ending quest to be genuinely seen.

the Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

I have always thought my life would make a great book, and I am even more sure that I could write it  after reading Mary Karr's Memoir. She's an inspiring teacher.

Harper Collins says :

Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well.
For thirty years Karr has also taught the form, winning teaching prizes at Syracuse.  (The writing program there produced such acclaimed authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas.) In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.
Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. (Plus all those inside stories about how she dealt with family and friends get told— and the dark spaces in her own skull probed in depth.) As she breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, she breaks open our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or complicated history, whether writer or reader, will relate.
Joining such classics as Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, The Art of Memoir is an elegant and accessible exploration of one of today’s most popular literary forms—a tour de force from an accomplished master pulling back the curtain on her craft.

miniOrganics Skin Care

Organic skincare products from Australia, award-winning certified organic products for moms to be and babies...BUT they are really just wonderful for anyone with sensitive skin.
For baby there are gentle washes and oils,  infused with delicate lavender and chamomile, these products are as gentle and soft as a baby's skin. For mom, gentle skin care for skin that has gone through so many changes during pregnancy, oils and moisturizers to help get skin back to normal after the baby is born. Go to miniorganics.com to see all of the great products. They make wonderful gifts for mom and baby:)

Kensington Apothecary Rose Oil Cleanser

My skin has always been oily, prone to break outs if I wasn't careful. I have used  many products for oily skin that would dry it out, I  thought that was what I was supposed to be doing. I read a beauty article about rose oil cleanser, but I never in a million years would have thought I would use one.
Until an opportunity came to sample and review Kensington Apothecary's Rose Oil cleanser.
It comes in a nice pump bottle. The ingredient list is loaded with organic oils: apricot kernel, olive seed oil, sunflower oil. and of course rose otto (oil). The fragrance is very delicate rose and while you are taking a few minutes to massage the oil all over your face, you get a bit of aromatherapy, too.
What I did was fill my bathroom sink with nice warm water and using a white cotton facecloth, I began removing the oil and removing all my make up with it! It feels like you are having a mini spa moment. The oil lifts out dirt and makeup and traps it..the warm water and cloth remove all of it from your face, leaving it sooo soft and ready for your nighttime serum. You have just got to try it !
Have a look at their website kensingtonapothecary.com to order products.

Summer Must Haves...

Two skin care lines that I love...first, MST or Miracle Skin Transformer. You have read reviews of other MST products on my blog and these two will be no different. Rave reviews,
MST's BODY Tinted Beauty Balm is a  must have year round beauty balm, really. Firms, protects, hydrates, illuminates and it is tinted. The color I got was Bronze and it is wonderful for a summer's day out in the sun and then a night  under the disco ball :) Improves the overall look of your skin, helps support skin's natural production of collagen, hydrates your skin, age spots appear diminished, promotes skin firmness and best of all your skin glows, looks younger and brighter. Use on your legs in that mini and on your shoulders and decollette in that low V tee. Love.

MST's Miracle Mud is a skin restoring mud mask, that I now use twice a week. Never thought I would use a mud mask, they just never looked like much fun. Invigorates, soothes, detoxifies, hydrates, firms, ant-age..it's got it all. It is not a thick clay mask, it is like whipped cream. No kidding, soft and luxurious going on and you can feel your pores tighten while it dries, and it comes off with a warm rinse. Easy Peasy.
www.miracleskintransformer,com

Another wonderful brand is EmerginC scientific organics. I am using the body butter. Loaded with grape stem cell, white tea and seaweed, aloe, shea butter ,jojoba, spirulina and vitamins A, C & E. It's a power house of natural ingredients. Soothes, nourishes, and moisturizes anywhere you use it. Favorites for me? Feet, elbows and knees, after I have played around in sand all day. Let's face it, in summer we are exposed to the sun and surf for a few months...we need hydrating. And it smells so fresh and citrusy...yum.
www.emerginc.com

Elle by Emma Mars

Ok ladies, hang on to your knickers! Author Emma Mars ( a pseudonym ) has written book number two of a steamy trilogy. Her first novel titled Hotelles, introduced us to Elle, a lady of the evening who meets and then plans to marry her knight in shining armor. Those plans end up on the floor  like her crumpled wedding dress.
So as novel number two begins, we find Elle, hold up in the Hotel dues Charmes with a new man..her former fiancé's brother....
"In a hotel room in Paris, a young woman named Elle experiences the most exquisite freedom and sensual pleasure she has ever known, thanks to Louie, the man who has conquered her completely.
So many things in her life had changed since they first met. Her engagement to Louie's deceptive brother, David, has been broken. Her mother has died. Yet Elle is wholly fulfilled with Louie, the master who heightens her senses and unleashes her deep, seductive power. In the alluring Hotel des Charmes, Louie takes Elle beyond her wildest fantasies. In sublime self abandonment she discovers absolute ecstasy, absolute sweetness, absolute desire. Then David unexpectedly returns, stirring up painful memories and threatening their bliss. Elle fears her education may soon be over.....She does not understand that it has only just begun." (Harper)
Oh my! this novel Elle is not for the faint of heart. I am warning you, you will blush but you will keep reading :) Elle is well written and you keep reading because you need to know how this messy love triangle will end.
I am anxiously awaiting the last part of the trilogy. In the meantime, get to the bookstore and pick up Hotelles & Elle. Then head to the beach and sit on your towel and dig your toes into the sand. But, have a bucket of
water close by..you will need to spritz some on to cool yourself down ;)

MicrodermMD by Trophy Skin

I  get a lot of compliments on my skin, and I always say thank you. I usually attribute it to well applied makeup:) But there is really more to it. I use moisturizers, exfoliators, serums, masks, eye creams...you name it, I have tried it. And there is a lot to be said for these products. I do visit my dermatologist for an annual check up ( lots of sun spots!) but never have been to an esthetician. I have wondered about microdermabrasion for the last few years...hearing great things about it. The thought of a chemical peel scares me, but softly buffing my skin to get rid of fine lines and dark pigmented spots really appealed to me. I wanted my skin to have that 'polished' look.
So when the opportunity came to test a home dermabrasion machine, I took it. I kept my expectations low because I had read some reviews of home machines and they were less than stellar. But then...
My MicrodermMD was delivered. Took it out of the box and marveled at how cool it looks...professional. Took the instruction booklet and read it cover to cover and then re-read it. Let me stop right here and say this is the most important step in this process, don't go off willy-nilly and turn it on without reading the instructions. I also went online and watched a video, which was really helpful. I started by using the auto mode, which is what Trophy Skin recommends for beginners, and also, I had no idea how my skin would react. The first time I used it, I was truly a beginner but now 5x in, I am an old pro. My skin has never looked or felt better. So smooth, and my pores look smaller. Of course I am still using all my lotions and potions, but now I think they are working better. Right now I am using MicrodermMD  every two weeks and that seems to work for me. Some use it more. some use is less..it is all according to your own skin type. So what results can you expect?  What I see is smoother, more polished skin. Fine lines are starting to disappear, and my darker spots are starting to get lighter. My dull, tired skin looks so much better, fresh and younger looking. I have started using it on my hands, too. Loving the results there! MicrodermMD has earned a top spot in my skincare regimen, don't want to be without it.
For more information and instructions on use , go to www.trophyskin.com