Dis and Dat

I'm back from vacation, did you miss me? I had a wonderfully fun week filled with lots of sunshine cruising the Caribbean with friends and family, and I'm missing the warm weather so very much. Fortunately, there a number of things making this first week back to the grind just a smidge better.

I love reading, so I'm constantly on the prowl for a good book. I read two on vacation that I'd recommend if you are in the market for one. These books are as far apart on the spectrum from one another as possible.

First up, "Schooled" by Anisha Lakhani. This is a total beach read; light, easy, fun and frivolous. The story follows a first year teacher in a private school in Manhattan's Upper East Side. It reads a bit like The Nanny Diaries and Gossip Girl had a love child and then went to middle school in Juicy sweats. If even a smidge of the plot is truthful, it was pretty surprising. I will admit that I found the ending to be a bit of a let down as it just ends abruptly.

My second cruise book was "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. This story is set in the early 20th century in Wisconsin during a cold, harsh winter. The main male character, Ralph Truitt puts an advertisement in the newspaper for a reliable wife and receives an enticing response from Ms. Catherine Land. The story follows their initial meeting, and the beginning of their lives together. Both Ralph and Catherine's back stories are interesting and present some unexpected twists to keep the plot moving along. If you are feeling the winter blues, you may want to shelve this one till warmer, brighter days are here to stay.

Image courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Have you tried these chocolate bits from Sweet Riot? They are tiny chunks of cacao dipped in varying levels of dark chocolate and run 1-2 calories a piece (no that's not a typo). If you are as afflicted with the 2pm chocolate craving as I am, a few Sweet Riot nibbles will fulfill the need without the guilt of a full size candy bar. I'm also a sucker for the tall, thin, pop top tins they come in too...I'm such a sucker for packaging and apparently new products in the check out aisle. Note to self, go down the candy free aisle next time.

Finally, I had planned to do a recap of NYC Fashion Week two weeks ago and didn't get my post done before I left on vacation and wasn't sure it was relevant now however, Fall 2011 is bringing color back! Hooray! I love me some bright colors, so come September deep greens, bright reds, cobalt blues in pretty, feminine shapes will rule the streets. Check out the sequin stunners at the end of the DVF show on the New York Times website for some serious eye candy.

Image courtesy of CoolSpotters