Seating Arrangements and Sunday Salon

Maggie Shipstead's novel Seating Arrangements has been getting rave reviews.  Everywhere I look, this book is mentioned as a great summer read.  And I was excited to read it, too. But, unfortunately Seating Arrangements did not live up to my expectations.  I'm not blaming the author or book. I mean, obviously I am in the minority as far as my opinion goes. 

The general outline of the story: A family gathers on an island in New England for the wedding of the oldest daughter.  It is Winn Van Meter, the father of the bride, who is the main focus of this story.  He is worried about all the money spent on this wedding.  He is attracted to one of his daughter's bridesmaids and contemplates an extra-marital relationship.  He has a minor obsession with joining an exclusive club that he is denied membership of. 

The blurb on the back of the book characterizes this as a social satire, something that I think is an apt depiction of this novel - and something I wasn't aware of when I began reading.  I also expected this book to be more of a chick-lit type novel, something I wanted to take to the beach.  I would classify Seating Arrangements as literary fiction, not necessarily a beach read. I'm still waiting for my friend Kristin to finish Seating Arrangements...maybe it is just me who didn't get into this novel, so I am anxious to hear from others who have read this book what I missed.

Aside from reading Seating Arrangements, we have been having HOT weather here. We had a great time boating with friends yesterday- a first for my youngest daughter. All my girls got to try tubing for the first time. 

My girls have started playing with Legos a lot.  There are fights over who is following the directions the right way. 

I have never had a summer of such slow reading.  Softball is officially done, so maybe I can find a few more evenings to read. 

My mother-in-law took my two younger daughters to Brave in the theaters. While she was with them, she paid for me to see a movie I wanted to see. I chose Rock of Ages, and relived the 80s.

I have a great buffalo chicken recipe from Pinterest I am trying as we speak.  It smells great, just needs to cook in the crock pot a bit longer.

Today I took my niece and youngest daughter to pick out tadpoles. Bad news.  No pet store has tadpoles right now. So, both girls now own toads.  I am not excited about the live crickets I had to buy and will need to feed them each day.