the best of the best beach reads

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand //  The Bungalow by Sarah Jio 

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank //  Wedding Night by Sopie Kinsella 

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple //  The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  //  Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer   

THE BEST OF THE BEST IN SUMMER BEACH READS!

Here are a few of my favorite Beach Reads from last summer. 
There are so many of you hitting the beach or traveling right now, 
that I thought I'd share with you a few of my faves. 
I admit, I'm an Audible.com addict right now… there is no other way I can squeeze 
in as many reads as I'd like to without listening to my novels on Audible.  
At the stage my kids are at right now, 
there is just no time for me to sit for more than 5 minutes at a time.  
Thank-goodness for Audible.com! I can listen to these great reads while 
cleaning, driving, or even while at the pool or beach 
without taking my eyes off my little ones.  

I always need my Charleston or Nantucket fix.  
Every summer I look forward to reading the new novels of my favorite two authors 
that set the plots of their novels in two of my favorite locations. 
Dorothea Benton Frank always writes about the magical South Carolina Lowcountry, 
and Elin Hilderbrand's novels are always set on the lovely and charming 
New England island of Nantucket. 

Make room in your beach bag for these fantastic novels and enjoy!

Also, don't forget to check out 
Modern Palm 
for beach bags, beach bag supplies, beach blankets, 
beach jewelry & accessories!

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Nantucket:: 76 Main Hotel

Love my summer beach reads. Love. 

So, I was very excited that the long-awaited new Elin Hilderbrand book, 

 Beautiful Day, is finally out. In fact, I received my copy in the mail today.

{photo from my instagram} 

On a related note, since all of Elin Hilderbrand's books are based in Nantucket, MA, 

I thought I'd highlight a very stylish, upscale, modern and beautiful Nantucket hotel...

76 Main. The designer for this amazing decor is the talented Rachel Reider of Boston.

I adore Nantucket and absolutely can't wait to go back... 

I know where I want to stay when I do:: 

76 Main is amazingly beautiful, classy, with a subtle beach vibe. 

photos via here

for more of my obsessions with Nantucket 

click HERE

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Entertaining:: the Cheese Platter

One of my absolute favorite appetizers is a cheese platter. In fact, I could just have it for my main course too! A few months ago I put this cheese platter together for a little spa night that I had with some friends. It was a hit, especially with me! With the help of the extremely knowledgeable people at the cheese section at Harmons (a local grocery by my house that has an impressive selection of artisan cheese), I was able to put together a platter with different textures and flavors.  In my opinion, it's important to use cheeses that are aged, soft, firm, and blue.  Not that it's important, but I think it's fun to use a variety of cheese from different locations. On this particular platter, I used a mix of national and international types.

What I used on my cheese platter::

*Raspberry Bellavitano from Wisconsin
*Zola Gouda from Holland
*Domaine De Vallage Triple Cream from France (this was insanely amazing)
*Cheddar Cabot Clothbound from Vermont
*Cambozola Black Label from Germany

Items that compliment the cheese platter::

*Creminelli Mocetta meat thinly sliced- I was skeptical to try, but so glad I did. AMAZING!
**Pepperlane Blackberry "buzz" Jalapeno Spread: I've tried a few different kinds of spreads, but I keep going back to this Blackberry Jalapeno spread... It is hands down my favorite!
*Marchini Almonds and/or cashews
*a variety of dried fruit, or fresh fruit
*Castelvetrano Olives- almost a must in my "cheese handbook!" I think I'm addicted to these.
*a variety of breads and/or crackers:: my personal favorite cracker is the La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary, which I get at Costco, but I've seen in grocery stores. It's absolutely perfect with cheese!

*

It's funny how sometimes things can be intimidating, until you finally give it a try, and then it just becomes fun to experiment and learn. Since our little friend spa night, I've been trying to improve on my cheese knowledge and skills.  So, throughout the holidays my husband and I have been trying different varieties of cheese, crackers, spreads, and meats.  

I think he is now more addicted to cheese than I. 

Other Cheese Platter Items:

* labels always make for a fun and informative addition. Where can you get some? 

Well, just check out this fun cheese tasting kit that Modern Palm has.  What I like about this kit is that it has the blank cards you can write on already for you to add to your display... it's supper easy.  It also includes info flash cards that give you information on many different types of cheeses and locations so you can learn more about what types of cheese you'd like to use.

Modern Palm  also has some great platters to use for any entertaining purpose:

New Years Eve is the perfect time to enjoy a cheese platter...

or if you're like me, any night of the week works too! 

If you've already experimented with a cheese platter, please leave comments and suggestions. 

I'm always wanting and excited to hear good ideas and suggestions, 

especially when it comes to cheese!

Cheers!

Mid-Century Photography by Slim Aarons

Yesterday I shared my love for a Shabby Apple Palm Springs photo shoot...

 and Speaking of Mid-Century chic... 

I can't get enough of Slim Aarons Photographs.

He especially loved photographing Palm Springs, Palm Beach, 

and any other pool and beach he could find.

Aren't these photos so retro, so cool, so perfect? 

And in the spirit of the Palm Springs retro era, 

here are some Palm Springs coffee table books that would add some 

retro charm to any family or living room.

Whoopie Pies

So, I decided to attempt making Whoopie Pies for the Blogger Meet-n-Greet and I was glad I did! They were extremely yummy. So I first tried the Red Velvet with coconut frosting. I then did Red Velvet with vanilla butter cream frosting and added sprinkles, and my next batch was Chocolate with vanilla butter cream frosting and used different sprinkles .  It was fun, delicious, and now my kids ask me to make them every day. Ummm... that has yet to happen. But I already have a list of other Whoopie Pies from this recipe book found in Modern Palm, that I can't wait to try.

MORE DELICIOUS RECIPE BOOKS FOUND IN 

MODERN PALM:

Whoopie Pies, Luscious Coconut Desserts, Miette, & Cake Pops by Bakerella

Lovely Libraries Round Up

I am a huge, huge fan of Home Libraries...

I still believe in books. 

Even with our wonderful technology and Kindles, iPads, computers, & books on CD... 

I still love me a good book, and I still collect books as well. 

Having a personal "library" was always a goal of mine, and although ours is nothing 

compared to these amazing photos, it is still my favorite room in my home. 

Here are just a few of my favorite library photos floating around the web.

 via Elle Decor

I adore the use of the green curtain, 

and how wonderful to have a room and collection large enough that you'd actually 

have use for a ladder... I mean really. Amazing.

via Houzz

Never in my life have I seen a home library like the one pictured above... 

I bet they don't have a clue what books are on their shelves, but that is one of the coolest rooms ever.

And I adore the idea of having the library above, kinda creating it's own floor. Genius.

via Pinterest 

Darling, cozy, colorful & fun. I want to hang out there!

Contemporary, chic & bright. Always a fan of a yellow sofa.

via House & Home

This is one of the most popular library photos out there... why? 

Well, I think that we are drawn-in by the charcoal shelves, pink tulip chairs, 

and whimsical shell chandelier...

 It's such a warm, unique and inviting room.

via Vogue

via Jarlath Mellett