While casually perusing agent websites, I stumbled across something very interesting on the Donald Maass Literary Agency website. Not only are they willing to offer up a guide to ‘What We’re Looking For This Month’, but (admittedly somewhat tongue-in-cheek), they also provide a series of working titles for which they’d like to see finished books. I’ve attached this month’s list:

*The Anthropology of Grace

*A Sandbox Century

*Relativity Milkshake

*Destiny Devine’s Tips for Debutantes

*Jezebel’s Diary

*Vespers at Dawn

*The Ruins at Fiddlefern Elementary

*How to Lose at Checkers

*All the Stars in the Sky

Some of these are just crazy-weird, particularly when you consider that they are looking for fiction. Relativity Milkshake? (I do like the name Fiddlefern Elementary though.) None of these titles were sufficiently inspiring to get my creative juices flowing, but if you have a high-concept blurb for one of these, feel free to leave it in the comments–I’d LOVE to read it!

I have fallen in love…with a cookbook. The interesting thing about this is that, not only do I not own a lot of cookbooks, I don’t cook with them either. I’m not all that versatile or adventurous in my cooking (mostly because I’m lazy and my husband has a LOT of food dislikes), so most of my recipes come from family (i.e. someone I trust who’s already tried them).

I don’t know how I even came to be looking at cookbooks on Amazon a couple of weeks ago, but somehow, I was, and I stumbled over Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. I, of course, read the reviews and tried to do a bit of background checking on the book and the author, but I think what really sold me was the fact that it was termed ‘A Colorful Cookbook’ and organized by food color. How deliciously different does that sound??

So, I bought it and on Sunday, it was in the mail: a huge, beautiful full-color volume of recipes, photographs, memories, and suggestions. I’m loving looking at it and have already picked a selection of recipes to try. I particularly like the notes from the author. Whether they be recipe tips and suggestions or lovely, floaty memories of her life as a child or times with her children, this cookbook is making me want to spend more time making these lovely meals simply for the sheer joy it (ignoring the dishes). We’ll see.

We had a lovely 4th weekend up at my in-laws’ lake house. There was boating, tubing, yard games, a little Wii Fit, and what almost seemed like non-stop eating. Using the ice cream maker I received for Mother’s Day, I whipped up both chocolate chocolate chip and cinnamon ice cream, and both went over very well. It was all very pleasant and enjoyable, and then last night we watched I Am Legend.

After seeing the commercials for this movie, I was never really entirely sure what it was about–I just knew Will Smith was supposedly the last man on earth and there was some sort of threat. Basically, I was aware it was an apocalyptic thriller. My husband, on the other hand, was unaware of this. After the movie, he made it clear that he had thought it was about re-inhabiting the human race. So I said, basically you thought this was a sexy movie? His answer was yes, he did. For some reason, I found this hilarious.

And then this morning, out of the blue, he says to me (something to this effect), ‘If you were the last man on earth and found yourself for a limited amount of time in the presence of the last woman on earth, wouldn’t you demand to procreate? Anything else is irresponsible.’ He was quite adamant on his humanitarian responsibility. What can I say? He’s a hero.

What fun did you have on the 4th?