Rainy Days With Amanda

    THE PINK DRESS: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen By Janet Little Botkin Memoir Publisher: She Writes Press Pages: 304 Publication Date: 9/10/24 SYNOPSIS Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970’s counterculture movement began to take off. A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane’s time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes reality: the author’s failed relationship with her mother, and her parents’ failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs. The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era’s conflicts and growth pains. A common expectation that ...

 Hey Ya'll! Thanks for coming back and checking out some awesome coffee shops around the San Antonio area. If you're new, welcome! I usually write book reviews, or book talks as I call them, and sometimes random thoughts, but I just started this coffee series, so we'll see how it grows and expands. Without further ado, here are three coffee shops you should visit this month and any other month in San Antonio.    Sip & Sit With Me Coffee House ☕  3244 Mission Rd, San Antonio, TX 78214   I was on the southside of town for work and afterward, I was looking for a cold drink. I looked up some spots and this cute little shop popped up, so I decided to give it a try. It was a hot day, so I'm glad that as soon as I walked in, there was cold air blowing in the little house-turned-coffee shop. From upon entry, the baristas were very welcoming, and even though I got a cold Jasmine Blossom tea, I was surprised to see so many syrups to choose from your coffee (and I gues...

I found this book when I was looking through a table set at Barnes & Nobles with a sign that read something along the lines of "Translated Japanese Novels." Of course, I had to take a look. This one caught my attention not by the cover, but by the title. It intrigued my interests, so I put it on my list of books to read and I was happy to be able to find a copy at one of my local bookstores. Here's a little bit about All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami . About the Author Meiko Kawakami is a Japanese writer and poet from Osaka. Her work has won prestigious Japanese literary awards in several genres including the 138th Akutagawa Prize for Chichi to Ran (Breasts and Eggs), the 2103 Tanizaki Prize for Ai no yum to ka (Dreams of Love, etc.), and so much more.  Kawakami published All the Lovers in the Night in 2011. In 2022 is when it was translated into English by Sam Bett and David Boyd.  About the Book Fuyuko Irie is a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirtie...