"Nothing But a Heartache" is one of my all time favorite songs. It combines many things I love: retro soul, girl group music, and a melody that is catchy and dynamic.
The Flirtations recorded this song in 1968, and it was a hit for the group, making the Hot 100 list. The Flirtations started recording in 1962 as the Gypsies. Two of the singers were sisters from South Carolina. They were marketed as being like the Supremes, and there are some real similarities in sound and performance style.
"Nothing But a Heartache" became a Northern Soul hit. Northern Soul music was soul music that achieved popularity in dance clubs in Northern England, Scotland, and Wales in the mid-1960's. Northern Soul songs were typically by less well known artists. They were uptempo with a good beat for dancing.
I have loved this song for years. I have it on my Blackberry, my iPad ... and now I am happy to share it with you, too.
"Most
days I can almost forget someone murdered my sister. I try to go
through every day like a normal sixteen-year-old. I can eat breakfast,
go to school, do homework, but then something will remind me that my
family will never be the same." (Breathe, Elena Dillon)
With these memorable lines we meet high school junior Jasmine Rourke. Jasmine's sister, Daisy, was murdered in Los Angeles, and the killer was never caught. Because of lingering media attention and concern for her family's safety, Jasmine's mother moves the family to Lafayette, Louisiana. Jasmine, her younger twin siblings, and her mother try to settle in and find normalcy.
Jasmine starts back to school, meets a cute boy, makes new friends ... and then the eerie reminders of her sister, Daisy, start: a bouquet of daisies in her school locker, an odd text from a number she cannot trace. Is she being pranked or stalked? Are Jasmine and her family in danger again?
Breathe is a romantic suspense novel for young adult readers. It is suspenseful, but not too intense for the teen audience. It is fast paced, with likable characters (especially the protagonist, Jasmine), and would be a great summer reader for a teen who enjoys combining mystery and love story.
I liked the southern setting, and appreciated the way that Jasmine's personal faith was quietly woven into the storyline (she goes to church and prays). Her family is also well drawn - with a strong but cautious mom, mischievous younger brother, and sensitive younger sister.
Easton, Jasmine's romantic interest, is a southern knight in shining armor. He is strong and kind, with a maturity and gentleness that is sure to appeal to young readers.
Elena Dillon's writing flows well and her characterizations ring true. The dialogue moves quickly. This is a short book, and I think it is one that young adult readers will enjoy.
Thanks to MMW Authors for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Today is the second day of a long holiday weekend, and this morning I got together with my best friend for breakfast at our favorite deli and shopping. We ended the morning at the DeKalb Farmers Market in Decatur (Atlanta). This is a huge 140,000 square foot farmers market. It is a world market, with produce and packaged foods from all over the world. The employees also have diverse backgrounds, and they wear a list of all the languages they speak on their name tags.
Saturday, especially on a holiday weekend, is not an ideal time to shop here because it is VERY crowded. I wish I had taken a photo of the parking lot. It was full!
I love going to the farmers market, and wanted to share the experience with you here.
The DeKalb Farmers Market is at 3000 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur. This is just a few blocks from the Decatur MARTA station, between Decatur and Scottdale. It is part of the metro Atlanta area.
The landscaping is really nice.
This is the market as you first drive into the parking lot.
A view of the market from the center of the store, looking down. This picture gives you an idea of how big the farmers market is.
The flags overhead represent the world market.
I love the imported Italian pasta!
Look at this variety of lentils:
Here is a glimpse of the HUGE produce section. If you can think of any favorite fruit or vegetable, you can find it here.
The market stocks their own packaged spices. They have a great variety, and the prices are terrific.
Tofu! They have a number of varieties, including baked tofu. I'm a longtime vegetarian, and this is a great place for vegetarian and vegan shoppers.
Georgia Peaches. I just had to take a picture.
Yes, we have some bananas!
The farmers market has a wonderful selection of cut flowers (again, very cheap!).
I love the range of colors here.
The market has a great selection of fresh baked bread. I love their croissants!
They have a big cafeteria with a couple of lines of food, including hot dishes and a salad bar.
Soy cheese and Lightlife vegetarian products including Tofu Pups and lunch slices. I am a big Lightlife fan!
If you like homemade pizza, fresh pasta sauce - and of course homemade pasta as well - you'll find a nice selection here.
And just by the huge room (!) of cashiers, you'll find a great selection of coffee:
I had fun on my visit to the farmers market today, and hope you enjoyed this little photo tour as well.
Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a fun day (and a great long holiday weekend).
I'm looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend. I'll plan to be home in the evenings because of fireworks. Fireworks are legal in Atlanta, and you can see stands in shopping center parking lots; the local grocery store even sells fireworks.
My youngest dog, Abby (a 4 year old Dachshund/Jack Russell mix) is terrified of fireworks, thunder, and loud noises in general. I always plan to be home on fireworks holidays so I can put Abby in her Thundershirt and comfort her. The Thundershirt is a wonderful invention; it really helps Abby with loud noises. It is made of stretchy fabric, and wrapped snugly with velcro. Effectively, it snuggles against a dog who wears it because he or she is afraid of noise.
Whatever you have planned, I hope you have lots of fun! What are you up to this long weekend? If you have dogs or cats, how do they do with the noise of summer holidays (fireworks)? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.
Hooray! So You Think You Can Dance auditions are over and the actual competition has begun. This week the Top 20 danced in pairs, in their favored dance style, to compete for a role in Broadway's On the Town and the title of America's Favorite Dancer.
Singer/dancer Jason Derulo joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe on the judging panel. While his comments were not as in depth as some of the dancers and choreographers who judge (i.e. Adam Shankman, Twitch, Kenny Ortega, Debbie Allen), he took the process seriously and offered thoughtful critiques.
The performances included:
Brooklyn and Serge - Cha Cha choreographed by Dimitry Chaplin, performed to "Hell Yeah" (Midnight). Serge stood out in this number (and not just because he was sweating profusely!). Brooklyn did not come off as strongly as he did.
Emily and Casey - Contemporary choreographed by Travis Wall, performed to "All of Me" (John Legend). Emily and Casey performed a dance about a couple arguing. Emily's extensions were lovely! I had forgotten how charming Casey is.
Valerie and Zak - Tap Dance choreographed by Anthony Morgierato, performed to "Sing" (Ed Sheeran). Valerie and Zack did an ambitious number involving a staircase. It did not have the speed and lightness that I like in tap, but it was a fun number. Loved Valerie's red tap shoes!
Bridget and Stanley - Contemporary choreographed by Bonnie Story, performed to "Doesn't Mean Goodbye" by Jon McLaughlin. Stanley has star power - love his presence on stage. He had great elevation with his leaps.
Jacque and Jourdan - Ballet choreographed by Marat Daukayev, performed to "Pas de Deux - Black Swan" (Tchaikovsky). The girls were both dressed in black. They look very much alike, and neither really stood out in this number. Their synchronicity was off a bit at the end.
Malena and Marcquet - Brazilian Samba choreographed by Louis Van Amstel, performed to "Morning Drums" (Gregor Salto). Loved everything about this performance. Samba rolls! Marcquet is a star!
Carly and Rudy - Contemporary choreographed by Stacy Tookey, performed to "Take It Easy" (Jetta). Rudy's goofy personality in the pre-dance interview is charming. He does not have the technical skill of some of the other dancers.
Emilio and Teddy - Hip Hop choreographed by Christopher Scott, performed to "Nightshift" (The Commodores). The lyrical hip hop number was about a janitor and security guard dancing after hours. It was fun! Emilio has a great personality on stage.
Jessica and Ricky (pictured above) - Contemporary choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, performed to "Vow" (Meredith Monk). I think Ricky is the dancer to beat this season. This number was amazing! I loved the move where he carried Jessica on her back, while she was in full standing position. Nigel said that this dance was "another level entirely," and I agree completely.
Tanisha and Nick - Cha Cha choreographed by Louis Van Amstel, performed to "I'm a Freak" (Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull). Fun number but not as dynamic as the other Cha Cha by Malena and Marcquet.
Two dancers will be eliminated next week. Who is in danger? There are a lot of contemporary girls, and I think they sort of run together. I also believe that the two ballet dancers will cancel each other out with votes, probably sooner than later. I think we may see the following dancers in the bottom three:
Brooklyn
Emily
Jourdan
Serge
Teddy
Nick
I'm looking forward to next week's show already! Did you watch SYTYCD last night? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, below.
