Uncategorized – elizabethsara

Posted on January 27, 2020January 24, 2020 by saraelizabeth419 · 1 Comment

Holly Would Dream by Karen Quinn

I’ve been digging through our backlist titles (which is publishing speak for already published books) for an ongoing project, and I came across this Touchstone title from 2008, and just from looking at the cover I knew I had to read it. If you love:

fashion – takes place in a NYC fashion museum
cute love story
travel – a good portion takes place on an über luxury cruise line and a small part in Italy and NYC
Audrey Hepburn – littered with fun facts and movie references

then this is the PERFECT book for you!

Holly Would Dream by Karen Quinn, follows Holly Ross, an overqualified assistant who works at a small fashion museum in NYC. She has a tyrant boss who doesn’t appreciate her and looks her over for a promised promotion; a overly critical fiancé who gets arrested for cheating on her with a minor and breaks up with her via text; and a jazz musician father who is basically homeless, living in a pet daycare. She is obsessed with all things Audrey Hepburn and regularly (even though she’s not allowed) borrows clothes from the museum’s vault to wear.

Holly is far from perfect, but her heart is always in the right place (as her head is always in the clouds). She still has an innocence to her and tends to trust people at their word (even when she shouldn’t) – which is actually part of the reason why she constantly gets into scrapes. While I’m not a diehard Audrey fan, I’ve always been a fan of fashion, and I do try to go to the MET Fashion exhibits every year. I actually felt like I learned things here, for example, how old pieces must be mended with the same thread/sewn through the original holes to preserve the worth of the piece – it makes perfect sense but I didn’t know that. It was great to see life on a luxury cruise ship (a good portion of this book takes place on a luxury cruise ship) especially since I have never been on a cruise and really don’t have a desire to go on one. It’s light and fun and entertaining, and I don’t want to give anymore away, so I”ll just leave here and say, if you’re in the mood for a romantic comedy, this is a good place to start! 🙂

Posted on December 31, 2019 by saraelizabeth419

2020, A New Year, A New Decade, A New Outlook

I was watching Eat, Pray Love with my boyfriend recently. It was his first time watching, but I’d seen it multiple times and partially read the book years ago. He loved the idea of it, how Elizabeth Gilbert abandoned her life for an entire year, the freedom, the beauty, the self-learning, because after-all, that’s really what the whole thing was about right? Getting to know yourself, healing yourself, growing for yourself.

I think perhaps my favorite part of the movie (again, I did not make it all the way to the end, so I’m unsure if this was in there) was when she discovered what her word would be. Attraversiamo, which is Italian for let’s cross over. It really fit perfectly with where she was and what she wanted to do next with her life.

I bring this up because I’ve noticed that people are dedicating a word to their new year. I’m not sure if this is a new thing or if I’m just now noticing it, but I think that it’s a great idea. I can’t narrow it down to a word–mostly because I feel like it will take me a while to land on the right word–but I believe that 2020 will be a year of transformation. They always say that the life-lasting changes are those that creep up slowly, so slowly that you don’t always register that they’re happening right away. Things feel like they are finally falling into place, but looking at this past decade, I see that everything really does happen for a reason, and those reasons have led me to where I am today.

Posted on December 26, 2019 by saraelizabeth419

Ouai Volume Spray = Winter Hair Game-changer

Every winter, I say goodbye to my summer dresses, sun-kissed skin, the less-is-more makeup look (although since I started getting eyelash extensions, it’s always a less-is-more makeup look, but more on that in another post) and perfectly air-dried summer hair. I don’t know about you, but the thing I dread the most about winter is my frizzy, staticy hair.

I know winter is coming when my normal, laissez-faire approach to drying and styling (aka minimum blow drying with almost zero product) results in hair so staticy that I want to chop it all off. Whenever I get to this point, which feels like its coming earlier and earlier every year, I make a pilgrimage to the drug store (or target or Sephora) in search of a miracle product. This year, in anticipation of this, and trying to prevent it, I asked my hair stylist who’s only idea was to try dryer sheets. Just so you know, I tried them and they did not work.

Last weekend, as I was packing to spend my week off at my boyfriend’s house for the holidays, I came across a travel sized bottle of Ouai volume spray and decided to throw it in my bag and give it a try. I had remembered liking it, but had stopped using it once I realized that the full sized product was perpetually out of stock. Why become addicted to something that you cannot purchase? This past weekend we were going into the city and I decided to give it a try. And, can I tell you that my hair looked so good I wanted to cry?! It was not frizzy or staticy, voluminous, and it still looked good on day 3 (and that is including a work out). I did try to recreate the look with a different volumizing product but, even though it did prevent the static, my hair was less voluminous and looked greasy by day 2.

Ouai Volume Spray has been out of stock on Sephora and their own site for over a year…until today when I got an email from Sephora saying that it was FINALLY back in stock. Clearly, I will be purchasing this and if you have the same hair issues as me, you better purchase this too. You’re welcome! 💁🏻‍♀️

Posted on May 21, 2019 by saraelizabeth419

Is Bookstagram the new Book Blog?

Please accept my apologies.

It’s been a few months shy of a year since I last posted and I cannot believe that it’s been THAT long. I can say that there has been a lot going on in my life, which there has, and that I just haven’t had time to sit down and put my thoughts to paper, which is also true. But really, the biggest reason that I have not posted is because I started a Bookstagram, well, really a Booksandwinestagram. Is that even a thing? It is now.

Ever since before I can remember, books were a huge part of my life. Before I could read I would have others read to me, then when I could read, I would spend all my available hours reading (okay, I do like tv also). When I was old enough to drink, I began cultivating my wine palate, and though I’m not a master sommelier, I do know what I like.

Another thing that I grew up with was photographs. I’m not sure what your household was like, but mine (and more specifically every time I saw my grandparents) was filled of pictures so much so that we developed what we called our “picture smiles.” When I was in high school, I took all the photography classes they had, learned how to use a manual camera and develop my own film and photos. Over the past few years my passion for photography (and art) had dimmed, but starting this Instagram page about books and wine has opened that part of me back.

With all of that being said, I’m starting up the blog again. I can’t promise that I will post about every book I read, but I do promise that I WILL post. I’ve always loved writing (it’s why I’m in the book industry), and it feels good to be back!

Posted on January 12, 2018January 10, 2018 by saraelizabeth419

2018 – The Year of Positivity

Like most years, 2017 brought a mixture of both good and bad to my life. It was the year that I traveled to 3 new countries – one of which I had wanted to go to for as long as I can remember – and a year where I lost people in my life – death, sudden-onset-bitchiness (sob), ghosting. I always believe that each year brings us new lessons to learn and obstacles to face that allow us to keep growing and changing in ways that we would never imagine. Lessons that we take with us and hold onto forever.

We choose the people we let into our lives. And while we can’t always make them stay, we can make them leave if they’re influences are anything less than positive. I think sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in other people’s worlds or problems that we forget that we have the power to stop interacting with them, to stop caring, to stop stressing. We have a lot more power over our lives than we think we do.

As 2018 has already started on a positive note for me (see my last post on Single State of Mind and meeting Bachelorette alum Andi Dorfman), it is my intention to keep it that way. So, I’ve declared this year to be “The Year of Positivity.” Positive vibes only. No negativity. No drama.

positive mind image

Posted on July 6, 2017July 6, 2017 by saraelizabeth419

A Little Paris in NYC

A few days ago, after watching an episode of Sex and the City, I was inspired to take a (second) trip to Paris – The Paris Theater, that is.

Opened in 1948, and located just west of Fifth Avenue across from the Plaza Hotel, The Paris Theater is Manhattan’s LAST single-screen theater. Specializing in mostly foreign and independent films, it is a great place to go for a quiet evening on the town, followed by a glass of wine at the Plaza or a stroll in Central Park.

I made it just in time to see Eleanor Coppola’s film, Paris Can Wait, starring Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, and Arnaud Viard (the movie closes next week). It’s a cute, airy movie about a director’s wife who decides to drive from Cannes to Paris with her husband’s business associate, making tons of stops and detours along the way. I walked out of the theater wanting to drink copious amounts of French wine and drive through the countryside. I sat on the balcony (read, ‘upper level’) and was pleasantly surprised by the comfortable seats and freshness of the popcorn (how hard is it to find fresh popcorn at the movies these days?!). But, perhaps what I loved the most, aside from the fact that there is only ONE theater, was the logo on the carpeting that I noticed on my way out.

I will definitely be going back there again, and you should too!

Posted on February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 by saraelizabeth419

T.R. Richmond’s What She Left

“Obsession is territory with which I’m well acquainted. Its coarse rub, its barbed spike, its musty spoiled sourness. The line between love and hate is paper-thin, and when you love someone and it turns to hate, there’s an inverse relationship between the two.”

Do we ever really know ourselves? Do we ever really know anyone? In the days where we live on social media, we are well aware that everything we put onto the internet is locked there forever. But just how much truth can actually be found? In T.R. Richmond’s debut psychological suspense novel, What She Left, we follow a professor as he tries to piece together the life and mysterious death of one of his former students.

Through letters, emails, blog posts, text messages and news articles, the story of Alice Salmon starts to unfold, a twenty-five year old woman whose career in journalism was starting to buzz, and whose love of university-day partying could not be completely outrun, no matter how hard she tried. Alice was a woman who was still figuring out her life and plan her future. But who was she, and what really happened to her? Anthropology professor Jeremy Cooke attempts to find out by contacting friends and family members, and researching her social-media-persona (aka stalking).

There’s a lot that can be said about this book. Take the character of Alice. Through multiple perspectives (including her own), she comes across as someone who is not in complete control of her actions, jumping to conclusions too quickly, giving into peer pressure, and a little needy. But would she have jumped into the river on a snowy February night and ended her life? With so many different points of view, who, if anyone can be trusted? Everyone is hiding secrets, even Professor Cooke, whose obsessive attachment to Alice and declaration of sticking to the truth tends to waiver at times.

If you are looking for a good thriller with a fresh, modern take, this is your book. It is formatted a bit differently than I was used to, but that actually adds to the tone and story. What She Left will grab your attention right away, leaving you guessing until the very end – and stay with you long after you’ve finished the novel.

T.R. Richmond’s *What She Left.* Simon & Schuster January 2016.

Posted on December 7, 2015 by saraelizabeth419

Partying Like Jay Gatsby

As many of you already know, The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels. So much so that I have devoted a few posts to it. I was first introduced to the novel in college and have read it several times since. I went to the theater on the opening night of the 2013 film adaption and fell in love all over again. What’s not to love about Gatsby? The roaring 20s, richly extravagant parties, passionate dreams. In all of Gatsby’s dreaming, there’s a naïveté to him that I find endearing. The man from the wrong side of the tracks chasing after the woman that he’s convinced is the love of his life, throwing parties that exist only in your dreams. I would have given anything to go to one of his parties. And now I have.

About a month ago, my friend and I bought tickets to The Great Gatsby Party at NYC’s Capitale. Outfit preparations went underway immediately after. When the day finally rolled around, I couldn’t have believed that it was here. And. The party was amazing.

When you first walked in, you were greeted by two women on stilts in gorgeous silver gowns standing in front of a champagne tower. The men were in tuxes, bowties and tails. The women in beautiful headpieces and pearls. As a champagne girl, naturally I gravitated towards the champagne bar, but after trying the Gatsby punch, I found myself quickly gravitating towards that. There was a big band that played a mixture of modern and 1920s style music, performers that gracefully hung from the ceiling, and professional dancers that made me want to learn some of their 20s steps.

It was an evening of opulence and grandeur, of sparkles and black-tie. It was everything that you would expect from a Gatsby party to be. We laughed, danced, drank and left feathers in our wake. Shouldn’t we all party like Jay Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby Party 2015 @ Capitale, NYC

Posted on June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 by saraelizabeth419 · 2 Comments

Who Says a Little Color Can’t Change Your Mood?

About a month and a half ago, I treated myself to a mani/pedi for my birthday weekend. For my fingers I went with my fallback, a pale pink gel, but for my toes I wanted a bit more color. Combing the polish selections can be daunting at times, especially if you’re not sure on the shade that you want. I had an idea, sort of. I knew that I wanted to stay in the pink family, and that I wanted it to be darker and brighter than what I had selected for my manicure. So, with that in mind, I resorted to my second favorite way to pick out a color: by the name. Some of my favorite colors I never would have tried if not for the name. Essie’s Little Brown Dress. Marc Jacob’s Gatsby. I picked up a few bottles and put them back, and then I spotted it, a beautiful plummy pink: Essie’s No Boundaries.

I left the salon completely satisfied with my decision, so much so that I ended up letting the color stay on my toes for far longer than it should have, then set out to purchase it. This past weekend, after laying out in the sun and getting a bit of color, I decided to give No Boundaries a try on my fingers and I’m so glad that I did. It has easily become my favorite pink polish of all time. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. What’s your favorite polish of all time?

Posted on May 30, 2014 by saraelizabeth419 · 1 Comment

Spa-lightenment

Last month, as a birthday gift, my aunt and I went to Massage Envy Spa for facials. We arrived early, and after we finished with the paperwork, were asked about what we wanted to get out of our visit. We were both kind of stumped for a minute because we hadn’t really thought of facials in terms of anything other than something that was fun and relaxing, but we both eventually thought of goals. Mine was to lighten freckles that I have on my face due to sun damage. The facials were amazing (we both came out with soft, shiny skin), and I ended up learning a few things. The first being that the Vitamin C Radiance Capsules that I have from the Body Shop are great because they hydrate your skin and brighten it. The Body shop, you win again!

The second thing that I learned was about a product that will actually lighten and correct the sun damage from my face. Ok, if I have to be honest, the freckles are not dark and barely noticeable until I am out in the summer sun, and I always wanted to have them as a kid…but as an adult it’s another story. I can see the lightest freckle and I despise all of them. With the summer on its way, and some beach weekends already planned, I want to get a head start on getting rid of them and repairing my skin. Murad’s Rapid Age Spot & Pigment Lightening Serum does just that. It contains glycolic acid which removes dead skin cells, and hydroquinone which lightens sunspots and freckles. But, while these ingredients may be exactly what I am looking for, they can make your skin sensitive to the sun. It’s recommended that if using this product (or others like it), that you apply it at night and follow up in the morning with a moisturizer that contains spf. I love my Dior Hydro Life Sorbet Crème, but I use it at night so I don’t get the one with spf in it. I’ve done some research, and clearly, I am returning to the Body Shop and picking up their Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer with spf 30. I will report back with my findings.