Story for the Week
As far as I’m concerned, any night can be wine night. 😉🍷
I’m not saying I drink wine every day. I don’t even drink every week. I have a wine refrigerator that holds about 40 bottles of wine, and I couldn’t even tell you how long some of the bottles have been in there. I still believe any night can be wine night. It really depends on my mood.
I favor white wine over red for the lighter flavor…and because reds tend to give me a headache. That said, I won’t pass on a nice red sangria. I’ve also enjoyed some non-traditional fruit reds—cherry, cranberry, pomegranate. Those are the exceptions.
My preference leans toward Moscato. More often than not, you can find multiple flavors in my wine fridge in both regular and sparkling varieties ranging from white to pink to red. I recently discovered Barefoot’s Fruitscato line—very light, relatively low alcohol content, and ten delicious (and inexpensive) flavors. My favorites include apple, pear, mango, and sweet cranberry in case you were wondering. 😉
I’ve been curious about wine tastings for quite some time, having been to restaurants that host them. They seem to be a great way to experiment with wines I’m curious about without spending money on an entire bottle. I tried experimenting with an almond wine once, and that bottle went down the drain. But anytime I’ve seen wine tastings in action, they are crowded and noisy, and that is not my jam.
I recently attended a virtual wine tasting, which was actually kind of perfect for an introvert like me. The wines were shipped to me, and everyone logged in via Zoom. The sommelier introduced each of the wines as we sampled them. We were able to ask questions and talk about what we liked, what flavors and aromas we tasted and smelled. I even discovered that I like chenin blanc, which is not a variety of wine I’ve had before.
The virtual tasting was a special event, so if I do want to attend another wine tasting, I will likely have to find one in person and deal with the crowds and noise. I’ll take a friend. I would never attend something like that by myself. But I’ll definitely need to charge my social battery beforehand.
The book reviewed below includes a character studying to become a master sommelier. She owns a wine shop where friends get together every week for a wine night and sample one person’s wine of choice for the week. I don’t have a regular wine night, but I could totally get on board with that. 🤔
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.
Publisher’s Description
She thought it was fate. I knew it wasn’t….
Honor seems to have everything: she adores her bright and beautiful daughter, Chloe, and her charming, handsome husband, Tom, even if he works one hundred hours a week. Yet Honor’s longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever.
Years later, Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families’ lives in ways he could never have foreseen. As the consequences of that fateful choice unfold, two women’s paths become irrevocably intertwined. But when old love clashes with new, who will be left standing? And what happens when your secrets come back to haunt you?
************
Main Characters:
- Honor – married to Tom, mom to four-year-old Chloe, successful children’s author, desperate to have a second child after five miscarriages
- Tom – owns a hedge fund, frustrated by Honor’s desperation for another child that he has left the surrogate decisions to her for the last two years
- Lauren – one of Honor’s best friends, lives two houses down from Tom and Honor, divorced with twins
- Annie – one of Honor’s best friends, married to Oliver
Wow! Seriously…wow.
While I read any book, I highlight passages that will help me remember key points for when I’m preparing my review. Occasionally, I’ll add a note—general commentary, blog post ideas, predictions for where the story will go. I highlighted the last sentence of the first chapter of Finding Grace, and added a note: “Ummm ok.”
I don’t typically worry about revealing spoilers of anything that happens near the beginning of a book. Early reveals don’t usually make such an impact. However, in this case, the last sentence of the first chapter is a pretty big game changer.
My review will be relatively short because I don’t want to give away some of the key plot points. Honor narrates the entire story. When it begins, she, Tom, and Chloe arrive in Paris where they spend every Christmas. Honor wants to check in on a surrogate to see if she will take an early pregnancy test. Plagued by multiple miscarriages, Honor is desperate to have a second child. Tom wants to spend the holiday focused on just them and Chloe. To say there’s tension is an understatement.
That is all I plan to tell you about the plot because that first chapter reveal is just too good to give away. This story talks about love and loss. Some things you will see coming. Other pieces will surprise you. The predictability doesn’t detract from the story. And the author’s unique narration choice…simply amazing. 🤌🏻
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