To make the Southern Reading Challenge even more challenging, Maggie has added a contest. You just pick out a passage which depicts “sense of place” and post a picture to go with it. Easy right?

I had to dig through some old photo albums but I did it. Here’s a passage from the first book I’m reading for the Challenge and two pictures:

Soon, mother and daughter were sitting at iron tables across from Jackson Square. It was a glorious New Orleans morning. Around the square, artists had set up easels displaying bright watercolor portraits and scenes of the city, painted with agility, technique, and that complete lack of originality so comforting to shoppers who need to fill a space on their wall, but don’t want to be troubled by newfangled art. Or oldfangled art, either.

~ from The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres

Who doesn’t recognize this landmark right?

Here’s another one from Jackson Square. Obviously I wasn’t looking for art but just trying to find out when I’d meet my soulmate. Heh.

I finished two books this weekend, Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson and The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman. Both were good reads although I’ve liked some of their other books better. Still, I’ll be awaiting their next books. If you click on the book links you can see more of my thoughts on each.

Know what else I did? I finally posted pictures from my trip to Monterrey. That seems like ages ago. Hope you like the pics and thank you to my sweet husband who helped me post these.

Today while checking out news on the Internet I learned that Jane Magazine is closing shop with their August issue being the last one. I wasn’t a big fan of Jane but still it’s always a bit of a bummer to see another magazine bite the dust. All I have to say is that my crafty & indie magazines better be safe!

And, today was another good book day as my order from The Book Depository arrived! I got Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. I’ve been wanting this book for a while and it’s nice to add it to my Persephone collection. The other two were Hesperus Press books, Life in the Country by Giovanni Verga and The Three-Cornered Hat by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon.

I think I’m in for some good reading.