Strikes my fancy

I just finished this book last night and enjoyed it. It's the story of a girl growing up in Bensonhurst who wants to live in Manhattan (or "across the bridge" as they refer to it in the book). The girl likes to write and has a few folks in her life that encourage that. She lives with her mother (not a great role model) and her grandmother. They are Jewish in an Italian mob-run neighborhood. The girl starts dating one of the local boys and her mother is not happy about it. The book is somewhat graphic in discussing their physical relationship and the abusive relationships of those around her. It's a book about growing up. About growing up in Brooklyn. I laughed in parts that I probably shouldn't have because I could picture what the character was seeing. And on a small scale I knew what she was going through (who didn't want the cute older guy in high school?!). I didn't know until the acknowledgments at the end that the book is based on the author...

Tried out the Square Pub in our little downtown area a couple weeks ago. First - I was in awe that I had missed a whole part of the square! I had been there before and thought I had seen it all - but there are quite a few places to walk around and eat. I'm sure it will be packed as the weather gets better. I had a Scoutmob, so it made sense to check the place out! I did my "yelp homework" in advance and knew that the burger with sweet potato tots was the thing to try! The burger was ok...it tasted like there was an excessive amount of pepper mixed in when they made the patty - and that dominated all the flavor for me. Sweet potato tots - do I need to say more? Yum! And that spicy mayo or whatever it is was yummy too! My dining partner had this salad: Candied walnuts, craisins and a sweet dressing sent it over the edge in sweetness though. Portion sizes were good. Ambiance was chill - although we were there a wee bit early on a Saturday evening. The overall space...