Books and food ~ Sunday Salon

This seems like a good time to write my very first Sunday Salon post.

Salon — noun, a room in a large house in which guests are received.

This week, let's imagine ourselves in this Grand Salon, where each of my guests from cyberspace may choose a seat to her (or his) liking and get comfortable.  Let's talk about books, shall we?  And also about what's happening in our lives.  When it isn't serving as my cyberspace hangout, this room has a real location:

A lovely salon awaits guests at Château de Vaulogé, complete with comfortable leather seating, fine art work, and a collection of books for reading — in a setting filled with daylight yet warmly decorated to provide a cozy retreat. This salon is perfect for relaxing or joining in conversation with your bookie companions.  (Yes, I slightly altered the wording I found with the photo.)

First, our books

I did finish reading Jane's book (Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt) before falling asleep last night and, now that I'm back home, I need to get to these library books so I can clear my shelves.  Fourteen books checked out?  Oh, my goodness!

Due Date ...... Title
11/28 ... Coming Up for Air (finished, ready to return)
11/29 ... Wife of the Gods (could renew, but 310 pages)
11/29 ... The Sandalwood Tree (could renew, but 360 pages)
12/3 ... My Petition for More Space (not in the right mood)
12/7 ... Dangerous Neighbors (yes...)
12/7 ... Ghosts in the Garden (yes...)
12/7 ... Into the Tangle of Friendship (yes...)
12/7 ... Seeing Past Z (yes...)
12/7 ... Still Love in Strange Places (...to these 5 by Kephart)
12/12 ... The Devil Amongst the Lawyers (not in the right mood)
12/12 ... The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (yes, still)
12/19 ... Identical Strangers  (yes...)
12/19 ... My Sister's Voice (...to both of these books about twins)
12/21 ... Zora and Me (yes, just got it)

I really want to get back to Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World that I got last week.  And while I was house sitting for Jane, two more books arrived — the two chick lit books by Starr Ambrose I won during the Readathon from Lisa @ World of Books:  Lie to Me (2008) and Thieves Like Us (2010).

What's happening?

Lunch at Ichiban "happened" for me and my friend Donna.  Watching the chef prepare Japanese food is always a happy showtime, especially with an appreciative 2-year-old girl sitting near me.  The chef asked if fire would bother the child before lighting the fire, and in the other photo his hands are moving so fast they're a blur.  That's my delicious hibachi salmon in the middle.

If the grand salon pictured above didn't have enough books in it for us bookies, how about sitting together in this room?  Which would you prefer?