You might know I've driven a minivan for going on 10 years now. Because I like to copy everything Lee does, I started calling it the miniature van. This gave the vehicle an aura of importance, if you will, despite its many dings and scratches.

You almost could just overlook the dents on all four corners, which I incurred when I ran into various things. It's hard, as it turns out, to drive without hitting stuff.

But, I'll tell you what: I won't be hitting anything in my new-to-me car.

It's sporty. It's sleek. It's life-changing, zippy, and mind-blowing. I love it so much I've been dancing around in celebration of this marvelous piece of machinery.

I mean, the seats warm up, and the interior is black leather. I'm a new woman with a new, non-minivan identity. Next phase, baby!

When I picked up Mac in the carpool line the other day, he didn't look as thrilled as I felt to be in the new car.

"How was your day?" I asked.

"I almost got into five different white Audis," he said, shaking his head.

Apparently, a lot of the middle school moms are also in their next phase and also feeling as cool as I do.

Once again, we're watching The Bachelorette, and once again, I'm losing brain cells at an alarming rate. In the current season, a lovely Minnesotan woman named Becca dates twenty-five marginal suitors. We just watched a date on which Becca and Colton rode camels and then soaked in a hot tub in the full sun of the Vegas desert.

Why would one do that on a date for fun? I didn't even see either of them apply proper sun protection.

At the end of the date, Colton said it was one of his best days--not dates, but DAYS--ever in his life. I'm sorry, but that can't be true. It was a hot tub in the middle of nowhere with camels roaming in the vicinity.

In other news, the summer's been cruising. There's a lot to do on each of the days, and I'm a little worried about accomplishing all the things on all of my lists. Luckily, I totally mastered today's to-dos, including eating at a delicious vegan restaurant called J. Selby's. I had street tacos with soy chorizo, and Lee had a meatless hot dog that looked as if it were made of meat. Lee's visiting! Isn't that great?!

This is the second quarterly review of 2016.   The first quarterly review is HERE.  It still holds up, in my professional opinion.

The Three Best Books I Read in the Second Quarter:
This is a toughie because I read two books by my fave, Liane Moriarty this quarter.  By this time, it's safe to say I'm a fangirl, and I've loved every book of hers I've read.  I had The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies in the top five on the Best Audiobooks I Listened to in 2015. I've now added The Hypnotist's Love Story and What Alice Forgot, read on paper and/or Kindle. They're all good.  Here are three others I liked a whole lot:

• The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.  I did a full review for Literary Quicksand. The short version is it's got good writing, good plotting, and fun characters.  I haven't yet seen the movie with Matthew McConaughey, but I do find him to be quite handsome.
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.  I don't know why I waited so long to read this lovely and heartfelt story about true friendship and loyalty.  The 2013 Newbery winner is wonderfully, hopefully sad.
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. Obviously, I was utterly charmed by this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I resented putting it down, even for scintillating conversation and important family events. If you're at all inclined toward Austen, you'll probably want to read this.  It's better than Bridget Jones and 100% habit forming.