Book Review: The River House by Carla Neggers

The River House by Carla Neggers

A simple well written small town romance..... perfect beach read!  This is a well crafted relaxing story!

Book Review: Food Pharmacy by Lina Nertby Aurell & Mia Clase

Food Pharmacy by Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase


LOVED this one! Well written AND entertaining... the recipes alone merit a look! I really enjoyed the common sense FUN approach to improving healthy eating!

Book Review: Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer

Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer

BEACH READ! Light, easy and predictable without being trite..... this is a story of summer friends who grow up together and get tossed around by life - as we all do. If you are looking for something that won't make you work too hard, I would recommend this one. And I'd choose this author again :-)

Book Review: The Baker's Secret by Stephen P Kiernan

The Baker's Secret by Stephen P Kiernan

What happens when the unthinkable happens?  How do YOU handle it?  So many of the novels I read in this time period (WW2 France) deal with resistance and collaboration... deliberate decisions...  but what about the rest of us?  Ordinary people living in the day by day...  I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of Emmanuelle the baker.... and you will too!

Book Review: Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

The Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

wow!  I didn't see the ending coming !  Historical  fiction (at the dawn of WW2) meets murder mystery..... onboard a ship in a place out of time.  A captivating story :-)

Book Review: The Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe

The Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe

Totally fiction but based on fact, this story is about orphaned children who were sent from England to Australia to begin new lives.  It happened in many countries at different times - most of the time with good intentions but little sensitivity..... and, as this story unfolds, you can see the opportunities for much abuse as different people set about solving the 'problem' of unprotected children.  This story is well written and held my interest from beginning to end!

Crafting..... April finished and WIP

I am most excited to have my sewing machine in shape to actually begin to finish some of the tops I have basted and ready to quilt!  I have about 20 ready to go - and still 5 or so that need to be sandwiched.  But at least I am now finally beginning to finish some of the projects!

First two finished are for my daughter :-)  She loves whites and light neutrals and I have been working on a top for her for a while.  My dreams have been greater than my skill though so the one we've been working on is still in progress.  In the meantime, I did decide that each of my kids will have a quilt from me this year - and if I can't finish the ones I've been dreaming of... then they will get jelly roll quilts!  So- below are TWO... a full size & a bed runner - all white tone on tone:

The full size claimed by one family member

and - the runner quickly claimed as a 'couch quilt'

Success for me :-)

Everything else is a progress photo:

The temperature afghans growing...

Hats for the November charity project:

Mystery hexies :

3 more Sunbonnet Sues (makes 7 of 15 complete)

and 3 more flowers for Grandmother's Flower Garden:

I've worked on several more things.... more English paper piecing mostly.. but will share those next month as I complete some!

Book Review: Gutbliss by Dr Robynne Chutkan

Gutbliss by Dr Robynne Chutkan

Well written and easy to follow, much is a repeat of what I read in her other book - The Microbiome Solution. I like the author's approach... and appreciate her efforts to help solve health issues with diet. As an older reader with digestive issues and "nothing wrong", I am always on the lookout for things I can do to feel better! If self-help with diet is one of the things you like to read about - I'd recommend this one.

Book Review: Where We Belong by Lynn Austin

What a mixed bag! Good style, great character development, reasonable story most of the way through .... I thought I was getting an historical fiction.... but what I got was a Christian moral tale. Trite, typical stories of redemption.... while creative, plot points are predictable, convenient and preachy. Not my cup of tea at all. On one hand, I can say the author is one of the better of the genre.... on the other, I felt betrayed and highly disappointed. It only gets a 3 from me though it may fare better with a different reader!

Where We Belong

Book Review: One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus by

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

This is a pretty well written alternative history. Definitely historical fiction but written in a journal form so it has the feel of history. Much of the story is a little too convenient to be believable.. but it is well written and well researched. Definitely gives the reader a lot to think about! For the most part I enjoyed it.

Book Review: The Quilts of Gee's Bend by Susan Goldman Rubin

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

What a treasure! Like many, the quiltmakers of Gee's Bend, Alabama created homespun art with what they had at hand. Yet their unique style and composition set them apart as superstars! With all the hardships they endured, their work sings to us today of the indomitable human spirit bringing beauty from ashes. Need inspiration? Read this.