Sister's Choice Quilts

Don't Fence Me In Block Progress

My sewing was a bit derailed last week, but I am making some progress on my Don't Fence Me In blocks. This is a really fun block to make and you can make a nice little stack of them in no time flat. I've been working assembly style, making the rail fence units first, then choosing my surrounding triangle fabric.

I've been working randomly, just picking up whatever my hand hits. This will undoubtedly come back to bite me when I have a dozen blocks left to make and only have black strips or light triangles left. I don't care. I love the freedom this type of piecing gives me. Working without a plan suits me right now.

While I do this rather mindless piecing, I have been listening to celebrity memoirs. I finished "Finding Me" by Viola Davis a week or so ago. What a challenging childhood that woman had! She has definitely worked hard to get where she is, and best of all has come to accept herself as being attractive and worthy. Last week I finished "In Pieces" by Sally Field. I found her tone a bit whiny, but she too had a childhood with some serious issues. The book is really about her relationship with her mother. The memoir I am listening to this week is Matthew Perry's "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing".  He obviously is very charming and has a self-deprecating sense of humor. He also comes across as very self-absorbed (I know, it's a celebrity memoir, so I should expect that), and dealing with some very serious issues relating to his addiction. He comes across as kind of mean and very cocky. He says some trying-to-be-funny things about Keanu Reeves that are just cruel. The jury is still out on this one.

Do you enjoy memoirs? What are some good ones in your opinion?

Best Books of January 2023

I read 12 books in January, many of which were very good. While I liked some a lot more than others, all were decent reads. Always remember just because a book wasn't for me, many of you may find it enjoyable. In my reviews, I try to relate what worked for me and what didn't.
5 Stars: Loved it and highly recommend.
4 Stars: Really enjoyed it and recommend.
3 Stars: It was good.
2 Stars: Not for me right now.
1 Star: Nope.

The Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. Louise Penny is always reliably good. I am not a Penny fanatic but do typically enjoy her books. This is the 14th in the Three Pines/Inspector Gamache series. In it, he and two other people are named executors of the will of a complete stranger who may or may not be delusional. People die, and there is a mystery to solve. As with the other Gamache books, there is a subplot. This one concerns a large amount of dangerous narcotics that the Inspector has inadvertently allowed to be released into the public domain. This one was 3.5 stars for me. Reliably entertaining, but not earth-shaking.

A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle. This book was promoted as a closed-door mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. It takes place in the 1930s on a luxury ocean liner on its way to New York from London. Priceless artwork disappears and an elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Troubled ship's officer Timothy Birch teams up with sketchy Scotland Yard Inspector James Temple to get to the bottom of things. My son gave me the book for Christmas, which I had wanted because of the UK cover. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to my expectations. Too many characters to keep track of and repetitive descriptions of "nostrils flaring" made this a 2.5 Star book for me. But you know what? The slow atmospheric plot may be just the thing for many of you if you are in the mood.

A Helping Hand by Celia Dale. Published in 1966, this may be hard to find. I understand you can pre-order it on Amazon, as it is scheduled to be re-published in the US this March. The subjects of this book are the Evans, an ordinary middle-aged British couple who take a series of elderly women into their home to provide companionship and "care" for them. Only the old ladies all deteriorate slowly and eventually die, leaving the Evans as beneficiaries in their wills. The author writes with such subtlety, that at first the reader is taken in, but as the book progresses, one gets a bad feeling about what is going on. The book did remind me somewhat of Stephen King's Misery in the plot (but without violence), and ever so slightly of Shirley Jackson with her between-the-lines "get a clue what's really going on here" writing style. One could see (or at least hope for) the twist at the end coming. I really enjoyed it and read it in just a few hours. This was a well-written suspenseful book, and definitely not "horror" as stated on the cover. 4 Stars.

Along with most everyone else in the world, I read Spare by Prince Harry when it came out in January. I was fascinated by his story and felt he was sharing his honest feelings about how he perceived he had been treated by the British Press and the Royal Family. Frankly, it turned my views of him and his wife around. No matter what "team" you are on, one must agree Prince Harry has been damaged by his experiences. I listened to the audio version. 5 Stars.

Sam, by Allegra Goodman, is a coming-of-age novel featuring Sam, a girl who is 7 years old at the start of the book. Sam adores her mostly absent father, who has his own demons that prevent him from keeping his promises to her. An interesting portrayal of how kids often yearn for the parent who left. Sam's mom struggles to make ends meet, and always encourages Sam to work hard and do her best. As she matures, Sam develops an interest in rock climbing, clearly a metaphor for her struggles and challenges in life. You will root for this young girl and be thinking of her after the book ends. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow my socks off. 3.5 Stars.

The Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor. Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor. Umm. No. Not for me, not right now. This book seemed unnecessarily long and repetitive. Endless incidents of corruption and depravity and violence. I do not understand the hype for this book. The original premise of a rich man sticking his servant at the wheel of a car after a crash was interesting, but this story went south real fast. Not my cup of tea. And go figure, it is going to be a trilogy. 2.5 Stars.

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin was interesting from a historical point of view, but I felt many sections of the book were belabored. In actual fact, in 1888 there was a sudden blizzard that took many people in the Dakota and Nebraska Territories by surprise. It occurred right at the time children were being dismissed from their rural schools and many were caught unprepared. The descriptions of people freezing to death seemed endless. The story of the survivors went on and on. I just kept hoping the book would end.
2 Stars.

OK, if you are still with me, things are about to get a lot better. 

The House in the Orchard by Elizabeth Brooks was so good. I absolutely loved it. It reminded me a lot of Atonement by Ian McEwan. A young girl gets mistaken impressions of what is actually going on and makes decisions that have long-lasting negative consequences. The book is Gothic in style and features a creepy old house. The author explores truth and trust, guilt, and forgiveness. Entertaining and delightfully twisty. I recommend this author’s previous book The Orphan of Salt Winds as well. 5 Stars.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz. This book was short-listed for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction and was nominated and won various other awards that year. The book is about a 15-year-old Dominican Republic girl, Ana, who is married off to a man twice her age. He moves her to New York City in 1965. Ana has many hopes and dreams for her future, similar to many girls her age, but she isn't allowed to go to school, learn English, or even leave the apartment much. And her husband is a real trial. The book follows Ana’s determined path to make the most of her life in spite of numerous obstacles. We get to watch Ana transform from a naive teenager into an assertive young woman who will make the most of her future. I loved this book and the glimpse it gave me into the struggles of immigrants. I listened to the audio version. 5 stars

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella. I adored Ethan Joella's first book, A Little Hope, which was about several characters in one community who are all going through a hard time. Their lives intersect, and everyone is supported and helped and benefits from the connection they make. In his second book, A Quiet Life, the author has basically used the same format. Three strangers going through a really rough patch find their lives entwined and etc etc etc. So. I love this author. I believe he is probably the sweetest guy on the planet, and I very much want him to succeed. His books are full of love and hope and heart. I love his character-driven books and if he writes another one I will pre-order it and undoubtedly love it as I did his first two efforts. That being said, I am wishing that the author will branch out a bit in terms of the structure of his books. On the other hand, if this is what he does, I'll take it. 5 Stars.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is not an easy book to read. It features the story of Lina, a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl who, along with her mother and brother, is plucked out of her home in the dead of night by Stalin's thugs and transported in a cattle car to Siberia. They end up in a work camp where life becomes a saga of hard work, starvation, and bitter, bitter cold. We are all aware of the story of the Jewish Holocaust, but I'll bet most of us are not familiar with the stories of prisoners who ended up in Soviet hands. I think this book is an important one and should be read. The author is of Lithuanian descent and has stated that when survivors are gone, she believes it is our responsibility to let their truth live on. My only complaint with the book is that it seems to end rather abruptly. 4.5 Stars.

Small World by Laura Zigman is a story about two middle-aged sisters who have drifted apart over the past 20-plus years, and are reunited when both become divorced and end up living together. Joyce is quite nicely settled in her Cambridge apartment when her sister Lydia from California moves in "temporarily". Neither one of them is adept at communication and plenty of past hurts and secrets come to the surface. The sticky situation between the two women isn't helped by the appearance of some very wacky and troublesome new neighbors in the apartment upstairs. The book made me laugh out loud at times, and was a great example of the very best and worst things about being sisters. Overall, it was both entertaining and moving to read.
4 Stars 

Hope you enjoyed my book reviews. February is off to a great start and I'll have some more good ones for you coming up. 

Not Much Sewing, Some Reading

I don't have much to share this week, sadly. My work assignments have been taking up all my time, so there hasn't been much sewing. I did finish a Designer Mystery block, but that is all I've managed.

I am listening to an excellent audiobook. Dominicana by Angie Cruz is a backlist title from 2019 that I've been meaning to get to. My reading resolution this year was to read the books on my shelves. The title is free with Kindle Unlimited right now. The book was shortlisted for the American Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.

This book is Ana's story, which takes place in the Dominican Republic and New York City in the mid '60s. In a transactional arrangement, Ana is married off at the age of 15 to a man more than twice her age who moves her to New York City. You can't help but root for Ana as she tries to figure out life in a new country where she doesn't speak the language and is confused by just about everything she sees. As Ana's matures, her greatest desire is to be independent. She wants to go to school, she wants to make money, she wants to get out of the house and away from her domineering husband. Her life is anything but the American Dream, but she has big plans to change that. The book is charmingly written, but the deeper subject matter of the harsh realities of the immigration experience and how it affects the personal desires and opportunities of the individual will make you think.

Have a great weekend everyone. Hope to be back on Monday morning with some sewing to show you!

UFO for January

Does anyone remember this UFO? It is a pattern called Take It Easy by Primitive Gatherings that uses one or two jelly rolls. I don't know if you can still get the pattern. I checked on their website and couldn't find it.

I chose it for my January UFO Challenge. I decided I couldn't be completely draw-it-out-of-a-hat about it. I am a mood quilter, and have to feel like working on whatever project is in front of me. My goal is to pick one of the many UFOs I have laying around each month and work on it. Hopefully to completion. For this one, I need 30 blocks and have almost 20 done, so I've got this in the bag. 

What I like about this pattern is that it is dead easy and I don't have to think while sewing. Which is a good thing, because I started a new audiobook and I am OBSESSED.

This book is so good. The audio version especially, since Prince Harry is narrating it. This book has turned my perceptions of Harry and Meghan upside down. The overall impression I get from the book is that he is telling the truth. Harry understandably has a lot of issues about paparazzi and lies in the media, so his aversion to having those things affect his wife and children is completely reasonable to me. And not getting the support he felt he should have gotten from his family was critical to his decision to move away. I know feelings run strong regarding the Royal Family and Harry and Meghan in particular, but I have to say, hearing his side of the story sure altered my view.

Speaking of altering one's view, did you all read the comments from yesterday's post? Carol had a very well-stated dissenting opinion on the subject of "Finished Is Better Than Perfect", which I encourage you to read. She put me in mind of the Quilts of Gee's Bend, which if you don't know about, take a look at this link and learn all about it. Those quilts are far from the standard idea of perfect, yet they are works of art and heart and history. Thanks to everyone for a very interesting discussion. You guys are so great.

5 Backlist Titles I Read and Loved in 2022

The great thing about "backlist" or books published in previous years is that you can get them at your library, or purchase them fairly inexpensively. I don't know about you, but I have shelves of books I have not yet read. Reading what you already own is a good way to save money and discover some gems that you have been meaning to get around to. The following books were some that were on my shelves or on my Kindle that I picked up during the year. All of these were outstanding, 5-star books for me.

Back List Books

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave. This book was published in 2016.  Set in London between 1939-1942, this book is touchingly based on the real-life love letters of the author's grandparents. A story based on survival, hardship, a love triangle, and unforgettable characters. It sure proves that war is the catalyst for many endings, but beginnings as well. This is great historical fiction, and you WWII buffs will love it.

 

Re-reading The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher was an excellent decision on my part. Even if you read this one back in the 1980s along with every other woman on the planet, give it another read. It has held up very well. A family saga featuring Penelope Keeling looking back at her life, her choices, and secrets. The story surrounds a valuable family painting that Penelope's children are bickering over. I envy you if you haven't read this book because you are in for a treat. Free on Kindle Unlimited. 

Anything by Catherine Ryan Hyde is good, and Say Goodbye for Now (2016) was no exception. She is the author who wrote Pay It Forward, among other super good titles. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories, as well as books that deal with found family, you will love this book as I did. Set in Texas in 1959, the plot revolves around Pete, a neglected 12-year-old who lives with his abusive father. The other main character is Dr. Lucy, a physician who treats both sketchy people and abandoned animals. When Pete befriends Justin Bell, an African American boy new to town, Pete's bigoted father and other townspeople take exception. The boys find refuge with Dr. Lucy, who also treats Prince, a wolf-dog cross, who Pete rescues. All these characters come together in a powerful story I will not forget. This is an important book, which I highly recommend. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999) is not to be missed. What on earth took me so long to read this book? It is a collection of short stories that won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Penn/Hemingway Prize in 2000. My words about this stunning masterpiece in no way will do it justice. The stories are about the Indian immigrant experience, marriage, and longing. The characters for the most part are very upper-class Indian people who have immigrated to the US to be doctors, college professors, and engineers in the Harvard/MIT/Boston area. Having worked at a prestigious world-class university for most of my career, I was reminded of people I knew very well in the stories. The author is a master at writing and this book will forever be in my memory.

I had to include this second book by Jhumpa Lahiri called The Namesake, (2004) because it is just so good. The Ganguli family has moved to America and wants to become good citizens. When their son is born they give him the unfortunate name Gogol, after the Russian author. This is the story of immigrants trying to become Americans and the trials Gogol Ganguli has in trying to accomplish that mission saddled with his weird name. The story is compelling, captivating, and entertaining. This author is so amazingly accomplished. I loved this book.

Another reading year is at an end. I enjoyed so many wonderful titles this year. I think I may be getting better at choosing books that turn out to be winners! I am already looking forward to 2023 and the exciting literary discoveries it will reveal. I hope my book reviews are useful to you and that you try some of my favorites out for yourselves.

 

10 More Five Star Books From 2022

How about some more of the five-star books I read in 2022? I read some really good ones, and want to share them with you. Some of these reviews appeared earlier this year in my blog posts, but it may be handy to have them all together in one post.  I'm going to divide these books up into categories. 

Fiction

These fiction books were all excellent, and have in common the fact that they are each very unusual and will stick with you a long time after you finish them. I promise you won't ever have read anything like any of these fiction picks!

People just LOVE this book Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I liked it very much, but it began to grow more on me, and when I kept thinking about it after I had finished it, I knew I had to bump it up to a 5-star ranking. This story concerns Tova, a lady in her 70s who works the night shift cleaning at the local aquarium. As unlikely as it seems, Tova and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who resides at the aquarium form a strong friendship. Marcellus has a habit of escaping his tank during the night and upon occasion, Tova has had to rescue him and assist him back to his tank. Tova has a mystery in her past and Marcellus may be the only one who can solve it. Endearing, heartwarming, all the good things.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was so good! Elizabeth Zott was born in the wrong era. It is the 1950s and she plans a career in science, a male-dominated field. Throughout the 50s and 60s, she meets obstacle after obstacle and misogyny unlike anything we would tolerate today. Her male colleagues behave in outrageously sexist ways, take credit for her work, pay her a pittance for the same work they do for more money, and treat her with condescension. Finally forced out of the science lab, she finds herself in the unlikely position of hosting a TV cooking show, which ends up being a huge success. Even though the subject matter is no joke, this book had many hilarious moments. There hasn't been a character I've met in literature like Elizabeth Zott, and I found her so refreshing. There is also a brilliant dog named Six Thirty who has a big role in the book, which I loved. 

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice's life is just ok. Her apartment could be nicer, her job could be less dead-end, and a meaningful relationship would be good, but all in all what's to complain about? Well, her dad is ill and that situation is troubling to Alice because they are close and she loves him dearly. At any rate, she has a bit too much to drink at her birthday celebration and falls asleep in a tool shed on her dad's property. When she wakes up she is in her childhood home, in her teenage bedroom, and is 16 years old again. This is a shock on many levels, but when she sees her youthful, vibrant dad as he was in his late 30s, Alice realizes that she may have a chance for a life "do-over". Knowing what she knows from living for 40 years, Alice plans to get her dad to eat better and exercise, and make some better life decisions for herself. I love a time travel book, and the theme of having the chance to choose a different path in life is so appealing. This book ticked all my boxes for a wonderful reading experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think you would too.

Love and Saffron by Kim Fay is an epistolary novel in which the story is told through the correspondence between two women in the early 1960s. One is a 60-ish food writer living in the Pacific Northwest (think Seattle), the other a much younger woman in her 20s living in the Los Angeles area. This book proves that food and friendship really do bind us all together. What was a total kick to me was the memories it brought back from the 60s: molded salads, the fact you couldn't find garlic in the stores, how rarely we ate curry or enchiladas or Chinese stir fry. Our tastes were so bland, unethnic, and unadventurous. Things sure have changed! Anyway, the book is simply lovely and I think everyone should read it. This book is short, heartwarming, and a balm for these uncertain times. You should read it. 

Romance

Well, I certainly surprised myself by how much I enjoyed a few books in the "romance" category this year. I don't mean romance in the bodice-ripping "Angelique and the Pirates" style. These books are contemporary, heart-warming, funny, and feature people falling in love. I do not care for steamy romances (often referred to as "open door"). These books are sort of sexy, but what happens privately between the characters is only hinted at. If you like 90's rom-coms, these books will be right up your alley.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was such fun. She has written several other books (Things We Save in a Fire, What You Wish For, How to Walk Away) which have been super good too. Hannah is a bodyguard who is assigned to protect a famous heartthrob movie star. They have an instant connection, so what could possibly go wrong? You will have to read the book to find out, but it is light-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny, as well as tackling some more serious subjects. Pretty perfect, if you ask me.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez is another rom-com novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Alexis is an ER doctor who is relatively satisfied with her life, even though her ultra-wealthy parents think she could be better off in a different line of work. Her world is turned upside down when she meets her polar opposite, Daniel Grant, a simple carpenter with a cuddly pet goat. She's not sure she can bring him into her world, but she doesn't think she can give him up either. This book is about finding out who you really are, and I loved it. 

Mysteries/Thrillers

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end. The story begins when Ariel Pryce wakes up in her Lisbon hotel room and discovers her husband is missing. He has not left a note and he isn't returning her calls and texts. She knows something is seriously wrong. However, when she reports her husband's disappearance to the Portuguese police, she learns that she may not know as much about her spouse as she thought she did. When she gets a 3 million ransom demand for his return she knows she needs to get the money from the last person on earth she wants to ask. One of the best thrillers I have read. 

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian is set in the 1960s in Africa. Katie Barstow, a famous Hollywood actress, and her new husband decide to take an entourage of friends on a safari to the Serengeti on their honeymoon. Everything is going great on this luxury safari until about the third day when their camp is invaded by Russian thugs who kidnap the entire party. Guests and guides start dropping like flies and the reader is left wondering if anyone will be left standing by the end of the book. The kidnapping quickly goes very wrong and you will be flipping the pages like mad to find out what happens next. Wonderful strong female characters in this book, whom you will be rooting for out loud. I have heard some reviewers complain that the author used to write books with more substantive themes, and has now become more commercial. Harumph I say. His books are darn entertaining and I have loved his more recent offerings (Red Lotus and Hour of the Witch). This author writes books with diverse and thrilling plots, and he is on "auto-buy" for me!

 

Historical Fiction

The Rose Garden by Tracy Rees is not the first book I have read by this author. She is always reliable and very good. If you love historical fiction and spunky female characters, you will really enjoy this book as I did. Set in Victorian England, young Mabs finds an escape from working on the docks when she is employed as the companion (more like "keeper) to Mrs. Finch, who is supposedly mentally fragile and must be kept to her room. Lots of secrets as to why Mr. and Mrs. Finch behave the way they do, and which Mabs begins to figure out. Great cast of characters, and a very interesting look at some of the social conventions of the time.

A Place To Hang The Moon by Kate Albus. This was one of those books I wanted to hug when I finished it. Set during WWII (1940), the story is about three siblings who are evacuated to the countryside to avoid the bombings in London. William, Edmund, and Anna are orphans, who had been raised by their cold uncaring grandmother, who has also recently passed away, leaving them a considerable fortune. Their family solicitor arranges their journey to stay with foster families until the war is over and a proper guardian can be found for them. What follows is the hair-raising tale of the different ghastly foster homes they find themselves in and the refuge they find in the town library. If you love heartwarming books about found family, you will love this one

Check back tomorrow for five outstanding older books that I read this year that are worth checking out!

 

 

 

My Five Best Books of 2022

Happy New Year! It's time to go through my very best books of 2022. I hope you enjoy my book reviews, because I am devoting the first three posts of 2023 to re-capping my favorites! I read 130 books this year. More than half were digital (on my Kindle), about one-third were hardback books, and the remaining books were audiobooks.

I read a total of 20 21 books to which I gave a five-star rating. I will devote this post to my top five six, and then feature the other 15 titles in two following posts.  

My number one favorite book of the year is The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. I picture the US cover above, but the copy I actually read was the UK version, which has a very different cover. My son gave it to me for Christmas, so I finished my reading year on a very high note.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet) is the very best example of what historical fiction can be. It takes place in Rennaisance Italy and features the fictionalized story of an actual person, Lucrezia de' Medici, who is married off at the age of 15 to Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. The marriage was a short one, with Lucrezia dying just a year later. Rumors abound that her husband killed her. Never mind that this story takes place 465 years ago, this tale will grip you from the first paragraph. In a few words, in the very first paragraph of the book, Lucrezia describes sitting across the table from her husband at their hunting lodge, realizing with crystal clarity that he intends to kill her. Lucrezia is young and inexperienced, but her desire to free herself from her situation is completely relatable. If you enjoy historical fiction, don't miss this book.


Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver was my number one best book for 2022 until The Marriage Portrait knocked it into second place. This book is loosely based on Dicken's David Copperfield, another story of poverty and how it affects young people in society. Kingsolver's book is set in Appalachia and features one of the most memorable characters I have encountered in a book. Demon is born to a single drug-addled mother and lives his young life in a series of horrible foster homes, forced child labor situations, and abuse. It seems his life is finally on the upswing due to his athletic prowess and at last, getting into a good foster care situation. The current opioid crisis changes everything and the reader is left holding their breath waiting to see how Demon will weather the storm. This is a heck of an engrossing saga, and I hope you pick it up! Barbara Kingsolver is a total genius, I swear. 


Number three is The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. Wow, this was a good one! Ray McMillian is a talented classical violinist who has had to rise above considerable adversity to get where he is. There aren't many professional black violinists in the world and he has worked very hard to achieve success. As well as being passionate about his music, part of Ray's motivation is a violin given to him by his grandmother, which turns out to be, you guessed it, a Stradivarius valued at ten million dollars. The violin was given to his great-great-grandfather, upon his emancipation from slavery. He used to play "the fiddle" for his master and it was given to him along with his freedom papers. Once Ray becomes well known, his greedy family sues him to make him sell the violin and share the profits with them. Plus, out of the woodwork come the descendants of the former slave owner, who claim Ray's great-great-grandfather must have stolen the instrument! So as if this wasn't enough for poor Ray to deal with on the eve of the prestigious Tchaikovski competition, the violin is stolen and held for five million dollars ransom. This book has so much going on in it, and I was engrossed throughout. This book has it all: family drama, a mystery, racism, the world of classical music performers and more. The audio version is simply outstanding. Highly recommend this book. Get it and be prepared to be totally immersed.  

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. This was a lovely, lovely book. Lenni is a 17-year-old girl living in the terminal cancer ward at a hospital in Edinburgh. Through an art class for patients, she meets Margot, a feisty 83-year-old who makes things a lot more interesting for Lenni. They realize that if you add up their ages, it comes to 100 and they decide to paint a picture representing every year of their respective lives. It is an absolutely charming friendship and story. You will cry. A lot. If you have Kindle Unlimited, it's free right now. 

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka. This is a work of fiction. Ansel is a serial killer on death row scheduled to be executed in 12 hours' time. There are multiple points of view in this book: Ansel's and the women caught up in his life. His mother, a sister, and the homicide detective who brought him to justice. First of all, if you are sensitive, the book is not terribly violent or descriptive of the acts Ansel committed. The book is an amazing study of how our society looks upon crime as entertainment in the media, how murderous acts affect the families of the victims, and whether there is really any point to the death penalty. This was a book I will be thinking about and discussing with people for a long time. When I finished it, I just sat with it in my lap for ten minutes staring into space with my head whirling. 

These are my top five books of 2022, but stay tuned for reviews of the remaining 15 books to which I gave a five-star rating.

Added 1/1/2023

Well, I finished Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro at 7:00 PM on New Years Eve and have to slip it in as another 5-star book for 2022. If you have lost a loved one this year, as I have, you may relate to this book as emotionally as I did. Basically, the story is about one family, and their neighbors across the street, and a tragedy that unites them all throughout the years. I was so overcome at the end of the book I couldn't speak. This book invites deep reflection. The image that when we die, we are like a star exploding, with the essence of everything we have ever been being released like stardust into the universe, will never leave me. We are that baby in our mother's arms, that little boy on a pony, the young man going off to war, the young father, the good friend, the brilliant scientist, the kind and grateful older man. We are all that we have ever been and will always be throughout eternity.

Lots of Wrapping Going On and Another Christmas Book

Well, we got started on our Christmas present wrapping. How novel, not to wait until the last minute. In the past, we have always wrapped gifts in our master bedroom, which created chaos and left the room a total disaster for days on end. I do not know why we never thought to set up a folding table in the middle of our front room, which is a library/office space. 

That's what we did yesterday and it was brilliant. Sara came over and spent the night with Eva and we plowed through so many packages. It was such a better setup than trying to do it in the bedroom. Our wrapping station isn't in the way of anything else, since we watch tv and "live" in another room.

If you enjoy reading a book set during the holidays during Christmas season, I have another recommendation for you. Christmas By the Book by Anne Marie Ryan is a charming choice. It is about a bookstore in a Cotswolds village, and how it affects the people in the community. I am loving it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Home Alone

This weekend I felt a bit like the kid in the movie Home Alone. My husband, daughter, and granddaughter all went to Disneyland without me. Actually, Sara had planned to drive down alone to the park in Southern California with Eva, but my husband decided that wasn't a great idea. He offered to drive them down and accompany the two of them to the park, and they accepted his offer. I suppose I could have gone too, but the weather was horrible at home and I did have Ozzie to look after. It was simpler for me to hold down the fort.

I did some sewing, a lot of reading, and watched two Hallmark movies and the new Three Pines series on Amazon Prime. I made cranberry coffee cake and drank boozy coffee (as you can see above). Boozy coffee is a Keurig pod of Cinnabon-flavored coffee and a splash of Frangelico liqueur. My diet was terrible, but I slept like a log and Ozzie and I got along all right. It was pouring rain all weekend, so taking him out to do his business was a bit of a production, but we got through it. That dog sure does hate to get wet. 

Someone is bound to ask, so the two Hallmark Christmas movies were "A Midnight Kiss" and "My Big Fat Family Christmas", both of which were really good. Midnight Kiss was about an event planner and My Big Fat Family Christmas was about a Chinese American family who lives in San Francisco and throws a big party every Christmas. They were light, fun, and cute. Where do they find such attractive people to star in those movies?

The new Three Pines tv series, which is based on the Louise Penny novels was very enjoyable. I look forward to more episodes. I think Alfred Molina was very well cast as Inspector Gamache.

I finished the book "Gingerdead Man" and give it 3 stars. I started another Christmas-themed novel called "The Twelve Slays of Christmas" which I liked a lot better. It is set on a family-owned Christmas tree farm that is not just for cutting down holiday trees, but serves food and has all sorts of Christmas-themed entertainment. A town busy body ends up dead and everyone is a suspect. It is a fun and very atmospheric holiday book if you like that sort of thing. I finished it yesterday evening and give it 5 stars. If you are looking for a great book to read during the holidays, this could be it!

All in all, it was a great weekend. I got a teensy bit lonely, but the junk food and tv helped....

The family brought me back a Mickey gingerbread boy, so I guess my diet will have to wait.

Fall Reading Season

Grab your afghan, light a candle, and make yourself a cup of tea. We are going to talk about books to read this fall. There is nothing like the change of seasons to make me want to read a book that is in keeping with it. This fall I am going to try something really different, and I thought I'd see if you'd like to follow along with me. An Instagrammer named Kelly Hook did something called "The Battle of the Back Burners". She picked 8 books that had been sitting on her shelves for a while and did a kind of play-off with them. She would read two books and pick which she liked best. Then she would read two more books and pick the one she liked best. Then she would pick which was her favorite between the two winners etc. The idea is to come up with the best of the best in the end.

I decided that would be a fun way to work my way through some of the multitudes of books on my "To Be Read" shelf. I did a sort-through and selected 12 books (because I am so extra) and made a list of books that seemed atmospheric for fall. When I finish the 12 of them over the next couple of months, we will see which ones came out on top. I reserve the right to DNF (did not finish) some of these books, which will bring my total down from 12. If I am not enjoying something, I stop wasting time on it. 

Do you think this would be a fun thing to do? You surely do not have to read 12 books. Pick 8, 6, or 4! So, here is my list of books to be read this fall. Have you read any of them? 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. A poor young tarot card reader gets involved in a mystery, an inheritance, and a family she didn't know she had.

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier (author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring). I was drawn to the description of this book, about a pioneer family who grows apples, and the son who emigrates to the Gold Country of California, where I live.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. This author never fails to turn out a spooky thriller. A young woman returns to her summer camp to uncover a 15-year-old tragedy.

Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon. A suspenseful page-turner, in the style of Shirley Jackson and Mary Shelley. A new take on "Frankenstein".

Cackle by Rachel Harrison. "Darkly funny". After being dumped, Annie learns how to take back what she deserves from a witch who may be too good to be true.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten. "Relentlessly creepy" and "impossible to put down". Documentary filmmaker returns to her hometown, where every single resident disappeared in 1959.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. A supernatural thriller about a young nanny caring for a young boy with dark and disturbing secrets.

The Whisper Man by Alex North. An unsettling thriller about a man and his son who get caught up in the hunt for a serial killer.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. A reimagining of the character Hester Prynne (from Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter) and the New England witch trials. 

The House in the Orchard by Elizabeth Brooks. I adore this author (The Orphan of Salt Winds). A twisty, creepy, gothic tale where innocence collides with an antiquated world of manners and class. "Like wandering a dark hallway with a candle flickering in a ghostly breeze". Ok, I'm in.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Yup, seen the movie, but never got around to reading the book. "A delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible".

In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey. Described as a contemporary fantasy about a grieving man slipping into the supernatural studies of his dead wife.

So that's my list. Do you see anything on it that interests you? I can't wait to dive into some of them, especially Hester, The House in the Orchard, and Cackle.

Hope you all had a good weekend. If you have been affected by Hurricane Ian, my thoughts are with you.