Swap…
23 Jan 2012 2 Comments
The Book and dishcloth swap on Ravelry for January was such fun. My partner really pegged me by picking one of my favorite authors. I sort of think she was part mind reader as I had the book she sent me in my hand the day before and was debating whether or not to buy it.
Here is what she sent me:
Really looking forward to reading it…
2012 – A New Start…
01 Jan 2012 6 Comments
in Books, Knitting, Quilting, Uncategorized, Weaving
I am thrilled to see 2011 go! It was a complicated year! One filled with doctor visits, Emergency Room visits, and a stay for a week in my local hospital – due in part to my asthma and COPD plus my lower back which just seemed to decide to create havoc with my body.
The asthma and COPD seem to be under control with the new medicine (Singulair)…plus I will be seeing a pulmanologist on January 4th…
The lower back is coming along well and I try to do the exercises as prescribed…It will take a little time…
And, I hope not to have to be visiting my doctor or the ER this year!!!!
No resolutions this year…but that does not mean that I do not have any plans and ideas for the New Year.
Last year I managed to read 71 books…and found some new authors (Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, Carlene Thompson – to name a few). The plan continues to remain in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks group on Ravelry…
Block of the Month (Quilting) - well, actually, I was not going to participate in my local quilt store’s BOM program this year…then they made the mistake of showing me the fabric…I’m in…
I’ve never taken an on-line class – and this year I have decided to take the BOM class at Craftsy.com. The class is free and is taught through video and interactive questions and answers with the teacher. What I really like about it is that it is also a techniques class – and I am looking forward to learning some new things.
Embroidery has always been something that I have enjoyed – but, have never known much about the stitches other than the simple ones- so, I’m going to be learning by taking another on-line class called Take a Stitch Tuesday. Each Tuesday a new stitch will be shown and we can practice it during the week. Think it will be fun.
The agenda this year calls for trying to knit 12 pair of socks!!!! That’s a pair a month…Plus some other knitting as well. Maybe even get some weaving in this year…
That about covers the reading and crafty part of my life for the coming year…What are you planning on doing????
10 Favorite Books of 2010
16 Dec 2010 4 Comments
in Books
Someone asked me what my ten favorite books from 2010 were. Now, I have read 60 books so far this year and while it was tough to pick out just ten – I did it!
The Map of True Places – Brunonia Barry
Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation – Ellen Fitzpatrick
Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine – Ann Hood
The Red Thread – Ann Hood
Entombed – Linda Fairstein
A Reliable Wife – Robert Goolrick
The Girl Who Chased the Moon – Sara Addison Allen
The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship – Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
The Knitting Circle – Ann Hood
The Cold Room – J. T. Ellison
So, there you go – if you read or have read any of these do let me know…
June Reading list…
03 Jul 2010 4 Comments
Meant to settle in and end the month of June with my reading list – but, June 30th just slipped right by me…
Only managed to read four books in June – which puts me behind from what I read last year…or at least that is what Shelfari keeps reminding me of.
So what did I read?
Lady’s Hands, Lion’s Heart: A Midwife’s Saga by Carol Leonard.
It was a really interesting book on the beginning of the midwives organizing and being accepted here in New Hampshire.
The 9th Judgement by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Another Women’s Murder Club – the latest in the series. They are always quick and interesting reads.
Entombed by Linda Fairstein
Another good mystery. I love the way she puts together a mystery … and how all the pieces go together when it is all over…
k.d.lang: All You Get Is Me by Victoria Starr.
This book was published in 1994 – so it took you through the beginning of her career until that time…Ending album was Ingenue. It was a very good book for those of us who like her music but didn’t know much about her early career and life.
Four books and four magazines – were read in June…not as much as I usually read – but they were all good!
I'm Addicted to Books…
02 May 2010 5 Comments
in Books
Yes, I am. I totally admit it. I’ve loved books since I was a child. And, libraries – well, they rank right up there as an essential in my life.
Last year I participated in the 52 Books in 52 weeks Challenge. This year I am doing the same – but, I keep forgetting to share what I have read with you…so, I would like to share with you what I’ve read so far this year.
January:
1) Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
2) Lifeguard by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
3) Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter DeJonge
4) More Diners, Drive-Ins, Dive by Guy Gieri with Ann Volkwein
5) Judge and Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
6) Mortal Danger and Other True Stories: Crime Files Vol. 13 by Ann Rule
7) The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
8) I’ll be Watching You by Andrea Kane
February
9) Food Rules: An Eaters Manuel by Michael Pollan
10) The Knitting Circle: A novel by Ann Hood
11) You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
12) The Properties of Water by Ann Hood
13) The Cold Room by J.T. Ellison
March
14) The Recipe Club – A tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
15) Staying True by Jenny Sanford
16) Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
April
17) Specials by Scott Westerfeld
18) The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein
19) A Fever in the Heart and Other True Cases: Crime Files #3 by Ann Rule.
So that takes us to the beginning of May – and I will update at the end of each month from now on!
Books and Authors…
27 Feb 2010 5 Comments
in Books
In the last year I have discovered some wonderful authors that were totally new to me…
The first one is J.T.Ellison. She writes a heck of a psychological thriller. Think that is why I like her writing so much…reminds me of the really gripping shows on Criminal Minds. She has written four novels total – and I currently am reading her 4th – The Cold Room after waiting a while for it to come out. Tend to get impatient when I’ve read the first three so quickly.
Ellison features a homicide detective named Taylor Jackson – and the novels are set in Nashville, TN.
When checking the link to her website I found out that she is offering a gift to her readers - you can download her first book “All the Pretty Girls” free from her website. It’s worth it…but, don’t blame me when you get hooked!
The second author I discovered this year was Ann Hood. Ann is considered a contemporary fiction author…
The first book I read by her was called “The Knitting Circle” – and I have to tell you I could not put it down. She writes books with characters that really grab hold of you and make you want to know them.
The second book I read was “The Properties of Water”. Her books are about people and their lives – and each book she seems to pull me in. She has written more than 10 books – and I recently purchased – “Somewhere off the Coast of Maine”.
I really like what she does with characters…and I think I will be hunting down some of her other books.
And, finally – a book that just grabbed my attention…
It is called “The Recipe Club” by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel – and it is the story of two friends who begin a two-person club where they share with each other their hopes, dreams, and disappointments through letters and recipes. It is the type of book I like to read – I love reading books that are in letter form. Borrowed it from the library – but, I have a feeling I will be buying it down the road.
As a matter of fact one of my most favorite books that is written this way is “A Woman of Independent Means” by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey…
So that’s it for a cold and gray near-the-end-of-February day.
Books …
30 Dec 2009 6 Comments
Reading has always been my guilty pleasure…I could easily curl up in a chair or under a warm blanket in bed and let the world go by while I engrossed myself in a book.
This year I joined two groups – Read Your Own Books and 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
So, how did I do you ask?
80 Books – of which 33 were my own – and I have donated those (with an exception of a few) that were my own that were read.
Bold denotes books I own…others borrowed from library.
January
1) The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – Ina Garten
2) Estefan Kitchen – Emilio and Gloria Estefan
3) Remember My Touch (Harlequin Intrigue 469) – Gayle Wilson
4) Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama’s Plan to Renew America’s Promise – Obama for America
5) Michelle Obama: Meet The First Lady by David Bergen Brophy
February:
1) Judas Kiss by J. T. Ellison
2) Portsmouth: Photographs by Nancy Grace Horton; Text by Laura Pope
3) Chance of A Lifetime by Barbara Kaye (Harlequin Superromance 449)
4) Flashback by Justine Davis (Silhouette Bombshell 86)
March
1) The Mommy Bride by Shelley Galloway (Harlequin American Romance 1212)
2) The Jim and Dan Stories: A Journey of Grief and Faith by Colleen Redman
3) Muses Like Moonlight: A Closet Poet Comes Out by Colleen Redman
4) Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
5) Double Minds by Terri Blackstock
6) Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
April
1) Today’s Kitchen Cookbook by the Today Show Cast
2) Tempest in Eden by Sandra Brown
3) All The Pretty Girls by J. T. Ellison
4) The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
5) Pint Size Traditions II by Lynette Jensen
6) Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
7) 1st to Die by James Patterson
8) 2nd Chance by James Patterson w/Andrew Gross
9) 3rd Degree by James Patterson w/Andrew Gross
May
1) 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
2) 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
3) The Sixth Target by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4) 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
5) Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
6) The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
7) Why Cats Do That: A Collection of Curious Kitty Quirks by Karen Anderson
8) Winter Games by John Cacombe
9) A Doctor’s Secret by Marie Ferrarella
June
1) 14 by J. T. Ellison
2) Mortal Remains by Henry Scammell
3) Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
4) Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities by Elizabeth Edwards
5) The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson
6) Season of the Machette by James Patterson
July
1) See How They Run by James Patterson
2) Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Micheal J. Fox
3) Hush Little Darlings by Judith Kelman
4) The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
5) Black Friday by James Patterson
6) The Midnight Club by James Patterson
7) Hide and Seek by James Patterson
8) When the Wind Blows by James Patterson
August
1) Cradle and All by James Patterson
2) Might As Well Laugh About it Now by Marie Osmond with Marcia Wilkie
3) A Lion Called Christian by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall
4) Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson and Peter deJonge
5) The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter deJonge
6) Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
7) The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
8) Too Late to Say Goodbye by Ann Rule
September
1) The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver
2) The Lake House by James Patterson
3) Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
4) 13 Bullets by David Wellington
October
1) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
2) 99 Coffins by David Wellington
3) Vampire Zero by David Wellington
4) 23 Hours by David Wellington
5) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
6) The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
7) Diner’s Drive-Ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip by Guy Fieri with Ann Volkwein
November
1) The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
2) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3) Bad Blood: Freedon and Death in the White Mountains by Casey Sherman
4) Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton
December
1) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2) Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
3) Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel by Kate Jacobs
4) Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
5) Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
6) Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
7) An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
I plan on doing the same thing next year!!!
