2012 Brenda Novak Auction

Hard to believe, but the 2012 Brenda Novak Auction for the Cure of Diabetes is right around the corner, little more than 2 months away. Since my Teen has this disease, I've been contributing a quilted project for several years now. This year, I'm offering something a little different that I hope will appeal to authors, but perhaps readers might like this, too.

I am offering to make a "book cover wall hanging"--that is I will design and make a wall hanging that includes the images of up to 4 book covers. High-resolution files, submitted by the winning bidder, will be printed onto fabric and sewn into a quilt that will probably measure around 24" x 18", depending on how many book covers are used. To illustrate what I'm thinking of, I made up a prototype for Brenda as a thank you for all she's done to make the auction happen.

I chose to work with Brenda's latest series and started with these three book covers:

I need to pause a moment and admire the incredible design work of the art department at MIRA. The colors of the covers are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. The sunrise or sunset at the top of each cover uses color that is carried over into the color of the printing of Brenda's name. I was inspired to do a sketch that would incorporate the main color of each cover and the color of Brenda's name. I decided to frame each cover with a border matching Brenda's name. Then I would make strips to run the length of the quilt, top and bottom, using the main color of each cover. Here's what I drew:

I dug through my fabric stash and found fabrics to match the colors in the covers. And I found a fabulous fabric that worked as a border and frames the quilt so nicely. Here's the finished quilt: 

          

Here are some close-ups of the quilting:

To give you an idea of the scale of the quilt and also how well the image transfers to fabric, here's a copy of Inside next to its image on the quilt:

So, I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone will bid on this and give me a chance to design something around another set of book covers. When May gets here, I hope you'll help me spread the word!

TBR Day. Conor's Way / Laura Lee Guhrke. 1996

Back in the early 2000's, when I began lurking at the old AAR boards, I heard talk of this book. And according to Amazon, I apparently broke down and purchased a copy for myself via Marketplace in 2004 for a "mere" $4.75. Today a used print copy goes for about $25. I don't know why I waited so long to read it. I'd keep seeing references to how good it is, especially from KristieJ who has been nagging our TBR hostess to read it forever. I think I was saving it for a day when I knew I needed to read a really good book. But when I saw that this month's theme was "Recommended Read" it was clear that this was the book I had to read.

I was really, really stupid to wait 8 years to read this.

Frankly, I should just end this review with that statement. I am writing this Tuesday evening. Earlier today I saw on Twitter that at least 2 other TBR participants are reviewing this for today as well. And they'll probably do a better job at it than me. But this book deserves lots of love.

This American historical takes place in 1871 in Louisiana. Clearly, the Reconstruction South is not at all a romantic setting, but Guhrke uses the history of that time and place with a light and deft hand to bring two characters to life in a wonderfully nuanced way. Olivia Maitland is a 29-year old woman, the only surviving member of her family. Her brothers had been killed at Gettysburg and her parents are now dead. She owns the remains of a plantation; the freed slaves are long gone, her hired hand has passed away, and she has 3 young girls she's raising--the orphaned daughters of her childhood friend. Olivia needs a man to help her out.

Conor Branigan is also the only surviving member of his family. Evicted from their home in Ireland when Conor was 11, Conor's sisters died from starvation and Conor himself eventually joins the Irish Republican Brotherhood. After he's arrested for smuggling guns, he's imprisoned, tortured, and eventually let out. He winds up in America and travels a circuit as a prize-fighter. The book opens with Conor at a fight in Louisiana where he refuses to throw the fight in favor of his opponent. This earns him a severe beating and he's left on the road for dead. It's here that Olivia finds him and she takes him home and nurses him back to health.

When Olivia was looking for a man to hire to help around her farm, Conor was not what she had in mind. A former prisoner with a history of violence, Conor is not the sort of person Olivia wants anywhere near herself or her girls. As Conor recovers, he begins to help out around the farm and agrees to stay through Olivia's peach harvest. The bulk of the book is the growing relationship between Olivia and Conor. Olivia and her girls represent everything that Conor ever hoped to have, yet now does not feel that he deserves. He insists that he is not there to stay. And Olivia is too pragmatic after all she's been through to expect that she can change his mind.

There's also a subplot here involving one Vernon Tyler, a wealthy man who was once the overseer on Olivia's plantation and a suitor for her hand. Olivia's father wouldn't allow Vernon to court his daughter and now, after the war, thanks to Vernon's wealthy Yankee father-in-law, Vernon wants to build a railroad through that part of the country. All that stands in his way is Olivia's land and she won't sell. Olivia naively thinks her "no" is enough, but Conor knows all too well that Vernon will do whatever it takes to get that land. Conor is torn between his need to protect Olivia and his need to be on the move again.

The romance here is beautifully done; it grows throughout the course of the book. There are some flashbacks to Conor's past in Ireland, but they are brief and to the point. They barely distract from the main narrative, instead giving us insight into who Conor has become--a bitter, angry man. He views the South's destruction during the war as justice since he can relate to the inhumane treatment former slaves once received. Olivia could have been an equally bitter woman. She may still have her home, but it's falling apart around her and she is on the verge of losing everything. But she goes through each day with purpose and dignity. She strikes a balance between missing the luxuries of her former way of life and and recognizing it was wrong. She loves her daughters as if she'd given birth to them and soon loves Conor as well. It's up to him to accept that love and choose to reciprocate.

The book is well-crafted. Guhrke lightly weaves in the history without hitting us over the head with it. As I said, the flashbacks are brief and to the point. I got a strong sense of place and the characters--all was believable. I loved the emotional quality to the book; this is actually something that I've always admired about Guhrke's writing. She manages to reveal her characters to us little by little and the journey made it very hard to put the book down. All I wanted to do was read it.

Let me repeat: I was really, really stupid to wait 8 years to read this.

So Kristie, if you're reading this, you are absolutely right about this one. I hope this redeems me to some small degree as I was one of the few who just never felt the love for Broken Wing.

Finally, if you want to read the book but don't have an e-reader, leave a comment. I'm buying myself an e-copy for my Kindle and I'll hold a drawing--the winner gets my used paper copy. It's well-worn, but all the pages are here. I'll draw a name on Sunday night. I'm willing to mail world-wide. Just promise me you won't wait 8 years to read it.

Phyl's 5 Phaves from January

5. Trouble at the Wedding / Laura Lee Guhrke. An impoverished Earl of dubious character is about to marry a wealthy American heiress from the backwaters of Mississippi. Her uncle hires an impoverished Duke, also of dubious character, to put a stop to the wedding. And thus begins this Edwardian-set historical that explores the British aristocracy's need for American money at the turn of the 20th century. Christian, the Duke and our hero, was married before and is determined to never marry again. Annabel is a smart and determined young woman who has a very business-like, practical approach to marriage. She wants to find a place in society specifically so her younger sister will never have to experience the social ostracism that Annabel experienced as a teen. Besides the setting, the best part of this book for me was Annabel who knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it. She understood how to use and make money and it was refreshing to see Christian come to her for advice about money.

4. An Unexpected Gentleman by Alissa Johnson. I have to say that this was an unexpected pleasure to read. I wasn't sure I would like this one, but I had liked the previous book in the series (Nearly a Lady) well enough that I wanted to keep reading. Adelaide is expecting to become engaged to Robert when Connor, Robert's bastard half-brother, compromises Adelaide and marries her instead. Adelaide is not exactly happy to be manipulated this way, but in truth she is far more attracted to Connor and she has few choices left to her. There is a lot of anger and resentment between Connor and Robert and Adelaide is in the middle of it all. Nonetheless, Connor's attraction to Adelaide is real and poignant. I enjoyed Adelaide and Connor's emotional journey and I like a book where the protagonists marry early in the book and have to work their way to a happy marriage.

3. His Secret Past by Ellen Hartman. This was my January TBR read. A solid, sweet read.

2. Unraveled by Courtney Milan. This is Milan's third and final book in her series about the Turner siblings. Middle brother Smite is the hero here. He's a magistrate and when Miranda Darling appears before him in court he knows he's seen her before--using a different name. Smite goes after her to find out why she did that. Smite is a rigid and controlled person. He has become that way to deal with the trauma that he experienced as a child--stuff that's been hinted at in the earlier books. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't feel, and feel deeply. As Smite becomes involved with Miranda, we learn more about what happened to him and what makes him tick.  Meanwhile, Miranda doesn't have magical healing powers. What she does have is the ability to live with him in spite of his very real issues. That's a special kind of love. Miranda is a great heroine. She doesn't make stupid or unrealistic decisions. Once again, Milan has crafted a wonderful story with characters who seem very real. It's always a shame when I reach the end of this kind of book.

1. The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan. This was a surprising treat that I reviewed here. While I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say it was the best written book I read last month, it was still very well done. Moreover, the story is one that has continued to stick with me. So because of that, it's my #1 pick for the month. By a hair. A bargain for anyone with an e-reader.

The Mill River Recluse / Darcie Chan. 2011

Back in December, I read this post on The Passive Voice blog about how this self-published ebook became a best-seller. Author Darcie Chan had attempted to get this book published for years, but no one wanted it. And so one day, after reading about the success authors were having with self-publishing, she decided to do it herself. I believe it's been available since last spring. The full story of how she did it is worth reading. By the time the end of the year rolled around she'd sold over 400,000 copies, most of them at $0.99 each. I was impressed with Chan's rise to the best-seller ranks. I was also intrigued by the synopsis of her book: a wealthy, reclusive widow leaves her fortune to the people of the small town where she lived. I figured that for 99 cents I wouldn't be taking much of a risk and I bought it.

So let me just say flat out that I ended up loving this book. It's not a romance, although there is a small romantic subplot. But I think this book would appeal to romance fans in general. I also think it would translate very well into a movie. I hope that happens some day.

Mary Hayes is a beautiful, but very shy young woman living with her father on their small horse farm in rural Vermont. It's the eve of WWII and she catches the eye of Patrick McAllister, heir to a nearby marbleworks and thus part of a wealthy family. He charms her and persuades her to marry him. Only Patrick turns out to be abusive and controlling; their marriage ends tragically as Mary is left widowed and traumatized to the extent that she retreats to her home overlooking the small town of Mill River and rarely emerges over the next 60 years.

The book actually opens in the modern day and Mary is on her deathbed. She is attended by her only and life-long friend, Father Michael, the Catholic priest who has helped care for her since the death of her husband. But Chan, through a series of flashbacks that alternate with the present day, takes us back over Mary's life and the circumstances that caused her to have severe social anxiety disorder. As the timelines converge, though, we begin to see that even though Mary hid from the world, she was very aware of what was going on around her. Ultimately, the book is a celebration of her love for the people of Mill River. During the parts of the book that deal with the present, we get to know some of the town's residents, who have no idea that Mary has been watching over them, and loving them, all of these years. I found it very emotional when all was revealed at the end of the book (i.e. I cried).

I enjoyed most of the characters from the present day. But I especially loved Father Michael who sacrifices a more prestigious career in the Church to stay in Mill River specifically to be Mary's friend and link to the outside world. Father Michael has an interesting little habit that makes him very human. Mary is the only one who knows about it. I enjoyed their friendship and the patience and compassion Father Michael had for Mary's condition.

Even though Mary's life might be viewed as tragic, I saw her living her life as best she could, with a positive, generous spirit. I loved the uplifting nature of the book and the happy, triumphant ending of Mary's life. Yeah, I definitely got my money's worth from this one!

Latest QBFF Challenge

My QBFFs & I have done some fun projects together over the last few years. One thing that's become a tradition for us is to create some sort of challenge each year. For example, one year we each had to make something that included 3 specific fat quarters of fabric. I made this star quilt. There was also the Paint Chip Challenge. Last summer QBFF T came up with an interesting idea that will result in 4 very, very different quilts. Her rules were that each of us had to put together a fabric packet that totals 2.5 yds. and can have up to 10 different fabrics. Our fabric packet was passed to another QBFF and that person has to add one, and only one fabric of at least 1 yard to make a lap quilt. The completed quilt will be returned to the QBFF who purchased the original fabric packet.

Since QBFF C & I are sisters, we decided to fix it so that C & I are NOT working on quilts for one another. In the end, QBFF T & I are making quilts for one another and QBFF A & C will make quilts for one another. 

So, here are my fabrics:

Here are my sister C's:

Here are QBFF A's:

And here are QBFF T's--the fabrics I'm working on. This is a collection of Amy Butler fabrics.

Except there's that solid purple in there. That threw me for a loop at first. But then I decided to just run with it. I'm going to try for something reflective of the modern quilt movement. The blocks will have an improvisational style. Keeping my fingers crossed it turns out well.

Phyl's 5 Phaves for December

5. Someone to Cherish / Kate Rothwell. Here's an entertaining historical set in 19th c. New York City. Callie Scott is an incredibly naive young woman who had been very restricted by her now-dead grandmother. Left on her own, Callie takes a job with her late father's friend only to find herself caught up in a scandal surrounding a murder, and the scandal in turn leaves her homeless. The detective on the case, Cutter, ends up hiring Callie to take care of his dying landlady. Cutter himself grew up on the streets and he feels entirely unworthy of a true lady like Callie. Callie's a funny, engaging character who is a great foil for the stubborn, taciturn Cutter. In enjoyed them both. Plus, it's always great to read a historical set outside of Europe.

4. A Place Called Home / Jo Goodman. This is a contemporary romance by one of my favorite authors. Goodman normally writes historicals and it was very enjoyable to read something so different from what I'm used to from her. Mitch and Thea are acquaintances--their respective best friends are married to one another. When the best friends are suddenly killed in a car accident Mitch and Thea become co-guardians of the friends' children. Mitch has been interested in Thea for a long time, but she's always kept her distance. Thea would prefer to keep her distance from the children as well. There are good reasons for this, and Goodman slowly reveals why as Mitch and Thea develop a relationship with one another and with the children. This is not the most romantic of novels, but I loved the unusual nature of the story and the way that Goodman developed her characters, especially Thea's. I remember thinking about it for days afterwards and I would like to read it again soon.

3. A Lady Awakened / Cecelia Grant. This debut book by Grant has been the subject of a lot of discussion around the web. I'm simply going to say that I liked this book very much. Some reviewers didn't like the heroine; they found her too cold. Yes, she was cold, but I think her impersonal upbringing explained that. I'd like to call this a "lovers to friends" story, but that's not accurate. Martha Russell, newly widowed, wants to get pregnant quickly enough to pass the child off as her late husband's heir. Theo Mirkwood, her neighbor, is dissolute enough to agree. So what ensues is perhaps best described as a "from sexual partners to friends to lovers" story. I like the way Grant twists the genre a little, I like the way she raises numerous moral issues, and I like the way she wrote these characters. They change and grow and if the ending is a little too neat, well, I enjoyed the ride way too much to mind.

2. Unclaimed / Courtney Milan. Another winner from someone who has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Unclaimed continues Milan's trilogy about the Turner siblings. Sir Mark Turner has become a celebrity because of his book on male chastity. He can't go anywhere without being accosted and Milan's descriptions of Sir Mark's life reminded me of the way our culture makes assumptions about the celebrities of our time. Sir Mark has an enemy who wants him discredited. He hires Jessica, a courtesan, to seduce Mark and so Jessica travels to the small town where Mark has gone to escape the crowds. What follows is a lovely romantic story that's emotional and humorous. Mark and Jessica are complex individuals and Milan does a masterful job of revealing them to us. There are some interesting secondary characters as well. I simply loved this book.

1. Coming Home for Christmas / Carla Kelly. I had a hard time deciding whether this or Unclaimed should be my #1 book for the month. But it was December and the theme was Christmas. The full review I wrote earlier is here.

TBR Day. His Secret Past / Ellen Hartman. 2008

     I'm pleased to say that this year's TBR Challenge began for me with a wonderful read. I'm really regretting that I let this one languish in the closet for so long and I'm eager to read more by this author. I've been trying to remember how I ended up even owning this book and I'm pretty sure I won it in a contest. I should write these things down. Anyway, based on the blurb, it's not something I'd ordinarily buy. My copy is autographed by Hartman, which is why I think I won it.
     His Secret Past is the story of Mason Star, former lead singer for a once-popular rock band. Mason joined the band when he was only 16. After reaching the top of the rock star world Mason was so messed up that the band kicked him out. Now, years later, he's built a new life for himself as the owner/caretaker of a small community called Mulligans that provides housing and life skills training to people trying to get on their feet. Mason has buried himself in his work and evades the public eye and any ties to his past life. Mulligans is in the small town of Lakeland, NJ. As the book opens, Mason is in conflict with the residents of Lakeland over the future of Mulligans, as well as in conflict with his 17-year old son.
     Anna Walsh is a documentary filmmaker with a personal agenda. She wants to dig into Mason's past and tell the story behind his leaving the band. He wants no part of it, but when she offers to make a film about Mulligans that just might save it, he decides to let her in. And a powerful attraction is sparked between them.
     For a relatively short category romance, an awful lot happens in this book. I actually thought it got off to a slow start, but Hartman was introducing the various threads that quickly are drawn together.  Hartman includes some well-drawn secondary characters, including Mason's son. But the real sparkle in the book is the interaction between Anna and Mason. Anna is a wonderful heroine. She's made a real name for herself through her filmmaking and she is very sure of herself. She knows what she wants and she goes after it, including Mason himself. There's some very funny dialogue about music, which I think would appeal to anyone who remembers the '80s. I also liked how Hartman used Anna's love of color to reveal facets of Anna's character.
     And bonus! There are two pages involving quilts. Quilts, I tell you! Like this right here:

She moved past him to escape any more smart remarks but then stopped short. The room was full of quilts. Colors and patterns lined the walls. There were quilts stacked on shelves and chairs and others hanging from dowels on the walls.
...
That was when she saw it. Hanging over a wooden dowel, high enough on the wall that she hadn't noticed it right away, was a patchwork quilt. Not a Laura Ingalls patchwork, this was a grid of off-center squares and tilted rectangles in lush, glowing shades of yellow and orange with spikes of red. It was like the embers of a campfire, warm and cozy all at once.

     Well, didn't that just make my little heart go pitter patter. But seriously, I thought Hartman skillfully used things like color, Mason's golf game, old pop music, filmmaking, and much more to show us her characters and why they would be attracted to one another. By the time I was halfway into the book I couldn't put it down.
     As I said, it was a great way to start this year's challenge and I'm going to keep my eye out for other books by this author.