Quilts and Books

First, we have to celebrate! Phils win! Phils win! My preoccupation with the World Series coupled with a quilt deadline has resulted in fewer lengthy chunks of time for reading. So mixed in with the full-length books I finished this month are a couple of anthologies. And I just got started on a third. I love 100-page novellas. I can usually knock one off in an hour and get back to whatever other stuff is waiting for me. It's often chancy with novellas. Some authors are very, very good with them. Some.... eh, not so good. I pretty much lucked out with these two. The first one, It Happened One Night , is a Regency collection that was an interesting experiment inspired by an idea of Mary Balogh's. What if 4 authors agreed to write stories based on the same basic plot? How similar or different would the stories be. Mary was convinced the stories would be quite different, and she was right. In this case the plot is 2 lovers reunite after a chance encounter at an inn. The 2 haven...

When Signet was still publishing traditional Regencies, they would occasionally reissue two older titles in a combined volume. It was a great way for newer readers to acquire classic books from favorite authors. I picked up a few of these back in 2005 and 2006 and this is one I never got around to reading. This particular duo was reissued in 2006. I love Barbara Metzger’s old Regencies. Like Mary Balogh and Carla Kelly, Metzger has a unique voice. Unlike the other two authors, though, Metzger’s books tend to be much lighter. When I want a dash of humor, I can usually count on a Metzger. Her dialogue sparkles and her books are easy to read. This duo consists of Rake’s Ransom , originally published in 1986, and A Loyal Companion , originally published in 1992. Interestingly, the stories are very similar (other duet reissues I have don’t have stories that mirror one another as much as this book does). Both books include: A young heroine, raised in the country, spoiled by her widowed fath...

Last week Jace tagged my blog as one of her favorites. How flattering! I'm supposed to tag some other blogs, but since several of my favorites have already been tagged, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what's in my feeder so you can learn a little more about me. So apologies, Jace, for breaking the rules, but I hope the 3 or 4 of you who read this blog enjoy seeing where I hang out! Phillies.com . OK, technically this isn't a blog, but my guys are halfway to the Fall Classic and I am obsessed with baseball right now. I also follow Penn State (we're Number 3! we're Number 3!) and the Eagles . I love the fall when I can quilt while I listen to football or baseball at the same time. My favorite quilting blogs include: Valori Wells . Valori is a talented artist and designer. I enjoy learning about her design process coupled with glimpses of her beautiful family. SHNOODLE .A block a day. Seriously. I'm beyond impressed. Will Work for Fabric . And you think I...

Well, according to that list on the right I only read 10 books last month. Unusual for me as I tend to average 15-20 books per month. But I guess it makes it easier for me to choose my 5 phaves: 5. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs. This was my first book by PB. And I know some other bloggers have said this book can stand alone, but I strongly disagree. The novella "Alpha and Omega" appeared in the anthology On the Prowl and I am so glad I read that first. I think many nuances would have gone straight over my head had I not. Several times I saw references to what had come before and I couldn't imagine NOT having read AaO first. That said, Cry Wolf was very entertaining and an interesting way for a newbie to enter PB's world. 4. One with the Darkness by Susan Squires. This is her latest entry in her companion series, a different take on the whole vampire thing. This was done with a time travel (TT) twist. The book begins and ends in 19th century Italy, but the bulk of it...