Quilts and Books

In an effort to show up here a little more often, I'm going to change how I talk about what I read. For the time being, no more "Phyl's Phaves." Maybe some random blathering will be equally useful and less taxing to write. When I left off my Summer Reads post, I was getting ready to listen to Sarah MacLean's  2014 RITA winner, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished . I tried, and quit about 4 chapters in. As much as I wish I could say her books appeal to me, they do not. I can see why they appeal to other readers, and I'm happy that her writing peers awarded her a RITA, but I am not the reader for her. Are they too anachronistic? I don't know. Maybe. But then please tell me... Why am I so enamored of Grace Burrowes and Kristen Ashley ? Burrowes is often accused of historical inaccuracy and Ashley writes a kind of contemporary fantasy that I find very appealing while I simultaneously go, No! That's just nuts! I introduced a friend of mine to Ashley...

March was a most excellent reading month. It was good to catch up on a number of books I'd been wanting to read for a while. Here are the ones I liked best: 5. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs . I know I've said I avoid paranormal these days, but the Mercy Thompson series is one I've always wanted to read-- I've heard so many good things about it. It turns out we actually drove through the Tri-Cities in Washington , where these books take place, on our way home from Oregon last summer. We camped a bit to the north of the city and below is one of my pictures of the sunset from our campsite. So while we didn't actually stop and spend time there, I have some sense of the terrain of the area which I think helped my enjoyment of the book. I've already gone on to read the second book, Blood Bound , and I like the way Briggs has created her world, slowly revealing details across the books. I love Mercy--her independence, her determination, and her sense of humor. Ther...

5.  Crossing Oceans  by Gina Holmes. This was available as a free Kindle download back in November and I decided to give it a try. This is not a romance (although there is a bittersweet romantic element). Holmes is a Christian inspirational novelist, and Crossing Oceans  was her debut in 2010. It's the story of Jenny, a single mother to a 5-year old girl. Jenny has learned that she has incurable cancer, so she takes her daughter and moves back to her father's to find a new home for little Isabella. She has two choices--her own father, from whom she has been estranged since she became pregnant; or David, her daughter's father who never knew anything about Isabella. Jenny has some fences to mend. Jenny is not always likable, but I think that made her human and realistic. She's dying, doesn't always feel well, and has a lot of ground to make up in the short time left to her. I enjoyed this book that was well outside what I normally read these days. 4.  Kill Shot ...

I feel as if I should subtitle this post "Large Print and my Treadmill." Because that's how so many old Nora Roberts titles ended up on my December reading list and how 2 of those wound up as Phaves. Bear with me while I explain. In the recent past when I've been looking for an older title it has not been unusual for me to find it in my library's large print section. It's where I found a copy of Judith Ivory's The Proposition (see #3). I've always known that my daily treadmill time is much more enjoyable if I can read while I walk. But I really need ideal lighting conditions to walk while I read a paperback. When I figured out that a large print book is easiest on my eyes I went to the library and began browsing the large print shelves and discovered a whole section of old Nora Roberts titles (late '80s). I grabbed half a dozen and brought them home. What fun to discover these old categories. I'm hoping to go back and find old Linda Howard or ...

All-in-all, November was a pretty good month. Thanksgiving weekend was extremely quiet with only 3 of us here at home. I left the house for no more than 20 minutes on Black Friday, just long enough to pick up my Daily Diet Coke. Bring on Christmas. I'm ready! 5.5. I have to give a shout-out to "Christmas Promise," a novella by Carla Kelly appearing in the anthology A Regency Christmas (2009). Another wonderful story by the awesome Carla Kelly. Not everyone can pull off the format of telling a complete story in 100 pages, but Kelly can. A war-weary naval captain reunites with a woman he had always loved and never thought to have. 5. Broken Hero by Anne Whitfield . I started the month reading this ebook that I'd had on my PDA for ages. The book is set along the Yorkshire coast of England during WWII and involves a family that is allowing their home to be used by the British Army as a convalescent home for soldiers suffering from what we would probably now label as PTS...

5. Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips . This is an SEP "classic" as it was originally published in 1987 and republished to coincide with the release of her latest book, What I Did for Love . The new book is set a generation later and one of the characters is a daughter of the h/h in GB. GB is more of a women's fiction book with strong romantic elements than a straightforward romance. I've noticed that some bloggers/commenters really do not like GB. I, however, found it to be quite a page-turner and loved the story of Fleur as she comes into her own and learns to stand up for herself. For a "contemporary" that's over 20 years old, it wears very well. 4. Fragile by Shiloh Walker . This is the first book I've read by Ms. Walker. This was a really interesting romantic suspense about a social worker with a brutal past and an ER doctor who gets to know her when she has to bring clients (abused children) into the hospital. Devon is attracted to Luke...

There are no words. None at all. Absolutely, hands down, this one is my favorite of the series so far. 'Nuf said.

Well, here's where I spent last weekend--my butt firmly attached to this chair and this year I actually got to use both of my machines! My roommates, B&L, spent more time off talking or eating, so they weren't at our table much; without them for a distraction, I was able to focus and get a fair bit done. On Friday I finished quilting the tree skirt Oma left unquilted, and I got the binding sewn to the front, too. That's ready for me to whip stitch in front of the TV one of these days. On Saturday I did the wolf quilt seen here. I am so psyched about how it turned out. I'm going to take it to a framer tomorrow and hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg to be framed. I just think it would look a little more sophisticated in a frame instead of bound and hung the normal way. I'll post a better picture once I get it in the frame. On Sunday I finally started the 2 new purses I've wanted to make. I quilted the panel pieces and I can start assembling them when...