It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Yay I finished another book! Now if I only knew who recommended it - if it was you, please give yourself a shout-out. I have resolved to remedy my book recommendations/documentations this year.

UPDATE: It was Patricia of Faith, Trust, and Breast Cancer - thank you Patricia!

Maybe you have noticed that my taste in books is all over the place. Above The Bay Of Angels is one of many books by British author Rhys Bowen, and I found this book to be delightful! It was engaging and satisfying and well written. The plot revolves around a female servant who becomes a cook in the kitchen of Queen Victoria. Although it is fiction, some aspects were based on fact. With our lovely heroine there is a bit of intrigue, some romance, a behind the scenes look at a royal kitchen, and  murder!

Within minutes of finishing Above The Bay Of Angels, I looked on Kindle Unlimited for more books by Rhys Bowen and downloaded The Tuscan Child. I'll start on it this afternoon with a glass of wine!

I am linking along with other bloggers to Kathryn's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Yes it's Monday, and my body is feeling it. Not that we party on the weekends or even get out much - lol -  but I have been sidelined with a cold, and I never catch colds!

Today I am participating in It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by prolific reader Kathryn at The Book Date, where we share what we have read and what is on our future reading list. I am still into "light reading". At some point I will need to read something with more substance, but for now I am content with pleasant, mindless reading. 

Snow Bells Christmas initially attracted me by the cover - covers are pretty important to me! It looked like the perfect read for me around the holidays, and it was. I felt that the main character was more likeable than some have been in recent books. Sylvie is taking a Christmas vacation from her job as a fabric designer. Of course she is coming off a breakup, and of course she rents the perfect house, and of course she meets the man of her dreams almost the minute she hits town, and of course there are some truly silly complications. But the author writes engagingly and without sappiness about Christmas holidays in snow (very attractive to me!), the cozy and friendly small town, and traditional values. I also enjoyed the connection to quilting via the fabric design process rather than the making of the quilt.

Snow Bells Christmas is the first book in the Snow Bells Haven series by De-Ann Black, and I have the second one, Snow Bells Wedding, in my queue. I also picked another book by the author, The Sewing Bee, and those two might be my last light reads for awhile!

Go to Kathryn's linky to find many good suggestions for your future reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Kathryn at The Book Date has drawn me into her weekly book reviews linky party. This fun meet up has a following of avid readers who offer their opinions on diverse genres. It is a different kind of linkup for me, and I'm really enjoying it.

Running Stitches is the second book in the Quilting Cozy series by Carol Dean Jones. I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the first one so much. You can find my review of that one - Tie Died - right here. I actually began making notes for this review while I was reading the book, which is a practice I would like to continue.

In the first book the main character, Sarah Miller, a widow in her 60s, has reluctantly moved to a retirement community. She meets and makes new friends, has a budding romance, learns to quilt, and is involved with the police in solving a murder mystery.

The second book is a continuation of the same storyline, and Sarah is again involved with "helping" the police find an escaped prisoner, Andy, who happens to be a friend of hers and whose fate was determined in Tie Died. Sarah is in contact with Andy several times, and unbelievably has police approval to communicate with him! Andy has a missing daughter and ostensibly escaped to search for her. He has to go into hiding, so Sarah is intent on helping him by finding his daughter.

When she isn't involved with Andy and his problems, she is learning about and making quilt blocks and is making a special quilt for her friend Charles. He is basically the perfect man for her, but she is hesitant to let her feelings deepen because she feels loyal to her late husband (even though he died 20+ years ago!)

Throughout the story are other characters, and there had been indications that the author was going to delve more deeply into some of their lives - one in particular named Ruth. Even though this was done with an awkward jump in the middle of the story, the character is a likable one, and the detour to her backstory actually brought tears to my eyes.

I have difficulty understanding Sarah's loyalty to and affection for her friend Andy. In the first book, the storyline centered around his "death"/disappearance/and eventual conviction of a crime, with Sarah taking risks for him that made no sense to me, especially since his character was so poorly developed. Other than helping Sarah learn how to use a computer and a couple of friendly conversations, there was little to explain her loyalty to him. In this book, she again takes risks for Andy and ultimately assists him in his return to prison with basically no consequences. Yep, it's fiction!

I enjoyed several things about this series, such as the references to quilting, her adorable rescued dog Barney, the town setting with a cute quilt shop, and the camaraderie between the characters. But when I start being annoyed with characters, I can tell it is time for me to stop reading this series!

I am currently into a light read called Snow Bells Christmas by De-Ann Black.

Linking to It's Monday -  What Are You Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I am joining Kate at The Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading? It is fun to read Kate's weekly reviews of books as well as those of others who participate. Thank you for hosting this event, Kate!

I really need to keep a reading journal and write down sources of my reading inspiration. One of you recommended this, and whoever it was - thank you! Sometimes you just need an uncomplicated plot, and this was an easy, light read with likeable characters. I was able to pick it up and put it down without losing track of the storyline.

This is the first book of the author's twelve-book "quilting cozy" series. The main character, Sarah Miller, is a widow who moves into a retirement community. A few years ago I would never have read a book with a premise such as this, but now it attracts me - lol! Sarah is reluctant to make this move initially, for various reasons, but she soon settles into her new life with new friends and even learns to quilt. There is a murder involved and a bit of a mystery, but overall the mood is pretty pleasant, and the reading is easy

The author is Carol Dean Jones, and her writing is a cut above that of many of the lighthearted books I have read. Although there is a resolution, the ending is rather abrupt. I felt that an epilogue was needed, but instead found a prologue that offers explanation in the second book of this "Cozy" series - "Running Stitches". Yes I am reading the second book in the series, so that should tell you I'm not too put off about the abrupt ending of the first - lol! I found the entire series on Kindle Unlimited, so I am delighted to be able to continue reading them at very little cost.

Click on this logo to go read other book reviews for this week!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I am joining Kathryn at The Book Date today for It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

After finishing The Winter Sea, I resumed my re-reading of Tony Hillerman's series of Navajo detective Joe Leaphorn crime novels. Listening Woman is the third in the series and was first published in 1978. The story gets off to an exciting start with Leaphorn being nearly run over by the driver of a car during a routine traffic stop. The driver is wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses, and he is referred to in the book as "Gold Rims".

A view of the Chuska Mountains, often mentioned in Hillerman's novels

As always, I enjoy Hillerman's descriptions of geographical locations in the desert Southwest almost as much as the stories. When I read a book that vividly describes the scenery, I sometimes stop what I’m reading and visit Realtor.com to look for homes there!

Listening Woman is Margaret Cigaret, a blind Navajo who has knowledge of Navajo "sings" and helps people with specific problems in their lives - spiritual and physical. While giving advice to Hosteen Tso about his illness, she walks outside his hogan for a few moments to ponder the situation and returns to find both Tso and his niece dead. Along with these murders and the search for Gold Rims, there is a missing helicopter, a Boy Scout troop being held hostage, and a harrowing 30 hours in a cave to offer many tense moments.

As always I enjoyed Leaphorn's thoughtful method of investigation and how the reader is invited along for the ride. Although he holds deep reverence for the spiritual and sometimes supernatural views of the Navajo people, he employs the logical reasoning of his police training to bring the case to an often surprising conclusion.

I am currently reading Tie Died: A Quilting Cozy, by Carol Dean Jones. It was recommended as a light read by someone whose blog I follow, but I cannot remember who - so if it was you please let me know - I am enjoying it!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

I finished The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley today and wow, I loved it. It was first published in 2008, but I only read about it recently, on one of your blogs, and I'm so glad I did!

This is a book that weaves together two stories, one during the early 1700s during the early stages of the Jacobite rebellion and the other in present day Scotland. The descriptions of the scenery and the weather could not be any more evocative and made me long to live there.

Slains Castle, Aberdeen, Scotland - it's a real place!

Without revealing too much, I will say that this is a little different than the time travel in Outlander but has the same appeal for me. Instead of actual travel, it deals with the ancestral memories of Carrie, a successful historical fiction writer who is visiting Scotland. She decides to relocate there to jump start her next book. While staying in a quaint cottage near the remains of Slains Castle, Carrie finds herself compelled to write, as the story comes alive through the heroine, Sophia, who lived for awhile in Slains Castle. The intimate details of the story seem to spill out of Carrie, and after researching, she finds that the words she has typed are actual facts, including the names she has given her characters.

There is gentle romance in both time timelines, but fortunately no intimate scenes. (I'm no prude, but I don't need to read details about it, I like to use my imagination.) I have to admit, I tend to skim through the history to get to the "real" story, but Kearsley's characters' careful conversations about the politics of the period are rich and entertaining. And there is a very unexpected twist, which I did not see coming!

This book is the first in a series, so I will definitely get the next one, The Firebird!

I am linking to Kathryn's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Each week Kathryn at The Book Date hosts this event to share what you are reading or have read or about to read! Several of you share your latest books on your posts, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. Kathryn gives a brief review of her massive reading list, so it is a great read for me every Monday.

I'm not sure if it was Kathryn or someone on another blog who recommended this book, The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. The description on Amazon drew me in "Fans of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series will devour this hauntingly beautiful tale of love and time travel". Well, yes I am a huge fan of Outlander (the TV series) AND time travel, so yes I had to have it!

My glass of  zin and my iPad!

The main character, Carrie, is an author who is staying near the Slains Castle in Scotland to do research on her latest book. Without revealing too much, let's just say that as she writes, she seems to have an ancestral or genetic memory of her main character, who lives during the first Jacobite uprising. So far I have enjoyed Kearsley's smooth transitions from present day to the past.

Winter Sea is the first book of "The Scottish series", so I am already looking forward to the next one, The Firebird.

Life, Reading, And Happenings

Our back yard redo is still in progress. That's a firepit under the black cover,

all ready for s'mores if it ever turns cold again!

Between soaring heat, drought, and eye surgeries, this summer has been pretty far down on my list of enjoyable summers. But there have been some perks, such as a new pergola in the back yard and reading! Today I am joining with Kathryn of The Book Date for a linkup called "It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" I find Kathryn's blog to be a good source of books I might like to read, and Kathryn offers concise and on-point reviews!

I am currently re-reading Tony Hillerman's series of books featuring Joe Leaphorn, a fictional Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant in Window Rock, Arizona. Along with Leaphorn's murder investigations, Hillerman weaves his respect for Navajo culture in and out of vivid descriptions of Southwest landscapes, a bit of archaeology, and a good mystery. Hillerman shares my love of the mountains, canyons, and mesas of New Mexico and Arizona and makes them a part of the narrative in every chapter!

I am reading the second book of the series, Dance Hall of the Dead. I read most of the series years ago and recently started all over again. My reading is done on my iPad Kindle app in the afternoon with a glass of zinfandel! Although I miss the feel of a book in my hands, the adjustable brightness and font of the iPad makes it much easier for me to read.

Reading the following passage the other day literally gave me goosebumps! It takes place while Leaphorn is surveilling a commune in the cold light of the moon and sees a moving figure, and even Leaphorn "felt the hairs bristling at the back of his neck."

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I am sewing a little bit each day, as my eyes heal and adjust to increased light and clearer vision after cataract surgery! I have 8 rows sewn together, with 7 more to go and should have a finished flimsy this week for the Ruby Star Society Sew-along, and my Indiana Puzzle block pile has stopped growing as I wait for more background fabric to arrive.

During a recent trip to Home Depot, I coveted these plants for next spring!

As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, our back yard is undergoing some changes. We had a pergola installed, and we are in the process of redoing the flower beds behind our house. The plants in the above photo would look great out there!

That's about it for me - what is happening in your world this summer?

I am linking with It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Melva's Sew and Tell

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I love to read in the afternoons with a glass of white zin!

Today I've decided to join Kathryn at The Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a linky to share what you have been reading as well as your plans for future reading.

Many years ago I read a series of mysteries by Tony Hillerman about Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. These books are set in the beautiful southwestern US, an area I have visited many times, so I love reading about this beloved locale. Hillerman lives in New Mexico and writes with a familiar hand about Indian culture and customs, landscapes, and landmarks.

Recently a TV series called Skinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries premiered with the first episode Dark Winds. I was not enthused about the casting and screenwriting, and we decided not to pay for AMC Plus, so I am rereading the books instead.

Original book cover of The Blessing Way

I started with the first book in the series, The Blessing Way, which was published in 1970. There are no cell phones, Google, or online databases for detective work in this book, and although this first book is not as good as the later books in the series, Navajo witches, Anasazi pueblos, petroglyphs, and flawed characters keep it interesting. I had forgotten how much I love these books and am really looking forward to a new journey through this series!

I am linking this post to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?