Dudes22 Ses Up Her 2014 Reading

Right after I set up my 13 challenge, I thought of a theme, so for my 14 challenge, I’m going to use quilting and quilt blocks for my categories. I’m setting it up based around various quilt blocks. Many quilt blocks have meanings although there are sometimes different meanings for the same block and sometimes different names for the same block. There were a lot which were used during the Civil War to tell runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad which houses would be safe to stop at with sympathetic owners, for example. I don’t know a lot about the meanings of various blocks so I’m interpreting them in my own way. I’ve even left a few fairly wide open to give myself some leeway in my reading and for CATS that don't fit my categories.

I’m going to have fourteen categories and try for 7 books in each category. I’m also going to try and make one of the quilt blocks each month from one of my categories so that I’ll have enough blocks at the end of the year for a quilt. This is known as a sampler quilt. And I'll post the picture at the end of the month. And as busy as December usually is, I’m going to try and at least get them set and put together by the end of the year so I can post a picture of what they look like when put together for the top, although I know I won’t have time to have it quilted. I think I’m going to be using Christmas colors/patterns although I haven’t picked out the exact fabrics yet.

**All my pictures came from Google images. If you want to see more/variations of the blocks I’ve chosen, put in “Block Name quilt block” and you can see some of the many ways these blocks can be used. Changing the direction or colors can often give a quilt a very different look.

Category 1: 2 of 7 read - Log Cabin
Category 2: 1 of 7 read - Chimneys & Cornerstones
Category 3: 2 of 7 read - Pineapple
Category 4: 2 of 7 read - Bow Tie
Category 5: 2 of 7 read - Sunbonnet Sue
Category 6: 2 of 7 read - New York Beauty
Category 7: 2 of 7 read - Dutchman's Puzzle
Category 8: 2 of 7 read - Mariner's Compass
Category 9: 3 of 7 read - Bear Tracks
Category 10: 3 of 7 read - Nine Patch
Category 11: 3 of 7 read - Weathervane
Category 12: 2 of 7 read - Grandmother's Flower Garden
Category 13: 2 of 7 read - Woven Ribbons
Category 14: 2 of 7 read - Tic Tac Toe

Paper: 23
E-Book: 3
Library: 3
Overdrive: 1

Pre-2014: 25
2014: 1
Library: 4

GEO CAT:
Jan
Feb - The Pyramid by Ismail Kadare
Mar - In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Apr - Briar Rose by Jane Youlden
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

MYSTERY CAT:
Jan - (detective) Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippman
Feb - (series) Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Mar - (YA) - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
Apr - (Nordic) - The Bat by Jo Nesbo
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

RANDOM CAT:
Jan - Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman - book with doorway/arch
Feb - children's literature
Mar - Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg - book w/bird on cover
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Category 1: Log Cabin Block – This block is representative of the home. I read somewhere that a red square was placed in the center to represent the hearth which was often the center of the home. Books chosen for this category will have titles that are family oriented – mother, father, sister, aunt, home, family, etc.

1. Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg (finished 3/14, TBR)
2. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (finished 4/14, TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
The Headhunter's Daughter by Tamar Myers
The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage

Category 2: Chimneys and Cornerstones - This is a variation on the log cabin block. Since chimneys and cornerstones are tactile/actual things, I’ll be using this for non-fiction books.

1. Shelf Life by Suzanne Strempek Shea (finished 1/14; library)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr
Glass, Paper, Beans by Leah Hager

Category 3: Pineapple Block – This is another variation of the log cabin block. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality and friendliness and nothing's friendlier than food shared. I’ll be using this category for books/titles about food.

1. Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippman (finished 1/14; TBR)
2. Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio (finished 3/14, nook)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
Rosemary Remembered by Susan Wittig Albert
Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Category 4: Bow Tie Block - Since this block looks like a man’s bow tie, I’ll be choosing books by male authors for this category. One of my verrrry open categories.

1. The Pyramid by Ismail Kadare (finished 2/14; TBR)
2. The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932 by Jim Fergus (finished 3/14; TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Category 5: Sun Bonnet Sue – This category will be used for female authors. My other verrrry open category.

1. Something Old, Something New by Beverly Jenkins (finished 1/14; library)
2. The Shortest Distance Between Two Women by Kris Radish (finished 3/14; TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Category 6: New York Beauty – This is another block which can have many variations and produce many different looks. This category will be for New York authors as I find them using the author profiles in LT. If the profile mentions NY as a residence, that’s good enough for me.

1. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg (finished 4/14; TBR)
2. The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker (finished 4/14; TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:

Category 7: Dutchman’s Puzzle – I’ll be using this category for mysteries.

1. In the Woods by Tana French (finished 2/14; TBR)
2. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (finished 3/14; Nook)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:

Category 8: Mariner’s Compass Block – A mariner’s compass is a navigational aid consisting of a pivoted compass card that rotates so 0 degrees north points toward magnetic north (or so it says in the dictionary if I read it right). I’ll be using this category for books with a place in the title that is not the USA.

1. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (finished 2/14; TBR)
2. China Trade by S.J. Rozan (finished 4/14; library)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor

Category 9: Bear Tracks – This is supposed to look like a bear paw. I’ll be using this category for books/titles about animals.

1. The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton (finished 3/14; TBR)
2. In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (finished 3/14; TBR)
3. The Bat by Jo Nesbo (finished 4/14; nook)
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Category 10: Nine Patch & Variations – The nine patch block is a simple enough block; in its simplest form it is 3 rows of 3 blocks each but there are many, many variations which can give a quilt many different looks. I’ll be using this category for books with numbers in the title.

1. The Eight by Katherine Neville (finished 2/14, TBR)
2. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (finished 3/14; TBR)
3. 7th Heaven by James Patterson (finished 3/14; TBR)
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais

Category 11: Weathervane Block – I'm going to use this for books with titles that have weather related words in the title (i.e. clouds, sky, rain, etc)

1. In This Rain by S. J. Rozan (finished 3/14, TBR)
2. The Girl Who Remembered Snow by Charles Mathes (finished 3/14; TBR)
3. A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Category 12: Grandmother’s Flower Garden – This is made from many hexagons which are supposed to look like flowers. Books with flower words in the titles or about gardens, etc will be put here.

1. Dandelions in a Jelly Jar by Traci DePree (finished 3/14; TBR)
2. Briar Rose by Jan Yolen (finished 4/14, TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert

Category 13: Woven Ribbons – I'm going to use this category for books/titles about crafts.

1. The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (finished 2/14; TBR)
2. Quilt As Desired by Arlene Sachitano (finished 4/14; TBR)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
Needles and Pearls by Gil McNeil

Category 14: Tic Tac Toe Block – If you look at this a certain way, you could say this is a variation of a nine-patch block. I’ll be using this category for YA and children’s books.

1. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman (finished 1/18; TBR)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Potential Reads:
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
The Mysterious Benedict Society & Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

Well there it is - ambitious in reading and in quilting. As usual - I'll be trying to read from my TBR pile. But I've also downloaded the app so I can get ebooks from the library and hope to use this to fill in gaps in my series. I reserve the right to move things around or abandon potential reads based on CAT challenges. I'll be starting on Jan 1 but will be checking in here on and off before then. I'd like to say I'll post covers this year, but I need hubby's laptop for that, so we'll see.

Wow! That's pretty impressive! But I do love the idea of making the block of each and then having a quilt at the end of the year. I keep meaning to try machine quilting, but the complexity of the blocks and the precision required keeps putting it off.

The hexagons make me shiver. I started sewing hexagons together to make a cushion while in college. it grew and 20 years later I finally finished a double bed spread - entirely by hand. Not doing that again in a hurry!

Great to see you here, Betty. I love the quilt patterns!

Its a wonderful idea and you will always have a physical reminder of your reading. Very nice!

Great theme! The quilting blocks look so pretty! Looking forward to see what you're reading and quilting :)

Helen - I give you a lot of credit for doing hexagons- that will be one of the 2 blocks I don't do :)

Judi - Thanks for stopping in.

Max - It could still end up in the "UFO" club. (Unfinished objects) I hope I'm not being too ambitious.

Rabbit - Thanks. I've been saving this idea since about 5 seconds after I posted my 13 challenge.

Wow, what a creative and ambitious challenge! Please do post pictures of your quilting progress...would love to see how it shapes up throughout the year! :)

Your quilted theme is amazing, Betty! Absolutely love it! Great categories and you have done a wonderful job connecting the quilting to the category. Of all of you category images, I love Woven Ribbons the best.

I had a lot if fun setting this up (and a whole year). I narrowed it down based on those blocks that I could find patterns in the same size block to make it easier. Still have some work to do picking fabrics but I am looking forward to my challenge both reading and sewing.

My only quilting experience was a lap quilt for a 4-H leader, a beautiful lady who gave large amounts of time and love to kids. The idea of quilting really appeals to my left brain love of puzzles and patterns but I haven't had time to devote to it. Maybe when I retire. I'll have lots of catching up to do!

Of the titles you mention, I congratulate you on discovering the Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn. Enjoy!

I LOVE IT!

I love the quilting theme. I'll be checking back in to see how you fill the categories.

What a lovely set of categories! So creative.

What a creative theme - in more than one sense. Looking forward to following along.

Isn't fun to incorporate one love with another - reading and quilting who would have guessed!

I feel like I'm repeating everyone's comments but I love your theme and I can't wait to see the finished quilt!

>29 mamzel:-35: Thank you all for stopping in. I am excited about my challenge for next year. I've been going through my fabric stash trying to decide which fabrics to use and where to put them in each block so the final quilt looks balanced. Once I get it figured out, I'll be posting a photo of my focus fabric that I'll be building my quilt around.

Later today, I'm hoping to finish a baby quilt I need in 2 weeks. Next year I need a baby quilt for Jan and 2 for Apr.

And I'm hoping to catch up with the threads that have been added since I last had time to sit and see what people are doing next year. So overall a busy Sunday.

I just realized that the title of my thread is wrong!!!
smacking head on table - multiple times
What a doofus I am. It's supposed to say "Sews" - Dudes22 Sews up her reading." And you were all so polite to not mention it. And now I'm stuck with it for a whole year.

Whoa, I didn't notice it either! My brain just filled in the gap with a T, as in "sets up her reading". We could make lots of posts and trigger the thread continuation feature before the new year ;)

Thanks rabbit, but that's ok. It will teach me to double, triple check.

My two favourite things, reading and quilting. I would never have thought to combine them - great idea. I look forward to seeing how it goes (the sewing and the reading).

I didn't notice that typo either - my brain filled in something, whether it was a W or a T, I can't say. :)

I certainly added a T in the middle there. But a W would have been so much smarter. D'oh!

It's not too late to just start a new thread and let this one fall off the bottom of the page. I would look the other way.

I didn't even notice the error in the title for the thread. Consider it your warmup thread.... if you want, we can be super chatty and move you towards a second thread. Or, like mamzel mentioned, you can choose to close this thread and start a new one... we will follow you!

Love your themes and the quilt blocks - looking forward to watching the quilt progress next year!

Thanks for the ideas, but - No - I think I'll stay here. I've heard/read in a number of places, that the Amish used to put a mistake in every quilt they made because only God is perfect. So I'll leave it as it is and hope my blocks come out ok.

Hubby's laptop is doing the death spiral (keeps losing the wifi connection for the most part) and the guy at the place he takes it says not worth fixing again so time for a new one. So looks like we'll be looking around for a new one. I'm not real good with change - still trying to understand some of the new stuff on my IPad with IOS7. So the thought of getting used to a new laptop (unless we get the same kind) is unsettling. Hopefully, I'll get enough time to practice before I need to post pictures here for my challenge since I usually use his laptop to store and post pictures.

Great theme! Too bad about the laptop but they do eventually die.

@ 46 -- What a great Amish practice! And it ties in with your theme too. :)

Like you,I don't like it when technology decides to finally pack it in and call it a day. Good luck with the decision on the new laptop!

I love how you have taken lemons (your typo) and make lemonaide (your wonderful info about the Amish quilts)!

Those quilting squares are pretty. There are a few there I recognize from the ones we had around that my grandmother had made.

Looking forward to following your reading. There are a few books that you already have listed that I've been eyeing, so it will be good to find out whether to add them to my wishlist or not.

Just dropped in to say that I love the theme! Will await pics....

One of the quilting magazines I receive came yesterday and had an article in it highlighting a bunch of authors that write "quilt-related fiction". I haven't read the article yet, but I don't recognize a bunch of the authors, so this could be dangerous to my wishlists.

Lots of folks starting to add their threads and lots of interesting reading will be going on next year. I really don't know how some of you keep up and participate in so many groups. I have trouble just keeping up with 2. Maybe in 15, by which time I'll done with working and have some more time, I'll think about another group.

Betty, you'll have to share a list of the authors or at least tell us which quilting magazine so we can track down the article which might be dangerous to our wish lists as well!

A bit late to the thread, but I love your theme! So creative, and great categories! :))

The article was in the Dec/Jan issue of "Quilter's Newsletter" and there is a more extensive list on their web site.

I know pretty much everybody has said this already, but I really love your theme, can't wait to see how your quilt turns out :)

Thanks Britt - I'm getting pretty excited to start.

I thought I would try posting a picture of my focus fabric for next year's quilt to make sure I can post the pictures of the blocks once they are done.

ETA: Not really happy with this picture. Maybe I should have tried to get even closer so some of the gold accents show up in the fabric. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Very nice - will you be using that fabric in each of the blocks, or only as sashing & borders? I love the colors.

I think it's going to be in each block in varying amounts and will be the border also. This picture has shown me that I need to see if I can get better light to take the block pictures.

What a lovely challenge and what an attractive challenge thread, Betty!

Thanks - I'm getting pretty excited about it. Of course I have multiple quilting projects that really deserve to get finished before I start another one. Somehow I'll have to fit it all in. I'm hoping to start cutting out fabric for the first block or two the weekend before New Year's.

I used to quilt. I liked foundation piecing and string quilts, but what I am really good at is applique, the harder the better!

Alas, not something I can do any time soon. . . :-( So I will live vicariously through you...

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Thanks for stopping by. A couple of the blocks I've chosen for next year will probably be foundation pieced, but I decided to avoid applique in the interest of time management. So most of them will be machine pieced.

WAYYYYY behind on threads. But a snow day today and I decided yesterday to take it off as a personal day since I hate to drive in the snow. So I'm sitting here with my coffee catching up on last year's threads and this year's threads. Still have holiday stuff to put away and later I'm planning to cut out the fabric for my first block. And trying to figure out how to borrow ebooks from the library.

OH almost forgot - Happy New Year to all.

I have been watching the weather reports for back east so glad to see you have a snow day and don't have to be out facing that weather. Snow days are a perfect excuse to stay indoors and read or surf LT.

Tremendous idea, not only a great premise, but a fab reminder of the year at the end. Quilting for me is a very emotive topic, my Granny made quilts, my Mum has too. I have my own one (just need to finish the backing) which I made out of random fabric with special meaning for me - old pillow case, an old dress, etc. I had no idea that the patterns had the significance that you have written about, I just copied the ones I saw Mum and Granny do.

Great books you have lined up as well, all for the wintry weather!

I wish I could take a snow day! It looks like Cammykitty gets a "it's colder than . . . " day Monday. It was announced the all the schools will be closed due to the cold temps, the high is supposed to be around -15 here in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

I can't wait to see what you do with that fabric!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Happy New Year to you, too! Very cold with lots of snow here. Good time for getting some undisturbed reading in.

Yikes! -15 Brrr! We woke up to -4 today which is a lot colder than we usually get here because we're on the coast.

BRRR, Betty. It's supposed to be -2 here Monday. I think that will be the first time the temps have dipped below 0 since I moved here. I had colder temps in Ohio. I may actually have to pull out my heavy winter coat.

Today is my 6 year Thingaversary so I'm celebrating by spending my Christmas gift cards on a few purchases. I have a bunch of books in my "Recommended LT" collection that have been book bullets from other threads here and the ER books, and I've decided to get a few of those and the fill in a few from series I'm reading. Some I'll order and I think I'll take a trip to the bookstore to get the rest later today.

My plan is to get:
The Seasons on Henry's Farm by Terra Brockman - recommended by Lori (Thornton37814)
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork - recommended by Judi (DeltaQueen)
Gods in Alabama by Joshlyn Jackson - recommended by Kay (RidgewayGirl)
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill - many people talking about this series. Just what I need - another series
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny - another series book I need
A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch - another series book I need
To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming - another series book I need

So the bad thing is that by having a Thingaversary in Jan, my TBR already has more books than at the end of the year. Some I'm going to try and fit into this year's challenge, but some may go into the TBR for the future.

Perfect. One for each year and one to grow on. My sixth Thingamaversary is next month and I'm already excited about choosing seven books!

Happy Thingversary! Marcelo in the Real World is excellent (and not a series). I hope you will enjoy Dr. Siri and his friends. Way to jump start another year.

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy the Louise Penny :)

Happy Thingaversary, Betty. That's a great list of books you are planning on. Enjoy Marcelo In the Real World when you get to it. Meanwhile, stay warm.

Hope you enjoy the Brockmann book.

Thanks guys! I'm always seeing great recommendations here.

Belated Happy Thingaversary, Betty! That's a nice list of books you came up with to celebrate!

Happy Thingaversary! I never even think of that! Oh, well I will have to wait until October now. . .

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

There's something to be said for having a Thingaversary later in the year. I don't seem to feel as bad adding books to my TBR later in the year when I hit the library sales as I do when I buy books at the beginning for my Thingaversary. But then again - I'd never be able to hold into those gift cards til later in the year anyway.

Just beginning to poke around the threads here at the new place. The quilt idea is very creative, and I loved the little bits of info you provided - The Underground Railway and the Amish practice. Also, happy Thingaversary, of course!

Happy Thingaversary! Mine's not until May, but I absolutely intend to splurge then. :) Great haul!

Lovely Thingaversery haul, Betty!

Well - I've finally finished my first book for this year.

Book 1: Shelf Life by Suzanne Strempek Shea
Category: Chimneys and Cornerstones - non-fiction
Cats: None

Memoir-style book about the year that Ms Shea spent working in a bookstore while recovering for cancer. I found it a very interesting look at a small independent bookstore and how it was succeeding in a mall that was mostly empty storefronts. Written in 2004, it is a little dated. She barely touches on ebooks since they hadn't really taken off yet. But still a good read. And I tried not to take any book bullets from all the titles she mentions.

Not sure what's taken me so long to get going this year. I've only started one of my planned reads for a Cat this month. Hopefully I'll find a little more time to be reading.

I think 2014 arrived rather quickly. Christmas 2013 felt early, and then the next thing we knew it was 2014! Hope you get back in the reading groove soon; it's so frustrating when one isn't reading at the pace one would like!

Book 2: Something Old, Something New by Beverly Jenkins
Category: Sunbonnet Sue - women authors
CATS - none

Third in the Blessings series about a woman who buys a town in Kansas and brings some children and foster families to live there. In this book Lily and Trent are planning to marry and just want a simple wedding, but Bernadine wants a big shindig. Lots of goings on in all the families. If you're a fan of the Jan Karon Mitford series, you'll like this series of feel-good books.

I'm just sitting her wondering how you buy a town? Do you start with a ghost town? Or do you find land just outside the urban sprawl line?

Happy belated Thingaversary. Nice book list. I love Louise Penny's series; it's one of my favourites. I've also heard good things about Colin Cotterill and plan to try his series sometime.

Didn't Kim Basinger buy a town and then have it all end badly?

Kay - that sounds vaguely familiar.

Katie - I think the town was basically bankrupt and advertised that they wanted someone to buy the town (i.e. Take care of all the bills.)

Paulina - thanks. I decided to get most of them as ebooks so I could read them on vacation, but I still need to get to the bookstore for a couple that I'd rather have in print.

Just checking in here, Betty. I feel like I'm way behind because life got in the way this week.

Well, thanks for taking the time to stop in Lori. I've had a few RL issues myself this year and sometimes get behind here.

Book 3: Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
Category - Tic Tac Toe Block - YA and Children's Books
CATS: January Random

Taking place near the end of WWII and while India was still under British rule, fifteen-year-old Vidya lives a good life with her family until a tragedy strikes and she and her family are forced to move in with her father's relatives where she is treated quite poorly. The women live on the first floor of the house while the men live upstairs. However, her grandfather allows her to "climb the stairs" to use his library where she keeps her dream of college alive.

Geared toward the YA audience, I still found a lot to like in this book. I picked it for the Random because of the doorway on the coverage and the book does show a transition in the main character.

Betty, Climbing the Stairs sound interesting. Looks like my local library has it.

Hi Betty! I somehow managed to miss your thread until now, but I'm all caught up! The Blessings series sounds like it would be a nice comfort read. I'll have to keep an eye out for it!

Since we're at the last weekend of the month, I thought I'd post a picture of my first block. This is a log cabin block and I've put my focus fabric in the middle of the block surrounded by some of the other fabrics I've chosen for the quilt.

That's gorgeous! I think I detect a Christmas theme going on there. I love those shades of red and green.

So pretty! I think I might have some of your focus fabric in my stash.

Beautiful! Love the transition from light to dark across the square!

Love the quilt block!

Love the quilt block! You did an amazing job matching the colors in the focus fabric! It makes me want to get out some fabric and start a quilt!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Love the quilt block.

@91-93 & you're right about Kim Bassinger - wikipedia says she bought a town in Georgia for 20 million intending to make it a tourist attraction, and yes, it went very badly. Guess she had to go make some more movies after that.

Your quilt block is beautiful, Betty. I think quilting is such an art and I am really looking forward to seeing how this one develops over the year.

Oooo - log cabin block - I love it! I've got a bucket list of quilts I want to make, and log cabin is definitely one of them. Can't wait to see what you do next.

Well I'm impressed, it's beautiful. Love the colors.

Thank you everyone. I have a few projects in the works, but one block a month doesn't take up too much time. Now to decide which block to make for next month!

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Betty, you'll have to teach the rest of us how to quilt.

What a lovely quilt block!

Thank you. Thank you.

I'm mostly self-taught Lori. I took the required home-ec courses when I was in middle school and did some dress sewing then mostly quit sewing until my sisters started having kids and I decided to try quilting to make them baby quilts. If you can use a sewing machine and take your time, it's not too hard to start. Lots of straight lines. Oh - and you need to be able to read and follow directions ;) who was it? Lori? Who was making herself a couple of tops last year without a pattern. See - that's not me. And I ramble when I should be posting my next book.

Book 4: Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippmann
Category - Pineapple Block - food title/theme
CATS: January Mystery - Detective

The third book in the Tess Monaghan series, this one has Tess opening her own detective agency. One of her first clients is just out of jail for shooting a kid in the back and he wants her to find the other kids that may have seen what happened hoping to clear his name. The other is a woman hoping to find a daughter she gave up for adoption. For someone opening her own business, Tess struck me at times as rather inept at her job, looking to others to do the work for her or tell her what to do next. I'll continue reading the series to see if it gets better before I decide whether to continue or not.

Ha, ha - I can sew tops and large fabric pieces together but I get all messed up if I have to deal with small pieces that have to fit together properly and lie flat! How does that saying go "measure twice, cut once?"..... yah, even I can manage to screw that up and come up with uneven seams, which is why I always cut tops extra long. That way, if the seams don't match up (because I always sew top-down) I just shorten the top. Hems also hit a multitude of mistakes. ;-)

Do you quilt by hand or machine?

Lori - I recently decided to make a baby quilt based on a picture I saw in a catalogue. I figured it looked so easy I didn't need to buy the pattern. I figured it out on paper so that I had a size I liked and which would be the right size once I added the borders. However....I forgot to add the amount I needed for the seam allowances before I cut my strips and the inside was smaller than I wanted. I ended up adding a strip on (and luckily it looked ok) so I know the "measure once, cut twice" and then re measure and re-cut problem quite well. I put a BIG note to add seam allowances on the page where I wrote my measurements so I wouldn't forget again

Traci - I quilt by machine. Couple of reasons. I usually make smaller quilts like table runners or baby quilts and I figure if they're going to be used and be going in the wash, I'm not going to be hand quilting. If I have a quilt that I think is more than I want to tackle, I usually take it to a long-arm quilter to have done. Maybe someday I'll try some hand quilting, who knows?

January Summary:

I've had a disappointing month, reading-wise. Only 4 books - 2 from the library and 2 from the TBR pile. I'm still reading the chunkster I started in Dec but will probably finish it later this weekend and I'm still reading my Jan Geo Cat book. I'm looking forward to starting the Feb Cats and we're off on vacation at the end of Feb which will help me catch up.

Hurray for upcoming vacation! Hope you have a great reading month :)

I've had a long-arm for about 10 years now, and I do love it, but I felt for a long time that I had to quilt for other people to make it worth the expense and the massive amount of space it takes up. It sort of sucks a lot of the joy out of it because there's so much stress when you're quilting someone else's tops - what if the needle breaks and I tear the fabric or they don't like the finished result for some reason- you know? I was just a ball of nerves when I was doing it. So, now I just quilt for me. But I love the process of hand quilting. It's really relaxing, unless you're in a hurry.

Boy Traci - that's great. Now that they have some smaller long-arms, I've considered getting one, but I'm not sure where I'd even put it. I understand how that could cause you stress. I confess I went over to stalk your profile and checked out your gallery of pictures In case there was a quilt picture and saw that picture of your son's quilt. One of the first quilts I made was a Bargello quilt and for years the top just sat because I didn't feel I could quilt it with what I wanted on it. I finally decided it was worth the cost to take it to a professional quilter. At the time I belonged to a quilt guild and there was a lady who did that in the group and I had seen some of the quilting she had done for others, so I took it to her. She was great listening to what my idea was for the quilting and it came out wonderfully.

Yes Rabbit - hurray for vacation. This year a week and a half of sitting under a talapa (sp?)on a beach and reading.

Finally finished the chunkster I started a couple of weeks before the beginning of the year.

Book 5: The Eight by Katherine Neville
Category: Nine Patch & Variations - books with numbers in the title
CATS: None

This books was not only long, there were a lot of characters and intrigues and places and relationships to keep track of. And although I enjoyed the book, I'm pretty sure there was a lot I missed. The center of the story is a chess set which was once owned by Charlemagne and it was thought that whoever could reassemble the pieces would have unlimited power. There are two stories - one which takes place during the French Revolution and one which takes place in 1972. I'm sure that if I had a better understanding of the French Revolution, I might have understood the character relationships better even though I recognized a lot of the names. Now that I've finished, I think I would enjoy reading it better the second time around even if some of the surprises wouldn't be surprises. There's also a second book which I have in my TBR pile to get to sometime.

During the French Revolution, the pieces of the chess set (which have been hidden in an abby in France) are sent with the novices and nuns from the abby and scattered. Two of the novices take their pieces to Paris where they get involved in the intrigues of the French Revolution.

Meanwhile in 1972 - when Catherine Velis is sent to Algeria by her company- she is asked to recover some of the pieces which are rumored to be hidden in that country.

By the end of the book, I was really enjoying this. Should probably have saved it for a vacation when I could have given it more attention.

Congratulations on completing the chunkster.

Book 6: Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Category: Nine Patch & Variations - books with numbers in the title
CATS: February Mystery - Series

Catching up with another in the Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series. Still lots of fun.

Book 7: The Pyramid by Ismail Kadare
Category: Bow Ties - male authors
CATS: February GEO - Middle East & North Africa

A fictionalized account of the building of Cheops' pyramid at Giza. Cheops, who at first announced his intention to not have pyramid, is persuaded by his court to build one. The years of planning, the years of building, the effect on the people of Egypt, and the political power and intrigue are all part of this slim novel (161 pages).

"The eleven thousand three hundred and seventy-fourth stone was laid during the second moon after the eclipse. It took a little more time to install than the previous one but caused fewer deaths."

Book 8: The Kalahari Typing School For Men by Alexander McCall Smith
Category: Mariner's Compass - travel
CATS - none

The 4th in the Ladies' Dectective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe has new problems to solve. A rival detective agency is opening in town and her assistant wants to find a husband.

Book 9: The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Category: Woven Ribbons - books/titles about crafts
CATS: none

Book 4 in the Elm Creek Quilters series, this is my favorite book so far.

As Sylvia is leaving a speaking engagement at a quilter's guild meeting, a woman approaches her and asks her to look at a quilt that she thinks may be a connection between them. This prompts Sylvia to search the attics when she returns to Elm Creek Manor and she finds three quilts and a memoir written by her great-grandfather's sister telling of her life between 1853 and 1859, although she didn't write it until 1895.

Elm Creek Manor is in Pennsylvania and the memoir tells of how Sylvia's ancestors became involved in the Underground Railroad and how quilts were used as signals to tell runaway slaves that the house was sympathetic and would provide them with a place to stay on their way to Canada.

Part of the premise of all the books so far has been that Sylvia has always wished she knew more about her ancestors and the memoir gives her some answers that she has been looking for.

The Runaway Quilt is one of my favorites in the series!

Well I still have a few more in my TBR and I might read another one later this year.

You might like The Last Runaway as the main character gets a lot of joy and relaxation from quilting.

Thanks for the info - I have a couple of her books in my TBR already, but not that one. I'll keep it in mind.

For those who are following my quilting adventures this year: Here's my block for the month of February. It's the Woven Ribbons block.

Lots of stuff going on. I decided to leave my job (I'd say "retired" but there's no cash) and Fri was my last day. Hubby and I leave on vacation on Tues for 9 days in the sun and after the winter we've had ( and it's not as bad as some, I know), I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to have some good reading time and some rest.

Love the colours in that block quilt square! Very cheerful!

Have a great vacation! The colors in the quilt are quite lovely.

Lovely block! I especially like the deep green fabric across the middle.

Enjoy your vacation, Betty.

Wishing you a happy vacation!

I applaud your courage at leaving your job. Will you be looking for a new one when you get back?

Enjoy the holiday!

Long story mamzel, but no. I retired a while ago from the military so I have an income from that. This time it's time for hubby and I to spend some time together, traveling, etc. We're also thinking of moving maybe.

Thanks all for the vacation wishes, everybody. Been busy today running around; think I have everything packed. Won't finish the book I'm reading tonight, so it stays home and I'll finish it next month.

Bon voyage! I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing vacation!

Have a great holiday!!

Hope you enjoy your vacation!

Enjoy having time to do the things you want to do!

Thank you all. Except for bad internet connections, it's been great so far. So short posts for now.

Book 10: In the Woods by Tana French
Category - Dutchman's Puzzle - mysteries

I had heard good things about this book before, and when rabbitprincess gave it 5 stars and others chimed in about how good it was, I decided to make this the book for the plane on the way to vacation. It was a wonderful recommendation.

This could have been a much shorter, cut-and-dried kind of mystery book, but the descriptions she gives gave it a much lusher feeling for me. I'm looking forward to her next one.

Betty, I found the next one in that series rather implausible (to me) but the third and fourth were excellent, perhaps even better than In the Woods. (It is a series in a rather loose sense, as the books tend to focus on different characters on the police force.)

I do like Tana French's writing and if you are happy with her lush style in this one, you're sure to enjoy the next few books as well, I think.

Terri & Eva - I have the next in my TBR at home and I'm not sure what category it would fit into this year, so it may wait til next ( or at least way later this year). But I do intend to continue with the series.

Book 11: The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
Category: Bear Tracks - books/titles with animals

A pleasant enough (although somewhat superficial) fictional story about the mobile library program in Kenya. Librarian Fiona Sweeney decides to leave her life in New York to take a temporary consultant's job as a mobile librarian in Kenya. On a two-week rotation, she travels by camel to various villages to bring books to the people who live there. The story is told in alternating views of the people of one of the villages she visits - about the books, their lives, and the effect Fiona and the bookmobile have on them.

Book 12: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Category: Dutchman's Puzzle - mysteries

The mystery in this 3rd book of the Three Pines mystery series sort-of takes a backseat to the furthering of the background of Armand Gamache and also the Arnot turmoil within the Surete. But a few surprises and I look forward to seeing where this series will continue.

ETA: I think for most series I read, by the time book 3 comes along, I become "annoyed" ( not the right word but all I can think of right now) - maybe incredulous ? - that there could be so many murderers in such a little town. And how many characters can be killed off? So I usually like the 3rd book somewhat less than the first two of any series. At this point I just have to accept and read on or abandon the series.

LOL your reaction to the number of murders occurring in such a small town! Yes, one has to accept the fiction for what it is. Have you ever seen the British murder mystery series, Midsomer Murders? They are currently on season 16 for that series, and the murders continue to abound. ;-)

Cabot Cove put up with 12 seasons of Murder She Wrote. I think if there were that many murders people would have started to move out in droves!

I haven't seen the British series, but I do remember the Cabot Cove series although I didn't watch it. I guess some of it is that I can't believe the author kills off potentially interesting characters right at the beginning of a series (and someone has to be the murderer too) Of course - someone has to go...:)

Maybe some poor stranger who just wanders through the town...

Mamzel - yes - I'd certainly think about leaving.

Yes, I also found the number of murders in Three Pines unrealistic, but as Lori points out, it's nothing compared to Midsomer! In Penny's later books, some of the murders do occur in other parts of Quebec. :)

I think I remember reading that in one of the other threads.

Book 13: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Category: Bear Tracks - books with animals in title
CATS: Mar Geo

During the 31 year reign of the Dominican Republic dictator Trujillo, the 4 Mirabal sisters were part of the underground which was trying to end his dictatorship. Three of the sisters were killed in an "accident" on their way back from seeing their husbands in prison on Nov 25, 1960 and this day is still observed as the International Day Against Violence Towards Women in many Latin American countries.

In the postscript to this book, the author explains that she did not have access to the information nor the inclination to write a biographical book. So she created her own fictional book about the lives of the sisters as they were growing up and how they each became involved in the underground.

LOL Series writers can't win. If they have all the murders occur in the primary setting, it's not realistic (unless it's a big city where people assume that murder & mayhem abound). If they "take it on the road" and set an installment somewhere else, the series fans howl that they want the old, familiar setting.

What's a writer to do?

> 157 Carry on regardless and hope that someone out there likes them enough to provide them with a living? It seems to work most of the time.

Betty> I agree Terri's comments in #157. I don't mind suspending my belief for series. I love Cabot Cove being the murder capitol of Maine. I guess Three Pines can be the murder capitol of Quebec!

Book 14: The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932 by Jim Fergus
Category: Bow Tie - male authors

Inspired by real events, this novel is told in two voices; one, the diaries of a young photographer who is part of an expedition into Mexico in 1932 to try and recover a boy who was kidnapped by the Apache Indians. The other is the Apache girl who is captured and used as a bargaining chip to trade for the boy.

Book 15: The Shortest Distance Between Two Women by Kris Radish
Category: Sunbonnet Sue - women authors

Kris Radish writes books dealing with women's issues. This book is about the relationship between four sisters and their mother. Although I enjoy her books, she frequently uses a sentence structure that I find a bit annoying. She uses a repetitive sentence structure when she wants to emphasis a point or to list things instead of just using commas to the point that I want to day, "Enough already! I get it!" But when I can overlook that, I enjoy the books.

Book 16: Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
Category: Log Cabin - titles about home/family
CATS - Mar Random

Although I usually enjoy books by Elizabeth Berg, this one just didn't hit the right note for me. It's the story of a woman trying to get past the death of her husband a year ago. Helen is/was a writer but mostly helpless having let her husband handle everything (and I do mean everything - well almost). And a year later she is still making almost no progress. Then she finds out that her husband had withdrawn almost all their retirment savings and she doesn't know why. Maybe others would find more to like than I did in this novel.

Book 17: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
Category - Tic-Tac-Toe - YA & children's books
CATS - Mar Mystery

The second book in the series, this time the four children are trying to save Mr. Benedict and Number Two after they have been captured by Mr. Benedict's evil twin brother Mr. Curtain. Another enjoyable YA read in this series.

Book 18: In This Rain by S.J. Rozan
Category - Weathervane - weather related book titles

What starts off with a couple of construction "accidents" and a death, soon becomes a twists-and-turns suspense novel about politics, corruption, greed, and ambition. Politicians, gangs, do-gooders, police, city investigators - all mixed up together. Although the beginning moved a little slowly, the novel picked up and rushed to the finish.

One of S.J. Rozan's stand-alone novels, I think I'll try the first in her Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series later this year.

I've been having a lovely weekend. Our granddaughter's high school basketball team won the state division I title last night. Very exciting game with the lead changing sides many times. 2 point play with 10 seconds left won the game.

Then, while I was up to use the bathroom at 1AM (TMI - sorry), the motion sensor light went on and there were two deer in our back yard. Eating my tulips looks like.

I had sent my sewing machine in for it's semi-annual maintenance while we were on vacation and finally got it back on Thurs. So I spent this morning working on some baby quilts and my quilt block for Mar - to be posted next weekend.

Since lunch I've been sitting reading and watching the birds at the bird feeder out my front window. And catching up with LT.

And now my husband says that based on the models they use to predict snow, we can expect 5-8 or 12-18 inches on Wed/Thurs. I am SO over winter.

Oh no not more snow! The poor birds are probably sick of winter too.

And congrats to your granddaughter's basketball team!

Tonight's news changed the snow to 2-4. Still too much!

I'm tired of snow and ready for spring too.

Congratulations to your granddaughter. Sounds like Spring has to fight really hard to break through in your part of the country, Betty, hope it wins soon!

And yet - I have crocuses up and blooming. Thanks all for the congrats. Molly has had a good year at basketball. Next year she'll be a senior - where do the years go?

Book 19: Dandelions in a Jelly Jar by Traci DePree
Category - Grandmother's Flower Garden - books with flowers in the title

In this second book in the Lake Emily series, Trudy moves from St Paul to Lake Emily to take a position as an art teacher and live near her sister Mae. Similar to the Mitford or Limby series. I like how the author takes a couple of pages to introduce a new character by telling a story of something that happened in their past that shows something in their character.

I've decided my next book will be The Girl Who Remembered Snow by Charles Mathes. Somehow it seems appropriate considering the forecast.

>172 dudes22: I don't know whether I should laugh or cry...I don't need to "remember" snow because it's coming down right now! This winter is ridiculous and needs to end NOW.

You remind me that I've been told I have to read The Mysterious Benedict Society. I read In the Time of the Butterflies too. It was interesting. Good characterization. Not as gritty as some other stuff accounts of Latin America I've read, but that's probably a good thing.

Congrats to your granddaughter and her team!

The Girl Who Remembered Snow? LOL! I don't think we'll be forgetting snow any time soon!

Speaking of snow . . .



This was sent in by a viewer (who lives near my workplace) to one of the local TV stations. It snowed (very hard at times with low visibility) today, but we ended up with little to show for it.

Well our snowstorm was a fizzle too! (Not that I'm complaining.) Just a little but here and there, no shoveling, but very cold and windy - even a few branches down.

>173 christina_reads: - I couldn't agree more.

>174 cammykitty: - yes not too gritty, which I appreciated.

>175 tymfos: - Thanks!

>176 thornton37814: - Lori - thanks for the picture. I could see my crocus peeking out of the snow this morning too. No daffs in bloom here yet.

Looks like some great reading - and a lovely long weekend! - have been occupying your time recently!

More snow.... really?!

>176 thornton37814: - Wow. What a perfect 'confusing Springtime' picture that is.

Book 20: Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
Category - Pineapple Block - food

Two separate stories - one of a reporter in Seattle who is put on a story of a blackberry winter storm which is when there is a snowstorm late in the winter (think May) while the blackberries are in bloom. The last such storm was in the depression and that's the other story. The chapters move back and forth until they finally merge at the end.

Book 21: The Girl Who Remembered Snow by Charles Mathes
Category: Weathervane Block - titles weather related

When Emma enlists the help of a stranger so she can drop her grandfather' ashes into San Francisco Bay from the ferry, she has no way to know that a couple of days later he will turn up dead - killed by the same gun that killed her grandfather. And when the police seem inclined to treat them both as random killings, Emma decides to try and find out what happened. I think I was expecting something a little different than what I got in this book because of the cover which reminded me of a Tim Burton drawing - maybe a little mysticism, maybe more of a YA vibe - something different than what I got. Good enough story with a couple of twists at the end. I have a couple more in the TBR pile that I'll have to decide whether to read or not.

Here's my block for March. This one is the Bow Tie block.

Blackberry Winter sounds too likely right now! Especially after that beautiful daffodil photo. Perhaps a summer read?

& your quilt is gorgeous! The package squares make it very festive.

The block is nice!

Thanks guys - one block at a time will get me there.

Book 22: 7th Heaven by James Patterson
Category - Nine Patch - book titles with numbers

Women's Mystery Club series 7th book. This time there are a series of murders of couples and then the houses are set on fire. Fairly typical James Patterson.

>181 dudes22: Very cool! I was looking forward to the end of this month so I could see the new quilt block :)

Thanks rabbitprincess! I'm having a good time with this idea and the idea that a quilt will be mostly done by the end of the year is exciting too.

Quarterly summary:

Here it is the end of the 1st quarter of 2014 already and here's my summary of how I'm doing so far.

Log Cabin - 1 of 7
Chimneys and Cornerstones - 1 of 7
Pineapple - 2 of 7
Bow Tie - 2 of 7
Sunbonnet Sue - 2 of 7
New York Beauty - 0 of 7
Dutchman's Puzzle - 2 of 7
Bear Tracks - 2 of 7
Mariner's Compass - 1 of 7
9 Patch - 3 of 7
Weathervane - 2 of 7
Grandmother's Flower Garden - 1 of 7
Woven Ribbons - 2 of 7
TicTacToe - 1 of 7

Total Read: 22 of 98

Best Reads of Quarter:
In The Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
In the Woods by Tana French
The Runaway Quiltby Jennifer Chiaverini

Worst Read of Quarter:
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje

Quilt Blocks: first 3 done

I love watching your quilt being built one square at a time!

I like how well you're balancing your reading in your categories. Mine are already looking a little lop-sided. And I'm glad In the Woods made your "Best Reads" list. When are you going to read The Likeness?

Nice progress this first quarter! I love looking at your quilt blocks. I used to do some quilting myself a long time ago but I do mostly knitting these days.

>189 lkernagh: - Thanks Lori.

>190 RidgewayGirl: - I can't say I did that on purpose Kay. I'd like to get to The Likeness sometime this year. Have to wait and see how things shake out.

>191 mathgirl40: - Thanks Paulina. I used to knit but have gradually switched over to quilting. I have one scarf that's been sitting in a bag for at least a year now. Maybe I'll drag it back out and try to finish it.

The author of my Jan Random Cat book Padma Venkatraman is having a book signing for her new book A Time to Dance which is due out May 1 at the library where my sister is a children's librarian next week. She's on the faculty at URI which is just down the road a ways.

ETA: touchstone not working - probably because the book isn't out yet. I'll probably buy it at the signing and add it with the ISBN after.

Book 23: China Trade by S.J. Rozan
Category: Mariner's Compass - books with places in the title that are not USA

This is the first book in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery series. Lydia Chin is a Chinese-American private eye operating in Chinatown in New York. In this first book, she is hired to find some missing porcelains. I enjoyed this first book and will continue with the series. The only issue I had was that the author never explains how or why she became a private eye or how she became associated with Bill Smith. I'm hoping this will be fixed in the next book or so.

I was going to move to a new thread today, but I got involved with some spring cleaning and pretty soon the afternoon was gone. Oh well - maybe tomorrow.

>193 dudes22:
You can force the touchstone using the work number: A Time to Dance - looks interesting!

Thanks Eva - that's one of those things I'm not that comfortable with yet. I only became aware that she is a local author when I saw she was going to speak, so I'm quite excited to go see her.

Book 24: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Category: Grandmother's Flower Garden - books with flowers in title
CATS: April Geo

Interesting retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, taking place in the forests of Poland during WW II.

Book 25: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Category: Log Cabin - books referencing home and family

In his book, Ms Picoult takes on controversy about gay rights. After multiple attempts to conceive, and then losing a child to still birth at 27 weeks, Max decides that he no longer wants to continue the process and decides to divorce his wife Zoe. A recovering alcoholic, he moves in with his brother and wife and joins their church. Zoe, meanwhile, becomes more friendly with Vanessa, a guidance counselor at a school where Zoe does music therapy. Eventually they decide to marry, and when they decide they would like to use the remaining frozen embryos to try and have a baby, Max refuses to allow it and the matter goes to trial.

Although I'm a fan of Jodi Picoult's books and the issues she tackles, I felt this was one of her less successful books despite the length.

I went to a book signing by Padma Venkatraman on Mon night for her new book A Time to Dance. She lives in RI and this was the beginning of her publicity tour for the new book. I had read her first book Climbing the Stairs for the January Random Cat by coincidence, and was excited when the library my sister works at had her come to kick off Library Week. She was very interesting. She has a PHD in oceanography and holds a position at URI as Executive Director for Diversity. She talked about her writing process and her stories were very interesting.

Book 26: The Bat by Jo Nesbo
Category: Bear Tracks - books with animals in title
CATS - April Mystery - Nordic

In this the first book in the Harry Hole series, I can see already why some people rave about it. I found a lot to like and I'll be trying to find the second one now.

It's a shame you didn't like Sing You Home. Have you read Lone Wolf? I quite liked that one, and didn't see the finale coming at all. I find Jodi Picoult books a bit hit and miss at times but more often than not they are pretty good from my experience.

That's one of the few that I haven't read, but it's on my list. It's not that I didn't like Sing You Home.Just that it didn't seem as well done as some of her others.

Book 27: Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
Category: New York Beauty - NY authors

When Eliza, who has been put in the slow class at school, wins her class spelling bee and then the school spelling bee, people begin to notice her. But Eliza's win also prompts changes within her family, which begins to unravel to epic proportions. I liked the first part of the book alright, but lost interest after that.

Book 28: The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker
Category: New York Beauty - NY authors

Written by the weatherman from the Today show, this is a mystery centered around a morning show. Billy Blessing, a local chef who works on the morning show Wake Up America! doing a cooking segment is suspected in the murder of one of the executives who is found poisoned from food from Billy's restaurant.

>205 dudes22: I remember reading the description of that one when it came out and thinking that he murdered off the wrong person.

Did you think, Lori, that he should have bumped off the weatherman? Without knowing anything about the book, that's what I thought when I heard about the book.

>207 dudes22: No, he should not have bumped off the weatherman. I like Al Roker too much to wish the weatherman dead. ;-)

I do too, but there is a kind of tongue-in-cheek reference to Al Roker in the book when Billy Blessing says he doesn't really care for the short weatherman on the Today show.

Book 29: A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle
Category: Weathervane - weather related titles

Ok - so I know that there is no real author Richard Castle; that he's the TV character and no one knows (at least I don't) who is really writing his books, but I enjoyed this short novella about his book character Derrick Storm. I was expecting that this/these would be the books before the Heat Wave series, but instead the book is supposed to be how he's brought back from the dead, so they are after.

On another note: I went to a local quilt show yesterday and saw some really nice quilts and bought a few more pieces of fabric for my stash and another pattern. I'm in the middle of cleaning up my sewing area right now (a couple of hours a day) and may post a picture or two once I finish so you all can see that my fabric addiction is every it as bad as my book addiction. Have to run out right now but will be posting my block for this month later today.

So this block is the one I made in Apr. It's called the tic-tac-toe block from my category for YA & children's books.

Very nice!

I really like this months' block. It looks very intrique but really shows all the different fabric patterns.

Yay, new block! I love the green, red and gold rectangles!

Book 30: Quilt As Desired by Arlene Sachitano
Category: Woven Ribbons - books with craft titles

Start of a new cozy series for me. Harriet thinks she's moving to Foggy Point, Washinton to help her aunt out while she's on a cruise by filing in at the long-arm quilting studio she owns. Then she finds out that her aunt has turned over the business and her house to Harriet. And then she finds her aunt's best friend dead. I enjoyed this and will be continuing the series.

>212 mamzel:,>213 DeltaQueen50:,>214 rabbitprincess:: Thanks guys - I'm really having a good time making the blocks and one a month keeps each one fresh and new.

I've moved over to thread 2. Please join me there.