ShanM816's 75 book challenge

I read mostly mysteries, but I'm also doing the Presidents Challenge, so I'll definitely be reading some biographies for that. I tried the 999 Challenge last year, but felt too constrained by the categories I set, and when I gave up and started reading whatever I felt like, I ended up not entering all of it in LT. Barring major life changes, I shouldn't have a problem hitting 75 books - it's actually keeping track of them and trying to actually review, or at least summarize, most of them that's probably going to be my biggest challenge, but since I'm tired of looking at books, thinking, I know I read that - now what was it about?, I really am going to have to work on that.

I hope to meet a lot of interesting people here, and hopefully find even more book suggestions, because I just don't have enough in the TBR pile or the Amazon Wishlist yet. ;)




1. Witches' Bane - Susan Wittig Albert
2. Blind Justice - Bruce Alexander
3. Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir - Jennette Fulda
4. Life is Too Short - Mickey Rooney
5. Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett
6. Geisha, a Life - Mineko Iwasaki
7. Time of Terror - Hugh Pentecost
8. Murder in Grub Street - Bruce Alexander
9. Guide to Texas Etiquette, or How to Get to Heaven or Hell without going through Dallas-Fort Worthy - Kinky Friedman
10. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson
11. 1776 - David McCullough
12. The Private Patient - P.D. James
13. The Way It's Never Been Done Before: My Friendship with Marlon Brando - George Englund
14. Watery Grave - Bruce Alexander
15. My Lobotomy - Howard Dully
16. Person or Persons Unknown - Bruce Alexander
17. Talking About Detective Fiction - P.D. James
18. Duplicate Death - Georgette Heyer
19. Cat on the Scent - Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
20. Envious Casca - Georgette Heyer
21. Murder at Midnight - Elliott Roosevelt
22. Murder with Peacocks - Donna Andrews
23. The Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore
24. The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
25. Jack, Knave and Fool - Bruce Alexander
26. A Most Contagious Game - Catherine Aird
27. When We Were Orphans - Kazuo Ishiguro
28. The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
29. Callander Square - Anne Perry
30. Death in the Devil's Acre - Anne Perry
31. Rutland Place - Anne Perry
32. Sherlock Holmes: The American Years - Michael Kurland
33. In Like Flynn - Rhys Bowen
34. The Father Brown Omnibus - G.K. Chesterton

Welcome to the group!

Welcome! Several of us are doing the Presidents Challenge. It'll be nice to have you with us.

My first book of the new year - Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert.

An interesting mystery set in fictitious Pecan Springs, Texas, in the Hill Country. China Bayles is a former lawyer who gave up her high-pressure career in Houston to open an herb shop in the small town of Pecan Springs. She owns the building the shop is in, and lives in part of it, and rents the other part out to her best friend Ruby for her shop, Crystal Cave, the town's only New Age shop. Due to a variety of unusual happenings around town, they find themselves being accused of witchcraft. Then, a woman is murdered with a knife taken from Ruby's shop, and Ruby's boyfriend Andrew is accused of the crime. China investigates, even though she doesn't really trust Andrew. She uncovers a plot involving voodoo dolls, cheating spouses, borrowed money, and a possible murder suspicion in Andrew's past.

This book felt a little dated at times - they were still using typewriters, and at the gym, people were wearing legwarmers, but I enjoyed it anyway, and look forward to reading more in this series when I want something familiar and comforting to read.

#4: I read several of Albert's series and I find them all that way, ie 'familiar and comforting.'

Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander

I love historical mysteries, so I was excited to stumble across this one at the library. I had never heard of this author, or his main character, Sir John Fielding, who, though blind due to an accident as a young man in the Navy, was a magistrate, and with the help of his brother, Henry Fielding, started the Bow Street Runners, London's first permanent police force.

The story is told from the point of view of a 13-year-old boy, Jeremy Procter, who has run away to London after his father is killed in the stocks. He is wrongly accused of theft and brought before Sir John Fielding, who discovers the truth of the matter and takes Jeremy into his home and promises to find an apprenticeship for him with a printer, so he can continue learning what his father had begun to teach him. Before Sir John can find him a position, they are called to the scene of what appears to be a suicide. Jeremy's observations help Sir John realize that all is not what it seems, and he is called upon to be Sir John's eyes as they investigate the case.

I enjoyed this story, and I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Really good series! I read 'em several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them.

I second Jim's recommendation! I have not read the whole series, but have read the first several and they were all good.

Thanks for the comments! I was disappointed to find the second in the Sir John Fielding series was checked out at my library, so I'll be waiting to read it. But since I have a stack of books I got for Christmas, I think I can find something to read.

Now for my 3rd book this year, Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda.

I was browsing Half Price Books when the title of this book caught my eye, and I picked it up. As someone who has struggled with my weight my entire life, I could sympathize with Ms. Fulda. There were moments when I laughed out loud, and others that made me almost cry, mostly because she could have been talking about my life.
I needed to read this right now as I begin (again) a weight-loss journey of my own. She was honest about the struggle to change her eating habits, talking about the times she made bad decisions, her confusion when the scale didn't match her expectations every week, her feelings of isolation and depression before she lost weight, and ultimately her feelings of empowerment when she had lost weight and realized how good she felt. She doesn't claim weight loss made her life perfect, and she acknowledges that there are some problems she blamed on weight that it turns out are still there. She acknowledges that there's no guarantee she can keep the weight off, although she's optimistic about that. In a world that looks for the quick & easy fix to everything, it's nice to hear from someone who decided not to try some magic pill for weight loss, but put in the work to change her eating and exercise habits.

A couple of warnings - first, there is some foul language, not too bad, but the easily offended might want to skip it. Second, if you're looking for a book of instructions on how to lose weight, this is not it. Ms. Fulda does not endorse any particular diet, and she doesn't talk about the mechanics of how she lost weight, except in general terms of exercising and changing her eating habits.

Hope this book put you in the best spirits and goodluck with your own weightloss goals :)

You've sold me on that book! The title alone was good but I'm glad there is substance to it too.

#4 Life is Too Short by Mickey Rooney

I was given this book as a Christmas gift, by my sister who knew books were a good gift for me, but was not sure what to buy me that I hadn't read already, but figured (correctly) that I'd probably read anything I was given. I have four or five other books she gave me at the same time, and they're all books I wouldn't have chosen for myself, but they look interesting anyway.

I'm old enough to have some notion of who Mickey Rooney is, but young enough that I don't know a whole lot about him, so I went into this book, his autobiography/memoir, with no real preconceived ideas about what to expect. I found it interesting, although I suspect that he sugar coated some stuff, such as the reasons for the breakups of his marriages (he's on his 8th wife currently), but I think any of us probably would do the same if we were writing about our own lives.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I suspect that I'd have appreciated it more if I were more familiar with the Hollywood of that time, or if I'd grown up watching more of his movies and had more interest in him as a person.

#13: I may give that one a try. Thanks for the recommendation!

#5 Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Not my favorite Discworld, but still good. I did have to keep reminding myself, football=soccer, not NFL-style football like I'm used to.

The Wizards of Unseen University find that they must play "foot-the-ball," a game played by the common, working people, or risk losing a bequest to the university. They discover that losing this bequest would mean eating only three meals a day, and only having three kinds of cheese on their cheese trays, so the decide they will.

Basically, if you've never read a Discworld novel, this isn't the one I'd tell you to start with (Try Guards! Guards! or Mort instead), but if you're already a fan, you'll enjoy it.

#6 Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki

An autobiography/memoir by a former geisha who is using this book for two basic purposes - 1st, to correct the notion that a geisha is a high-class prostitute, and 2nd, to point out the problems she sees in the system that she would like to see changed.

I found the book very interesting, especially the insights into how she lived her day-to-day life and how much preparation actually went into an evening's activities. For instance, she talks about reading up on any important people she would be seeing, so that she would be able to talk to them intelligently, and the rituals for everything, even opening a door.

#16: My older daughter loves all things Japanese. I will see if I can locate a copy of that one for her. Thanks for the recommendation!

I hope she likes it - after I read it, I looked at the reviews here, and they're pretty mixed.

Beth is not a critical reader, so she will probably enjoy it. I checked and it looks as though the local library has a copy, so I hope to get it for her in the next couple weeks.

I read Geisha, a Life last year (or was it the year before?) and quite enjoyed it. I found her insights into that kind of life fascinating, because as a woman who'd "been there, done that" she could convey information and the heart of her profession far better than, say, Arthur Golden in Memoirs of a Geisha.

I listened to Memoirs of a Geisha a few years ago as an audiobook, and enjoyed the story, but was surprised to see how different Mineko's life was to the one portrayed in that book. Since I found the true story of Mineko pretty fascinating in itself, I'm kind of disappointed that Golden felt the need to confuse matters by making "Geisha" synonymous with "prostitute," when that wasn't the focus, at least not for everyone involved in the system - although I'm sure not every geisha's life was as good as Mineko's was, and I'm sure that some probably resorted to prostitution at times to earn more money.

#7 Time of Terror by Hugh Pentecost

Part of a series of mysteries set in the glamorous Hotel Beaumont in New York City. Pierre Chambrun runs the hotel and always knows every detail about anything going on in it. Yet somehow, someone has gotten inside his hotel and placed bombs all over the 15th floor and evacuated all the guests from that floor, except two little girls, daughters of a British diplomat, and their nanny, and Chambrun doesn't find out until he gets a phone call from someone calling himself Colonel Coriander who says he represents the Army for Justice. His demands are impossible to meet, and Chambrun must find a way to rescue three hostages while keeping a madman from blowing up his hotel.

This is a favorite series of mine, although I haven't read any in a year or two, but this one just didn't quite seem like the others I've read. I usually enjoy reading about the glamor of the hotel, reading descriptions of the various bars and restaurants and the people in them, but I felt like there wasn't as much of that in this one. I felt like it could have been happening anywhere, not necessarily in what is supposed to be one of the most luxurious hotels in New York, where they keep detailed information on every customer so that they can provide the most personalized service possible.

Normally, I'd recommend this series to peopl who like the Nero Wolfe stories, because that's what they remind me most of, although there are definitely differences, but this one is not going to appeal to anyone who isn't already a fan of the series.

#22: It looks like my local library has some of those books, so I will give the series a try.

#8 Murder in Grub Street by Bruce Alexander

This is the 2nd in the Sir John Fielding mystery series (See message 6 for the first book), and it takes place only weeks after the first, starting one day before young Jeremy Procter is due to begin his apprenticeship with a publisher, Ezekiel Crabb. Before that happens, Crabb, his family, and the two apprentices living with him are all murdered in their beds, and a mad poet, found holding the apparent murder weapon, is charged with the crime. Sir John doesn't believe he's guilty, but is criticized for sending him to Bedlam rather than sending him up for trial.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series, and look forward to reading more throughout the year.

#9 Guide to Texas Etiquette by Kinky Friedman

This is a short book, full of essays, trivia, Ace Reid cartoons, and other short pieces. I've been reading a bit here and there for a couple of months now. Friedman's sense of humor can be a bit raunchy, not for the easily offended, and his essays tend to wander a bit, which can be annoying. A lot of the legends and stories mentioned I'd heard before, but others were interesting, and every time I've read from it, I've ended up laughing, so it is funny. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I was already a fan, and I've grown up in Texas, so I have some interest in Texas stories.

#10 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

I'd heard about the movie, but haven't seen it yet, so I had some idea what the book would be about. It sounded like a cute idea, but I probably wouldn't have bothered to pick the book up, except I found it at a thrift store for less than a dollar. I'm glad I did. Miss Pettigrew is a down on her luck spinster governess who is currently unemployed. She is sent on a job interview, and finds herself caught up in a series of adventures like those she thought she would only ever experience on screen, watching movies. Her strict moral upbringing is put to the test, as she finds herself sympathizing with Miss LaFosse, whose behavior is anything but "proper." Despite her misgivings, and her thoughts about what her dear mother would think, Miss Pettigrew enjoys her day tremendously and begins to see herself in a new light.

#11 1776 by David McCullough

My knowledge of American history is, well, pretty sad really, as I realized when I started the Presidents Challenge last year, so this was an attempt to learn a little bit more about that period of history. I found the book very readable, full of quotes from letters and journals of the period, which I enjoyed, because it seems more like I'm hearing from the people of the time, not just some historian's interpretation of what the people then thought. It did make me realize that the success of the American Revolution was based largely on luck, as Washington and his officers had no real experience fighting a war and were short on supplies, food, and men for much of the year.

I just started another book about the same period, The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies by Don Cook, which tells the story more from the British perspective, so I'm hoping to get a slightly different take on it.

I'm officially giving up on The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies by Don Cook. Maybe I'll go back and try again sometime, but I found it annoying. Almost every passage that he quotes, he's italicized the bit he thinks is most important, and then puts (Emphasis Added) after each one, which is what you're supposed to do if you do that, but if you have to do that every time you quote a passage, you either need to find a better way to set up your quotes so that you can quote only what you actually need, or you need to quit assuming your readers are complete morons who can't figure out which bit of the quote is pertinent to your argument. If he'd only done it occasionally, like once or twice in the entire book, that would be one thing, but he did it a lot - like every two or three pages. After a while, the only thing I'd remember reading on a page was (Emphasis Added), so I gave up.

I hope you find something more to your liking with your next read!

#12 The Private Patient by P.D. James

I always enjoy James' Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, and this was no different.

Investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn is making some major changes in her life, starting with the removal of a scar on her face from an injury received in childhood. She goes to Dr. George Chandler-Powell's private clinic in a country manor house, where she expects to have surgery and recuperate in the peace and quiet. However, the morning after the surgery, she's found murdered in her bed. AD and his team are called in to investigate.

Although I did like this book, I don't think it's one of her best. She does seem to be tying up loose ends in the series, but while there were hints this may be Dalgliesh's last case, it was never explicitly stated that it would be, so I suppose there could still be another. There was a subplot that didn't really seem to fit in the story and wasn't really used for much - I guess it was for character development, but it didn't even seem to do a lot of that. However, it wasn't enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the book.

#13 The Way It's Never Been Done Before: My Friendship with Marlon Brando by George Englund

This was an interesting look at a decades-long friendship. Brando came across as brilliant, but at the very least unable to always relate to people, and at worst, sometimes cruel to others. He also seems incredibly stubborn, wanting everything his way and unable to just let even minor details be anything other than the way he wants them to be. Englund ties all of Brando's faults back to his poor relationship with his father and his attempt to be exactly the opposite of his father with his own kids. For instance, Brando, Sr., was never around for Brando and sent him off to military school, therefore Brando took an extremely hands-on approach to fatherhood, to the point that when his son Christian was on trial for murder, Brando took over the case and never even seemed to let Christian play any role in his own defense.

The book was interesting, and I'm not sorry I read it, but it left me a little troubled. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it's because I had a sense that if Brando's long-time friend portrayed him this way, how much worse might he have really been, if it were possible to have an unbiased picture? I guess it just bothers me that someone as talented and fortunate as he was could be so uncaring.

#31: I think I will give that one a miss.

#14 Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander

This is the third book in a series featuring Sir John Fielding, and I enjoyed it as much as the others. Fielding's new stepson, who he had sent into the Navy earlier when the boy ended up in his courtroom charged with a crime, is finally home on leave, but the captain of the ship he was on died while they were away, and just before they dock in London, the acting captain accuses one of the officers of murdering him. Sir John is asked by someone he served in the Navy with to help investigate the crime, but finds his investigation blocked at every turn as he turns up evidence that might be embarrassing to the Navy.

#15 My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming

At 12 years old, the author was lobotomized by Dr. Walter Freeman, the most famous practitioner of the procedure. In this book, he looks back over his life and tries to determine what he did that made him need this procedure.

This is a chilling tale of what can happen when there are no systems in place to protect a child from an adult who has decided there's something wrong with him or from a doctor who is clearly interested in performing as many procedures as possible, even when there's no real evidence that one is necessary. Howard was failed by everyone around him as a child, first lobotomized, then sent away from his home to live with a foster family, ultimately spending several years in a mental institution, even though doctors there admitted he didn't need to be there. There was just nowhere else that they could send him.

#16 Person or Persons Unknown by Bruce Alexander

The fourth in the series about Sir John Fielding.

Sir John and Jeremy Procter must investigate the Ripper-like slayings of several prostitutes.

I'm not really in the mood to review much, but I've read these:

#17 Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James
(I can't remember whose thread I read about this on, but I definitely have to thank them if I figure it out. A good book, that's given me a list of other books and authors to look for.)

#18 Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer

#19 Cat on the Scent by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

My Lobotomy looks really interesting, thanks for the recommendation!

#20 Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer

An interesting mystery, I did figure out whodunit before the end of the book, although how was a surprise. If you like old fashioned locked door mysteries, you'll probably enjoy it.

#38: That was the first Heyer mystery I ever read and I did enjoy it. Enough so that I went out and bought a bunch more of hers.

Re #39 - Fortunately, my library has a bunch of hers. They don't always have lots of new stuff (it's a small town, so that's understandable), but I enjoy going and finding old stuff I've never read before.

#21 Murder at Midnight: an Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery by Elliott Roosevelt

I've read a few books from this series before, and I really enjoy them. The author is the son of Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt, and he really brings his mom to life as the amateur detective in the stories. She's portrayed as a sensible, logical woman, compassionate, and in her own way, tough as nails, although she comes across as a bit naive about some things going on around her.

In this book, a former New York judge is found murdered inside the White House, and one of the serving staff, a young African American woman, is immediately arrested. She believes she will be lynched, but Eleanor promises her a fair trial and goes out of her way to take part in the investigation in order to keep her promise.

It's probably not the greatest mystery ever written, but I enjoyed not only the story, but the historical characters who put in an appearance. For instance, Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower attend the official White House dinner at the beginning of the book, not as Dwight Eisenhower who would become president, but as the aide to the Army Chief of Staff, someone new to Washington, and proud to be attending a dinner with the President, knowing that his wife would be writing back to her relatives in Iowa to give them all the details about such an exciting night.

#22 - Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews
How did I miss this series before? A funny, charming mystery

#23 - The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
I'd never read any of Moore's books, but I'd read about them and thought they sounded hilarious. This one lived up to that expectation.

#24 - The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer
I never thought I liked romance novels, but these are not what I thought of when I thought of romance novels either. I'm enjoying working my way through Heyer's novels.

#25 - Jack, Knave and Fool by Bruce Alexander
Another in the Sir John Fielding mystery series. I want to keep reading these books, but at the same time, I know I'm going to be sad when I've read them all and have no more to look forward to.

#26 - A Most Contagious Game - by Catherine Aird
A classic mystery, a skeleton discovered in a long-forgotten hidden room gives a recovering heart patient a reason to get out and explore the village he's just moved to in an attempt to solve a mystery from the past, while at the same time, a present-day mystery involves everyone around him.

#41: Another Heyer for me to add to my list. I will have to look for A Most Contagious Game as well. Thanks for the recommendations, Shannon!

#27 When We Were Orphans by Kashuo Ishiguro
Wow! I really enjoyed this one. It's a mystery, but very much a psychological one that kept me wondering about the narrator's ability to distinguish reality and fantasy, which kept me intrigued through the entire novel.

#28 The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

#29 Callander Square by Anne Perry
These two are the first two in a series set in Victorian London. In The Cater Street Hangman, we're introduced to Charlotte Ellison and her family. Charlotte's family despairs of ever finding her a suitable husband because she is interested in learning about wars and other unsuitable topics, and because she always says exactly what she thinks. A series of murders takes place on their street, including of one of their own servants, and the police come around and start asking questions. It seems that one of the inspectors is interested in Charlotte, and, horror of horrors, she seems to be interested in him as well. When she unwittingly places herself in danger from the murderer, Inspector Pitt is there to save her, and she agrees to marry him.

In Callander Square, Charlotte and her sister Emily decide to help investigate the murders of two babies and the disappearance of a woman in a well-to-do neighborhood. Although her husband doesn't approve of her helping, he seems to accept that she is going to do what she wants to, and listens to the information she provides him, which ultimately helps him solve the case.

#43: I own When We Were Orphans. I really need to get to it soon!

I prefer Perry's Monk series to her Pitt series, but I am glad you are enjoying the books, Shannon. There is a lot to like about them.

I didn't realize Perry had another series - I just stumbled across the books at the library and thought they looked intriguing. I'll have to see if they have any of the others.

You should definitely read When We Were Orphans. I wasn't quite sure if it was one I'd like, but I checked it out at the library, so it didn't cost me anything, and then once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down.

#45: Perry actually has several series. As I mentioned, her William Monk series, beginning with The Face of a Stranger is my favorite.

I love books that are happy surprises. It sounds as if When We Were Orphans was like that for you. I am going to have to find where my copy of the book is.

I haven't been reading much lately, but over the last couple of weeks I've finished these:

#30 Death in the Devil's Acre by Anne Perry
#31 Rutland Place by Anne Perry
The next two in the series, or at least the next two I could find at the library - I think I had to skip one somewhere that they didn't have. Both interesting, I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.

#32 Sherlock Holmes: The American Years edited by Michael Kurland
An interesting collection of short stories about Sherlock Holmes's adventures in the U.S. before he became famous, where he meets some of the big names of the day, including Mark Twain, who was not impressed.

#33 In Like Flynn by Rhys Bowen - This is not the first book in the series - I'll have to hunt for it sometime. Molly Murphy is a young woman from Ireland determined to make her way in the United States as a private detective, despite the fact that that is not a proper occupation for a woman. The story begins with her catching a pickpocket while waiting in line at the grocer's, showing how observant she is to see him, and how clever she is when she finds the proof that shows that he did it.

#34 The Father Brown Omnibus by G.K. Chesterton - I'm not actually quite through with this, but I'm almost done with it, so I'll go ahead and list it. I've been reading these stories before bed at night, they're just the right length to finish one or two before I turn out the light. I've read many of them before, but I still enjoy reading about Father Brown and his unique way of finding the truth in unusual situations.

You are almost to the halfway point of the challenge, Shannon! Congratulations.

I've been reading, but not writing stuff down, so I know I've missed a few books. But here's my latest bunch from the library:

#35 Cardington Crescent by Anne Perry
#36 Bluegate Fields by Anne Perry
#37 Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry

#38 Strata by Terry Pratchett

#39 The Death of a King by P.C. Doherty
#40 The Mask of Ra by P.C. Doherty

Plus a bunch of books about beading and jewelrymaking, which I guess I should find titles of to list, but frankly, I'm too busy making jewelry from them to worry about it right now.

Glad to see you posting again, Shannon.

Jewelry making? My daughter is interested in that. I hope you do list the titles at some point.

#41 The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
#42 The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King
#43 Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews
#44 Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews
#45 Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews

These are all working my way through series that I already know I like - kind of comfort reading, I guess.

And jewelry books, which are less reading them straight through than going through them for ideas and trying to make some of the projects they list:

#46 1000 Jewelry Inspirations by Sandra Salamony - a very pretty book, with not a word anywhere of instructions or material lists of any kind. Not what I'd normally buy for myself, it was a gift. It is gorgeous, and I've gotten ideas from it of stuff to make, but if you're looking for how-to books, this isn't it.
#47 Simply Beautiful Beaded Jewelry by Heidi Boyd - A good place to start for beginning jewelry making, it has an introduction to basic materials and techniques, and 50 projects using those materials and techniques.
#48 Wire Jewelry Workshop by Susan Ray - An introduction to using wire to make jewelry, including making your own findings. I haven't worked through anywhere near all the projects yet - when I can't get them to look just right, I tend to get frustrated and work on something simpler - but the instructions seem well written and easy to follow, if you have the patience to put in the practice to get them just right.

#51: Thanks for posting the titles of the jewelry books, Shannon. I am passing them along to my daughter.