As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

Alan Bradley spins a fun tale. This is number seven in the Flavia (pronounced with a long A, like grave) de Luce series. This book clarifies the pronunciation of her name, and I'm having to constantly rethink it in my little brain.

In this book Flavia is sent to Canada to school. She is her usual self, and of course is immediately embroiled in a mysterious death.

I think it may be my favorite book of the series.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

This excellent book is about the 1936 US Olympic rowing team, and how they got there. They were the crew team from the University of Washington--I loved reading about the Seattle area and picturing it all in my mind.

I was figuratively on the edge of my seat when reading about the races, even when I already knew the outcomes.

Brown also does a great job with historical setting and perspective. Set smack dab in the middle of the depression, it changes how you view the whole thing. I learned things about the depression I never knew before.

This non-fiction book reads like a great novel, which about the best compliment I can give.

Read it! It's well worth it.

2014 Wrap-up: Grandchildren, Books, Quilts

The last few months have flown by, and I've had no time to blog. I hope to improve on that in the New Year. I'll wrap up the year right here, in one long post.

In November I took a trip to Seattle to see Debra and her wonderful family. I also had a side trip with my friends Tamara, Karen and Gayle to Cannon Beach while I was there. In the interest of actually getting this information on my blog, I have not taken the time to dig up all my pictures. Instead I'm limiting the pictures to my darling grandchildren (oh, and I'm there too)

Jonathan, Madeleine, Diane, and Diane

Me and Diane

Me and Madeleine

Me and Jonathan

Before my trip to Seattle, I had a new granddaughter added to our family in October. Audrey had another girl, LauraJane. It was a whirlwind delivery - Joseph was in Wendover, and Audrey was here in case she went into labor. She did. I took her to the hospital, where she was measured: dilated to an 8. Then she asked if they could hold off delivery until Joseph got there.
--No problem, how soon would he be there?
--Two hours.
--Hmm, we'll try.
Sure enough, it worked. Joseph walked in, and LauraJane was delivered 12 minutes later. I was blessed to be there for the birth. She is beautiful.

Here's our cute girlie, already half-way grown up!

I managed to get a little quilting in this fall (never enough time!) I made this quilt for LauraJane. In the bottom picture is LauraJane's older sister (by not quite one year), Katherine. She likes the quilt too.

This is my block of the month quilt, finished in September. Ray has claimed it for his own. He loves it.

I made five of these wall hanging/table topper NOEL quilts. Four for my children, and one for my sister for Christmas.  I also made 20 pillowcases for the season for my family.

 All right, now to the books. These are the books I can remember reading: (my apologies that the pictures won't line up properly. I'm giving up trying any longer)

The Harry Potter Series. I started this when they were originally written and got derailed after the second or third book. By the time a new book came out after a year, it was sometimes hard to get to it. Plus trying to remember all the details from the books before after all that time was difficult. So I thought, "sometime I'll read them." That sometime came this autumn. I actually listened to them, and it was the best thing ever. The narrator, Jim Dale was amazing. He really made the books come alive. I found myself exercising longer, and cleaning more often, just to get in some more time listening.

I loved the series! So well crafted. Now I'm going to watch the movies.

My daughters and I read The Willpower Instinct together. McGonigal teaches a 10 week seminar on willpower, and the book is written to follow that same format. We decided to read it over ten weeks, and apply the techniques.

I read all of it. Sort of over ten weeks, and really did try to implement a lot of what she said. It's very good, and I' hope to review it every once in a while and keep improving.











Death Comes to Pemberley is the first P.D. James book I've read. I liked it.

Named of the Dragon is another winner by Susanna Kearsley. I haven't yet met a book of hers I didn't like.

The Bess Crawford mystery series by Charles Todd is my new favorite series.I've finished all the ones written so far. A new one is due out in April. I can't wait. 

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I recently read this for my book club. I really liked it and we had a pretty good discussion on the book.

This is the story of Sarah Grimke and Hetty. Sarah is a young woman raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and Hetty is given to her as a slave when Sarah is eleven years old.

The book chronicles their lives. I hate to tell much more about it, because I don't want to give it away. I will say this much: Sarah Grimke was a real person. I wish I'd known that from the very beginning. The notes at the end tell more about her--they give away the story, so don't read them until the end.  Hetty is a conglomeration of various people.

Kidd does a fine job of moving the story along through the years, and weaving two stories that are connected yet individual very well. I like her writing.

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, and I've learned that lesson over the years. But still--I just love the artwork on these Susanna Kearsley covers. I have to admit I would pick them up unknown, just because of the covers.

This is a re-release of an earlier book that Kearsley wrote, and I liked it. It isn't like her other books. It's about a young actress to travels to Italy to perform in a play. The books chapter headings are set up like the acts and scenes in a play.

I liked it a lot. And if you've read any of her other books, I think you'll like this book. If you haven't read any of her other books, the stop what you are doing right now and get one and begin reading. That's how much I like her books.

Miss Julia Strikes Back by Ann B. Ross

I've read many Miss Julia books. It's been a while since I've read any, and quite frankly I'd forgotten about them. Somewhere I saw this one and picked it up. These are light books--diverting, I would say. It made me giggle in places.

If you're looking for something that's not too complicated, but is still entertaining, these are good books. I recommend reading them in order.

The Wily O'Reilly by Patrick Taylor

I have really enjoyed Patrick Taylor's Irish Country Doctor series. This book is a compilation of the magazine articles that Patrick Taylor wrote that first featured Doctor O'Reilly. I enjoyed reading this. It's different than the novels - it really is just the articles he wrote. But I liked it as well as the novels.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd

This is the second book in the Bess Crawford series.I'm liking these books quite a lot. If you're a mystery book lover, I think you'll enjoy these.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

I recently discovered another mystery series. This one is by Charles Todd, and is the Bess Crawford series.

The first book in the series is A Duty to the Dead. It takes place during World War I, and Bess is a nurse for the British army.

Some other mystery writer that I enjoy recommended this series. I can't remember who it was. But I thought the book was a winner, and I will read more in this series.

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The full title of this book is The Bully Pulpit Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. And that is exactly what it is about.

I'm always amazed by Doris Kearns Goodwin's books. She manages to take tons of information that could be very dry, and makes it very interesting as well as informative. So far I haven't met a book of hers that I didn't like. At about 800 pages this book could be formidable, but I couldn't wait to get back to it every time I had to stop reading.

I sort of have a thing for Teddy Roosevelt, and I've read several books about him, and even a biography of his second wife, Edith Carow Roosevelt. I also have admired Taft. It was very fun to read about both of them in this book. I feel like I need to learn more about Taft now.

I really liked the way she kept the three strings of "characters" going and well meshed together. I am always fascinated to realize that politics really doesn't change that much over the years.

Popular: a Memoir Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya van Wagenen

I read/heard about this book, and requested it from the library. I need to keep track of where I hear about books - I like to "report back" after I've read a book and talk about it a little. I can't recall exactly where I heard about this one.

It was a very quick read, and very worth it. It's a true story - found in the non-fiction section of the library. Maya lived in Brownsville, Texas. A hard place to live in many ways. Right before Maya started 8th grade, she ran across an old book: Betty Cornell's Teenage Popularity Guide. It was written in 1951, when Betty was 24 years old.

Maya had evaluated her own popularity, and found it rock bottom on the list. So with some encouragement from her parents, Maya decided to try an experiment: implement Betty's wisdom in today's world and see if it would help her become more popular. She told no one but her parents what she was doing, then recorded it in her journal.

Maya chose a theme a month and applied it during the school year. It was pretty daring to try applying some of that 1950's wisdom, but she did it. The book is her journal of the year, and the results she ended up with. To put it in a nutshell, she found that pretty much everyone thinks they are not popular, and the best way to become popular is to be friendly and nice to everyone, no matter who they are.

I really liked the book. I found myself relating very closely to the life of an unpopular 8th grader. So many things in her school experience were similar to my own, and it's been 43 years since I went through that. I guess some things never change. And I never want to go through that again. 8th grade or not, the things she learned are timeless, and over the many years since I was that age I've learned a few of those truths myself. Reading this book made me realize that I need to keep reminding myself how important they are.

Throughout the book Maya gives a few popularity tips of her own. Here is her final one:
"Popularity is more than looks. It's not clothes, hair, or even possessions. When we let go of these labels, we see how flimsy and relative they actually are. Real popularity is kindness and acceptance. It is about who you are, and how you treat others."

The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

This is a stand alone novel by Jacqueline Winspear, who writes the Maisie Dobbs series. She is an excellent writer, and really knows her World War I information. This book is mostly set in the country, so it's a different point of view than most of the Maisie Dobbs books.

I liked it a lot. It's one you want to talk over with someone when you've finished reading it.

The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

I read this book while up at the lake as well. It was just okay - nothing to set the world on fire. I did like it better by the end. Enough that I've requested the next book from the library. We'll see how that one goes.

A little bit of language problem with this book. A few gratuitous (I felt) f-bombs. Not as bad as some other books, but still. I just really don't see the need.

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

The television series Longmire is based on these books by Craig Johnson. I really like the TV show, so wanted to try the books. This is the first in the series, and it's pretty good. There are some language issues. I debated whether I wanted to keep reading it because of that. I did finish it, and liked it over all. I'm not in a rush to try more yet--really because of the language. So if the f-bomb doesn't bother you, I bet you'll like the book just fine.

Death Come Quickly by Susan Wittig Albert

Susan Wittig Albert never fails to entertain. I read this while we were on our vacation at Lake Cavanaugh, and sped right through it. I napped and read and played all day while we were there. No wonder I had such a great time!

I love these China Bayles mysteries.

Justice Hall by Laurie R. King

This is the next book in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. I really liked it. So far The Moor was the slowest going in this series. I need to request the next book, but I'm currently reading a very long book and I think I'll wait to read this after that one. (Stay tuned)

Love's Banner by Holly C. Metcalf

I have no photo of this book. It is the story of Elaine Cannon's life. Elaine's daughter Holly wrote it, and gave the book to my daughter Debra. Debra passed it on to me.

Elaine Cannon was the General Young Women's President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) from 1978 to 1984. It was a time of a lot of structural changes. For example that was when the church went to the consolidated schedule.

Elaine was a woman with boundless energy and ideas. It was fun to learn more about her.

The Pick and Flower of England by David MW Pickup

Ray's parents sent this book to us so we can read it in preparation for our trip to England in August. We will be touring various places, and included will be some LDS church history sites. This book gives the history of LDS missionaries in England during Victorian times.

It was interesting. Some of the information I knew already but there were a lot of new things I learned too. It will definitely enhance our trip.

O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King

This is the fifth book in the Mary Russell - Sherlock Holmes mystery series.

I liked it, and have the next one on my nightstand ready to read after my next book.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

I loved this book.

I zipped right through it, captured from the very first.

It was especially fun for me because it takes place in Seattle and she captured the area and its residents so well.

I laughed out loud in parts. I was enthralled with the book the whole time.

It's about a mom who disappears, and how they go about trying to find her. Sort of. It's about people and self awareness too.

Warning: there are about a dozen f-bombs in the book, in case that makes a difference to you. While I personally never condone the use of that word (it's hard for me to think of a word that is more offensive), these did not seem gratuitous.