Book List 2018

• A Single Thread - Marie Bostwick
• Summer at the Lake - Erica James
• A Dangerous Game - Heather Graham
• We Never Asked for Wings - Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• The Night Stalker - Robert Bryndza
• The Second Sister - Marie Bostwick
• Every Woman For Herself - Trisha Ashley
• Right Where We Belong - Brenda Novak
• A Family Recipe - Veronica Henry
• Thanks for the Memories - Cecelia Ahern
• The Clothes on Their Backs - Linda Grant
• If I Could Turn Back Time - Beth Harbison
• The Marble Collector - Cecelia Ahern
• The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
• While We Were Watching Downton Abbey - Wendy Wax
• Summer At the Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan
• Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan
• Happy People Read Books & Drink Coffee - Agnes Martin-Lugand
• The Secret of Midwives - Sally Hepworth
• Catching Air - Sarah Pekkanen
• The Girl In The Ice - Robert Bryndza
• The Lacemakers of Glenmara - Heather Barbieri
• The Real Katie Lavendar - Erica James
• The Alice Network - Kate Quinn
• Bridget Crack - Rachel Leary

Not a bad job this year.  Helped along with some audio books while sewing which was great.  

Bookweek Prep

So I did a bit of the work on the book week costumes like usual.  I still haven't bought a shop made costume yet!  Go me! 

Op  shops are fabulous.

A ladies skirt which was lined & super swishy, made a fabulous Harry Potter cape.  I got to test out the over locker too which I have figured out a little!  Go me again! 

A girls jacket from the op shop was another great find.  Trimmed off the fluffy edges, cut out the sleeves & turned the collar inside & stitched it down.  Turned into a tweedy type looking vest that the Fourth Doctor Who required.  A bit of hand stitching & it did the job.  I needed to remind myself that it is for Bookweek.  One day of dress up.  That's all.  The kids aren't going to inspect the finished products to see how perfect or not, they are.   

Bookweek 2018

Books 2017

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doer
Really enjoyed this one.  Was a slow read for some reason, but not because I didn't enjoy it.

The Dress Maker - Rosalie Ham
Audio book - glad I didn't read this in paperbook.  Didn't really enjoy it at all.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes - Anna McPartlin
Stuart's Christmas gift book to me.  I was dreading it but it was really good.  I thoroughly enjoyed it considering the sad subject matter.

The Light In the Ruins - Chris Bohjalian
Audiobook - quite enjoyed this one.  Second of his I have listened too.

Violent Exposure - Katherine Howell
Audiobook - wasn't too bad for a crime one.  Even set in Aussie.  Quite enjoyed it though.

Random Act of Kindness - Lisa Verge Higgins
Audiobook - enjoyed this one.  It was slow to start but quite enjoyed it in the end.

The Great Christmas Knit Off - Alexandra Brown
Ok story.  Not a huge story line, was lacking a little.  But a quick enjoyable read in the end.

The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout
Audiobook - This seemed to go on for an age.  Slow going & wondered the point of it really but got there in the end.  Wouldn't have bothered in paperback though.

The Book of Lost Threads - Tess Evans
Really enjoyed this.  Has been on the shelf for a few years I reckon.  It finally got read.  Went quickly as I was enjoying it so much.

The Beekeeper's Secret - Josephine Moon
Liked this a lot.  A really enjoyable story.  Second book of hers I have read.  Both great.

That Gallagher Girl - Kate Thompson
This was OK.  A follow up to one I had previously.  Enjoyed that one better.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
This was a let down.  It wasn't awful but didn't capture me in anyway.  Was a struggle to finish it but I did.

The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins
Picked this up cheaply in a bookshop.  Wasn't a bad story & I got through it quickly.  Been a while since I have read a thriller.  Looking forward to seeing the movie sometime in the next couple of years!

True Colours - Kristin Hannah
Enjoyed this one.  Quite a good family drama.

The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair - Enid Blyton
Read this one, a chapter a night to DJ.  Thoroughly enjoyed it.  I read these as a child myself so to read again from an adult perspective was fun.  One of the pictures I remember so very clearly too.  I like how these are written.  Straight to the point really.  A chapter in roughly 8 pages & it is enough to bring out the magic & adventure.  She is an incredible author.

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
Really liked this one.  Based on WW2 was really interesting though horrible too.  But a good read.

The Difference a Day Can Make - Carole Matthews
Wasn't bad.  Another mindless read but not too awful, though a bit predictable too.

Class - Jenny Colgan
Ok read.  Really mindless & simple which was great at the time.

Delicious! - Ruth Reichl
Loved this.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  So much.  Can't explain why, just was so nice, lovely, easy to read, but really drew me in too.

The Beach Cafe - Lucy Diamond
Nice story, although predictable too.  Good holiday read, & enjoyed it over all.

The Christmas Tea Shop & Bakery  - De-Ann Black
Just a light read for travel on the tablet.  Was Ok, certainly nothing to get excited over.  But helped fill in time.  More of a novella.

Book Week 2017

Our school was late with this event this year.  But they did it.  

BJ - Ash from Pokemon.

DJ - Saucepan Man from The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton

& now the op shops can have all their pans & shirts back.  

Bit Of This

And a bit of that...

Book List 2016

• The Christmas Surprise - Jenny Colgan : quite nice, not as enjoyable as the first 2.  
• 1st To Die - James Patterson :  audio book.  Had read it before & enjoyed it.  Didn't remember it much so thought I would start over the series again.  
• Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop - Jenny Colgan : enjoyable read.  
• The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion : got into it eventually, & enjoyed it.  Got my 33 cents worth anyway!  lol
• One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson : audio book.  Good again, but complicated to follow.  
• The Dandelion Years - Erica James : Nice book.  Enjoyed this one a lot.  
• Case Histories - Kate Atkinson : audio book.  Enjoyed this.  Had to keep up with listening else I would have had to start over again I think.  
• The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Jenny Colgan : loved this & now need to go to Paris & eat chocolate.
• The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney : Something really different & bought on a whim.  Quite enjoyed it.
• A Deadly Dealer - Ellery Adams :  audio book, again sewing.  A good series of simple mysteries.  
• A Fatal Appraisal - Ellery Adams :   audio book, again while sewing.  
• A Killer Collection - Ellery Adams : audio book.  Another enjoyable mystery while sewing.  
• Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan:  enjoyable chick book that was nice to read after busy hectic days.
• Mercy Street - Tess Evans : enjoyed this one.  Lovely story.
• The Reader on The 6.27 0 Jean-Paul Didierlaurent:  This was a really strange book.  Thank goodness it was short.  
• A Spool Of Blue Thread - Anne Tyler :  disappointed in this one,  I struggled to read it & have never had this with one of her books.  
• The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty :  quite enjoyed this.  
• Before You Know Kindness - Chris Bohjalian :  audio book.  Not a bad story.
• A Pinch Of Poison - Claudia Bishop : audio book.  Sewing again.  
• Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell :  an interesting cheap read I picked up.  
• The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window & Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson : audio book but thoroughly enjoyed this one.  Really laughed a lot.  Will read it properly one day.  
• A Dash Of Death - Claudia Bishop :  audio book another simple one to sew too.
• A Taste For Murder - Claudia Bishop : audio book - mindless fun story to listen too again while sewing.  
• The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Mary Simses:  Enjoyed this one.
• Rainy Day Kisses - Debbie Macomber :  First one in a while as an audio book.  Enjoyable mindless while sewing.
• The Light Between Oceans - M.L Stedman  :  Gift from Stuart last Christmas.  Struggled at first but quite enjoyed it in the end.  

Quite an interesting list this year.  Much longer than usual as I have been able to manage quite a lot more with the inclusion of the books I have listened to at home while sewing or knitting.  The library is a great resource for these to borrow directly online.  What a great service.  

Do you have any favourites that you would recommend?  Or what is on your reading list for 2017?

Book Week

This event seems to come around very fast.  Kind of like Christmas really!

Anakin Skywalker.

Emmet from the Lego Movie.

Book List 2015

The list of books this year was quite a good list.  A nice list of some good reads.  Not many again but that's just the way it is.

29/12/15 ETA - Little Mercies - Heather Gudenkauf.  Managed to get this one finished with a few days to spare in the year.  Was quite good.  Fast read, plus being lazy so extra reading time.  Will check out for more of her work.

• Christmas at Carrington's - Alexandra Brown.  Ok, not as enjoyable as her first in the series.
• The Tea Chest - Josephine Moon.  Loved this one.  Easy read but nice.  
• A Fierce Radiance - Lauren Belfer.   My reading gift from Stuart for my birthday.  An interesting read with some historical aspects of war that I had never considered.  
• Chocolate Cake for Breakfast - Danielle Hawkins.  Good value for $2.  Was a light read & something a bit different set in New Zealand.  
• A Man Called Ove - Frederik Backman.  This book is in my top 5 books ever.  Loved it so much.  I very almost nearly read it over when I finished it but will save it for summer read again.  
• The Wedding Shawl - Sally Goldenbaum.  Honestly I am struggling to remember this right now.  So as much as it was a nice story at the time, obviously not outstanding else I would remember it better!
• Cloudstreet - Tim Winton.  Finally got this read after false starts.  Really struggled at the start, well for probably the first half.  Wasn't a bad story once I got through it.  But will struggle to pick up another TW book I think.  
• The Tulip Eaters - Antoinette van Heugten.  I wanted to read this as it was about some Dutch war history which I am quite interested in.  Unfortunately there wasn't much in the end & the story was weak.  Quite disappointing.  
• In Falling Snow - Mary-Rose MacColl - Stuggling to remember this one too, but was OK at the time.  
• Prep - Curtis Sittenfield.  Was OK reading at the start.  Turned into a bit of a struggle to finish reading the last quarter.  The story lost it's appeal completely.  
• Sophie's Bakery for the Broken Hearted - Lolly Winton.  Enjoyed this one.  Could use a follow up story now.  
• Life After Life - Kate Atkinson.  Stuart's reading gift from Christmas.  Quite enjoyed this.  Have a few other book by Kate to read now.  
• The Housemaid's Daughter - Barbara Mutch.  A good story.  Liked it a lot.  

We'll see what Stuart surprises me with this Christmas.  I have a good pile of books to read still.  We'll see how well I get through them.  

My Books of 2014

I'm a slow reader.  Always have been.  I also don't get much time to sit & read during the day so my only time to read is when I go to bed.  So it's not a lot in a year.  But all the same, I am quite pleased with my little list for the books I did manage this year.  Some good & some OK.  I don't think there were any really bad ones.  If there were I think I would have stopped reading.

• I Remember You - Harriet Evans
• That Liverpool Girl - Ruth Hamilton
• Perfect Match - Sinead Moriarty
• Letters From Skye - Jessica Brockmole
• The Rose Petal Beach - Dorothy Koomson
• Cupcakes at Carrington's - Alexandra Brown
• Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• Brown Owl's Guide to Life - Kate Harrison
• The Bookstore - Deborah Meyler
• The Ice Cream Girls - Dorothy Koomson
• The World Beneath - Cate Kennedy
• Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos

My favourite for the year was definitely The Icecream Girls by Dorothy Koomson.  Although not an easy read because of the subject matter, it was gripping & painful to read in parts.  I have read most of her books & this is one of the best.

I have such a stack lined up for 2015 so it will be interesting to see what I actually manage & what suits my moods & tastes at the time!  I am slowly getting through the stack on the book shelf.  I then take them to the second hand book shop or the op shops.  No shortage of new books coming my way though that's for sure.

New Stuff

Month of Moments 12 - New

Well today is a new day!  I think I could come up with a few things in the category today!  

I just tried a new recipe!  These Applesauce Muffins are good!  Really good!  So good in fact I just noticed there are only 3 left!  Granted I did send 4 of them over the fence to the neighbours working in the paddock.   BJ even liked them.  I suggested we make some for his lunch when he goes to school & he was enthusiastic about that.  I am really trying to hunt down some new things for him to have for school lunches.  He's pretty fussy.  I don't want to give him chocolate spread sandwiches for the next 10 years.  I don't want to see us get stuck in the lunch rut!  Yes I am already thinking about that & he hasn't even started yet!  He's just hard to find enough variety for.  If you have any ideas let me know!  I am not going to be one of those mums that makes pretty pictures in the box with the lunch though!  I don't think I can go that far at all.  There are some cool ones on Pinterest, but no, that's just too much for this mum.  Have a look at the link!  There are Christmas stockings, Hello Kitty, lady bugs, frogs, you name it!  Nope, not me...  

Edited to add this list I just found...  Lunch box ideas printable

I am going to start this new book tonight.  At the moment the only reading I do is when I go to bed.  

I got the book at the second hand book shop last week.  So much for not buying any more!  Bother.  But, I have a good stack building to take there sometime soon so I can get some store credit for this exact kind of thing.  

I have been struggling through another book for a bit but decided the other night to ditch it.  It was this - 

So disappointed.  I have read all her books but really didn't like this.  I read about 100 pages & it was turning out predictably.  It was really annoying me the whole story line in the end.  So I skipped a few hundred pages over to where it got to where the Prologue had been set.  I read a bit more.  Still annoying.  Skipped about a bit more to get an idea of stuff going on & that's that.  Still no real outcome as I can see but I just don't care. Fortunately another good buy that it doesn't matter that I don't read it.  I finally gave myself permission to not waste time reading stuff I wasn't liking or enjoying a few years ago.  It was quite something to do that!  I hope the one I start tonight is better!  I really need a good book!  

Also new is our power pole!  Bother stuff & nonsense but we had to have a new one put in our yard.  You can see in the picture the old one in the front which is rather crooked.  Looks even worse with the new one in straight behind it!  lol  It was a whole afternoon of entertainment for BJ & myself.  We had front row seats on the deck.  Quite fascinating the whole process including the bit of having to take fence down to get trucks into the yard!  Next I guess they will send us the bill!  

The pole guys will be busy before too long having to go & replace the burnt out ones down south.  There are about 600 burnt out there.  Lots of work!  One of the guys told me they only can put in 4 or 5 a day!  I guess there are a few companies that will get called in to do it.  It's not something you think about first up though after a fire!  But without the poles they won't have any power so it's rather important!  

I'm still knitting a bit!  Nearly done some sleeves at last!  

But right now I think I will go cut some scrap fabric for some scrap quilts being made for fire victims!  

Happy Saturday!

This Quilt Book Is A Must Have

Lucky you if you have this book already.  I just discovered it today at work when I unpacked it.  I did manage a minute to look through it too which was impressive in a crazy day...  It really is good though.  I couldn't believe the simplicity in some of the designs.  I have a couple of ranges of fabric that I am looking for the perfect pattern for.  

But is there a perfect pattern?  It is what you make it isn't it?  Some people can see a quilt in chosen fabrics so easily.  Others can only see it in the colours that are presented to them in the pattern.  I think that would be difficult to not be able to see past what is in front of you.  I am amazed at customers sometimes when they need what is there in the book or even on display with samples we have in the shop of different things.  It becomes a problem too when all those craft magazines out these days keep turning up with a customer & they want the fabric that is in the magazine so they can recreate that quilt exactly.  Unfortunately it usually turns out that the magazine is a few years old.  That means the likelihood of finding said fabric is really slim.  I think we can be a bit behind the times where fabric is concerned in these parts but it is funny as the customers are even further behind it seems.  

In any case, I think I have found the perfect book with a couple of patterns that I can certainly envisage for some funky orange, pink & white fabric that I have.  The patterns are really easy to follow with great cutting guides, block assembly & quilt top assembly.  In fact it was so easy that the patterns usually only were on 2 pages!  & that was with good pictures in it too!  Well, this is definitely one for my wishlist.  Do you have this book?  Which one have you made from it?  

The Library Rocks

Don't you think?  

Boy we are certainly getting around the libraries lately!  We have been to three different ones in a week.  Since BJ got his own card he loves to use it!  We go there at the moment every two or three days & get the maximum out that we can each time, which is 15!  

Wow, what happened to the days when you were allowed only three or four!  Not that I had a hope ever of reading that many books in the time.  I was the slowest reader on earth!  I never did make the MS Read-a-thon very much money but I participated & tried my hardest!  lol  Really I was only collecting certificates of participation!  I know I wasn't going to get certificates any other way so these were it!  I think I had five.  

Kids books have come a long way now too.  We have had some terrific ones lately.  I really must mention these that we had last week.  I would love to get them again later on.  They are definite keepers.  You can always pick what BJ likes of course, as they get repeated where ever possible.  But these two I have pictures below really appealed to me too.  In fact I wanted to read both & make sure that Stuart got to read them both to BJ as well as I liked them so much.  If he knows them I can at least talk about them with him from an adult perspective & what I liked about them.  I love the idea in the story Doodleday that that pictures the boy draws come alive.  How cool to create such an idea in a child's head.   BJ doesn't really need help in the imagination department but these were certainly appreciated by his little mind!    For all the pirate books that are about these days, the one was a cute one.  Really special.  Something I have come across in a number of books now is the move to have to turn a book sideways as the pictures get illustrated long ways down the page.  I like that.  That adds a new dimension to a book too.  Some even have the words written all over the place.  One just yesterday had the words going around like they were in a swirl.  Very cool.   It all adds to it that's for sure!  

If your libraries are anything like ours here, we can put holds on books online & they come to your chosen library for pick up.  I have just done this again tonight with some other favourites of ours.  These are all books by Karma Wilson.  Bear Snored On & Bear was Scared are a couple that we have had a few times before & I always look for them but never seem to find them so have put holds on them & they will be available for pick up soon.  I also love that we can just go to any library in the state & get them out.  How cool is that.  That's why we have been to three this past week.  Why not make the most of a terrific resource.  

I did get to go all by myself after work last week so had time to sit on the floor & go through the knit & crochet books on the shelf!  Ahh...  bliss.  Normally I have the boys in tow so that gets a bit hard.  I can usually grab my ordered books off the shelf & that's the extent of it.  So I have been enjoying  a couple of different crochet books this week too in between things.  Love it!  

If you have had any good craft books or kids books that you recommend let me know!  It's always good finding new authors too!  

Another Fabulous Book

Get your hands on this book! It's new out. I had it on order for a few months & finally it arrived! It's as great as it looks! Lovely. So much to pick from & motifs to suit anyone & everything! Really there are so many & wow, I don't know where to start or what to start stitching on. It really is great. If you embroider or just stitch a little grab it. There is a good bit of info at the start if you are a beginner. Plus there are lovely motifs that are the perfect size for beginners. Then you will be addicted. Not only are there all the motifs but there are also some projects included to make. How good is that. Now I just need to find the time to do some!

My New Favourite Book

I saw this book in blogland somewhere last week. Don't know why but it appealed to me. So I ordered it from Fishpond.com.au here in Aussie. It arrived today. Wow! It is big for one thing. Bigger than A4 size. Only about 80 pages but it is the best book I have bought in a long time. Ok, I really bought it for BJ but I think Stu & I will get just as much enjoyment out of it. We did so far & I only got through about 6 pages. It is one of those books that there is so much to see that I think in 10 years time we will look at it & see something we had never noticed before. It really is awesome. It is going to be great for BJ though as he is starting to learn so many new things. He is very observant I think & this will be so much fun for us all. I love great books & I don't mind spending a bit on them if they are as good as this. I must add though that at fishpond this was really good value compared to other sites.

Also got a really cool Richard Scarry illustrated giant golden book called "Cars & Trucks & things that go". We already got our moneys worth from that one that is for sure. How to settle a horrible, over-tired kid? Put that book in front of them. Worked like magic. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of his books like that. They are really fun!

Ok, better go. Lots of pictures to look at!

My new favourite book

Aren't these pictures just beautiful?

I have been looking around the second hand shops in town for Golden Books. You would think that would be easy. Well it isn't at all. Only 2 out of 6 shops had any at all & not many at that. I needed some for my blocks. Oh well, I did find this book, "Calling All Puppies". It was $1. I wasn't going to buy it & put it back & then thought I had to have it cos the pictures are just terrific! Of course they are too large to chop up for my blocks & that would be a dreadful thing to do to it. So I will keep it. Or it might go on BJ's book shelf. Sorry the picture of the cover is on an angle but it has a plastic cover on it so it was glaring of course. But you can see how lovely the pictures are from inside. It has double pages of coloured pictures like this & then on the following double pages are black & white drawings that are like sketches & the story. It has fabric binding on the spine so that is really neat.

I did a little googling & found it dates from the early 50s so that is pretty cool. There is no date shown with the publication information in the front of the book. I wonder when they first introduced that then? Hmmm... something to google when I am really bored & have absolutely nothing better to do.

I'm just a walkin' my dog

Singin' my song, strollin' along

It's just me & my dog, catchin' some sun

We can't go wrong

The Dog Song - Nellie McKay