The Last Agent

 

The Last Agent (Charles Jenkins Book 2) by Robert Dugoni. Seattle, Thomas & Mercer, 2020. 405 pages. *****

This is book 2 in the Charles Jenkins series and is a heart-stopping roller coaster of a ride. Betrayed by his country and exonerated, former spy Jenkins is content with his family and his current life. He has no interest in returning to the life of an undercover Russian operative. Then he learns of a woman detained in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison. The rumor is that it is Paulina Ponomayova.

If it’s Paulina Ponomayova, the agent who sacrificed her life to save his, Jenkins can’t leave her behind. He's sure she died, but what if it is her? Throw millions of dollars in a account in his name frozen by the Russian government into the mix with a former Russian officer who is sure to identify him if he returns, Jenkins feels he is the best man for the job. Leaving his wife and two children, one of whom is named after Paulina, doesn't make his choice any easier.  From Moscow to Scandinavia to a harrowing pass off by means of a portable ramp from one ship to another, Jenkins does his best to evade a killer Russian Agent who has one mission, one of vengeance. 

I won an ecopy from Goodreads.

This book can be read as a standalone, however I recommend you read The Eighth Sister first. (I didn't but will be reading it soon) Dugoni provides enough background so the story is seamless, however, now I need to know what I missed from the first book. The Last Agent held my attention from the first line until the last. A masterful storyteller, Dugoni has crafted a tale of greed, cruelty, bravery, friendship, and espionage. Jenkins' plans to escape capture are absolutely brilliant! This is one of those books where I kept thinking, just one more chapter and then I'll stop. Now I have to wait for the next book in the series, there will be another book, right?

Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, which has sold more than five million books worldwide; the David Sloane series; The Eighth Sister, the first book in the Charles Jenkins series; the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, for which he won an AudioFile Earphones Award for the narration; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award. He is a two-time finalist for the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. His books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com.

#bookstagram @flamazing_books #thelastagent

Porch Quilts

Porch Quilts

My husband installed a way to display my quilts on the front porch. We looked at and followed Jenny and Ron Doan 's system at the MSQC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfEugBHJSPA

 

I made this quilt for my husband, Bob, for our 40th Wedding Anniversary! It is The Labyrinth Walk Quilt by Christopher Florence. 

 

This Elvira quilt was made as a Quarantine Sew Along with Gudrun at GE Quilt Deigns. I highly recommend Gudrun's Sew Along days. Lots of fun with recipes for snacks, music ad prizes. 

My husband designed this quilt in 2015 - Connections. 

  

Wizard of Oz two-sided quilt. Sewn by me and quilted by my Granddaughter on my HQ Sweet Sixteen.

 

Shae won a "Harry's Choice" ribbon at the Brandywine Valley Quilt Show!

#porchquilt #elvira #labyrinthwalk #connections

2020 Monthly Color Challenge - September

September - Cinnamon is the official color!

Rather than using Cinnamon (the bird for the month is Cinnamon Teal) I chose a burgundy/maroon colored fabric from my stash.  My bird choice is Maroon Oriole.

The  pattern for the Color Challenge can be found on Jen's Blog.

Make sure that you trim your units according to the pattern.

 

Check out the other Bloggers for this month's block:

 

Patterns By Jen

Pieceful Thoughts

Sew Joy Creations

rainbows. bunnies. cupcakes

Tamarinis

Textile Time Travels

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Nine months done, three more to go!

 

Remember to link your block at the end of each month through Jen's blog to be entered in a drawing to win great prizes from our sponsors! Winners will be announced October 1st.

Sponsors July thru September

Quilters Chic - PDF Pattern

For The Love of Geese - PDF Pattern

Carole Lyle Shaw - Pattern and Grunge bundle

Quilters Dream Batting - Dream 80/20 - 60" x 60"

The Fat Quarter Shop - Fabric Bundle

Warm Company - Warm 80/20 - 55" x 60"

Warm Company - 1 yard Insul-Bright

Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription

Patterns By Jen - Superior Thread S-Fine 50

Patterns By Jen - Magic Wand

 

#2020monthlycolorchallenge #septemberblock

The Operator

The Operator by Gretchen Berg. New York: William Morrow, 2020. 357 pages. **

 In a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business . . .

It's 1952 and nobody knows the people of Wooster, Ohio, better than a switchboard operator. Vivian Dalton claims to know people,  she calls it intuition. Her teenage daughter, Charlotte, calls it eavesdropping. Vivian is always interested in the latest gossip until it includes her husband.

Vivian and the other women who work at Bell on East Liberty Street aren’t supposed to listen in on conversations, but they do. Vivian and snob Betty Miller each have secrets to hide and and will do anything to protect their families. 

I received a copy of this book as my September read for The Bee Keepers- The Book Hive Book Club. I worked as a switch board operator in the early 70s so I looked forward to reading this book. As an operator, I did not listen to conversations, nor did I have any inclination to do so. The book is an easy read, gossipy, small town drama, and some 50s cultural references. My only problem is trying to decide the intent of the author--humor, family dynamics, relationships, greed, lies, and/or the consequences of one's actions. It didn't really go anywhere for me. The plot had great potential, however, it seemed to fizzle out.

Gretchen Berg was born on the East Coast, raised in the Midwest, and spent a number of years in the Pacific Northwest. She has taught English in South Korea and in Northern Iraq and has traveled to all the other continents. A graduate of Iowa State University, she lives in Chicago, Illinois. The Operator is her first novel. For more information, https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/gretchen-berg

#theoperator #bookstagram @flamazing_books

The Book of Longings

 

Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. New York: Viking, 407 pages. ***** Author's Note.

Ana, daughter of Matthias, is fourteen years old and longs to write and be a scribe. He father indulges her and she writes the stories of the women in the scriptures and the women she knows. "To be ignored, to be forgotten, this was the worst sadness of all." It is 16-17 CE in Sepphoris and women have no place in the city other than to procreate and be submissive to their husbands. Ana is betrothed to Nathaniel ben Hananiah, an old widower with daughters, who wants a son and is willing to make a deal to get one. When Ana meets eighteen-year-old Jesus in the marketplace, her feelings of longing change and she finds an ally in her fearless aunt, Yaltha and her brother Judas. Due to a set of unforeseen circumstances, Ana marries Jesus the carpenter and lives with his family in Nazareth. Theirs is a marriage of love and conflict within her family and his. Ana coming from a home of privilege and wealth is unprepared to live in such poverty and close quarters with Jesus' mother and his brothers and their growing families. Performing daily chores is challenging and new to her. Jesus travels to work and feed his family and Ana is left behind longing to write and capture the lives of the women who are thought to be insignificant.   

This book was praised and vilified in some of the book Facebook Groups I participate in so I put it on reserve at my local library at the beginning of the pandemic. (When there is a controversy surrounding a book, I like to read it and decide for myself) I have enjoyed her other books and didn't even know what this one was about until it became available for me. I started it on a Thursday afternoon and finished it Friday afternoon. I loved it! I have read some of the negative reviews on Amazon and am still puzzled by their critical comments.  Make no mistake; it is a work of fiction. It is a "what if" kind of book...what if Jesus was married...what would his wife be like...how would he be as a husband? Kidd admits to taking liberties with history to fit her story and yet it all comes together. It dawned on me about 3/4 of the way into the book that since I already knew where their story ends, how will the crucifixion be portrayed, what will that mean for Ana? I wanted to know and was scared to find out. It is a complex tale; I was enthralled and captivated until the very end. I highly recommend it!

 Sue Monk Kidd was raised in the small town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel The Secret Life of Bees. An award-winning and international bestselling author, Kidd also authored The Invention of Wings and The Mermaid Chair, as well as several acclaimed memoirs, including Traveling with Pomegranates and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. Her new novel, The Book of Longings was published on April 21, 2020. Her website: https://suemonkkidd.com/

 Follow me on Instagram at @flamazing_books

#thebookoflongings #historicalfiction #wifeofJesus

Reigniting the Spark

 

 

Reigniting The Spark: Why Stable Relationships Lose Intimacy and How To Get It Back by Dr. Bruce Chalmer. TCK Publishing, 2019. 153 pages. **** Index, References.

Reigniting the Spark is part textbook, part case studies and part relationship advice. Chalmer provides information divided into four parts: Be Kind, Don't Panic, And Have Faith, Now Go and Learn. At the end of each chapter is a section called Reflections, which features a set of questions for you to consider. In order to protect the privacy of his patients, Chalmer creates composite couples that are followed throughout the book. It's easy for the reader to identify with and become intrigued by their stories. I found myself projecting as to which couple will stay married and which one will divorce. 

The Chapters on Faith and Forgiveness should be a must read for every married couple or those contemplating marriage. The assumption that everyone should get married is debunked and analyzed. Being happily married for 47 years, "Be kind, don't panic, and have faith." are easy words to remember when every day life is not what we expect. No one goes into marriage expecting failure.

I enjoyed reading and learned more from this book than I expected to. The format and structure of the book makes it easy to pick up and put down. Some chapters evoke reflection and discussion introducing aspects of a relationship that are rarely examined. Some spouses assume that if the other partner communicated better, the marriage will be better. Will this book solve all of your intimacy issues? Probably not, however, you will find comfort in the fact that many couples are just like you and this book will provide discussion points to reclaim and improve on your relationship. 

This book will make a great Book Club Book pick, many discussion points and relatable at any age and years married. Definitely a recommended read!

I received a paperback copy for a review.

Dr. Bruce Chalmer has been a psychologist working with couples for over thirty years. Through his teaching, consulting, and Youtube videos about relationships, his ideas have helped thousands of couples and their therapists.

He has also served in leadership positions in Jewish communities in Vermont, and is a musician and composer. He lives in South Burlington, Vermont with his wife Judy Alexander. They have five adult children and four grandchildren.  For more information, www.brucechalmer.com

https://www.tckpublishing.com/ 

 

#reignitingthespark