What Happened to the Bennetts

 

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. 392 pages ***** Publication Date March 29th. 

What starts out as a normal family Friday night ends in violence. Jason Bennett is driving his family home from his daughter's soccer game when a car tailgating them forces him to stop the car. Willing to give up their car and their belongings is not enough for the hijackers; one is out to kill. In shock and finding what has happened to them unbelievable, FBI agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program right away, and they have no choice but to agree. But WITSEC was designed to protect criminal informants, not law-abiding families. Jason soon realizes that they are on their own and it's up to him to keep his family safe. 

This book grabbed me from the very beginning and held fast. Set in the Philadelphia area where car jackings are at an all-time high, it is very timely. Nothing is what it seems, and everyone has a secret to protect. The normalcy of the car ride adds to the horror of the night, what happened to them could never happen to any of us, could it? Scottoline's strength is in bringing her characters to life, the characters are relatable even the villains, there is honor among thieves. Definitely a book club and beach read. 

I received an ecopy for a review.

Other Thrillers by Scottoline

Someone Knows

After Anna

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 Bestselling Author, The New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 33 novels, including her latest work, Eternal, her first-ever historical novel. For more info on Lisa Scottoline, click here. 

Follow me on IG for more reviews flamazing_books

#whathappenedtothebennetts #mystery #Philadelphiafiction

Dreaming of Flight

Dreaming of Flight : A Novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Lake Union Publishing, 2022. 304 pages ****

Publication Date May 3, 2022.

Eleven-year-old Stewie Little prides himself on the freshness of the eggs that he sells to his neighbors. Never knowing his parents, Stewie and his brother are being raised by their older sister, Stacey, who was forced into her role when their grandmother died. Stewie is a sensitive little boy who tends to his grandmother’s chickens with loving care and gathers their eggs each morning. While selling his last dozen of the day, Stewie meets a cranky, old woman who reminds him of Gram. "Four dollars? That's a bit steep, don't you think? They're only two dollars a dozen at the market" Stewie convinces Marilyn to try a dozen and while making a sale, Stewie makes a friend. Marilyn and Stewie bond over the book Stuart Little and the secrets they keep. He knows that she isn't his grandmother, however, Stewie cares about Marilyn as if she were and he doesn't know how to stop caring. 

When I start a Catherine Ryan Hyde book, I know I am in for a heart-warming story that usually includes an animal. In Dreaming of Flight, I learned about chickens and their eggs. Stewie is grieving in this story even if he doesn't know what the big words mean and his common sense, literal outlook on life is one to be emulated and admired. The characters in this story come to life through Ryan's pen and I mourned alongside of Stewie. Ryan shows us people at their best and worst, however, always giving the reader hope for a better way to be. Do not pass this one by, we all need Stewie in our lives. 

I received an copy for a review. 

Other Hyde books reviewed by me: 

Seven Perfect Things

My Name is Anton  

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl

Have You Seen Luis Velez?

Just After Midnight

Heaven Adjacent

The Wake Up

Allie and Bea

Say Goodbye For Now

Ask Him Why

Worthy

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of more than forty published and forthcoming books. An avid traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer, she shares her astrophotography with readers on her website.

From Catherine Ryan Hyde:

"In addition to my writing, over the past few years I’ve done a lot of professional public speaking. I was privileged to speak at the National Conference on Education and at Cornell University. I even got to share a dais with Bill Clinton for three speeches. And I was invited to the White House for the movie screening of Pay It Forward."

For more information on the author, click here

Her Youtube Channel 

Follow me on IG for more reviews, flamazing_books

#chickensfiction #grief #acceptance #eggs @catherineryanhyde #dreamingofflight

#pause

The Book Woman's Daughter

 

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022. 320 pages. ***** Publication Date May 3, 2022.

In this sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, after both of her parents are arrested for having an illegal marriage, Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett, the daughter of the Troublesome Creek book woman realizes that she is on her own. Determined to avoid the House of Reform or the orphan's home, Honey sets out with Junia, their difficult mule on the long journey to Miss Loretta's house in Troublesome. On the way to Miss Loretta's, Honey stops at the Troublesome Creek Library branch and is surprised to see a posting for an assistant librarian, pay is $98 a month. Taking over her mother's route may be the answer that will keep her free. Hoping to find a safe haven, Honey is unprepared for the way women are mistreated and the harshness of some of the miners. Making friends with Pearl, the new female fire-tower watcher, helps ease the burden of being without her mother and father. Standing up to the societal norms that allow medical experimentation, imprisoning orphans, sexual harassment, and murder is no easy task, however, Honey is tough and up to the challenge. 

I was so excited to receive a copy to review and I read it in two days.  Sometimes, sequels disappoint, not this one! Life is grim in the hills and Richardson doesn't pull any punches. Women are treated as a commodity and have no independence. The Fugates, or the Blue People of Kentucky are discriminated against and prohibited from marrying a person of another race. Fans of the first book will thoroughly enjoy this one too. A Note from the Author is a must read, complete with pictures, Richardson has thoroughly researched before writing this story. As a retired librarian, I question whether I would have survived the roughness of the terrain and the harshness of life in the hills. This title will make an excellent Book Club choice, many topics to be discussed.

I received an ecopy of this book to review.

Review of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. with additional information.

The NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson has written five works of historical fiction, and a bestselling memoir, The Unbreakable Child. 

Her fifth novel, The Book Woman’s Daughter is both a stand-alone and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Kim Michele lives with her family in Kentucky and is the founder of Shy Rabbit. For more information, click here.

Follow me on IG at flamazing_books for more book reviews.

@Bookmarked  #bookwoman'sdaughter #fugates #bookstagram @KimMicheleRichardson

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

 January 2022

This is my first book read for the Book Girls -Lifetime of Reading Challenge  This month's theme is Novels With a Child Protagonist. 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie:A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. New York: Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks, 2009, 385 pages.  Reader's Guide  **** 

I read this book when it first came out and immediately fell in love with Flavia. Eleven years old, part Miss Marple, part Dr. Frankenstein, Flavia uses her obsession with science to solve mysteries and create havoc. This is the first book in this very creative series of ten. We begin in the summer of 1950 at the grand mansion of Buckshaw, near Bishop's Lacey, a small town in England. The once grand mansion has fallen on hard times after the disappearance of Harriet, Flavia's mother, in 1941. In this book, Flavia is left to her own devices, riding her bike into town and free to investigate a series of seemingly unrelated events.

A dead bird is found on the front doorstep with an odd stamp impaled on its beak. Father is heard arguing with a stranger during the night. A man is found dead in a cucumber patch in the garden the next morning. Everyone seems to have something to hide, especially when more than one person in the house confesses to the murder. Flavia is determined to help Inspector Hewitt solve the murder.

 

Rereading this book was like visiting an old friend. I purchased a copy for the High School Library in which I was working when it was published and every teen, I recommended it to loved it. There's a cunning and naiveté about Flavia that at times had me laughing out loud. Her experiments on her unsuspecting sisters, poisoning Ophelia's lipstick and recording her findings is hilarious. Bradley has a talent for staying in character for his writing that is not easy to do as a male 80 years old. Bradley talks about Flavia as if she co-writes the series and tells him what is happening next. You'll have to read the second book, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, to find out.

Alan Bradley was born in Toronto, Ont. and grew up in the pleasant lakeside town of Cobourg, Ont. After a long career in television broadcasting, he took early retirement from the University of Saskatchewan to write full-time. He has published many children’s stories as well as lifestyle and arts columns in Canadian newspapers. His adult stories have been broadcast on CBC radio and published in various literary journals. He has also written several screenplays and taught university-level courses in screenwriting. He was the recipient of the first Saskatchewan Writers Guild Award for Children’s Literature. After writing for several years on the Maltese island of Gozo, Alan Bradley now lives on the Isle of Man.

Blogpost 1. about the Book Girls Lifetime of Reading Challenge  

Follow me on IG at flamazing_books

For more information about Alan Bradley and the mystery series, click here

#bookgirls #lifetimeofreading #sweetnessatthebottomofthepie #2022readingchallenge #flaviadelucenovel #pause

Under The Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. New York: a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2021. 376 pages. *****

Wallace Price is a "by the book" type of person. There are rules to be followed and no room for compassion, grey areas or flexibility. He ignored the twinge in his chest, until he died. "One moment, he'd been staring down at his body" and then he was standing in front of a church. His funeral was not one he would have planned, his ex-wife told unflattering stories of their life together and his colleagues (the few who attended) called him an asshole. One woman at the funeral stood out from the others, Wallace has no idea who she is. Mei introduces herself as a Reaper whose job it is to help him transition by taking him to meet Hugo, the ferryman. This is all very confusing to Wallace who still can't believe he is dead. Hugo lives in and runs a Tea Room in Charon's Crossing. The Tea Room, a way station for Ghosts, has a door to the next destination.  It is also a meeting place for the town residents to congregate and enjoy a delicious cup of tea often steeped with the perfect blend just for them. "Death isn't a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning." (page 120) 

After I finished reading, The House in The Cerulean Sea, I couldn't wait to get my hands on another book written by TJ Klune. I was hooked from the very beginning, Wallace is such an unlikable character who is surprised when he realizes he has no friends or people who love him. I love Klune's writing style and am amazed by his insight into his character's thoughts and personality. I have heard of authors and artists who say they have to create or write what they do or dream and I suspect it is the same for this author. The story seemed to lag for a bit and at times, I wanted him to get on with it, however, a new twist would appear and I thought - oh, that's why! So hang in there, if you are tempted to stop. Parts of the story are scary for me and I can't even tell you why. It is a story of friendship, love, and hope. I love his descriptions of Wallace tethered-- bouncing and floating, his fear of banging into things. There are many humorous moments in the story as well as triggers for anyone grieving. I laughed, I cried, and scribbled down comments about death that I didn't want to forget. Do not skip the Epilogue! Klune is one of the few authors when I finish one of his books, I wish I could reread it for the first time once again. Louise Penny is another one of those authors. 

My Review of The House in the Cerulean Sea

TJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include  the Green Creek series, The House on the Cerulean Sea and The Exraordinaries. Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.

For more information on TJ Klune, click here.

#lgbtqfiction #deathfiction  #queerfiction @tjklune

Follow me on IG at kathy.nester

2022 Monthly Color Challenge - January - Saffron (Orange)

January - Saffron- Orange

The theme for the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge is Spicy. The pattern and instructions for this month's block can be found at Jen's Blog. One of the best things about this BOM (Block of the Month) is that the blocks are easy to assemble and Jen's instructions are spot on. 

Information on Saffron:

Encyclopedia Brittanica - https://www.britannica.com/topic/saffron

11 Impressive Health Benefits of Saffron - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/saffron#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4

WEB MD - https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-844/saffron

Some of my favorite tools:

• Best Press - for all ironing
• Aurifil thread - 50 weight in a neutral color to match the fabric
• Wood clapper for pressing seams - creates a nice flat seam  
• Scant 1/4 inch seam

My Bernina QE 440 is one of my favorite machines, a real workhorse that just keeps going!

 Choosing the color saffron was a little bit challenging. Is it a bright orange or a reddish orange? 

I decided to go with this shade because I liked it with my background color. My plan is to go with neutral backgrounds for each

Another important tool for me is the 12.5 square ruler. It' so easy to square up your block!

  

Color differentiation is because of the lighting. 

Check out all of the guest bloggers for their hints and tips:

Carolyn - Appliques, Quilts and More

Andi - True Blue Quilts

Anja - Anja's Quilts

Kathy - Kathy's Kwilts and More

Rylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Jen has asked that we post quilts with this month's color in it, I will have to get busy because I don't have any quilts with orange in it. 

Follow me on IG at kathy.nester

#monthlycolorchallenge #saffron #januarycolorchallenge