Glory Road

Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton. New York: Thomas Nelson, 2019. 353 pages. Discussion Questions. ****

Told in the alternating voices of Gus, Jessie and Evan, three strong-willed Southern women, this multi-generational story is an easy read. Gus, the grandmother, almost seventy, hard-worker and master baker wants so much for her daughter and granddaughter. Jessie moved home ten years ago after a failed marriage to rural Perry, Alabama in a home next door to her mother on Glory Road. At peace with her life now, Jessie wants nothing more than to work at her plant business and share her knowledge with her customers. Evan, fourteen years old, starting high school is pushing her boundaries and seeing her mother and grandmother in a new light. When Jessie's high school boyfriend, Ben, moves into his parent’s house on Glory Road with his teenage son, Nick, all three women question what they want and need from life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Denton has a way of writing that quietly, slowly, draws you into the story. Somewhat predictable, however, I wanted to keep reading. Jessie's advice for choosing who to marry spoke to me, "I think you marry the one who, when everything else is stripped away - money, job, arguments, disagreements--he's still the one you'd want to sit with on the porch and...just...do nothing. Or do anything!" (pg. 313) In this cell phone, fast-paced world, wise words indeed.

I received this book to read as part of The Whimsical Wings, Book Hive Book Club. Based on the description on the back cover, I'm not sure I would have chosen it, so I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it as part of the book swap.

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two young daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, The Hideaway, is USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, Hurricane Season, released in April, 2018, and was listed on BookPage's 2018 list of Most Anticipated Fiction.
To learn more about Lauren, visit https://laurenkdenton.com

#beachread #familyrelationships #gloryroad #bookhivebookclub #thewhimisicalwings

What Rose Forgot

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr. New York, Minotaur Books, 250 pages. **** Publication Date September 17, 2019.

Sixty-eight year old Rose Dennis wakes up and can't remember where she is and why she is wearing a hospital gown. She's thirsty, confused and is pretty sure she shouldn't be outside in the cool breeze. How did she get here and why do the boys who find her think that she has escaped from a nearby nursing home? Rose soon realizes that her family has admitted her to the Longwood Memory Care Unit. Rose can't remember how and why she got here, she ony know she wants out. Rose enlists the help of her thirteen-year-old granddaughter to help her prove that she is not suffering from dementia and someone is determined to kill her.

This psychological thriller will keep you guessing as to whether there is a sinister reason to keep Rose incapicitated in a secure environment or has Rose had a mental breakdown since the death of her beloved husband.

Barr has crafted a diabolical story that will keep you guessing until the very end. While stretching my credibility at times, I'd like to think that I would be as resourceful as Rose. While being sympathetic to her plight, I was amused by some of her solutions to her problems. A fan of Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone novel.


I received an ecopy for a review.

Nevada Barr is an award-winning novelist and New York Times best-selling author.  She has a growing number of Anna Pigeon mysteries to her credit as well as numerous other books, short stories, and articles.  She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband, four magical cats, and two adorable dogs. For more information http://www.nevadabarr.com/homepage.html.

#whatroseforgot  #psychologicalfiction

Westering Women

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 2020. 244pages.
Historical Fiction. ***** Publication Date January 7, 2020.

"If you are an adventurous young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?" The Ministers of the Gospel will escort these eligible women to the gold mines of Goosetown in the California Diggings. It's 1852 and Maggie realizes that this opportunity may be her ticket out of Chicago. How will she convince them to take her with them and that she is a good Christian woman of highest principles when she has a young daughter and no husband?

Maggie soon joins forty-three other women on the perilous 2,000-mile journey west. Limited supplies, possessions, and comforts, the women face challenges that none of them expect. Who among them will survive and what will the future bring when they arrive at their destination?

I read this book on a long airplane ride and laughed and cried. Dallas brings her characters to life and I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. Her book, Prayers for Sale is a favorite of mine, so I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not disappointed and will recommend it to all of my historical fiction lovers. Would I have survived had I chosen to accept the challenge to join this group of women? Probably not, but I would like to think that I have it in me to contribute in some way and to sacrifice everything to start a new life. The friendships forged in this unlikely group of women highlights the ability in all of us to overcome our differences and support each other.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Preorder at Amazon

New York Times best-selling author SANDRA DALLAS, the author of fifteen adult novels, two young reader novels, and two non-fiction books, was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.
Sandra lives in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado, with her husband, Bob. She is the mother of two daughters, Dana, a lawyer in New Orleans, and Povy, a photographer in Golden, Colorado. Visit her at https://www.sandradallas.com


#westeringwomen #historicalfiction

2019 Monthly Color Challenge - August

August - Marigold (Red Orange)

Before you even start this block...clean and oil your sewing machine! If you have been doing the monthly blocks and have been ignoring basic maintenance because you want to get sewing, now is the time. This plastic brush seems to be sold everywhere and is very handy to get into grooves and is washable. (My Granddaughters informed me that it is a mascara brush)

 

Choose your fabric. I pulled all of the red orange fabric from my stash to audition and decide what goes well together.

I decided on these two, I liked the contrast between the fabrics.







Let's talk tools! I use Best Press on all of my fabric; when ironing before I get started, ironing seams and after the block is completed. I found this spray bottle which gives a more even spray and the Best Press lasts longer. I paid 15.00 (2 for 25.00) at a Quilt Show, however, Amazon sells them much cheaper and in pretty designs (Amazon stylist sprayer).

 

I love the Tailor's Clapper for keeping seams flat. If you would like to learn more about it, check out Suzy's Quilts.

Last, but not least...thread! I use Aurifil 50 wt thread exclusively because my sewing machines like it. I buy it on sale and have it in a variety of colors. Many quilters use white, off white or grey for their piecing thread. I took a class and made an intricate design only to have it look awful because I used a light thread and it was noticeable. When I mentioned it to the instructor that I was unhappy with the result, she suggested I use a marker to go over the light visible thread. That wall hanging was never completed. Choose a piecing thread by laying about 12 inches of the thread on your fabrics, it should disappear, unless you are doing decorative stitching.

This is an easy block to construct using Jen's pattern.

 August's block plays well with the other blocks and Frankie approves!

Check out the other Bloggers this month and leave a comment on their Blog!

Patterns by Jen 

Quilts by Joanne

Pamela Quilts

The Quilted Diary

#2019monthlychallengeblock #Augustblock #redorangeaugustblock

The Beach at Doonshean

The Beach at Doonshean by Penny Feeny. Amazon Digital Services, LLC. 295 pages. ***

"They called it the secret beach" a secluded, not well-known beach in Ireland. Will stands on the ledge above the beach searching for his family when he hears the cries of a child and he can't tell if they are cries of excitement or fear. He sees a little boy lose his footing and topple into the water. Without hesitation, Will runs into the freezing ocean and only one person survives the water on that day.

It's now thirty years later and the story fast forwards to that same beach and town in Ireland. The two families whose lives were entangled on that day come together seeking closure and answers to their questions. Has Matt, the little boy saved from that ocean on that fateful day wasted his life seeking something that seems to evade him? 

The story is a good one and is presented on many levels, how the past affects all of the people in both families. It fell a little short on the ending and I wanted more character development because of the many story lines, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Feeny does an excellent job describing the countryside and beach  in Ireland. Doonshean is a townland situated in the western County Kerry,  Ireland. 

I received an ecopy for a review.

Penny Feeny has lived and worked in Cambridge, London and Rome. Since settling in Liverpool with her husband many years ago, she has been a copywriter, editor and radio presenter and brought up five children. Her short fiction has been widely published and broadcast and won several awards. Her first novel, That Summer in Ischia, was Amazon UK's best selling title in the summer of 2011. 

#thebeachatdoonshean 

Never Tell

Never Tell: A Novel  by Lisa Gardner. ( A D.D. Warren and Flora Dane Novel: Book 10) New York: Dutton, 2019. 416 pages. ****  

If you are waiting to purchase the paperback edition, it's coming ---publication date August 6, 2019! 

In this 10th book in the series, D.D. Warren and Flora Dane investigate an unbelievable case. Evie returns home and the first thing she notices is the silence until she realizes that she should have noticed the smell. Evie flashes back to sixteen years ago when there was a similar smell...blood...dark, viscous, and everywhere. It can't be happening again thinks Evie until she sees the gun, removes it from her husband's hand and starts shooting at his computer. D.D. finds it unbelievable that Evie is once again a suspect in a murder investigation. When Flora realizes that she recognizes Conrad, Evie's husband, the murder takes on a new significance. Flora is drawn into her past memories of her abduction and torture at the hands of Jacob Ness. Is Evie innocent and has a penchant for being in the wrong place two times and accused of murder? When three houses burn, D.D. is convinced that someone is looking for something directly related to her case. Flora is determined to help D.D. find the arsonist and identify the murderer.

Gardner writes a thriller that is very hard to put down and yet I didn't want it to end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story that pits good against evil. There are enough clues to keep me guessing even though I wasn't absolutely sure until the end.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN. For more information, check out her website. Lisa runs a contest...Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy Contest

#nevertell #ddwarren

How To Be A Mermaid

How To Be A Mermaid by Erin Hayes.   CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. 212 pages. ***

Tara has dreamed of being a mermaid her whole life. When an opportunity arises for her to be a mermaid and tour aquariums for a year, Tara convinces her mother to let her postpone college life. Tara is drawn to the sea life at the aquarium and distinctly hears a dolphin cry for help and for his mother. While trying to help Kai, a dolphin, she meets a gorgeous merman, Finn, and is faced with conflicting emotions and difficult decisions. 

I received this book with 4 gorgeous fat quarters of fabric as part of an exchange for an IG book and fabric swap #quiltersbookpassport. It was an enjoyable read as an escape from the heat in PA this week. At 212 pages it was a very quick romance and fantasy book. Since the most intense part of the book is Tara and Finn kissing, it would be okay for a preteen who loves mermaids. 


New York Times Bestselling Author Erin Hayes writes what she wants to read, which includes paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and urban fantasy sprinkled with vampires, billionaire princes, mermaids, steampunk and all the stuff you love.

She lives in San Francisco with her husband and a giant cat, along with too many Sailor Moon figurines and pieces of art she brought back from her travels. When she’s not writing, well, she’s planning her next big trip or watching sci-fi movies.


I used one of the fat quarters as a lining in this boxy zippered pouch, free pattern tutorial from Crafty Gemini at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BruF6Hk9NU

Now I have to choose 4 equally appropriate fat quarters to send with the book to the next name on teh list!

#quiltersbookpassport  #howtobeamermaid