Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel

 

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan. New York: William Morrow, 2019. 322 pages, Meet the Author, About the Book, Read On. ****

Told in the alternating voices of child Tilly and adult Tilda, Hogan presents the complexities of a mother - daughter relationship. Seeing her childhood through the eyes of Tilly and her interpretation of the situations and events created by her mother and then to read her mother's journals forces Tilda to re-evaluate her memories and feelings. Tilda's boyfriend Daniel sums it up, "I think it's all about love." The outspoken, confident Tilly is hidden inside the quiet, awkward, insecure Tilda and the two become one when her mother's secrets are brought to light in her journals. Faced with uncomfortable facts, Tilda is determined to seek answers and to visit those who provided a safe environment for a troubled child.

I received a copy of this book as my November read for The Bee Keepers- The Book Hive Book Club Facebook Group.  When the book arrives each month chosen by someone else, I sometimes dread reading it because it is accompanied by a journal. I confess I rarely read what other's have written about it and may occasionally read what the owner has to say. I read for enjoyment and am not comfortable dissecting and answering questions. I have read many books and genres that I would not have chosen and have been pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the way in which the story unfolds and the interconnectedness of the characters. The Paradise Hotel provides a safe haven and the perfect backdrop for a larger than life Queenie, Tilda and her mother.

Ruth Hogan's debut novel, The Keeper of Lost Things, was a Sunday Times #1 bestseller and translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives in Bedford, England, with her husband and a pack of much-loved rescue dogs.  

#queeniemalonesparadisehotel #thebeekeepers #thebookhivebookclub #bookstagram

Follow me on IG @flamazing_books

Coronavirus Quilt Finishes and life during a pandemic.

April 2020


Just like everyone else, I am having a hard time getting motivated to quilt and sew. I made masks for a local hospital, family, friends, and neighbors. I used Leah day's youtube tutorial for a pattern, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNX0cRrYj6U

Elastic is hard to come by and I have read that it is irritating to the ears, so I started making masks with ties. More labor intensive, but they seem to fit better, if worn properly.

A local hospital gave my Quilt Guild members fabric and a pattern to make their masks. It is a woven material that is used to sterilize medical instruments.

I have added a Free Mask every day to the Little Free Library in front of my house. Someone left a roll of Toilet Paper in return two days in a row. 

I have decided that I really need to get some of my UFOs finished during this stay at home time. Motivating myself is another story!

I completed this quilt top at my Quilt Guild's Retreat in March. It is a free pattern by Sew Can She at https://www.sewcanshe.com/blog/2018/6/19/baby-heart-log-cabin-quilt-free-quilt-pattern This sweet baby quilt is for a friend's Grandbaby. #Coronavirusquilt1

I participated in Gudrun's Elvira Quarantine Quilt Along, http://pennyformythoughts-nona.blogspot.com/2020/04/quarantine-quilt-along-elvira.html

I have ordered red matching fabric for the binding and waiting for it to arrive to finish this quilt. #Coronavirusquilt2 #qqal1

I have a friend whose daughter is having a baby girl in the fall and wanted a girlie, pink quilt. Hope from GEDesigns is a fast, fun, easy quilt to make and to use up scraps of fabric. I also made a lap size Hope quilt. 

#hopequilt #coronavirusquilt3 #coronavirusquilt4 #qqal2

$35,000 was raised for charity through the sale of the Hope pattern by GEDesigns. For more information and yummy recipes, https://gequiltdesigns.com/blogs/ge-happenings/hope-quarantine-quilt-along-2-event

During this pandemic, I am starting the Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks as part of a Sew Modern Bee. 

I am trying to make the "Stay at home" time count in my life and not get discouraged by world events. It has been a trying two weeks with the Pandemic and justifiable protests. On June 5th, my county in Pennsylvania moved from red to yellow in the transitional phase. Hopefully, green is right around the corner.  Green began on June 26th,  however, most people are still being cautious. Masks and social distancing are a must when going outside of the house. 

I have continued to work on the 100 Modern Quilt Blocks and have found these blocks to be addictive! Updates available at https://pennyformythoughts-nona.blogspot.com/2020/07/tula-pinks-city-sampler-100-modern.html.

November 20, 2920

Covid numbers are rising again in Pennsylvania, there are 3, 294 hospitalizations. All are requested not to travel for the Thanksgiving holidays. Dinner is to be eaten with members of our own household, so sad not to see extended family.

Sewing is my saving grace! Two friends and I made this charity quilt in sections. We each completed a section, then sewed it together.   

Fun to make and I’m sure a child will be happy to receive it.

Project Linus - Lucy's Love Notes

 Project Linus has launched a 2020 Mystery Quilt - Lucy's Love Notes. This is the 6th year for a Mystery Challenge Quilt.

The cost to participate is 15.00 and the proceeds go to Project Linus unless you indicate a local chapter. Sign up now - https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=2Zr72m  

There is also a Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/848183768557929

IG - #lucyslovenotes 

I have downloaded the fabric requirements and the suggestion is to use batiks, I may have to go fabric shopping!

Pip and Charlie approve of my fabric choices. 

The first clue will be released on September 26th! Join me in creating a fun quilt!

Clue #1 is done and the girls approve! 

Clue #2 is amazing, such clear instructions! 

Clues1, 2, and 3 completed. 

 

Clue #4 Tropical Flower

The girls and I are looking at the video and reading clue #5! 

Everyone’s a critic! 

 

Thank goodness the music blocks pass inspection!

I still can't envision what this quilt will look like, I guess that's why it's called a mystery quilt!

Meet Lucy, isn’t she grand? 

 

 

I didn't pick out a border fabric because I couldn't picture the final layout, however, I was drawn to polka dots.

 

Still not sure about my color choices.

 

The black and white polka dots seem to pull it all together!

She’s done! 

#lucyslovenotes #projectlinusmysteryquilt @projectlinus #projectlinusmysteryquilt2020

2020 Monthly Color Challenge - November

November - Buff Breasted Sandpiper (Buff)

 

 

 

This month's pattern is available from Patterns by Jen. 

I don't have any buff colored solid fabric in my stash, however, I do have this gorgeous turquoise!

 

This fussy cutter ruler works perfectly to square up these blocks.

The blocks are coming together nicely.  Only one more month to go!

Check out the other bloggers for this month:

Patterns By Jen

Quilt'n Party

Pretty Piney Quilts

Sew Joy Creations

rainbows. bunnies. cupcakes.

Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio

Kathy's Kwilts and more

Scrapdash

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

These are sponsors for this month, make sure you post a picture of your block at the end of the month! 

Join the Facebook Group - Quilt and Learn with Patterns by Jen

Follow me on IG - kathy.nester 

Start watching for information on the 2021 Monthly Color Challenge, 2020 is my third year and I look forward to 2021!

#2020monthlycolorchallenge #novemberblock

Her Final Words

 

Final Words by Brianna Labuskes. Seattle: Thomas & Mercer, 2020. 343 pages. ****

Eliza Cook walks into the FBI Field Office and asks to see Special Agent Lucy Thorne. Eliza confesses to killing a young boy with details that only the killer could know and then Eliza goes mute. Lucy is troubled by the lack of motive and is determined to find out the truth. Knox Hollow is a small town in Idaho with many secrets to hide and Lucy makes it her mission to expose them. It seems like an open-and-shut case until others go missing and additional bodies are found. Can Sheriff Hicks be trusted and what is he hiding? Is there a serial killer hiding in this Church controlled town or just a series of unfortunate natural deaths? 

 

This psychological thriller will have you guessing until the very end.  I enjoyed Labuskes technique for revealing the back-story. Starting with a confession and then gradually introducing the main characters kept me reading and questioning whether Eliza is a killer and why she confessed to Noah's murder if she isn't one. Total escapism, read it in 2 days and was sorry to see it end.

 

Brianna Labuskes was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State University with a degree in journalism. For the past eight years, she has worked as an editor at both small-town papers and national media organizations such as Politico and Kaiser Health News, covering politics and policy. She is the author of the psychological suspense novels Black Rock Bay, Girls of Glass, and It Ends with Her. Brianna lives in Washington, DC, and enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, and exploring the city’s best brunch options. Visit her at www.briannalabuskes.com. 

Follow me on Instagram at flamazing_books

#psychologicalthriller #mysterybook #bookstagram

The Blended Quilt

 

The Blended Quilt (Hawaiian series, book #3)by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter. Ohio:Shiloh Run Press, 2020. 293 pages. Recipe. Discussion Questions. ****

Sadie Kuhns and her boyfriend Wyman have been courting for months and are at a crossroads. Wyman has a history of job-hopping in an effort to find the perfect job and Sadie wants to settle down and get married. In order to keep herself occupied, Sadie creates a wall-hanging that blends traditional Amish and Hawaiian quilt patterns. Friends encourage her to write a book with her quilt patterns and self-publish it. Receiving an inheritance from her mother's sister, Sadie has the opportunity to make her dream come true much to Wyman's disapproval and resentment. The more successful Sadie becomes in promoting her book, the less time there is to see Wyman and participate in her family activities. When the same young man attends her book signings and asks inappropriate questions, Sadie doesn't know what to do. Her Amish way of life has not prepared her for success and a brash young man. Is he harmless or does he have a sinister motive for showing up on her family's farm? 

 

This mother and daughter-in-law writing duo has done it again. The Amish way of life looks calm and peaceful from the outside; however, they have a way of introducing reality into their stories. The jealousy of Sadie's sisters about her inheritance and Wyman's unrealistic job pursuits are relatable in any culture and may be surprising to some readers. The Brunstetters provide a window into a way of life that few outsiders (English) understand. As a quilter, I enjoyed reading about Sadie's quilt design process and appreciate the recipe for Sadie's Coconut Carrot Cake (page 280). In our chaotic world today it is helpful to read a book filled with acceptance and hope. Whenever I pick up one of their books, I know it will be an enjoyable afternoon.

I received a paperback copy for a review.

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of over 100 books with more than 11 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine, USA Today, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, and Country Woman. Wanda’s books have been translated into four foreign languages. For more information on the author: https://wandabrunstetter.com/about/

Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/flamazing_books

#Amishfiction #quiltingfiction

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters

 

The Unikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswall. New York, William Morrow, 2019. 312 pages. ****

 The British born Shergill sisters-- Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina --travel to India on a pilgrimage to fulfill their deceased Mother's request. Having grown apart as they have gotten older, they don't really know one another and their constant bickering and fighting doesn't help. All three bring their own issues and secrets on the trip as well as their resentments about their role and treatment in the family. Somewhere along the way, each sister gaisn insight into the role their mother had to play in her husband's family and they come to terms with the expectations for women in their culture. No trip with three sisters would be complete without at least one arrest and one disappearing sister. A heart-warming story of love and acceptance!

This book is one of the choices in the Bee Keepers - The Book Hive Book Club. It is my October read and I am so glad it was chosen. Not a book I would have picked up on my own, but an enjoyable read. If you have a sister, you will understand and bring your own experiences to the story. I borrowed a copy from the library to read because the book came with a multitude of post-it flags on the pages and post-it notes throughout. Drove me crazy...is this something new in Fiction book reading? A total distraction for this retired librarian.

Balli Kaur Jaswal was born in Singapore and grew up in Japan, Russia, and the Philippines. She studies creative writing at Hollins University in Virginia  and has taught fiction at Nanyang Technological University and Yale-NUS College in Singapore. Her novel Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was an international bestseller and a Resse's Book Club pick. She lives in Singapore.

#beekeepersbookhivebookclub #sistersfiction #bookhivebookclub #bookstagram @flamazing_books