2016 READING CHALLENGES.....

Since November is about to start, I've gone looking for new Reading Challenges for 2016.  I've found a couple at A Novel Challenge.  Checked them out and have my books picked out.  They are also in my Reading Challenge Tab at top of my page.

Literary Loners Reading Challenge hosted by Jamie over at Whatever I Think Of.

 Challenge will run from January 1 to December 31, 2016.  Books must be started on or after January 1 to count.  Re-reads will be allowed as long as they are read during the specified time period.
I will not be crating levels.  I will leave it up to you to decide how many books to read.

I'm going for 5 books.  Here is my list.
1. Silas Marner - George Eliot
2. Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keye
3. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
4. Oryx and Crake - Margret Atwood
5. With This Ring - Amanda Quick


Retellings Reading Challenge hosted by Jo over at Once Upon a Bookcase.

Challenge will run from January 1 to December 31, 2016. 
You can read retellings of any of the following:
 Classics & Children's Classics
 Fairy Tales
 Myths and Legends
 Folk Tales
 I will also accept prequels/sequels
I'm going for the Medium Level ( 5-8 books)
1. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
2. The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale
3. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
4. Daughter of the Forrest - Juliet Marillier
5. Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
6. Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier
7. The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor
8. Fairest - Gail Carson Levine
 

BOOK REPORT......

The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself. 
Age Range: 10 - 12 years 
Grade Level: 5 - 7 
Lexile Measure: 990L 
Paperback: 272 pages 
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (May 18, 2009) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 054723760X 
ISBN-13: 978-0547237602

MY THOUGHTS:  I have to admit when I first started this book I wasn't too sure where it was going.  But I kept with it and finally got into it.  Holling is a typical 7th grader.  But he has a problem with his teacher, Mrs. Baker.  He thinks she hates him.  Why, because every Wednesday at  at 1:45 sharp, half of his class went to Hebrew School at Temple Beth-El, and, at 1:55, the other half went to Catechism at Saint Adelbert's.  This left Holling the only student in the class.  There are of course bully's that Holling has to deal with along with everything else a typical 7th grader has to bear up to.  But is it his imagination that his teacher hates him?  You will have to read the book to find out about the rest of the book.  Really great book to read!  I give this book 4.....

This book is for Read the Days of the Week Challenge.

FRIDAY BOOK MEMES......

Gillon at Rose City Reader is the host for Book Beginnings, Freda at Freda's Voice is the host for The Friday 56 and Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict is the host for Book Blogger Hop.  Head over and check these places out, you could find your next book to read.

The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt

My Book Beginning
Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun.
Me.
And let me tell you, it wasn't for anything I'd done.
If it had been Doug Swieteck that Mrs. Baker hated, it would have made sense.

This beginning made me want to read on to find out why this teacher hated him or was it his imagination?  My review will be posted tomorrow as I'm almost done with this book.

My Friday 56
At lunch recess, Doug Swietck's brother lurched across the field, sixth graders scurrying out of his way as if he was a southwest wind about to blister them all over.
"Thou jesting monkey thou," I said.
Not that he could hear it.
Right after recess, I found that the eighth graders had filled the boy's restroom with smoke so thick you couldn't even smell the disinfectant.

Book Blogger Hop

If you could give away books instead of candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween Night, what would the titles be?

The If You Give A......books by Laura Numeroff.   I've got the whole series and my grand kids just love them. 

 

 

BOOK REPORT.......

It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas

Product Description(Amazon.com)

Headstrong American heiress Lillian Bowman has come to England to find an aristocratic husband. Unfortunately, no man is strong enough to tame the stubborn beauty's fierce will. Except, perhaps, the powerful and arrogant Earl of Westcliff—a man Lillian despises more than anyone she's ever met.
Marcus, Lord Westcliff, is famous for his icy English reserve and his supreme self-control. But something about the audacious Lillian drives him mad. Whenever they're in the same room, they can't stop themselves from battling furiously to gain the upper hand.
Then one afternoon, a stunningly sensuous encounter changes everything . . . and Lillian discovers that beneath the earl's reserved façade, he is the passionate and tender lover of her dreams. What neither Westcliff nor Lillian suspect, however, is that a sinister conspiracy threatens to destroy any chance of happiness. After a shocking betrayal endangers Lillian's safety—and possibly her life—will Marcus be able to save her before it's too late? 
Mass Market Paperback: 391 pages 
Publisher: Avon (September 27, 2005) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0060562498 
ISBN-13: 978-0060562496

MY THOUGHTS:   I love reading a good Historical Romance.  I've read this author before and she is very good with details and characters.  You actually feel like your there watching the whole story go down.  Lillian and the Earl are too much alike.  They are stubborn and like to get their own way.  But will they ever come to terms long enough to find each other?  You'll have to read the book to find out.  I give this book 4....

This is book finishes the Fall Into Books Reading Challenge.  I set 5 books for this challenge.  This is my list of books.  All the books have something to do with Fall/Autumn.

1. Thanksgiving - Janet Evanovich
2. Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich
3. It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas
4. Autumn Blue - Karen Harter
5.  Broken - Karin Slaughter

QUILTS AND AFGHANS......

Ginny over at Small Things hosts Yarn Along.  Don't know what this is?  Here's some info from Ginny.

 Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too!

Since it turned chilly this week I got my At The Beach Afghan and worked on it.  It's coming along pretty nicely.

As for what I'm reading, It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas.  It's a Historical Romance, I love reading this kind of book.  I've been reading a lot of suspense mystery's and wanted a break from those, so I picked this one up at the library.   I also love the cover of this book.  I've linked it to the page at Amazon.com if you want to check it out.

Sharon over at Pintangle is the host for Take A Stitch Tuesday.  She gives you instructions on how to do a multitude of Embroidery Stitches.

  The stitch this week is Wheateater Stitch.  A little info on this block.  The flower came off one of Bella's pony tail bands and I kept it, thinking I could use it for something or other.  So I put it on my block and added a bead to the center.  Then I couched down some yarn to make some grasses and added some Wheateater Stitches.  I'll be putting a few more of those stitches in this area. 
Block 5

A Close Up of Wheateater Stitch

And if you want a closer look than this, just click on the picture.

THE GOOD. THE RANDOM. THE FUN.

Tamar over at Random-osity is the host for The Good. The Random. and The Fun.  I'm also joining the Stitchery Link Party over at Super Mom-No Cape.  Hop over and check out all the photos everyone is sharing today.

The Good.

I've finished my Crazy Quilt Block 4.  I'm pleased with this one.  I learned some new embroidery stitches and applied them to this block.  I've been following with Sharon at Pintangle to learn these stitches.  She shows a new one each week.  The stems on the flowers are a Barred Chain Stitch. 

The Random.

The trees around the neighborhood are changing color pretty fast.

The Fun.

Bella all ready for Halloween.  Her daddy bought her a Spiderman outfit.  She really likes Spiderman a lot right now.  She even has a Spiderman lunch box.  She wants a Spiderman backpack but he hasn't found one of those yet.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....

Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos is the host for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  Head over and check out all the photos everyone is sharing.

Leaves....

The leaves on the Poke plant have wilted due to the frost we had the other night.

Hat.....

Our son, Tommy, has drug out his Car Hart hat.

Stop....

I guess it's time to stop wearing my summer shoes.  My toes get cold. LOL

My Town.....

The Catholic Church got a new coat of paint.

Up......

This is the west side of our house.  This is the chimney of our house.  It's about 60 feet from bottom to top.

BOOK REPORT......

Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Every Tuesday Castle Glower takes on a life of its own-magically inventing, moving, and even completely getting rid of some of its rooms. Good thing Princess Celie takes the time to map out these never-ending changes. Because when the castle is ambushed and Celie's parents and oldest brother go missing, it's up to Celie to protect their home and save their kingdom. 
Age Range: 8 - 12 years 
Series: Tuesdays at the Castle (Book 1) 
Paperback: 256 pages 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; Reprint edition (October 30, 2012) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1599909170 
ISBN-13: 978-1599909172

MY THOUGHTS:  This was a really great book to read.  Fun and mysterious at the same time.  When the castle grows a new room, Celie makes a map of it and takes it to the head Housekeeper, so she can inform the servants so they don't get lost.  Celie is making a map of the house to be made into a book.  The mystery of the children's parents disappearance puts them all on guard.  Someone is trying to take over their kingdom and it's up to the children to figure it out.  Do they find their parents and put down the take over?  You'll have to read the book to find out.  I give this book 4.....

This book is for the  Read the Days of the Week Challenge.

FRIDAY BOOK MEMES.....

Gillion over at Rose City Reader is the host for Book Beginnings, Freda over at Freda's Voice is the host for The Friday 56 and Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict is the host for Book Blogger Hop.  Head over and check them out, you may find your next book.

Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George

BOOK BEGINNING

Whenever Castle Glower became bored, it would grow a new room or two.  It usually happened on Tuesdays, when King Glower was hearing petitions, so it was the duty of the guards at the front gates to tell petitioners the only two rules the Castle seemed to follow.

This is a Junior Fiction book.  It's aimed at children 8 - 12.  I've found that these books are very well written and can hold my attention.  I've found some pretty good books in this section at my library.  This first paragraph grabbed me right away.  A Castle growing rooms?  What could that possibly be about and how does it work?  So I have to keep reading to find out.

The Friday 56

That was not a good word.  In fact, Vhervhish was a very warlike language, and the Vhervhish people had a number of different words for violent acts.  According to the book, this particular word meant to kill in secret, for "an assassination."

BOOK BLOGGER HOP

 Name one book you've read in the past that still haunts you today.

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz.  This was a scary book, I couldn't read this after dark.  Only during the day time.  It was a really good book!  If you like scary and suspenseful you'll like this book.  
Synopsis:
In the late summer of a long-ago year, Alton Turner Blackwood brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.
Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, re-creating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.
As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return.

BOOK REPORT.....

Autumn Blue - Karen Harter

Product Description(Amazon.com)
An authentic tale of the bonds of family, faith, and trust. As single mother Sidney Walker struggles to save her troubled young son, she finds she is not as alone as she thinks when help comes from the most unexpected person. 
Paperback: 292 pages 
Publisher: Center Street (March 1, 2007) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1931722617 
ISBN-13: 978-1931722612

MY THOUGHTS:  This book is considered to be Christen Reading.  I liked this book very much.  It is all about Sydney and her angry and confused son.  Sydney is trying her best as a single mother to raise her children.  But she thinks her children need a father.  When Ty gets into trouble with the law the most unsuspecting person comes to the rescue, the neighbor, Millard, a 73 year old man who lives by himself.  As all this works out, Sydney finds things out about herself she never realized.  The best part is her family gets a father figure and Sydney didn't even see it coming.  As far as that goes, I didn't even see this coming.  Great book!  I give this book 4.....

This book is also for The Fall Into Books Reading Challenge.

FAVORITE SOUPS.....

Over at the Gooseberry Patch it's Recipe Round Up time and they are asking.....

What are YOUR favorite SOUPS, STEWS AND CHILI recipes?
Share 'em all in today's Recipe Round-Up.

Around here it's usually Vegetable Soup, Chili or Potato Soup.  And sometimes we have Clam Chowder that my son makes.  My favorite is Potato Soup.

Potato Soup

 







Ingredients

10 – 12 potatoes

Milk

Bacon

Onion

Salt & Pepper

Clean and dice potatoes into thick pieces.  Cook potatoes until tender.  Fry 2 strips of bacon drain and cut into small pieces.  Cut and dice ½  of an onion.  Add bacon, onion, salt and pepper to potatoes.  Bring to a simmer.  Turn off heat and add milk. DO  NOT  BRING TO BOIL…..Add thickening and stir.  Bring to a simmer.  DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL.

THICKENING

Flour

Water

Mix and stir until dissolved.

Add to potatoes and stir until desired thickness. 

The next favorite is Chili.  I usually have my chili with a baked potato.  I put the chili over the top of my potato and enjoy.

 Chili Soup

 Ingredients

1 – 2 lb. Hamburger

1 teas. Chili Powder

2 15 oz. cans Tomato Sauce

1 15 oz. can Chili Beans

 1 small onion

 2 – 3 cans of water

OPTIONAL – 2 handfuls of elbow macaroni

Fry hamburger, add onion and cook until onion is transparent.  In a large pot add hamburger and onion mixture.  Mix in chili powder, chili beans or red kidney beans.  Add tomato sauce and water.  Bring to a boil.  If desired, add macaroni.  Cook until macaroni is done.

 

MY NEEDLEWORK......

I've been working on my Crazy Quilt Blocks.  I'm still working on Block 4 right now.  I'm kind of at a stand still.  I'm not sure what to put in this big yellow void to the right.

I did a little work on the blue section.  There some beads, Chain Stitch and French Knots. 

I'm still working on this one.  I've still got some more outlining to do.  Just click on the picture to get a closer look.

I'm linking up with Heather over at Books and Quilts for Needlework Tuesday and Sharon over at Pintangle for Take A Stitch Tuesday.  Hop over and check this gals out, they have some awesome needlework going on at their places.

BOOK REPORT....

Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey.
According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.
Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He's chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he's chosen the Barrens as his new playground.
Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He's now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn't made it out of the boys' department at Macy's. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn't met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.
Diesel pops in and out of Plum's life like birthday cake - delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He's an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He's after Grimoire, and now he's also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn't mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.
Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys. 
Series: Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers (Book 4) 
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Reprint edition (December 29, 2009) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0312383347 
ISBN-13: 978-0312383343

MY THOUGHTS:  The season is Autumn and Stephanie is out hunting bail jumpers.  She gets home to find a monkey attached to her door knob.  Carl is his name and he's pretty smart.  Then Diesel pops in and they both are hunting for Stephanie's bail jumper.  Munch is a genuis and works with Wulf Grimoire. Wulf is being hunted by Diesel.  And Munch is Stephanie's bail jumper.  Diesel and Stephanie work together to get their person and all kinds of things and people live in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. 
I give this book 5.......

This book is also for the Fall Into Book Challenge.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....

Numbers....

My dirty keyboard has lots of numbers and letters of course.

Hot.....

A piece of Ham cooking in the Crock Pot.  It's very hot.

Pumpkin....

I took this with my phone.  It's one of those blow-up things.  The wind was blowing it around.

Quiet.....

All the kids are inside, but it's quiet outside.

Full.....

Grocery shopping last week filled the fridge up.