BOOK REPORT......

The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade - Virginia Smith

Product Description(Amazon.com)
n this first book of the Tales from the Goose Creek B&B, you'll fall in love with a small town that feels like coming home. Its quirky characters and their many shenanigans will make you laugh out loud as they touch a place in your heart. Even though retirement is still three years away, Al Richardson is counting the days. He anticipates many enjoyable years in which every day feels like Saturday. But Al's wife, Millie, has different plans for their retirement. When she learns that a Victorian-era home is up for sale, Millie launches a full-blown campaign to convince Al that God's plan for them is to turn that house into a B&B. But a B&B won't be the only change for the small Kentucky town. A new veterinarian has hung up her shingle, but she's only got one patient - the smelly dog belonging to her part-time receptionist. And sides are being taken in the issue of the water tower, which needs a new coat of paint...but no one can agree who should paint it. The situation is coming to a head. Who could have imagined a town protest over a water tower? And who would believe it could culminate in an illegal parade? 
Paperback 
Publisher: Harvest House s,U.S. (September 1, 1964) 
Language: English 
ASIN: B018M3GQN6

MY THOUGHTS:  This was a really funny book.  And very charming, with lots of characters to keep your interest in the book.  I kept reading because I wanted to find out if Millie talked Al into buying the house, then I wanted to know what happens to the water tower.  With a little romance thrown in with the new Veterinarian and the Handyman.  Then you have a town torn in two over the water tower and gets really funny.  I give this book 5.....

This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges....
Full House Challenge
52 Books in 52 Weeks

BOOK REPORT.....

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

Product Description(Amazon.com)

Fat Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.
Now brother Spider's on his doorstep—about to make Fat Charlie's life more interesting . . . and a lot more dangerous. 
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages 
Publisher: HarperTorch (September 26, 2006) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0060515198 
ISBN-13: 978-0060515195

MY THOUGHTS:  This was kind of a strange book.  But I really enjoyed reading it.  It was a little slow but it picked up, so it kept me interested.  Charlie is a normal guy with a job, about to get married and then his father dies and all kinds of strange things start happening.  Mrs. Higley tells Charlie he has a brother, but Charlie didn't know that.  So she tells him when he wants to see his brother, just talk to a spider, so Charlie does, an pow his brother shows up.  Everyone thinks it's Charlie, but it's actually Spider.  Spider has magic powers and can make everyone see what he wants them to see.  Spider also gets Charlie in trouble at work with his boss.  Things get progressively worse for Charlie.  Really interesting book.   I give this book 4.....

This book is also for one of my reading challenges....
Full House Challenge

BOOK REPORT.....

Under Magnolia - Frances Mayes

Product Description(Amazon.com)
From her years as a spirited, secretive child, through her university studies—a period of exquisite freedom that imbued her with a profound appreciation of friendship and a love of travel—to her escape to a new life in California, Mayes exuberantly recreates the intense relationships of her past, recounting the bitter and sweet stories of her complicated family: her beautiful yet fragile mother, Frankye; her unpredictable father, Garbert; Daddy Jack, whose life Garbert saved; grandmother Mother Mayes; and the family maid, Frances’s confidant Willie Bell.

Under Magnolia is a searingly honest, humorous, and moving ode to family and place, and a thoughtful meditation on the ways they define us, or cause us to define ourselves. With acute sensory language, Mayes relishes the sweetness of the South, the smells and tastes at her family table, the fragrance of her hometown trees, and writes an unforgettable story of a girl whose perspicacity and dawning self-knowledge lead her out of the South and into the rest of the world, and then to a profound return home. 
Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Broadway Books (March 31, 2015) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0307885925 
ISBN-13: 978-0307885920

MY THOUGHTS: I love reading about peoples lives.  I often think of famous people as, Wow they have it all, when in reality they are as normal as I am.  They have family problems, a love of their life, children and grand children.  Along the way to becoming famous they are normal.  I didn't actually realize who Francis Mayes was until I was reading the description from Amazon.   I haven't read her book Under The Tuscan Sun, but I have seen the movie.  I give this book 5.....

This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges....
Full House Challenge
52 Books in 52 Weeks

KNICK KNACKS......

We all have them.  Scattered through our house or apartments.  They are little things we pickup to keep a souvenirs or collections.  According to Mirriam Webster Dictionary this is what a Knick Knack is......

 " a small object used for decoration"

I am guilty of this myself.  I have Knick Knacks all over my house.  

Chickens in my kitchen window.

A Shadow Box  full of Knick Knacks.   So do you have any Knick Knacks sitting around?

I'm linking up with ABC Wednesday.

The letter today is K

 

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....

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

Here is my interpretations of the words this week.

Stairs

The stairs in our house and don't look at the cobwebs hanging.

How You Feel Today

A little wind blown, we were under a Wind Advisory a couple days this week.

Flower

We have flowers blooming all winter, yea they are artificial, but they are pretty.

Green

The grass hasn't really died out this winter, but it is getting greener and growing.

Hair

Wouldn't you like to have hair like this, nothing messes it up. lol

BOOK REPORT.....

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree - Susan W. Albert

Product Description(Amazon.com)
The good old ladies of Darling, Alabama, are determined to keep their town beautiful. The Darling Dahlias garden club is off to a good start until rumors of trouble at a bank, an escaped convict, and a ghost digging around their tree surface. If anyone can get to the root of these mysteries, it's the Darling Dahlias. 
Series: Darling Dahlias Mysteries 
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages 
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (July 5, 2011) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0425242161 
ISBN-13: 978-0425242162

MY THOUGHTS: This is the second book in the Darling Dahlias series.  If you like cozy mysteries you'll love this series.  The Dahlias have a lot of mysteries going on.  3 convicts escape, 2 are caught, but the 3rd one is still missing.  The local bank is having troubles and about ready to be shut down.  There also seems to be a ghost digging around the Cucumber Tree.  Plus there has been a murder of a young girl and no ones seems to be able to figure it all out.  So The Dahlias start snooping around and come up to all the answers.  Kept me busy trying to figure it out.  I give this book 4.....

The Girl Who Fell From The Sky - Heidi Durrow

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy after a fateful morning on their Chicago rooftop.

Forced to move to a new city, with her strict African American grandmother as her guardian, Rachel is thrust for the first time into a mostly black community, where her light brown skin, blue eyes, and beauty bring a constant stream of attention her way. It’s there, as she grows up and tries to swallow her grief, that she comes to understand how the mystery and tragedy of her mother might be connected to her own uncertain identity. 
Paperback: 272 pages 
Publisher: Algonquin Books; Reprint edition (January 11, 2011) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1616200154 
ISBN-13: 978-1616200152

MY THOUGHTS: This was a very good book, I enjoyed reading it.  The story is told through the voice of several key characters in the book.  It follows Rachel through her teens.  She is so confused about everything.  She isn't sure if she's suppose to be white or black.  Plus she has her memories of her mother and father.  The also remembers the tragedy that took her mother and 2 brothers.  But she has a hard time remember it right until a teenager by the name of Brick turns up in town.  His real name is William, and he was a witness to the tragedy.  He's been looking for Rachel to give her a message from her dad.  I give this book 5.....

 




These 2 books are also for 2 of my reading challenges.
Full House Challenge(The Darling Dahlias and The Cucumber Tree, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky
Cruisin' Through The Cozies(The Darling Dahlias and The Cucumber Tree)

BOOKISH FRIDAY......

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 they out, you could find your next book.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky - Heidi W. Durrow

MY BOOK BEGINNING
"You my lucky piece," Grandma says.
    Grandma has walked me the half block from the hospital
lobby to the bus stop.  Her hand is wrapped around mine like
a leash.
    It is fall 1982 in Portland and it is raining.  Puddle water
has splashed up on my new shoes.  My girl-in-a-new-dress
feeling has faded.  My new-girl feeling has disappeared.

I'm about half way through this book, so far it's very interesting.  Can't wait to find out what happens.

THE FRIDAY 56

    "I don' know," I say.  "Is it like a confirmation?  In Denmark
everyone has a confirmation when they turn fourteen.
You wear a white dress like a wedding."
    "Denmark?"
    "My mom's from Denmark."

Rachel and Aunt Loretta are having a conversation about a Coming Out Party.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP

Has your contact with authors usually been in person, via e-mail, social media, or something else?Do you believe audio books are the future and why do believe? 

 I usually have contact with the publishers via E-Mail.  But I've also talked to a couple authors via E-Mail.  As for Audio books, they are ok, but I like actual books much better.  I'm one of those people that likes the feel, smell and look of a book.  So I hope books don't become "extinct".

SPRING....MAYBE.....

It was 60 degrees yesterday, beautiful day.  Today it's a little cooler and very windy, we are under a WIND ADVISORY,  I went out to see if spring is here.  I think we still have a couple more weeks yet.  But some of the signs of spring are popping out. 

The Daffodils are blooming. 

What we call Flags here, but they are actually a lily.  They are popping up out of the ground.

There are still some brown patches, but the grass is greening up.

The Tulips are popping up.  So MAYBE Spring is here, we'll just have to wait and see.
I haven't seen our resident Ground Hog come out yet.  She had 3 little babies last spring.  It'll be interesting to see how many there are this year.

These are the baby Ground Hogs from last year. 

I'm linking up with St. Germains's Blog for SEASON'S.

BOOK REPORT......

The Secret of the Old Clock - Carolyn Keene

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Nancy Drew solves her first mystery when the accidental rescue of a little girl who lives with her two great-aunts leads on an adventurous search for a missing will. 
Hardcover: 192 pages 
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (May 1, 1930) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0448095017 
ISBN-13: 978-0448095011

MY THOUGHTS:  I have been wanting to read this series for the longest time.  Being an adult and reading children's books seemed a little strange.  But I've discovered a HUGE supply of books in the children's department at the library.  The books are very well written and can hold an adults attention, so I read lots of books from the children's department.  This is one that I've wanted to read for a long time.  The mystery is very good and I wanted to keep reading to find out if Nancy found the clock.  The missing will is in the old clock.  And Nancy finds it!  I give this book 5.....

This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges.....
52 Books in 52 Weeks(Wk. 11)
Full House Challenge

CREATIVITY CHALLENGE.....

Shelly over at Prairie Moon Quilts is hosting a year long Creativity Challenge.   Want to know more about this.....just hop over to Shelly's place and check it out.

I've been procrastinating on this for a couple weeks.  But we also had a couple weeks of catch up weeks.  I've gotten more RANDOM WORDS done.

I've also been working on my DOODLE.  It's still not done, have a little more work to do on this.

I bought a couple more ADULT COLORING BOOKS.  Picked them up at The Dollar Store.  One is of sea creatures. 

The challenge for the 9th and 10th week was to read some poetry and illustrate something from our favorite poem.  I've taken mine from Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.  I'm not very good at drawing, but I did my best.  This is the poem....  

           

 IT'S DARK IN HERE

I am writing these poems
from inside a lion.
And it's rather dark in here.
So please excuse  the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion's cage
I'm afraid I got too near.
And I'm writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.

Here is my illustration......

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY......

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

Here's my version of the words this week....

Something You Wore....

Bella all dressed up as me, she has my sweater and hat on.

Window...

The window in the Hutch, which need cleaned. 

Red.....

A couple new chickens I bought.

Loud....

Bella's recorder, it's very loud when she is playing it.

Fork....

A little boring but there you have it.  I was going to do a fork in the road, but all our roads are straight.

BOOK REPORT......

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend - Katarina Bivald

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen...
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor-there's not much else to do in a dying small town that's almost beyond repair.
You certainly wouldn't open a bookstore. And definitely not with the tourist in charge. You'd need a vacant storefront (Main Street is full of them), books (Amy's house is full of them), and...customers.
The bookstore might be a little quirky. Then again, so is Sara. But Broken Wheel's own story might be more eccentric and surprising than she thought.
A heartwarming reminder of why we are booklovers, this is a sweet, smart story about how books find us, change us, and connect us. 
Paperback: 400 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (January 19, 2016) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 149262344X 
ISBN-13: 978-1492623441

MY THOUGHTS:  This is my book club's choice for March.  This is an awesome book, loved it, and I couldn't put it down.  If your looking for a charming fast read book, this one is the one.  I highly recommend this book.  Sara travels all the way from Sweden to Broken Wheel Iowa with 13 books.  Only because she couldn't pack anymore in her suitcase.  Sara has gone to Broken Wheel to met her pen pal and lover of books, Amy.  But when she gets there, Amy has died.  So the town of Broken Wheel kind of adopts Sara.  Sara is at a loss as to what she is suppose to do now.  Sara gets the idea to open a book store with all of Amy's books.  The book store goes over kind of slow.  Sara gets so attached to all the people she doesn't want to go back to Sweden.  So the town comes up with the idea to marry her off to Tom.  Can't say anything else as it will give the ending away.  I give this book 5....

This book is for 1 of my reading challenges.....
Full House Challenge

BOOK REPORT......

The Iron Wagon - Al & Joanna Lacy

Product Description(Amazon.com)
At twenty-one, Paul Brockman is the newest deputy U.S. marshal in his father's arsenal of lawmen. Bold and courageous, Paul proves to be every bit as skillful with a revolver as the chief U.S. marshal, John "The Stranger" Brockman.
Five ruthless outlaws escape Yuma Prison but are soon captured, and Paul must transport them back to Arizona in an iron wagon. During the hazardous journey, Paul encounters Lisa Martin, whose parents were murdered by renegade Indians. The lovely young woman desperately needs his help and Paul is just the deputy to deliver Lisa to her destination. Could she be the answer to his prayers for a wife?
But when the wagon comes under attack from Apaches, Paul is forced to think beyond his physical strength to get everyone out alive. 
Paperback: 294 pages 
Publisher: Multnomah Books; 1 edition (July 20, 2010) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1601420560 
ISBN-13: 978-1601420565

MY THOUGHTS:  This was a little out of my comfort zone on reading.  I don't usually read western books.  But I needed a book that the setting started with Y for one of my reading challenges.  So here I am giving my report on this book.  Although the book was good, I didn't really enjoy reading it.  If you like western books it's a pretty good book.   It's all about this family of law men set in the late 1800's.  They have to transport a prisoner to Yuma Prison.  They have a hard time getting there, but they do finally get the prisoner there.  I give this book.....3

 





This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges.....
A - Z Locations Challenge(Wrap Up)
Full House Challenge

BOOK REPORT......

NYPD Red - James Patterson

Product Description(Amazon.com)
NYPD Red is a special task force charged with protecting the interests of Manhattan's wealthiest and most powerful citizens. When a world-famous movie producer is poisoned on the first day of a Manhattan film festival called Hollywood on the Hudson, they are the first ones called. Then an actor is killed on the set of a film. And a Molotov cocktail explodes at a movie premiere.
Detective First Grade Zach Jordan and his new partner--and ex-girlfriend--Detective Kylie MacDonald are assigned to the case. The killer has every murder, every escape, planned down to the last detail--and he's scripted an explosive finale that will bring New York and Hollywood to its knees. 
Series: NYPD Red (Book 1) 
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages 
Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (January 14, 2014) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1455521531 
ISBN-13: 978-1455521531

MY THOUGHTS:   I started reading this book yesterday, thinking I would finish it in a couple day.  But I started reading and just couldn't put it down.  This is also a series of books.  This is the first of 4 books.  So now I've got another series to add to my list.  This is and awesome book.  I thought I was watching a t.v. cop shot, which by the way, this would make a great t.v. show.  Hollywood has come to New York.  New York is trying to get the film industry to make more shows in NY.  So they have a big festival to attract the producers, stars, and all the other people who work on t.v. and films.  And then a murder takes place.  A movie producer is murder, an actor on a movie set is shot and killed, and Molotov Cocktail explodes at a movie premiere.  Zach and his partner Kylie are called in to figure this all out.  This book very fast paced and action packed.  I give this book 5......

This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges...
Color Coded Challenge(Red)
52 Books in 52 Weeks(Wk. 10)

BOOK REPORT......

White Fire - Preston & Child

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Special Agent Pendergast arrives at an exclusive Colorado ski resort to rescue his protégée, Corrie Swanson, from serious trouble with the law. His sudden appearance coincides with the first attack of a murderous arsonist who--with brutal precision--begins burning down multimillion-dollar mansions with the families locked inside. After springing Corrie from jail, Pendergast learns she made a discovery while examining the bones of several miners who were killed 150 years earlier by a rogue grizzly bear. Her finding is so astonishing that it, even more than the arsonist, threatens the resort's very existence.
Drawn deeper into the investigation, Pendergast uncovers a mysterious connection between the dead miners and a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story--one that might just offer the key to the modern day killings as well.
Now, with the ski resort snowed in and under savage attack--and Corrie's life suddenly in grave danger--Pendergast must solve the enigma of the past before the town of the present goes up in flames. 
Series: Agent Pendergast series (Book 13) 
Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages 
Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (May 27, 2014) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1455525847 
ISBN-13: 978-1455525843

MY THOUGHTS:  This is a new author for me.  I've started a series I didn't know about.  So now I'm going to have to put this series on my ever growing list.  Excellent book, the writing is awesome.  All the characters are linked to story and the events unfurl beautifully.  Corrie arrives to investigate some bones of some miners from the 1800's.  And eventually she gets into trouble and gets thrown in jail.  So Pendergast has to come and rescue her.  While there, an arsonist is at work burning down million dollar homes with the families inside.  Eventually the arson and the long ago miners are linked to the case.  This book just flows from one clue to another, leading to the tantalizing ending.  I give this book 5.....

This book is also for 2 of my reading challenges....
Color Coded Challenge
Monthly Keyword Challenge

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY......

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

Here's my interpretations of the words this week.

Up.....

Beautiful sun and blue sky, after a week of gray skies.

Fruit.....

We always have some kind of fruit around the house.  The twins love fruit.

Neighborhood....

This is my neighborhood.  Can you tell it's trash day?

Smile......

Bob waiting on me to play with him.  I think he's smiling.

Photographer's Choice......

I love black and white pictures.  This one is a natural black and white.  I didn't have to make it this way, it was a rainy cloudy day with some fog threw in.