BOOK REPORT.....

Helsinki Blood - James Thompson

Product Description(Amazon.com)
An Estonian woman begs Inspector Kari Vaara to find her daughter, Loviise, a young woman with Down syndrome who was promised work and a better life in Finland… and has since disappeared.

One more missing girl is a drop in the barrel for a police department that is understaffed and overburdened, but for Kari, the case is personal: it’s a chance for redemption, to help the victims his failed black-ops unit was intended to save, and to prove to his estranged wife, Kate, that he’s still the man he once was.

His search will lead him from the glittering world of Helsinki’s high-class clubs to the darkest circles of Finland’s underground trade in trafficked women and straight into the path of Loviise’s captors, who may be some of the most untouchable people in the country. 
Series: An Inspector Vaara Novel 
Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (March 4, 2014) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0425264610 
ISBN-13: 978-0425264614

MY THOUGHTS:  New author for me.  Although this is a series of books by this author, this is a good stand alone book.  I got all the details of  the character's in this book.  It was a very well written book and really enjoyed reading this book. 

Human Trafficking - Margaret Haerens

Product Description(Amazon.com)
This series provides readers with the information they need to think critically about the worldwide implications of global issues; each volume focuses on a controversial topic of worldwide importance and offers a panoramic view of opinions.; ; By illuminating the complexities and interrelations of the global community, this excellent resource helps students and other researchers enhance their global awareness. Each volume focuses on a controversial topic of worldwide importance and offers a panoramic view of opinions selected from a diverse range of international sources, including journals, magazines, newspapers, nonfiction books, speeches, government documents, organization newsletters, and position papers. These books contain an annotated table of contents; locator maps, to help readers place countries or areas covered in the essays; “for further discussion” questions; a worldwide list of organizations to contact; bibliographies of books and periodicals; and a subject index. 
File Size: 1557 KB 
Print Length: 224 pages 
Publisher: Greenhaven Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2011) 
Publication Date: December 16, 2011 
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 
Language: English 
ASIN: B00MMP7NVU

MY THOUGHTS:   This is a very small book, but packed with lots of information.  It has all kinds of info on the human trafficking that takes place around the world.  Very interesting book, but also very disturbing in it's content. 

This is also my wrap up for the European Reading Challenge.  Hosted over at Rose City Reader.

BUDS.....

The Hosta's and StarGazier Lilly's are budding and blooming.  I've linked each plant to it's page at Wiki if you want to read about them.

Hosta's budding....

Stargazer Lilly's budding and blooming....

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.....

Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos is the host for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  Hop over and check it out.

Here's my pictures for the week:
1.Special....baby Groundhogs munching grass in our back yard.

2.  Habit...is reading from about 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm

3.  Explore....while walking around the yard to see what flowers were blooming I came across this.

4.  Me....on the couch with Bella and Luke.  Luke is under the pink blanket.

5.  Sprinkle.....Bella and Luke playing in the water on a hot day

Pictures to shoot for next week.
1. Favorite time of Day
2.Nature
3. The Sky
4. Hello
5. Photographers Choice

BOOK REPORT....

The Last Good Man - A. J. Kazinski

Product Description(Amazon.com)
In Beijing, a monk collapses in his chamber , dead.

A fiery mark—a tattoo? a burn?—spreads across his back and down his spine. In Mumbai, a beloved economist dies suddenly. The same symbol appears. Similar deaths are reported around the world—the victims all humanitarians, all with the same death mark. In Venice, a rogue Italian policeman links the deaths, tracing the evidence. Who is killing good people around the world?

In Copenhagen, the Interpol alert lands on the desk of veteran detective Niels Bentzon: Find the “good people” of Denmark and warn them. But Bentzon is a man who is trained to see the worst in humanity, not the good.

Just as Bentzon is ready to give up, he meets Hannah Lund, a brilliant astrophysicist mourning the death of her son. With Hannah’s help, Bentzon begins to piece together the puzzle of these far-flung deaths. A pattern emerges—a perfectly executed plan of murder. There have been thirty-four deaths—two more to come if the legend is true. According to the pattern, Bentzon and Hannah can predict the time and place of the final two murders. The deaths will occur in Venice and Copenhagen. And the time is now. 
Paperback: 480 pages 
Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (March 12, 2013) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1451640765 
ISBN-13: 978-1451640762

MY THOUGHTS:  This book is based on the Jewish belief of the thirty six righteous but unenlightened people who prevent the end of the world.  The mysteries of science and religion collide and slide together in perfect interlocking segments.  Niels is hunting down someone to help him figure out these murders.  Hannah works out a system based on science.  Niels, Hannah and Tomaso are the only 3 people who believe this.  They are trying to find a murderer who is traveling around the world killing all the good people.  Hannah is the one that finds the connection between them all. This book was very compelling, I couldn't put it down.  I wanted to find out what the connection was and who was killing these people.  I was totally surprised by the ending of the book.  I did not see that coming.  Awesome book!

This is for my European Reading Challenge hosted over at Rose City Reader.  This is my book for Denmark.
This is also Number 2 on my list for the Full House Reading Challenge.

WATER FUN......

We've been have typical Indiana weather for the last couple of weeks.  High 80's with 70 to 100% humidity.  In other words, you go outside, it's like walking into a Sauna.  So the kids have been having lots of fun with the water toys they have.

DRESS UP......

You ever play Dress Up when you were a child?  Put on your parents clothes and pretend your something else?  Tommy recently had an important meeting with a potential client.  He bought new pants, shirt, tie and shoes.  Bella saw him all dressed up and wanted to wear his clothes.  She put his shirt on, his tie and his shoes.  She was telling everyone she was a doctor.

DELAYED SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY......

I forgot to post my Scavenger Hunt Sunday pictures on Sunday......so I'm doing it now.  If you want to check this out and read more....head over to Ashley's place, Ramblings and Photos.

Then and Now.......Dandelions....... everyone has them.  Now they are yellow and then they are sticks in your yard.

Indulge....made a trip to JoAnn's Fabric to look browse around the fabric and yarn department.

Happiness.....Bella getting her picture taken, she's a camera hog.

Summer.....my Lilly's are blooming, a sure sign of summer.

Pop of Color.....the storm rolled in and it looked like it was dark.  You can see the pop of yellow from someone's lights being on.

Don't forget to hop over to Ashley's place for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

What to look for next week
1. Special
2. Habit
3. Explore
4. Me
5. Sprinkle

BOOK REPORT.....

A Duke of Her Own - Eloisa James

Product Description(Amazon.com)

A duke must choose wisely . . .

Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.
After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man, and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.
Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field . . .
But in the bedroom. And the heart. 
Hardcover 
Publisher: Avon Books (2009) 
ISBN-10: 1615233369 
ISBN-13: 978-1615233366

MY THOUGHTS:  I thought I would give myself a break from murder mysteries and read my second favorite book.  I love Historical Romances.  They make me believe in romance and happy endings.  This one is truly this.  Leopold is looking for a wife to help raise his bastard children.  Eleanor has had her heart broken by one man and decides she will only marry a Duke and not for love.  So she sits her sites on a Duke for her husband.  Lisette is the perfect woman for Leopold, as she doesn't give a fig about society.  But he really wants Eleanor.  So he must choose between the two.  The thing is, Lisette is a little on the fickle side.  Then you throw in the man that broke Elanor's heart, Astley, who's wife recently dies.  Astley turns up trying to get Eleanor back, but Eleanor has fallen in love with Leopold.  So who does Eleanor decide to marry and is it for her young love or the more mature love of women?  Great book!

This is also for my European Reading Challenge.  This is being hosted over at Rose City Reader.
This is also for my Full House Reading Challenge...Number 7 on my list.

UNINVITED GUEST........

The other day my hubby spotted a bat hanging on the outside screen of the front room.  These are Indiana Brown Bats.  They are on the Endangered list.  We have a colony of them that live in our attic during the summer.  Once in a great while one gets in the house.  We just scoop them up with a towel and put them back outside.  The link will take you to Wiki if you want to read a bout them.

BOOK REPORT......

Prey - Linda Howard

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Thirty-two-year-old Angie Powell has always spoken her mind, but in the presence of Dare Callahan she nurses a simmering rage. Three years ago, Dare returned home to rural Montana and opened a hunting business to rival Angie’s own, forcing her to close up shop. The infuriatingly attractive Iraq war vet even had the nerve to ask Angie out, not once but twice. Before Angie leaves town, she organizes one last trip into the wilderness with a client. But the adrenaline-fueled adventure turns deadly when Angie witnesses a cold-blooded murder and finds herself on the wrong side of a gun. Then a bear comes crashing through the woods—changing the dark game completely. Luckily, Dare is camping nearby and comes to her aid. Forced together for survival, Angie and Dare must confront hard feelings, a blinding storm, and a growing attraction—while a desperate killer and a ferocious five-hundred-pound beast stalk their prey. 
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages 
Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (April 24, 2012) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 9780345506924 
ISBN-13: 978-0345506924

MY THOUGHTS:  This is new author for me and I really enjoyed reading this book.  It is little romance and a lot about survival.  Angie is out with a hunting trip,  Dare is there by request of a friend to watch out for Angie.  What Angie didn't know was the guy on the trip was planning on doing murder, her included.  But neither one of them knew about the man killing bear that was tracking them.  After the murder and the bear attack, Dare rescues Angie and they hold up in Dare's campsite.  But the murderer and the bear are still tracking them.  In the mean time Angie and Dare find out they love each other.  Really great book!

This is also my final book for the What an Animal Reading Challenge.  This Reading Challenge is hosted by Yvonne over a Socrates' Book Reviews.  My list of books that I read.....
1. Zoo - James Patterson
2. Soul of A Dog - Jon Katz
3. Dog Days - Jon Katz
4. The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise - Julia Stuart
5. The Night of the White Buffalo - Margaret Coel
6. Prey - Linda Howard 
This is also Number 20 for the Full House Reading Challenge

STORMY WEATHER......

All this week we have been having lots of storms rolling through.  Lighting, Thunder, Wind and lots of Rain.  This is a storm approaching.

I'm not sure why this one is blue.  Don't know if it was the camera or the lighting.  Anyone got any ideas as to why it's blue?

BOOK REPORT.....

Night of The White Buffalo - Margaret Coel

Product Description(Amazon.com)
A mysterious penitent confesses to murder, and then flees the confessional before Father John can identify him. Two months later, Vicky discovers rancher Dennis Carey shot dead in his truck along Blue Sky Highway. With the tragic news comes the exposure of an astonishing secret: the most sacred creature in Native American mythology, a white buffalo calf, was recently born on Carey’s ranch.

Making national headlines, the miraculous animal draws a flood of pilgrims to the reservation, frustrating an already difficult investigation. As visitors throw the reservation into turmoil, Vicky and Father John try to unravel the strange events surrounding both Carey’s murder and the recent disappearances of three cowboys from his ranch.

It could be coincidence, given the nomadic life of the cowboy trade, but when one of them fails to appear in court to testify on an assault charge, Vicky wonders if Arnie Walkfast and his Arapaho buddies are guilty of more than just assault. And at the back of Father John’s mind is the voice from the man in the confessional: I killed a man… 
Series: A Wind River Mystery (Book 18) 
Hardcover: 304 pages 
Publisher: Berkley; 1St Edition edition (September 2, 2014) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0425264653 
ISBN-13: 978-0425264652

MY THOUGHTS:  This book is a new author for me.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  I've always been fascinated by the Native American and their culture.  My Grandmother told me that we were descendants of The Cheyenne, but she never told me anything else.  I've researched but have never found and history.  This book has Father John and and Vicky searching for answers to questions they have.  And to make matters even worse, the influx of all the people coming to see the baby white buffalo, which is a sacred animal to the tribes of the Native American.  One man has come searching for his friend and they keep telling him he never worked at Broken Buffalo Ranch.  Another man who doesn't show up for a trial, just seems to have disappeared of the face of the earth.  Then Father John and Vicky start investigating and find there are 6 cowboys missing that worked on the ranch.  All their investigating turns up some mystery's they can't explain.  Who is the mysterious confessor of murder at Father John's church?  Will they find out?  And what happened to the missing cowboys?  Read the book, it's really good.  I really liked this author and it's also a series book, which I've started on book 18, but this book is good as a stand alone.  If you like a good murder mystery, this one is really good!

This is also for my What An Animal Reading Challenge.  Yvonne over at Socrate's Book Reviews is hosting this reading challenge. 

NEEDLEWORK TUESDAY.......

Heather over at Books Quilts is the host for Needlework Tuesday. 

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

I finished my Winter Quilt, but have been trying to decide if it needs a border.  What do you think, let me know?

I've started a new quilt for Toby, our new Dachshund.  We buried the quilt with Billy when he passed.  So Toby needs one of his own.

That's it for now.  Don't forget to visit Heather and see all her Granny Square Afghans.

 

BOOK REPORT.......

All The Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Gayle Forman, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven. 
Hardcover: 400 pages 
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (January 6, 2015) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0385755880 
ISBN-13: 978-0385755887

MY THOUGHTS:  This is an awesome book! This is also my Book Clubs choice for June.   It's a Young Adult book and really helps you understand teens and the problems they have.  Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are both suffering through loss of a loved one and bullying.  After meeting "accidentally" while thinking about jumping to their deaths, they are paired up to do a school project.  It's a Geography assignment, to wander Indiana and get to know some of the sites there.  Finch and Violet soon grow to like each other and then they fall in love.  As they wander around finding things to see, they learn all about each other and become very close.  Jennifer Niven is an awesome writer.  She has lots of characters in her books and she adds so much to them that you feel like you are following along with the characters.  This is the second book I've read from this author.  The very first book I read from the author was Velva Jean Learns to Drive.  Wonderful book. 

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

Scavenger Hunt Sunday is hosted by Ashley over at Ramblings and Photos.  Hop over to Ashley's place an check it out.  The list this week is....

1. Season
Since it's been kind of chilly this spring the Lilacs were kind of late coming out.

2. What I'm Looking At
Trying to decide if I want to put a border around my Winter Quilt.

3. In Motion
The twins haven't got their supply of sand yet, so they were digging in the dirt.

4. It Means A Lot to Me
My hubby is finally getting outside, he recently got home from a 6 week stay in the hospital.  He's doing lots better now that he's home.

5. Photographer's Choice
Bella playing dress up with daddy's shirt, tie, and shoes.

What to look for next week.....
1. Then and Now
2. Indulge
3. Happiness
4. Summer
5. Pop of Color

BOOK REPORT......

Velocity - Dean Koontz

Product Description(Amazon.com)
If you don’t take this note to the police . . . I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. . . . If you do . . . I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours.

The typewritten note under his windshield seems like just a sick joke. But in less than twenty-four hours, Billy Wiles, an ordinary, hardworking guy, is about to see his life take on the speed of a nightmare. Because a young blond schoolteacher is murdered—and now Billy has another note. And another deadline. This time he knows it’s no joke. He’s racing a killer faster than evil itself. And Billy must accept his terrifying challenge: The choice is yours. 
Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages 
Publisher: Bantam; Reprint edition (June 26, 2012) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0345533461 
ISBN-13: 978-0345533463

MY THOUGHTS: I was cleaning out a crate the other day and found this book at the bottom.  I was between books at that moment, so started reading it.  As with all the Dean Koontz books I've read, it caught me from the first page.  The one thing about Dean Koontz books with me, is I can't read them after dark.  His writing is way to realistic and scares the heck out of me.  I start imagining someone is in the house watching me or coming to get me.  So I only read them during the day.  That is how powerful Dean Koontz's writing is to me.  This book is no exception.  Billy is a bartender at a local bar.  His whole life right now revolves around his fiance, Barbara, she is in a comma from eating something that was contaminated.   Then one day a note is stuck under his wind shield wiper on his truck.  He thinks it's a joke, but he does show it to his friend Lanny, who happens to be a policeman.  But Lanny doesn't take the note as a policeman, he takes it as a friend to Billy.  Sure enough a blond schoolteacher is found murdered the next day.  Billy thinks this is all a big joke, he's wrong.  Someone is deadly serious and Billy has to find out who it is.  This a really involved book, with lots of characters and lots of information.  I didn't see the ending coming and I didn't know who the killer was, which is good for me.  I love a book that keeps me intrigued and surprises me at the end.