Book 39 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

52 Books in 52 Weeks

It looks like I won't have any trouble meeting the 52 books goal this year - knock on wood! Of course, my books have all been rather "lightweight", unlike those many of the other participants are reading.  I've been a reader my entire life and have read lots of "great literature", some even in Latin, French and German during high school and college.  That's not to say that I've read it all or that I shouldn't be reading higher level books, but it seems to me that it's okay to read mostly for fun at this time.  Actually, I've been going through all our bookshelves lately, pulling out many that I should read or should want to read or that I meant to read - and boxing those books up for the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Libraries to sell at their well-attended book sale fundraisers. Hope I don't miss any of them! As they say, So Many Books - So Little Time!

Book 39

One Thousand Gifts

Ann Voskamp

2010

"Like most readers, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well.  Forget the bucket lists about once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

'How' Voskamp wondered, 'do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark?  What is God providing here and now?'

A beautifully practical guide to living a life of joy, One Thousand Gifts invites you to wake up to God's everyday blessings.  As Voskamp discovered, in giving thanks for the life she already had, she found the life she'd always wanted.

Following Voskamp's grace-bathed reflections on her farming, parenting, and writing life, you will embark on a transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling gifts.  Along the way, you will discover a way of seeing that opens your eyes to gratitude, a way of living so you are not afraid to die, and a way of becoming present to God's presence that brings a deep and lasting happiness."

Ann Voskamp is a writer with DaySpring (a division of Hallmark), a contributing editor to Laity Lodge's The High Calling, and a global advocate for the poor, traveling for Compassion International.  With an educational background in psychology and education from York University and the University of Waterloo, Ann and her husband are farmers in the Mennonite countryside of southwestern Ontario, raising a half dozen kids, crops of corn, and the roof in praise.  She writes every day about the everyday wonder at www.aholyexperience.com

I found this book somewhat difficult reading - hard to see where she was going until close to the end - but I read mostly at night just before falling asleep.  I want to read it again - and maybe even start my own gifts journal. She definitely has a beautiful writing style. 

52 Books in 52 Weeks: # 38, 11th Hour

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book # 38

11th Hour

by James Patterson

and

Maxine Paetro

2012

Hadn't read any of Patteson's mysteries before but couldn't resist

reading about "The Women's Murder Club" - and now I'm hooked! This is Number 11, so I need to go back and read numbers 1-10.  How could I have missed these all these years?

Here's the catchy little blurb - an irrestible hook for sure:

"Detective Lindsay Boxer is pregnant - and investigating the discovery of severed heads in a movie star's garden"!

52 Books in 52 Weeks, Book 36: The New Year's Quilt

The New Year's Quilt
An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
by Jennifer Chiaverini
2007

Just love these Elm Creek Quilts stories! I always like series that feature different people in each but mention the others and keep us up-to-date on them too. It's kind of like reading about a neighborhood!

"As master quilter Sylvia Compson, a late-in-life newlywed, has discovered, love can enter our lives at any age.  Yet before she can truly delight in her present happiness, she must face her role in the tragic circumstances that left her estranged from her sister.  Vowing not to repeat the mistake with her new daughter-in-law, Amy, Sylvia must convince Amy that family is more precious than pride.  As Sylvia takes up a quilt for the season, begun and abandoned over six years ago, she recalls the New Year's Eve festivities of her youth at Elm Creek Manor as a member of the Bergstrom family."

52 Books in 52 Weeks - Various Craft Books, #s 33-35

More Crafty Books

Book 33

The Pop-Up Book
Paul Jackson
1993

Step-by-Step Instructins for Creating Over 100 Original Paper Projects

This is quite fascinating for those who like paper art! It goes through the Basics, then several Techniques, and then Design - How to Design Your Own Pop-ups.  Also includes a Gallery

"The magical qualities of three-dimensional and moving books have universal appeal.  The Pop-Up Book offers a clear and practical guide to the craft for all levels of artist, from home hobbyists to professional graphic designers and architects."

Book 34

Creative CARD MAKING for Scrapbookers
226 Ideas and Techniques for Handcrafted Cards
Memory Makers Books
2004

Oh, what fun! More than 200 outstanding cards, invitations and announcements, with illustrated step-by-step instructions.

Book 35

Crease + Fold
Innovative Origami Projects Anyone Can Make
Sok Song
2010

I'd love to be able to make this item on the cover!

52 Books in 52 Weeks, Books 30-32, Papercrafts

Crafty Books

Book 30

Fun With Family Photos
Jennifer and Leslie Barry
2004

Crafts - Keepsakes - Gifts

I was especially interested in the items that used family photos. One really cute one put the photos onto round metal-rimmed cardboard key tags in both 1-1/2 inch and 2-1/2 inch sizes. Hope to make some!

Book 31

Greeting Cards in An Afternoon

Cindy Gorder
2001

Always fun to get new ideas for greeting cards! Love the folded diaper card and also the paper-pricking idea for decorating cards.

Book 32

Photo Art and Craft
Carolyn Vosburg Hall
2001

50 Projects Using Photographic Imagery

So many good ideas here! Must get this one from the library again!

Our Toys: Playskool Wooden Puzzles

 Time To Pack Up The Toys

Playskool Wooden Puzzles

Time to give these puzzles away now that our children and grandchildren have outgrown them. I've washed off the tops and marked the back of each piece with the puzzle name and number of pieces, like Boy Blue 1/12 - or however many pieces there are in each puzzle.  Most of ours range from 10 or 11 pieces to 21.  I think we used to have some that just had 3 or 4 separate pieces, each with its own space cut out of the wooden tray.  We still have a few that are missing pieces.  Maybe the pieces will turn up as I continue going through things - wouldn't that be great?

Here's the stack of puzzles.  I wrapped each one in plastic to keep the pieces all together.  That'll make it easier for the teachers I'm giving them to. 

Budding Artist

Chick

Humpty Dumpty

Jack in the Box

Little Boy Blue

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Polar Bear (already wrapped in plastic)

The Three Little Pigs

I'm giving them to the preschool/daycare where two of my grandsons have enjoyed such loving care for several years each. The youngest one graduated from Pre-K  and will start Kindergarten in the public school system in just a few days. 

These are all "vintage" wooden tray puzzles used by our children and then the grandchildren.  We bought some at garage sales and some were new. Just for fun I checked Etsey and EBay to see if anyone sells them, and found most of these with prices ranging from $5. or $6. to about $20.  I'll tell the teachers how valuable they are, with some getting close to 50 years old! They were well-made for sure back then!

52 Books in 52 Weeks - Book 37: Mystery, by Jonathan Kellerman

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 37

Mystery

by Jonathan Kellerman

2011

A mystery entitled, "Mystery"! My first of Jonathan Kellerman's "thrilling novels of psychological drama and criminal detection", but it won't be the last!  Really enjoyed reading how Psychiatrist Alex Delaware and his police detective friend Milo Sturgis solve this very intricate and involved case.

Looking forward to my next Kellerman mystery! It's always such fun to discover another 'favorite' author!

The Cross-Country Quilters - Book 29 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

The Cross-Country Quilters

An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

by Jennifer Chiaverini

2001

Another in the Elm Creek Quilts series, this one focuses on a group of five quilters who meet and become friends during their first time at Elm Creek Quilt Camp.  Just before they leave, they promise to return the following year and, as a token, they each take a piece of the same fabric with which to make a block for a quilt they'll complete when they meet again. 

"A group of five far-flung friends has come to Elm Creek Quilt Camp, pledged to complete a "challenge quilt" - symbolic of each woman's personal goals - in one year's time.  An aging starlet, a successful engineer, a mother of two, a renowned curator of antique  quilts, and a sunny soul with a tragic past, they hope to find in their quilt lessons an escape from the problems they left at home.  As the year goes by, their bonds are tested by the demands of daily life.  But despite differences in age, race, and background, the friends' love for quilting and affection for one another unite them in a patchwork of caring and acceptance, reminding them that the strength of friendship can transcend any obstacle."

52 Books in 52 Weeks - Book 28: Cat Women

Cat Women

female writers on their feline friends

edited by Megan McMorris

2007

For cat lovers!

"Part diva, part purring furball, cats always keep you wondering.  Are they happy to see you? Mad at the world? Cats are subtle little comics, rubbing against your legs when you'd forgotten they were in the room, purring in your ear in the middle of the night.  What is it about these sly, droll, and unpredictable creatures that captivates us? And what's the deal with the whole crazy cat lady stereotype anyway?

From a tale about how rescuing a stray cat ended up saving a friendship to an unapologetic piece by a confirmed - and proud! - crazy cat lady, the essays in Cat Women range from thought-provoking and heartrending to laugh-out-loud funny, all delving into the many ways these often aloof little divas touch our lives."

The editor, Megan McMorris, is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon.

Happy Birthday, Max!

Happy 16th Birthday

to Max!

Number One Grandson!

Book 27, 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 27

Acceptable Loss

A William Monk Novel

by Anne Perry

2011

While each of Perry's William Monk books includes references to the past, this is the first one I've read that, while a good read as a stand-alone, is actually a sequel! At first I thought I'd already read it, so had to check my reading log.  It was Execution Dock that I'd recently read, which precedes this one. Now, with the way this one ended, I'm expecting a third book to follow up on this story. Will have to wait and watch to see if one appears.

"When the body of small-time crook Mickey Parfitt washes up on the tide, no one grieves. But William Monk, commander of the Thames River Police, is puzzled by the expensive silk cravat used to strangle Parfitt. Informers lead Monk to what may be a partial answer - a floating palace of corruption on the Thames managed by Parfitt, where a captive band of half-starved boys are forced to perform vile acts. Further investigation takes Monk and his wife, Hester, to an unresolved crime from the past, to blackmail and more murder, and to a deadly confrontation with some of the empire's most respected men."

James Herriot's Animal Stories - Book 26 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 26

James Herriot's Animal Stories

Introduction by Jim Wight

Illustrated by Lesley Holmes

1997

For those who loved James Herriot's books: All Creatures Great and Small, All things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing, perhaps some of these stories will seem familiar. They did first appear in one of the above-mentioned books, but they're well worth reading again.  The introduction by Herriot's son, Jim Wight, is interesting too.

He says, " James Herriot had the rare ability to turn everyday happenings into a compelling read with the use of uncomplicated words delivered with maximum effect.  His stories are very largely about that fascinating subject, Human Nature, and they were written by one of life's keenest observers.  He watched, he understood, and most importantly, he preserved in print the thoughts of a compassionate and humorous man.  James Herriot's tales are not primarily about animals, they are about people." 

This charming new collection brings together ten of James Herriot's best-loved stories celebrating all the creatures of his wonderful world.  Here are lambs, horses, cows, dogs, even a whimsical pig or two, along with their colorful human counterparts, all brought vividly to life by Herriot's storytelling magic.

The Aloha Quilt - Book 25 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

52 Books in 52 Weeks

The Aloha Quilt

An Elm Creek Quilts novel

by Jenniver Chiaverini

2010

Another good story in the Elm Creek Quilts series! 

If you like quilting or just a good story, these are always interesting, Each can stand alone, but the enjoyment is enhanced if you know more of the  "back story".  Each book features a different member of the Elm Creek Quilters group.

Fathers' Day

Thinking of

Three Special Fathers

on Fathers' Day

 My Father  

with loving memories

My Father-in-Law

with loving memories

 And My Children's Father 

My Husband

Espresso Tales - Book 24 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 24

Espresso Tales

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, The Sunday Philosophy Club series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series.  He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and was a law professor at the University of Botswana and at Edinburgh University.  He lives in Scotland.

Espresso Tales brings back several of our "favorite denizens of a Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh: Bertie, Bruce, Pat, Domenica," and more.  Each is featured in his or her own 'tale', and we feel like we know them as we follow their stories.

"Full of McCall Smith's gentle humor and sympathy for his characters, Espresso Tales is an affectionate portrait of a city and its people who, in the author's own words, 'make it one of the most vibrant and interesting places in the world'."

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Books 22 -23, Her Majesty Investigates Series

Just in time for Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee!

http://www.happylovesrosie.com/

Books 22 and 23

Her Majesty Investigates Series

C.C. Benison

Light reading for sure - but fun!

1996

Jane Bee, from Prince Edward Island, decided to take a year off before University to travel in Europe. She "came to Europe for adventure, only to end up with the job of a lifetime - housemaid at Buckingham Palace. Now her greatest challenge is removing gum from State Room carpets - until she comes across a nasty accident right outside the Royal Apartments. The Queen herself has - literally - stumbled across the dead body of Jane's good friend, footman and aspiring actor Robin Tukes, in what appears to be a suicide.

But why would handsome, impetuous Robin, having just toasted his engagement to a gorgeous housemaid, not to mention his impending fatherhood, want to die?  Buck House buzzes, but only Jane - and the Royal Personage known belowstairs as "Mother" - suspects foul play.  At Her Majesty's behest, Jane launches a discreet inquiry that takes her from Servants' Hall to the highest echelons of the Palace.  Yet the more Jane uncovers, the more clear it becomes that this latest royal scandal is a real killer."

1996

"When housemaid Jane Bee accompanies the Royals on their annual Christmas jaunt to Sandringham, she believes she's in for a bit of a snooze.  Aside from her regular duties, there's nothing much to do in the wilds of Norfolk..... until the body of a woman turns up in the village hall - a woman who just happens to be a dead ringer for the Queen, right down to her glittering crown.

While the royal bodyguards tighten their security and the police concentrate their efforts on a notorious animal rights group, Her Majesty bids Jane to do her own discreet digging. But when Jane learns the origin of the dead woman's tiara, she finds herself suddenly unstitching an upstairs/downstairs tapestry of indiscretions going back fifty years.  And then a second brazen murder occurs in the very heart of Sandringham House, and it looks like the coming New Year could be more horribilis than any yet."

This time Jane's father, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, just happens to be visiting.  He's come to try to convince her to go home and into the University so she can get on with her life.  Jane's having too much fun to want to go back home just yet, but her father is very helpful in solving this mystery.

Must see if I can locate the third in this series, "Death at Windsor Castle"!

Memorial Day

Remember 

"A whole lot of tomorrows were sacrificed 

so  we could enjoy today"

Grand Avenue  May 27, 2012

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

52 Books in 52 Weeks - Book 21: The Double Comfort Safari Club

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Love Alexander McCall Smith's books - all the different series. Just hope he keeps on writing!


Book 21

The Double Comfort Safari Club

by Alexander McCall Smith

2010

Another good read! Oh, those ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency have so many adventures, small and large!

"When the two ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency arrive at the Okavango Delta, their eyes are opened to the natural beauty of their homeland.  But they can't help being drawn into a world filled with rival safari operators, discontented guides, grumpy hippopotamuses.  On top of that, the date has still not been set for Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti's wedding, and it's safe to say that Mma Makutsi is beginning to grow a bit impatient.  Of course, none of this defeats Precious Ramotswe.  Good sense, kindness, and copious quantities of red bush tea carry the day.  As they always do."

Happy Mothers' Day - and Book 20 - Bob Schieffer's America

Happy Mothers' Day!


Two Beautiful Mothers

My Mother-in-Law
Elsie

My Mother
Lucille

Both lived very long lives: my mother until she was 96 -1/2, and Elsie over 92 years. These photos are both from around the same period : late 1930s or early 1940s. Both loved to read!

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 20

Bob Schieffer's America

by Bob Schieffer

2008

A book of short essays on a variety of topics arranged in 12 larger categories, most of which were used as the closing words on Schieffer's CBS weekly show. There is also some new writing and some notes of updated information regarding some of the essay topics.  These are interesting, and especially easy to read in short spurts of reading time since each essay is very short - but pithy.

"No one had done commentaries for CBS since Eric Sevareid's retirement in 1977, when, in April 1994, Bob Schieffer decided his show that week on the death of Richard Nixon needed a few closing words to put the subject into context.  The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and he had been doing them ever since.  Bob Schieffer's America brings together 168 of his best essays -- from the hard issues of today (2008) to the human stories that show us who we are -- along with a wealth of brand-new material.  These essays speak to us all." 

Food Drive

Letter Carriers Food Drive

Today

A few days ago we found this bag (empty then) in our mailbox!

We've been trying to eat mostly fresh foods, so I didn't have much non-perishable on hand. Of course, we don't eat Lucky Charms or Trix - we eat oatmeal or "healthy" cereal! But I remember how much our children loved those kinds of cereal, so I thought some other families might like to get a box.

Since I managed to tear the bag a bit while trying to fit everything in, I first put the items into another bag & then into the special bag. Now it's in our mailbox waiting for pickup.  I thought it was too heavy to hang on the mailbox.  Luckily we have a pretty big mailbox, so the bag fit inside just fine.  I did have some leftover items - will take them to another food collection tomorrow. 

Years ago the Boy Scouts here used to have a similar food drive. They'd leave a regular brown paper grocery sack on porches or doorsteps one Saturday and then go around to pick up the filled sacks the next Saturday. There was probably a flyer or printing on the sacks explaining the program.  It was a good project, which the local food banks loved.  People who didn't want to - or couldn't - participate just didn't leave the bag outside, so it was simple to operate. Those going around to pick up  could easily spot the bags.  No doorbell ringing needed! I wonder if this Letter Carriers Food Drive took the program over from the Boy Scouts? I'm sure the Food Banks love this too!

In so many cases now, it seems better to give money to the organization.  That could be the case with food banks too, since they would know their specific needs and might have access to lower prices by buying in volume.  But there's something satisfying about filling a bag yourself and thinking it will help out a family in need, even if it's just a small gesture. 

I wonder if this Letter Carriers Food Drive is a nation-wide event?