Whitethorn Woods

I have been reading "Whitethorn Woods" by Maeve Binchy. I love her books--they are about everyday life and people from all walks of life. This book is set in a small town on the coast of Ireland. All the people are either from there or have family who imigrated from the area. Her characters are very believable and sometimes I feel I might meet them on the street or sit next to them in church.

And now, almost one year later...

Today I went to the library to check out Stephanie Myer's "Twilight" Even though this book came out quite awhile ago, it is so popular I had to order it. It should be here Monday. Makenzie, Brenda, Whitney and I are going to read it. Anyone else want to join us?

I have been reading "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat-Moon. He is traveling around the United States on the secondary highways (the blue highways on the old maps). He meets a lot of characters along the way. He's traveling in an old van that he has converted by building a bed in the back, he has a cooler and a small travel stove, also a Port-a-potty. He does eat out a lot and stays in motels occasionally. Pretty primitive.

So much for New Years Resolutions

As you can see, my New Years resolution to blog at least twice a week is a joke.

I finished all my knitting projects for Christmas and got them in the mail although they were a few days late.

We are going to be in a spring bazaar so have been working on the baby shoes by Debbie Bliss and the felted lambs. This is really exciting because it will be such a good opportunity for feedback.

I just finished reading Every Fixed Star by Jane Kirkpatrick and really enjoyed it. Her books are historical fiction based on factual events. They are special, at least to me, because she brings the characters and landscape to life. Even the horses and dogs become an integral part of the story. In this book I felt as if I could get in my car and drive to the area to visit the characters. The people were very real and, as it was set in Oregon, the scenery was easily imagined. I wanted to step in and help Marie search for her husband when he was lost.

I also Murder Walks the Plank by Carolyn Hart. This is another light mystery that was entertaining.

We are going to start making blankets to give in next year's Christmas baskets for children under the age of four. We have some quilters who want to participate with us knitters and crocheters so the project involves several ministry groups.

More Morris books

I have been reading the House of Windsor series by Gilbert Morris and really enjoy it. I finished book four "The Gentle Rebel" and liked it although it's a little hard to believe that a girl could have passed as a man for that long. Although the same premise was in "Ahab's Wife". I guess they didn't develop hips and breasts as early as some of us. Anyway it is a very good book.

I am also reading Marian Coel's "Drowning Man" and really like it. She has a very good mystery series that takes place on the Arapahoe Indian Reservation.

My knitting is coming along. When I am working on a large item like this afghan, it seems that every evening runs into the previous one, I know that I am accomplishing a lot and eventually it will be finished but only after a long, long time!! Maybe I'll work on my socks for awhile tonight to break the monotony.

Lots of bazaars are on this weekend. I think I'm going to several to price the knitted items.

Books, books and...

I have been reading the Gilbert Morris series; "The House of Winslow" books 1 and 2 (Yes even during the move when I didn't have time to blog). I love this series and plan to read all of them--there are approximately 30 in the series. Gilbert Morris is a historian and did not have his first book published until he was 57! Now he is a very prolific author with several series to his credit.

His books are very factually correct. The first one "The Honorable Imposter" is about the Mayflower and the pilgrims coming to America. The main character is fictional but several of the other characters are real. The second book is several different events in England and American history rather than just one main one.

I also read Lynn Austin's "The Daughters of Eve" and really enjoyed it and "Oceans Apart" by Karen Kingsbury. "Oceans Apart" was the story of a man's sin finding him out and how he and his family became stronger and learned the true meaning of love. It was very insightful.

I also finished the Beverly Lewis saga "Annie's People" which was good but would have been better if it had been two books instead of three. I felt she was setting up the next book in the ending of the previous so there was no clear delineation but that's just my personal view. Others told me they loved all three books.