Trying to get caught up on Christmas gifts, quilting, crocheting. I've made quite a few doggie sweaters so far - I have made quite a few more since I took this picture!
The Bible - read a little every day and you can read the entire Bible in a year!
The Christmas Doll - Elvira Woodruff. A tender story of two little orphan girls and a special doll.
M is for Malice - Sue Grafton
L is for Lawless - Sue Grafton
K is for Killer - Sue Grafton
A Walk In the Woods - Bill Bryson. A great book! The story of a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Very entertaing!
Alien Encounters - Chuck Missler and Mark Eastman. An eye opening account of the UFO phenomenon viewed from a Christian perspective. I read this book many years ago and felt it was time to re-read.
J is for Judgment - Sue Grafton
I is for Innocent - Sue Grafton. These are light, easy to read mysteries.
Skeleton Man - Tony Hillerman. Another good mystery featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Unfortunately, Joe Leaphorn's part in the story is quite small.
The Private Patient - P.D. James. A wonderful mystery by the master!! Excellent!
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers - Lilian Jackson Braun. This is only the second book in this series I have read but, even I could tell it's unlikely it was written by Ms. Braun. After finishing it I thought is there a part two to this book? There was very little storyline to follow and absolutely no resolution to the few mysteries that occured. Awful!!!
The Union Quilters - an Elm Creek Novel - Jennifer Chiaverini. A tale about the Civil War. I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the other Elm Creek books - very heavy on the battle scenes. If I want to read history books I'll read non-fiction.
H is for Homicide - Sue Grafton. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the previous book.
The Knitting Circle - Ann Hood. A story about how knitting helped a group of women and men through some heartbreaking times. It's hard to imagine that so much tragedy could be found in such a small group of people. Even if unrealistic, it was an easy read.
"G" is for Gumshoe - Sue Grafton. I have seen her books around for years but had never read one. I happened across a sale at the library - 10cents each! I picked up 7 or 8 books. This first one was very good and I really enjoyed it! I'm currenty reading "H" is for Homicide which is not as good.
Catch as Cat Can - Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. I thought this would be in the same vein as Lilian Jackson Braun's books. It has a pair of cats and a Corgi to help solve the mystery. However, I found it not nearly as well-written and suspensful as Ms. Bruan's books and will probably not read another by this author.
The Lost Quilter - Jennifer Chiavernini. Another in the Elm Creek series. This story follows the life of the runaway slave, Joanna. It is heartbreaking at times but a good story. I enjoyed it but not as much as the Elm Creek books set in the modern day.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel - David Wroblewski. About halfway through this book I had to put it down; I couldn't read another word. It is wonderfully well-written and I grew attached to the characters of Edgar and the dogs. I knew it could only come to a bad end (it is based on Hamlet after all). I couldn't invest that much of myself to see it all come to such a tragic end.
The Shape Shifter - Tony Hillerman. This book needs some work by the editors; there were many mistakes. This is not his best work but I still enjoyed it.
The Cat Who Went Into the Closet - Lilian Jackson Braun. It's a sad coincidence that I began reading this book the very day Ms. Braun died. I have never read her books before but I will be trying to find more of them at the library book sales. It was a good, light-hearted mystery!
A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley. My favorite young sleuth, Flavia de Luce, in another great mystery!
The Shack - William P. Young. Makes you think about how you view your faith. Excellent!
Brigid of Kildare - Heather Terrell. I took this book with me on my trip to Ireland and it really made it come alive. A very good novel about Brigid.
Ireland, A Novel - Frank Delaney. A great book retelling the stories of Ireland through the storyteller tradition!
Unlocking the Last Days - Jeff Lesseigne. A great book by my favorite Bible teacher. It really puts things in perspective!
A Time to Love (Quilts of Lancaster County #1) - Barbara Cameron. A story about a young woman who falls in love with a widowed Amish man and his children. It was a free Kindle download. I don't think I'll read any others in the series. Very little was written about quilting by the way.
A Dog Named Slugger - Leigh Brill. A nice story if you love dogs (I do!)
Desert Solitare: A Season in the Wilderness - Edward Abbey. A classic from the late 60's. You may or may not agree with his political rhetoric; he was known as the desert anarchist. I don't agree with many of his views but it is hard to beat his descriptions of the harsh beauty of the desert canyonlands in Arches National Park.
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton. I bought this book on a whim at the Library book sale. I'm so glad I did! This was a great story! I'm going to have to find her other books.
The Lighthouse - P.D. James. My favorite myster writer; they don't get any better than this!
The Double Cross - Clare O'Donohue. Another quilter's mystery. She is one of my favorite authors in this category.
Murders on Elderberry Road - Sally Goldenbaum. A fun quilter's mystery!