What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Reading fiction, and playing with project books is fun when the weather turns chilly. Cooler days mean wearing cozy sweaters, bowls of hot soup, a crackling fire, and a good book. I like reading fiction books set in the fall season at this time. It is also a good time to look at project books and plan something fun for the holidays or gifts. For Autumn Jubilee this year, I have two recent reads that you will enjoy. Then, I’ll show you some of my bookshelf and maybe give you an idea or two to learn something new.

Turning ...

For your Labor Day enjoyment, I have a few book reviews from the past few weeks worth of reading. Two books in a row were just OK, not the stellar reads I thought they might be based on other reviews. Then, two books that were so good, they made up for the mediocre ones. One was beyond excellent, and I’ll save it for last. I had to go ahead and post with only four books because you have to know about the last one now. Links to Amazon provided for you to see the publisher’s synopsis if you ...

In the garden this week, the apricot gladiolas have come into full bloom. There are a bunch of them dotted over the mountainside behind our home. Some, I think, were planted by the previous owners of this house, but some must be squirrel planted as there are more of them every year. I have dug some up and transferred them to the front flower bed, but they still persist in the back. The first blooms on the bottom of the stalk have faded, but there are more buds to come.

Lovely color, aren’t they? Some years they bloom at ...

I did manage to get a bit of sewing time this week to make a couple of sunglasses cases. My Sweet Babboo had taken me shopping for some extra pairs of sunglasses to keep in the cars. He doesn’t want to have to turn around every time I forget the ones I usually have with me, LOL! But of course, that meant I needed cases for the new ones, and I color coded them to the car colors. The red case goes in the MINI. They came in handy last night, as we did a huge MINI event. More ...

So many things to chat about today! Several projects were made this week, with specific purposes in mind. First, a dear friend is moving away, and I wanted to make her a special card. It will have a little gift inside. The card is a trifold, with stamped thread spools on the front with ribbon and a cord with a bow.

Inside, two sentiments let her know she will be missed, but is wished well in her new home.

I finished two fabulous books that I recommend highly! Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – A woman with her own mind ...

I have been really busy lately, focused on My Sweet Babboo’s recovery while doing the last publicity chores for the quilt show this past week. I also organized our longarm booth and hurriedly finished off the quilts and cards I wanted to sell, so I’ve had precious little time to read. This week has been pretty busy too, so I thought I’d go ahead and share the books I’ve finished over the past month. Links to Amazon are provided if you’d like to read the synopses.

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins – Magical realism genre ...

I usually take a book with me just about everywhere I go. I can get a few pages in while waiting for My Sweet Babboo to get something from the hardware store, or while waiting for my grocery pickup order to come out. I like to read in the early morning quiet as well, and of course while spending time in waiting rooms for appointments. So, I had a lot of time these past couple of weeks to get in some reading. I did Amazon (affiliate) links for you if you’d like to read the synopsis, or order the ...

For our Sunday chat pleasure today, I have several books to tell you about, along with a fabulous new recipe made from my Milk Street Vegetables cookbook. So shall we read first, then eat? I adore the Seasons series, and I finished the fourth one. I am trying to read them in the months that they are set. It was appropriate to take a shot of it next to the orchid, as I am still waiting on it to bloom. The amaryllis leaves are getting bigger, but I am still waiting on it as well.

Waiting Season by Melanie Lageschulte ...

Colder temperatures have brought the birds to the feeder this past week. My Sweet Babboo put a new suet cake out for them and it was eagerly pounced upon by this downy woodpecker.

The cardinal pair came by too, along with an entourage of goldfinches still wearing their winter drab. But they are brightening up a bit here and there and in a month or so will be vibrant yellow again.

The male shares the feeder with another goldfinch.

There were four bluebirds here one day. I got two of them in one photo but they wouldn’t cooperate to ...

Another busy and crazy week is behind me, with meetings and presentations, pickleball to burn off some stress, and unfortunately, a memorial service for a dear friend who passed away last week after a hard battle with a terrible illness. Not covid this time but still a blow. So, once again little to no time to sew. I did get a quilt loaded on the longarm for a friend, but that will be the last one I do for others for a while. I do need to concentrate on some of my own projects, and finish up the two charity ...

This week was one of those kinds of weeks, where it seemed like I should have gotten more done with the time I had. I did have a couple of meetings, but those were short. The zoom class on Wednesday was fun, and I think all the participants enjoyed it. I did manage to get one small project pieced and quilted, and I’ll be working on the binding today while watching the playoff games. Outside, cold weather this week brought the birds to the feeder in large numbers, and I got a few good pictures of them, like this ...

It seems like it has been forever since we had a nice Sunday chat, so settle in for a long post today. I got more done on the Safelight quilts, and delivered three of them to the guild meeting this past week. I’ll show you the finish on the rainbow quilt this week. Early mornings have been chilly, and I like the quiet of that time of day. Just after dawn on this day, the fog was settled in the valleys between the ridges. I took a moment to just breathe and enjoy the scene, while my new coffee ...

Over the past month, I have been reading stories set during the holidays. A light read with a Christmas theme is fun this time of year. Many of these are shorter novellas with feel-good endings, and isn’t that the perfect thing for the holiday season? This month, all of the books are recommended, not a bad one in the bunch. Amazon links are provided for you to read publisher synopses, thank you for using my links when you can. Here we go!

Christmas at Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball is a delightful holiday novella you can finish in just ...

So many good books, so little time, LOL!! I like the quiet of the early morning for reading, and a rainy morning makes me linger a bit longer in my cozy chair. I am still working my way through a very long list of recommended reads from friends and book blogs, so more of my reading is spent with books I would recommend. Yet, a few still linger on my home library shelves, and I’ll pull one to read not checking the reviews. One such book made it into this month’s reading, and I should have left it ...

When the weather cools off, and it gets cozy by a fireplace with crackling logs and a mug of hot chocolate (maybe with some Godiva liqueur!), a novel set in the fall is just perfect. I tried to find a few for you, good reading with an Autumn theme or an engrossing story for cold days next to a fire. Amazon links are provided if you’d like to read the publisher’s synopsis on the fiction section, and CT Publishing links provided for the new releases reviewed.

Harvest Season by Melanie Lageschulte. I love this series, and her second ...

I only have five books to share this month, as four are epic length. The great thing is most of them were very good with one being an outstanding highly recommended read. Links are provided if you’d like to read the story synopsis on Amazon.

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain – I was originally drawn to the North Carolina setting, looking for local writers and found an extraordinary book with a storyline of mystery and secrets within a family. The story is so compelling, it pulls the reader along to where it becomes impossible to put down. I finished ...

Once again, it has been a month of good and not-so-much books. These days I am trying to concentrate on ones I’ve been looking for that had good reviews, along with some recently published to keep up with the times. But sometimes a book with good reviews and lots of stars isn’t for me, and I don’t rate it as highly as others. Still, it is someplace to start with all the books available. Library holds for the recently published ones are taking a while, as I usually am far down a long list. Others I either ...

Another eclectic month of reading fiction and non-fiction. I am working my way through a long reading list that I’ve had for several years. Up first, a very difficult to find book by one of my favorite authors, Liz Trenow. I loved it, and should have just ordered one on Amazon years ago instead of looking for copies in used book stores.

The Hidden Thread by Liz Trenow – Difficult to put down, this book has compelling writing and a very interesting storyline set in the 1760s silk trade. Based in actual events surrounding the silk riots in England along ...

It has been an eclectic month of reading, from non-fiction essays to really good historical fiction. I’ve saved the best for last, two wonderful books both set in England. Links are provided to Amazon if you’d like to read a synopsis of the story. Thank you for using my affiliate links when you can, as they help pay the costs of my blog. Some of these are free on Audible with the Free Trial offer.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – Quirky story with a provocative premise. If you could go back in time to spend ...

This month was a mixed bag of really, really good, and really disappointing. I found two books that I enjoyed more than anything I have read in quite some time, both with a psychological aspect that made the stories fascinating and difficult to put down. So, let me begin with the not so great and work up to the must-reads. Then I’ll show you the some fun quilting books using precuts from C&T Publishing. Amazon links are provided for the fiction novels so you can read the story synopsis from the publisher.

First, Maeve Binchy’s last published ...