Saturday, December 31, 2016

December 2016 Reading




Dog On It by Spencer Quinn  really fun mystery from the Investigator's Dog's Point of View. I have a bunch of these that I got at a Library sale this summer and I will be reading all of them.
The Harvey Girls by Juddi Morris (library) very interesting about the women who became waitresses at Harvey Restaurants along the Railroad in the late 1800, early 1900's. I did not know that this was a thing (like the orphan trains) and I am reading as much as I can about this history now.
Diary of a Waitress by Carolyn Meyer (library) a fictionalized account of a Harvey Girl. YA Historical Fiction. The author has other historical fiction and I will be looking for more by her.
Night School by Lee Childs (library) the latest Jack Reacher novel. This one goes back in time to an incident that Jack is involved in during his time in the Army. I really like how as the protagonists age, that these authors like Lee Childs and John Sandford, they know it is getting crazy to have your 60 year old hero running around kicking ass and taking names, so they do these "flashback" stories to times when they were younger. Very smart I think!! Nevada Barr also did this with her Anna Pigeon character.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (audiobook) Entertaining in the car. I had forgotten some of these stories!
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (library) a novella about the British Queen becoming addicted to reading. Entertaining (Alan Bennett wrote the Lady in the Van)
The Disappeared by M. R. Hall (library) Meh, this is a mystery type book with a Coroner as the main character. It was just okay. This is the second book in a series of them, so I think I might give one more a try (these were recommended to me)
Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill (library) while looking for a book on her overloaded shelves, the author discovers that she has loads of books that she purchased and never read, or kept meaning to read again and she challenges herself to a year of reading what she has in her house! I need to do this...but instead I got this book from the library while piles and stacks of books teeter throughout my house. Library books always shoot to the top of the TBR queue because they have to be returned and their life in my house is finite. The author is British and the books tend to skew to the British more than American authors, in fact I found many more title to put on my TBR list!!
Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta (library) I really enjoyed this one, It is about a woman who has been living under an assumed identity for most of her life.
Netflixed by Gina Keating a book about the rise of Netflix and how they have changed the way we watch movies and TV
Murder for Christmas ed. by Thomas Godfrey a bunch of short stories by famous mystery authors that are all set around Christmas time.
Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn (library) another of the dog mysteries, this is the second in the series and the only one that I did not get at a library sale this summer, so I had to get it from the library on loan!! ha ha
Washington Square by Henry James (library) This one had been under my radar during college when I read so many classic books. Was happy to find it and get it read.

Monday, December 26, 2016

Monday's Postcard 2016: Christmas





                                                  Norman Rockwell Christmas Postcards
I hope you have enjoyed my collection of postcards this past year. Postcards that could be found anywhere!  Next year, I am going back to posting cards from unique places. Happy Boxing Day!!


Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Christmas Ornaments

My friend Pam made this Nancy Drew Ornament for me!

I bought these tatted ornaments in Virginia at a craft fair

My friend, Lea gave me this Sherlock Holmes Ornament. 
I bought this ornament at a Craft Show in Bothell, WA. It represents Ryan on my tree

This ornament is made from Grits! I got it in Georgia when Ryan was doing the AT in 2015

This little beauty came from Maine in 2015

Another state represented from Ryan's 2015 AT Thru Hike I got this covered bridge ornament in New Hampshire

This is a Lilliput Lane ornament. My mom collected these little houses and my sister and I got rid of the collection, but I kept this little ornament to put on my Christmas tree to remind me of my mom. 

Monday, December 19, 2016

Monday's Postcard 2016: Quotes



Bookstores are always great places to find really great postcards. I love the photography and the quotes on these two.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Monday's Postcard 2016: Antique Floral



Some more postcards from the vintage area of my collection. Antique Malls are great places to find cards like these and many times they can be found blank, so you can mail them yourself!

Monday, December 05, 2016

Monday's Postcard 2016: Totoro




These postcards are from a Japanese cartoon, My Neighbor Totoro. or My Friend Totoro. If you have not seen the cartoon, it is worth checking out!