Sunset

I just changed the picture in the header.  This was a beautiful sunset taken in Arizona last month.  We were driving back from the Grand Canyon back to San Tan Valley, south of Phoenix. This picture will take my mind off the 2 feet of snow that is still on our front lawn!

Books 2012

Blogger is finally allowing me to upload pictures and so I can finally get this post written

A Wise Child by Elizabeth Murphy

 Born at the turn of the century, in a dilapidated house in Bootle, near the Liverpool docks, Nellie Williams endures a childhood of drudgery and ill treatment by her mother.  She escapes into domestic service with a kindly employer, but when he dies, she is taken on by Joshua Leadbetter.  He rapes the innocent girl and she flees home.
Nellie's mother is dead but old Janey, a scheming lodger, quickly arranges a marriage between the girl and Sam Meadows, a seaman who once befriended her.  The rape is concealed from Sam and when Nellies' son is born eight months later, there is a doubt about his parentage.  Suspicions on Sam's part and guilt on Nellie's spoil their happiness every time Sam comes ashore.
The child, Tommy, is the pride and joy of both his parents, but Nellie's ambitions for their son makes Sam feel that the boy is growing away from him.  False friends fan these insecurities and after a prolonged drinking bout Sam sails for America.  As a result of a further misunderstandinn, Sam jumps shi[-abondoning all he holds dear.
Believing herself a widow, Nellie works hard to support herself and her child.  Too late, she and Sam, so far apart, realise the depth of their love and Sam bitterly regrets his doubts.  Many years pass before the mystery of Tommy's parentage is solved in a most unexpected way.

Home Song by Lavyrle Spencer

Principal Tom Gardener comes face-to-face with a past indiscretion when a new student transfers to his school:  Kent Arens.  Tom only has to look at him to see that this teenager is the son he never knew he had, the result of a one-night stand on the eve of Tom's wedding years before.  Though impressed with the intelligent, athletic, and polite young man, Tom is devastated by the effect of Kent's presence on his family.  To Tom's wife, Claire, Kent is the symbol of an act of betrayal so wrenching she cannot forgive her husband.  To their daughter, Chelsea, he is the boy she begins to fall for-until she learns the truth.  And to their son, Robby, he is a rival in the classroom and on the football field-and the force driving his parents apart.  As the Gardners careen toward disaster, they test the foundation of trust and respect that their family was built on...and learn that love leaves no choice but forgiveness.

The Grafton Girls by Annie Groves 

 When Diane Wilson leaves Cambridge for Liverpool, to work as a teleprint operator, she is intent on mending her broken heart.  But will hundreds of miles ease the pain of her betrayal?
Meanwhile, mean-spirited Myra Stone awaits her new roommate.  From the moment she sees Diane, she knows they aren't kindred spirits.  But soes Myra's bitterness belie a secret heartche?
Ruthie joins the munitions factory, where it's tough, relentless work.  But she is befriended by lively Jess Hunt, who injects fun into the drab surroundings.  Until, one day, a troublemaker tries to undermine the friendship...
All four women are brought together at The Grafton, the local dance hall favoured by American GIs as well as the local servicemen.  In this heady, uncertain time, infatuation and passion blossom.  But will each girl find true love-or true heartache?

Whitehorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

 The people of Rossmore are divided, particularly since the road will go right through the Whitehorn Woods and the well dedicated to St Ann-a well thought by some to have near spiritual properties, and by others dismissed as a superstition.  No one is more concerned than the honest and well-meaning curate Father Brian Flynn, who has no idea which faction to support.  Surely Neddy Nolan's family should take the compensation being offered for the land?
But wasn't Neddy's mother given a cure at the well many years ago?  And what about the childless London woman who came to the Whitehorn Woods, begging the saint for help, with the most unexpected consequences? 

Break no Bones by Kathy Reichs

 Summoned to South Carolins to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching a lackluster archaeology field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the Charleston shore.  But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones, her ole frien Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades her to stay on and help with the investigation.  The body count begins to climb.  Tempe follows the trail to a free street clinic with a belligerent staff, a susspicious doctoe, and a donor who is a charismatic televangelist.  Tempe's love life is also complicated.  Ryan, her current flame, has come down to visit her from Montreal, and Pete, her former husband, is investigating the disappearance of a local woman-and he and Tempe are staying in the same borrowed beach house.  Ryan and Pete compete for her attentions, and Tempe finds herself more distracted than she expected by her feelings for both men.

Pretty Woman by Fern Michaels
            
Meet Rosie, an overweight woman who sets out to improve her life by losing fifty-five pounds-and ends up changing much more than her dress size...
Rosie Gardener fell under the spell of handsome Kent Bliss, and not even her best friend Vickie could persuade her that her fance was a two-timing cad.  Now it's her third wedding anniversary, and Rosie, overweight and fed up with Kent's mistreatment, realizes her ex-best friend was right about Kent.  But the day after kicking him out and beginning a diet and ezercise regime, amother life-changing event occurs:  She wins $302 million in the Wonderball lottery.
With her ex lurking in the shadows to claim a share of her money, Rosie needs her friends more than ever=and when Vickie returns to Savannah, Rosie learns the power of forgiveness.  Under the eye of sexy personal trainer Jack Silver, a new Rosie emerges.  Now, no one will stop this pretty woman from jumping into life and love with a passion she didn't know she possessed

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913.  She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book-a beautiful volume of fairy tales.  She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own.  On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to traceher real identity.  Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomes Mountrachet family.  But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

It starts with a letter, lost for half a century and unexpectedly delivered to Edie's mother on a Sunday afternoon.  The letter leads Edie to Milderhurst Castle, where the eccentric Blythe spinsters live and where, she discovers, her mother was billeted during World War II.  The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives caring for their younger sister, Juniper, who hasn't been the same since her fance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie searches for her mother's past but soon learns that there are other secrets hidden in its walls.  The truth of what happened in "the distant hours" has been waiting a long time for someone to find it. 

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Grace Bradley was just a girl when she began working as a servant at Riverton House.  For years, her life was inextricably tied up with the glamorous and eccentric Hartford family's daughters.  Hannah and Emmeline.  Then, at a glittering society party in the summer of 1924, a young poet shot himself.  The only witnesses are Hannah and Emmeline, and only they-and Grace- knew the dark truth.
Many years later, when Grace is living out her last days in a nursing home, she receives a visit from a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer.  The directoe takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories of the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege, of the vibrant twenties and of a stunning secret that Grace kept all her life.
Phew, that's it for 2012.

OMG!!

OMG, it's still snowing.  Apparently we have broken a record for the most snow at this time of the year since 1914!  Enough already!  It is no longer the light and fluffy stuff, it is wet and heavy.  Yuck.  There was a lot more snow to shovel today than yesterday.  Probably another 10 inches. The forecast says snow until Sunday!  We will have to go out tomorrow for groceries.  So glad we have a vehicle with winter tires and 4WD.  From the tv news reports the roads are really bad.

Jam & Bread

It was snowing when we got up this morning and it hasn't stopped all day.  We have been out shovelling twice already today.  Fortunately it's the light fluffy stuff.  We've had about 6 inches so far today and we are supposed to get up to another foot by tomorrow night!!  I'm so glad I'm retired now and don't have to drive anywhere in this weather. 

This is what I've been doing instead of going out in the snow.

I made 8 pints raspberry/blackberry jam
             8 pints raspberry/blueberry jam
         & 8 pints of marmalade
and a loaf of cinnamon, raisin bread.  Delish.

Wreaths

It would appear that all I ever write about are the books I read. Just to show what else I've been doing, here a few of the wreaths I've been making getting ready for a Christmas craft sale in November.

The top four have lights in them and look really pretty when plugged in.

Finally!

 I have finally read the Twilight Saga.  I made the mistake of lending someone the first book and never got it back.  I finally gave up and bought 'Twilight' at a book sale and had all four books read in no time.
I enjoyed reading them, although I found parts dragged on a bit.  I prefer reading a series all at once as I find I forget what happened in the previous book if there is too big a time lapse in between.
I'm glad I read them, and for the most part, really enjoyed all four books.  I don't think I have to give a blow by blow of each book because, by now, I think just about every man and his dog has read them, or seen the movies.

 Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly
This was a bit of light summer reading.  Very predictable but fun. 
Kate Appleton needs a job.  Her husband has left her, she's been fired as a magazine editor, and she's got nothing left but the Nutshell-her parents summer house in Keene's Harbor, Michigan. Kate hopes to turn the Nutshell into a bed and breakfast.  Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can find involves beer and espionage.  Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees.  Someone has been sabotaging his company, and if Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus.  Unfortunately, Kate despises beer, her co-workers don't trust her-and she's falling hard for her boss.  Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate's B&B, and keep a killer from closing in-all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another?

Judgement in Death by J.D. Robb
In an uptown strip joint, a cop is found bludgeoned to death. The weapon's a baseball bat. The motive's a mystery. It's a case of serious overkill that pushed Eve Dallas straight into overdrive. Her investigation uncovers a private club that's more than a hot spot. Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged, Where your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins. And where one cop's hidden secrets are about to plunge innocent souls into vice-ridden damnation...

The Italian Wedding by Nick Pellegino

Settled in London with their own taste of home in the form of their restaurant, Little Italy, the Martinellis are a typical Italian family: fighting, eating and loving in equal measure.

Now Pieta's sister is getting married, and Pieta will make the wedding gown.  But she is distracted by a series of mysteries.  Why is her father feuding with another Italian family?  Why is her mother so troubled?  And could the man she's always held a torch for really be getting married to someone else?

As the wedding draws nearer, Pieta uncovers the secrets that have made her family what it is-and may stand between her and happiness...

Few more Books

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoeesini

I had heard about this book for a long time but only just got around to reading it.

Amir is the son of a walthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns.  Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste.  Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abondon his griend amist the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, and apparently dissolved when Amir and his father flee to California to escape the Soviet invasion, leaving Hassan and his own gentle father to a terrible fate.

But years later, an old family friend calls Amir from Pakistan and reminds him:  "There is a way to be good again."  And Amir jouneys back to a distant world, to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had. 

The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steele

In 18 years of marriage, Liz and Jack Sutherland had built a family, a successful law pracrice, and a happy home near San Francisco on Hope Street.  Then, in an instant, it all fell apart.  It began like any other Christmas morning.  But for Jack Sutherland, a five-minute errand ends in tragedy.  And suddenly, Liz is alone, in the wake of an unbearable loss.

Powered by her children's love, Liz finds the strength to return to work, to become both mother, and father.  One by one the holidays come and go, until a devastating accident sends her oldest son to the hospital-and brings Dr. Bill Webster into her life.  Bill becomes a friend to Liz as he slowly heals her shattered son.

With the first anniversary of Jack's death approaching, and with it another Christmas in the house on Hope Street, a new relationship offers new hope, and Liz reflects on the little blessings that give strength when nothing else is left.  But she will face one more crisis before she can look ahead to the beginning of a new life.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Until the phone calls came at three o'closk on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbours, the Hartes, had been inseparable.  It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends.  But now seventeen year old Emily is dead-shot with a gun her beloved and devoted Chris pilfered from his father's cabinet as part of an apparent suicide pact-leaving two devasted families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desparate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really knew.

Dancing in the Dark by Maureen Lee

When Millie Cameron is asked to sort through the belongings of her Aunt Flo, who recently died, she is not at all happy.  She hardly knew here aunt, and besides, Millie has a busy life and her own career to think of.  She certainly wants nothing to do with the seemingly sull, spinster aunt the family refuse to talk about.

However, Millie seems to have little choice but to go to Flo's basement flat and begin the tedious task.  But as dusk falls and Millie sorts through her aunt's collection of photographs, letters and newspaper cuttings, her interest is surprisingly awakened.  Millie finds herself embarking on a journey-a journey to a past which includes a lost lover and a secret child.  And Millie makes the startling discovery that all the threads lead to a shocking conclusion.

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

Alexandra "Zan" Moreland, a gifted interior designer, is  haunted by the disappearance of her son two years ago from Central Park.  Now, on what would be Matthew's fifth birthday, she is terrified to discover that not only is somebody using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts but photos have surfaced that seem to implicate her in the kidnapping.

Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her angry ex-husband and a vindictive business rival, Zan sets out to find the mastermind behind the cruel hoax.  What she does not realize is that every step she takes towards the truth is putting her-and those she loves most-in mortal danger.  Zan is beginning to doublt her own sanity when, in the kind of fast paced ending the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with an unexpected and shocking revelation.