49. Lethal Beauty by Scott William Carter

#2 Karen Pantelli

listened on Audible
298 pgs.

2021
Adult Mystery series
Finished 5/28/24
Goodreads rating: 4.13
My rating: 3.5
Setting: contemporary 

My comments: There were little things that bothered me about this book, sometimes explanations went on and on and ON and other times were quickly blasted over.  And some or the characters were really hard to believe.  But it kept me entertained on the road from Chincoteague home at the end of a very fun Memorial Day weekend.

Goodreads synopsis:  Never mess with a woman with nothing left to lose.

Another state. Another city. Another dead-end job. A stellar FBI agent until tragedy set her adrift, Karen Pantelli finds herself working at a pizza joint in Billings, Montana, trying to ignore the increasing global unrest dominating the news, when three armed men walk through the door. Soon a shocking turn of events launches her on a cross-country quest for a former college classmate, an alluring but manipulative woman with just one goal in life: to marry rich. Very rich.

But what happens when this stunning beauty ensnares the richest, most powerful man of them all? He may have a singular ambition of his own … with lethal consequences for a world already in turmoil.

48. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

listened on Audible
288 pgs.

2024
Adult Contemporary Fiction
Finished 5/27/24
Goodreads rating: 4.36
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary Maine, Portland area

My comments:  I couldn't put this one down.  Told from the points of view of three different characters and set in Maine - with many references to locations that I totally knew - this beautifully written novel has won my heart!  The narrator was fantastic.  The kindness, integrity, and humility of Violet Harriet, and Frank were the very heart of this poignant story.

Goodreads synopsis:  A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle…

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book  is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.  . 

47. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

listened on Libby
272 pgs. (6:54) Julia Whelan

2024
Adult Romance Magical Realism
Finished 5/23/24
Goodreads rating: 3.71
My rating: 3.75
Setting: Contemporary LA

My comments: About halfway through this book you get a BIG surprise which changes the way you look at everything that has happened so far.  Not very long and quite easy to listen to (thanks Julia Whelan), this story actually gives you a little bit to think about more than many of the romantic fictions I've read recently.  The magical realism part is very slight, and a touch eye-rolling.  I had my ups and downs throughout the reading, but looking back upon it I don't have many complaints.  After the huge surprise in the middle of the book, there aren't many other surprises.....

Goodreads synopsis:  Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.

46. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

listened on Libby
320 pgs. (10:40)

2020
Adult Fantasy Horror
Finished 5/22/2024
Goodreads rating: 3.67
My rating: 3
Setting: 1950 Mexico, rural small community a train ride away from Mexico City

My comments: I had no idea when I began this book that it was a fantasy horror story, so when weird things started happening, I was put off a bit.  Arriving in an isolated mansion, High Point, on a mountainside in Mexico in 1950, Noemi has been sent by her father after receiving a really strange, discombobulated letter from her newly married cousin.  Not only is the mansion falling apart to the point that it is moldy, but the family that her cousin has married into is terribly strange and forbidding.   Over-the-top weird and secretive.  Once very rich as silver mine magnates, they now use candles and oil lamps instead of electricity and have all sorts of bizarre rules like not speaking a word to each other while eating a meal.  As more and more rumor and gossip about past deaths and illnesses assail Noemi, you realize that she is getting herself into something dangerous and really bizarre.

Goodreads synopsis:  After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Pickled Vegetables

Thanks to Rachel Cooks with Love

Here's a wonderful, quick (13-minute) video about how "Rachel" makes different types of pickled vegetables with just one easy brine.

The brine recipes fills three one-quart mason jars that are tightly packed.

Onion pickles: 

Dice 3 medium red onions, then cut in half.  Place into a bowl of ice water for about 15 minutes.  This will remove a lot of the strong onion smell, leaving only the taste.  After 15 minutes, drain well.

     Into jar, put two garlic cloves, cut in half. 

     Pack in the onion, keep pushing down

Dill pickles:

Slice cucumbers into slices that aren't too thick, you need a little substance.  She used a sharp slicer that had a crinkly end.

    Into jar, put two garlic cloves, cut in half. 

    Add  a small amount of red pepper flakes, if desired

            1 t. onion flakes.

            2 sprigs dill

    Fill about 1/2 way with cucumbers, pack well

    Add a couple of slices of yellow onions

    Fill almost to top with more cukes, pack down

    A few more onions on top

    One last sprig of dill.

Veggie pickles:

lMix-or-Match

Bite-sized cauliflower.

Lengthwise-sliced or round-diced carrots

Rings of mini bell peppers, or regular sized chunks

Leftover cucumber slices

Yellow onion pieces

Sliced radishes

Celery sticks, chopped celery leaves

     Add 1 t. onion flakes

     Drop in some whole peppercorns

Keep adding cauliflower until all veggies are jammed down into the jar.

Brine for all three quarts:

Deep saucepan on med-high heat.

     3 1/2 c. filtered water

     3 1/2 c. distilled white vinegar

     10 1/2 T. sugar

Bring to boil.

Pour over all veggies, covering completely.

Push down to eliminate any air pockets.

Let cool.

Store in fridge for at least a day before eating.

45. Throwaway Jane - Scott William Carter

#1 Karen Pantelli

listened on Libby
314 pgs.

2020
Adult Mystery
Finished 5/19/24
Goodreads rating: 4.32
My rating: 4.25
Setting: Contemporary Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix

My comments: Karen Pantelli has become a drifter.  Three years after leaving the FBI with emotional scars, she finds herself busing in a bar in Denver.  This is where the wild ride begins.  She rescues a 13 year-old girls who seems terrified and won't speak, and Karen is framed to be a wanted killer.  So she and the girl, who calls herself Jane, are on the run.  They end up in Las Vegas where the story more-or-less cumulates.  Karen is from Tucson and is very protective of her bipolar sister who now lives in Phoenix with her two daughters, and their relationship comes into play in the story as well.  Very easy to listen to, good narration, good story.

Goodreads synopsis:  Former FBI agent Karen Pantelli lives by a simple philosophy: never, ever care. Three years after a tragic mistake ends her once-stellar career, she drifts from one dead-end job to another, quickly moving on when she finds herself getting too attached. A new city. A new life. A new way of forgetting and being forgotten.

Until one chilly night behind a seedy bar, when a frightened girl leaps out of the back of a speeding van.

As they end up on the run in a thrilling chase that spans half the country, Karen soon realizes it's much easier to say you don't care than to actually mean it. And that unlocking the secrets in this girl's extraordinary mind might not only save both of them, but bring down one of the most sinister organizations the world has ever known.

Arkansas Crossroads Quilt

Let's Make One!

 Super Simple, and so cool looking!

4-patches, 16-patches, and some snowballs make this terrific quilt.  It can be made with any size square...the one I watched used 1 1/2 inch squares of scraps with a 2 1/2 inch light single-fabric to make the X.  

You can make any size square and and size quilt using her measurements.  

Wonderful YouTube video here.  Her website with written directions is here.

Homemade Nut Bars - Made From (Healthy) Aldi Trail Mix

 

INGREDIENTS

  

• 10 oz Trail Mix or Any Nut Mix about 1¼ cup (she used Aldi Seed & Raisin)
• ¼ cup Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup, or Honey

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the nut mixture and syrup until completely combined.
• Pour into prepared baking dish and smooth into one even layer, making sure to push the mixture firmly into the pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
• Remove and allow to cool for about 1 hour (in the video, she ended up waiting about 10 min. so they were still soft enough to easily slice) before slicing. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results.

Black Bean and Barley Soup

 

• 2 Tbsp Oil or Butter
• 1 cup Onion diced
• 2 cups Carrots chopped or diced
• 1 cup Celery diced (Optional)
• 3 Roma Tomatoes diced or chopped (or 1 15oz can Diced Tomatoes)
• 2 cups Cooked Black Beans drained and rinsed (or 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup Barley rinsed
• 8 cups Chicken Broth, Vegetable Broth, or Water
• ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• 8 oz Fresh Spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• In a large stock pot, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, black beans, barley, broth, and garlic powder. Stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer covered for 45 minutes or until barley is cooked through and tender.
• Add spinach and stir. Continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
• Serve and enjoy!

Thanks Laura Legge!

44. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

#1 The Crimson Moth

listened on Libby
416 pgs.

2024
YA Fantasy (18 & 22 year old protagonists)
Finished 5/15/24
Goodreads rating: 4.25
My rating: 4
Setting: seems British-y, author has British accent

My comments: Witches have always ruled the land of this story, until recently.  They're now looked upon as evil, and if you're found as a witch or even helping a witch in any way, it's death.  Rune is a witch - an 18-year old who has just stumbled upon her powers and is a newbie without guidance.  She lives in opulence in a mansion left to her by her beloved witch-grandmother.  Her best friend Alex is a sympathizer who helps her in any way he can - he is in love with her.  However, his brother Gideon is a witch-hunter and hates all witches.  (He does have a good reason).  This fantasy-romance is about the hide-and-seek game that Rune and Gideon have.  They're both pretty smart, but the both make mistakes, too, which makes this a much more believable story than some.  I look forward to book two.  I don't even know which side I really am on (pro-witch or anti-witch) because there's good and bad about each side!

Goodreads synopsis:  

Oven Roasting Vegetables

 

How to Roast Vegetables

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large bowl toss together potatoes, carrots with 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, thyme, rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread onto a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven 20 minutes.
• Toss green beans in bowl with remaining 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt.
•        I also added some garlic and a chopped tomato at this point
• Add to baking sheet with other veggies, add garlic and toss everything and spread into an even layer.
• Roast until all of the veggies are tender and slightly browned, about 20 minutes longer.

How Long to Roast Vegetables

Size of vegetables and temp (we recommend 425 degrees F) will determine how long it takes, but these temperatures are a good gauge.

• Sweet potato – 35 minutes
• Brussels sprouts – 35 minutes
• White potato – 30 minutes
• Tomatoes – 30 minutes
• Butternut squash – 25 minutes
• Parsnip – 25 minutes
• Eggplant – 25 minutes
• Cabbage – 25 minutes
• Carrots – 20 minutes
• Broccoli – 20 minutes
• Cauliflower – 20 minutes
• Green beans – 20 minutes
• Onion slices – 15 minutes
• Bell pepper strips – 15 minutes
• Okra – 12 minutes
• Snap peas – 10 minutes
• Zucchini – 10 minutes
• Summer squash – 10 minutes
• Sugar peas – 8 minutes

Kim's Magic Blankets

I've been reading about Magic Blankets for awhile, now, so I thought I'd get some of the patterns and notes from the internet together.

Ravelry entry that includes pattern to download.

Facebook group.

Zooty Owl's blog with insight and ideas.

Magic Knot tutorial - video

Magic Knot tutorial - step-by-step guide

ok so a 6' x 5' blanket using 3 strands of 8ply/dk/3 weight, and a 9mm hook would be about 126 foundation chains plus turning chain and 88 rows using US dc stitch. That is the size Kim makes them.

43. The Women by Kristin Hannah

listened on Libby
480 pgs. (14:56) read by Julia Whelan

2024
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 5/11/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.67 (you never see them this high, and there's a reason!)
My rating: 5+
Setting: first half: Vietnam, 1967-1969; second half Coronado Island, southern California (and other places around the US) from 1969 - 1982, ending at the dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. in November of 1982.

My comments:   Oh my.  Once you start this book, there's no putting it down.  I had very little idea of what it was about, which is probably best because I don't think I would have read it.  I was in high school at the time this book was set.  I was a young married mom when it the war was "over."  This story, about the women of the war in Vietnam is potent, real, all-consuming, and beautifully written.  I didn't shed a tear until I listened to Kristin Hannah read her acknowledgements.  This was a very powerful, masterfully written story that I don't imagine I will forget.

Goodreads synopsis:  An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

42. The Accidental Dating Experiment - Lauren Blakely

listened on Audible Original - free
?  pgs.- Only out in audio (6:55)

2024t
Adult Romcom, steamy
Finished 5-8-24
Goodreads rating: 3.45
My rating: 2.5

My comments: 2.75  Nothing very real or believable at all in this story.  Also, very steamy.  Too perfect protagonists with ridiculous excuses.  Kept my attention, but very unmemorable.  Meh.

Goodreads synopsis:  A dating experiment ignites a secret attraction in this steamy new rom-com from number one New York Times best-selling author Lauren Blakely!

Eight years ago I fell into a secret summer fling with my best friend’s little sister before our lives went in different directions. Now, I’m the grumpy to Juliet’s sunshine on a popular dating podcast we host, and when a wealthy fan gives us a charming coastal cottage as the biggest thank you ever, we head to the town where I grew up to give it a makeover.

And find the house has only one bed.

Located under a mirrored ceiling.

To make matters even harder, the bright, big-hearted woman I’ve been pining for tells me she wants to try to find the one and would I please be her dating coach for the week?

Like hell I’ll let her date other men. I’ll coach her on three dates with me.

But the second I take her out, I don’t feel like her teacher. I feel like she’s mine, especially when the first night ends with us tangled up together in that bed.

Each night we grow closer, but this dating experiment forces me to face my greatest fear–whether a man like me is worthy of her love.

Even though I’m already head over heels for her.

41. Bride by Ali Hazelwood

listened on Libby - borrowed from library
410 pgs.

2024
 Adult paranormal steamy romance
Finished 5/7/24
Goodreads rating: 4.09
My rating: 3.75

My comments:  3.75  Good vampire/werewolf/human story.  Last third of book has a LOT of steam....a little too much, actually....which took it from a 4/4.5 down to 3.75.  Loved the first 2/3 of the book.  Haven't read a decent vampire book in awhile...

Goodreads synopsis:  A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Crockpot Barbecue Orange Chicken - 3 Ingredient!

2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, salted & peppered

1/2 cup barbecue sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade

     Cook on low for 6 hrs or on high for 3 hours..

     Shred

     Serve over rice or cauliflower rice

Thanks, Julia Pacheko!

40. The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

listened on Libby
355 pgs.

2023
Adult Historical Fiction/Mystery
Finished 5/4/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.07
My rating: 4
Setting: England, flipping between 1939 and 1960

My comments: Two sisters are sent off to the countryside with hundreds of other kids to be billeted with families to keep them safe from the upcoming bombings of London at the beginning of WWII.  Luckily, these two girls find a home with a wonderful woman and her son.  This is a story of loss, love, and grief.  There were not enough surprises in the retelling, most was told at the beginning and just recapped with a few more details, which made it a little boring in places.  Lovely writing.  I loved the settings.

Goodreads synopsis:  When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.

In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.

Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars . Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?

As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.