UFO's and Finishing Some QUILTS!

It's February 1st.  I finally purchased a sewing machine last weekend to replace my wonderful Pfaff that was stolen last April.  I have a million projects started and an incredible stash of fabrics that I love.  I have lots and lots of scraps.

So.......I am challenging myself to finish projects this year - lots of them - without buying any more fabric.  No impulse buying ... at all!  However, I will allow myself to purchase background fabrics that are needed because I have nothing that would replicate the look that I want.

Finish!
Use up my scraps!

I love my handy-dandy new machine.  I couldn't afford anything at all, but stumbled across this very inexpensive, no-fills Pfaff.  (I absolutely loved my stolen Pfaff, and feel good just having another.)  It sews lovely straight seams, zig-zags, and even makes buttonholes (which I doubt I'll ever use.)

I'm joining the UFO Challenge from the 52 Quilts Blog.  I'm copying and pasting it here:

2015 UFO Challenge

Here's how it works:

1.  Pull out 12 of your UFOs.  (Notice I didn't say all your UFOs.  I know you have at least 12!)   These can be half-done projects, barely begun projects, or even quilt "kits." 

2.  I put each project in its own 2-gallon size plastic bag.  Saves time I would have spent looking for the pattern or the special template required!

3.  Number each bag 1 - 12.

4.  Come to 52 Quilts the first day of each month in 2015 and I will have posted the number for that month's project.

5.  As you complete your UFO, email a photo to Aunt Marti at 52 quilts dot com. The first of the month, I'll host a "UFO Parade" with photos of your finished projects. It's OK to send in photos early in the month -- I start drafting the post as I receive your photos.

Most importantly, YOU decide what is finished! It can be "bound and ready to give away" or "pieced and ready to quilt." 

Of course, I've missed the first month.  Therefore, I'll probably only be doing 11 (or should I say, HOPING to do 11.)  January's number was 2.  I want to finish my Cacophony Quilt first, so that will be the number for February - 1.  The rest will be random.  Which other 10 projects will I choose? This is going to be fun!

I have to check on the first day of each month to see which bag will contain this month's project!

12. The Museum of Extraordinary Things - Alice Hoffman

Audio read by Judith Light, Grace Gummer, and Zach Appelman

10 unabridged cds
2014, Scribner (Simon & Schuster Audio)

368 pgs.

Historical Fiction

Finished 1/31/2014

Goodreads rating: 3.72

My rating:    5 - A wonderful story, especially to listen to

TPPL

Setting: 1911 NYC

1st sentence/s: "You would think it would be impossible to find anything new in the world; creatures no man has ever seen before, one-of-a-kind oddities in which nature has taken a backseat to the coursing pulse of the fantastical and the marvelous."

My comments:  This was really two stories that slowly....ever so slowly and deliciously....come together. The time period - early 20th century - is one that I don't especially enjoy reading about for some reason, but I was mesmerized by the bits of history (yes, some very horrific bits of history, but history nontheless) that Hoffman describes in great detail.  She is one heck of a writer and one heck of a storyteller. Additionally, this one was a treat to listen to, not read.  There was a lovely voice for Coralee, and strong male voice for Eddie, and the wonderful, intense reading of Judith Light as the narrator.  Terrific!

Goodreads book summary:  From the beloved, bestselling author of The Dovekeepers, a mesmerizing new novel about the electric and impassioned love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decades of the twentieth century.Coney Island: Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a boardwalk freak show that amazes and stimulates the crowds. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man photographing moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.
          The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as an apprentice tailor. When Eddie captures with his camera the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance.
          New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Hoffman at her most spellbinding

PICTURE BOOK - Christopher Newport, Jamestown Explorer - Sharon K. Solomon

Illustrated by Dan Bridy

2013, Pelican Publishing

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.0

My rating: 3.5

Endpapers: rust

Illustrations nicely compliment the story, leaving less white on many pages than some smaller publishers might have (yay!)

My comments:  I've always had a fascination with the mysterious histories of Roanoke and Jamestown, even visiting each several times.  This picture book tells the story of Christopher Newport - who after years of being a privateer (PIRATE!), was hired by the Virginia Company to be the commander of the three ships - the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery - which were to be the founders of the first permanent settlement in America: Jamestown.  According to this, Captain John Smith was a passenger and somewhat of a troublemaker, not particularly the captain/leader that my memory of history seems to make him out to be.  But, alas, since I now have more questions about these two men and their parts in this history,I now have the desire to look into things a bit more and read anew.....

Goodreads:  Christopher Newport made history when he founded the first British colony in America. Discover how the young lad from Harwich, England, came to command three ships destined to reach the New World. This biography takes readers on Newport's adventures of the high seas, full of sword fights, exotic foods, and shipwrecks. Join him on the journey to America, the quest for the elusive Northwest Passage to China, and beyond.
          In 1857, Sir Francis Drake hired Newport to capture Spanish ships and bring treasures back to England. After ten years as a privateer, Newport was chosen by King James to command three ships owned by the Virginia Company. On this voyage, Newport and his crew changed the world by founding Jamestown, the first successful English-speaking colony in America.

11. Cry Wolf - J. Carson Black

Laura Cardinal #4 (Tucson, AZ)

Read on my iPhone

2013 Breakaway Media

132 pgs. Kindle edition

Adult Murder Mystery/Police Procedural

Finished 1/29/2015

Goodreads rating: 3.55

My rating:   2/ It was okay....

Setting: contemporary Tucson, AZ

1st sentence/s:  "Laura Cardinal was just finishing up breakfast when she got the call."

My comments:  Short, but not sweet.  Loved the setting - in and around Tucson, including Madera Canyon to the south, and the story was good.  So why didn't I like it more? All of a sudden Laura Cardinal has a (very) serious relationship that is close-to-meaningless because I've gotten to know her in the previous three books and this is entirely and completely just thrown in.  There is not enough development of the relationship between Laura and her partner. I think it must be the lack of character development that's thrown me off....

Goodreads book summary:  Laura Cardinal: Packs a SIG Sauer P226 9mm. Investigates homicides in small towns that have limited resources. Brings justice to murder victims--and to their killers. Laura’s job description: Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. But maybe it should just say “Troubleshooter”.
          Tell me no lies.
          Laura and her aspiring-film-director partner, Anthony, catch a homicide case where nothing is as it appears. When pathological liar Sean Perrin is found dead in his car at a trailhead in scenic Madera Canyon, he leaves behind a skein of lies and half-truths that are impossible to untangle. From violent death in a sordid motel room to a high-end prostitution ring in Las Vegas, Laura and Anthony follow Sean’s trail across a landscape of broken dreams and convincing lies—until they confront the true evil behind the mask.

10. Heroes Are My Weakness - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

2014, William Morrow

364 pgs.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Finished 1/28/2015

Goodreads rating: 3.68

My rating:   5-Really, really liked it

TPPL

Setting:  Isolated Maine island, Contemporary winter

1st sentence/s: "She didn't usually talk to her suitcase, but she wasn't exactly herself these days."

My comments:   I really enjoyed this book.  I remember eating up all sorts of English manor/stern male/savvy governess stories when I was a young adult and for some reason this reminded me of them - even though it took place in contemporary Maine!  The setting....an island way off the coast of Maine, only visited by a ferry once every six weeks, AND in the middle of winter, are all things that are either very familiar or somewhat familiar. I loved the characters, and I loved the puppets.  Puppets?  In our heroine's head the voices of her five "dummies" occasionally pop up.  At first I thought it would be irritating, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying the way that Annie's thoughts were shown through those puppet's voices.  And the relationship between Annie and Theo?  DELIGHTFUL!  Funny, thoughtful....real.  The two of them had me giggling over and over again.  Yup, I had a blast with this story. (But I really don't like the cover.  It looks like a nonfiction.  It could have been SO much better.)

Goodreads book summary:  The dead of winter.

An isolated island off the coast of Maine.

A man.

A woman.

A sinister house looming over the sea ...

He's a reclusive writer whose macabre imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill with laughs.

But she's not laughing now. When she was a teenager, he terrified her. Now they're trapped together on a snowy island off the coast of Maine. Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.

It's going to be a long, hot winter. 

PICTURE BOOK - A Home for Mr. Emerson - Barbara Kerley

Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

2014 Scholastic Press

HC $18.99

48 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.08

My rating: 4

My comments:  I've always known of Ralph Waldo Emerson - I knew he was a philosophical writer linked to Thoreau and Concord, Massachusetts.  This picture book biography, like somany I've read in the last few years, illuminates the man as a person - husband, father, friend; then thinker and and writer.  The book is filled with his quotes   - they are actually much of the text - and best of all is a list of writing ideas after the excellent Author's Note at the back of the book entitled "Build a World of Your Own."  
     A few suggestions:
          List 5 things you love to do
          List 3 things you'd like to learn more about
          Think about your favorie room - what do you like about it?
          Write down 5 favorite spots in  your city

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Goodreads:  From the award-winning creators of THOSE REBELS, JOHN & TOM, a joyful portrait of an American icon and an inspiring blueprint for how to live your life.

"All life is an experiment.
The more
experiments you make
the better."

          Before Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great writer, he was a city boy who longed for the broad, open fields and deep, still woods of the country, and then a young man who treasured books, ideas, and people. When he grew up and set out in the world, he wondered, could he build a life around these things he loved?
          This moving biography--presented with Barbara Kerley and Edwin Fotheringham's inimitable grace and style--illustrates the rewards of a life well-lived, one built around personal passions: creativity and community, nature and friendship.
          May it inspire you to experiment and build the life you dream of living.

MOVIE - The Imitation Game

PG-13 (1:54)

Wide release 11/24/14

Viewed Friday, 1/23/2015 at ElCon

RT Critic: 90   Audience:  94  

Cag:  5/Loved it

Directed by Morton Tyldum

The Weinstein Company

Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode (who mesmerizes me on The Good Wife....)

My comments:  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie; the story, the setting, and the acting.  Based on a true story during the second world war, it is really about the invention of the computer by genius Alan Turing - a genius who had all the expected genius-sort of oddities to go along with his personality. Yes, Benedict Cumberbatch truly deserved his Academy Award nomination. Wonderful movie, and terrific to learn about this piece of history.

RT Summary:  During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of 'gross indecency', an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality - little did officials know, they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, THE IMITATION GAME follows a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save thousands of lives.

Charron Vineyards

This is probably the closest vineyard to my home - it can't be more than 30 minutes away, on the way to Sonoita, but actually in Vail.  And what a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous winter afternoon in southern Arizona!

Setting:  A long, wide deck, dotted with low tables and comfy chairs sports a wood-burning chimenia in the corner.  Lovely.  But the view?  GORGEOUS.  Sitting low on a mountain, the view of closely distant (can you picture that or is it a lousy description?) mountains is absolutely wonderful.  It was perfect for this 65-degree sunny day.  And in the summer when it's really hot hot hot in Tucson, it never goes much above 90 here (higher altitude than Tucson proper) and  they have misters completely surrounding the seating area.

The Deal:  Taste up to 6 wines for $7 including souvenir glass.  My friend Sheila had a "Living Social" coupon, which included a 6-oz. glass of wine after the tasting for $2.00.  They sell munchies (we had lentil chips and hummus) which was nice to clear the palate between tastings.  We were told to bring a picnic or any food (cheese & crackers, anyone) the next time we came.

Wines:  There were 14 offered, twelve of which were described on an easy-to-understand handout.  Dry wines on the left, sweet wines on the right.  Very helpful, and you can take notes on the handout and take it with you...and the handout includes pricing (which seemed very reasonable).

Personel & Service:  There were two women serving everyone - and there were probably five or six groups of people being served throughout our visit.  We never had to wait and we never felt rushed.  Both women were extremely nice, helpful, and knowledgeable enough for me!

The Company:  I went with two friends from Maine - all three of us teachers, one of us from Bar Harbor, one from Southwest Harbor, and one (me) from Northeast Harbor.  A lot of history.  Our kids went to MDIHS together.  It was as close to a perfect afternoon as I've had in a long, long while.

This was a GREAT way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  My sister is coming in May, and I can't wait to take her here, with a picnic basket of special snacks and a camera.....

Charron Vineyards website.

My choices:
from the "DRY" side:
Blanc De Noir - lite and dry, faintly sweet, but not enough for me
from the "SWEET" side:
Santa Rita Rose
*Tortolita Blanca (this was my full-glass choice, and the bottle I purchased) yup, sweet.  yup, yummy
Golden White Merlot - had a bit of a different taste (they said it had a "nuance of sweet sherry or cognac)
Tempranillo Rose - a sweet blush
Rincon Red - the only red wine I had, and very sweet

9. Saint's Gate - Carla Neggers

(It DOES look there will be more...)

2011, Mira Books

334 pgs.

Adult Murder Mystery

Finished 1/26/2015

Goodreads rating:  3.64

My rating: 2 - It was okay, but didn't grab me at all

TPPL

Setting:  Contemporary southern Maine coast (with a tiny bit of Dublin, Ireland thrown in)

1st sentence/s:  "Emma Sharpe steeled herself against the sights and sounds of her pas adn kept up with the nervous woman rushing ahead of her in the dense southern Maine fog."

My comments:  I SOOOO wanted to like this book, but it was a little too like a cozy mystery for me.  The story could have been told quite well in 100-or so less pages.  The introduction and description of the two major paintings in the story were confusing...it took me more than awhile to realize that two different paintings were being discussed.  There were too many solutions that just fell into their laps (one chapter even began with the protagonist "finding" a key to get into the rectory, a place he's never before been.....).  One of the reasons I picked up this book was the setting - I've been in all those smallish Maine coastal towns hundreds of times and the descriptions in the book didn't take me there at all.  Not even a little.  So I was really disappointed.  However, I bet there are lots of mystery readers that will love this book...a "lighter" mystery than my tastes crave.

Goodreads book summary:  When Emma Sharpe is summoned to a convent on the Maine coast, it's partly for her art crimes work with the FBI, partly because of her past with the religious order. At issue is a mysterious painting depicting scenes of Irish lore and Viking legends, and her family's connection to the work. But when the nun who contacted her is murdered, it seems legend is becoming deadly reality.   
          Colin Donovan is one of the FBI's most valuable assets -- a deep-cover agent who prefers to go it alone. He's back home in Maine after wrapping up his latest mission, but his friend Father Bracken presents him with an intrigue of murder, international art heists and a convent's long-held secrets that is too tempting to resist. As the danger spirals ever closer, Colin is certain of only one thing—the very intriguing Emma Sharp is at the center of it all.    
          A ruthless killer has Emma and Colin in the crosshairs, plunging them into a race against time and drawing them deeper into a twisted legacy of betrayal and deceit.

2015 Edgar Nominees

BEST NOVEL
This Dark Road to Mercy - Wiley Cash
Wolf - Mo Hayder
Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King
The Final Silence - Stuart Neville
Saints of the Shadow Bible - Ian Rankin
Coptown - Karin Slaughter

FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Dry Bones in the Valley - Tom Bouman
Invisible City - Julia Dahl
The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens
Bad Country - C. B. McKenzie
Shovel Ready - Adam Sternbergh
Murder at the Brightwell - Ashley Weaver

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Secret History of Las Vegas - Chris Abani
Stay With Me - Alison Gaylin
The Barkeep - William Lashner
The Day She Died - Catriona McPherson
The Gone Dead Train - Lisa Turner
World of Trouble - Ben H. Winters

YOUNG ADULT
The Doubt Factory - Paolo Bacigalupi
Nearly Gone - Elle Cosimano
Fake ID - Lamar Giles
The Art of Secrets - James Klise
The Prince of Venice Beach - Blake Nelson

MOVIE - The Wedding Ringer

R (1:41)

Wide release 1/16/2015

Road House Cinemas 1/19/15

RT Critic: 33   Audience: 78

Cag: 4/I really liked it a lot

Directed by Jeremy Garelick

Sony Screen Gems

Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting

My comments:  Just plain fun and funny, limited hidden agenda, pleasing and pleasant story.  I laughed a lot!

RT Summary:  Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a loveable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man. With less than two weeks to go until he marries the girl of his dreams (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), Doug is referred to Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), owner and CEO of Best Man, Inc., a company that provides flattering best men for socially challenged guys in need. What ensues is a hilarious wedding charade as they try to pull off the big con, and an unexpected budding bromance between Doug and his fake best man Jimmy. 

PICTURE BOOK - National Wildlife Federation's World of Birds: A Beginner's Guide - Kim Kurki

2014 Black Dog - Leventhal Publishing

HC $15.95

80 pgs.
Nonfiction picture book - dense with information

Goodreads rating: 4.53

My rating: 5 Stars - This is a grand book!

Endpapers:  green with simple, faint bird's footprints

This book is divided into four sections:
     Woodlands & Forests
     Wetlands, Shores, & Bodies of Water
     Fields, Thickets, & Backyards
     Deserts, Scrublands, & Rocky Slopes

My comments:  I can't say enough glowing things about this top-notch book.  As an adult who has only recently enjoyed watching birds, its useful information and fun, interesting facts are MUCH more  accessible than guidebooks or handbooks geared toward adults.  The illustrations are lovely and colorful, the occasional photo just enough, the quatrains written for each major bird are unforced and cleverly rhymed.  Usually I'm a little put off by a large mixture of fonts, but the many used inthis text are melded well and therefore avoid overwhelming jumble.  A really fine book!

Goodreads:  From the National Wildlife Federation, publishers of Ranger Rick, the popular nature magazine for kids, comes this exciting, dynamic, and wonderfully illustrated guide for young naturalists.
          National Wildlife Federation's World of Birds is arranged by habitat and identifies more than 100 birds. Kim Kurki¹s engaging and highly accurate illustrations give kids a true and close-up appreciation of each bird species, such as its size, shape, color, and markings, as well as its habitat, call, and behavior. Kids will learn to recognize the birds by their individual characteristics, such as the male cardinal¹s distinctive crest, the kestrel¹s helicopter hover, and the goldfinch¹s enchanting song. You¹ll also discover what makes each bird amazing, including which is the fastest flier, which lays the biggest egg, and which spends years of its life in the water, never touching land.
          The excellent illustrations, nontechnical language, and fascinating facts throughout make this an ideal guide for beginner bird-watchers—of any age!

8. Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James

#2 Fifty Shades

2011 First Vintage Books

532 pgs.

X-Rated Adult 

Finished 1/18/15

Goodreads rating: 3.93

My rating:   2

2nd hand book through Amazon

Contemporary Seattle

1st sentence/s:  "I have survived Day Three Post-Christian, and my first day at work."

My comments:  Well, I discovered what Christian's major hangups were.  There was a bit of a plot in this second in the series, and ended with the possibility of more plot to come.  A good half of the book was Ana and Christians repeated sexual escapades, which were...pretty much....very, very similar to each other.  They say the same things to each other over and over and over.  Okay, so now I've read two of them.  I'm fully prepared for the movie next month.  (Oh, yes - this book was misnamed.  It should have been Fifty Shades Lighter.....)

Goodreads book summary:  Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 
           But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
           While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
          This book is intended for mature audiences.

7. The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

#2 Cormoran Strike 

Listened to on cd in the car AND read 

Audio read by 

14 unabridged audio discs (17.5 hours)

2014 Mulholland Books/Little Brown

456 pgs.

Adult Murder Mystery

Finished 1/17/15

Goodreads rating: 4.01

My rating:   4/ Liked it a lot

TPPL - both audio and book

Setting:  Contemporary London, England

1st sentence/s: " 'Someone bloody famous,' said the hoarse voice on the end of the line, 'better've died, Strike.'" 

My comments:  Good story, but overly long, I think.  I like the characters of Strike and Robin and I love the story that's developing between them.  I look forward to more.  (Oh, and I'm not so crazy about all the quotes at the beginning of the chapters...50 chapters, 50 quotes.....

Goodreads book summary:  Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestsellerThe Cuckoo's Calling.
          When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
          But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.
          When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before... 

PICTURE BOOK - The Farmer and the Clown - Marla Frazee

Illustrated by the author

2014 Beach Lane Books

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.32

My rating: 4

Endpapers:  red

Title Page: browns and yellow: sunrise: farmer heading for the fields, walking away from his small house

Wordless picture book

My comments:  A farmer (who lives alone way out in the country) rescues a baby clown who falls off a circus train. Through days and nights they bond and become very attached to one another - until the train returns and the farmer gets to reunite baby clown to his family. 
Happy? Yes. Sad? Yes! Perhaps my current loneliness makes me feel extra, ultra sorry for the poor farmer, but I'm left with such a sad feeling after reading this story!

Goodreads:  Whimsical and touching images tell the story of an unexpected friendship and the revelations it inspires in this moving, wordless picture book from two-time Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee.
          A baby clown is separated from his family when he accidentally bounces off their circus train and lands in a lonely farmer’s vast, empty field. The farmer reluctantly rescues the little clown, and over the course of one day together, the two of them make some surprising discoveries about themselves—and about life!
          Sweet, funny, and moving, this wordless picture book from a master of the form and the creator of The Boss Baby speaks volumes and will delight story lovers of all ages.