9. Natural Selection - a short storys by Erin Hildebrand

listened on Audible

54 pgs.

2024
Adult contemporary short story
Finished 2/8/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.61
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary Galapagos Island

My comments: Even though it was supposed to be a mystery and you knew exactly what was going on, it was fun to adventure into the sea and surroundings of the Galapagos Islands.

Goodreads synopsis:  When her boyfriend bails at the last minute, a New York woman embarks on their couples’ cruise alone to find that maybe the person she was supposed to fall in love with was herself.

After a string of bad dates and no prospects, Sophia Othonos has finally hit the jackpot: an actual nice guy. When he suggests a romantic getaway, she’s sure they’re about to take the next step toward their future. A rustic cruise to the Galápagos Islands isn’t exactly her idea of a vacation, but Sophia is ready for anything…until her boyfriend has to cancel.

Now she’s all alone on a trip that was meant for two. Sophia finds herself at a crossroads about who she is, what she wants, and whether her relationship is really everything she thought. But if she’s going to suffer an identity crisis, at least she gets to do it amid the unexpected majesty of nature.

Eight days of wild, unobstructed beauty are enough to make anyone reevaluate their life. These islands are all about adapting to your surroundings—and change just might be what Sophia needs most of all.

8. Candle Island by Lauren Wolk

listened on Audible

352 pgs. (9:24)

2025
Middle Grades HF (almost CRF)
Finished 2/7/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.31
My rating: 5
Setting: Island off the coast of Maine, approaching DownEast

My comments: I'm so glad I read this.  No cell phones, no computers, the encyclopedia at the library dates from 1902. In my head it was the 70s.  Many facets of the story....losing your dad, moving with your mom from Vermont to a Maine island - an island only accessible by ferry - saving an osprey baby and raising it, Townies vs Summer kids, making friends, fishing and horse riding, learning to sail and exploring.  And painting. So good.

Goodreads synopsis:  A moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art from Lauren Wolk, the Newbery Honor-winning author of Beyond the Bright Sea.

Lucretia Sanderson has a secret.

Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine ( Summer, 986; Winter, 315) to escape—escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick.

But Candle Island has secrets of its own—a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice—and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake.

With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, Candle Island is a powerful story about art, loss, and the power of being true to your own voice.

Full Deck Challenge #4 - Week 5

 This week I used 4 of 8 prompts - Orange, happy scraps, sentiment, dark green (didn't use hearts, zigzag, lace or buttons)

Bookmarks

Circle top bookmarks

Hidden Paper Clip bookmarks made with playing cards

Xmas Bookmarks for Brunch Friends

BYS Bookmarks

Halloween Bookmarks

Frinchie February at JJCV

 What is a FRINCHIE?  A four-inch-square piece of art that you've designed yourself.  So, one a day in February.  Bet I can't keep up, I worked 14 hours yesterday and am already behind, lol!  But I did get DAY 1 done!

Day 1 - Garbage
I have since added a colored stamped image to the center.

Another Great Pocket - Made with a NEW or USED Envelope

 

 

This is another super easy one that looks great.  The edges are not glued, so there's PLENTY of room for tags width-wise.   Long video from Shabbydabbydoodah, but you only have to watch the first few minutes.

If using a new envelope, glue the flap down.

Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit one side - leave only a teeeny-tiny bit of envelope edge showing.

Glue it on.

Cut open whichever side you want for an opening.

Use a circle punch to cut a finger notch.

On one of them, I cut a matching piece of paper as a liner behind the notch.

Do all the distressing you want.

If you're using a large envelope, glue down the flap, then cut the envelope in half depending on where you want the opening to be.

If you have used envelopes that have been opened on the end, you can use the other end to make one - just made sure there's no writing on the back!

7. Detour by Jeff Rake

listened on Audible (purchased)

320 pgs. (10:52)

2026 - published two weeks ago, brand new
Adult Science Fiction
Finished 1/27/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.86
My rating: 5
Setting: Various parts of eastern USA, outer space

My comments: So good, just the kind of science fiction that I love.  We get to know the six main characters really well, they travel together in a spacecraft for two years to leave a satellite on Tritan, one of Saturn's moons, leaving behind family, friends, loved ones, no one.....and when they return......WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK! Cliffhanger time. This one's only been out for two weeks, so the next one is not in very close sight.  Big sigh.

Goodreads synopsis:   space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in this emotional, mind-bending thriller from the creator of the hit Netflix series Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

“If The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby, it would be Detour—a thriller that messes with your head as you scramble to piece together what’s really going on.”—Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

Ryan Crane wasn’t looking for trouble—just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan’s quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife—and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son—he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins.

6. Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

listened on Audible

340 pgs.  (9:39)

2026
Genre/Level
Finished /25/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.98
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary Baton Rouge, LA

My comments: 4.5  Very interesting story told in three voices (mostly) that although seems quite unbelievable in places, was an all-encompassing read that did just what a good story does on a blizzardy day in January.  Set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, two very different women cross paths in an unusual way and their story keeps intersecting until the book's satisfying ending.

Goodreads synopsis:  Two women. One dead husband. And only one alibi.

Everyone at Chantilly’s Bar noticed out-of-towner Camille Bayliss. Red lips, designer heels, sipping a Negroni. But that woman wasn’t Camille Bayliss. It was Aubrey Price.

Camille Bayliss appears to have the picture-perfect life; she’s married to hotshot lawyer Ben and is the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana family. Only nothing is as it seems: Camille believes Ben has been hiding dirty secrets for years, but she can’t find proof because he tracks her every move.

Aubrey Price has been haunted by the terrible night that changed her life a decade ago, and she’s convinced Benjamin Bayliss knows something about it. Living in a house full of criminals, Aubrey understands there’s more than one way to get to the truth—and she may have found the best way in.

Aubrey and Camille hatch a plan. It sounds simple: For twelve hours, Aubrey will take Camille’s place. Camille will spy on Ben, and the two women will get the answers they desperately seek.

Except the next morning, Ben is found murdered. Both women need an airtight alibi, but only one of them has it. And one false step is all it takes for everything to come undone.

Junk Journal Pockets - Directions for all my Faves

 My favorite pocket envelope (takes 2 minutes to make) from Natasha at Treasure Journals.  Info here.

This is another super easy one that looks great.  The edges are not glued, so there's PLENTY of room for tags width-wise.  My directions are here.

My Favorite Pocket Envelope - EASY, EASY, EASY!

For Presentation and sending of ATC cards especially, I love these cards!

They are called "Pocket Envelopes Using 6 x 6 Paper" and the video is from Natasha at Treasure Books HERE.

Fold diagonally, into triangle, crease well.

Take top part and fold down the crease.

Now take bottom right triangle and fold it up to align with where the pocket opening will now be.

Do the same with the other side.

These two folds now cover the part that will be the folded over to show the pretty side, so fix it that way.

One dot/small glob of glue on this pointy part is really all you need to hold the entire thing together!

Full Deck Challenge #4 - Week 4

Used 6 of 8 prompts:  Texture, sequins, person, ribbon, yellow, light green (did not use OCEAN or GLITTER)

5. Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb

listened on Libby

336 pgs.

2024
Adult romance
Finished 1/21/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.59
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Tucson

My comments: Great, fun premise, set in Tucson.  Birding interests me, I love Tucson, and fake dating is always I trope that can be quite enjoyable.  However, the protagonist was too over-the-top for me - very believable as such, but she sorta drove me nuts.  So-so romance. And not enough Tucson.  

Goodreads synopsis:  A divorcee embarks on her “year of yes” and crosses paths with a shy but sensitive birdwatcher who changes her life in this charming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood.

Newly divorced, almost-empty-nester Celeste is finally seeking adventure and putting herself first, cliches be damned. So when a friend asks Celeste to “partner” with his buddy John for an event, Celeste throws herself into the role of his temporary girlfriend. But quiet cinnamon roll John isn’t looking for love, just birds—he needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest if he’s ever going to launch his own guiding business. By the time they untangle their crossed signals, they’ve become teammates…and thanks to his meddling friends, a fake couple.

Celeste can’t tell a sparrow from a swallow, but John is a great teacher, and the hours they spend hiking in the Arizona wilderness feed Celeste’s hunger for new adventures while giving John a chance to practice his dream job. As the two spend more time together, they end up watching more than just the birds, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Since they’re both committed to the single life, Celeste suggests a status upgrade: birders with benefits, just until the contest is done. But as the bird count goes up and their time together ticks down, John and Celeste will have to decide if their benefits can last a lifetime, or if this love affair is for the birds.

Full Deck Challenge #4 - Week 1

            There were 8 "prompts" that we could choose from today, I was able to include 7 of them.  

Green, Squares, Butterfly, Numbers, (Bird), Bright Pink, Hole Punch and Red.  I had lots of birds but couldn't find a place that one seemed to fit.  I do like it.  Took awhile hunting up all the "stuff."

4. No One Knew by Kendra Elliott

#2 Noelle Marshall

listened on Audible

314 pgs.

2026
Adult Murder Mystery
Finished 1/18/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.40
My rating: 3.5
Setting: Contemporary Oregon

My comments: I've been reading too many books with similar settings lately as well as similar characters, and that's probably not a good idea.  This takes place in central Oregon where the lead detective and the FBI agent involved in the case are lovers.....and is about nasty redneck good-ole-boys in a militia.  So much rubbed me the wrong way.  Still decent writing from Elliot, but it's time for me to move on from these for awhile.

Goodreads synopsis:  For a detective and an FBI agent, two seemingly disparate murder investigations collide with a twist in an explosive novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

In the crisp mountain air of central Oregon, a teenage girl’s search for discarded cans leads to a horrifying a body, brutally murdered and abandoned in the woods. The case falls to Deschutes County Detective Noelle Marshall, who finds herself navigating a community steeped in secrets, suspicion, and distrust of outsiders—especially law enforcement.

Miles away, FBI Special Agent Max Rhodes investigates a different kind of darkness—chatter about a violent uprising from a shadowy militia group preparing for war. The two cases seem worlds apart. But as Noelle digs into the murdered man’s past and Max closes in on the source of the terror plot, their paths begin to converge in a terrifying way. This was no random killing. It was a message. A merciless killer and a hidden army are operating in the same shadows, and finding the link between them is the only thing standing between a single murder and a full-blown massacre.

3. Dead of Autumn by Sherry Knowlton

listened on Audible (purchased)

286 pgs.

2014 (first audio recorded 2020)
Adult mystery
Finished 1/14/2025
Goodreads rating: 3.97
My rating: 3.5
Setting: Contemporary Carlisle/Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

My comments: Pretty cool that this book takes place in Carlisle, PA - where I live!  There's much mention of streets, locales, and public lands that I know of quite well, with a few that I don't....so that was really fun.  The story was okay, though incredibly predictable, the protagonist is feisty but somewhat dull-witted at times, and there were a few ways that the reader read that didn't appeal to me 100%.  But I enjoyed it for the locale.  There are others to follow, so I'm hoping some of my problems with the story will smooth out as the stories continue.

Goodreads synopsis:  The Alexa Williams novel that started it all.

An ethereal blonde sprawled by a mountain stream.

Three young girls on a blanket in the woods.

Decades separate the discovery of these dead bodies, but the lesson they offer is the same. Evil can lurk much closer than you'd ever imagine.

Alexa Williams is a successful lawyer, volunteers weekly at a women’s clinic, and has a sexy weekend boyfriend—not to mention an endearing best friend in her giant English mastiff, Scout. But one autumn day, when Scout takes off into the Pennsylvania woods, Alexa discovers a nightmare she’d never imagined. From that fateful day, Alexa becomes entangled in a murder mystery—one that she tries to unravel by linking it to experiences and symbols in her own life.

Dewilla Noakes, a child of the Depression, has recently lost her mother. Her father, packs up the girls—and their attractive cousin, Winnie—and hits the road to look for a job on the east coast. Along the way, money becomes tighter, food becomes scarcer, and relationships become strained. Dewilla’s father fears he’s failing his daughters. Running out of options, he begins to consider the unthinkable to end the misery he’s brought upon his family …

Alexa soon finds herself amidst violence aimed at the clinic where she volunteers, brought on by pro-life extremists. In a bizarre turn of events, she’s almost raped, ambushed by religious zealots who wish to convert her, then taken by surprise as another romance enters her life. Plus, she seems to be seeing quite a lot of the local law enforcement these days.

No matter what else happens in her life, Alexa can’t shake feeling some sort of connection to the mysterious murder victim. She thinks back to the stories she heard as a child, about the Babes in the Woods, who were murdered close to where the victim’s body was found, wondering if that might be why she draws the connection. But when the murderer strikes again, Alexa must rely on her knowledge of local history and terrain in order to save her own life.

DEAD of AUTUMN ties together the struggles faced by females, young and old, past and present, and the degrees of power they embrace to combat their situations.