EASY Spinach, Sausage, and Pasta

By the time the pasta was cooked, it was time to add to the pan....easy and fast!!!

1/2 smoked sausage/kielbasa, sliced

1 small onion, chopped,

Fresh baby spinach

1/2 jar Alfredo sauce

handful of cooked angel hair pasta (or any pasta

Sauté the slices of kielbasa and chopped onion for a few minutes, then drop huge handfuls of fresh baby spinach and cook down.  Throw in another handful of spinach and cook down.  (It shrinks more-than-a-lot).  Stir in the handful of cooked pasta and about 1/2 jar of Alfredo sauce, let heat thoroughly in the frying pan.

SO GOOD!

I at half for dinner and took the other half for lunch the next day....it was fine without even being heated up!

51. The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

#1 Book of Ivy

listened on Audio

282 pgs.

2014
YA Dystopia
Finished 9/27/26
Goodreads rating: 4.12
My rating: 4 (I kept vascillating between a 3.5/3.75/and 4)
Setting: Somewhere in America in the very close future

My comments: What do I think? Hmmmm. The female protagonist drove me crazy with her steadfast alliance throughout most of the book for her father and sister, but I had to keep reminding myself that she's only 16. And the male protagonist seemed just too good to be true, but happily so. There were no surprises, but the story moved smoothly and even with no surprises was satisfying. Even though the cliffhanger was a toughy and I know the outcome will probably be very positive, I want to finish the duology asap.

Goodreads synopsis: After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

46. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

listened on Libby

528 pgs.

2024
Adult Historical Fiction - back and forth between now & then, two p-o-v
Finished 9/13/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.10
My rating: 5+
Setting: Contemporary NYC and 16th Century London

My comments: Wow, what a great story!  Years ago I read a novel that first opened my eyes to the possibility that Shakespeare never wrote all of the plays that are attributed to him - for multiple reasons.  It seemed plausible and now I've finished 18.5 hrs. of a gorgeously written, incredibly researched story in two voices (during two time periods) that really strengthens that possibility.  Weaving quotes from Shakespeare's works with more understandable English made the storytelling ultra-believable, and I'll never think of Shakepeare's works in the same way again!  Incredible storytelling.  Great narration. I was enthralled.  Best read in a long time.

Goodreads synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring” (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.

Chaos Blanket Stitches

 

Your Refined 10-Stitch "Chaos Pool"

Stitch	Visual Character
Double Crochet (DC)	Flat & classic
Half Double Crochet (HDC)	Short & solid
Cross Double Crochet	Subtle "X" openings (Standard height)
Granny Stripe	Classic open clusters
Classic V-Stitch	Airy geometric lattice
Spider Stitch	Fine lacy eyelets
Blueberry Puff	Round, cheerful bumps
Lemon Peel Stitch	Fine pebbled, solid texture
Moss Stitch	Fine woven weave
Suzette Stitch	Diagonal textured ridges

 Here are straightforward, row-by-row instructions for each stitch, designed so you can pick up your hook and stitch without overthinking.

Moss Stitch

• Row 1: sc in 4th ch from hook, *ch 1, skip 1 ch, sc in next ch; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 2, sc in the first ch-1 space, *ch 1, sc in next ch-1 space; repeat from * across, working your last sc into the turning space. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Suzette Stitch

• Row 1: [sc, dc] in 2nd ch from hook. *Skip 1 ch, [sc, dc] in next ch; repeat from * across until 2 ch remain. Skip 1 ch, sc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, [sc, dc] in first stitch. *Skip next stitch (the dc), [sc, dc] in next stitch (the sc); repeat from * across until 2 stitches remain. Skip 1 st, sc in last st. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Lemon Peel Stitch

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch. *sc in next ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *sc in the dc from row below, dc in the sc from row below; repeat from * across, ending with a dc. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Waffle Stitch

(Best worked over a multiple of 3 stitches + 2)

• Row 1: dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 2 (counts as dc), *fpdc in next st, dc in next 2 sts; repeat from * across until 2 sts remain. fpdc in next st, dc in last st. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 2, *dc in next st, fpdc in next 2 sts; repeat from * across until 2 sts remain. dc in last 2 sts. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3.

Houndstooth Stitch

(Uses 2 alternating colors: Color A and Color B)

• Row 1 (A): With A, sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch. *sc in next ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * across. Switch to B on the final pull-through of the last st. Turn.
• Row 2 (B): With B, ch 1, *sc in dc below, dc in sc below; repeat from * across. Switch to A on the final pull-through of the last st. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2, swapping colors at the end of every row.

Star Stitch

(Best worked over an even number of stitches)

• Row 1: Insert hook in 2nd ch from hook and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook). Pull up loops in next 4 chs (6 loops on hook). yarn over and pull through all 6 loops, ch 1 to close (creates the eye of the star). *Pull up loops in: the eye, the side of the last star leg, the chain base of the last leg, and the next 2 chs (6 loops on hook). yarn over, pull through all 6, ch 1; repeat from * across. dc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 2, work 2 hdc into the center eye of every star across. End with 1 hdc in the top of the turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 1 & 2 (for Row 1 repeats, pull up loops across the hdc stitches below).

Spike Stitch

(Worked on a base of single crochet rows)

• Row 1: ch 1, sc across as normal. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *sc in next 2 sts, insert hook into the st 2 rows below the next st, pull up a long loop to current height, yarn over and pull through both loops (spike st); repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3 (stagger the spike placement every few rows for a scattered look).

Spider Stitch

(Creates a delicate, fine-lacy texture using simple sc and chains)

• Row 1: Work [sc, ch 1, sc] all into the 3rd ch from hook. *Skip 1 ch, [sc, ch 1, sc] in next ch; repeat from * across. sc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, skip first 2 sts. *Work [sc, ch 1, sc] directly into the next ch-1 space, skip next 2 sts; repeat from * across. End with 1 sc in the turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Classic V-Stitch

(Open and breezy with a speed pattern repeat that works up quickly)

• Row 1: Work [dc, ch 1, dc] into 4th ch from hook. *Skip 2 chs, [dc, ch 1, dc] in next ch; repeat from * across until 2 chs remain. Skip 1 ch, dc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc), *[dc, ch 1, dc] directly into the ch-1 space of the "V" below; repeat from * across. End with 1 dc in top of turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Sedge Stitch

(A plush, diagonal shell look that stays completely flat and doesn't pull in)

• Row 1: Work [sc, hdc, dc] all into 2nd ch from hook. *Skip 2 chs, [sc, hdc, dc] in next ch; repeat from * across until 3 chs remain. Skip 2 chs, sc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, [sc, hdc, dc] in the first sc. *Skip next 2 sts (dc and hdc), [sc, hdc, dc] in next st (the sc); repeat from * across until 3 sts remain. Skip 2 sts, sc in last st. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Block Stitch (Elizabeth/Parrish)

(Creates crisp, square graphic grids that match granny stripe rows perfectly)

• Row 1: ch 1, sc in first st. *ch 2, skip 2 sts, sc in next st; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc), work 3 dc into each ch-2 space across. End with 1 dc in last sc. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 1, sc between first dc and the 3-dc block. *ch 2, sc into the space between 3-dc blocks; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3.

Cross Double Crochet (Criss-Cross Stitch)

(Creates subtle "X" motifs across the row with standard double crochet tension)

• Row 1: ch 3 (counts as dc), skip first st. *Skip next st, dc in following st, dc in the skipped st (crossing over the front of the st just made); repeat from * across until 1 st remains. dc in last st. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 3, skip first st. *Skip next st, dc in following st, dc in skipped st; repeat from * across until 1 st remains. dc in top of turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Herringbone Half Double Crochet (HHDC)

(A slight twist on regular hdc that tilts the stitch to make a woven herringbone texture)

• Row 1: Insert hook into 3rd ch from hook, yarn over and pull up a loop, pull that first loop straight through the second loop on your hook (2 loops remain), yarn over, pull through remaining 2 loops (hhdc made). Work hhdc in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 2, hhdc in each st across. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Extended Single Crochet (ESC)

(Slightly taller than a single crochet, producing a remarkably soft, drape-friendly row that matches your hdc rows)

• Row 1: Insert hook in 2nd ch from hook, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 1 loop (creates a chain base), yarn over and pull through remaining 2 loops (esc made). Work esc in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, esc in each st across. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Rice Stitch

(Combines front-post single crochet with standard double crochet for a tiny textured seed pattern that stays totally flat)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch. *sc in next ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *fpsc (front-post single crochet) around the sc below, dc into the dc below; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Griddle Stitch (Lemon Peel Var. / Alternating SC/DC)

(Works as a straight grid pattern rather than staggered, giving a clean textured stripe)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch. *sc in next ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *sc directly into the sc below, dc directly into the dc below; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Mini Berry Stitch

(Creates tiny, dense bumps that stand out against flat rows without pulling in like heavy bobbles or puff stitches)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *sc in first st, work berry st in next st [insert hook, YO, pull up loop, ch 1, YO, insert in same st, YO, pull up loop, YO, pull through all 5 loops boundary]; repeat from * across, ending with sc. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3.

Shell Stitch (5-DC Shell)

(Creates rhythmic scalloped waves that match the exact height and width of double crochet rows)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook. *Skip 2 ch, 5 dc in next ch, skip 2 ch, sc in next ch; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in first sc (half shell). *sc in center dc of next shell, 5 dc in next sc; repeat from * across, ending with 3 dc in last sc. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 1, sc in first dc. *5 dc in next sc, sc in center dc of next shell; repeat from * across, ending with sc in top of turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3.

Alternate Single Crochet (Flax / Granule Stitch)

(Worked entirely in single crochet by alternating front-loop and back-loop placements to build subtle horizontal ridges)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, *sc in front loop only (FLO) of first st, sc in back loop only (BLO) of next st; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Row 3: ch 1, *sc in BLO of first st, sc in FLO of next st; repeat from * across. Turn.
• Repeat: Rows 2 & 3.

Wide Half Double Crochet (HDC Between Posts)

(Looks like standard hdc, but working into the space between stitches instead of the loops creates a rich, woven weave that doesn't cinch)

• Row 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 2 (counts as hdc), *hdc into the space between the next two hdc posts (below the top loops); repeat from * across, working last hdc between final st and turning chain. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

Trinity Stitch

(Creates star-like clusters by working a single sc3tog across three stitches, maintaining a perfectly flat baseline)

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook. Insert hook into same ch and pull up loop, pull up loop in next ch, pull up loop in following ch (4 loops on hook), YO and pull through all 4 loops, ch 1 to close. *Insert hook in same ch as last leg of previous st and pull up loop, pull up loop in next 2 chs (4 loops on hook), YO, pull through all 4, ch 1; repeat from * across, ending with 1 sc in last ch. Turn.
• Row 2: ch 1, sc in first st. Work Trinity cluster starting in same st as first sc, pulling up loops across next 2 sts, ch 1 to close; repeat across, ending with 1 sc in last st. Turn.
• Repeat: Row 2.

 

45. The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey

listened on Audible

329 pgs.

2025
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 9/6/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.24
My rating: 3
Setting: 1947-1950 Washington DC

My comments: This story was a dragger, for me....it just seemed to drag on and on.  The premise was good, the characterization was good, some of the situations seemed ... off, not quite believable.  Much of the book was about the friendships between the women and some of the men codebreakers, and how the FBI personel and the government personel working on the problem of Russian spies interacted with each other.  The last third of the book perked up a bit, and my overall reaction increased.  However, I'm left with a ho-hum  feeling, unfortunately.  Quite a bit was apparently (based on the afterword by the author) based on facts and truths, and I did learn....or recall...quite a bit about out country's history at the time.

Goodreads synopsis: A female codebreaker puts her future and her heart on the line in a stirring novel about love, loyalty, betrayal, and Cold War spy games by the bestselling author of The Secret Stealers.

1947: Adventurous Radcliffe graduate Catherine “Cat” Killeen cancels her wedding and upends a future that no longer suits her. At the behest of her professor and hungry for a challenge, Cat arrives in Virginia to work on a confidential military project. A student in cryptoanalysis, Cat is already ahead of the game—to assist in rooting out Soviet spies who have infiltrated the US.

Joining the “government girls” of Arlington Hall, Cat gains the respect of her superiors and the friendship of her peers. Then, on a night out in DC, Cat runs into Jonathan Dardis, her arrogant and privileged Harvard rival and newly minted agent for the FBI. What Cat and Jonathan share is a competitive drive and an attraction that’s becoming just as spirited. They’re also united in the same critical goal for America. Together, they’re diving deep into the shadows of espionage.

The stakes of the codebreaking operation grow ever higher, and Cat’s relationship with Jonathan opens her heart. Amid dangerous intrigue and grave secrecy, Cat is ready for every risk—no matter how personal the stakes get.

Brian's Books

9/13    Thriftbooks

         #1 Catalina Island:  Nightshade by Michael Connelly

         #1 Jack Pullman:  Zero Day by David Baldacci

         #6 Peter Ash:  The Runaway by Nick Petrie

         #7 Peter Ash:  The Breaker by Nick Petrie

         

9/5    Amazon

         #3 Sam Pope:  The Long Road Home by Robert Enright delivered 9/11

8/11   Amazon (received)

          #2 Sam Pope:  The Takers by Robert Enright

7/19  Thriftbooks

         #2 Peter Ash:  Burning Bright by Nick Petrie

         #3 Peter Ash:   Light It Up by Nick Petrie

         #4 Peter Ash:  Tear It Down by Nick Petrie

         #5 Peter Ash:  The Wild One by Nick Petrie

6/29   #1 Peter Ash:  Drifter  by Nick Petrie

          #1 Sam Pope: Night Shift  by Robert Enright

43. The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri

listened on Libby

336 pgs.

2024
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 8/31/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.32
My rating: 5
Setting: 1938 - 1941 Germany (with short storytelling from 2006)

My comments: I'm giving this a 5 rating, although I didn't love it. I learned a lot and it was written beautifully.  This is written from the p-o-v of two Germans - one who is an SS officer, and the other who is just going along with everything that Hitler and the entire country seem to be going along with.  It's all about facilities throughout Germany that are creating and adopting out children that fit the Nazi clear blood ideology.  Nuts - but  supposedly true.  Whew.

Goodreads synopsis: Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The Sunflower House is a meticulously-researched debut historical novel that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.

A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other—and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

Adult Historical Fiction I've Read

Unfortunately, I think I may have missed some recent titles...

Allegri, Adriana -  The Sunflower House - (1938-1941 Germany) 2024

Armstrong, Kelley - A Stitch in Time (TT 18th Cent. England - American protagonist) 4

Barnes, Kim - In the Kingdom of Men (1967 Saudi Arabia) 3.5

Bartels, Erin - We Hope for Better Things (1861/1963/contemporary Detroit) 5

Benedict, Marie - Agent 355 (based on true story of female spy during American Revolution) 3.5

Benjamin, Melanie -  The Children's Blizzard - 1888 Dakota territories
Blackwell, Elizabeth - In the Shadow of Lakecrest (1928 Lake Michigan) 1
Brooks, Geraldine - Caleb's Crossing (1660s New England) 3
Brown, Amy Belding - Flight of the Sparrow (1676 Mass. Bay Colony) 4

Bryce, Megan - To Catch a Spinster (Regency Romance, England) 2.5

Bybee, Catherine - Highland Shifter (TT America to medieval Scotland)  3.5

.............................- Redeeming Vows (  "  )  4

.............................- Silent Vows (  "  )  3,5

.............................- Binding Vows (  "  )  4
Chamberlain, Diane - Big Lies in a Small Town (contemp & 1940 NC)

Clever, Jessie - The Duke and the Wallflower (Regency-type romance)
Cornick, Nicola - The Phantom Tree (1557 England/ Time Travel) 4

Courtenay, Christina - Runes of Destiny (Contemp. & 9th century Sweden) 4
Dallas, Sandra - Prayers for Sale (1930s/Depression, Colorado)  4.5

Davis, Fiona -The Stolen Queen (1930s & 1978 Egypt;  1978 NYC)
Fortier, Anne - The Lost Sisterhood (ancient Odyssey times)  5
Gerritsen, Tess - The Bone Garden (1830 Boston) 2.5
Goolrick, Robert - A Reliable Wife, (1907 rural Wisconsin) 4

Hannah, Kristin - The Women - Vietnam
Harkness, Deborah - Shadow of Night (1591 England, France, Prague) 2.5

............................... - Time's Convert  (American & French Revolution embedded in fantasy) 4.5 

Harmel, Kristin - The Forest of Vanishing Stars (WWII Poland)
Harmon, Amy - Where the Lost Wander (1853 Overland Trail) 5

Hart, Amelia - Weyward  (1619, 1942, & contemporary England)
Hashimi, Nadia - The Pearl That Broke Its Shell (Early 20th Century Kabul, Afghanistan)  4.5

Hawker Olivia - One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow (1876 Wyoming) 3.5

.........................-The Fire and the Ore (1856 Mormon Trail/Utah)

Healey, Jane - The Women of Arlington Hall - Jane Healey (1948-1950 Washington DC. Female codebreakers)

Henry, Patti Callahan - The Secret Book of Flora Lea - 1939 & 1960 England, WWII
Hoffman, Alice - Everything My Mother Taught Me (1908 coastal Mass.) 4.5

..........................- The Museum of Extraordinary Things (1911 NYC)  5

Holmberg, Charlie N. - Keeper of Enchanated Rooms (1846 secluded island off RI & Boston) 3.5
Howe, Katherine - Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Salem Witch Trials) 4

Jenner, Natalie - The Jane Austen Society (post WWII Hampshire, England) 4.5

Johnson, Sadequa - The Keeper of Lost Children (1950 - 1968 Philadelphia)

Jones, Luisa A. - The Gilded Cage - (1897 England)

Kline, Christina Baker - The Exiles (1840s Britain & Australia, plus ship voyage) 4.5
.................................... - Orphan Train (1929 Minnesota) 4.5
Krueger, William Kent - Ordinary Grace (1961 Minnesota) 4.5

Loigman, Lynda Cohen - The Matchmaker's Gift (Contemp. & early 20th century NYC)
Lovett, Charlie - The Bookman's Tale (back & forth Cothswolds & NC) 5

Lusbuskes, Brianna - The Boxcar Librarian (Early 29th century Montana)

Mann, Catherine - Lightning in a Mason Jar (1970s & contemporary SC) 4

Meissner, Susan - A Fall of Marigolds (1911 Shirtwaist Factory Fire and 9/11) 2.5

............................The Nature of Fragile Things (1906 SF & Tucson) 4

Moreno-Garcia, Silvia - Mexican Gothic - 1950 Mexico
Morton, Kate - The Forgotten Garden (multiple/early 20th century: Australia & England)  5

Mosse, Kate - Sepulchre (1891 & Present) 1 DNF

Moyes, Jojo - The Giver of Stars (1937 eastern KY)

Nesbit, TaraShea - Beheld (1630 Plymouth colony) 3
Otsuka, Julia - Buddha in the Attic (1920-1940 California) 2

Owens, Delia - Where the Crawdads Sing (1952 - 70 NC coast) 5
Pulley, D. M. - The Buried Book (1952 rural farmland Michigan) 4.5

Quinn, Kate - Signal Moon (SS/1943 & 2023 England)
Raybourn, Deanna - A Curious Beginning, (1897 England) Mystery 5

Rendon, Marcie R. -  Murder on the Red River (#1 Cash Blackbear) (1970 ND/MN state line)

.............................. -Girl Gone Missing (#2 Cash Blackbear) (1970 ND/MN state line)

............................. - Sinister Graves (#3 Cash Blackbear) (1970 ND/MN state line)

Richardson, Michele - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (1936 eastern KY/Appalachia) 5
Romer, Anna - Lyrebird Hill (1898 and 2013 in alternating chapters, New South Wales, Australia)

St. James, Simone - The Broken Girls - 1950 & 2014 Vermont
Shaffer, Mary Ann & Annie Barrows - Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Society (WWII German Occupation, England)  5
Spera, Deb - Call Your Daughter Home (1924 SC/ 3 female POV) 4.5

Stewart, Mary - Thornyhold (southern England - in the past) 5

Sullivan, J. Courtney, The Cliffs (2000 Maine and previous) 4.25

Swyler, Erica - The Book of Speculation (contemp & 200 yrs. before, northeast coast) 3.5
Taylor, Janet B. - Into the Dim Time Travel that takes us to 1200 Eleanor of Aquitaine & Becket's London

Timberlake, Amy - One Came Home (1871 Wisconsin)  2
Wallace, Michael - Crow Hollow (1676 Puritan Boston) 4
Wingate, Lisa - The Book of Lost Friends (1875 & 1987 Louisiana) 4.5

Zugg, Victor - A Ripple in Time (TT to early 1700s Charleston)

......................-The Planters (1720 SC coastline) 3.5

42. Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

listened on Libby

464 pgs. (14+ hrs.)

2026
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 8/24/226
Goodreads rating: 4.43
My rating: 4.75 - It got a little slow here and there.  Great story all told.
Setting: 1950 through 1968 in Philadelphia, Pa, Manheim, Germany, farm in southern Minnesota, fancy boarding school in perhaps VA...

My comments: Three characters are followed , two in the early 1950s and one starting in 1965, and they all come together at the end of the book, in 1966 with an epilogue in 1968.  All are black.  Two live through impossible, difficult situations because of the hatred that many whites of these periods had for people of color.  The civil rights movement.  black army soldiers in Germany pairing up with white German women and having mixed-race babies out of wedlock. And the story of the woman who discovered an orphanage in Manheim, Germany, loaded with these mixed babies.  She desperately wants kids, but that's not to be...until she decides to adopt and follow.

Goodreads synopsis: In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman’s vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way.

Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.

Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.

In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been given an opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.

Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.

TRY THESE Beans (over Rice) in the Crockpot!!

SO GOOD!!!

Next time:

🫘 soaked pinto beans

🥔 potatoes

🥕 carrots

🧅 onions

🌿 celery

🥬 cabbage

🧄 at least 2 Tbsp jarred garlic

beef bouillon for the cooking liquid

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

basil

thyme

black pepper

2 bay leaves

garlic powder

onion powder

For an italian-y batch   I'd go in a completely different direction:

• Pinto, cannellini, or great northern beans
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Cabbage
• Tomatoes — canned diced tomatoes would be especially good
• Garlic — generous amount!
• Italian seasoning
• Basil
• Maybe a little oregano
• Beef bouillon, if you like that savory depth
• Worcestershire — just a splash
• Black pepper

1 lb. dried beans  (Note:  Pinto beans worked GREAT for me)

   (Optional:  soak beans overnight in cold water to reduce cook time and improve digestibility.  Drain and rinse before cooking) NOTE:  if you're starting with completely dried kidney beans, they need special handling because of their natural toxin. Pinto beans are much less of a concern, but I still recommend soaking and boiling the beans before putting them in the slow cooker.

1 onion, diced

2-3 stalks celery, diced

1 pound of carrots, chunked

2 T. minced garlic

1 lb. smoked sausage, thinly sliced (NOTE:  I had a half pound

      of leftover roast beef, so I chopped it up and used instead_

3 bay leaves

6 cup broth, water, or a combination  (I actually used about 8 cups

      of water, then 3 or 4 "double" packets of beef bouillon)

     try with green peppers, chopped tomatoes?

Seasoning suggested:

          (1 tsp. Creole seasoning, plus more to taste)

          S & P

          1 T. Worcestershire sauce  

ChatGPT suggested:

For a crockpot full of beans:

• 1–1½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½–1 tsp dried thyme (had no thyme, used BASIL)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1–2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (probably used at least 2 T)

Put all in crockpot and stir to combine.  Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, until beans are soft and creamy.

Discard bay leaves.

Serve over rice.  (I didn't!  I ate it as soup)

It's supposed to freeze great, but I wouldn't double the recipe - my crock pot was full to almost overflowing!

39. SInister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon

#3 Cash Blackbear

listened on Libby

240 pgs.

2022
Historical Fiction Mystery
Finished 8/18/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.98
My rating: 4
Setting: 1970s Minnesota/ND in/near Ojibwe land

My comments: I like this series.  Cash Blackbear is so imperfect ....and real.  She drinks too much.  She sleeps around too much.  She's had a really tough life, being hoisted from one non-Native American foster home to another.  None of them were "good."  And she's only 19.  Talk about a tough cookie!  She lives to drink beer and play pool.  In this episode, while looking for the identity of a drowned Native American girls, she is thrust into a "holy roller" type small church in the middle of nowhere with a really odd preacher and his wife.  The story moves quickly and takes quite an interesting turn....and then it's over, so quickly!

Goodreads synopsis: Set in 1970s Minnesota on the White Earth Reservation, Pinckley Prize–winner Marcie R. Rendon’s gripping new mystery follows Cash Blackbear, a young Ojibwe woman, as she attempts to discover the truth about the disappearances of Native girls and their newborns.

A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe.

Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman, sometimes helps Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, on his investigations. Now she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will take her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home.

When Cash happens upon two small graves in the yard of a rural, “speak-in-tongues kinda church,” Cash is pulled into the lives of the malevolent pastor and his troubled wife while yet another Native woman dies in a mysterious manner.

36. Light It Up by Nick Petrie

#3 Peter Ash

listened on Libby

400 pgs.

2018
Adult Mystery/Thriller
Finished 8/5/2026
Goodreads rating:  4.16
My rating: 3.75
Setting: Contemporary Denver, CO

My comments: I probably shouldn't have read three of these so close together....the planning and shooting and descriptions got a little too much and I discovered my mind wandering a bit.  Excellent story, though, about legalized pot and all the cash surrounding it, and lots of really bad guys, most of them brilliant retired military, now guns-for-hire.  And you never really worry, because you know that nothing, NOTHING, is going to stop Peter from being the smartest, braves, winner.  

Goodreads synopsis: Combat veteran Peter Ash leaves a simple life rebuilding hiking trails in Oregon to help his good friend Henry Nygaard, whose daughter runs a Denver security company that protects cash-rich cannabis entrepreneurs from modern-day highwaymen. Henry's son-in-law and the company's operations manager were carrying a large sum of client money when their vehicle vanished without a trace, leaving Henry's daughter and her company vulnerable.

Then, when Peter is riding shotgun on another cash run, the cargo he's guarding comes under attack from hijackers and he narrowly escapes with his life. As the incidents mount, he has to wonder: for criminals as sophisticated as these, is this money really worth the risk? And if not, what about his cargo is worth more?

Turn 4 x 6 Index Cards Into a Cute 3" x 4" Glue Book or Junk Journal

 

Great video from Nicole from Relax. Cut. Glue showing how quick and easy it is to make the cutest, easiest mini journal  with just those index cards, glue, and scraps.:  A 💥NEW💥Tiny Tuesday Project! - YouTube  

You can take however long you want to fill it up....part of the prep is using scraps to create all the background pages, ready for ephemera, journaling, gluing, or whatever you desire!

35. Burning Bright by Nick Petrie

#2 Peter Ash

listened on Audible (purchased)

421 pgs.

2017
Adult Mystery-Thriller
Finished 7/23/26
Goodreads rating: 4.16
My rating:  4.25
Setting: Contemporary Washington/Seattle area

My comments: Ya, right.  So much of this was pretty far-fetched, but also totally enjoyable and can't-put-down-able, thus a higher rating than it probably deserved from me.  Peter Ash is so much fun to get to know, and in this one he meets a woman who is (seemingly) perfect for him and he falls hard and fast.  Lots of killing-without-caring from both the good and bad guys, which is tough to take.  But if you might enjoy swinging through the canopy of redwoods ziplining through a forest with bad guys shooting at you, you might just enjoy this book!

Goodreads synopsis: In the new novel featuring war veteran Peter Ash, an action hero of the likes of Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne (Lincoln Journal-Star), Ash has a woman's life in his hands and her mystery is stranger than he could ever imagine.

War veteran Peter Ash sought peace and quiet among the towering redwoods of northern California, but the trip isn't quite the balm he'd hoped for. The dense forest and close fog cause his claustrophobia to buzz and spark, and then he stumbles upon a grizzly, long thought to have vanished from this part of the country. In a fight of man against bear, Peter doesn't favor his odds, so he makes a strategic retreat up a nearby sapling.

There, he finds something strange: a climbing rope, affixed to a distant branch above. It leads to another, and another, up through the giant tree canopy, and ending at a hanging platform. On the platform is a woman on the run. From below them come the sounds of men and gunshots.

Just days ago, investigative journalist June Cassidy escaped a kidnapping by the men who are still on her trail. She suspects they re after something belonging to her mother, a prominent software designer who recently died in an accident. June needs time to figure out what is going on and help from someone with Peter's particular set of skills.

Only one step ahead of their pursuers, Peter and June must race to unravel this peculiar mystery. What they find leads them to an eccentric recluse, a shadowy pseudo-military organization, and an extraordinary tool that may change the modern world forever.

33. Ironwood by Michael Connelly

#2 Catalina

listened on Libby

327 pgs.

2026
Adult Mystery
Finished 7/18/26
Goodreads rating: 4.41
My rating: 4
Setting: comtemporary Catalina Island, southern California

My comments: Another good one, Mr. Connelly!  I love how he included quite a bit of Renee Ballard and a couple of good mysteries that needed solving at the same time, very interesting, went very fast, "Still" is a great character with great morals and a pretty darned sharp mind.  Enjoyable.

Goodreads synopsis: Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in.

Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But now a threat is coming to his safe haven.
 
Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off.
 
An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong.
 
While under orders to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.
 
Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of an investigation on his own island, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined.
 
Page-turning, packed with intrigue, and bringing together an unstoppable investigative team, Ironwood continues the Catalina series with all of Michael Connelly’s signature “relentless narrative drive…evocative atmosphere, realistic dialogue, and well-developed characters” (Washington Review of Books).