Classic and Contemporary Mysteries

As you regular readers know, I'm not much of a mystery fan.  However, I've been on a tiny bit of a kick lately and want to share a couple with you that I think are absolutely fabulous. 

Let's start with classic mystery...this is another Agatha Christie.  Don't even try to pretend to be shocked.  Now, prior to reading this one Death on the Nile was my favorite Agatha Christie.  After this...I'm not so sure...they're pretty tied for first place.

 

To tell you the truth, the main reason why I absolutely loved Murder on the Orient Express was the ending.  And the endings are what make Agatha Christie so special.  I haven't read an even remotely similar ending in all of her books that I've picked up.  And because I don't want to spoil it (because I DO want you to read this one) I'm NOT going to tell you what's so magical about this book.  Pick it up.  Soon, you won't regret it!
 

Like half of the western world, I read Gone Girl earlier this year.  And my book club has since become obsessed with reading all of Flynn's previous works.  This is the first one I've picked up because...honestly?...I was way too hyped up about Gone Girl.  It was a really good book and fantastically twisted, but because I knew it was supposed to be fantastic going in...it's just easy to get let down.  Now, when I picked Dark Places up only the girls in my book club had reviewed it and they all said positive things.  About the book/plot...not what actually happens in the book.  Because this is another sick and twisted Gillian Flynn.  And I have to say, it's fantastic as well.  Verrrry twisted (that's the last time I'll use twisted as an adjective, promise) so be prepared.  Two thumbs up.

So, in case you were dropping by my blog looking for a new book to read...there ya go!

Reading Lately...Meh?

I've picked a few books lately that just didn't measure up to my expectations.  None of these books were bad...but, none of them were anything I'd probably recommend?  In fact, all except this first I gave a mere two stars out of five.

The Light in the Ruins
(Three stars)

I've seen this book everywhere...bookstores, recommended reading lists, etc., etc.  It's a murder mystery connected to a point in time in the not-so-distant past.  It was just OK for me.

Sisterland
(Two stars)

I'll be honest and say that this book is extremely well written and that I was fully engaged...all the way up until the last quarter.  The main character did something at this point in the plot that I just could not get over and, therefore, the book soured for me quickly.  And because of her distasteful choice, I also found the ending unrealistic.

Kiss Me First
(Two stars)

The premise of this book is very dark; it's another assisted suicide novel.  However, this book is much more disturbing than the beautifully written Me Before You (click here for my review of it).  Plus, the further I got towards the end of this book, the more I just felt sorry for the main character.  She's hopelessly socially inept and she's horribly taken advantage of because of it.  This is not a feel-good book and though I know it's not supposed to be, I still didn't quite appreciate it.

Freud's Sister
(Two stars)

I really thought this book had potential!  This is a historical fiction novel that is based on a true story; it narrates the story of Adolphina, Sigmund Freud's favorite sister.  When the Nazi's were closing in on Vienna, Sigmund was given an exit visa and could take anyone with him that he chose.  He took with him his wife, doctor, maids, wife's sister and even his dog...but, not one of his four sisters.  Sadly, this book was very dry, though there were a few interesting tidbits throughout that are probably true facts.  I think I might have been expecting too much on this one...I might like it more the longer it's been since I've read it.

Quilting Catch-up

I tend to perform marathon sessions of whatever interests me in a particular moment...or day...or week.  This past Friday it was my quilting to-do list.  I've had a few quilts that I'd been piecing together and was just ready to be finished with that aspect of it.  In other words, I was ready to throw them in the to-be-long-armed pile.  So, I finished three quilt tops on Friday, starting in the morning and finishing up around 9 o-clock that night.  I love how each turned out and can't wait to quilt them on the long arm!

This first one is my scrappy rail fence...Molly's not impressed, if you can't tell.

This hot air balloon quilt is a compilation of blocks that my mom received in a block swap.  A block swap is where, in this case, 25 quilters (from all over the country) all make 25 of the exact same whatever-themed block (in this case, hot air balloons).  Then, each quilter sends all their blocks to the organizer of said block swap.  The organizer arranges the blocks so that each quilter then receives one of each other participant's block.  Hence, everyone has the same 25 blocks to work with and assemble their quilt.  Here's how our quilt looks assembled:

And finally, this one is my creation.  You might recognize some of these blocks from this post back in June.  I wanted the quilt to be larger than just the log cabin blocks, so I've interspersed them with hourglass and plain red blocks.  Can't wait to play with this one on the long arm and then snuggle up with it this winter!

You know how the older you get the more you seem to be like your parents?  Well, with these quilt tops...I totally can see myself turning into my mother!  Haha, why fight it?

It Only Took Me Three Years

David and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary at the end of July.  Ever since I got our wedding photos back from the photographer I've been, on again off again, scrapbooking our wedding. 

Well, a little over a week ago my good friend Becky came to visit me for the morning/early afternoon.  There was a scrapbooking convention near my house that she really wanted to attend.  So we went!  It was a super fun girls' day where we went to the convention, out for a delicious lunch and then...both of us being bookies...a couple book stores.  Super fun!

Well, this convention inspired me to finish our scrapbook.  I knew I was well over halfway done, I just hadn't spread out my pictures and scrapbooking accoutrements lately. 

In case you're wondering...this was how I spent my Labor Day afternoon and evening...it's done! 
And I couldn't be happier with it...unless a professional had done it for me, haha!

A sneak peek inside...

Flowers

Bride and groom.

The ceremony.

All my girls.

My cake.

Generational pic of married hands.

My "thing that went wrong on my wedding day" was that my maid of honor tripped and twisted her ankle the morning of...so, of course, this documentation got it's own page.

Family having fun and shakin' their booties.

Our send off...