Duchess of Death

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I stayed up late to finish this engrossing biography of Agatha Christie. I knew nothing about Christie's life and am astounded by the enterprises that she experienced. She is an immensely interesting person, so the story moves rapidly along with one surprise after another. The fluid writing made me feel as though I were gobbling up the words, eager to get to the next.
This book is an excellent read even if you are unfamiliar with her work. This is a story of adventure.

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Big League Dreams

http://www.bigleaguedreams.com/

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Saturday Snapshot ~ Creeeepy...

 I'm too creepy for your lawn / Too creepy for your lawn...

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Mesa, AZ

At a Garden Center

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"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see.

  How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."



Daffodilly Prayer Shawl

Knitting on the deck while listening to a book on my iPod is a blessed time. As I crocheted this simple triangle, I prayed for the recipient who will receive it through our Prayer Shawl Ministry at church. The quickie pattern is available at http://community.livejournal.com/crochetcrochet/1138498.html  It's a goodie-good feeling to use  stash yarn! The white is Plymouth Encore WW. The yellows are "I Love This Yarn" from Hobby Lobby. I used an H hook

•  I edged it with 1sc,ch4 along two edges, excluding the neck side.
• Then, 5hdc in each ch4 space, ch1 and repeated along the two edges.
• Lastly, I made a sc in each hdc and chain to finish it.

I like this slightly ruffled edging. This pic is a bit blurry, I think, however the daffodil colors are obvious, aren't they? Do you like to crochet?

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Wordless Wednesday ~ Play Ball!

(Use as many words as possible to keep the insurance company happy. Heads!)

Teaser Tuesday ~ The Cruelest Month

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/


From The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny: "The old poet got up and downed her Scotch."

I so enjoy this sentence structure, a sample of the witty writing of Louise Penny.

Saturday Snapshot ~~ Mesa, AZ

Polar Bear and Cubs

Public Art

Mesa, AZ

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"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Books W...W...W...

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading  Tender At The Bone by Ruth Reichl who has been writing about food since 1972. This non-fiction book is about her growing-up years among her mother and grandmothers who were terrible cooks!

I recently finished A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore which is featured here.

My next read will be The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny as part of the Inspector Gamache series that I am reading in orderly fashion. :)   Not for the reason below:

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting tale of historical mystery, questions, magical thinking, and a strong sense of place in the British country side. It did drag on a bit in detailing characters and places, however the basic plot line and story telling held this reader's interest enough to finish the book. The protagonist is an engaging young woman researching a background story to accompany some auction items. It is that assignment that leads down the path to her family relationships, her personal life, and the mysterious stories related to her research.

If you enjoy a bit of fantasy, a bit of fairy tale, and romantic tendencies, then you just might want to read this book.

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Western Mountains

My DH and I recently returned from our trip to Arizona in our motor home for Cactus League Spring Training. Here are some mountains we saw along the way:

The Rockies viewed from Colorado Springs,

mountains in New Mexico,

mountains in Arizona,

Rockies in Arizona!

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Knitting Espenson & Friday 56

 The Espenson adventure continues. ( See post below.) Since this is a side-to-side pattern, this picture shows the length of a sleeve. The stripes will be vertical.

 Some stitches are on a holder for the neck edge shaping.

 This view is how the fabric will lay when worn.

 Yarn details and the pattern are in the Wednesday post below.

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Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/

From Invisible by Lorena McCourtney:

"Again I saw that tiny facet of Kendra's personality that troubled me. It slipped through whenever the "friend" came up. Something sly and scheming and...not quite nice."

Still blooming into April! http://wonderwhyalpacafarm.blogspot.com/http://plumslife.blogspot.com/

Espenson Tunic WIP

 Knitting side-to-side with lovely Linsey yarn from Berroco is a delight! This yarn is a cotton/linen blend and does not split! I know!! I love it! This colorway is #6503 "Oak Bluffs". You can see the selection of colorways here in solids "as well as gently shifting multicolor shades". It is light weight and draping beautifully.

 What am I creating with this beautiful yarn? It is, or will be, the Espenson tunic knit side-to-side, in one piece with ONE SEAM!! Boxy? Yes. Comfy for summer? Absolutely!

 The free pattern and pix of the finished item are here. Lotsa mindless stockinette perfect for my mindless moments...er...hours. I hope I finish it to wear this summer! knit.  knit.  knit.

Click the buttons below to see more WIPs.  

www.gsheller.com/tag/yarn-along

On Her Trail ~ Teaser Tuesday

Click to learn more about Teaser Tuesday!

"Mom sat at the edge of the bed. 'He (Nixon) hasn't been drinking,' she said to Dad. 'But I'd feel better if he had been.' "   ---page 245 of    On Her Trail by John Dickerson



News woman, Nancy Dickerson, holding her son John, the author of this biography.

Holy Cannoli ~ Saturday Snapshot

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ It can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Sacred Pastry, Anyone?

Queen Creek Olive Oil Mill

Arizona

March, 2012

On Her Trail by John Dickerson

"Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or two*) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author." from
http://www.rosecityreader.com/search/label/Book%20Beginnings

"The first time I ever heard my mother sound nervous, she'd been dead for two years."

--from On Her Trail: my mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV news' first woman star by John Dickerson 

While I expected this book to be interesting, I was happily enticed by the delicious first sentence. My expectations climbed as the words teased me to speed my reading. Apart from the bio of his famous mother, John Dickerson writes with great good humor and intoxicating detail.

If you are at all interested in  biography, television news business, the early years of television broadcasting, the movers and shakers in DC, and/or wallowing in the words of an outstanding author, this just might be the book for you!

Kill Alex Cross

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Completely riveting story in which each character is relevant. Patterson's writing style is a joy.

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Teaser Tuesday ~ THAT SUMMER IN ISCHIA

From THAT SUMMER IN ISCHIA by Penny Feeny: 




"Depending on your state of mind the kitchen was either a cornucopia or a battleground: those tiny, whole birds plucked naked and rammed on to a skewer; gutted sardines spiced with bay leaves on pointed sticks of willow; glossy dark chicken livers piled in a sacrificial heap. Stirring their claws sluggishly in their box of ice. but doomed to be griddled alive, were several dozen langoustines. Liddy had never eaten a song-bird or a langoustine, but she didn't want to admit this to anyone else."