Friday, January 29, 2016

It's You by Jane Porter

It's You
336 pages, paperback
Published June 2015, Berkeley

Source: Netgalley

After the suicide of her fiancé, Ali leaves New Mexico for a long visit with her father in Napa. In the three weeks she is there she makes new friends and learns about the amazing life of one of her father's neighbors in the retirement community he lives in. 

Edie's story, of her life in Germany during WWII and her love for a German who lost his life with the resistance that attempted to assassinate Hitler, intrigues Ali despite Edie's frosty personality. Her losses somehow resonate with Ali. So much so, that she decides to travel to Berlin to see the places where Edie lived and loved.

It took me awhile to understand how these two stories worked together. They seemed very different. But near the end, Ali and Edie discuss how the loss of a loved one doesn't mean you stop living. There can be love again with another. In this case, perhaps Edie's nephew?

A good read, for the most part. I may have skimmed over Ali's week in Berlin. It read more like a travel book and not much happens until the very last day she is there. 



Happy Reading!
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Thursday, January 28, 2016

I need something to knit

I have not knit one thing since before Christmas. I packed up my knitting into a bin before having guests over through the holidays and I have yet to pull it back out. I am not lacking in supplies. I have plenty of yarn- just need a pattern. Something that calls to me and needs to be made. Any ideas?

A portable and quick project would be best. No blankets. No Sweaters. 

Socks? Hat? Some fingerless mitts?

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Books Read in 2015

Happy New Year!
I know, I am very late with this. But better late than never, right?
Here are the books I read in 2015.



January

1. Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel*
2. The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister*
3. My Father's Wives by Mike Greenberg*
4. The Secret History by Donna Tartt <

February

5. Inferno by Dan Brown
6. The Winter Boy by Sally Weiner Grotta*

March

7. Seed by Lisa Heathfield*
8. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
9. Roboapocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson~
10. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore*
11. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
12. The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose*

April

13. The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
14. Threshold by G.M. Ford*

May

15. To Catch a Falling Star by Anna Belfrage*
16. Imaginary Things by Andrea Lochen*

June

17. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
18. The Appetites of Girls by Pamela Moses*
19. Misery by Stephen King

July

20. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett <
21. The Stranger by Camilla Lackberg
22. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid*
23. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
24. Doctor Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides

August

September

25. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson <

October

26. The Quick by Lauren Owen=
27. Salem's Lot by Stephen King
28. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
29. The Taco Cleanse by Wes Allison, Stephanie Bogdanich, Molly P. Frisinger, Jessica Morris *
30. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

November

31. The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg=
32. The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley*
33. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
34. Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
35. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks <

December

36. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
37. Curio by Evangeline Denmark*



______________________

* ARC/NetGalley
^ LT Early Reviewers Program
# GoodReads First Reads Program
~ Giveaway Win
+ publisher/author sent for review (not ARC)
= Mooched/Borrowed
   Purchased
< Read For Book Group
Happy Reading!
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Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Very well presented description of events leading up to the hikers' disappearance, the initial search and investigation into their deaths and the author's own investigation. This story was intriguing and the author's conclusion about what happened is believable. This story was amazing and seemed straight out of an X Files episode. 

As usual, I am always amazed at people who find trekking into the mountains in treacherous conditions fun. It is not something I would want to do. I just don't understand the appeal.

Really enjoyed this and can't wait for book group to discuss. 






Happy Reading!
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Friday, January 8, 2016

First race of 2016

15k this Sunday. Going on a long walk through Golden Gate Park with a friend. We have no time goals, just getting out there and seeing how far we make it. Will probably do some run/walk intervals. 

What are you all doing this weekend?