Free Audiobooks - SYNC Week 7

Available  from June 26 – July 2





FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK by Matthew Quick, Narrated by Noah Galvin (Hachette Audio)

OCTOBER MOURNING: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman, Narrated by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Christina Traister (Brilliance Audio)

Thanks to SYNC for the use of all images.

Tangled Thursday - String 109

Elaine challenged us to use string 109 this week, which can be found at Tanglepatterns.com.  Unfortunately, life got in the way and I haven't finished mine.  I am hemming daugther's prom dress.  I figured it would take a couple hours and then I could get on to my tangles.  oops.  Little did i know that my sewing machine can't handle the sheer fabric of the skirt.  I was able to hem the satin layer, no problem.  But sheer was absolutely a no go.  It slipped all over the place, the feed dogs just couldn't seem to hold on to it.  eeks.  What to do.  I called my mom in a panic, after she calmed me down, we decided that a hand rolled hem was the way to go.  trouble is, there's 16 metres to hem.  **update - I just cut the extra from the top layer, and it is 13 metres itself, so 21 metres to hem.  It's a very full double layer of sheer over the satin kind of skirt.  It took eight hours to do one layer.  today the second layer. Thank goodness prom isn't till tomorrow.   After that, I'll continue with my version of string 109 and I'll be back and update my post.

Welcome to Tangled Thursday.  A few of my local and online friends have joined me in an occasional Zentangle challenge.  We'll take turns choosing a theme  and them post our drawings in about 2 weeks time.  All are welcome to join in the fun.  If you are new to Zentangles, then visit the website for a complete explanation and all sorts of online resources.  I'm also a big fan of TanglePatterns.com.



Mister Linky is waiting below for a link to your version of string 109 or your current Zentangle inspired post.

Needlework Tuesday - Maintaining my Focus

 All last week I worked diligently on my crazy quilt block.  First step was to complete all the embroidery.  This still left space for further embellishment.

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

Next was to add lace appliques.  I couldn't find small pieces, so I purchased a larger piece several inches cross and carefully snipped it apart.   I added these four pieces and then added some white shiny beads as accents.

Ribbon embroidery was up next.  I have dabbled in this many years ago and enjoyed that a few quick stitches resulted in a beautiful flower.  

French knots and detached chains made these cute little flowers.  If you look carefully, you can see the beads that I added to the middle of the lace motif.

i was quite surprised at how well the iris turned out.  They still look sort of like bunnies with droopy ears, but they make me smile.  Detached chain with a twisty droopy loop underneath and then stab stitch for the leaves.

Woven roses were lots of fun.  I practised on another piece first and made them a bit larger here.  I could have put them a wee bit closer together, though I did use leaves to fill in some of the extra space.  There is still a big gap that needs more flowers and a twisting vine, but first I have to hem daughter's prom dress.  Fortunately I have a rolled hem foot for one of my machines.  I'll be practising on the part i cut off before moving to the garment.  Of course, the lovely three inch swath I trimmed off the bottom has been set aside for a future project.  In fact, I have asked daughter's friends to send me the bits from the bottoms of their dresses so that i can make them some small wall hangings to remember their proms.  I'm thinking a small fan with stitches along the blades and then applique that to a pretty background.  Small enough they can pin it up in their dorm rooms in the fall.

Did you daughter have trimmings from her prom dress? What did you do with them?

Mr. Linky is waiting below for a link to your current needlework post.  Also leave a comment and I'll be sure to visit with you.

Khaki = Killer by Connie Corcoran Wilson

It's not easy being a teen, and sometimes it is downright dangerous.  Such is the case with Tad McGreevy and his friend Stevie Scranton.  During their ten years friendship, they have endured more than most people do in an entire lifetime.  Tad has what could be termed a super power, that allows him to see colour auras around a person indicating their personality (including that of murderers who appear as khaki) and has been pursued by the violent Pogo the Clown aka Michael Clay, while Stevie has been abused by several adults in his life including a lengthy period during which he was kidnapped and held captive.   Their friendship has endured all this, though it is about to be challenged yet again.

The students at SkyHigh in Cedar Falls have been dealt a cruel blow when popular cheerleader Melody Harris Carpenter falls from the top of a pyramid formation and lapses into a deep coma.  Shortly after ward, two more girls from the class go missing with no hints of there where abouts. 

Stevie really shows his mettle in this third instalment of The Color of Evil.  I've really grown to like and almost admire him.  He has shown that you don't have to be a victim all your life, you can find the strength and the power of good and become a better person than your circumstances might seem to suggest.  Way to go Stevie.  The assortment of both good people and bad people in this story reads true to life as any daily news can attest. It also reflects a realistic interaction between the teens and adults.  Tad and Stevie do their best to help find the missing girls, but they know when it is time to turn to the adults in their lives and involve them. Be sure to read Connie's comments at the end of the book where she talks about her inspirations for the various situations.

While reading, ensure that you pay attention to the chapter headings.  The story does skip around in time which tended to keep my off balance by not being able to predict what could happen next.  Great way to add to my suspense.

This book did have a different tone that the previous two in the series, The Color of Evil and Red is for Rage . I found those two more creepy and on edge, where this one was more of a story telling and getting on with life.  There was still the suspense of not knowing what would happen in the various situations that developed, but I didn't find myself turning on lights and flinching at every sound.    I would suggest that you not read this as a stand alone, but to start at the beginning of the series.  There are a lot of characters re-introduced in the opening chapters and you'll be missing their back stories if you start here.  And besides, you really do want to read The Color of Evil to learn just how loathsome Pogo the Clown really is.


** Red is for Rage will be available free on  Kindle June 26-30, 2014.
**Khaki = Killer will be available free on Kindle July 9 - 13, 2014.

For a chance to win an ebook of Khaki = Killer, visit the blog So Many Precious Books, So Little Time and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.  Open internationally.


The Color of Evil Series:

1. The Color of Evil
2. Red is for Rage
3. Khaki = Killer

Thanks to author Connie Corcoran Wilson and Virtual Author Book Tours for my review copy. 

Free Audiobooks - SYNC Week 6

Available June 19 - June 25, 2014.

I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter, Narrated by Renée Raudman (Brilliance Audio)

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M. Montgomery, Narrated by Colleen Winton (Post Hypnotic Press)

Thanks to SYNC for the use of all images.

1222 - Hanne Wilhelmsen #8 by Anne Holt translator Marlaine DeLargy

Retired police Inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is not an openly warm person who invites confidences.  When she is stranded at an isolated mountain resort due to a train derailment during the worst winter storm in Norway's history, all she wants is to be left alone.  The other 268 survivors just want to get warm and be rescued as soon as possible.  None of them had any suspicion that there was at least one murderer in their midst.   Hanne is quite content to leave the case alone for when the police can arrive, but is spurred to action when a second murder is discovered.

The story is set in a hotel in the remote area of Finse along the route from Oslo to Bergen at an elevation of 1222 metres.  The temperature is so cold and the storm so severe that no one can come in and no one can leave.  It might be a great place to commit a murder, but not to escape from.  Will rescue come before the murderer can strike again.

I liked the way that the Norwegians on the train seemed to take the whole situation in stride.  They just sat back and waited, with the exception of a few who were demanding of attention and intervention.  These people made for interesting events and possibilities.    Even though the majority of the story took place in the lobby/sitting area of the hotel, I never felt confined.  Hanne is such a large and commanding character than I never had the urge to leave her presence.  She seems a cool, indifferent person, but she is drawn to young Adrian and likewise, he is drawn to her.  I do hope that this unlikely relationship continues in a future book.

I totally enjoyed listening to this audio book  I feel that I learned  a bit about Norway, on the surface, stark and cold, but once you look below the surface, all sorts of richness, emotions and depths emerge.

This book was translated from the Norwegian to English by Marlaine Delargy.  She has included some familiar English terms, though they do not deter from the enjoyment or readability of the story,

I listened to the audio book as read by Kate Reading.  Blackstone Audio, unabridged 10 hours 39 minutes.  Ms. Reading brought Hanne to life for me.  I could feel the resignation in her voice, that she was making this trip only because she had to, and would have rather been anywhere but in a hotel in Finse.

While 1222 is the eighth book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone novel. 

Thanks to Blackstone Audio for use of the cover image.

Needlework Tuesday - One of my Quilting Goals for this Year

Back in January, I set three quilting goals for myself: become comfortable doing blocks with set in seams, embrace machine quilting and take it to the next level, and learn crazy quilting.  Today I am sharing my progress on the third goal, crazy quilting.

 

I have been doing an online class with Kathy Shaw.  She has designed a wonderful class that cover all beginner aspects of crazy quilts and if I had actually read all the words instead of just skimming and looking at the diagrams, I would have avoided several errors.  All participants are making the exact same design, including block and embroidery, though we picked our own fabrics and colours.  I am about half way through the embroidery and then have the silk ribbon embroidery and a several other accents to consider. 

Needlework Tuesday is a regular weekly post where I share the progress of my various needlework projects over the past week. I enjoy the encouragement that I receive from my readers and in return visit their blogs and cheer them on with theirs. You are welcome to grab the cute little mouse and create your own Needlework Tuesday post. Leave a comment with a link and I'll be sure to visit with you.

Following are close ups of some of the embroidery and beading.

I've been working at my sewing table and it's a good thing as I have been stitching with my supplies spread out.  This way I have access to additional threads should I need a change.  My boxes of beads are closed and moved slightly away from the edge of the table (don't want them to become vacuum fodder). The supplies shown in the bottom left corner and those currently in use.

I included this photo as i wanted to show how I actually work.  Generally, I am not a kit person, I gather far more supplies than I will need and then par it down as I go.  I am pretty sure by this point that I have narrowed down the colours of floss I'll use, but never say never to adding a new one if needed.  An the huge spool of pink rayon embroidery thread, that's from another project and it just didn't get put away.

Best thing I did was to purchase some new packages of needles. This way I know that I am using the proper type for embroidery .  The eyes are big enough to thread but not so large they are hard to pull through the fabric.  It always helps to have the proper supplies at the start.

I am curious whether you do embroidery or crazy quilting?  Do you have a favourite product you always come back to or a book that you can't work without.  Please leave a comment below and if you have a blog post about this, enter it with Mister Linky.   I look forward to visiting with you.