Summer Reading by an Eclectic Book Lover & Stash Shopping

Summer Reading

Tender Wishes by JoAnne Cassity – this quick read was a charming romance.  Very enjoyable summer read.   I’m not a big romance reader but I’d gladly grab another by this author.

The Miser by Lesley Egan – an interesting mystery written in 1981 by a prolific mystery writer.  This is the first novel I have read by this author.  It had a vintage feel to it because I believe it was set back in the 1960’s or the late 1950’s in California.   I am an east coast girl and that era was before my time so I did learn quite a bite.

A Certain Smile by Judith Michael – A complicated romance with characters who have depth and strong story lines.   The rich history of China was wonderful and captivating.

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver – This is a suspense novel set in California.  It is part of the Katryn Dance series with the main character a modern day Charles Manson.  It was a page turner but I generally do not care for cult themed novels.

By Adriana Trigiani:  Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler & Milk Glass Moon  - I just loved all the books in this series.  I read Home to Big Stone Gap a while ago and just had to read her other books.  They are fun, heartwarming, charming stories.  Lots of quirky sassy oddball characters that made me laugh.  My only complaint is that there are not more written in this series.

Serpent’s Tooth by Faye Kellerman is one of her Peter Decker/ Rina Lazarus novels.  It a good thriller.

While my Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark written in 1989.  I am not someone who re-reads but I do love this author so I am pretty sure I had read it.    I could not recall the story so I guess I am getting old.  It is a good story and I enjoyed it.     

Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey.  This is a romance with a predictable formula but its a quick light read .     

The Brides of Christmas by Jo Beverley, Margaret Moore & Deborah Simmons.  This paper back is made up of three medieval romance tales.  Lite summer reading that is pretty predictable but also enjoyable.                                                                                         

What are you reading now?  I’d love to know.  I just finished a book by Pulitzer Prize winning author; Geraldine Brooks called People of the Book.  I totally love this one.  It is about restoring an ancient Jewish book and how it survived through troubled times.  It was fascinating and not at all what I expected.  It had ots of twists and turns which kept me entertained .

Stash Shopping & Health Issues

I have been going through a bunch of major health issues starting in March.  I do not want to bore people with the details but was being treated for a problem and then had a bad reaction to the pills I was given.  The pills caused blood clots to form in my lungs.   I was very lucky that I was proactive because many people ignore the symptoms I had until complications arise and by then it’s too late.  I landed in the hospital for 3 weeks and I was out of medical leave for a few months.  I feel much better and I went through a bunch of testing for a few other things they found.  Anyway I had 3 different parts of my body biopsied t so I decided I needed to do some serious stash shopping.   I bought a bunch of books I have wanted for a while from Amazon.  It felt like Christmas with packages arriving almost every day the week I awaited the results.  It was a wonderful distraction and thankfully all the tests came back negative.  Most of the books are by French Designers.  In one book, Stitch Graffiti I discovered that a friend of mine one of the model stitchers, congrats Berly.  Here is the list of books I bought in case you too need a stash enhancement.

1. Sweet Stitches from the Heart

2. Made in France: Cross-stitch and Embroidery in Red, White and Blue

3. Made in France: Cross-Stitch

4. Rainbow Stitches Embroidery

5. Stitch- Graffiti by Heather Holland 

Thanks for reading and please leave me a comment if you have the time, I love reading them.

Mare