Book Review - Sonoma Rose

First let me say that reading is a true passion with me.   As a young child, I wanted to read.  My mother read lots of things.  My older sister started school and soon she was reading too.  I felt left out. I saw the joy they got from books.  I did have one book of my very own.  I could "read" it too.  You see, I had memorized every word.  "Little boy blue, come blow your horn...."  It was a book of nursery rhymes with wonderful illustrations. 
Fast forward a few years. (okay, okay!  more than a few!) 
Two or three weeks ago, I got an email asking if I would like to review a book. Ha!  Yes please! 


I was sent a pre-release copy of  Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini.  

The first night I started reading it, I had very little time to read.  I only read the first sixteen pages before I had to do something else. It was tough to put the book down; you see, I was already hooked.  This book is a great read. The characters quickly came to life and I was totally involved in the story of Rosa Diaz Barclay.  Rosa is in a terrible marriage. Rosa has borne eight children.   Two of her children are ill with a devastating illness that has already claimed the lives of four other children.  The other two children are robust and healthy. 
This story takes place in California during the days of Prohibition.  As California is known for the wine country in Sonoma valley, prohibition meant the loss of livelihood for many families.  Ms. Chiaverini manages to weave a story that will keep you spellbound as you learn about that history.   For me, the aspect of the children's illness was another interesting part of the story. 
Although Jennifer Chiaverini is known for stories that involve quilts, the quilts play only a small supporting role in this book. 
This book has characters that are well developed and complex. The story is rich and satisfying like a good meal.   You will close this book with a smile and a sigh.  


I highly recommend this book.  It was a delight. 

Finish Almost Any Quilt - Book Review

As promised, here is the review of Finish Almost Any Quilt  by Marguerita McManus. 

So many readers have asked "How do you join your quilt as you go projects?"  Since the method I use was taken from a copyrighted work,  I  contacted the author to ask about sharing it.  We both agreed that it wasn't a good idea to try to squeeze it in a blog post.  However, after looking at some of my work and some of others who adapted her method, she realized that another book would be great.
Marguerite kindly sent a copy of this book as a gift to me.  She said that I actually helped to inspire the book. (Wow, that made my day.)
I have throughly devoured this book.  I looked at how the information is presented.  I looked at the pictures (I love pictures!)  I enjoyed it. And the best part - I learned even more and got ideas!
Before I get going, I have to say that this book is not for everyone.  Here is some text (used with permission) from the Amazon description:


This book is meant for people who want to make and finish a LOT of quilts and who are not fussy about "perfection". If you want to spend a year making a perfect quilt, this book is NOT for you. 
If you are a brand new quilt maker who has been intimidated by the idea of trying to quilt a huge quilt, I hope that you'll read this book with inspiration and then find a block that you like and make your own quilt, your way, and finish it with me. 

You will be surprised at how quickly you will have a finished quilt on your bed! If you are an intermediate quilt maker who is tired of struggling to machine quilt your own quilts on your home sewing machine, I hope you'll find inspiration in my machine quilting techniques. You'll see how easy it is to put together a finished quilt using the methods in this book. 

If you are an experienced quilt maker, let's turn "I need to finish these quilts" into "I can finish my quilts this way! I like this look and I'm sure I can do it!" 

If you've vowed "No new projects until I finish something," let's finish your quilts together in a whole new way, quickly and easily. 

You loved your quilt projects when you started them, now let's pull them out and fall in love with them again and finish them in lots of new ways! 

If you are a perfectionist, this is not the book for you - I break a lot of "traditional" rules and you may not like it. 

If you want to make award winning, blue ribbon quilts, this is definitely not the book for you because I don't follow traditional rules. If you want to finish lots of quilts easily, I wrote this book just for you! 

If you: 

• love playing with blocks 
• want to finish your quilts yourself 
• like change and adaptations 
• are open to new ideas 

------------then this is the book for you! 


Now, on to my review.
In this book, many topics are covered.
Planning discusses options for finishing up completed tops (you may have to do some un-sewing!) But it also explains choosing patterns that work well for this method.  She very honestly states that some patterns just won't work for this.  But so many do work for it. Even if some require a little tweaking.

This Chinese Coins quilt (sorry about the lighting problem) 

is one that I made using the method.  It really didn't require any tweaking.  

Other things are settings and there is even a section on tee shirt quilts. (I wish I had that when a friend was having difficulty making one - the tips are excellent!)  Of course the actual construction method is in the book. There is a nice section on "how to quilt" that includes some basic free motion quilting.

Have you ever made a quilt and realized it was a little bit too short or maybe not wide enough?  How about just adding some borders right before  you bind it?  Yes that is in this book too.  I have done this and it works great! Don't believe me?  That Chinese coins quilt has added borders.

Another nice section talks about binding.  This method is "all machine binding" which I use a lot.  But you can still finish the binding on these the traditional way if you wish.  I did that on one quilt I made this way.

If you are looking for a way to quilt larger quilts yourself on a small domestic machine, This just may be the book for you.  I am giving it my  golden thimble rating. (And that is my best rating! Just so  you know.)  I wish that I had found this book when I first started quilting.

Should I have a giveaway for a copy of this book?  What do you think?  (comments will certainly influence me to do it; so speak up.)

Guest Post with Clare O'Donohue -and Book Giveaway

I have recently read and reviewed "The Devil's Puzzle" by Clare O'Donohue.  It was a great murder mystery set around quilters and a quilt shop.  As an avid reader, I love finding out about the author. So when I was given the opportunity to have a guest post by the author, I was thrilled.  Rather than do an interview, I asked that she write about herself and why she writes.  Being of Irish descent also, I asked that perhaps she include a bit about her Irish heritage.   
Okay, I will quit rambling (I can't help it, this is so exciting to me!) Here is the post from the lovely and talented Clare O'Donohue.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I grew up in a house filled with words. My mother, an English teacher, used to recite poetry to us at the breakfast table. My dad told funny stories that he made up on the spot. At the holidays, we were all required to entertain with stories, jokes and songs. My sister Mary and I still do a rendition of “Sisters, Sisters” from the movie, White Christmas, at our holiday celebration. And it rocks.
My parents are Irish, raised on farms on the west coast of that beautiful country. Music is a mainstay of the place, but so also is the craic, an Irish term that translates loosely as fun and good conversation. The ability to tell a good story is a cultural imperative.

I suppose that may be why I was so drawn to words and stories. It’s part of my DNA. We grew up with lots of books in our house, though few were aimed at children. We had Steinbeck, Hemingway, Twain and Dickens as our reading material. We were encouraged (aka forced) to learn the works of poets like Keats, Yeats, and of course, Shakespeare. My brothers, sister and I can quote our favorite speeches from Shakespeare plays, and occasionally still recite them at family dinners to entertain Mom. Mine, by the way, is Henry V’s, “Upon the King,” speech in Act 4, Scene 1. It’s a great piece of writing.

Words have power. They entertain, they incite, they inspire. I realized early on that, even though I was the youngest member of the household, if I could tell a good story, I could command attention. So, from five years old, I did. I changed the endings of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (ugly stepsisters and mean witches repented in my stories). I told my sister about the lives of the kind monsters who lived under our beds, who protected us from the mean monsters who lived in the closet. I entertained myself on car trips by making up tales about the people we saw when we stopped at red lights. Later, I wrote my stories down, writing my first short novel when I was 15. Stories became my way to explain myself, and the world around me.

When I hang out with family, both in the U.S. and in Ireland, a good craic is always the evening’s entertainment. We tell stories and jokes. My brother, Jack, usually spins an elaborate yarn that has us all believing a nearly unbelievable story, until he bursts out laughing, and we know we’ve been had.

For my parents, there was magic in a well told tale and a beautifully written story. And, clearly, all four of their children took that lesson to heart. Both my brothers, Dennis and Jack, have published essays and articles. My sister, Mary, has an award winning parenting book out. I’ve got my novels. And my mom still recites poetry at the breakfast table, usually breaking into tears at the sadness it, reminding us all about the power and beauty of words.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you enjoyed this bit of insight into the author. 
If you would like to win a copy of the book "The Devil's Puzzle"  please be a follower of my blog (not required, but highly suggested) and leave a comment on your favorite mystery series.  (I would love it if you mention the author's name also.)
And for a second chance, blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave another comment with a link to the blog post. I will be checking.

*** Edit***

The eligibility period for this will run until  midnight central time on Tuesday October 18.  All comments must be made prior to that time to be entered.  The drawing will happen on Wednesday (as time permits) and the winner will be notified. After hearing back from the winner, I will announce the  winner.******


I will probably not reply to comments as giveaways usually draw a large number of comments. However, know that I read every comment that is posted.
And if you can't wait to win, or if you want to read the first three books in this series; check your local bookseller or Amazon.com
Happy reading,

Second Post Today

I want to step out of the usual mode and tell you of one of my all time favorite books. As a child, I discovered a wonderful series of books that led me on a journey beyond the stars. The series is called "The Time Quartet" with the first book being "A Wrinkle in Time" Somehow this author, Madeleine L'Engle knew me. She understood the parts of me that even my parents didn't quite get. I grew up reading her fantasy fiction.
The first hardcover book I purchased was the fourth book in The Time Quartet, Many Waters. I am very happy that I have a near pristine first edition.

However, later, as an adult, I discovered that she also wrote non-fiction. This link will take you to Amazon -if you care to delve deeper. The book is about art and faith. From it I learned more about myself. I once wrote to the author and received a lovely letter in return from one of her nieces. Sadly, (or perhaps not) Madeleine left this worldly existence in September of 2007. I consider her a saint. Today is All Saints Day and I choose to honor her memory on this day.

Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (

For those of you with different beliefs, I beg your pardon for the interruption, I will return to my normal mode in the next paragraph!



Fabricartist21
is having a giveaway and promoting her Etsy Store Go and look at some of the adorable items she has. You are sure to find something you love!