Nov 1 books read

Morehouse Farm Critter Knits: 20 Easy Patterns & Designs for Animal Scarves, Hats & Mittens by Margrit Lohrer

I have seen paid for patterns for some of these and plan to make one for my grandson this winter.
The patterns are fun, colorful and so easy. Caterpiller scarf for him.
Lobster mittens and lobster tail scarf are my favorites.  Surprise at the end is an excerpt of the next version of this book.
Each and every pattern has a color photo of the item knitted along with the full pattern. What a treat!
There are directions on how to join their newsletter and where to find their yarns.

Saving Each Other by Victoria Jackson and Ali Guthy
This book is about a girl in her teens that develops a mystery illness.
Interesting how the book works. Parts of it are told by the daughter and some from the mother's side, as they are going through each day. You get a really good idea of what's going on.
I also have a rare eye illness and have been to the best and I have just learned to live with what I have left.
Lot of doctor terminology and it's up to them as to what treatments they do try. They do end up traveling to a lot of different big cities to follow the doctors around that know of the disease and how to treat it.
Everybody is different and they pray on the 2% that will survive.
At times it's difficult for me to read as I recall many of the same experiences of my illness.
Love how they use their resources to come up with help for them and others with the same disease. My friends and I started a local support group for lyme disease and we did attempt to get grants to help educate everybody so I know how hard the task is.
Praying helps get them through it all and some swearing...

Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi
This is the first book of a new series about Liberty, Ohio.
This one starts out in the present day but goes back in time to the Civil War and how blacks were taken out of the south via the Underground Railroad system to start new life's in the north.
This is about Birdie and her family over the centuries of time. She is a thief-it's all she knows how to do thanks to her mother. Her father is in jail for a car theft and she travels to Liberty, OH to find the treasure.
She reads a book about being a lady, the etiquette and manners. We find her in a restaurant where she's just gotten a job waitressing and will be living in the apartment upstairs. She will have to share it with Hugh, a newspaper reporter.
They tend to get along ok at times not so well. She finds the clues she was looking for in her search for the rubies. She talks to many in town and finds more. Problem is Hugh's friend at the paper is onto a story about Birde's parents and how they stole the money in the investment firm.
This is also the story of many others paths that she crosses and they all have a bearing in the story. Took me quite some time to actually get into this story and I'm so glad I stuck it out as it is an adventure, some travel, and some romance.
Especially like the ending and how everything fits into place.
There is an excerpt from the next book in the series, at the end.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Autumn Escapes in the Pacific Northwest By Lauren Braden
Very informative book on places to visit, what to do and where to eat and sleep.
Found we had traveled to many of the places mentioned but we didn't go in the fall. usually we are in the area in Mar-April
and the book does say to stop any time of the year. This book focuses on events and the fall harvest. Lots of good ideas for our future trips.

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap by Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell and Kimberly Kincaid
Wanted to read this book because it's 3 books in one and it's all on the same theme-Christmas sugar cookies. I love to bake and experiment.  Recipes included.
.
Where There's Smoke by Donna Kauffman
Clara Parker has a job to do for the paper, cookie recipes and a column up til Christmas.
Her friends Lily and Abby would help but they are busy with their jobs as well.
She buys a new cookbook and runs into her old college friend, fireman now, Will. Next day he checks in on her to discover her house on fire.
He saves her from trying out a recipe from her new book. She is now a guest at his cabin and together they learn about one another again and treasure what they've found.
She agrees to have Christmas with him and she does trust him. Hot steamy sex scenes.
.
The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell
This portion of the saga is about Abby Denton and she is a baker and sells her atomically correct gingerbread men online.
Lauder is on her coach - she had saved him after the car accident where earlier he came to the town's center for their annual cookie swap and purchased the gingerbread men.
All he can recall is a peppermint stick penis! The blizzard will keep them snowed in for days and she knows how to use the cabin fireplace for cooking. He's concerned because of all the handicap equipment in the bathroom...
He's got bruised muscles in his chest from her dragging him up the hill and she's hurt her big toe. As they decorate the tree they find out a lot more about one another and remember their holidays of the past.
Bubble and glass blown ornaments are my favorites. never knew of the Austrian tinsel. Games of naked scramble and hot steamy sex...
She gave him a box of candy out of the dozen that was meant for her grandmother as a Christmas gift when he left. He remembered her wish and we wait to see if it will come true this year.
Such imaginations when it comes to decorating the cookies!
.
Sugar and Spice by Kimberly Kincaid
This part of the book is about Lily Callahan and she's a professional baker with a very small apartment to bake in.  Clara is there to help her and she learns of the $10k cookie contest. That would be enough for her to have a real business.
Peter Mancuso is the one who had dumped Clara but he didn't see it as such, just a different business side to their lifes. They are both competing in the cookie contest and there is a twist to the rules. They are paired and will be working through the first phase of eliminations.
They pretty much wing the recipe...the resort has the numbers in from the viewing audience and their segment was a lot higher than others and make a deal to keep them in the competition, maybe a kiss here and there on camera to boost the charity donations...
.
Especially liked how the very beginning is-the three woman and the book has each of their stories and the ending is them all together again and especially loved the recipes!
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review

Wild Fruits Thoreau's Rediscovered Last Manuscript
1850's This lost manuscript is mostly about Thoreau and his time studying the plants he lives near.
Everything from when they first come out in the spring, the crop they produce and the taste and the history of the plant itself and how it was used in the past.
Wish I had the actual book as it might come with pictures of the actual plants that I could then identify here locally but this is a book on tape.

Playtime with Monster (A Gorgeous Illustrated Children's Picture Book about a Cookie Eating Monster) by Michael Yu
Illustrated very colorful children's book about a little boy and going to bed.
Eric hated to get ready for bed, brushing his teeth, washing up, etc. His mom came up with a story about a monster that she told him.
He gets ready really quick and they head to the kitchen to get a plate of cookies for the monster. Then she tells him to say a simple rhyme and the monster may come out to play with him.
He is so surprised when he gets a horsey ride around his bedroom then he's put to bed.
This continues for many nights til the mother doesn't have any cookies, all she has is apples...will the monster come to play???
Excerpts from the author's other works are shown at the back of the story.