The Thread

When I finished the last page, I closed the book and said WOW. I had The Thread by Victoria Hislop in my basket to order for ages but kept thinking I would not like it. How mistaken I was. The fact that is was based in Greece made me leery. I was uncertain I would be able to feel any connection to the story. What I did not know was that this was two love stories wrapped up in one beautiful cover. 

Mitsos is in Greece visiting her grandparents. Katerina and Dimitri begin to tell him the stories of their lives. Their story begins with a great fire in 1917 that virtually destroys Thessaloniki. It is in the midst of this time that Dimitri is born. Five years later, Katerina is separated from her mother and baby sister while fleeing Asia Minor. These two major events alter both the children's lives so that they become linked. It is a tender love story against the backdrop of racial problems, complexity of class and even invasion and occupation during a world war. 

The second love story is one I had no idea about when I bought the book which pulled me so deeply into the story. It is the love of a woman and her needle and thread. This story speaks to me from the very core of who I am as a needlewoman. I loved the descriptions of Katerina's talent with her stitches. I found the special relationship she has with her neighbor Roza heartwarming. She loves to spend time with her stitching away as kindred spirits. The quilts in the story became real to me. I could see them as they were being described. 

I found this book well written with beautiful language of place, people and time. The descriptive passages brought me into the homes while the women worked on their clothes, rugs and embroidery. I could visit the haberdashery with Katerina, walk through the fabric warehouse with Konstantinos or experience the buzz of the busy Moreno tailoring workshop. For the history and romance, this is a wonderful read but, for any who enjoy needlework of any kind, it is a true treat that will leave you wanting to run and pick up your own needle and thread.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Bay of Secrets

I found Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley very intriguing. How would it feel to find everything you thought to be true was all a lie. How would it be to be left alone in the world not knowing your true past or knowing you were part of others being denied that knowledge. These two woman faced different dilemmas but found a common bond through their pasts.

** possible spoiler alert ** Two stories that end up entwining. Two stories of women who must be courageous to face the future which has been tainted with the past. One story takes place in Spain during the revolution. In the days of dictatorship, Franco creates a law that children are adopted from single mothers by wanting and deserving parents. The tragedy is how the adoptions talk place...a mother is either coerced into giving up her child or is told her child died during birth. The child is sold to a worthy couple with their name placed on the birth certificate and all documents destroyed of the biological mother. Sister Julia finds herself taking part in one of the many clinics practising this atrocity. But she decides to start secretly recording the names of the mothers and the adoptive parents. 

Ruby Rea has come back to Dorset to go through her family home after her parents die tragically in an accident. She finds a shoebox in her mother's closet that changes her entire life. Tom and Vivien had a secret that sends Ruby on a search for the truth about her birth and for a mother that she never knew. 

In Ruby's search, she meets Sister Julia. It is time for the truth to be told and Sister Julia sees that Ruby is the one to be her voice. 

Happy reading!
Heidi

204 Rosewood Lane

Another fun visit to the cove! When you get into this series, you want to move to the cove yourself. 204 Rosewood Lane is the house of Grace. She is coming to terms with Dan's disappearance and trying to get a new start in life. But while she is starting to feel something for Cliff, she is struggling to chase away the ghosts of the past. 

In the meantime, new additions are coming to the cove as Grace's daughter Maryellen and Olivia's daughter Justine are both pregnant. 

Life has its ups and downs and some families find it impossible to stay together while others are starting out or hanging on. I enjoyed my latest visit to the cove.....

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Snow Child

How difficult to write a review for The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey not because I did not like it but because I did. I would hate to take away any of the movement and anticipation of this novel for anyone else. I cannot tell you how often I put this book in my shopping basket and took it back out debating if it would be for me. I finally did buy it when it went on sale and have loved reading it.

Jack and Mabel lost their son at birth. They move to Alaska to start a new life. One that they dream will be for them together working and living off the land. In winter, a little girl appears on their land. One that looks remarkably like the little snow girl that had built together the day before. Neighbor and friend Ester worries that Mabel is suffering from cabin fever which can be common in the long winter months. But why then does this little girl who says her name is Faina seem so real?

This is as much as I can reveal about this book without possibly ruining the effect for you. Do you think you are too old for fairy tales? This enchanting story might change your mind.....

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is not only a book of historical fiction but of romantic love and love between a mother and their child. It is a story of how love can turn to tragedy and be healed again through that same love.

Tom is a WWI veteran who comes to the Australian town of Partageuse to take up his newly appointed position as lightkeeper on Janus Rock. The first person he meets upon arrival is a pretty young woman feeding the seagulls. Isabel is full of life and yet Tom loves his dear Izzy and asks her to marry him. This means a secluded life on the island where Tom guards the lighthouse. This duty is one that Tom takes very seriously. He is meticulous in his following of the rules of duty just as his flowing hand writing is as meticulous.

Izzy has had her third loss of a child. When a boat drifts on to Janus Rock, she thinks she is hearing the distant crying of her just buried son but a baby is found in the boat wrapped in a lady's cardigan laying alongside a dead man's body. Tom must do his duty and report the find in his log book immediately then signal for help. Izzy tends to the little helpless life of a distressed baby who is hungry. Her gift from God? At that instant a decision is made that will alter the lives of many people forever.

This book compels you to feel compassion in your heart to all those touched by a decision made whether right or wrong. It shows a face and heart behind all sides of a story. It shows you there is not only black and white to things but also grey where love resides. M.L. Stedman has given us a beautifully descriptive story of a beautiful landscape. A must read for 2013!

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club

Does Wanda E. Brunstetter write a bad book? I don't think so. My mother and I fell under the charm of her books when she brought out the Daughters of Lancaster County series.

This book was enormously fun. Now I have to admit that I had to put it in my Audible basket because of the title alone...The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club. It just had to be part of this year's books list for me as a quilter. I was not disappointed...well...maybe I was when the book ended and I had to leave the story.

Emma Yoder decides to advertise for a beginner's quilting class. She is a widow and doesn't want to be a burden on her family. Her class fills up with participants and she awaits to meet them. What shows up on her doorstep are an amusing group of people that don't really fit well together. Pam and Stuart are a married couple going through marriage problems who were advised to do things together, Paul is a widower raising a baby girl on his own after loosing his wife in a tragic accident and wanting to finish the quilt she started, Star is an aspiring singer/songwriter who grew up with a rocky relationship with her mother and no dad, Ruby Lee is a preacher's wife who is questioning her faith as her husband faces problems in his church community and Jan who is a Harley biker who wants to find his creative side.

It was fun to picture these colorful characters in my mind as the story developed. They got the name Half-Stitched as they all seemed to be going through their own emotional problems. It also fits as they piece together their very first patchwork wallhanging during the class.

If you like Amish or quilt fiction, this is a fun book and will keep you amused and wanting to read more.

Happy reading!
Heidi

At Home on Ladybug Farm

I picked this book up to read as I thought it would be fun while we were having a new and special wood floor put in our house. I was not disappointed. I loved the first book in this series called A Year on Ladybug Farm but this book was even better!

We are back on Ladybug Farm one year after the life changing decision was made to make this move. Cici, Bridget and Lindsay are still restoring the 100 year old house and farm. But this household is growing. Cici's daughter has left college and moved in. She wants to make a contribution to the farm and continue life there instead of going back to college. Lindsay has taken on fostering Noah who was camping out in the folly on the farm. He is now a part of the household and living in the house. Noah is not used to sticking around and family life. Throw in a pet deer, a flock of sheep with a possessed sheepdog and the hilarious housekeeper Ida Mae to make life on this farm always surprising and fun to read about.

This time we are able to glimpse into the story of the past on Blackwell Farm which was the original name of the farm. This past is becoming slowly visible during renovations. The discoveries are becoming better as they go along. And yes...I am being a little cryptic as I do not want to give anything away. If you love books about homes, history and family-village life, you will not be disappointed by this book. Be sure to read the first book before starting on this one though.

I am going to be ordering the third book now and am looking forward to my next visit to the farm!

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Wedding Dress

When I started listening to The Wedding Dress, I had to get over the phony southern accent used by the narrator. Eventually, the story started to become magical enough to make me forget the irritation of her accent.

Charlotte Malone owns a wedding boutique. She is famous for being able to always find the perfect wedding gown for her clients. But she herself is unable to find the right gown for her upcoming wedding to Tim.

Tim decides out of the blue that he only wants to remain friends and not get married after all.

At an auction, Charlotte buys an old chest which is welded shut. She takes what felt like a very long time in the book to open the chest but finally calls on Tim to help her get it open. What she finds inside is a vintage wedding dress that looks brand new. While looking into who the previous owner of the dress was, a story of three brides begins to unravel in front of her. A story that could lead to a major discovery in her own life.

This is one of those books that reflects a parallel story along with present day. We hear the story of Emily and her engagement to Phillip alongside the story of Charlotte buying the chest. You know the connection must be that the dress Charlotte will find in the crate will be Emily's as you read and wait for the story of the connection. But you are brought to meet Hillary as the owner of the wedding dress when Charlotte finally opens the welded chest. Rhe story takes a mysterious twist as we hear Hillary's love story and how she got the dress and how. This takes us to meet Mary Grace and her husband. A dress made back in 1912 becomes a special garment with a magical quality.....

Happy reading!
Heidi

Nell's Quilt

I just closed the cover on Nell's Quilt by Susan Terris. I am feeling very disturbed and not sure how to even start writing a review for this book. I bought this book thinking it would be about a young girl making a wedding quilt in 1899. I did not count on the dark and depressing story that would unfold in its pages. I know that eating disorders exist and it cannot be easy for the person experiencing them or their families but it was very unexpected that this is what the story is about.

I had no idea when I bought it as the book description is misleading once again. This happened to me once already this year in another book called The Fisherman's Quilt. What is sad to me is that the descriptions of Nell making her crazy quilt down to the stitches used were very good. The writing of things going on in the daily life of Amherst, Massachusetts in 1899 were also intriguing. But the dark nature of this book just left me asking what the author was thinking and why would she write it intended for the young girls she had as her target market?

As a quilter, I find it is leaving me with a dark cloud around me and I just want to put on an audio book to entertain me and quilt away these feelings of distaste from this book. Needless to say, I would not recommend it to anyone and would not want my child to read it.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Julia's Chocolates

"I left my wedding dress hanging in a tree somewhere in North Dakota."

This is the opening sentence to Cathy Lamb's novel Julia's Chocolates. I loved this sentence and sat back waiting for a new wonderful story to unfold in front of me. Had I know more details about this book I would not have bought it. It deals with female sexuality in a very open and naked way. So as I was reading the first third of the book, I was wondering if I would make it through it.

I am glad I pushed through my doubts as I just loved this story!

Julia is running away from Robert and his abusive behavior. She finally found the courage to walk away on her wedding day. She runs to her Aunt Lydia's farm. She arrives to be thrown into membership of the Psychic Nights. There she meets a few woman, Aunt Lydia's friends, of the small town of Golden, Oregon.

Lara is married to the local minister Jerry. He is kind and caring but Lara feels lost. She grew up a minister's daughter so should be made for the roll but finds she is hiding her true self.

Caroline is living a life on little means and is physic. She sees and hears cries of help from all over the world which is a heavy burden for her to carry.

Katie is a mother who is married to a drunk and abusive husband. She works hard running her own private cleaning business to care for her children. Yet her husband drinks their money away.

Aunt Lydia is an eccentric old lady. She has her own ideas and rules in life. She runs her farm with her pig and many chickens. She loves Julia with all her might and feels guilty for not having been able to take her away from her abusive mother when she was a child.

And Julia...who is very down on herself and trying to find her way to start a new life. She is recovering from spending her life being abused by her mother and fiancee. She has a gift for making chocolates. It helps her to make them to forget.

In the course of the story, Julia will discover she belongs in Golden and she has much to give others. I will not spoil the book for others by saying more as it is a book well worth picking up. This is a book that has you cheering for the women.

Happy reading!
Heidi

16 Lighthouse Road

Well my mother was right. I finally read the first of the Cedar Cove books and loved it. Debbie Macomber has created a memorable place full of heartwarming people.

16 Lighthouse Road is the home of Olivia Lockhart. She is a family court judge. When Cecilia and Ian Randall seek a divorce in her courtroom, she denies them the divorce feeling they have not tried hard enough to make their marriage work. Sitting in the courtroom is her mother Charlotte. A woman who's heart is in the right place and loves to share her opinion.

Justine is Olivia's daughter. She has a career and a boyFRIEND with the emphasis on friend. Jack is the local newspaper's editor. He enjoys a fun banter of a new friendship with Olivia but is looking for much more. Grace is Olivia's best friend. She is about to become a grandmother but in the midst of it all her 35 year old marriage seems to be over when her husband Dan disappears.

I am not going to go too much into details as I would  not want to spoil the book for others. It is a book for anyone who loves a series where you can be drawn in and feel like you are really in a small town watching the people there. I know this is now started as a series on Hallmark Channel. I do not get that here but knew that Andie MacDowell was set to play Olivia. What a perfect match with the character in the book. Who knows...maybe some channel in Holland or England will pick this series up...

Happy reading!
Heidi

A Tangled Summer

A Tangled Summer by Caroline Kington is a book that I saved for reading in the summer months. It is a fun book with humorous moments of the Tucker family just being themselves.

This books is set in the sleepy village of Summerstoke. Marsh Farm has been in the Tucker family for years. Gran (Elsie) set herself up creating a bedroom, kitchenette and sitting room in the attic when her husband suddenly passed away and allowed her son Jim to take over the farm along with his wife Jenny. But when Jim also suddenly passed away, the farm was left to the two grandsons, Charlie and Stephen. Both brothers seems to be at odds about how they want to run the farm. Charlie, a relic of a time gone by is also a schemer as well as a man of agriculture. Stephen who is the quieter brother is a dairy man.

The farm is running down. Elsie sees all that is not being cared for and with those worries combined with the wild oats seeming to be sewn by her granddaughter Alison, she decides she must act to challenge the family to put things to rights. The brothers must find a wife in a year of they will loose their inheritance. But Charlie is determined to save the failing farm in his own way While Stephen likes things the way they are. Ali is told she must go to university to become a vet.

This is a book that not only holds a humorous story line but also endearing characters. At one point in the book, Charlie is described in comparison to Pa Larkin  I loved watching the Darling Buds of May and could see the comparison. You could not help but love him by the end of the book. Stephen is the underdog and I love to root for the underdog. Thankfully my cheers were not in vein. Alison is coming of age. She comes across as a mixed up spoiled little girl but she has come of age by the time the family comes together for another meeting. Jenny is a mother that you just have to take to heart. She struggles with most things in life with the exception of knitting.

The villagers are there too. From Linda and Stan who run the pub to village post office and shop owner Rita to Jeff the local vet to The Merefield sisters and Nanny to Simon and his dog Duchess to Hugh and Veronica "just call me Vee" Lester to Paula and Lenny. With this cocktail of amusing characters, I felt I was reading book that could be easily turned into an itv film. A light fun and entertaining read that is just right for the heat wave we are experiencing right now in Holland.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Tea with Emma

I have been in a tea mood lately so decided to make myself a nice pot of hot Darjeeling tea and start reading Tea with Emmy by Diana Moody. This novella is part of a series of three. Each book stands apart. It was a nice read with a little Jane Austen thrown in. That can never be a bad thing.

Maddie and her friend Lanie have just returned from a trip to England where they visited Chawton and saw Jane Austen's cottage. While there they visited the tea rooms across the road from the cottage and Maddie got the idea to start a tea room of her own. She would bring Austen to Austin...Texas that is. On the plane, they seem to be annoying Scrooge who is sitting in front of them. Back home, Maddie discovers Scrooge's real name is Dr. Ian Grant and he is living in the guest house of the university which is across the street from her own home she shares with her grandmother.

Maddie decides that she wants to be a modern day Emma and do some matchmaking. But as with Emma in Jane Austen's time, it seems to go all terribly wrong.

A fun and quick romance that might have you running to make a cup of tea. I particularly enjoyed it as I dream of starting a tea garden myself. If only I lived out in the country.....

My only comment is the Christian theme to the book seemed forced and disconnected to the story.

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Day Job

The Day Job - Adventures of a Jobbing Gardener is a book written by Mark Wallington. A fun compilation of stories about the people Mark worked for while gardening as a means to earn some money in 1980. While Mark's dream is to become a comedy writer and he continues to submit scripts to the BBC, he is getting to know many of the people who are the face of North London. In writing about the various people he works for, you cannot help but feel he has grown to enjoy the faces of his day job.

You cannot help but find the people like Joan and Jamie, Annie Kendal, Mr. Nugent, Major Chesney and Kenneth likable and endearing.

Mark has to do battle with his competitors Powerflowers.

You watch the friendship develop with Helen while you hear about his flatmate Neil and neighbor Mandy or his co-comedy writer Dick.

In short this is a book about people and that is what makes the world go around.

Happy reading!Heidi

The Fisherman's Quilt

It is rare that I really lash out at a book but The Fisherman's Quilt by Margaret Doyle is awful! It is a shame that a tree was killed to print these pages. It might redeem itself by being thrown into our wood stove for a little warmth tonight.

I got as far as the third chapter and decided it was time to bury this book for good. For me, it is not often that I do not finish a book even if I am not enjoying it.

I am offended by the referrals of the publishers that this book will appeal to quilters. Even browsing through other chapters I had not yet read through, the quilting reference is very far sought. No quilters I know would enjoy only one reference to a thrown together quilt in the beginning and then moving on to a story of a whining and maladjusted drug using girl who makes a move to Alaska. Sorry but I know of no one among my quilting friends who would use or talk about casual buying, selling and using of cocaine as is done in these pages. On top of it all, I do not see the relevance to what the story seemed to want to develop into.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Death in the Cotswolds

The third book in the Cotswolds Mysteries by Rebecca Tope is Death in the Cotswolds. This book has a different twist as it is told by Ariadne who is DI Phil Hollis' Aunt Helen's neighbor.

Aunt Helen has passed away and Phil brings Thea to her cottage to sort through his  aunt's things while spending a week together along with their three dogs. In the little village of Cold Aston, life is quiet while a pagan group is planning Samhain (which are the origins of Halloween) celebrations. This group is frowned upon by the Freemasons who are very active and secretive.

Ariadne sells knitted items and is juggling this with her planning for the upcoming event. She discovers one is her knitters dead having been stabbed by a knitting needle while taking a walk on Notgrove Barrow which is the ancient place designated for the celebrations. Life is turned upside-down for Ariadne as she is interviewed by police as to her and her friends whereabouts during the crime.

In the middle of it all, she seems to be befriending Thea who is being left alone more often as Phil works on the case during his week's vacation time. Will she and Thea stumble into the killer among the villagers?

If you like cozy mysteries that have all the atmosphere on a small English village can bring, this is a series I can highly recommend. I am off to book four now...

Happy reading!
Heidi

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan was a book I kept debating about getting. When my blogging friend over at Cornish Cream recommended I read it, it went right into my Kindle in the form of the Audible version. Thank you so much Barbara for recommending I do get it as I enjoyed it so much that I will be listening to the following book very soon too.

Issy bakes! When she is made redundant from her job, she decides to just go for it and create a cupcake café. She has the perfect little shop in mind to house this new adventure. Her first hurdle is to get a rental agreement for the shop while another woman is also trying for it. She wins out and sets up an adorable little place. Her second hurdle is to get people through the door. In the course of time, she starts getting to know more and more people in the neighborhood. These are characters you will enjoy meeting as they come through her door. It almost makes you feel like you are sitting at a corner table enjoying people watching as you sip on a latte and nibble on one of the cupcakes.

This is a fun book that is full of endearing people. It is a book that makes you cheer in the end. It was a perfect companion to quilting or crocheting while I listened.

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Lantern

If you enjoy a good ghost story and a mystery with twists and turns while also enjoying sense of smell and atmosphere, then Deborah Lawrenson's The Lantern is a good for you. I had read a number of reviews online and was prepared to be disappointed with this book. I was not at all disappointed and was surprised now at the reviews.

This is Eve and Bénédicte's story...one set in the present while the other is set in the past. On the surface, it is a ghost story set in a beautiful old and rundown farmhouse set in the Provence. Eve lives today and senses not being alone in the farmhouse she buys with boyfriend Dom. But as she meets Sabine in the village, she begins to wonder if she really knows Dom at all. She knew he had a previous marriage but her suspicious about his ex-wife Rachel keep growing stronger.

In the meantime, we meet Bénédicte Lincel who is the younger daughter of the farmer who lived in the farmhouse. She is the sister of the blind and scent gifted Marthe who became a famous perfumer in Paris. But this family is tormented and that torment seems to have seeped into the very stones of the farmhouse.

The ending twists and I love this quote from the book:
" All of which goes to show how dangerous it is to assume connections where there are none, to link events that have no link, to want tidy story-telling when real life is not like that, to draw too much on the imagination when it is often misleading."

If you enjoy being caught up in the senses as well as intrigue, I would say give this book a try. I really enjoyed it and it kept my attention to the very end. It is a book that I feel could have been a true story. A great summer read that will take you to Provence, France without leaving the comfort of your chair.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Death Comes to Pemberly

I finally finished the audiobook Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. I had been so looking forward to this book that I think the disappointment was all the sharper for it. I just found the story tedious and drawn out. It took me a very long time to make it through the story. I found no one to pull the story forward among the characters as there was in Charles Maddox in the book Murder at Mansfield Park. Perhaps it was also having read that book that this Jane Austen themed mystery really fell short of the mark for me.

Darcy and Elizabeth are planning a ball at Pemberley. The arrival of a carriage carrying the hysterical sister Lydia crying that her husband has been killed sets the house in an uproar. Darcy sets off with Colonel FitzWilliam to search the woodland for Wickham which starts the wheels in motion to bring a killer to justice.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Tom's Midnight Garden

I saw Tom's Midnight Garden as a film on TV a couple of years ago. Well...actually I only got to see half of it as I started watching it too late. I was totally charmed and knew I had to get the book of the same name by Philippa Pearce. I have not been disappointed. This is a wonderful story which ranks up there with classics like Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden and others.



Tom is not happy as he has to go stay with Aunt Gwen and Uncle Alan in their apartment because his brother Peter has the measles. He knows there will be no place to play or others to play with.

One night the grandfather clock in the hall of the big old house now split up into apartments strikes 13 times. Tom investigates and finds himself traveling back in time. There he meets Hatty in her garden. A beautiful place that he plays in together with Hatty.

But this place is not there behind the house by day. Instead it is a small paved area with dustbins and a parked car. By night, he has adventures with Hatty but he does not seem to see at first that she is growing while he has only been away for a day. Tom convinces Hatty to leave him her skates under the floorboards and when he looks the next day...they are there. Surely Hatty and the garden are real! In the end, the secret of the garden is revealed as Tom is to return home to his family.



This is the most magical story. I wonder that I had never heard of it before chancing upon the film. It is full of the charms of the garden, house and villages described in its pages. It is filled with a touching friendship across time. This books is for children of all ages. I promise you will be also be filled with its charms when you read it.

Happy reading!
Heidi