Catherine Wheels and Book Reviews

It seems appropriate that THIS week being 4th July- a big fireworks festival here in the USA- I am making something with the same name as a firework :)

This blanket, which is crocheted, is made in the Catherine Wheel or Bavarian Crochet pattern.

The only problem is here that the camera and computer screen conspire to distort the colour of this blanket- which I am attempting to make look like this one here.  I loved the rainbow of colours, and the fact that this uses up stash yarn so quickly.  In fact, I actually had to buy three balls of yarn to make my rainbow- 1 because I did not have the colour and 2 because I actually RAN OUT of colour!
This is already the size of a decent lap blanket, but since my husband has declared he likes the blanket, it shall be for him- which means full size!

As for the book- it is the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel from Charlaine Harris.  I have been reading these books for years now- about 9 in fact!  I discovered them when they were still in the mystery genre, and have thoroughly enjoyed them ever since.
That being said, I have a few books I have read this summer I *did* want to mention (in case you are still looking for something to read!).

You saw the other day when I mentioned the Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri.  I loved this read.  It is slightly paranormal... but not quite in the paranormal genre.  If you like Sarah Addison Allen, you'll enjoy this book too.
When Nora's husband is caught cheating on her, she moves herself and their two girls to the town of her birth, on a small island in Maine.  Here she tries to come to terms with her marriage and decide its future, and at the same time she is trying to find out a little more about her mother, whose mysterious death precipitated her father removing her from the island at a very young age.  With a mysterious fisherman who is washed up by a storm, an aunt who is hiding something and locals of all flavours, it is up to Nora to make some very hard decisions.

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  This is the continuation of a series- the Alpha and the Omega.  It is a paranormal series I enjoy, and in fact the author has a second series (Mercy Thompson) set in the same world.  If you enjoy paranormal/Urban fantasy series, you'll enjoy this one.  When Charles, who is acting as the enforcer for the Marrock, starts acting oddly, he is sent to Boston with wife Anna to take his mind off of things.  There, they must uncover a serial killer, who appears to have targeted Werewolves.  When Charles' guilt starts affecting his relationship with Anna, they must find a way to fix it, because her life might depend on it.

The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis.  This is the first in a detective series starring Detective Wesley Peterson.  This series features a detective whose hobby is archaeology.  It is set in South-Western England, and is rather enjoyable.  Wesley has just moved to town when a local archaeological dig unearths a skeleton, and a young lady is discovered dead on the cliffs.  As he investigates, the parallels between the two cases strike a chord, and one might hold the answer to the other.

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens.  This is the second in the Graveyard Queen series, which is about Amelia Grey, graveyard restorer, who can see ghosts.  This series sticks the paranormal stuff firmly in the evil column, and is more in the nature of mystery/thriller type reading.  If you get spooked reading, you might want to avoid it, but I love the series.
Amelia has left Charleston for a job in a remote town in North Carolina.  When she arrives, the town seems to be full of ghosts, and not just the literal ones.  As Amelia gets into the restoration of the small town cemetary, she starts to uncover the town's secrets... and the secrets of her own, personal history.  As she does, her life becomes threatened by some unknown danger.

Juliet by Anne Fortier.  What if Juliet of Romeo and Juliet really existed?  And what if she were a twin and what if there were descendants?  This story (which is fiction) is based off of the tale made famous by Shakespeare.  It switches between the modern story of Julie Jacobs and that of the original Romeo and Juliet.  Julie's Aunt Rose just died, leaving behind instructions on how to find out her mysterious past in Italy.  When Julie gets there, she doesn't find what she expects to find, but is also thrust into danger because of the things her mother hid, things that prove the story of Romeo and Juliet was real, and involving the curse that has affected the families involved ever since.

These are not all the books I have read recently- just the ones I really liked and wanted to recommend ;)  Happy reading!

Yarning along with Ginny.