Read any good books lately? What are you reading now? These questions always starts a great discussion at our Wednesday quilting group. Many of us have several books going at the same time….one book on our iPad or a “real” book and one we are listening to on audio books.
Five of us belong to the same book club (which will celebrate 20 years of reading together this August!), so we always have a “pre-discussion” before we meet on Monday afternoon. This month we are reading the “big read” selection. Over and over I have said the best part of belonging to a book club is that it forces me to read books I wouldn’t selected on my own. I am duty bound to finish that months’ selection. So, I struggled past the first two or three chapters of this book and discovered I really like it!! After our discussions about it during quilting, quilters in our group will be reading it, just to see what we were talking about!
Audio books are a boom to quilters! I can listen and sew at the same time! What a wonderful use of my time. Before we could download titles to our phones or iPads and we listened to books on discs or on tapes borrowed from the Library, I had been known to get dressed, brush my teeth and hair and drive to the Library to find something to listen to before I start quilting! I just couldn’t be productive without a “story” to occupy my mind. Now I can scroll through Libby or CL and find an audio book even after library closing hours! I keep a list of the books I have read each year and so far this year 50% have been audio books.
Members of our quilting group know each other’s favorite genres and will recommend books to each other, share very popular books–(i.e.long waiting lists at the library), and introduce new authors.
Before I share our latest completed “quilting” projects, here are a list of books I have enjoyed lately–
Audio:
I think I have listened to the entire Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths except the latest–easy to follow, learn about a different part of England and interesting characters. Ann Cleeves books were impetus for two of my favorite TV series–Shetland and Vera. Charles Todds‘ Ian Rutledge books have helped me understand the long term suffering from WWI as well be being great mysteries. Loved Richard Osman’s Thursday Morning Murder Club series. Do you see a theme here?–mysteries. But, I would certainly recommend One Hundred Saturdays; it is non-fiction and fascinating. I have read so many WWII novels and non-fiction books–but nothing about the Jewish experience on Rhodes.
Non-Audio:
I read a lot of predictable books..I know how they will end…sometimes you need comfort food. But these books did not fall into that category. I was in awe of the research that went into The Mosquito Bowl–plus the terrible cost of WWII. The Fatherland was also non-fiction and explored the idea that every story has two or more truths. Hello Beautiful and All the Broken Places were certainly not predictable. Maybe happy endings, but not fairy story endings.
These are not all the books I have read so far in 2024 but ones I would certainly recommend. And every sewing project I complete has a book attached to it in my memory. So what would you recommend? I am open to new authors and books!
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Elaine finished this contemporary non-gender baby quilt that would make a great baby gift–maybe paired with a book about polar bears.
The quilt measures 38″ x 38″ and is $50.
My favorite colors–red and white. The top was a joint effort with my daughter. It measures 60″ x 60″ and is machine quilted in a side to side floral pattern. The batting is cotton/polyester. The backing is the same fabric as the binding. $200
We had three table runners show up–each very different!
Christmas colors and holy prints–perfect for December. It would be a lovely gift for that person that has everything. Measures 12″x 38″. $40
Isn’t there an old song about the “blue bird of happiness”? The stars are “friendship” stars—goes together right? The table runner is 18.5″ x 46″ and $40.
Fall colors but not related to a holiday–so perfect for anytime, especially Sept. through Nov. Meandering machine quilted–washable.
14″ x 36″. $40
Spring or Summer placemats–14″ x 17.5″ all cotton fabric with cotton/poly blend batting. Either side could be used. Washable and no ironing! Four for $40.
Books and fabric! Wow, it just can’t get much better. I am on a fabric “diet”…not buying new fabric, trying to save money and be ecologically responsible. But one of the wonderful aspects of life in 2024 is the city and state library! I can enjoy hard copies of books, e-copies and audio books and it doesn’t cost me a penny and every book is shared by many people! No unused book wasting away on my book shelves. So my wish for you today is to open a good book and be taken away to somewhere new.
Quilts, Etc. 