The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I am not certain why I read this book except, I read between shades of gray and these two books seemed to have the same theme running through them. They both take place during a time of inhumanity during WWII.  This book tells the reader how life was during WWII for the citizens of Germany. Just how much suffering they endured during the 1940's. How it was difficult not to go along with Hitler, how difficult it was to be a Jew waiting, and how it was difficult not be able to help the Jews when they were paraded to camps.

It took me awhile to read this book but I did complete the book with tears in my eyes. How did the US miss all that was happening across the ocean?  Why wasn't it part of US History, this should not be forgotten.

Its a good read but difficult at times. Take your time reading this novel. If you haven't read between shades of gray by Ruta Sepetys, you need to find the book and read it.

things i know about love by Kate LeVann

This book is written by Livia and Adam, they use a blog to write their private thoughts,like keeping a diary. Livia wanted to keep a blog, what she learned about love. She started the blog before leaving for America, to visit her brother in Princeton, NJ. She left behind 'boyfriends'.  Not knowing exactly what it meant to be in love or to know when you are loved by someone.  She runs into Adam, a friend of her brother's from Manchester. But at the same time other guys seem to get in her way with getting to know Adam. What does Livia learn about love? That you need to learn about by reading things i know about love .  Possibly you will begin your own blog/diary.

Its a good read, enjoy it, the ending comes to a quick stop.

Thread Reckoning by Amanda Lee

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Cassandra hires Marcy to come up with an embroidery design for the wedding dress she will be wearing. The design is to include some jewels provided by the mother of the groom. Marcy quickly discovers that Cassandra is very unpleasant and demanding, but she intends to finish the work. The mother of the groom is found murdered outside Marcy’s store and some of the jewels are missing. Marcy once again starts trying to figure things out since she is a suspect. To make things even more stressful for her, David - the man who left her at the alter - turns up claiming he wants her back.

Things start to happen fairly quickly in Thread Reckoning, with Cassandra showing up at the shop to talk to Marcy about what she wants done for the dress. She has a bit of an attitude right from the start, not liking the fact that Marcy’s dog Angus is in the shop. Even after her future mother-in-law is murdered, Cassandra remains focused on the wedding and isn’t that supportive to the man she is marrying.

Marcy seems to be a suspect again since the victim is found outside her store and some of the jewels are missing. It doesn’t take long for Macy to start doing her own investigating again. There is a woman detective that is working on the case who doesn’t seem to like Marcy much.

Cassandra hires Marcy to come up with an embroidery design for her wedding dress.

Thread Reckoning is a good addition to the Embroidery Mystery series. People who have read and enjoyed the first two books in the series will probably enjoy this one as well.

Stitch Me Deadly by Amanda Lee

When Louise Ralston wanders into Marcy's shop, The Seven-Year Stitch, shows Marcy a century old sampler, asks for her help finding ivy and collapses and subsequently dies.


Since Marcy gave the older woman a cup of tea, and since the drug that killed Mrs. Ralston is found in Marcy's guest room night stand in a vial with someone's name on it that Marcy has never heard (her mother left the vial there on her last visit), Marcy is considered a suspect. Marcy considers the sampler to be a vital clue, especially when she realizes that the original verse has been removed and replaced with a verse, about ivy, from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Intrigued by the piece, the woman's last request, and in the interest of self-preservation, Marcy begins to do a little detective work, of the genealogical nature, on her own. She learns that Mrs. Ralston was hiding a very big secret. Someone either recently learned of the secret or knew and recently became afraid of its coming to light and that someone is afraid Marcy will uncover it before it can be hidden forever.

Marcy is settling in nicely to life in her new hometown. Her glamorous costume designer mother, based in San Francisco, doesn't understand her daughter's choices, but does understand the appeal, to a small extent, of the small town when she comes to vouch for the origin of the pills. Marcy's best friend Sadie and her husband own the coffee shop down the street. Both Sadie and her husband and Sadie and Marcy experience some ups and downs, adding an additional layer to each character, and more depth and reality to the plot.

The search for ivy, or Ivy, as Marcy learns, is fascinating and involves many of Marcy's new friends, especially the librarian and her husband, the local police chief. After being recently jilted, Marcy is a big gun shy when it comes to men and is enjoying her time with Ted the cop and Todd the brewmaster, though the names are similar enough to confuse readers at times.

There are plenty of threads for readers to pick up and those who pick up the right thread will have the mystery sewn up in short order.

I really enjoy the Embroidery Mystery series. This summary is taken from another site. At times I seem I can't put words together to make sense.  

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

This is a cliff hanger and now I need to read the next book in the trilogy.This is the 2nd book of Roland Smith's I have read. I thought it was more like reading about storm chasers we see on the Weather Channel but I was totally mistaken. This is a father and son team.  They don't chase the storms they get in areas ahead of the storms to assist residents before, during and after the storms hit an area.

You need to read Storm Runners to get into the beginning of the trilogy. This is an easy and quick read.  I would recommend it to students who really don't like to read ( high interest/low vocabulary) Each chapter begins with a time of the day it heightens the anxiousness of preparing for this storm to come. READ its a good story so far. so many surprises and strength of 3 teenagers.


Storm Runners- The Surge , is the 2nd book in the series.Chase, Nicole and Rashawn have made it to to Nicole's farm. There is destruction of the family home and many of the circus animals are out wandering the farm, Pet, the elephant is about to give birth. and the water from the hurricane is rising.  Chases' dad, John and Tomas plus a news crew have also reached the Rossi farm while navigating through the hurricane. But all of a sudden a message comes from the Rossi circus and Tomas family is missing. The Storm Runners are on the run once again.

Storm Runners-Eruption   This is the 3rd book in the trilogy. The Rossi traveling circus is in trouble, so is Tomas' family all are in Mexico. Chase and John, and Tomas with Nicole and news crew go to Lago Mexico where a volcano is erupting.  Chase finds out his dad's occupation before going into the construction business. Will the Rossi circus be found, is Tomas' family safe?

Panic Button by Kylie Logan

Button Box Mystery # 3
Josie Giancola, owner of the Button Box shop, knows her buttons. But when she comes into contact with a rare charm string, she never imagines it will lead to murder…

Josie is approached at her shop to appraise a very rare item—a complete charm string. In Victorian times, girls strung buttons on long strings to make the charms. Once the string reached 1,000 buttons—no two alike—the legend was that the owner would meet her beloved.

But the owner of this charm string is not looking for love—she’s desperate to donate the piece to a museum and be rid of it. She believes the string is far from charmed—it’s cursed. When Josie finds the woman strangled with the charm string, she doesn’t know whether the curse is real…but the killer certainly is.

Being a former Home Economics teacher and now a Librarian I am drawn to buttons, embroidery and books. I love the way the author brings in the history of buttons and now button strings. I remember growing up and when shirts wore out I had the job of cutting off the buttons and putting them in a button box. I wish I knew what happened to my Mom's button box. There maybe a few valuable buttons in that box.

Now to wait for Button Box #4 

Thread on Arrival by Amanda Lee

An Embroidery Mystery #5
Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer gets hung up on a tapestry that may lead to sunken treasure and be the motive for murder....

When Marcy’s friend Reggie, Tallulah Falls’ local librarian, asks her to teach an embroidery class as therapy for domestic abuse victims, she gladly agrees. One of the women wants to flee from her abusive husband but is afraid to leave her elderly father-in-law behind. And she thinks Marcy can help.

The elderly gentleman shows Marcy a tapestry his grandmother made, which he believes reveals the location of pirate treasure off the Oregon coast. He’ll move to a shelter—provided Marcy takes the tapestry to keep it safe. But when the police arrive the next day to escort him out, they find the old man murdered and the house ransacked. Does someone want that treasured tapestry desperately enough to kill for it? (GoodReads)

I really enjoy these mystery novels, to me its a good old mystery with a twist of embroidery crafting included. I had the murder solved but only half of the mystery before reaching the end. I hope there is a 6th mystery.