July column

I have become a SomeTime shop keeper. You will only find me in my Weaving Studio/Book Store some times. The month of June was very sketchy due to health issues and a fun get away to Iowa for a few days. My back is letting me down which makes me very sad because otherwise I feel very healthy. Sciatic pain is not for sissies for sure. So my goal is to seek the safest treatment and take care of myself. Again if my flag and sign is out, come on in. I still have books around the wall and they are still half price.

My fiber guild is gearing up for our big September event. It promises to be bigger and better this year. I will be teaching a class called Get Your Warp On. So check out this Web site.

Fiber Daze 2016 is a weekend filled with classes, vendors, and fun related to all types of wool and fiber craft. Whether you knit, crochet, weave or just want to learn we will have something for you. Please check out our list of classes, vendors, speakers and activities on our website http://www.fiberfolksofswmo.com/fiber-daze.html Registration is open now and classes fill up quickly!

Since I have spent so much time "taking care of myself" I have read several books this month. In fact I wont review but one or two of them. I did get hooked on all books by Harlen Coben and after exhausting all I had in my shop, I have now checked out four from the library. Each one is different with new characters and plots (except for the Myron Bolitar series). The setting of all his books is the New Jersey and New York area. I like seeing a few characters carry over from one book to another.

The Woods

by

Harlan Coben

The first paragraph grabs you: I see my Father with that shovel. There are tears streaming down his face. An awful, guttural sob forces its way up from deep in his lungs and out through his lips. He raises the shovel up and strikes the ground. The blade rips into the earth like its wet flesh.

Wow, couldn't put it down after that, could I. Paul Copeland is a county prosecutor and his sister walked into the woods 20 years ago and was never seen again. He is trying a case that ends up being linked to his sister's disapearance, could he finally find answers and if so will it tear apart everything he holds dear. A very good book and as I said before, I became a big Coben fan and have not been disapointed with a single book. He just gets better and better.

The Seventh Unicorn 

                                                                                    by

Kelly Jones

What a great book and great read. I even found it educational to boot. Alex Pellier is curator of the Cluny Museum in Paris. She is very passionate about her job and is an expert in medieval tapestries. She is especially drawn to a set called the Lady and the Unicorn series. She steps into a mystery when a nun invites her to an old convent, that is being shut down, to look at some old items for her museum. The nun can see that Alex is special and shows her a tapestry that was found in the wall when workers had started demolition. Could this be the seventh in the series? Alex ends up hiding the tapestry and working with the local Bishop to get it on auction to raise money to help keep the convent open so that the aging nuns will be able to stay. There is mystery and romance involved. I really enjoyed this book.

Altar of Bones

by

Philip Carter

The cover of this book has a comment by Greg Iles (another favorite author of mine) "Dan Brown meets Robert Ludlum....Gripping, Incredibly fast-paced". And yes I did find this book to be exactly that. This is an international thriller. Some day I will need to read this one again. The Altar of Bones is a legend that came from the Siberian frozen terrain a century old and finds its way to Paris. There are guardians of this religiou icon even though the ones trying to find it and capture its power don't even know what it looks like. With people from Hollywood to the KGB to the US government, the secret is allusive. Quite an action packed book. As you may know I always like to find serendipity in things. I read these last two books back to back. I was surprised to find reference in this book to the Cluny Museum and the Unicorn Tapestries.