Happy New Year

Attached is my column for January for the newspaper.  I think I have bored all my readers away with only posting my column on this site for several months now.  My New Years Resolution (besides drinking more water) is to write more for both my blogs and if no one reads them, then thats OK too.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I still haven't read the Hobbit, but it is on top of my to read stack so perhaps I will get to it this month. I have been making a lot of lint at my book store this past month, catching up on sewing “rag” strips, to make into rag balls, to weave into rugs. Mostly working with denim, so it creates a lot of lint.

I now have 7 huge balls to weave into rugs and the sewing machine is put away for awhile. The store has been vacuumed up now and I can weave smaller items on my smaller rigid heddle loom here at the store. Anyone wanting a demonstration feel free to stop in and I will show you how it works.

A book I have had on my read list for some time is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. When I was in the library recently I found part 1 and part 2 of the movie version. Temptation made me check them out and watch them. I am now even more determined to read the book. I will wait till I have read the book version to do a report. Now here are a couple books I did read.

Skin

by

Ted Dekker

I have read several books by Dekker and find him difficult to place in a specific genre. His books are a mix of mystery, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and religious, in a good verses evil way. In this book, 5 people from various backgrounds find themselves in a little town in Nevada with a tornado boring down on them. Murder rides in with the storm and they find themselves pitted against a man known as Sterling Red. As this unlikely group band together we see they each have their own weakness that Sterling exploits, and he is trying to force them to kill the ugliest of the group. They also eventually find they do have something in common. They all suffered a special kind of epilepsy as teenagers and underwent an experimental procedure that cured them but also put them under control of the lab to make them believe they are in this game and they don't know what is real and what isn't. It is a really exciting read that I couldn't put down and the ending was not what was expected at all. Think I will look for some more books by Dekker.

Fear the Worst

by

Linwood Barclay

My first time to read this author and I really like her writing. Ordinary Tim Blake sends his teenage daughter off to work and she vanishes. The hotel where she claimed to be work says they never heard of her. Tim sets out to find his daughter and finds some very scary people are looking for her also. The detective in charge seems to spend more time dealing with her own daughter and the ex-wife is not much help. Tim has had his share of disappointments in life but he loves his daughter and risks everything to get her back. He uncovers that the hotel is involved in human trafficking, so how is his daughter mixed up in this? This was a really well done mystery and I am ready to read 2 more of her books that are waiting for me in my must read pile.

December column for paper



I have a confession to make. I have never read The Hobbit. It has now moved up on my long list of “must” read books for this winter. I have several books by John Irving on hand and many of them have been made into movies such as The Cider House Rules, and The World According to Garp, but I chose this one to read this month.

Until I Find You

by

John Irving

820 pages that drags you along in the life of Jack Burns. I am not sure it is worth the time spent reading it but you get caught up in a sort of voyeurism that you need to keep reading to see how things turn out. It starts out with Jack as a boy of 4 on a pilgrimage to norther Europe with his mother to find his womanizing father. They never find him but his tattoo artist mother indulges in some prostitution along the way. This all takes up about 100 pages. She returns home to Toronto and puts Jack in an all girls school so that he will be “safe” since he is such a pretty little boy. Of course this backfires and he is abused by the older girls and later by older women, which sets up his life of unfulfilled romances. Funny, but had he been a little girl we would have been more incensed by this large part of the book. Later on he becomes a famous Screen Write and finds out that his father has been following his life from a distance all along and in the end they find each other but under weird circumstances. So if you want a long long read that is not all that satisfying then you might like it. As for me I am sending it to my niece in Oregon who has run a tattoo/piercing business for years and I actually think she will like it.

The Marks of Cain

by

Tom Knox

This book takes you to Spain and France as two strangers, American David and Englishman Simon become involved in two apparently unconnected strands of what's revealed as one conspiracy. Through his grandfather's will and secret map David is urged to learn his true family history. It will lead him to the heart of Basque country, where he meets a woman who gets caught up in his quest.

Quinn is an investigative journalist and is working on two violent murders of elderly people. He finds that both had been in a top secret Nazi camp and there is a tie in with the same Basque area and a possible curse on a race of people found there. The story takes you on a journey from Arizona, to the Spanish countryside, to the heart of Southern Africa. In the end they try to supply a rational basis for the Nazi genocide. I found this to be a good read and would recommend it to others. I found myself going to my computer to search for facts about the area and people involved so it was quite educational as well.

Devious

by

Lisa Jackson

If you like authors who carry their main characters along from one book to another, you will like this 7^th Rick Bentz/Reuben Montoya novel.

A murder of Sister Camille, an old high-school friend takes them to St. Marguerite's cathedral. Sister Camille's sister gets involved along with her estranged husband who just happens to show up the same day of the murder. This old Nunnery is the site of more murders and the connections with certain Priests and an older nun makes for a great who done it book.

Dorothy Cliff is the owner of Read Again Books in Granby.

November newspaper column

As I write this on Halloween day I am in admiration of the beautiful fall foliage this year despite all the rain that is trying to dampen it down.

Just a reminder as you start your Christmas shopping to think about buying from your small business locally. Gift certificates for hair cuts, or local restaurants are always nice. I have hand woven rugs for sale that make great gifts for something unusual and that will last for many years. I am usually weaving something at the store most days. I would still like to look into doing “memory” rugs, by using your

Grandpa's old bibs or baby blankets to create a lasting rug made from these special fabrics.

For you fans of Christian Fiction, I have a large selection now available, so come check them out.

I have had some interesting reading this last month. Here are a few books that I read.

The Help

by

Kathryn Stockett

First I have to say I did not see the movie when it came out. I waited till the book showed up in some trade in books at my store. I wasn't sure what I expected but I have to say it was a really good book. The setting is 1962 in Jackson Mississippi. I made me realize how we take our lives for granted and how many people, because of the color of their skin and the time that they were born live much different lives. The main character is a socialite, Skeeter Phelan, just returning to her home with a new college degree and a desire to write. Her mother just wants to see her married to the right man, which in her mind was why she sent her daughter to college. But Skeeter talks a New York editor into reading her material and takes on a project to write a book about the secret lives of the black maids in white homes of the South. She manages to recruit first one then a few others to tell her their stories. Some of the stories are heart breaking, some very demeaning, and some quite humorous. Skeeter is able to get her story and form bonds of friendship with women who just want to see things change for the better.

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially for those of us who grew up during this time period with blindness to this subject.

The Tenderness of Wolves

by

Stef Penney

I seem to be drawn to stories from the 1800's. In this one set in 1867 in the Northern Territory of Canada. The harsh climate described in the book almost gives you chills. It is a murder mystery, with many changes in the plot and many characters to remember. Due to their isolation and the corporate greed of the fur company it has the making for a good mystery. In the end there were several plots that left you wondering what the heck happened to them. I will say that it was hard to put down and I did order her second book that looked very interesting. It was hard for me to figure out how the book got its name, other than the Indians in the story and the whole feeling of a lonely environment.

The Broken Window

by

Jeffery Deaver

I think I am becoming a mystery reader. I do recommend this author as he carries the main characters in most of his books, so you can get a real feel for their personalities and lives. If you saw the movie The Bone Collector, you get the feel for his characters. Lincoln Rymes is a brilliant detective who had his physical life interrupted with a spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed from neck down. He has his cast of assistants who help him solve crimes. Number one being his love interest, Amelia, who is his feet and body as she searches the “grid” of the crime scenes for him. In this book they are after a cyberspace techno-genius who steals informational data that is collected by a huge company and uses this information to frame innocent people for the heinous crimes that he commits. With all its twists and turns you can't put this one down. One thing I got out of it was how vulnerable we are with all our electronics in our lives and how “someone” is collecting all this data on us to be used for our own good? Or to market us for what is best for us? Leaves you with a lot of questions about the technological society we have become.



October Column



September was a very busy month. My book store did more business than usual. I wonder if its because it is fall now, if so come in and stock up on books for the winter. I now have a large selection of Christian Fiction books and I have prices for everyone. Also don't forget to buy locally crafted gifts for Christmas instead of imported stuff.

I was fortunate to participate in our fiber guild's annual event Sept 20^th and 21^st, which was in Mt. Vernon this year. We had the MARC center reserved and what a great place to hold our fiber classes. There were many vendors with their beautiful yarns and equipment for all kinds of fiber crafting. I took an advanced rigid heddle class and really enjoyed that. I keep my loom at the store so if anyone wants a demonstration I will be glad to share.

I wanted to report on what I know about Bright Futures. I was invited in August to attend the dinner at East Newton High School. It was well attended and there were speakers to explain the program that has been started for our school district. Bright Futures has its roots in Joplin after the tornado and people saw a need to assist students who where not having their needs met, weather it was in supplies, proper cloths, or food. The goal and focus is not so much a hand out to just meet the needs of today, but to keep these kids in school, so they will get their education and ultimately become good citizens as apposed to some of the alternatives. At the present time they are in great need for volunteers. A volunteer can help by being mentors, bus greeters, or assist with the backpack food program. You will see boxes in many businesses collecting food for this worthy program. So if you can't volunteer perhaps you can donate food items. A phone no. to call if interested is 417-472- 6231 at the school. You can also go to Face Book and type in Bright Futures East Newton and find their site with a list of people to contact. This is a good cause to help right in our own community.

Now for my reading this past month. I read a book that really caught my eye about Aboriginal wisdom. After the first book I had to go on line and get the second book. I will report on them together.

Mutant Message Down Under

Message From Forever

by

Marlo Morgan

Morgan lives in Lee's Summit Missouri. Her story in the first book tells of her “personal” adventure in Australia, doing a Walk About with a small tribe that lasted several months. In this book she tells her accounts of learning their ways and their spiritual history that goes back 40,000 years. In the second book she tells a fictitious story of twin Aboriginal babies taken from their mother at birth by well meaning missionaries so that they will be raised properly and not as heathens. So the story follows their separate paths and how they meet at the end but still do not know they are brother and sister. I was really taken with these books as the ancient spiritual wisdom seemed to have a strong ring to it of the American Indian.

But as I did some back ground research on Morgan I found that she has been greatly criticized for making it all up and that she did not really spend 4 months in the bush with the “last” surviving Aboriginal people. So either she is the real thing or a convincing fraud. Either way I enjoyed the books and they made me want to learn more about this culture. Isn't that what reading is really all about? To open our minds and make us think and sort out what we choose to be true for us. One statement that I will end this with from the book was “ All life is one life”.

Drowning Ruth

by

Christina Schwarz

The setting for this book is the winter of 1919 in Wisconsin with Amanda, a nurse, returning to her birth place to escape an event that changed her life. She returned to her younger sister who is raising a 3 year old daughter, Ruth, while she waits for her husband to come home from the war. Amanda and her sister Mathilda are very close and Amanda talks her sister into moving to their small island to live while they wait on the husband. Then her secret is revealed as Amanda's pregnancy becomes evident. The mystery is the death of Mathilda and what becomes of this new baby and who is her father, as Amanda and Ruth return to the farm house that they share with Carl when he returns to find his wife gone. I found the story being told in some of the chapters by the voices of Ruth and Amanda, and I like that. And why does the title say Drowning Ruth?? Have to read it to find out.

My newspaper column for Sept. 2013



Sept column

My book store in Granby, Read Again Books, will be closed the last week of September for a little R&R.

I am gearing up for a couple events for the fall. Sept 20th and 21st SW Fiber Folks will be hosting an event in Mt Vernon. It is called Fiber Daze. There will be vendors there to show all kinds of yarns, equipment, and a multitude of things. This is open to the public and is at the MARC Center. Classes are being offered and registration is still open if you go to our website to check things out. www.fiberfolkssofswmo.com

Also I have registered for Farm Girl Fest the first weekend of Oct. held north of Carthage at Red Oak. I will have my booth to do weaving demonstrations and sell my hand woven rugs, totes, and much more. Also the fiber guild will be there with members demonstrating spinning and weaving. Should be a great event.

So what have I been reading?

I have just finished the first of a trilogy, Fifty

Shades of Grey. Oh, my, not for the faint of heart, and not appropriate to report on in this column.

I did read two Sandra Brown Books this past month.

Play Dirty

by

Sandra Brown

A great story about a former Dallas Cowboy superstar named Griff who spend 5 years in a Federal prison for throwing a game for money. He is now free and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life as he is not wanted back in the industry that he loved. Of course as with all Sandra Brown's books there is a romance thrown in as Griff falls for the wife of a multi-millionaire who has hired him to do a job for him that will leave you shocked and even for shocked that he accepts the offer. Lots of twists and turns here to keep you reading.

Lethal

by

Sandra Brown

Another page turner that is a tale of corruption, betrayal, and murder. When a sick man is found lying in her front yard, Honor rushes to his aid, only to be held captive by a man accused of murdering 7 local people the night before. Eddie claims that she has something in her possession that belonged to her late husband that will prove his innocence. This all leads them into the corruption at the highest levels of law and government. Again a great read.

The Lucky One

by

Nicholas Sparks

Sparks is another of my favorite authors. U.S. Marine, Logan finds a photograph in the dirt, during his tour of duty in Iraq. The face of the woman haunts him and he ends up feeling that its presence in his pocket has kept him safe. Upon returning home, he is at loose ends and starts out on a journey to find this woman. He is able to identify something in the photo to guide him to the right city. Of course you must know he finds her and falls in love with her, but must go slow and he helps solve a mystery. A great story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us.

Next month I will report on the school program called Bright Futures. If you have not heard about it, you will.

Weaving rag balls made by another

A couple weeks ago a gal came into my shop with a box of rag balls that she had sewn and wanted to know what I would charge for weaving them for her.  She wanted a long rug 100 inches and a couple short ones.  The balls looked pretty neat and rolled up tight and she had 4 rolls of warp for me to use, a burgundy, cream, green, and tan.  So we negotiated a fee and I took it home.  Since my loom was empty I preceded to warp it using her carpet warp and adding some of my own to have enough to fill my loom.  Not going to all the work of warping a loom without putting the max on it.  Ended up taking all I warped with only enough to finish out with a short rug for myself.

Anyway as I started to weave I realized what a mess I had.  She had sewn the strips together wrong leaving wide untrimmed seams. Plus she had such a mixture of fabric, some strips of old blanket I threw out.  There was alot of prints, and old muslin.  Some had the hems attached.  So I had lots of trimming and ripping some that were way to wide and the silky stuff had to go.  Here is the big rug when it was done.  I was amazed that it looked as good as it was.  All the bumps and lumps from her seams actually gave it an old time look and when she picked them up today she was so happy with them.  I gave her a little lesson on how to sew the strips in case she makes any more.  But I could tell these old scraps ment alot to her as each fabric told a story of her mothers dress or the old pillow cases and flour sacks.




August column



I would like to apologize to my book store customers for my inconsistent business hours. I have a family member who is ill and I am the transportation for all the Dr. appointments. So having to be closed some days to take care of what is most important to me. I have posted my phone number and if you are coming from very far please feel free to give me a call to be sure I am there, 417-312-0956.

I have learned a new technique in weaving for my little table top loom. It is called tubular weaving and I have been busy making new tote bags on the loom. They are all lined with pockets. Anyone interested in learning more about weaving come by the store and I will be glad to give you a demonstration and even let you have some hands on. There will be some great classes offered at Fiber Daze on September 20th, & 21st at Mt. Vernon. Everything from crocheting, weaving, spinning, basket weaving, felting, and dyeing. Go to this site http://www.fiberfolksofswmo.com/ and you can look it over and register if you want. I will be there on Saturday as a greeter in the morning and will be taking a class in afternoon.

I find that I read a book and if I like it I will look on my shelves and find several to read. This month I have read several books by Kirk Mitchell. If you are a Tony Hillerman fan, you will like Mitchell. He brings authenticity to his books as he was a deputy sheriff on a Paiute-Shoshone reservation in Ca. The books here all have the same characters to follow and I find that interesting.

Cry Dance

by

Kirk Mitchell

Emmett Parker, a Chomanche and a seasoned investigator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Anna Turnipseed, a Modoc and rookie FBI agent are the main characters. A body is found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on Havasupai Nation land. Emmet and Anna are teamed for the first time to investigate this crime. It leads them into a complex mystery with Anna eventually used as bait for the killer to get to Emmet. It deals with the gaming industry on the reservations. Some tribes want to have it on their land and others want to maintain their heritage. A very good read.

Dance of Thunder Dogs

by

Kirk Mitchell

In this investigation Emmet and Anna work on a case on a reservation in Oklahoma. Oil well funds are being diverted from the rightful reservation recipients, but where has the money gone and why? Then a fellow investigator is murdered and Emmet becomes the prime suspect. In this book you start to see a little love interest developing between Emmet and Anna. I like the way this guy writes and the weaving of peoples lives to create a picture for you.

Spirit Sickness

by

Kirk Mitchell

What I find interesting about the way Mitchell writes is that his characters somehow manage to maintain their Indian heritage while upholding the law. Emmet and Anna are brought to the scene of a brutal murder of a cop from a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and his wife. There are spirits and Gila Monsters added to the mix. The murderer has woven his personal madness with Navajo myth to create his own reality. They have to stop him before he kills again. The love interest between Emmet and Anna has evolved but has become complicated.

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.

“It's today,” squeaked Piglet.

“My favorite day..” said Pooh.

-A.A. Milne