Buckle Up!

Cheryl Sleboda threw down the challenge and I accepted.  My crazy travel schedule has left my blog rather anemic of late so I'll be blogging every day for the month of December.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog to be sure to read every post.

Here's a preview of what you can expect during the month of December:

I stopped drinking Diet Coke 4 weeks ago and am still struggling.  My friend Melissa thought that a Hello Kitty water bottle might entice me to drink more water.  We won't tell her that this would hold Diet Coke equally well, will we?

And do you see thread behind my new Hello Kitty water bottle?  Well, you just might read about a new thread line coming out (FabuLux, designed by ME!) and where you can purchase some for yourself.

Stay tuned!

November bookshelf

The was the last month of my travel season and I was exhausted most of the time.  In my spare time, I often sat and stared blankly into space instead of reading or doing anything else productive.  I finished a few books, but not as many as I usually do.

Brian's Hunt by Gary Paulsen
An even shorter book than the others I've read in this adventure series for young boys.  A quick evening's listen.

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
This was a recommendation from a new book buddy.  It's set in Connecticut, not far from me, and I always like saying "Dude, I've totally been there!" about places in books (even more fun when it is in Moscow).  I enjoyed falling in love with Manny.

The Lost World by Michael Crichton
I never read this when it was published.  How did that happen?

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Could you hear me read this?  Because my head totally exploded.  I kept fist pumping and agreeing "Yes!" while I was listening to this book.  I will buy this book, mark it up, and read it again and again.

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
This is the first Lisbeth Salander novel written after the death of Stieg Larsson.  I have been waiting for my turn at the library since this book was released.  To say I was excited to read this book would be an understatment.  This book was good, but not as gripping as the original three in the series.  The author tried for the dark tone of the other novels, but couldn't pull it off.  It is obvious that the author is planning to continue this series because the book felt unfinished.  I will read his future books, but I will miss Stieg Larsson.

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
This isn't another story of Brian; it is instead the story of Sam, a 13 year old frontier boy who rescues his family during the American Revolution.  Gary Paulsen has a way of writing short, fast, adventure novels for/about teenage boys.  I'm not his intended audience, but I will read every book of his in the library.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
I'm celebrating the release of the Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible by reading through them all.  These are great quilting books: like quilting with old friends.

Sometimes, when I stared into space this month, space was filled with my laptop screen playing Netflix.  I watched:

Criminal Minds, season 10 on Netflix
Because I watched seasons 1-9 about 6 times already.

The Transporter, season 2 on Netflix
Not Jason Statham, but fun to listen to while I'm quilting

Crossing Lines, seasons 1-2 on Netflix
I think I like this and I'm dying to know where Donald Sutherland's character is supposed to be from.

At Home, Day Four -- a Finished Project!

I am trying to make the most of my 42 consecutive days at home.  Do I sound excited to be home?  Because I am.  Really and truly I am.

I want to use this time to get caught up on unfinished tasks, get prepared for the year ahead, catch up with family and friends, and quilt until I wilt.

My first finished quilt project was for a special young man who loves firetrucks.

I purchased a car and truck quilt pattern approximately 20 years ago.  I know that I will likely never make the entire quilt, but a single block made into a pillow seemed possible.  I traced the pattern onto some Heat N Bond:

I machine appliqued all of those little pieces in place.  I have great admiration for people who are good at machine applique because I am not.  The pieces are attached and that's all I can claim.  I used WonderFil cotton threads for the applique and they covered up many of my inadequacies:

I turned that one block into a "flop on the floor pillow" for a toddler in my life.  I use this pattern for my pillows and they come out perfectly every time.

In one afternoon, I was able to create this:

It is not the finest work I have ever done, but there is a lot of love in that pillow.  It was a great first finish for my six weeks at home.

What shall I quilt next?

More than the Meaning of Life

I am away from home now, teaching at Bits N Pieces in Pelham, NH.  This is my happiest place in all of New Hampshire!   One of the shop's customers made me this amazing beaded ornament:

I completely remember what we were laughing at when this photo was taken, but I totally can't tell you.  What happens at Bit N Pieces...

The shop owner, Liz, is completely adorable, the students are divine, the classes are going great, and yet I'm looking forward to the end of this event, just a little bit.  You see, this is my last teaching trip of 2015.  I will drive home on Monday and then spend 42 fabulous days at home.  Forty two.  F O R T Y    T W O.  I can't remember the last time I spent 42 consecutive days at home.  It's likely been years.  Years and years and years.

My head is spinning with the possibilities.  Oh, the things I could do.  The things I should do!  I don't want to hit the road in January and say "Hey, I watched tons of Netflix and slept in a lot."  Obviously I will drink a lot of tea and read a lot of books, but after that I want something to show for this time at home.

What are some of the things I could/should do?  What would YOU do if your time at home was as limited as mine?

Jinny Beyer quilt: Foxglove block

I.  Am.  Finished!  I finished the last block for my Jinny Beyer block of the month quilt.

Please be excited for me.  I still have to frame the blocks, make sashings, join the rows, add borders, quilt, and bind, but... I am done with the blocks!

And Then There Were Two

My second Craftsy class launched today!

Watch the trailer to see what this class is all about:

If the video doesn't play, use this link instead.

When Craftsy asked me to show how to approach custom quilting, I was thrilled!  I've quilted over 5,000 quilts for customers and quilted hundreds and hundreds of my own quilts over the last 20+ years.  I've developed some strategies for custom quilting and this class shows all of them.

I also snuck a bonus into this class;  FEATHERS!  I show my trick for quilting feathers in one of the lessons.

Use this $20 discount link to purchase my class, You Can Quilt It!

Jinny Beyer's Harlequin Block

I'm celebrating my next-to-last block in Jinny Beyer's 2015 Block of the Month quilt.

Harlequin;

I'm tickled with how this came out.  While I won't run out to say "Paper piecing is my favorite quilting technique" any time soon (machine quilting is my first love), I shocked myself by enjoying making this block.

Jinny Beyer quilt: Daffodil Block

I am racing toward the finish line of Jinny Beyer's block of the month quilt.  I recently finished the Daffodil Block:

Don't you love this?  I might actually be getting the hang of the paper-piecing thing.

Two blocks to go...

So long, October!

In the quilt world, October is a strange month.  It is a busy! exciting! month where everything happens.  It is also a busy month where industry professionals survive on too little sleep and too much caffeine and keep saying "I'll sleep in November."

My October started with a teaching trip to Spring Water Designs in Columbia, MD.

The weather was bad, the Ravens beat the Steelers (boo!), but the students were fantastic!

I spent a few days at home preparing for a top-secret trip that I can't wait to tell you about:

I got the Star-treatment while I was there!

I taught a machine quilting retreat at the Quilt Basket in NY.  Read all about it here.

I worked at home for a few more days getting ready for Quilt Market where I was so excited to be involved with some new products.  

Cutie Patterns from the Quilt Basket:

My new line of FabuLux thread from WonderFil:

Give me a few days to get my online store up and running with these items, ok?

I taught 24 hours of full classes at International Quilt Festival to the most amazing and dedicated quilters:

I was sad to see the month end and the skies above Houston wept for me, dumping 5 inches of rain in a matter of minutes/hours causing flash flooding that I got to see up close and personal.  Way too up close and personal.  The road at my hotel was flooded.  This was a blessing because I wasn't in my car on the road when the waters started to rise. Two souls were lost in the flooding on Saturday morning while I was safely trapped in my hotel.  I cancelled my first flight and started a long day of cancellation, delay, rebooking, repeat but finally made it home.

Dear November, you have a lot to live up to!

October Bookshelf

October was a busy month involving a lot of quilts and a lot of driving.  This means I went through a lot of audiobooks!

Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen
I'm kind of stuck on this series of outdoor adventures for young boys.  I think I need one more, but someone at the library is hogging it!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I love this book just because it uses the word "cannot" in the title.  I love "cannot" as much as I love the Oxford comma and two spaces after a period.  There, I said it out loud; let the hate-mail pour in!  I pulled this book off the NY Times Bestseller list.  I don't believe that the books on this list are necessarily better than other; I simply believe that they are books folks are talking about so I read them to join in the conversation.  I'm on an odd "accidentally read tons of stuff about WWII" kick right now, and this was yet another book set during WWII.  I enjoyed the viewpoint of the German child and the French child and how they were impacted by the war.  This was beautifully written and I highly recommend it.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
I requested this from the library when I knew I'd see the latest movie in the theater, and many months later the audio book finally became available. I worked in a bookstore as an evening "Get Mom out of the house" job when Jurassic Park was first published.  Reading all of the new releases was a huge perk of the job.  I enjoyed this book then, but 25 years of watching the movie made me forget the book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
When the quilting gets tough, the tough listen to a Harry Potter marathon while working to keep them on task. I've read this series through several times, and I was due for another go-through.  One book down...

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up:  the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by Marie Kondo
I read this book when it first came out and used it to get rid of all the books and fabric that didn't "Spark Joy."  My sewing room is still a creative mess, but it is a creative mess that doesn't nag or cause me guilt.  I love that.  I listened to the audiobook while prepping kits for Houston and I liked the book even better the second time.  I will put this on my "read at least once a year" list.

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick
I have been reading segments of this on my Kindle for several flights.  I finally finished it when flying home from Denver.  I expected it to be a light and fluffy novel, perfect for airplanes, but I didn't expect to enjoy it so darn much.  I'll have to put Marie Bostwick's books on my to-read list.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
After a 2:45 am wakeup and three flight delays, I had to start working as soon as I got into my house after a trip to Denver.  I have other books I should be listening to, but I wanted to listen to something fun to get started.  Harry Potter is fun.  Very fun.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
At this point in the month, I was incredibly brain-dead.  I was tickled pink when I popped the first CD of this set into my laptop and heard Kathleen Wilhoite's reading of a fun book.  I wanted to quilt longer just to hear more of her energetic narration.  This book wasn't the great American novel, but it was fun and kept me quilting 'til the wee hours of the morning so I could make a UPS deadline.  That's a two-thumbs-up review from me!  I am so disappointed that there are no more Maria Semple or Kathleen Wilhoite audiobooks in my library system.  This was a one-hit wonder for me, but it came at just the right time.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
This was a basic murder intrigue book, but then... POW!  I won't reveal spoilers, but it was fun to watch this thing unfold.  I love when I can't predict where a book will go.  This audiobook had several narrators, the last one being Keith Szarabajka.  I love his gravelly voice, but never knew how to say his name.  I just hear his voice and think, "Oh, it's the guy with the eye-test for a last name!" (says Debby Ritenbaugh Brown).  I listened to the end credits on the book and they pronounced his name "sarah-bike-ah," so now we know.

I took a few breaks from books while quilting and periodically binged on some Netflix whilst quilting this month:

Person of Interest, seasons 1-3.  Jim Cavaziel has the same acting range as Kristin Stewart, but the stories were easy to follow while quilting.

iZombie, season 1.  I typically don't watch comedies.  At first I groaned, then I laughed, then I got interested, and then I watched all 13 seasons in 24 hours.  I do like zombies.  Braaaiiiinnnnnsssss..........

Legends, season 1.  Ali Larter is not a favorite of mine, but I do love me some Sean Bean.  The show was meh, but good enough to watch while napping in my hotel room while on a super-secret quilting adventure in Denver this month.

Back to the Future, I-III
Because, October 21, 2015 was the future date in the movies.  And we still don't have hovercraft.  I feel robbed.

I get a lot of my audio books on CD from my local library, but I also have an Audible account.  It is worth every penny to me!  Amazon is offering a special promotion if you want to check out Audible and see if you love it, too.  Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

Jinny Beyer's Dahlia block

I recently finished my first paper-pieced block from Jinny Beyer's Block of the Month quilt.  I have a lot to say, but I can sum it up with "I learned a lot!"

Dahlia:

I learned that it's important to use ALL of the pieces of fabric (yes, little purple petal, I'm talking to you!).  I learned that it's not a great idea to "just move this piece over a little bit to fix that last piece."  I learned how many times one can take out stitching before a foundation falls to pieces. I learned that persistence pays off!

I'm pleased with my block and not so frightened of the next one!

Baggage

I flew to Houston today for School House, Quilt Market, and International Quilt Festival.  I think I'll be here for 10 days.  Maybe 14 years.  I'm not really sure at this point.

Let's talk about my stuff.

• I packed six huge cartons of quilt kits for my students at Festival and they are arriving at my hotel.  I will transport them to the convention center for classes next week.
• I packed one small suitcase with 39 pounds of notions and supplies for my classes.  It is heavy and I could have carried it on the plane if necessary.  It wasn't necessary.  Thank you free first-class upgrade.  Phew.
• I packed one large suitcase with 41 pounds of quilts and supplies for School House, Market, and my classes at Festival.  
• I packed one large suitcase with 51 pounds of clothes and a dolly (for the above-mentioned cartons).  
• I packed one extremely heavy backpack with a laptop and projector for my presentations.

I feel like a pack mule.  It was difficult getting these bags into the airport and checked in, but I was able to move freely through the airport with just my heavy backpack.  Not bad at all.

Until...

I tried to reclaim my luggage in Houston.  My little suitcase came out just fine.  My big suitcase of quilts was just fine.  Phew!  Then my clothing suitcase arrived and, um.... not fine.  I picked it up off the carousel and the baggage handlers had ripped the suitcase open.  My clothes flew EVERYWHERE.  I was running along the carousel, shoving my clothes back into my suitcase (still on the carousel) hoping to pick it up in mostly one piece.  Alas, several strangers handed me pieces of clothing.  Underclothing, naturally.  Fortunately, I'm old enough not to embarrass easily.

I knew one of the quilter/passengers on the plane and she packed cellophane tape in her luggage.  She let me use a few pieces so I could at least get my luggage to the luggage office.  Linda, you are my hero!

I met the man in the luggage office.  That poor man.  I tried to be gentle with him, but strangers had just fondled my drawers causing me to lose my cherub-like demeanor.  He didn't call security on me, so I must have reined it in, just a bit.

Me:  "Hi.  The baggage handlers ripped my bag open and threw it on the belt.  My clothes flew everywhere and strangers were handing me my undies."  (Yes, I said undies to a man I've never met.)  He just stared at me, gearing up for the battle to come so I continued.  "I can't get my luggage to the rental car let alone home.  And I have no idea what is missing."

He hustled behind the counter and pulled out a carry-on size suitcase.  "Well, I can replace your suitcase with this."

Me again:  "Sir, if you can figure out how to get all of the contents from my bag into that one, it will be a miracle."

Him:  "I can give you two bags"

Me:  "That would work, but how am I going to check four bags going home?  I get three with a first class upgrade, but that hasn't been confirmed yet.  I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars in baggage fees because the baggage handlers ripped my luggage."

Him:  "I'll see if I can get a voucher for the baggage fees, but I'll have to upstairs.  Only management can approve this."

He ran upstairs and the other passengers in the office were staring at me.  "Did he just give you a suitcase?"

Me:  "Yes, and he'll give me another one before I leave."

Them:  "They can do that?"

Me:  "Yes.  They have a room full of brand new suitcases to hand out in situations just like this one."

Them:  "Are they really going to give you two new suitcases and pay your baggage fees?"

Me:  "Yep."

Them:  (mouthing) "wow"

Me:  "Watch and learn."

The outcome of today is that I own two new small suitcases.  One doesn't have 360* wheels (grrr -- Princess Problems) and the other does.  Shuttling 4 suitcases with mismatched wheels through the airport to the rental car shuttle and then to the counter and then to the car was a bit of a nightmare, but it worked.  I will  check all of these bags going home and it won't cost me a penny.

I am doing a careful inventory of my clothing.  I don't think anything is missing, but I order most of my clothes from Lands End.  Receipts will be super-easy to get if necessary.

Postives:  This happened on the way here so all of those clothes were clean.  Imagine if they were all dirty and smelly?  Also, I have 4 suitcases which equal 200 pounds of checked luggage.  I can actually shop while I am here.  Mmmmmmmmmm.......... fabric. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.... thread.

Negative:  I need to buy another large suitcase when I get home.

I could demand they replace my large suitcase, but I'm letting this matter drop.  The baggage handlers were wrong.  The agent did what he could to make it right.  The end.

So, how was your trip to Houston?

Jinny Beyer Quilt -- Basket of Lilies

This just in:  I finished block #9 of my Jinny Beyer block of the month quilt!

This block dealt with fussy cutting, hand piecing, inset seams, and paper piecing.  I am starting to fall in love with this quilt!

Jinny Beyer's Beech Basket

This block is the one that will make or break my Jinny Beyer block of the month quilt.

Beech Basket:

I am really happy with how the piecing turned out.  I like this basket as it is, but since I've turned down Jinny's kind suggestion of applique so many times, I decided that on this block, and only on this would, I would add the recommended applique:

Ta-Da:

I feel like I'm finally getting in the swing of things with this quilt and might actually finish in 2015!

Invaded

Marie Kondo invaded my closet and this happened:

If you haven't heard of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, then please let me enlighten you.  This tiny little book was written by a Japanese organizing expert and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for about a year.  Some of her ideas (thanking your clothes as you fold them) are probably not going to work for me, but her idea of asking "Does it spark joy?" when you are deciding whether to keep or get rid of something really worked for me.

Earlier this year, I decluttered my books and only kept those that made me happy.  I don't look at my shelves and groan "Oh, I really should read that someday."  I know why each book is there and I can find each one easily.

I have also weeded through my fabric collection and only own fabric that makes me happy.  I no longer have the "Why did I buy this?" and "What was I thinking?" fabrics and I've found new homes for the fabrics that well-intentioned friends have gifted me.  I've put a lot of those fabrics on the backs of my quilts and I've donated the rest.

Recently I went through my linen closet.  I found six perfectly-folded sets of sheets for twin beds  (folding fitted sheets is my super-power), but I don't own any twin beds.  I mentioned this problem to a young momma friend of mine (mother of five) and she jumped at extra sheets for those middle-of-the-night accidents!  In my closet, I also found six sets of sheets for double beds.  Again, I don't own any double beds.  I am passing these along to a recent college grad who is just setting up housekeeping and on a very tight budget.

Proof of my fitted-sheet-folding super-powers:

Marie Kondo suggested tackling your entire house at once.  I have a ridiculously full travel and teaching schedule with a lot of super-secret sewing projects thrown in just for fun, so I'm taking work breaks to clear small areas at a time. I have so much more in my house that needs to be sorted and donated, but I feel I've made a great start.  The parts of my house that are no longer stuffed full and bursting at the seams make me so incredibly happy!

To sum up, if you've heard about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing and wondered if it was any good, I'll say that it was some good.  Some parts of the book I am choosing to pass by, but if this short little book can inspire me to get my house organized, it's a good book!

Progress can be noisy

Remember when I replaced the ugliest bathroom in the world?

Before:

After:

This bathroom makes me happier than chocolate cake!

Well, I also own the second ugliest bathroom in the world and it's time has come.

Anyone want an avocado toilet or sink? 

How about disco ball lighting? 

C'mon.  You know you want an avocado fiberglass shower unit:

(warning:  it leaks and has destroyed the kitchen ceiling)

Doesn't everyone need a real wood clothes hamper with a fake marble top?

I've never been a fan of the wallpaper, but it is much better than the original wallpaper we found during demolition.  Can you see the metallic paint around the orange flowers?

I am starting a "Museum of ugly wallpaper" and these two papers are exhibits A and B.

Does anyone have ugly wallpaper to donate to my new museum?

This will be funny later

I am up to my eyeballs in top-secret sewing projects and might, just maybe, be losing my sense of humor due to lack of sleep.

I was rather-excited to have the LP gas truck deliver fuel for me this morning so I could maybe bring the temperature in my sewing room to over 58*F.  Sadly, I couldn't re-light the pilot.  I called the fireplace company three times for advice and they left me with "we don't know what to tell you."  I spent well over an hour throughout the day trying in vain to create fire.  No luck.  A fireplace repair dude is scheduled to arrive at 9am tomorrow.

Super-hubby received flurries of texts from me throughout the day detailing my plight.  As he entered the house, he told me that the gas delivery guy turned off the valve on my tank.  30 seconds later, I clicked the little "auto-start" button and I now have heat.

Super-hubby has yet again earned his title.

The temperature is 61*F and rising.  I might not have to wear a parka indoors anymore.  And yes, that is the largest Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser in the world.  It dispenses entire packs of PEZ.  The folks at Bits 'n Pieces thought I needed this ... and they were correct!

This will all be hilarious... in November.

Jinny Beyer quilt: Birch Basket

Another week, another finished basket block from Jinny Beyer's block of the month quilt.

Birch Basket:

Isn't it pretty?  I really, really like this one.

Are you working on this quilt?  Am I the only one behind?

Jinny Beyer Birch Basket

I'm moving right along on my Jinny Beyer block of the month quilt from Craftsy.

This month's Birch Basket has another beautiful handle, but this one is paper-pieced instead of appliqued.

Who knew that my world could be rocked by tall and narrow basket handles?  I learned something new about myself with this quilt.

This basket also had optional appliqued flower which I am opting not to do.  I could never cover up such a beautiful basket handle!

September's Book Shelf

Fall is always a crazy quilt time.  I'm either quilting, teaching, or traveling.  While teaching, I am not actively reading, but I read while flying and listen to audiobooks while quilting or driving.  I run through a lot of books each Autumn.  Here is September's book shelf:

The Martian by Andy Weir
I.  Love.  This.  Book!  I am a sucker for any post-apocalyptic book.  I am a sucker for any book that gets mired into teeny, tiny details.  I am a sucker for smart and witty books.  I am a sucker for a good story.  After only 10 minutes of listening, I felt he wrote this book just for me!  I was tickled to find out it was going to be a movie.  I thought that Mark Wahlberg was starring in it, which was good, but later learned it was Matt Damon, which is even better!  The movie opens in October and I will carve some precious time from my schedule to get to the theatre!  The books are always better than the movies, but I'm always hopeful.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 
I gave a full review here but the short version is "Amazing book!  Why haven't I read this before?"

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
I was raving about my love of The Martian and all things post-apocalyptic to another industry professional and she responded with her love of The Martian and all things post-apocalyptic.  We are now book buddies!  She recommended this Young Adult book which sparked her love of survival tales.  It was short and succinct and I have already requested the next in the series.

Bear is Broken by Lachlan Smith
Since I listen to books while I'm quilting, the book doesn't have to be great; it just has to be interesting.  This was one of those books.  It wasn't great, but it had a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the end.

Stuffology by Brenda Avadian and Eric M. Riddle
This was a Deal of the Day book and I am always interested in finding a better way to deal with the "stuff" I have accumulated.  This book didn't do that.  It was a general overview of what clutter is and a few stories about people dealing with their piles, but I can't recommend this book.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Although I have watched James Bond movies my whole life, never have I ever read one of the novels.  I decided to start at the beginning with Casino Royale.  I am very well acquainted with the plot of the movie and was surprised at how closely the movie followed the book.  Since the book was over 50 years old when the movie was made, they had to make some changes to make it seem current.  As soon as I finished the book, I watched the movie because because Daniel Craig.  Sigh.

The River by Gary Paulsen
This is the sequel to Hatchet.  These are outdoor survival novels for tweens.  Fast paced and easy to read, it was a quick listen and short enough that I finished the book while quilting after dinner!

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning
My husband and I have been watching/listening/discussing a lot about WWII lately so this a timely read for me.  Sparked by Hilter's mass book burnings, the US put books millions of books into the hands of our soldiers during the war.  This was a really interesting account of how the book program started, how it got bogged down in politics, the impact those books had on individual soldiers, and the lasting impact of a well-read military.

Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
I just keep requesting the next book in the Hatchet series and the library keeps getting them for me quickly!  John Boy narrated this one (the other ones were narrated by Peter Coyote).  The author indulged himself and wrote his own alternate universe:  What would have happened if....?  Basically, if the ending of the first book had been different, this would have been the second book.  Another quick-moving adventure book for young boys.  It's a fun listen even though I am neither young nor a boy.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
This was a random selection from my library.  Viktor Frankl was imprisoned in concentration camps by the Germans during WWII.  As a psychiatrist, he discusses survival and the search for hope and meaning in life.  I was disappointed that the CDs in this set were damaged and I missed a bit of text
here and there, but it was a fascinating read/listen.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
If I I only knew humans by the characters in this book, I would think that all men are rubbish (they aren't), that infidelity is a bad idea (it is), and that there are no good people on earth (there are).  I disliked every single character and still read the book to completion.  To say that I liked this book would be incorrect, but it was engaging.  It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion (pun intended) and I couldn't look away.  I think I need to read Pollyanna or The Little Princess or some other feel-good book soon else I'll give up hope for humanity.

Descent by Tim Johnston
Imperfect people dealing with difficult subject matter, this was a well-written book that kept me riveted.  Even though I couldn't connect with the mother, I cared about what happened to these people and needed to know how their story ended.  Sadly, this book ended too soon.  I want to know more.  I'm always desperate for the story after the story, y'know?


I get a lot of my audio books on CD from my local library, but I also have and Audible account.  It is worth every penny to me!  Amazon is offering a special promotion if you want to check out Audible and see if you love it, too.