More Autumn Reads

 Here are three more reviews of books I've read in the past couple of weeks

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker Some might be offended by this book and by the Prime tv series based on the book. It tells of a famous writer in his mid-thirties who has an affair of sorts with a 15-year-old girl. And while I do find such conduct appalling in real life, I can deal with bad behavior in fiction. You know, like murder, assault, abuse, arson, theft, etc. These aren't things we approve of in real life, but fiction often deals with things we don't approve of. And it's good story. Talk about twists and turns! I dare you to name the murderer before the end of the book. I believe I had pinned the deed on every single character at one time or another before the tale was told. 

Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll Others of you might not approve of this book either. I know some people don't like that she spoke out, and still others don't believe her, even though the courts do. Taking into consideration what women go through when they speak out against their attackers, I believe her and the other dozens of women who have spoken out against him. Ms Carroll's writing is light and conversational, sometimes even humorous. She doesn't feel sorry for herself; in fact, she's not above throwing shade on herself when she feels shade is due. So read it if you're interested; pass it by if you're not.

The Remedy by Shade Owens Four strangers are invited to a year-long retreat in the remote woodlands of Florida to receive treatment for their chronic illnesses and addictions for which they have found no effective treatments. Once settled in their rustic cabins, they find that the program, run by a weird elderly woman, is very unconventional. The woman tells them that invisible creatures in the woods will feed on their illnesses and they will be cured. I have mixed feelings about this book. The plot is imaginative and interesting. But the followthrough seems to be missing something, and I'm not sure what. Although the ending is quite shocking, I wasn't shocked. The characters are a bit flat, and the "creatures" aren't a bit scary. I'd be hard pressed to give it three out of five stars.

Copper Beauty

Vann's cypress tree in autumn 

When my husband Vann first got sick, sixteen years ago, our friend and neighbor Paul planted the cypress tree for him beside our house (that's not our house). Every autumn, it turns from bright green to copper, and then all the needles fall off until spring again. It was a tiny thing when Paul planted it, and it had grown only a couple of inches or less when Vann passed away. Now it's taller than all the other trees in the neighborhood, even taller than this photo shows, which was taken a few years ago. This year, it hasn't quite turned yet, but it won't be long.

Vann and Sophie about to go trick-or-treating in the 'hood. I believe this was Halloween 2003. Sophie hadn't been with us long. She and Vann bonded tightly on our way home after we picked her up. I miss them both a bunch.

More Signs of the Season...

 ...from times past.

I put things away where they're safe--too safe. I can't find the box that I stored the little Halloween ornaments in. But I'll keep looking.

My kitchen witch from a Halloween swap some years ago.

DIL Kathryn made this little ghost, one of my favorite things.

Carol, from Where the Wild Things Are, knitted by my friend Geta.

Black Cat Paper Doll, made by Sister Ramey.

All these photos are from years past. I've been slowly doing a little decorating around the house for the past few days. I'll have some picture laster.

I have to get back to quilting. I haven't done a thing on the Windows quilt this week.

My Halloween Tree

 It was a pattern for a Christmas Tree wall hanging, but I thought it would make a cute Halloween tree. So this is what I did.

Sister Ramey made the Vincent Price and black cat paper dolls that hang on my tree. Vincent was the star of many of the horror movies we saw on many weekends at the Roxie Theatre in our hometown of Leeds, Alabama. Childhood. There was fun there.

I have some plans to do a minimal amount of Autumn decorating. Can't let the season go by without some decorative recognition.

If you're interested in the pattern for this wall hanging, you can download it free on this website. Here's the link.

https://quiltmissouritutorials.com/trim-the-tree-quilt-free-pattern/#google_vignette

If the link doesn't work for you, google "Trim a Tree quilt pattern" and you should find it some place else.

O Hushed October

 The month I wait for all year is finally here. I can no longer do all cooking, decorating, walking in the woods, and stuff that I used to love to do in October. But I can still love it. I wish all of you a happy October. I'll be posting some of my Autumn quilts, decor, etc., during the next few weeks. If you're a lover of all things Autumn, you might find some ideas.

My Happy Jack that I made years ago (he's still happy) along with some of my Autumn quilts.

My witches. I made the one on the right in an Elinor Peace Bailey workshop at the Houston Quilt Festival sometime in the 90s. Elinor created her face. My friend Maria gave me the one on the right. It's handmade too; she got it at a craft festival, but I have forgot the details.

"Dancing Leaves," made a few years ago

Buzz Saw blocks for a guild block swap.

I made this mini quilt for the guild's quilt show charity auction 

several quilt shows ago.

A mini for my DIL Kathryn, whose nickname, for some reason, is Spooky.

I made this mini for an online Halloween swap that I joined years ago. I always planned to make another for me, but I have never done so.

MORE LATER

Oops!

 Studying the last photo I took of "Windows" in progress, I just spotted and error: last row, last two quarter block at bottom right are turned the wrong way. Easy fix. I have a fear that this is going to happen when the whole thing is put together and, worse yet, quilted. That's why I keep checking so often.

September Reading

 So far, I've read only two books this month, but I'm working on two more. One is The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker, which is also a limited series on Amazon Prime. I want to watch the series, but I wanted to read the book first. The other book I'm reading is Not My Type by E. Jean Carrol.  I'll review both these books here when I've finished them.

The Fall by Michael S. Vassel is an apocalyptic story that takes place a year since Earth's last pandemic. But something strange is happening to people. Births have slowed to a crawl and animals are becoming extinct. In addition, people all over the world are beginning to act strange, going on wild tirades, and destroying everything in sight. Some just curl up in place and die. As society crumbles, Paul and his wife Lorie leave their Ohio home in search of electricity and normal people, people like themselves unaffected by "the surge."

The Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden tells of a married couple, Abby and Sam, who are struggling to become parents. Pregnancy has ended in miscarriage, and attempts at adoption have fallen through. They have just about given up hope when Abby's assistant Monica offers to become a surrogate for them. What a generous offer! But, of course, Monica's motive is not as unselfish as it seems. Nor is Monica all that she seems to be.

Both of these books were entertaining and kept my interest. I recommend to anyone who likes thrillers.