Mysteries worth reading......by Lousie Penny

Author Louise Penny

"I'm often asked two questions: should the books be read in order? And, what is the order?

Both excellent questions. At the risk of appearing to want you to buy more books let me say that while it's not necessary to read them in any particular order (they're designed to be self-standing) there is quite a strong character development arc. I think you'd enjoy the books even more if read in order.
Now, here's the order, from the first to the most recent:

STILL LIFE
A FATAL GRACE / DEAD COLD
THE CRUELEST MONTH
A RULE AGAINST MURDER / THE MURDER STONE
THE BRUTAL TELLING
BURY YOUR DEAD
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY

Some of the books have different titles, as you might have noticed. The publishers did this not, as you might suspect, to be annoying but because they genuinely feel their readers respond to different titles. I hope it's not too confusing."

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Everything above was from Louise's web pages.  I love her books! That is if you can love reading about a victim of murder.....and I don't always like that part....but the characters are very good, and deep.  The setting is charming.

Read this one first.......[it is being made into a movie by Canadian Broadcasting Company]

And before you read The Brutal Telling , you could read this by Susan Vreeland

as it is the source of the title phrase, "The Brutal Telling".

Now, I have just finished reading TBT ( the brutal telling) and must go and find the next one which will wind up some loose ends.... Bury Your Dead !

AND I am really looking forward to reading her latest, "The Beautiful Mystery" which is set in monestery with vows of silence.  [watch the movie "Into Great Silence" to get a bit of monestery atmosphere!]

Artists and colors we love.......

Above, Pierre Bonnard rendered a landscape near the Mediterranean....it caught my eye because of the lime (yellow green) and wonderful blues...indigo, turquoise, aqua, cobalt...

notice too how his sky is yellow and lavender, we'll get back to that later...

Recently, my friend and fellow quilt artist, Paula gave me two photos. The first (underneath in the scan) is of an "ocean waves" quilt which she is working on. [I had given her the tote bag from old blue jeans]. It had wonderful blues, limes and a little bright yellow to "pop" and excite the eye.

Then, last month, I received the second, a post card from her trip to Colorado.

They were lying together on a table top and I realized that the colors were repeating again! She had selected a postcard true to the month of her visit to the area, and the colors were right there! I think this shows how an artist is subconsciously organizing and reacting to colors most of the time!

Now back to the yellow sky and lavender, here is a landscape art quilt which I made last spring. It is of our Ozark mountains on a misty morning.....(donated to a silent auction last week. )

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I was so happy to stumble across two recent books in the Maise Dobbs mystery series....

I just read "The Mapping of Love and Death" last week, and have the next in the series on reserve for me at our library...

I recommend this series ( which I was introduced to by my friend, Paula, LOL!) for anyone interested in an accurate portrayal of English life from the early 1900's as Maisie grows up...and especially the period between the two World Wars. The first book of the series, by Jacqueline Winspear, is simply titled "Maisie Dobbs".

Good company!

Still struggling with a new computer, without my photoshop at the moment....endless re-booting....as it presents us with "blue screens" and shutdown notices.

So, I will continue trying to get my bird paintings posted, in the mean time I am reading short stories from this wonderful book, "Birds of America" by Lorrie Moore! The stories are quirky but overall joyful in celebrating life! Great company for winter afternoons!
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NOTE: got the photos up here! Now off to yoga!

Out and about in my "home away from home" for the moment, Little Rock, Arkansas, seems to mostly involve trips to donate at the Goodwill thrift shop. Of course, after giving them our donation, I have to browse in the shop itself. This is fun....and it is cool and air-conditioned! I picked up the hardback of "Cold Mountain"....partly because I love the intense blue cover with distant mountains (we have similar scenes near my other home). I have avoided this novel and movie since it first came out (afraid it might be too graphic or upsetting)...but will now give it a chance. It was only $2.00 and for a good cause...

Another "find" some dishes with the pattern name of "Ella's Rooster". As Ella is my mom's name and also my great-niece, these were meant to be ours!!!

I'm still loving tunics!!!! This Irish linen tunic with a bit of sparkle was in the window of a resale shop near the yoga studio where I take classes, AND they were having a SALE....so of course.......

Today I found a soft white cotton pleated tunic at Goodwill. It is so light and airy! Rather a cross between a tuxedo shirt and a peasant blouse! [natural pearl buttons, too!] the heat index climbs to 100 degrees and above...but I am ready!

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Another delight while away from home, is e-mail!!!! [so write to me!!!LOL!]

Today's e-mail was a wonderful letter from my friend Paula. I have her permission to share it with you! She tells me the manner in which she came to create this little vignette in her home....

"Sending you photos and descriptions of my latest treasures:

The three floats occupying the far right, center, and far left are the ones I found at the Potter's House thrift shop last week. They were tied together and had a macrame type cover that obscured the glass so I cut the twine off. What you see now is the imprint of the macrame protecting the glass. The sand would get on the glass and abrad the glass leaving it cloudy with many small scratches. The glass under the twine is smooth-this created the subtle pattern you see on those
three. These floats are probably older--maybe vintage. The other two are gifts from Martha Lew Featherstone, a friend of Joan Beyette's with whom I visited recently. The two from ML were collected more recently off the coast of Alaska, and, when I look closely at those floats, they have a seam line so they are newer.

Your "landlocked beachcomber" friend had great fun putting this together. I enjoy how the light plays off the different colors. I took this (photo) at 3:00 yesterday in natural light. I found the sign in the background for $1 at a flea market earlier this summer and placed one of my favorite fabrics behind it. These pale colors seem perfect for summer days.

Your friend,Paula"

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So thrift shops, flea markets and resale shops are where the treasures are this summer! Have you been blessed by finding special things just waiting for you there????

Of the Sea and Mermaids.....

If it's too hot to remain landlocked, we must search for ocean breezes.....

Caribbean paintings, seashell mirrors, dolls, sculptures, books about mermaids*.......

Look into the mermaid's mirror and see your true self!

\ So much creative possibility......and finally when it comes down to pure delight,

a little "merman" seeing his true self!

* a couple of books..."A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids" by Margot Datz and "A Mermaid's Tale" by Amanda Adams.

Cheerful bouquet of blooms from the garden.
It is pouring rain now, helping to grow more flowers and maybe even a tomato or two.... I will spend a quiet day with several library books.
I am reading another Hamish Macbeth mystery, and a John O'Donohue book called
"Eternal Echoes".
I also brought home a novel by Tracy Chevalier, "Burning Bright" about William Blake and London in the late 1700's, an Alexander McCall Smith mystery novel "The Miracle at Speedy Motors" (love this series about Botswana and the #1 Ladies Detective Agency!), and a "Harmony" novel by Philip Gulley who writes about the imaginary small town of Harmony, Indiana.
Sometimes I do check out more that I can read....but we can renew on line with our own personal public library accounts! Or I can return them and get them at another time.
Today does seem to be a good day for reading...of course I have a quilt top to baste and I could begin sewing a wedding quilt for a nephew....but first reading. I need to finish the Hamish story. Off to extreme northwest rural Scotland now!

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Here is a book just coming out this month by a local author. I have read the rave reviews!

The book is "The Word Diet" by Rhonda Bell Holmes. It is a thirty day journal/guide to creating a more fulfilled and faith-filled life. I will have to find it at our local Barnes and Nobles soon. (It is already available on-line with Barnes!)
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Good news just came in the mailbox.....I sold this watercolor painting at a local gallery! Nothing lifts my spirits as much as making and selling my art!

I'm back...I could go pick up the paint brush and finish the trim in the breakfast room...but I stopped to read e-mails.
I get this little comic strip daily in my e-mail (because my name is Lila and I couldn't resist), The Meaning of Lila. Today's strip shows that Lila has a blog. Funny! ?

[I really think she is a more shallow and superficial "Lila" than I am! Also a generation younger???]

In addition to the comic strip and e-mail, I have been reading "Three Cups of Tea" which I highly recommend!

I have just started reading, "The Kite Runner", and think I will like it, too ( though I know it is intense, so we'll see.)

I'll post some photos of my backyard "secret garden" soon....I was inspired by visiting my friend Paula's garden!

Report of this weeks activities....

Art Center of the Ozarks silent auction of 5X5 paintings was last night! Mr. Pear and I attended and had a lovely time. It is a fund raiser for the art center for which local artists donate a 5" x 5" painting or artwork.



This painting of a zinnia bouquet was my donation this year. It had several bids then Mr. Pear put in a bid on it, so of course it ended up coming home with us! [I'm really kind of glad to have it back.]

I bid on and won another which has similar colors....it is of a fleamarket in Mexico by Janis Gill Ward.

I couldn't resist, I picked up Jan Karon's latest novel while running errands yesterday.


I have started it and am enjoying it, mostly because having read this entire series(the Mitford series) the characters are like old friends. Hers are books about peaceful and ordinary lives but with loads of charm and grace.






This is another "project" I have going right now...trying a new experiment in "paper quilts". One for each season of the year.
This is the winter quilt. My Bernina sewing machine rebelled at quilting these and is now going in to be repaired. I am VERY CAREFULLY finishing the quilting and bindings on my old Singer Featherweight!
Not much time to visit blogs, as I have deadlines for the upcoming show!

Just taking it easy this week......

I'm curled up with library books and am mentally at least a thousand miles and a few hundred years away!

Back to blogging later!