End of October

Here's a brief post to tally-up fabric used, and books read during the month of October.

Simply, this is the grand sum of fabric I used in October - all of it used to piece the Filmstrip Quilt backing and binding. 

I didn't make the eight Posh Penelope blocks I have cut and ready to sew, and have determined I must stop setting goals for myself. Failure doesn't feel good.

On the positive side no fabric came in. I am feeling greater determination to raise output in November. 

Book Recommendations

Six audiobooks are on my October listening list. In order, according to my rating with 5.0 being "the best," here are the titles and authors:

•  4.4 - Last Night Over Galveston, Jennifer L. Wright
•  4.4 - I Am Still Alive, Kate Alice Marshall
•  4.3 - A Killing Cold, Kate Alice Marshall
•  4.3 - What You Wish For, Katherine Center
•  4.2 - The Wedding Vow, Dandy Smith
•  4.2 - Write Me for You, Tillie Cole

And one book I couldn't finish: The Innocents, by Francesca Segal. I very rarely don't finish a book, but this simply could not keep my attention.

Last Light Over Galveston is historical fiction, about the 1900 storm that decimated Galveston, Texas. I learned that this "never-could-happen" storm was a hurricane that cost the lives of 8,000 to 10,000 people, and is the largest natural disaster in US history. The story is told from the perspective of a young woman who has run away from her home in New York, where her domineering father is using her as a pawn for his financial gain. She ends up at an orphanage where she makes friends and is deciding what to do next when the storm hits. In this book, you'll learn a little bit about the history of weather-forecasting too. 

Ironically, the next book I chose to listen to was What You Wish For, and it's a story that takes place in... Did you guessed it? - Galveston, Texas! It's present day though, and is about a private elementary school and the school librarian who - at one point in the story - tells children about the 1900 hurricane. I couldn't have picked out such a story if I tried! The book's focus is on the school's new principal who has railroaded their traditions, changing everything to emphasize school security. 

I think I pretty much like anything written by Kate Alice Marshall. While her story themes may be a bit far-fetched, she's very entertaining.

For example, in I'm Still Alive, we're following a teenage girl, Jess, who has been left stranded in the north woods of Canada. Winter is coming, and she must remember everything she's been taught, and has yet to figure out, about how to survive on her own. 

The Wedding Vow is an exciting read from the perspective of a young wife who's learning that her beloved dead husband was a conniving philanderer. It's one of those wonderful stories where the author leads you through the book by a nose ring - sure you know who the real culprit is - and then brings you up short.

Dandy Smith is another good author. Thanks Karen E.! 

As for the book Write Me for You... boy, is it heart-wrenching! I mean, I'd rate it higher because it's well-written, but the topic is difficult.

Teenagers June and Jesse meet at a special hospital - a lovely Texas horse ranch - to participate in a drug trial meant as a last ditch effort to save people with acute myeloid leukemia. They become the focus of a beautiful love story.

Take a screen shot, shown in rating order, so you'll have it the next time you're looking for a book. Enjoy!

Linda