Week Fifty-Two - Challenge Completed

The love triangle (Stephanie + Morelli + Ranger) lives. Some readers will be glad while others will probably be disappointed. But if its junk food you crave read 22 and look forward to 23.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Zapotoski Annual Gathering 2015

Piggy Pat's BBQ

Christmas Present 2015

Lily gave this book to Gramps for Christmas 2015. This gift was read immediately. Gramps was smiling right through to the end.

2015 Christmas Present

Elizabeth and Lily were on the same seasonal wavelength. Each of them gave a copy of this book to Grammie for Christmas 2015. This gift was read immediately followed by several chuckles.

2015 Christmas Present

Elizabeth gave this book to Gramps for Christmas 2015. This gift was read the next morning at the breakfast table. What a fun book.

Week Fifty-One - 1 To Go

A thoroughly enjoyable and charming read. All of M.C. Beaton’s wonderful characters abound in this latest entry in the Hamish Macbeth series. In his effort to keep his beloved Lochdubh police station open, Hamish with the aid of his trusty assistant, Dick, foil Detective Chief Inspector Blair’s attempt to get rid of Hamish. The epilogue hints that changes might be afoot in the Scottish Highlands.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Week Fifty - 2 To Go

Ferriday, Louisiana. Was it something in the water? The Killer, the Thriller, and the Fulfiller - their story is one of perseverance.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Week Forty-Nine - 3 To Go

Not your usual Holly, Jolly Christmas story, but worth reading for the tension  between the characters and their perceived doom.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Freda's Voice 100+ Book Challenge 2015

The Philosopher Stone Reading List

January 2015 Reviews

#1 - Blood On the Water by Anne Perry
#2 - Private India: City on Fire (Private 8) by James Patterson & Ashwin SanghiSantosh Wagh
#3 - Hope To Die - The return of Alex Cross by James Patterson

#4 - He Who Fears the Wolf (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) - Karin Fossum

#5 - Pogue's Basics: Essential Tips and Shortcuts (That No One Bothers to Tell You) for Simplifying the Technology in Your Life Paperback by David Pogue

#6 - AMERICA -- FARM TO TABLE: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local Farmers by Mario Batali and Jim Webster

#7 - In the Company of Sherlock Holmes edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

#8 - Blizzard by John Rocco

#9 - Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet

#10 - The Animals’ Santa by Jan Brett

#11 - Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate

#12 - Shooting at the Stars - The Christmas Truce of 1914 - Written and illustrated by John Hendrix

#13 - The Last Christmas Tree by Stephen Krensky (Author), Pascal Campion (Illustrator)

#14 - Simon and the Bear - a Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel illlustrated by Matthew Trueman

#15 - The Caller by Karin Fossum

#16 - Tennessee Williams - A Biography - Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh by John Lahr

#17 - Gray Mountain - A Novel by John Grisham

#18 - Die Again: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel by Tess Gerritsen

#19 - The Cinderella Murder (An Under Suspicion novel) by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke 

#20 - A Question of Honor - A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd 

#21 - Capture the Magic - Train Your Eye - Improve Your Photographic Composition by Jack Dykinga

#22 - The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall

#23 - The Finger Lakes - nature’s beauty by Den Linnehan 

#24 - The Body Snatchers Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery Hardcover by Marcia Muller  & Bill Pronzini 

February 2015 Reviews

#25 - The Confession by Charles Todd

#26 - Private Vegas by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

#27 - Insatiable Appetites - A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods 

#28 - Salt Marsh Diary - A Year on the Connecticut Coast by Mark Seth Lender

#29 - The Warbler Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle

#30 - Five Star Trails - Finger Lakes & Central New York - Your Guide to the Area’s Most Beautiful Hikes by Timothy Starmer

#31 - Dick Francis’s Gamble by Felix Francis

#32 - What Happens On Wednesdays by Emily Jenkins Pictures by Lauren Castillo  

#33 - A Fine Summer's Day - An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd

#34 - Dick Francis’s Bloodline by Felix Francis

March 2015 Reviews

#35 - Death of a Liar - A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M.C. Beaton

#36 - Photography - The Definitive Visual History by Tom Ang 

#37 - Jerry Lee Lewis - His Own Story  by Rick Bragg 

#38 - Dick Francis’s Damage by Felix Francis 

#39 - Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death (The Grantchester Mysteries) by James Runcie

#40 - Twelve Days - A John Wells Novel by Alex Berenson

#41 - Endangered by C.J. Box 

#42 - Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins, Woodpeckers, and Other Wildlife by John M. Marzluff Illustrations by Jack DeLap

#43 - The Martini Shot - A Novella and Stories by George Pelecanos 

#44 - Unnatural Causes (Adam Dagliesh Mystery Series #3) by P.D. James

#45 - Your Photos Stink! by David D. Busch & Rob Sheppard

April 2015 Reviews

#46 - Paddington by Michael Bond Illustrated by R.W. Alley 

#47 - Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil (The Grantchester Mysteries) by James Runcie

#48 - H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald 

#49 - NYPD RED 3 by James Patterson & Marshall Karp

#50 - Who Buries the Dead - A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

#51 - The Stranger by Harlan Coben

#52 - The Gardener's Garden by Madison Cox (Introduction), Toby Musgrave (Contributor), Bill Noble (Contributor), Lindsey Taylor (Contributor) 

#53 - What Angels Fear - A Historical Mystery by C. S. Harris

#54 - Finding Spring by Carin Berger

#55 - The B-Side: the Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song by Ben Yagoda 

May 2015 Reviews

#56 - My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell

#57 - Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

#58 - Falling In Love - A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon

#59 - Billy Martin - Baseball’s Flawed Genius by Bill Pennington

#60 - Blood on Snow - Jo Nesbø

#61 - When Gods Die - A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

#62 - Dragonflies by Pieter van Dokkum

#63 - Gathering Prey by John Sandford  

#64 - Fireflies by Margaret Hall

#65 - Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens Cooking

#66 - 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

#67 - Gathering Prey by John Sandford

#68 - Dragonflies by Pieter van Dokkum 

June 2105 Reviews

#69 - Hurry Up and Slow Down by Layn Marlow 

#70 - Tin City - A Rushmore McKenzie Novel By David Housewright

#71 - Curse of the Jade Lily - A Rushmore McKenzie Novel By David Housewright 

#72 - Solitude Creek - A Kathryn Dance Novel by Jeffery Deaver 

#73 - Hot Pursuit - A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods 

#74 - Landed Gentry by Alan Hunter

#75 - Peterson Reference Guides: Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds Hardcover by Kevin Karlson and Dale Rosselet

#76 - Gently by the Shore by Alan Hunter

#77 - Monkey And Duck Quack Up! by Jennifer Hamburg 

#78 - Gently With Love by Alan Hunter

#79 - Truth or Die by James Patterson & Howard Roughan 

July 2105 Reviews

#80 - Baseball Maverick: How Sandy Alderson Revolutionized Baseball and Revived the Mets – by Steve Keitmann

#81 - Gently in Trees by Alan Hunter 

#82 - The World of Birds by Jonathan Elphick

#83 - The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone Roach

#84 - The Sherwood Inn: The Cornerstone of Skaneateles Since 1807
by Bill Eberhardt, Denise Owen Harrigan, James Scherzi (Photographs) 

August 2105 Reviews 

#85 - The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

#86 - Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely

#87 - Badlands by C.J. Box

#88 - How to Archive Family Photos - A Step-by-Step Guide to Organize and Share Your Photos Digitally by Denise May Levenick 

#89 - The President’s Shadow by Brad Meltzer 

#90 - Alert - A Michael Bennett Novel by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

#91 - Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, Marc Brown (Illustrator) 

#92 - Naked Greed - A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods

#93 - The English Spy by Daniel Silva 

#94 - The Book Boat’s In by Cynthia Cotten, illustrated by Francé Lessac

September 2105 Reviews 

#95 - Vixen - A Nameless Detective Novel by Bill Pronzini

#96 - The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt (Author), Oliver Jeffers (Illustrator)

#97 - There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books! by Lucille Colandro

#98 - The Nature of the Beast - A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny

#99 - Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn McKinlay

#100 - Make Me - A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child

October 2105 Reviews  

#101 - At the Drop of a Hat (A Hat Shop Mystery) by Jenn McKinlay

#102 - A Full Life - Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter 

#103 - The Girl In The Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz

#104 - Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins - A Jesse Stone Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman 

#105 - Faceless Killers - A Mystery - Henning Mankell

#106 - Shadow Play by Iris Johansen 

#107 - Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham 

November 2105 Reviews

#108 - Once in a Great City - A Detroit Story by David Maraniss

#109 - The Survivor (Mitch Rapp Series #14) by Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills 

#110 - Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen

#111 - The Murder House by James Patterson & David Ellis 

#112 - Foreign Affairs (A Stone Barrington Novel) by Stuart Woods 

#113 - The Guilty (Will Robie) by David Baldacci

December 2105 Reviews

#114 - The Promise (An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel) by Robert Crais

#115 - A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry

#116 - Cross Justice by James Patterson

#117 - Unconquered - The Saga of Cousins - Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley by J.D. Davis 

#118 - Dishing the Dirt - An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton

#119 - Tricky Twenty-Two - A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich 

 Be careful about reading health books.

You may die of a misprint.

 - Mark Twain

Freda's Voice 100+ Book Challenge 2014

Week Forty-Eight - 4 To Go

Starts off well; ends on a low note. Too many abusive subplots. Look forward to the return of the real Will Robie.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Week Forty-Seven - 5 To Go

Cannot believe that Stuart Woods is the author. If so, Woods must have emailed this book in. Very disappointed.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Saint George Magedonian Orthodox Church

Saint George Magedonian Orthodox Church

More interpretations at InSPIREd Sunday.

1812 B&B

Front Door

View from North State Street

Staircase with Chandelier and Stained Glass

 

Upper foyer

Our Room

 

Stained Glass in our Bathroom

Other Rooms

 

Abbot

 

Chilton

 

Downstairs Foyer

 Ladies' Sitting Room

Men's Smoking Room (Where we were served breakfast.)

Week Forty-Six - 6 To Go

Short chapters make for speed reading. This crime thriller with its numerous  plot twists hastens the pace. Patterson could be back.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015

Week Forty-Five - 7 To Go

In his encyclopedic account of Detroit in the early sixties, journalist David Maraniss hints that urban violence may have played a decisive role in bringing down Detroit. Regardless, even the causal non-fiction reader will be engrossed by the Motown chapters.

Read 52 in 52 Weeks 2015