Hoping everyone in the path of the storm is safe and cozy with lots of good books. Sadie, Good luck with your apartment hunting. :grouphug: I haven't had much time to read but managed to finish my kindle prime choice Holy Islandhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24273148-holy-island?ac=1&from_search=1which is a British crime novel set in Lindisfarne which is a place that has fascinated me for years. I have visited but the tide table always means we can't stay as long as I would like. Pretty place with a very small village. I loved the first half of this book. For awhile I thought it was going to be one of the best crime novels I have read recently (good characters, not too much description, and a little bit mystical) but as the book finished an ever increasing need for violence combined with a bad ending made the book a 3*. I might go ahead and read the second in the series but not sure.

I haven't had time to go through all of Gouge's books but I didn't see it with my quick glance. Her books look really good. Definitely a new author to explore. Thanks for saying you think you read it. I remember it fondly as sooooo very romantic. ;) But after several fruitless searches I start thinking I dreamed it! No, definitely not Morgan. It is something similar to Lenore. Unfortunately my sil is no longer part of our family and things will never be so I can contact her and ask. To be honest I doubt that she would remember it. I think part of the reason I managed to read it may have been she hadn't although I don't remember any really adult scenes either, just a nice romance built within a familiar story.

Since we are all thinking about our favorite Arthur books I am going to ask if anyone knows the name of a book I read off my sil's bookshelf as a teen. I have hunted but can't find it. I think the cover was misty with a blond/red head in a green dress. The book was about a woman named something similar to Lenore who was King Arthur's childhood playmate and his mistress. Other words his true love. She was present at his burial. I loved it. Probably read between 1975 and 1980. Any ideas???? I loved it and would like to revisit it.

In my cozy mystery quest I have encountered both titles. I have actually read one in Lesley Cookman's series and thought it was pretty good. I picked one fairly far in....remember my ukulele question. Anyway I enjoyed the characters and thought the atmosphere was good. It was a series I said I would read more of. I downloaded both so thank you. I have to admit the reviews of Strangeways to Oldham aren't positive.

Thanks for the review. I think I have 3 episodes on the recorder so far. I believe it is on Sunday evening. I think the series is supposed to be 6 episodes.

We did Calculus without a formal course. We did do the review on Coursera. Barron's review book. Planning to do more using the review book this year. English Language and Computer Science.

I have read most of this series and enjoyed it. Just remember that Temperance Brennan in the books is not the same as on Bones and I think you will really enjoy them. In the books she is much more of a real person and older with a real persons problems. I actually prefer the books but I am really fascinated by forensic science so these books are a favorite.

Rose, I suspect you have already read Angelmakerhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12266560-angelmakerby Nick Harkaway but if you haven't it is a great book. Lots of BaWer's read it a couple of years ago and I think everyone liked it. ;) I have actually been contemplating a reread.

I just finished another of my British village cozy mysteries. I have no idea if I have ever read a mystery by Veronica Heley before because she is rather prolific. I know I haven't read one in her Ellie Quicke series and I started at the beginning with Murder at the Alterhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2206504.Murder_at_the_Altar. To say it started slow and a bit depressing is being kind. Ellie is a very recent widow at 50 something who is dragged into a murder inquiry. The murderer also thinks she saw him and wants to silence her. The old helpless lady at 50 thing bugged me hugely and this book dragged it's way through the first third. The only thing that kept me going was a series review saying this book was dreadful compared to others in the series. I started off one last time this morning and the story improved. Actually improved enough that I gave it a four star at the end. I would start further in the series but not bad. Ellie does start acting her age and I think her friends are going to be fun sidekicks in later books.

I found it!!!http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/blrecipe_cloutie.htm Cloutie Pudding....lots of work! It wasn't bad but very heavy IMO, even for a fruit cake\pudding. Remember the general term for dessert is pudding no matter what it is. I haven't accomplished much reading today. Several books going all at once with little progress in any!

As I remember last year was: Cockalechie Souphttp://allrecipes.com/recipe/16360/cock-a-leekie-soup/or alternate choice of a very plain broth At some point a shot of whiskey, I think that was during the Haggis parade when dd had to carry about 15 pounds of haggis on a platter while a piper played. Hagis with mash (both potatoe and sweed), lots of gravy available Dessert was a rather spicey fruited cake with custard...dd loved it, similar to Christmas pudding but more of everything. She thinks it was called Cluny pudding but I have spelled it several ways and Google has failed. Or a nice raspberry pudding (cake with raspberry topping) It was a fun evening. Huge amount of work but people loved it.

I can't find the original Burn's Night post but we celebrate it, sort of by accident but we do. Two of my best friends have a charity dinner for 40+ in honour of Burns that week. The dc's are their waitstaff and I do dishes. Lots of fun. Yes, haggis is served and ds discovered he really likes it, ate two heaping plates last year. It actually is better than I imagined.

Are you enjoying the War and Peace series? I have been recording it but haven't had a chance to watch any of it yet. I am also hoping to like the show enough to read the book. ;) I never watch first but I need motivation to read that chunky of a book!

Continuing to send prsyrrs. So glad you were able to check in.

Happy Birthday Sophia!!!!

Amy, Chews on books is adorable. I just showed dd his picture with the puzzles. She loved (and still loves) puzzles. Too bad they weren't toddlers together! Ali, I know I read The Other Daughter. I think someone may have read it first. I really liked it. Narrow Gate Academy, Really glad you enjoyed Soulless. Eliana, I promise to give all your links the time they deserve later this week. Your post is wonderful, Thank You. I have several books started but haven't had a chance to settle into any of them yet.

My dad did have great sea stories but after he died we realized how many untold but horrifying ones he must of had. Dh, one of his hobbies is military history, sorted my dad's paperwork after his death and ended up applying for several medals etc. Dh couldn't believe the conflicts my dad had been in and never mentioned to him.

I just finished another British (Welsh to be exact) village cozy. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6383980-the-cold-light-of-mourning. The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth Duncan was a fun read. I ended up giving it 5* on Goodreads simply because it did the amateur sleuth (local manicurist) with lots of village colour really well. Lots of little clues that appeared to be missed were tied together at the end. Not much excess which I liked. I loved how a cup of tea kept solving all sorts of catastrophe. That can be pretty accurate and I still find it humorous in real life. Pretty early in our social home ed lives in the UK we were at an art class with a good friend of Ds and his mother when she got a phone call because her dh was being taken to hospital by ambulance because he couldn't breathe ( punctured lung from broken rib). Anyway everyone was scurrying around trying to get her to the hospital to meet him. Then I asked what she wanted me to do? She wanted a fresh cup of tea??? Yes, she calmly set down and drank her tea before telling us what she wanted to do with her dc's. Since then I tend to just offer tea in the face of huge distress to all. Seems to work. :lol: I am more of an action girl myself, notice I offer to make the tea. ;)

still sending prayers.

I have many memories of my father teaching me about the woods. Every spring I spent my afterschool hours in the woods hunting morel mushrooms with my dad who could spot them from about a hundred yards and send me after them. He also loved to hunt and fish, really anything outside. No hunting for me ever but I used to love fishing. Nan, he was a Merchant Marine during WW2 so I always read your posts about your boys with great interest. He claimed his experience in MM made him a great fisherman, he was the envy of his friends because he really was good at catching lots of fish when they weren't. It's funny to live in a place where I spend a great deal of time outside and don't really know what every single thing is and if it's safe to eat. We have done a few classes with naturalists but to be honest I wish my dad was here to sort it all out. The berries etc. we eat but mushrooms wild no thank you. I have continued reading my cozy mysteries and finished my Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart. The Murakami was enjoyable but I found I really needed to read it undisturbed so it took me awhile to get a chance to finish it. This one had all of his usual elements, cats, wells, etc. but I thought a bit lighter with them. Possibly a good first Murakami but 1Q84 remains my favourite. I also read the first in a new to me historical series recommended by Kareni, The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long (Pennyroyal Green). I will be reading more in order. ;) :lol:

I think she means Jenny in Florida but not positive. As I remember Laura went back to work with a first job at a post office. A real life friend did that route also. She has gone on to do her book keeping exams and is working in that field now. This friend was not a home ed mom but had not ever been employed outside the home). My other back to work home ed friend has part time job at a school where her youngest is attending. Eta...obviously I was posting at the same time as Laura. :)

Depending on your travel distance the SAT Subject exams have one huge advantage because you can do three exams in one day for a small additional fee ($12 Per additional exam I think). Dd has added extra subjects to make 3 each time and been pleasantly surprised with her extra exams. Because of the distance and nature of traffic for morning exams we have to stay at a hotel so additional expense so 3 done is great, even better when ds tests too. ;) We have recently done some CLEP exams and really like the fact they can be scheduled later in the day so no hotel stay needed. Also no real waiting period. I recently discovered that a transcript of your exams taken can be ordered showing your exact score not just pass/fail like I had thought. My ds especially enjoys these exams because it is an easy way (he likes tests) to demonstrate that he has mastered a subject (especially something he dislikes). Because of the transcript grades are easy to back up,

Good Luck!!!! Please let us know how he does. I love figure skating.

:grouphug: Praying

It's good to have you back! I hope you had a great time in California. I think you are now further into the Mercy Thompson series than me. :lol: I really need to finish it, on my list. Especially since I think I may have originally recommended it to you! :grouphug: to you and your foster son. I hope things get resolved soon. Your family's work fostering is so inspiring.