Top-Notch Knits by Martingale & Company

Amazon.com link for Top-Notch Knits by Martingale & Company


This is a pattern-packed book with something for everyone. Divided into sections:

Scarves shawls & wraps

Tanks tees & shells

Pullovers

Cardigans & Jackets

Thirty-three patterns in all! Fourteen of the patterns are labeled easy or for beginner knitters, and nineteen are for intermediate or advanced knitters.

The easy color-block shell with the cotton yarn looks pretty and comfortable. There is a lovely cashmere/silk blend lace scarf for the more advanced knitter. My favorite is the shark fin tank which I think I could hand knit the bottom border and then put on my knitting machine to finish. There is also a draped mock neck tank that would be perfect for the knitting machine or by hand. There are a few to make with bulky knits for a faster project.

There are nice large photographs of each of the finished projects. The instructions are well-written and easy to follow. The number and variety of patterns are what make this book so appealing.

Simple Stitches Knits with Textured Details by Eva Wiechmann

Amazon.com link for Simple Stitches

Simple Stitches, Knits with Textured Details is another great knitt  ing book from Martingale & Company publishing. The book starts with the appropriate how-to directions for stitches and finishing. I don’t think I have ever had a knitting pattern book in which I like every pattern and want to make each one of them – until this book. The sweaters are simple in styling with beautiful stitch patterns to create an elegant design with the textured details.


The first section is Garter-stitch projects which contains two short sleeve tops, a cardigan, and one long sleeve pullover tunic. The Seed-stitch Projects section has one each of a short-sleeved, sleeveless, tunic, and jacket. The Ribbing and Cable Projects section contains a cardigan, a pullover, and two short-sleeved tops. The last section is Openwork Projects has a cardigan, a vest and one short-sleeved top. The patterns are easy to follow and there are detailed photographs for each design.

Skill levels for these patterns are nine easy and six intermediate, but even the easiest pattern will look like a masterpiece. I love this quote from the book:

“In our increasingly hectic world, knitting should be relaxing. The patterns in this book were designed to do just that – help you relax as you knit.”

Alphabet Woof by Sherrie A Madia and Illustrated by Patrick Carlson

Amazon.com link for Alphabet Woof 
Alphabet Woof by Sherrie A. Madia is a delightful storybook about Moxy, the dog, and his family. The family grandma is quite the cook and makes up some very interesting soups! I always wonder what my dog would say if he could talk, and in Alphabet Woof we find out that Moxy has plenty to say.


The story is written in rhyme and would be an ideal book to read to a small child. I think it would be a little difficult for a beginner reader, but certainly with a little help it is a perfect book to learn from. It would also be a good book for small children to point out and name items in the illustrations. In the kitchen scene there are some unusual and fun objects.
The illustrations by Patrick Carlson are colorful and entertaining. Moxy is adorable and the family members engage in activities together. I would recommend Alphabet Woof for young children, a gift book for children, pre-school or elementary school classes. A portion of the proceeds benefits the SPCA International.

Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll

Amazon.com link For Fear No Evil
Fear No Evil is a crime/mystery novel set in Louisiana. I have not read the first book in this series, Deliver Us From Evil, but this book is perfectly fine as a standalone.

Lincoln Vailes is a likeable character as a Smokey Mountains park ranger turned Eternal Springs police officer. Lincoln’s faith is being tested as he tries to accept the Alzheimer’s disease overtaking his father, a former pastor. Jade is a new social worker helping abused woman and children, but her past comes back to haunt her in the form of gang activity.

Just locating the story in an interesting area isn’t always enough. Having grown up in Louisiana, I would have appreciated more description of the sights, scents, and feel of the area. But the mystery story is interesting and also has a light romance.

I especially appreciate that the main characters are men and women of faith, and the book contains scripture intermingled with the story. You will, however, see the end coming from five miles away!  Even so, it is an enjoyable read.

Petra - City of Stone by T. L. Higley

Amazon link to purchase Petra City of Stone
About the Book:  Young widow Cassia arrives in Petra seeking protection with her late husband's estranged family---only to discover the man she married was heir to the throne! When power-hungry Queen Hagiru immediately begins plotting to murder Cassia's son, will Cassia and a small band of believers be able to win the fierce spiritual battle that ensues?


My Review: What a wonderfully rich and descriptive book! Petra is nothing less than enthralling. T. L. Higley’s detailed description of the area of and around Petra was so vivid that I was compelled to Google some photographs. I found that her verbal illustrations were spot-on.

The writing is beautiful and the story is interesting. Cassia is a strong character as she faces a new land, new people and danger around every corner. She is not sure who to trust, but she forms strong bonds with the local Christians.There is a light romance with Julian. He has a difficult decision of whether to follow God’s leading or the woman he loves.

Queen Hagiru’s evil plans are truly frightening as she calls upon demonic powers to help her achieve her goal to present her son as King, but the awesome power of God is evident all through the book. 

This one is certain to end of in my top ten favorite books this year.  Be sure to watch the trailer below:

The Skinny on Willpower by Jim Randel

amazon.com link for The Skinny on Willpower

The Skinny on Willpower –how to develop self-discipline is another in The Skinny On series. I previously reviewed The Skinny on Time Management. The Skinny On books are designed to bring a power pack of information in a quick-read form. Introduced with “Give us about an hour to read about Bill and Beth’s struggles with the willpower they need to accomplish their goals”. The book delivers what it promises.


The stick figures are back, and I would have missed them if they had not! The pictures and lesson layout make this an interesting way to study this important topic. Preparation, goals setting, goals management, thought control, challenges, and focus are all covered in these simple lessons.

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, keeping your focus on track can be a difficult project. The Skinny on Willpower will give you the tools to help the reader accomplish their goals.

Well the blog question this week is "Do you listen to music while you read?  My answer is definitely NO.  I almost never listen to music.  I know, that is strange, but I am just not a music person.

Saturday Style – Casual Knits for Weekend Wear by Doreen L. Marquart

Amazon.com link to purchase Saturday Style

Saturday Style contains 16 sweater patterns, with three tees, three jackets, six cardigans and four pullovers. Nice colorful large photos of the finished sweater accompany each pattern. The patterns are easy to follow, with nice text spacing to make them easy to read when the instructions are more detailed. All of the patterns are labeled easy to intermediate with most being easy. One problem I had was that least half of the finished sample sweaters were knitted with self-patterning yarn which can look nice, but in some cases made it difficult to see any patterning stitches in the designs.

I like the diagonal yoke jacket, (pictured on the cover) although I would not use the self-patterning yarn. I also liked the Drop-Shoulder Tee which is a simple round neck tee with a cap sleeve. I love knitted tees especially with cotton yarns. Several of the cardigans were a bulky look and had large buttons which I didn’t like, but there were a couple of oversized sweaters that looked like just the thing to wrap up in on a cold winter day.

Saturday Style has nice casual styles that would be good for beginners or advanced beginning knitters.

In Harm's Way by Ridley Pearson

Amazon.com link for In Harm's Way
About the Book: Sun Valley sheriff Walt Fleming's budding relationship with photographer Fiona Kenshaw hits a rough patch after Fiona is involved in a heroic river rescue and she attempts to duck the press. Despite her job and her laudable actions, she begs Walt to keep her photo out of the paper, avoiding him when he can't. Then Walt gets a phone call that changes everything: Lou Boldt, a police sergeant out of Seattle, calls to report that a recent murder may have a Sun Valley connection.

My Review:In Harm's Way is a good mystery/police drama with a likeable main character. Walt Fleming is a single dad trying to balance his difficult, time consuming job with the time he needs to spend with his children.

There are interesting interactions with his coworkers, including his new romantic interest, Fiona Kenshaw. I thought Fiona's emotional issues were a little over-the-top without a complete explanation, and the character of Kira got a little lost in the story. Lou Boldt from another of Pearson’s series is introduced in this book and I think it was a good addition.
The mystery conclusion fell a little short for me. Although I did not figure out the end ahead of time, it still left me unimpressed. I still found the book interesting enough that I would like to read the other Walt Fleming series books, Killer Weekend, Killer View, and Killer Summer.

Blog Hop Friday

Blog hopping around the book blogs.  Who is your favorite new-to-me author? I'm not sure I can answer this one because most of the books I read are new authors. 

The Classmate Murders by Bob Moats

Link to purchase print version of The Classmate Murders

Link to purchase Kindle version on Amazon.com

Link to purchase Nook version at Barnes and Noble

The Classmate Murders is a fun and clever mystery. The story is written mostly in narration style, which works perfectly with this main character. You can almost hear the character’s voice as he tells the story and adds his own brand of humor.

Jim Richards is a regular guy, who is mature, divorced, and living with his parents to help take care of his dad. When he finds his long-ago high school classmates are being murdered, he and his friends step in to try to find the killer and protect Penny, his new-found love. I have read many books with female civilians getting caught up in a murder mystery, but this time it is a man who noses his way into the action. The cops don’t like it – until he comes up with some interesting clues. I enjoyed the variety and personality differences in the characters. It is also fun to read about people closer to my age.

It is a reminder to younger people that love can bloom at any age, but I thought the romantic antics started to get in the way of the mystery. Eventually it got back on track and came through with a satisfying wrap up to the case.  I especially enjoyed the last part of the book that sets the stage for the following books.

This is an enjoyable and distinctive kind of mystery.  Great prices on these books, too. Print versions can be purchased at http://murdernovels.com/ and ebooks can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and other e-book sites.

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins

Amazon.com link for Deceit 

Joanne Weeks firmly believes that her friend was murdered by her husband, Baxter Jackson - especially when his second wife also ends up dead. The only person who may know what happened is Melissa, a former foster child, who has disappeared. Fortunately, Joanne is a skip tracer by profession and sets out to find her.

No one can create tension in words like Brandilyn Collins, and once again she has created a fast-paced and exciting suspense thriller. I had not heard of the term skip tracer before, and it was interesting to learn about that type of work. In her newest book, Deceit, there are surprises around every corner. The main character, Joanne, has to not only go against the bad guys, but also has to face those who believe that an elder of the church can do no wrong.

Matters of faith are always an important part of Brandilyn’s books. The main character has some very deep spiritual considerations she has to reflect upon because of situations that are created by her job. Of course, we don’t all have murderers in our churches, but the instances of church leaders who are not what they seem and divisions in the church by choosing sides are unfortunately very realistic.

This is another great book by one of my favorite authors. Deceit is a Zondervan publication. The author has a website here: Brandilyn Collins 

and a blog at: Forensics and Faith

Be sure to stop by and check out the mother/daughter photos at the blog - very funny!

Amazon.com link for The Janus Stone
Book Description: As an old house in Norwich is being demolished, bones of a child are found – minus the skull. Ruth Galloway is called in to assist and she is once again working with Detective Harry Nelson.
 My Review:I wanted to read The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths because I read and reviewed her first of the Ruth Galloway books, The Crossing Places, and enjoyed it very much. I wish I could say the same about this book. In the first, the author used location descriptions that were so vivid they brought the location of Saltmarsh to life, and its story  about finding the bones of an unknown child was touching.


In the Janus Stone, those rich descriptions were missing. The mystery was ok, but it was again about finding the bones of an unknown child. There were plenty of suspects and enough twists and turns to get lost in, but it fell short for me. We learn much more about the two main characters, Ruth Galloway and Harry Nelson, but unfortunately the more I learn about Ruth, the less I like her.

One issue I have is that the main character has a hatred for Christians. In the first book there was mention of the character’s born again parents and her disdain for them, but in this book she really went all out to try to paint them as bad people because of their faith.

Does the author thinks that Christians don't purchase mystery books?  Ah well.

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome Bloghoppers! Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy looking over my reviews. What are you reading?  I am reading Ridley Pearson In Harm's Way and Petra by T. L. Higley.

Together or Separate Knitting the New Twinset by Ann McCauley

Amazon.com link for Together or Separate

If I had to describe this knitting book in one word, it would be – elegance. The designs in Together or Separate depend on simple, but beautiful patterning for their stylish looks.

The book begins with what the author calls “Alphabet of Musings”, which is really a miscellaneous discussion of the knitter and techniques. It includes instructions on buttonholes, increases and general knitting techniques, but it also includes health issues for the knitter. “Breath and Knitting” which has breathing exercises to practice while knitting, with other sections on eyes, back and hand issues that knitters face after long episodes of knitting.

The patterns included in this book are: a striped sweater with a separate matching cowl, a very classy mock pleat and rib turtleneck and skirt, several shell/cardigan sets, (my favorite is the eyelet and ruffle cardigan and shell on p. 27), a turtleneck/ headband/vest set, a cardigan and socks set, and much more.

The skill level of the patterns is a good mix from easy to experienced, and some of the shells are a good starting point before moving on to the cardigan.

These are beautiful and timeless designs and I am pleased to have this book by Ann McCauley on my permanent book shelf.