Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Last Saturday, Hub and I didn't have anything we had to do, so we decided to spend the day at an estate auction that wasn't too far from where we live. It was a beautiful day, and lots of people were out.   Some were looking for antiques, some wanted farm equipment, and some were looking for bargains. There were lots of books,   lots of good books, but my bookshelves are full.   Sigh .  Moving on. I have a set of china like this, so I thought I might buy these to add to it.  Nope.  Someone wanted it worse than I did. These sales always remind me that someday, strangers may be looking and touching all the treasures that we have now.  In the last few years, I have decreased the amount of goodies I had in storage in the basement, but it would still be a challenge for my family if Hub and I died suddenly. It is hard to get rid of things that give us comfort, like books and pottery and quilt...

Here is the list of the books I read in 2014. You will notice that a couple are listed twice; this is not a typo.  I loved the books so much that I reread them. Blink of An Eye.....Ted Dekker The Good Guy.....Dean Koontz The Athena Project....Brad Thor The Devil's Dream......Lee Smith The Shoemaker's Wife...Adriana Trigiani White Fire...Preston and Child Target....Catherine Coulter Never Go Back...Lee Child Icy Sparks..Gwyn Hyman Rubio Oolong Dead...Laura Childs Sycamore Road...John Grisham Caught....Harlan Coben Envy...Sandra Brown The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier..Rose Houk The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc..Loraine Despres Fly Away...Kristin Hannah Live Wire...Harlan Coben The White Devil..Justin Evans The Tea Olive Bird Watching Society..Augusta Trobaugh Big Hair and Flying Cows...Delores J. Wilson The Scarecrow...Michael Connelly High Country Fall...Margaret Maron Malice...Lisa Jackson A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories...F...

Right now, there are three storms in the Atlantic. Danielle and Earl may turn north and do little harm, except to the people on ships (remember Perfect Storm ?). Overall, hurricanes can't be trusted, sometimes changing their direction in spite of the Weather Channel's predictions. Having lived most of my life 'on the ridge', away from the ocean, I've never experienced a hurricane personally. I have friends that have. All of them, 100%, say they will evacuate from now on. Here's some books to go along with hurricane season. This is a sweet story of four women caught in a hurricane at Paradise Resort in the Bahamas. The four women are totally different, and you will be rooting for all of them by the end of the book. Loved it! My favorite author, James Lee Burke, wrote Ti n Roof Blowdown after Katrina destroyed New Orleans. It is fiction, but you will learn a lot about things that never made the nightly news. Starting a JLB book is a commitment for me, because I ...

I am an avid book lover. From the time I learned to read, there has been one close to me. My bedside table is piled high with the ones I just have to read next. Here are some of my favorites: In 2000, Sam Venable of Knoxville published this beautiful book. I was privileged to meet the author at the fall festival held each year at the Museum of Appalachia. Since then, I have read the rest of his books, but this one is still my favorite. Our country is blessed with an abundance of wildflowers. I have enjoyed and appreciated the ones in Alabama with the help of this book and some good teachers! Sharyn McCrumb is another author from Appalachia that I adore. Her stories transport you to the mountain peaks and hollows and the life contained there. Her Rosewood Casket book is good enough to read over and over. What can I say? I'm a Southern girl. This book should be read at least every decade. James Michener is one of the great American authors. I have devoured his books, Alaska, Chesape...