A Painted House

A Painted House by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Grisham paints a picture of life in Arkansas in the 1950s as viewed through the eyes of 7 year old Luke. The book revolves around his family (the Chandlers) and the migrant workers that come to pick the cotton. Conflict soon arises between the Mexicans (especially Cowboy) and the Spruills (mainly due to Hank).

While Luke's life is mainly a monotonous one of picking cotton he dreams of playing baseball for the Cardinals and of his Uncle Ricky's return from Korea.

But the life of a cotton farmer isn't easy and when the rains come in the fall the cotton crop is destroyed by flooding. Luke and his parents flee North for the security of a factory job, while his Grandparents stay on the family farm.

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Kitchen Backsplash Continued

 This is the view from the Family Room, it;s going to look amazing when Bo is finished.

It really brings out the different colors in the granite. ~Alasandra

Kitchen Backsplash - June 3, 2018

On June 3rd they started on my backsplash, it was worth the wait. and I love my plug ins on the backsplash so glad Kevin at Wade Tile suggested them. Wade Tile dd my lovely granite counter top and trim.

The Tile was laid by Billy of Moore's Floors. He used the tile leftover from the kitchen floor and Master Bathroom and cut it to the size he wanted.

I love my cutout over the stove. ~Alasandra

Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1)

Brief Cases by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I prefer real books do I didn't read the ebook (I detest ebooks)

Love these short stories two of my favorites were Bigfoot On Campus and Zoo Day.

Bigfoot on Campus has Harry once again visiting Irwin at his Father's request (his Father is Bigfoot). It was neat getting to see Irwin grow up in the 3 short stories included in the book, this time the Son of Bigfoot has gotten himself into a real pickle he is in love with a White Court Vampire, and her Father is furious that she didn't kill him when she feed for the first time. This time Harry may not be able to save him on his own.

Zoo Day was possibly my favorite as we get Mouse's POV as well as Maggie and Harry's each of the three had their own "monster" to deal with. Mouse's POV also hints that something sinister is after Harry and Maggie. I can't help but wonder if Mouse's brother will be foolish enough to come back.

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Black Cats Tell All: True Tales And Inspiring Images by Layla Morgan Wilde (Goodreads Author)

Black Cats Tell All: True Tales And Inspiring Images by Layla Morgan Wilde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully written each story is unique and heartwarming in it's own way.



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Believe Me by J.P. Delaney (Goodreads Author), Tony Strong (Pseudonym)

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brilliantly written kept me guessing until the very last page.

Claire is hired by Stella to seduce her husband Patrick, but to Claire's surprise and dismay he turns her down. She is further surprised by Stella's reaction to learning she has a faithful husband. And is outright dismayed when she learns that Stella was killed later that night.

The police approach Claire first as a suspect and then later they entice her with a green card if she will help them entrap Patrick. But Claire falls in love with Patrick and decides to tell him everything, until she realizes that he thinks SHE killed Stella and has been working with the police to entrap her. Fleeing from Patrick's home she returns to the apartment the police rented for her and attempts suicide, only to wind up in a psychiatric ward.

Unable to prove that any of the events are true she sneaks onto a computer and reaches out to the one person who might be willing to help her, Patrick. And not only does he get her out of the psychiatric ward he produces a play and insist she star in it, but then she starts receiving creepy presents. Is Stella's real killer after her??? Her co-star is killed and then the night of the play the guy who is supposedly there to do Claire's makeup tries to kill her but Clair kills him first.

With the play dead and no hope of it being revived Patrick tries to make it up to Claire by taking her to Paris, but is it the romantic get away Claire envisions or something more sinister.

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Small Additions to the Kitchen & Porch

I love my Microwave Convection Oven, and my Microwave cabinet. I am also able to use the crocheted towel my Grandmother Agnes made for me. It looks really nice with the Emerald Ice walls.

I am enjoying my spice shelf.

I got a fruit basket.

And a black can opeaner.

I have had this for awhile, but it goes in my new kitchen perfectly.

I love my spoon rest.

I love the top tray on the dishwasher, it's perfect for putting lids and other small things.

I actually decided to relocate the coffee maker over here and I love the little teapot and the canister I got to hold the teabags.

I really like the paper towel holder too.

My utensil drawer.

This is the cutout from where the cook top went. It makes a perfect table for my porch, one day I am going to get them to smooth out the edges and I am going to find a better base for it.

A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #4)

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jacob's parents plan to have him committed to a psychiatric facility and then Miss Peregrine and her wards show up. Jacob learns that Abe tried to share his secret with his son but was rebuffed and his Father again chooses not to "know" about his peculiar relatives and has his memory wiped. He and his wife take a trip to Asia leaving Jacob alone in Florida with Miss Peregrine and the kids. Miss Peregrine hopes that Jacob can teach them to behave like normals in the present time.

But then they find Abe's underground bunker his secret garage and his activity log and Jacob sets out to find H. Unfortunately all this talk of Abe resurrects old memories in Emma and she and Jacob break up.

H sends Jacob to rescue Noor but the situation is more complicated then he thought. It is only with Miss Peregrine's intervention that Jacob is saved from death, and the children that accompanied him are freed. But Noor is left behind. H sets out to save her on his on but its only with the help of his hollow, Horatio, that a dying H is able to get back to his apartment with Noor, where Jacob finds them. H tells Jacob that the ymbrynes would send her back to Leo so he can't take her to Devil's Acre. He also tells Jacob that Noor is one of the seven that will be the emancipators of peculiardom as foretold in the Apocryphon and that he should take her to V. And that the people that were hunting her belong to a secret society of normals who want to subvert and control perculiars.

H keeps his promise to Horatio and Horatio becomes a wight before Horatio disappears he gives Jacob the grid coordinates for V's location

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Thanksgiving arrangement from last year.