Two Dogs and a Book

The Girls by Emma Cline My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this first novel by Emma cline. This is the story of Evie Boyd, a teenager in the late sixties who find herself involve with a commune lead by a charismatic man. Evie needed to feel loved and wanted, this group of people offered her solstice and a chance to escape her mundane life. But there is a price to pay and Evie quickly finds out what that price is. Loosely based on the Charles Manson cult, "The Girls" is a story of innocence meet rebellion, free love, drugs, and eventual violence. Great read! View all my reviews

The Spy by Paulo Coelho My rating: 4 of 5 stars Short but good historical book. This is the story of Mata Hari and her lawyer, Maitre Clunet, delivered in two letters written to each other. What a fascinating woman! I have read bits and pieces about her over the years, but this account is enthralling. If you want to know more about this Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy and executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I... this is the book. Here's an interesting fact... according to Wikipedia, Mata Hari's sealed trial and related other documents are scheduled to be declassified by the French Army in 2017, exactly one hundred years after her execution. I will keep an eye for this. View all my reviews

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford My rating: 5 of 5 stars Radio Girls is based on Hilda Matheson, a radio broadcaster pioneer at the BBC who became the first Director of Talks. She basically created talk radio, the predecessor of podcasts, as we know it. She started working at the BBC in 1926 and provided challenging programming that ultimately forced her to leave her beloved job in 1932. Radio Girls is a novel. The story follows Maisie Musgrave who started at the BBC as a secretary and worked her way up to becoming a producer on Talks. The book is filled with historical nuggets and is a pleasure to read. The plot covers facts about women entering the workforce in those days; women's right to vote and women's emancipation. There are a few love stories, some espionage, and even a well-thought scheme to stop German propaganda. It is a very interesting book. I recommend it! View all my reviews

Outrageously Adorable Dog Knits: 25 Must-Have Styles for the Pampered Pooch by Jill Bulgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is such a cute and inspiring book. This very short book contains so many awesome knitting projects for your furbabies. I love the cowboy hat and the elf hat... I am definitely planning to make them for my girlz. The instructions are simple and easy to follow. The pictures are adorable. I wish I could find more books like this one. This is a fun and creative read. My girlz have not escaped the "cute knitted sweaters". I knitted several sweaters for them. They actually love wearing them: View all my reviews

Boyfriend Sweaters: 19 Designs for Him That You'll Want to Wear by Bruce Weinstein My rating: 4 of 5 stars Quick and easy read with great ideas and suggestions for man sweaters and accessories to knit. According to this book, when it comes to knitting articles of clothing, men are hard to please. It offers great tips on how to select a yarn that your man will like and how to select designs and colours that will be masculine. The projects rate from easy to expert. Each project is well documented and the instructions appear to be easy to follow. Expert projects look very involved and are above my skills, but I am tempted to try an easy or intermediate project which is more my forte. The Boat Neck Faux Rib Pullover is very nice. View all my reviews

City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book in the City of Dark Magic series. I particularly enjoy this series for all the historical personalities and sites integrated into the story. These kinds of books make me want to Google the facts and know more about their stories or to see the sites as they are today. The story is about Sarah Weston, a musicologist from Boston, who returns to Prague to help find a cure for her young friend Pollina. On her journey, she will encounter many characters who will provide clues to finding what she is looking for or hinder her search. Time is of the essence and Sarah is in the race of her life to find the cure. Although this book was published in 2013, I hope Magnus Flyte (Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch) will write more novels in this series. View all my reviews

Shake Down by Joel Goldman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am not a fan of detective story, but this one is interesting and keep you guessing. Good read. View all my reviews

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved this story. Great plot and well defined characters. I am not sure if reincarnation is real, but if it is, I hope my next life will be as awesome as the one I am living now. :) View all my reviews