Goodbye and Good Riddance!

 

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan

 This is a perfect read for the long, cold, winter nights. Kate and Donovan are two government agents in 1917 sent to a lord's manor on a remote island in the hopes of discovering who's been selling secrets to the German army; complicating matters are the actual, literal ghosts Kate sees all around her, some of whom are dead soldiers angry at the lord's arms-dealing. 

In other words, it's an Agatha Christie-type story but with a supernatural bent and a willingness to address the legacies of a pointless war.  It's spooky and serious without being grim or depressing, and does a good job of illustrating the messy complexities of everything from relationships to the military-industrial complex to grief. Add a romantic subplot, and you have a thoroughly satisfying read. I'd love to see more of Kate and Donovan's adventures.

Advent Blog Hop

 Welcome to my stop on Jo's annual Advent blog hop! As usual, I have a few ornaments to show off (I prefer to stitch small projects; I'm more likely to finish them in time 😛).

"Tres" by Monsterbubbles (Just Cross Stitch August 2008):

This has been on my to-do list for a long time, but stitching on metal mesh/screen is a pain; the beaded edge was fun, though.

Here's "Meowy Christmas" by Fern Ridge Collections (Christmas Ornaments 2019):

It's true to life, too! There's a reason why I keep my fragile ornaments on the top of the tree ....

(I also stitched "Mary & Jesus Stained Glass" by Snoflake Stitchery (Christmas Ornaments 2019), but  I forgot to take a picture before I sent it to my mom.)

Jo also asked us to write about our favorite Christmas book. Mine's a new one, that I discovered last year:

I loved it so much I bought my own copy this year. This collection of stories, memories, and recipes is moving and insightful, and I highly recommend it.

I hope you all have a lovely and peaceful Christmas, and a much-improved new year!

Winter Wreath

 

This sweet wreath is Alicia Paulson's latest pattern. It was quick to stitch, and because it's not really Christmasy, I will keep it up all winter.