Wednesday, October 30, 2013

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber

This book starts a series of twelve books called Cedar Cove, a town in the Pacific Northwest of Washington full of heartwarming characters.  Olivia Lockhardt, a family court judge, denies a divorce petition of a young couple who lost their baby.  Olivia is attracted to Jack Griffin, a newspaper editor who becomes interested in her through this case. Her best friend, Grace Sherman, has a moody husband who has disappeared which starts a mystery. Justine, Olivia's daughter is in a relationship with an older man which is disapproved of and Charlotte, Olivia's mother, makes friends with a stroke patient.  Romance, mystery, and relationships between these characters continue in the following books of the series.  I am currently listening to the fifth book of the series, 50 Harbor Street, and am enjoying what happens to these characters and the new characters as well.  A television series based on these books has begun on the Hallmark Channel.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by Ruth Roger Clausen

What do you do when the deer eat your freshly bloomed tulips? A lot of thought and money go into buying the right bulbs in the right colors. The bulbs are planted a whole season ahead of time. It is very disappointing after all that trouble to have the buds eaten off just before they bloom or the day after they have bloomed. Soooo.... this book has the answers to your problem. You might not be able to have tulips, but you can have daffodils and ornamental onions, which are very pretty. The book includes not only bulbs, but annuals, perennials, shrubs, ferns, herbs, and grasses that deer do not like. Some of my favorites are the fringed bleeding heart, peonies, and yarrow. The pictures included are also fantastic. Time to get some new plants for the garden!