I've been on a crafting book kick lately including embroidery books. I'm just super curious if there's anything new out there in the world of needles and thread. The answer is, not really. But this is a fresh take with pictures that are good and instructions that, while not thorough, are better than most. This book also gives ideas for patterns - not full out patterns, just ideas.
Jill Gardner leaves the murder trap that is her hometown and heads up the Oregon coast with her boyfriend and another couple. She doesn't know Kathi very well but the other woman is nice even if she does keep trying to get Jill to wear more makeup and lower cut shirts. But it's not like Kathi deserves to end up next to a skeleton when her and Blake's ATV turns over. Nor does she deserve the attention of the men in the area just because she resembles that dead woman.
Meg wasn't expecting to be single at 34 but that's what has just happened. She and her husband have just uncovered a fundamental difference and they have split. When she calls her mother to let her know, Meg discovers that Sally has left Meg's father. After years of floating, Sally has decided that she may only have a little time left but she doesn't want to spend it with someone who doesn't want to travel and who grumbles when she does. He doesn't even realize that Sally is serious about leaving.
Layla used to be the poor girl in town. Sebastian is not and he throws her off by being very nice one day and rude the next. Now Layla is a fancy pants real estate agent and Sebastian has moved back to town and is in need of a house so their paths cross again.
The Mackenzies are once again gathering for Christmas. The younger generation is growing up (and starting to be prepped for their own stories) but the original generation of Ashley's books are still there. Mac, in particular, is featured as he is the first to see the Mackenzie ghost. This mystery overlaps with the one of Ian's gift for his Beth. He is set on a particular necklace that used to be in a museum but it was stolen and he is trying to get ahold of it. His children are offering to help as well, especially his oldest son who is now 17 and wanting to prove himself to his father.
Verity's friend Ada was not born into the aristocracy but she did marry into it. AT Ada's for a dinner, Verity is dismayed to find that the relationship, which had lasted for 5 years before their marriage is now, two years after marriage, in disarray. They can barely hide their animosity and most of the guests are ready for the show, including Ada's marked preference for another man. At dinner, Ada plops a gun on the table and "jokes" that she might shoot her husband. The butler quickly removes it but Verity is shocked to find out that the gun was not put in the chair by Ada. This seems very suspicious but no one else is worried. However, when Lord Rockham is murdered, Ada immediately becomes suspect number one.
I liked the idea presented by the term holistic wealth (at least what popped into my head); building your joy and karma the same way you build your finances. But also applying it to your finances and basically everything in your life. That way, when the unexpected happens, as it did to the author, you have reserves to draw upon. And there were some ideas that have not yet been overused in self-help books (personal mission statement - wish this had been explained more, I feel like Blair has a great grasp of how to do this and could probably write another book on it) but others that were.
While not developed from a blog (it was based off a viral article), it felt as though it were since there are a lot of repetitions which needs to happen if you are posting day-to-day to keep people in the know of what you are trying to accomplish but starts to wear in a book when you are reading the same thing quickly. A lot of the repetitions were reminders that Blair was a widow who was left with two kids, one less than a year old, which made me feel like I wasn't the core audience for this book. I found myself skimming over sections that didn't apply to me. Some could have been framed more in terms of general loss (I lost my brother recently and these things could have applied to me if framed differently.)
I also got to participate in Blair's 7 day program to building Holistic Wealth. The book definitely explains it better but the ideas in the 7 days felt more inclusive and were wider ranging. I liked her style but think that the program was even better. Blair is dynamic to watch and I connected with her better from her videos than her book.
