A Proper Study: Mending Karen

For me, it was not a page-turner, however I do not regret time spent reading this title. Oct 30, Jamie rated it really liked it Shelves: For fans of Allen Eskens, those who enjoy a slow burn with a lot of character development over action and old secrets coming to light, this one is the book for you! I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own. Nov 26, Sherri Thacker rated it really liked it Shelves: This book grabbed me from the very first page and kept me highly on the edge of my seat. Lots of dark secrets throughout the book leading to the twist at the end.

I liked how the author put in her many details along the way. Feb 01, Hannah Mary McKinnon rated it it was amazing. Dec 01, B. In the small town of Portland, a body is found. The crime is similar with a cold case from twenty years back.. Thanks Netgalley for this thrilling story, the first book from Northampton County series. Oct 20, Christina McDonald rated it it was amazing Shelves: River Bodies is a compelling and dark mystery that shifts from a present day murder to one that happened 20 years ago.

The Chance

The setting is vivid and evocative, the forest and the river lending a fantastic atmosphere to the story. It is an intricate exploration of how the murders — past and present — affect one family. I especially loved the emotional journey and the character development of Becca.

Her internal and external journey were very detailed and completely believable. This book is for all you who love a medium-paced thriller with rich character development and an evocative atmosphere. The tale started out slowly for me, and I almost set it down. Becca Kingsley lives on the New Jersey side of the river with her boyfriend just minutes from the animal clinic where she works as a veterinarian. He often watches her, but today he is down by the river and something looks strange. Becca has other things on her mind, like that the fact that her boyfriend is cheating o The tale started out slowly for me, and I almost set it down.

Becca has other things on her mind, like that the fact that her boyfriend is cheating on her again. A phone call soon sets this matter aside as Becca learns her estranged father is dying and asking for her. The tale that unfolds brings back buried memories, re-acquaints her with her childhood crush and unknowingly places her in danger. I loathe cheaters and struggled to understand women who deal with them. Thankfully, we quickly moved on to her father dying and a current murder-mystery that is strikingly similar to an unsolved case.

We are also privy to the past as Becca reflects and remembers events from her youth. The town is home to a motorcycle gang known as the Scion. It was an interesting tale, with a love interest, troubled childhood, and character growth. Secrets and repressed memories resurface providing suspenseful moments.

He also looks back at the original murder. Both were gruesome, and forensic shows a unique signature for the killer. Fans of murder-mysteries and thrillers will find themselves caught up in River Bodies. The twists and climatic ending delivered. This is the first in a series, and I am curious to see how Becca will be involved if at all. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer Aug 07, emmabbooks rated it liked it. Now, years later, she is back in her hometown and thinks she has seen something suspicious. Could it be linked to the murder that has just been committed, and is that linked to the murder of years ago?

Becca doesn't trust her boyfriend, so visits her dying estranged father to give herself a chance to think. Whilst out in the local woods Becca sees something, which means nothing to her at Murdery mystery in Northampton County US When Becca was a child a murdered man was found in her local river. Whilst out in the local woods Becca sees something, which means nothing to her at the time but later on niggles at her mind, and brings back long forgotten memories of the past. Meanwhile she gets back in contact with her old best friend Parker, who is now investigating the recent murder, and Becca discovers her feelings for Parker are still there.

Set around Portland, Pennsylvania by the Delaware River there's plenty of interesting themes in this murder mystery, including the local bike gang who seem to run the small town, relationships based on love and others not so positive, and of course the mystery of what happened recently, and whether it is related to what happens all those years ago. First off if there was one word I could use to describe how this book made me feel it will be melancholy.

But don't get me wrong I was totally engaged and the writing was so good. But the real question is did I like it? I did and yet I didn't Like I said it was a good book but it just downright depressed me. I also felt disconnected from the characters. Actually, I felt disconnected from the whole book. Yet again engaging read There are just some books that you can't explain with words and for me River Bodies is one of those books.

Nov 01, Linda Zagon rated it it was amazing. The author describes her interesting characters as complex and complicated. Karen Katchur had me sitting at the edge of my seat. There are twists and turns, betrayals , danger, secrets and murder. The timelines of the story is set both in the past and the present. The common denominator seems to be the Delaware River. Becca Kingsley , is a veterinarian that loves to run by the river with her dog.

She often feels that she is being watched and realizes that her step-brother is watching her from the other side of the river.

• Winter at Monte Cassino!
• Karen Armstrong - Wikiquote.
• La Damoiselle Elue (The Blessed Damosel): For Soprano Solo, SSAA Chorus/Choir and Orchestra with French Text (Choral Score): 0 (Kalmus Edition) (French Edition);

The step-brother seems strange, quirky, and dangerous and is now the head of one of the gangs in his town. Becca is called home to the other side of the river when she gets news that her father is dying of cancer. Becca and her father were on terrible terms, and this might be the last time to make things right. Becca also sees that her former love, Parker Reed, a detective is involved in a case where a body was found by the river.

This reminds all the townspeople of a similar case 20 years ago, where another body was found by the same river. The town consists of the regular people and the gang. Becca realizes that she has memories of the past that are so frightening, she has locked them away. I would highly recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy a great mystery full of suspense and surprises.

May 22, Carol Boyer rated it it was amazing. The complexities of relationships and the paradox between Good and Evil, are striking in this gripping thriller. I was holding my breath, shedding tears, and deeply engrossed till the very last sentence as Karen Katchur's richly developed characters lept off the pages with fear and compassion. Long ago hidden secrets were between the alternating chapters of young Becca and the present, layered with the forboding words of her father as she struggled to understand the meaning of his behaviors and The complexities of relationships and the paradox between Good and Evil, are striking in this gripping thriller.

Long ago hidden secrets were between the alternating chapters of young Becca and the present, layered with the forboding words of her father as she struggled to understand the meaning of his behaviors and his warning.

The Stranding

Sometimes things that should have been said might better have been left unsaid; an uneasy, dark, pervasive sense of danger emerges when an old murder crime is re-explored. I loved the way Karen Kutcher can take a character and make you feel so many disparate things about them, while wondering what will happen next as the suspense builds with each chapter.

I loved this book, and think it might just be Karen's best book yet! May 29, Bethany Clark rated it it was amazing. Wow, this book pulled me in from the first chapter through to the end. It's a story that brings together both the past and the present with two dead bodies and one killing style that can't be forgotten.

A town that is known to live peacefully as much as you can with a gang. The Scion's take care of the people and the people stay hush about their business until one day when a young woman returned to town to say goodbye to her ailing father, the retired head of the police department. Memories she Wow, this book pulled me in from the first chapter through to the end. Memories she didn't recall start coming back little by little.

Her feelings for Parker begin to become stronger and stronger. Others begin to realize that the story of the morbid past may come to the surface and the Scions can't let that happen. Will Becca be able to save her own life? Will Parker be able to get justice for a double murder?

The Stranding - Karen Viggers - - Allen & Unwin - Australia

The answers will all come to light November 1st. This first book was great, I can't wait for the second in the series. May 06, Nita rated it it was amazing. The power and control that a certain few have over a small town spreads an insidious evil over the years. What small Becca saw as a child leaves an impact of trauma on her and her relationship with her father. This story is edgy, creepy and emotional as Becca weaves through memories and the discovery of a new River Body.

A must read thriller! Oct 07, Cassie-Traveling Sister- rated it it was amazing. I devoured this book I started this last night and had it finished by this afternoon!! The story begins with Becca a veterinarian whose living with her boyfriend who she suspects is cheating and when she over hears him on the phone talking to another woman, she packs up a suitcase and her dog and goes to her childhood home to help with her father whose dying of cancer.

When Becca was a child a man was found murdered and thrown in the river gutted! Her father who was sheriff investigated the case I devoured this book I started this last night and had it finished by this afternoon!! Her father who was sheriff investigated the case. While on a run Becca sees something which means nothing at the time but the next morning when a man is found in the river again at the spot Becca was running old memories start to flood back from when she was child and someone from her past wants to keep them from coming back to her! The book is set around Portland Pennsylvania by the Delaware river.

There are many interesting themes in this book which include murder, mystery a local biker gang who it appears to run the town on fear and also the past and present murder mystery that may be connected. I give this book five stars! Oct 02, Barbara rated it liked it Shelves: This was my pick for my free Amazon Prime 'first reads' or whatever they call it for October. Can she take a friendship forward into something more whilst handling the demons of her past and the cheating boyfriend of her present? And I have to admit I still don't really get the reason the killer was 'gutting' his victims.

Nov 07, Darren rated it it was amazing. I got this as a e book from net galley. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book by this author. I hope to read more books by this author. Oct 09, Susan Peterson rated it it was amazing. River Bodies is a book that captured my attention from the very first page, not letting it go until I reached the end. Compelling and dark, this story took me on a journey filled with suspense and secrets.

This was also an emotional journey of regret and distrust. The setting of the story is so well-detailed I felt as if I were on that river with its decaying leaves and soil River Bodies by Karen Katchur is a so-so novel about relationships rather than a murder mystery. It is not a thriller. Becca Kingsley lives across the Delaware River from where she grew up in Portland, Pennsylvania and where her estranged father still lives.

After his constant cheating on her mom, his decision to send her away to boarding school, and her parents' divorce, she hasn't seen him for years. Now she is a veterinary surgeon on the New Jersey side of the river where she lives with her be River Bodies by Karen Katchur is a so-so novel about relationships rather than a murder mystery. Now she is a veterinary surgeon on the New Jersey side of the river where she lives with her beloved dog Romy and her cheating boyfriend, Matt.

1. The Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book;
2. Knitting ideas, inspiration and free patterns, plus crochet, weaving, and more!
3. Who Knows Where The Time Goes.
4. See a Problem?.

Occasionally she sees a relative watching her from the Pennsylvania side when she is out for a run with Romy. When she learns from her mom that her father is dying and Matt cheats on her, again, she takes off back across the river to see her father who is being taken care of by his current girlfriend.

At the same time a body is found downstream, shot and gutted, like a deer. The body resembles a case her father had twenty years ago, when he was the police chief. It seems that both cases may be tied to the local biker gang, the Scions. When her high school boyfriend, Parker Reed, shows up as the Pennsylvania State Police lead detective on the murder case, she begins to rekindle her feelings for him. But Becca has more clues to the answers to solve both cases than she is admitting.

The technical quality of the writing is good, so I have no qualms with that. The plot, however, is another story. The narrative alternates between what happens to Becca in the present and what happened in her past. This is not a murder mystery. You know the guilty party immediately and you pretty much know who was guilty twenty years ago.

There is no motive given, but it's not pertinent to the novel. What it is, however, is a story about lying, cheating men and the women who put up with them until someone else arrives to save the day. I guess now is the time to admit that I didn't care for Becca and had little patience for her. I simple never connected to Becca and felt very little compulsion to finish the story, other than a commitment to read and review it.

Becca needed some introspection and backbone. After all the flashbacks to her cheating father, she should have dumped Matt, no matter how good looking he was seriously?

Navigation menu

There is no need to go on; 1 star for the book, 1 for decent writing. Read this only if you like some lite-mystery around a sort-of romance novel. Oct 02, Zinaida rated it it was ok. I'm not quite sure when the thrill was supposed to set in. This book is about a motorcycle gang, the daughter of a police chief, corruption, murders and yet it was predictable and a bit boring.

There was no mystery as to who committed the murders and the characters were bland. Just one garment at a time. One of the sure signs that the Slow Fashion movement is growing all the time is the number of slow-fashion-focused retreats that have been cropping up.



Some of these are sold out while others still have openings, but I believe all of them have wait lists and will also be repeated. So make your interest known to them! Sam organizes 30 students into smaller groups that rotate between in-depth classes taught by Cal Patch garment sewing , Katrina Rodabaugh mending and Jessica Lewis Stevens dyeing , so everyone gets to learn everything.

In other words, a serious consideration of our relationship to the textiles we wear and how to make it as meaningful and long-lasting as possible. Watch wingandaprayerfarm for further news. Lost and found at Stitches West. Photos courtesy of Katrina Rodabaugh. Tom is a crafter, knitter and teacher based in Brighton, England, and he is also one of my Slow Fashion heroes for his work founding The Visible Mending Programme. You know that feeling? You ache a little. You might lose your breath. You might have to sit on that impossibly small bench in the center of the gallery and stare a little bit longer at what just leapt off the wall and tried to crawl under your coat.

I had to sit down on that figurative tiny bench and catch my breath. The colorful darning filling in the missing sections of yarn brought visual interest to an otherwise beautiful garment but the repairs were also arresting, defiant, edgy and demanding all at once. And certainly Tom is one of the most distinctive voices in this ongoing conversation. Tom, thank you so much for joining us today.

Can you start by telling us about the Visible Mending Programme? How did it begin and how has it evolved? Hi Katrina, many thanks for having me! By exploring the story behind garment and repair, the Programme reinforces the relationship between the wearer and garment, leading to people wearing their existing clothes for longer, with the beautiful darn worn as a badge of honour.

By writing my blog, running darning workshops and taking repair work commissions I provide mending inspiration, skills and services to people and hopefully persuade them that shop-bought clothes deserve care and attention too, just like a precious handknit. Even as a teenager I was always interested in buying clothes with the aim to wear them for a long time, even if they were cheap. This has grown very slowly and organically into the Visible Mending Programme as it stands today.

How did you invent the term? Why did that phrase feel so important when you started this work? The term Visible Mending has very simple roots: As this requires a lot of skill to achieve, I never quite managed it, and over time I have come to accept that my repairs can be visible, and now I positively celebrate a visible repair and have started to use the term Visible Mending.

By repairing in a visible way, I can add to the story of the garment, and show it has a history. I like things that look used, as it gives them character and makes them more individual. And when it comes to shop-bought clothes, adding a Visible Mend is also a chance to add some of your own creativity. One of the things I absolutely adore about your work is that you have this very developed craftsmanship through knitting that you apply in this completely original and inspired way through high contrast darning and mending. This is indeed a difficult question!

My initial reaction was: Learning the rules allows you to understand how things fit together, but it will also allow you to start questioning tradition and see whether you can push yourself in new directions. However, it can be very liberating to start playing with a craft without knowing anything about the baggage that may come with it. For me personally though, I enjoy researching how things are done traditionally, and compare and contrast techniques. I see your work as central to the Slow Fashion movement because it forces us to reconsider usage. But then it goes beyond usage and basic repair to embrace the creative opportunities in darning through basic design elements like color, scale, texture and composition.

I find this really pushes the work to the intersection of fine art and craft. You not only repair the garment but you celebrate the usage and the opportunity for design. Can you talk about this embrace and the importance of this angle in Slow Fashion? As my practice has grown so organically, I have developed my creative language at an equally slow pace. Clothes that you like wearing rarely stay looking new and perfect for long, so it makes sense to me to embrace and celebrate the fact that garments have a history, and to use a repair opportunity as a way to be creative.



• Get A Copy.
• Miss Morris and the Stranger.
• Find The Words ... How To Say It Best.
• The Pull of The Moon;
• The Winning Connection: The Networkers Guide to Wealth-Building Synergistic Relationships.

If we can make a change in what people find acceptable to wear, and are happy to wear something that no longer looks pristine, then that removes a reason why some people feel they need to replace their clothes so frequently. When did you learn how to knit? Was it love at first stitch or did your knitting evolve more slowly or labored over time? I was originally taught to knit at primary school, and also by my mum, although I remember not enjoying it much when I first started out. I made a little scarf for a teddy bear. It had brown and cream stripes and a cable.

The tension was way too tight, so every stitch was a struggle. I never looked back since! Who do you consider to be the most exciting makers in the Slow Fashion movement today? Manonik makes amazing clothes, the cloth for which he weaves himself, and sometimes also spins the threads. Karen Viggers was born in Melbourne, Australia, and grew up in the Dandenong Ranges riding horses and writing stories. She studied veterinary science at Melbourne University, and then worked in mixed animal practice for the next five years before completing a PhD at the Australian National University, Canberra, in wildlife health.

Since then she has worked on a wide range of Australian native animals in many different natural environments. She lives in Canberra with her husband and two children. She works part-time in veterinary practice, provides veterinary support for biologists studying native animals, and writes in her spare time.

Settings Tips on technique 3: Point of view Tips on technique 4: