Stitches in Time audiobook

Great book!! This book has so much in it that I don't even know where to start.There's a mystery surrounding the antique quilt that arrives at the vintage clothing store where main character Rachel works. There's smart and funny inter-play between the very different and interesting other people in the story. There's in-depth examinations of the superstitions and magical beliefs and practices of various cultures. There are restless spirits, and what appears to be a possession of one of the characters by one of these mysterious spirits from the past. There's also romance, with the required obstacles to same.The story is very entertaining and engrossing. You find yourself leaning forward as you read because you're dying to know what happens. The supporting characters are very colourful and the way they all interact makes for some funny scenes.I should mention that this is the second in what could "loosely" be termed a trilogy [the other books are Ammie Come Home" and "Shattered Silk"]. However, due to the talent of author Barbara Michaels, each book is a fully-developed story all on its own, with a complete and satisfying ending. You can absolutely read and enjoy each book on its own without reading the others. But if you have read the earlier books, the references to the other books that Michaels gently and skillfully works in to the present story will add an extra element of enjoyment to the current book.Something else I particularly enjoyed about this book was the ending. Often a mystery or suspense novel works up to a frothing head of fever and the ending has to be an explosive and over-the-top climax. It's almost a formula. This book has a very unusual and creative ending for this type of book. Don't misunderstand - it's a perfect ending to the story based on what's come before, but it's a unique approach and I loved it.I definitely would recommend this book.

I read this book a long time ago. But the story has always stayed in my mind. When I think of a favorite book, it certainly is among the ones I preferred reading.

A trio that tempts the mind & heartFrom "Ammie, Come Home" to "Shattered Silk" to "Stitches in Time": these books represent masterworks of paranormal mysteries & refined delights of humor blended with the best of "women's studies".305+ years ago I read the first book, "Ammie Come Home" with its gentle yet terrifying exploration of ghost stories & quiet introduction to the concept of cultural anthropology. I found this delight in one of my mother's Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It would be literally decades before I stumbled across "Shattered Silk" a return to a shivery tradition that was NOT the paranormal book I expected.And therein is the delight I find in Ms Michaels' works.. I NEVER know from book to book whether I'm holding a traditional mystery or a paranormal delight. Each book must be explored & relished for its' singular self even when it stands in a trilogy. There are never guarantees about genre when you see Barbara Michaels name on the cover.I cannot speak highly enough in praise of her work. She has introduced me to arts & sciences that I never imagined exploring, all while delighting me with a tapestry of tales filled with humor, suspense, intrigue and, best of all, realities of wonder. She is never formulaic, you will never know whether the book in your hand is a mystery, a Gothic romance or a horror novel.. she is mistress of all three. For me, this trilogy, is the best of the best; be welcome, be entertained and most of all be prepared to think outside the box.

Very enjoyable. The quilting theme was interesting and the story line, as well. Main character an annoying bitch - but hey.

AUTHOR Michaels, BarbaraTITLE Stitches in TimeDATE READ 03/14/21RATING 4.5/B+FIRST SENTENCE She cursed the needle, the cloth and the thread, fixing each stitch in place with a word of power.GENRE/ PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Gothic Suspense/1998/LP library/456 pgsSERIES/STAND-ALONE #3 VA/.DCCHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 29/120GROUP READ Gothic Supspense TIME/PLACE 1990's VACHARACTERS Rachel, student studing for her doctrate; Cheryl and Kara co-owners of a vintage clothing/quilt shopCOMMENTS This book really held up for me. I have probably read all to most of the Barbara Michaels books over the years and really enjoyed this one with the paranormal and historic ties.

Stitches In Time, Georgetown Trilogy Book #3by Barbara MichaelsNote: The first few paragraphs are of a personal nature, so you might want to skip to paragraph 5!If you follow my reviews, you already know that this summer I decided I would read/re-read the novels written by the late Barbara Mertz, whether written as Barbara Michaels or as Elizabeth Peters. I started with books wasting away on my "to-read" bookshelf. then decided I'd read the Barbara Michaels works first. The first novel of Michaels' I'd ever read was "Ammie, Come Home," the first in this trilogy. I didn`t know it was a trilogy at the time, 1968 0r 69, and maybe Michaels didn`t, either. The second in the trilogy wasn`t written until almost two decades later, in 1986 ("Shattered Silk") and the third, this book, almost a decade after that, in 1995. I`d read them all, never realizing there was a connection.Because the books are older, so perhaps not as popular as newer books in related genres, the main branch of my local library had none of these three books. I got the first through interlibrary loan, ordering it in mid-August. Only then did I realize that August of 2016 was exactly 3 years since the author`s death. That was the first of a few coincidences surrounding my renewed interest in her books. It came in from the Lake County library and I read it from September 3rd through the 7th. The second in the series came from the IVY Tech branch of my local library, and I read it September 11th through the 13th. I ordered this novel, the third and last in the series, again through interlibrary loan about the same time I was reading the second. It came in, this time from the John F. Kennedy library in Muncie, and I read it from September 30th to today, October 4, 2016. This last novel had, personally for me, the oddest of the coincidences. Inside the book, about midway through, was the library receipt of, I assume, the last time the book was checked out, bearing a due date of September 13, 2013 -- one month after the death of the author and about exactly three years prior to my ordering it from interlibrary loan. All just coincidence -- right? In any event, I feel my re-reading of these three books was meant to be, and given their gothic genre, that seems appropriate! Now on to my review!The element that ties the three of these novels together consists of the main characters of the second two having a connection to two of the main characters of the first, Ruth and Pat MacDougal, who appear in all three. There is no connection plot-wise, as each stands firmly on its own story. Lots of research into women's myths and customs of the pre-Civil War South, as well as research into the history of textiles and magic beliefs. Plotting is exceptional, pacing flows flawlessly, and the characterizations are fully fleshed out and consistent. Excellent proofing and editing. The only three things I noted were references that delighted me. On page 176, a reference to the old Reader`s Digest condensed books, which were a regular feature in my childhood home. On page 191, the entire 4th paragraph, which included this: "...That's the trouble with life. It`s so untidy. The characters in novels hardly ever seem to worry about eating and sleeping and earning a living--much less putting the investigation on hold while they wait for the plumber to come and unstop the toilet, or cope with rejected lovers." And, at pages 238 and 268, reference to a minor character working from home in a desktop publishing business. 1995—ah, the early years of internet access!In this book, the author returns to the true gothic feel, with a story that includes a true paranormal element. Kara (Karen from the second novel, and sister to Sarah from the first), a niece of Ruth's, is happily running her vintage clothing store with her best friend and sister-in-law, Cheryl. While Kara and her husband, Mark, live in the house from the first two novels, the shop is located elsewhere, and Cheryl and her husband, Tony (Mark`s BFF), live in the same house that is home to the shop. There is one employee, Rachel, who is the main character in this book.The storyline dovetails with Rachel`s dissertation subject: the idea of women literally sewing magic into textiles they produced. As traditional "women's work" would have very little written history surviving in patriarchal societies, much of her research involved personal diaries of, or works studying the same, the woman who produced the clothing and household textiles. When three valuable antique quilts are found on the shop's front porch following a failed robbery, the plot begins to weave itself into the lives of the characters. One of the quilts, an album quilt, is of exceptional talent, although it seems impervious to standard cleaning techniques. It's beautiful and Rachel is somehow drawn to it. When Cheryl and Tony travel to Ohio for the holidays, Rachel moves in to housesit the shop and the family pets, and a friend of Mark`s and former student of Pat's, Adam, also arrives to help. The players are all in place, and the drama has already begun. Does the old quilt carry a curse forward? Who is in danger and can the group find the answers they need in time? All in all, this was a wonderful read and a satisfying end to a trilogy four decades in the making.

I bought this book expecting for it to go to the middle of my reading list to read during the summer “sometime”. However, the description kept coming back to me until I could no longer resist reading it. The whole premise of a quilt being handed down from generation to generation plus how it takes so many hours that a women feel they have sewn their soul into the quilt fascinated me. My younger sister is making a quilt for her bed and each square required a lot of embroidering as well as sewing and quilting. I wonder if she feels like a big part of herself is left in the threads that make up the quilt? I have to say, this book did not disappoint me in the least as I remained fascinated through the entire 300 page! Michaels descriptions, her knowledge of quilts and vintage clothing, the time period of when the quilt was originally made, etc., left me unable to put it down. The main character started out rather self-centered and bitchy but we see the epiphany that changes her into the woman at the end. I absolutely loved Adam – where are men like him? I know, only in fictional books. What a great character!! He made me laugh and contributed to my dislike of Rachel in the beginning. She was so rude and condescending to him at first that I wanted to smack her. LOL. This book is well worth the time and the read. I have to say the only small thing that disappointed me was the lack of involvement of the quilt itself. Once the spell is cast, the quilt becomes virtually unimportant – it makes appearances here and there but I would have liked it to have more than one spell to cast. However, this is a minor disappointment that wasn’t even noticed by me until towards the end because everything else kept me so interested. I have read several of Michael’s books and this is usually the case – one minor thing might disappointment but overall the rest of the book makes up for it. I give the book a raving A+ and can not wait to read more.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel, since the author is new to me and I haven't read any others in this series- but I actually really enjoyed it. It surprised me in several ways. First, it was its own contained novel. The characters seemed to be recurring, but that didn't prevent me from grasping each personality and how they interacted with one another. I didn't care for Cheryl or Pat at all. Thankfully the former bowed out about one third into the book and didn't reappear- she was too sweet, too kind, too doting, too saccherinely sweet for me to even handle. The latter was so self-absorbed and thought so highly of himself that I just wanted to give him a high five in the face with a chair. Rachel was non-committal and wishy-washy. The characters I really enjoyed were Adam, Kara, and the girl that was possessing Rachel. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of her life, her experiences, her passions. Clearly she was an amazing person- she made the quilt- which incidentally, became its own character of sorts. I wish this was more of a split-screen novel- half about Rachel and half about the quilt-maker. Seeing it from one side made it feel sometimes as if I were looking through foggy glass with only two eyeholes wiped out. The author gave us a glimpse at the vintage fabric world- but I really would have liked more. Perhaps there is more in her other novels. Some cozy novels give us hints, tips, and recipes throughout the book. I'm not suggesting something so cookie-cutter cheese, but perhaps just a little more information about how to clean, treat, and restore certain fabrics would be nice. Throw me a bone, here, Barbara. It was a fast read, and for some reason, I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what was going to happen next with the quilt. I'd recommend this to anyone who would like to get their feet wet in the paranormal mystery world, or anyone who is interested in the realm of vintage fabrics. Not too shabby.

Another re-read. Wanted a ghost story to read for Halloween season and this fit the bill nicely. The thing I love about Barbara Michaels novels such as this is how she can take a specific subject of domestic history (in this case, quilts, and the superstitions associated with needlework). Not only an interesting story, but a fascinating subject.Only one thing I don't like is how a lot of her male characters tend to "man-splain." I had more tolerance for it in the past, now it annoys me, I think because I encounter so much of it now in real life. Then again, you can't call her male characters unrealistic.Worth the read if you like history and paranormal.

Another lovely Gothic/Romantic Suspense from a classic author, although I think her heroines when she writes as Elizabeth Peters are more interesting and independent. Still, here there's lots about vintage clothing and particularly an old quilt that holds a mystery of its own. I do love books about fabric art and the fact that the quilt is haunted doesn't bother me at all. Witty dialog and a great frame.

Not bad for an occult non-King or Rice book.

I enjoyed it a lot! I actually found the main character sympathetic, although I wish I'd seen her doing more research/holding more authority regarding magic. Her initial situation was a terrible, vulnerable, self loathing position to be in, and I'm glad the character managed to change and move on with her life.(Also, I've never read the previous books in the series.)Adam was probably the most likable love interest I've read in a Barbara Michaels novel so far. (Most of the first Michaels books I read always had the love interest as the villain as well, so I'm typically on my guard and wasn't convinced Adam was okay until maybe 50% of the way through the book.) He also seemed like unintentional representation of someone on the spectrum, tbh.Overall, it was an interesting depiction of friendship between women in spite of their romantic competition. I did want to see more of the magic, research, etc! I was hoping "The Wiccas" would have had a greater role in the story. Also, what was the deal with the abusive ex? It felt like he was used more as a plot device than a character. There was a throw away line about him and Rachel being in the same field, I wondered if it would ever come up again. (It did not.)

Good read. It was suspenseful, interesting and had a surprise historically-derived ending. I love the premise of a woman's intentions being sewn into her work. As a needleworker, my intentions are always for love, light and healing for those I give these too. As I've said to others, I haven't met a perpetually angry knitter, weaver, spinner or quilter. There isn't space in their interests (or soul?) for that now. But I can see it back in the day when women had to do this work - like it or not.

This is my first Barbara Michaels and although this book is the third of a series, it does stand alone. It one point the author tried to summarize back stories and things got a little muddy, but it only lasted about a page.I loved the way that quilts and textile arts were woven into the story (pun intended). The background "why" wasn't clarified til the final pages, which was frustrating.Books with paranormal themes are not my usual forte, but I have added the first two books of this series to my "want to read" list.

The last of the Georgetown books, and it did not disappoint. SIGH...I'm going to miss this series. Subtle supernatural, good mystery, likable, relate-able characters, even though the books are set 50 years in the past. Well...they were current when written, truth be told. I LOVE authors of that period, Barbara Michaels, Mary Stewart, Andre Norton (scifi), Georgette Heyer (Regency romance)...I love them all, and buy them whenever I can find them!