I have all the books on my Wish List, however, think that it may take a very very long time before I get them!  Thought that some of you may have some that you haven't posted yet!  Worth a try!

#1 The Quilter's Apprentice; #2 Round Robin; #3 The Cross-Country Quilters; #4 The Runaway Quilt; #5 The Quilter's Legacy; #6 The Master Quilter; #7 The Sugar Camp Quilt; #8 The Christmas Quilt; #9 Circle of Quilters; #10 The Quilter's Homecoming; #11 The New Year's Quilt; #12 The Winding Ways Quilt!

I have heard that this is a great series - have you read it?

Oh darn Nancy, I wish I had seen this last week.  At my local FOL sale on Sunday I saw a HC compilation of the first three books in this series.  I thought about getting it for posting--picked it up and put it back down a few times--but it was huge and I could only carry so much.  I'm going to the library this afternoon and will check to see if by some chance it's still there.

I just started reading them too....so I don't have any to post...yet :)

I think I just recently put #1 on my list and got it really fast.  I do believe I wishlisted it and didn't find it on a shelf, but I'm not positive. I had picked up Winding Ways from Bookcloseouts and thought I'd read one of the other ones.

I just started the first one today and it started out a little rough for me so I put it aside.  I'll assume they get better.  Jennifer and I were members of the same forum when she was writing that one so I know it was an early book for her.  She lived in Pa. at that time and came across like a nice person.

I'm interested in seeing others' opinions on this series too.  I assume Sarah's character is going to develop but I made it to page 25 and wanted to drop-kick her across the country :-)  I'll try it again another day.  This probably won't bother other people but she's used the name of a real town and made it into a college town that might be like State College, although she mentions that too.  I don't even know if State College has bus service, but I sure bet Waterford doesn't. 

Normally I like things set sort of locally because there isn't much but we've driven through the real Waterford quite a few times so it's kind of jarring.  I know it's fiction but my head has a snapshot of one place and then she catches a bus downtown there.  It would be almost like Opie catching the bus to downtown Mayberry (almost).  She gave it an extra 20,000 people.

Gosh - I hope that I am not disappointed - others have liked the series - they certainly are hard to get!

I've alway gotten the impression that it was a kind of "feel good" series, but I could be off-base.  Perhaps something like a quilting Mitford or an updated Sandra Dallas type, although I didn't think they were mysteries.  There's nothing wrong with that.  I hope I like it too.  The used ones on Amazon didn't seem to be too high, but I didn't really look to see the condition, etc. 

I was shopping for calendars and looked at her blog, which I don't think was up-to-date.  At any rate, she is from Waterford, MICHIGAN, I believe, so that probably explains that issue.  I think some of my problems with the first book are due to the fact that I live in Pa. and she was just teaching at the University.  I think that sort of thing always creates a few issues when people write about places that the reader is too familiar with.  I've read complaints about misplaced highways, etc., but those didn't bother me because it wasn't my city.

Now I wonder why I got the first one so fast, lol. 

Sorry, the one I saw at the library was gone. :-(

As of this morning, 12/5, the review on the home page is of the cookbook one.  I know everyone doesn't start there.  Reading the Amazon reviews, it looked like this series kept getting weaker but that was just from the reviews.  I really think I have to give a couple of them a chance.

I started the Earlene Fowler series years ago because of the quilt names but that one has very little to do with actual quilting (I suppose that's good for a series overall).  I quit that one awhile ago though.  I've come to realize it's difficult for a writer to sustain a series for a lengthy period.  I guess that's why so many start new ones.

I just thought I'd mention that there seemed to be quite a few copies of the first of this series available (The Quilter's Apprentice).  It's only the later ones that seem to be wish listed.

It would be interesting to hear someone else's opinion of this book.  I keep going back and forth on it but I think it's mostly personal issues.

this is a wonderful series!  I only have 1 book that I haven't read yet and I think I need one of the books before it.  of course by the time I read it I won't remember much of the first books!  LOL

I don't see it as the same as the Mitford series.  sure parts of it are feel good but not all of it.

definitely worth a read IMHO!

Leslie,

Keeping in mind that I hadn't even read the first book in this series when I mentioned the Mitford books, I later thought that I'd probably given the wrong idea when I mentioned them.  The way I was comparing them was that they were set in the same place and seemed to focus on stories about the various characters.  I'm not sure all of the Mitford was feel good either and, of course, the religious component isn't in this series.

Perhaps these are closer to some sort of updated elaboration on the Sandra Dallas books, although that's certainly a generalization.  I'm half-way through one now but I did read the reviews on quite a few of them so I have some idea of how the series evolved (which is not a substitute for having read the books, of course). 

At any rate, after mentioning Mitford, I thought I probably should have at least explained my reasoning better.  My mom liked those and could only listen to them so I listened to a few on audio.  They really weren't my thing but a great variety of people certainly seemed to enjoy them.

I'm hoping to at least read the first 4 perhaps and, of course, Winding Ways which is the one I got first!  (Okay, I like the cover, I like that quilt - the heck with the book.)

ahh, well that makes sense.  It is about a group of about 6 women (and a few hubbys) that carries from book to book, so in that respect it is the same as the Mitford series.

Don't know if you ever got any of these, but I have read them all but the last one and love them.  They are the only series I have I haven't posted on PBS yet.   The "Sugar Camp Quilt" was my favorite.

Don't know if you ever got any of these, but I have read them all but the last one and love them.  They are the only series I have I haven't posted on PBS yet.   The "Sugar Camp Quilt" was my favorite.

I haven't been able to get any of them yet!!  If you do post them - let me get them from you!

I just posted the first one.  I thought it was in nice condition.

I just ordered it - thanks for letting me know!

This is a wonderful series.  I read the first 3 or 4 several years ago, and now have decided to get them all and read from #1 on until I'm finished.  This is the kind of series that although the main characters remain the same and some others come in and go out, each book is quite different, and they don't really have to be read in order (although that's the way I do it).   I am a quilter, and will probably keep this series to reread agian in a few years.  If you are into quilting series, have you read the Bennie Harper series by Earlene Fowler?   They definitely need to be read in order.  Also, Terri Thayer has begun a new series and has two books out.  Have them, but haven't read them yet.  :)

Thanks, Nancy G. :-)  The book's in the mail. I hope you enjoy it.

I rec'd. #3 and 5 is supposed to be on the way.  I have Winding Ways, which is what started the whole thing.

You might enjoy looking at her website which is elmcreeknet.  I wondered if there was almost too many quilting details in the first book although I did quilt before all my arm/shoulder problems. 

Frankly, I thought that there was very little about actual quilts or quilting in the Bennie Harper books (that's okay but they just weren't particularly quilt-oriented for me).  I enjoyed them for awhile but then I got tired of them (just felt like the characters were stuck to me).  Obviously not everyone felt the same way.

Part of my personal issue with this first book was that although she sets it in Pennsylvania, I didn't get much feel for the location from her description.  Since she gives some rather specific details about her location (and I obviously have no life), I looked over the map for some place that might come close to her fictional "Waterford."  The best I could find was Williamsport  - maybe?  The population was about right.

Well, I thought you might enjoy the little tourist video.  They are for Lycoming County and we really enjoyed the Muncy one (it's tiny - DH has been there).  It was my favorite :-)  They are both here.

http://www.vacationpa.com/videos.aspx

I am giving the series a chance though.  It looks like #2 is a bit more difficult to find perhaps? 

I now have the last of the first 5 of these on the way (#2). 

I thought I'd mention that if you are really a fan that I got #5 in hardback and the hardback is very, very nice.  If these were keepers for me, i think I'd consider them.

Unfortunately, I read a Louise Penny book right after the first one and, although they are entirely different types of series, Louise Penny's descriptions aare written so beautifully that I wished Jennifer had hired somebody to describe her setting, especially that house and grounds,   There was another series where I read one book and realized that the best part his description of the landscaping and the houses.

Maybe if authors are going to set a series in one spot and aren't the best at describing things, they should get it ghost-written?  (No, I don't think that will fly but it worked for singng in movie musicals, didn't it?) 

what did you think (outside of the scenary and such not being more descriptive)?

They are okay, Leslie.  I still think of them more like a "feel good" sort of book so far which isn't generally my thing.

The one I'm reading now is (I think) Quilter's Legacy and it seems a little different and I think so far I'm liking it the best.  To be fair, I knew the first book was her first novel and I was expecting some issues because of that.  It occurred to me that if she described things more vividly in The Cross-Country Quilters, it might have actually been hard for me to read that book :) 

As it was, I would just think "I remember thinking about that" or something along those lines.

I see my rentals are continuing my craft spurt and "Dyed in the Wool" and "Lovers Knot." are coming next  (I think I have those right.)  I'm not sure what happened to me there :)  I like the idea of that type of book but have never really enjoyed an entire series based on a hobby or craft. 

Okay, I used to like the Lovejoy books with the antique lore but I don't know if those count or if I'd still enjoy them.  My, I read those a long time ago.