Aside from my own house my favorite place to be is at my dear friend Doreen’s house. It’s beautiful, cozy, and inviting. And it comes with Doreen and her husband, Mark, too!
I hope you get to spend some time this weekend at you favorite place, wherever it may be!
You might know that I’m a bit of a . . . stickler . . . when it comes to rules. Not all rules but definitely my rules. Like, my rule about not eating popcorn at the movies until the actual movie starts. Or my rule about straightening the couch cushions and plumping the pillows each night before I go to bed. There are others that are seemingly arbitrary but they matter to me. And here’s one that’s bugging me right now:
Posts and lists and videos about the Best of 2018.
You know why it bugs me? Because 2018 isn’t over yet. Today is December 13th and we’ve got more than two full weeks left in 2018 and what if we read the best book ever on December 28th? Or what if we take a photo on December 25th and it gets more likes on Instagram than any photo we’ve taken all year? So, all you 2018 lists just hold your horses and wait until January 1st.
Now. That being said, I am looking ahead to 2019 and making some plans. And you can probably guess, I’m sharing 3 with you today.
That’s all I’ve got so far for the year ahead. Let’s hope it’s a good one!
If you wrote a post for today please share your link below. Thanks for playing along!
When Kym posted that she knit a Hamilton Ball from Lexicorp I knew immediately I had to knit this. It’s so fresh and fun and trendy. My experience with it was pretty awesome. The instructions are clear, the mini skein of yarn is just the right amount, and the Hamilton logo is perfection. It’s supposed to be a bit fiddly at the top but I have a set of very short size one needles that were perfect for this project and my gauge was a little looser than it should have been so those decreases weren’t so bad.
In fact, not only was it not so bad, it was charming enough that I ordered and knit two of them. One for me. One for Jo-Ann.
You see, Jo-Ann and I are going to see Hamilton together in New York City in March (cue the squeals of excitement) and I thought gifting her this ornament would be the perfect way to not only commemorate (in advance) our trip but to remember it as well.
I gave her the ornament last Thursday and on Friday I knit mine up (it’s very fast) and now it’s on my tree, making things look festive and pretty but also increasing my excitement about our trip and this show every time I see it.
Alexander Hamilton
I knit Alexander Hamilton
And there’s a million things I haven’t knit
But just you wait, just you wait
(sorry. I couldn’t resist.)
Last Saturday Dale and I had the privilege of attending an author talk with Louise Penny, the creator of the fabulous Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series. The event was hosted by Titcomb’s Bookshop and the Sandwich Public Library and held at Sandwich High School in a sold out auditorium of 1,000 people.
It was stupendous.
Louise Penny is charming and delightful and very funny. She described herself as a sloth, loving to lay about and do nothing, which I find to be pretty amazing considering she has now written 14 best selling books set in the idyllic (well, other than those murders that happen) community of Three Pines. She told stories about her childhood and her desire to be a writer because writers create magic, she told stories about her late husband Michael, and she told stories about her real life friends who inspired different characters in the series. It became very clear to me, while listening to her, that Armand Gamache (rhymes with mashed as in potatoes, by the way) is very much modeled after her husband. And the relationship between Armand and Reine-Marie sure seems to be infused with the love that was shared between Louise and Michael.
I think one of the truly beautiful things she said was about Three Pines, commenting on the fact that even though it’s fictional people want to visit it. Louise Penny said that Three Pines is really a state of being and that whenever we are kind to someone instead of cruel, whenever we reach out and make a connection with someone instead of turning away, whenever we act out of friendship and love, we are actually IN Three Pines.
Amazing, right? I was blown away.
Today I’m updating you and sharing the books I’ve read since October 22. It’s slightly less than usual, I think partly because I’ve been knitting more. And also maybe because I was hitting Sims Mobile pretty hard in November. But I’ve been back on track with my reading the last couple of weeks and it’s time to catch you up.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A very good story of a Jewish family living in Poland during WWII. I liked that it was based on the author’s family and found the different story lines to be interesting (and horrifying) but it was sometimes confusing keeping track of the characters.
Transcription by Kate Atkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was disappointed with Atkinson’s latest, particularly since I adored Life After Life. This had all the elements to make it great: the backdrop of WW2, quirky British characters, and an intriguing plot. And yet it never really took off for me. I didn’t connect with Juliet and found the timeline to be very choppy and disjointed. Nevertheless, I love Atkinson’s style and her portrayal of the lasting damage of the war on England and her people is brilliant.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book had great potential and an interesting plot but it was just too long with too many characters. I had some issues keeping track of who was who and the jumping around was disjointed, I’d find myself having a hard time remembering where a certain plot point left off when Morton finally got back to the present. After all the details and all the build up the ending felt rushed and I’m particularly annoyed at some of the ambiguity and unanswered questions. This would have been better if it had been about 150 pages shorter, I think. Recommended with reservations for Morton fans.
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It’s always hard to give a negative review to a memoir so I’ll preface this by saying that the author writes very well about her childhood experiences and about the murder of a young boy by a child molester. What I have issues with is the connection between the two – I feel that’s forced and used as a means to get the author’s story out there. I’d have had more appreciation, I think, for the author’s story alone.
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Do not read this book for plot. Read it for imagery and prose, for character and setting. Interpret the things left ambiguous and just immerse yourself in the hazy memories of childhood, loss, intrigue, and love.
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Light and easy, a great palate cleanser after a lot of heavy books lately. Recommended for those who enjoyed Practical Magic.
Vox by Christina Dalcher
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The premise is fascinating and terrifying and this should have been a terrific book. But. There is little depth to the characters and the big pay off at the end feels rushed and confused. Read The Handmaid’s Tale instead, it’s a much better book.
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is good but I feel like it could have been great if McBride had focused less on the politics and more on the personal.
What are you reading right now? I always want to know!
