My Year in Books 2018

January 2, 2019 By Carole

Thank you all for your enthusiastic support of my word, story, for 2019. And speaking of stories, today seems like the perfect day to share my year in books 2018.

The image is long (I used the Stitch It app to create it) but it shows every book I read last year.

It was a great year of reading and I’ve set my goal for 2019 at 75 books once again. I like that it gives me some wiggle room to read longer books (I’m looking at you, Diana Gabaldon) and I’d rather smash this particular goal than set it too high and rush through books just for the sake of checking them off on an arbitrary list.

Have you set a reading goal for 2019? I’d love to hear about it!

Unraveling

December 19, 2018 By Carole

First of all, because every blog post should have a picture, behold my year of colour from Instagram:

It seems like an appropriate photo for a post about knitting because so much of knitting is about color.

I don’t have any finished knitting to show you but I have been knitting and thinking about what I want to knit, not just next week (because vacation) but also into 2019.

I set a Ravelry Project Challenge for the year at 15 items and so far I’ve completed 13. (Ravelry says 10 but it’s counting the three pairs of Appleseed Mitts I made as 1 project and the two Hamilton Ornaments are also counted as 1.) I might just actually make my goal if I finish the hat I’m knitting for Jackie (which should be a slam dunk) as well as the current socks I have in progress. I have the Project Peace 2018 cowl on my needles but that’s a slow going knit and I’m guessing it won’t be done until after the first of the year. Then again. I have a thing about finishing up works in progress before the end of the year so perhaps I’ll have it done.

Looking ahead, I still want to knit the Party of Five cowl (I have the perfect gradient kit for it) as well as Orbit (I bought two different skeins of Tosh DK from the Loopy Ewe recently) so those will be carried over into my 2019 challenge. I also decided yesterday that I’m going to frog Skogafjall (it’s been in time out since last winter) and instead I’m going to use the yarn I have to knit another Stopover. Finally, I want to knit some hats. I bought a kit from Knitterly Things to make a Chevron Love Slouch Hat and I’ve also got the Ombre Cable Hat in my queue. Hats are a quick and useful knit and I’d do well to remember that.

On the reading front, well, there hasn’t been a lot of time for reading . . . but the good news is that I’m (finally) reading a book that I love: Circe by Madeline Miller. I resisted this one despite the fact that so many of you read and loved it because it just didn’t appeal to me. In fact, I think I’ve gotten it twice through Overdrive and just returned it without evening starting it. Last week, though, I asked Kym and she was pretty certain I’d enjoy it and she was right. It’s great . . . a compelling story, a strong female protagonist, and descriptions so real you feel like you’re right there. I’m hoping to sneak in some knitting time in between prep for our Christmas Eve party because I am enjoying this one very much.

How about you? What are you knitting and reading this week? Be sure and head over to Kat’s to check in with everyone on the unraveled front.

An Afternoon with Louise Penny

December 11, 2018 By Carole

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.

For the Love of Reading: October through early December, 2018

December 10, 2018 By Carole

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!

Unraveling

October 31, 2018 By Carole

I’m joining with Kat and friends this week to talk about knitting and reading.

On Friday I shared this photo on Instagram. It’s a beautiful ball of Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine in the color Popsicle. I wound it up and started knitting Thea Colman’s Appleseed Mitts. I didn’t swatch and went down a needle size because my gauge is always loose.

You know where this is going, right?

They are small. Too small for me. And, while I thought I’d just give them away, I just don’t feel right about that either because they are a bit on the stiff side. So, I’ll be unraveling and starting over on bigger needles. I may even go up a size, too. I’m reluctant to do this because I’ve already done that cuff twice now (since I didn’t read the directions and screwed up the beginning of the round) but I just have this feeling that this mitts will be great binge knitting if I can just get it right. And yes, I’ve considered that maybe this yarn and pattern just aren’t a good match.

I wish I could say let’s talk about reading with excitement but I’m currently slogging my way through Transcription. Like Kym, I must lament that it’s no Life After Life. Still, I’m intrigued enough to finish and I do enjoy Kate Atkinson’s style and I think she’s doing an excellent job of portraying just how damaged the people of England were following WWII.

And there you have it: unsuccessful knitting and unexciting reading. But, even so, knitting and reading are my favorites.