Carole Knits

october zinnia
october zinnia
martinis with a view
martinis with a view
gettysburg fence for
gettysburg fence for
germinate shawl on rocks
germinate shawl on rocks
field of flags 2
field of flags 2
color affection with edge
color affection with edge
cedar leaf shawlette 2
cedar leaf shawlette 2
3_27_2014
3_27_2014
3_18_13
3_18_13
2_24_2014
2_24_2014
1_11_13
1_11_13
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits

Read With Us: The Matrix Promo Post

By

As usual, Kym and Bonny and I are taking turns promoting our latest book club choice and I’m up today to take a whack at encouraging you to read our Fall 2021 pick, Matrix by Lauren Groff.

I read Matrix last month and, I have to admit, I did not looooooove it. As I said in my review on Goodreads: The writing is exceptional, and if I were rating that alone, this would be a 4 star book. The story, however, never really grabbed me and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I’m looking forward to discussing this with my book group and hoping that will enlighten me on what I missed. 

The key to that review? The part where I say I’m looking forward to discussing this with my book group because that, my friends, is YOU. And I know when we discuss it that I’m going to discover things about the book that I missed. I know I’m going to see the story through someone else’s experience and that experience will enlighten me. And even if none of that happens, even if I don’t change my opinion about the book, I will be the better for having participated. Plus, the liveliest book discussions are the ones where everyone doesn’t agree!

Don’t get me wrong, though, on this selection. I completely support it and I think it’s a great book for us to read and discuss. If you don’t want to take my word for it, consider that it was a finalist for the National Book Award. And peruse some of the great reviews out there like this one from NPR and this (lengthier and more broad) one from The Atlantic.

I hope I’ve sold you on reading this one with us. Mark your calendars for January 11th for our zoom discussion!

Read With Us: The Fall 2021 Announcement

By

The time has come, dear readers for us to tell you our next bloggy book group selection and it is . . . insert drum roll . . . Matrix, by Lauren Groff

Matrix

Set in France in 1158, the novel tells the story of Marie de France, an orphan who is exiled from court and sent to be the prioress of an impoverished abbey. Little is known about the real Marie de France, which gives Groff complete poetic license to create a story of female power in a time where only men were valued. I only just started the book yesterday and I can already tell that it’s brilliant. Groff is an incredibly gifted writer (if you haven’t read Fates and Furies then make sure you read it right after this one) and she brings all of those gifts to this book. There are numerous articles on how she was inspired to write the book, the reviews are terrific, and it’s on the longlist for the National Book Award.

We thought long and hard about our book for this round but ultimately I think we made a great choice and I hope you will agree! We will be having our discussion on January 11th so you’ve got plenty of time to read this one, even if you might have to wait a bit to get it from the library.

I hope, between my post and the posts that Bonny and Kym are both sharing today, that we have convinced you to once again . . . read with us.

Read With Us: The Unsettled Ground Discussion

By

Ready to talk about Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller? I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like I read this book a lifetime ago. You too? Or maybe not. But either way, today is discussion day, not just here but over at Bonny’s and Kym’s, too.

53341634. sy475

I have two questions with regards to this discussion.

How did the novel encourage you to explore how humanity deals with people who live on the edge of society?

As I was reading the book, I often had to remind myself that it was set during the present time. Something about the cottage and the garden and maybe even the setting in general felt old world to me. Did you have that same impression? Discuss whether you did or did not.

I look forward to your comments. And don’t forget, we’re doing a zoom session tonight at 7pm EST to discuss things . . . errr . . . face to face. Okay, not really, but you know what I mean. I hope to see many of you later!

Monday On My Mind

By

Before I get to what’s on my mind today, I want to remind you that tomorrow is discussion day for the Read With Us summer book selection, Unsettled Ground. Bonny and Kym and I will be posting questions on our blogs and then holding a zoom meet up at 7pm EST to discuss the book with anyone interested. It’s not too late to join us, just leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll make sure you get an invite.

Okay. Onward.

I went for a haircut on Friday and had to wait a few minutes for my stylist. While I was sitting there, a young woman was brought over to sit under the hair dryer. Her stylist made a point of telling her, “if you’re on your phone, make sure you hold it up at eye level so you aren’t looking down at it, otherwise the front of your hair won’t be getting enough heat.” Made perfect sense to me but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.

Then, last night, Dale and I were watching the Patriot’s game and every time they scanned the crowd I was struck by how many spectators were looking at their phones. I’d guess it was 1 in 4 that was looking down at a cell phone . . . while at a major (and rather expensive) sporting event.

Now. I’m probably shouldn’t judge, as I have an iPhone that I’m very attached to and I enjoy time on Facebook and Instagram and (lately anyway) TikTok. But, I like to think, and I’m aware that I could be very wrong about this, that I’m pretty cognizant of putting down the phone and . . . you know . . . living my life. Being present. Engaging with the people and things happening around me. I can absolutely tell you that I wouldn’t be looking down at a phone while attending a Pat’s game.

I think it’s safe to say that cell phones and devices are here to stay and an accepted part of our daily lives. At the same time, though, I think we have to be very careful about just how much we’re engaging with these devices and how much we might actually be missing by not putting down the phone and looking around. Phones are a great tool for so may things (remind me to tell you about the great meal planning app I just started using) and I have a lot of apps that I use that are not related to social media at all . . . Spotify and podcasts and Audible and so much more. And none of it is wrong. But some of it . . . well . . . maybe it’s too much.

I’m making a promise to myself, and I’m telling all of you so that I don’t forget, to engage more with people I am with and not so much with those on the screen. To save the social media stuff for when I’m alone. To be fully present.

I’m a firm believer in you-do-you, so please don’t take this as me lecturing you on your personal cell phone habits. But if you’ve got a little voice telling you that you’re maybe on TikTok too much (raises hand) then perhaps you’d like to reconsider how you spend your time, too.

And that’s what’s on my mind this Monday.

Read With Us: The Unsettled Ground Promo Post

By

Today it’s my turn to convince you to read Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. When I blogged about this book as the Read With Us summer choice I had not read it yet. Now I have and I’m here to tell you, it’s a winner!

Set in a small English village in the present day, it’s about Julius and Jeannie and the life they live on the fringe of society. Their mother dies in the opening pages (I’m not giving anything away by telling you that) and the ripple effect from her death is huge. Secrets that have been harbored for years are revealed, financial circumstances are changed, and living situations are heartbreakingly altered. It’s a story I really wanted to read slowly to savor it but it was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down.

The book has garnered some noteworthy attention and is on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. There’s an interview with Claire Fuller here that is worth listening to, if only for hearing her read portions of the book aloud. I know some of you have already read it and enjoyed it (which is always reassuring when it comes to our choices) and if you haven’t read it I highly encourage you to pick it up. These are characters worth knowing and it’s a story that will burrow itself into your heart and stay there.

I hope you will read it and I hope you will join us for our Zoom discussion on Tuesday, September 14th.