Friday, February 18, 2011
"Cool Stuff" Scarf
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Mardi Gras Scarf
This is a Mardi Gras scarf that I made for a co-worker to give to her daughter. It's purple and green cotton with yellow bamboo. Soft, long, and very "festive." I love it!
Monday, February 07, 2011
Sunday, February 06, 2011
A Bevy of Book Reviews
I'm trying to catch up on my blog (and my life really, but the blog is just as good a place to start as any). So, I'm going to catch up my book reviews in this blog and hopefully manage to keep up from this point forward.
Bad Day for Sorry by Sophi Littlefield. A slightly charming, mostly disarming crime novel with a menopausal, formerly abused wife who sets out to "right the wrongs" of all abused women everywhere. The plot sagged a bit, overly violent. Not really my cup of tea, but I gave it a shot for bookclub.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Beautifully written, dense novel dealing with lots of issues ranging from race, to class, to feminism. I found it slow to read at times, and put it down three times before I managed to finish it. While I was reading it I was enjoying it but something would happen to take me away and I found I didn't want to get back to it for a while. I'll try another book by Z. Smith..but I'll be skeptical.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. This is a memoir of a French man who had a stroke in his mid-40s that left him in "locked-in" syndrome. He wasn't able to move or communicate except through blinking his eyes. In this manner he wrote his memoir which is reallyl quite insightful about the power of the mind.
When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James. The 4th in the Desperate Duchesses series follows Lady Isidore as her duke returns to claim her as his wife (after being married 11 years via proxy) and his life as duke. It was a charming story about 2 people getting to know each other and themselves and finding love along the way. My favorite of the duchesses series so far.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck had a traveling truck built and he drove across most of America in 1961 with his French poodle Charley. It was a funny, insightful, and sometimes horrifying journey that left me wishing for more miles on the road. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, and especially for those who like to travel.
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philipa Gregory. This is the 5th in the Tudor series by Gregory. In time, it comes right after The Other Boleyn Girl and tells the stories of Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn. It was gripping and I had a hard time putting it down--read rather quickly. However, I do get tired of Gregory's novels about 2/3 into them. So, while I love them, I'm always happy to finish.
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James. Unlike Gregory I never want James's novels to end. This was no exception. I absolutely loved watching Linnett and Piers fall in love and learn to accept and love themselves as well as their families in the process. Fun book, and James has a "way" with characters, dialog, and humor.
Just Imagine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. A fun story about Kit and Baron as they battle wits and power to eventually admit they have fallen in love with one another. The novel deals with issues pertinent to a Reconstruction Era fiction: race relations, rebuilding the south, coming to terms with the issues of slavery and the "southern" way of living. Excellent book, though not your typical romance.
Bad Day for Sorry by Sophi Littlefield. A slightly charming, mostly disarming crime novel with a menopausal, formerly abused wife who sets out to "right the wrongs" of all abused women everywhere. The plot sagged a bit, overly violent. Not really my cup of tea, but I gave it a shot for bookclub.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Beautifully written, dense novel dealing with lots of issues ranging from race, to class, to feminism. I found it slow to read at times, and put it down three times before I managed to finish it. While I was reading it I was enjoying it but something would happen to take me away and I found I didn't want to get back to it for a while. I'll try another book by Z. Smith..but I'll be skeptical.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. This is a memoir of a French man who had a stroke in his mid-40s that left him in "locked-in" syndrome. He wasn't able to move or communicate except through blinking his eyes. In this manner he wrote his memoir which is reallyl quite insightful about the power of the mind.
When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James. The 4th in the Desperate Duchesses series follows Lady Isidore as her duke returns to claim her as his wife (after being married 11 years via proxy) and his life as duke. It was a charming story about 2 people getting to know each other and themselves and finding love along the way. My favorite of the duchesses series so far.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck had a traveling truck built and he drove across most of America in 1961 with his French poodle Charley. It was a funny, insightful, and sometimes horrifying journey that left me wishing for more miles on the road. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, and especially for those who like to travel.
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philipa Gregory. This is the 5th in the Tudor series by Gregory. In time, it comes right after The Other Boleyn Girl and tells the stories of Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn. It was gripping and I had a hard time putting it down--read rather quickly. However, I do get tired of Gregory's novels about 2/3 into them. So, while I love them, I'm always happy to finish.
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James. Unlike Gregory I never want James's novels to end. This was no exception. I absolutely loved watching Linnett and Piers fall in love and learn to accept and love themselves as well as their families in the process. Fun book, and James has a "way" with characters, dialog, and humor.
Just Imagine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. A fun story about Kit and Baron as they battle wits and power to eventually admit they have fallen in love with one another. The novel deals with issues pertinent to a Reconstruction Era fiction: race relations, rebuilding the south, coming to terms with the issues of slavery and the "southern" way of living. Excellent book, though not your typical romance.
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