Book Review--Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi

No I didn't finish two books two days apart. I was away last week and finished Hegehog and only had time to do my review yesterday. I finished Lambert Square last night.

And I have to say that I was disappointed. I love Rosina Lippi. I enjoy her writing and have enjoyed every book she's written to date--both as Rosina Lippi and Sarah Donati. That said, my disappointment in this book may be exaggerated because I expected so much more from it and because I've just finished 4 really good books in a row. To me it didn't deliver. Here are a few reasons why:

• I just didn't buy that the main female character could be so agoraphobic, or depressed, or whatever you want to call it, and then just snap out of it in the end. The ending just didn't ring true to me.
• I thought the language fell short of true Southern dialog. She attempted to reach it, but it just didn't sound right. The "might could"'s screamed at me as being mis-placed or mis-used. Overall the language just didn't work, and that was a surprise because Lippi has always done such a good job with language and dialog and dialect.
• I felt like the characterizations of the Southerners in the book bordered on insulting stereotypes. They came across as overly naive, silly and dumb. And that the northerners were so smart and savvy and otherwise worldy just didn't work for me.
• The use of either young of old characters as the "voice of wisdom" seemed trite.
• I'm not a huge fan of dogs, and the dogs in this book annoyed me. Petty I know, but I just don't like it when animals in books seem to think or talk to their humans. It was as if the animals were the psychologists as the older or young characters were, and I also found that trite.
• The plot of the book seemed a little shallow as well. It's almost as if nothing happened throughout, though it did...Julia and Dodge adressed emotional and relationship issues and learned to deal with them in their own way...but other than that, nothing really happened outside of time passing.
• Finally, while I understand that all writers will put in their political stance and viewpoints, and while I don't disagree with Lippi's criticisms of George W. Bush, I did have issues with the two women who were passing along political propaganda against GWB when it didn't seem to have any relevance to the plot of the book or the characterization of these rather minor characters at all. If the characters had sat around at a party and discussed politics and disagreed on GWB and his policies and actions, that would have rung much more truly to me and set some sort of "reason" for the criticisms. It just seemed gratuitous, and I found that problematic.

In short, I didn't hate the book, though my list of complaints does seem rather long. I did enjoy it. I read it through to the end and fairly quickly. However, I just kept waiting for it to get better, to get moving along, to do something, but it never really did anything for me. I'm looking forward to Donati's next book and hope that it doesn't disappoint as well.

Book Review--The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I've really be wracking my brains to figure out how to adequately review this book, and I've been failing every time. I start a review and then realize that it comes up far short of this wonderful book...then I start over only to have the same problem again.

In short, I loved this book. It is up there as one of my favorites ever. I loved the characters, the writing, the structure of the novel, the setting (who wouldn't love Paris), the thought-provoking commentary over class systems, and the emotional connection I made with the characters.

Set in current dayParis, The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the journals of two narrators. Renee, or Madame Michel, is a concierge at a ritzy apartment building. Paloma Josse, one of the residents, is a 12-year-old girl who has decided that life is futile and in order to avoid the miseries of being an adult will kill herself on her 13th birthday.

Both characters share that they are very intelligent and trying to hide that intelligence--for different reasons. But they connect through their subversion of class expectations and form a bond that is at once touching and illuminating. They are brought together by a new resident in the building, a Japanese man who sees through both of their attempts to "go underground."

I don't want to say more about the plot of the book, but I do want to point out that when I finished it I was crying my eyes out...something I very rarely do with a book.

It's a Southern Miss Scarf!--SOLD

In Southern Miss colors, this lovely bamboo and cotton scarf is both silky and comfy. The gold is variegated to provide depth and a suprise of color. The black sets off the bright color very nicely. Any Southern Miss fan would be proud to wear this scarf. The weave pattern is called a Plaited Twill and looks like a braid running up and down the scarf. It adds to the complexity of the rich colors. The fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 9.5 x 68 and sells for $55.

Navy and Natural Napkins

These napkins are so soft. I really love them. They turned out very nice, too, and provide a very traditional pattern for a very traditional item. They will be sent to my friend Jeff for his attaining tenure this year. Congratulations Jeff!

For those of you who are close readers...

You'll notice that I changed my "what I'm reading" without providing a book review first. That's because I didn't read Pajama Girls of Lambert Square, yet. I decided to go ahead and start the bookclub book for February because with tax prep going on (finished early thank goodness) and my civic duty next week and exercising (M-F for 2 weeks straight) and eating right (everyday for 2 weeks!), I wasn't sure if I'd have time to finish it in time...So, I'm now reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog...and loving it. Few books captivate me with the first couple of pages, but this one did. I'm really really liking it. And I'll definitely finish it in time to do a book review well before book club.

Book Review: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Son of a Witch has its good points and bad...I can't decide if I really liked it or not. I guess a few days' reflection will help with that. SOW is the 2nd installment in Gregory Maguire's Wicked series and follows the story of Liir, who is assumed to be Elphaba's son. He has her general temperament--disatisfied with the world and struggling to identify himeslf mostly through rebellion against the government that is wreaking havoc on the citizens of Oz.

We get the story of Liir as he leaves the witch's murder scene and travels to Oz in the hopes of finding his half-sister Nor. He is rejected by the wizard and then struggles to survive as he hunts for a way to locate Nor. He joins the Home Guard and becomes a well-regarded soldier. Eventually, however, he runs away after causing an accident that killed several people. In running away he uses the broom to fly home to Kiamo Ko and ends up being attacked later by Dragons.

He barely survives the attack and determines at this point that he must seek vengence, which is what the latter half of the books is about. We are left with a very enigmatic ending--wondering what could possible come next.

Though I wasn't thrilled with this book, I did enjoy reading it and am looking forward to the third installment in the series: Lion Among Men.

Green and Gold and Peach Huck Lace Scarf

This scarf is a lovely soft green and gold and peach huck lace scarf made with cotton. There is a specialty mohair boucle (bumpy) yarn that adds a little texture and interest. The scarf measures 5.25 x 68", has twisted fringe and sells for $50. Please leave a comment if you are interested.

Happy 17th A&E

Sorry to be late, but here they are in their 17-year-old beauty!

Grey and Blue Alpaca Lace Scarf

This scarf is made using a lace weight alpaca yarn that is variegated from light grey to a medium blue. The overall effect looks like denim, but this scarf is soft and very very light-weight. It measures 8x70 and has loose fringe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas this year. We have had a great time. I gave and received some wonderful gifts, have eaten some wonderful food, spent time with family and friends and for the most part really enjoyed relaxing and being kind of lazy.

I hope 2009 starts off great for everyone!

Pink and Grey Scarf--SOLD

This scarf is made from pink variegated bamboo and a gray "ribbon" that is made up of merino, viscose and polyamide. The result is a soft, silky, yet very warm scarf. The pattern is a rose path diamond twill. Fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 6x68 and sells for $60.

A Sassy Purse for a Sassy Girl

Elizabeth's purse is the same pattern as the others I've made. It's pearl cotton with some specialty yarns (merino tape, bamboo and soy silk in this case). I made it a little smaller for her because she tends to try to carry everything she can in a purse and I didn't think a homemade purse could withstand the test. At any rate, I hope she loves it! Merry Christmas!

Piano Lesson

I went to meet my new piano teacher yesterday--her name is Jan Mesrobian. I liked her. She teaches a little differently than my other teachers did, but that's to be expected as I'm an adult now and she's a different person and all.

I'm going to enjoy it, though, and am really looking forward to getting started. Maybe I can figure out how to put some sound-bits on here and you can hear me play sometime!

Book Review--Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked by Gregory Maguire is a great book. A really great book. I saw the play last year in Chicago and really enjoyed it. The book, which I read before seeing the play and then again this past month, is SO much better. It felt to me like the play "disney-ized" Maguire's story a little more than necessary. It's still a great musical, but not really the story presented in the book.

I really enjoyed this book the second time through. I'm surprised at how little I remembered from my first reading, but I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. Maguire takes the Wonderful Wizard of Oz story and rewrites it from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. Her life is chronicled from her conception to her death. She is a very lovable and interesting character.

The main thesis of the book is asking the questions "what is good and evil?" and "who gets to determine what is defined as good and evil?" For me, the analogy presented in the book is of Nazi Germany during the rise of Hitler. I haven't found any articles about it, but David agrees with my perception.

I re-read Wicked for the purpose of reading the next two books in the series: Son of a Witch and Lion Among Men.

Happy Anniversary to Me and David!

Today is our 18th anniversary! I feel as if yesterday we were walking down the aisle and David was crying and I was trying VERY hard not to laugh. How fun it's been!

A Brown Purse

This brown cotton purse was commissioned by my friend Erin for her daughter Jordan. It's mostly brown cotton with highlights in green cotton and a lighter brown variegated soy silk. I think it turned out really nicely. Plus, I'm getting the hang of sewng these little bags together.

A New Piano AND a Big Surprise, all in one day!

So, yesterday was a big day--so big in fact that I had a really hard time going to sleep. At any rate, I've been saving up for some time to buy a new electronic piano keyboard and finally had almost enough and went and bought one yesterday. I love it. I've been practicing, and my hands are actully sore. I can't believe I went for 20 years without playing.

Then yesterday David also gave me my big surprise. It's an anniversary gift that he's been sneaking around for a while getting everything done on it and it's really sweet and wonderful. It's a pencil and charcoal drawing made from a picture taken of us when we were in Salzburg, Austria this summer. I think it's a really good likeness and will enjoy keeping it around forever.

Red Shawl

This shawl is for my friend, Erin's, mother. It's made from a slightly darker and shinier red tencel and a red bamboo. The pattern is called M&O. The pattern creates a very nice, overall, lacy pattern. I think this shawl looks rich. It feels very silky and wonderful, too. I think this would be a wonderful shawl for a party or church.

4 Towels for Tony

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas and thanks for being my guinea pig!

These are 4, 100% cotton towels woven in a diamond twill pattern. Each towel is different. The experimental part of these towels was that I used a special yarn called "taffy" that is "slubbed" which means it has thick and thin portions to it. I did not find the effect to really be worth the cost of the yarn, but Tony will have to tell me whether it "makes" the towels for him.

These are really pretty. The colors are great and are, in my opinion, perfect "Tony" colors! Enjoy!

Waffle Weave Wash Cloths

3 of these wash cloths, in 100% cotton, will make their way to my aunt BJ. I have 5 others that I'm going to send to the Old Oaks Ranch for consignment unless someone hollers for them before Monday. ($10 a piece plus shipping)