Happiness
Brought to you by:
BTT
Nothing particularly original tonight, so . . .
- Have you ever missed an important appointment because
you have become so engrossed in a book you forgot the time or were up
so late reading that you didn’t wake up in time? Been late to work
because you couldn’t resist the temptation and left the house too late?
No, I’ve never missed an appointment. (I’m always early to pretty much everything.) And I haven’t been late to work . . . well, not by more than a minute or two . . . though, there have been times when I’ve really needed to finish a chapter and had to push things a bit. Missing sleep, though? Oh my yes. In fact I have a “rule” that I won’t let myself start a new, tempting book any earlier in the week than Thursday, so that if I get sucked in and stay up too late, it’s only a day until I get a chance to sleep in (grin).
Turkish Delight
So, since I still can’t show you my Mystery Project, and my other knitting projects are pretty much at a standstill, I thought I’d show a little more of my Turkish Spindle. Especially since I “start” a little differently than instructed in the book. The booklet, written by Wanda Jenkins, wife of the woodworker Ed Jenkins, is excellent, don’t get me wrong. But it has you start by tying a slip-knot at the bottom and then tying the fiber to the end of the leader at the top . . . which I find problematic.
Although, I’ll admit that my method uses twice the amount of yarn over the same length, which adds some extra weight . . . if I’d had any lace-weight yarn handy for this tutorial, though, I would have used that . . . a double-thickness of lace yarn would be close enough to a single-thickness of sock yarn that I think the difference would be negligable . . .
But anyway, here we go!
First, take a long length (a couple of yards/meters) of yarn and tie a knot at the ends, making one, long loop.
Wrap the yarn around the bottom of the spindle, under the “arms” and feed one end of the loop through the other.
Pull tight to secure, and then wrap the yarn onto and around the arms as instructed.
Introduce your spindle to the fiber. (It’s always good to be polite.)
Now, make a similar loop at the end of your leader yarn, and thread some of the fiber through it.
Pull tight. At this point, I fold the drafted fiber in half around the leader so that it will twist back on itself, giving a doubly-sure join as you start–both from the leader grasping the fiber, and from the fiber basically locking around around the leader yarn.
Add twist . . . well, you know the rest!
Of course, it never hurts to have an admirer lending support…. Chappy actually posed for this photo, which is practically unheard of. Usually he turns his head away from the flash of the camera, so looking up and smiling? Priceless.
Oh, boy, did the Ann over at Mason-Dixon Knitting ever come up with the perfect knitalong for me at this point. The Slogalong. Remember last month when I bemoaned the fact that my existing projects were endless? And which, naturally, have slown down even further since I started my Mystery Project? I think I definitely have to sign up, huh??
And, I thank you for the compliments on the pansy pictures yesterday. I hope none of you thought I’d actually taken them myself. To have pansies (that many at least), I’d need to garden, and we already know that I don’t do that. (Achoo!) I have a hard enough time keeping my house plants alive. Hurray for Google, huh?
For the record, though, yeah, I still think my Tibetan Dreams roving is looking like pansies.
And, hurray for the Dillon Panthers. Not only was the season finale excellent, but it got some encouraging news. Fingers crossed for season two!
Hey, that story about Joshua Bell I told you about the other day? Picked up by Reuters. I still love that story.
I can’t believe Risa got another new toy.
Round and Round and….
I was a busy little spinner this weekend, you’ll be so impressed.
Not only did I finish my second bobbin of Big Yellow Taxi on Friday night . . . the first bobbin, of course, I did at Liz’s last month . . . but between Friday night at 9:00 and Sunday night I spun up four ounces of my never-ending roving. As in, spun two bobbins of singles AND plied them.
Honest!
Last night around 4:00, it looked like this:
Two bobbins of slightly over-spun singles. I had my wheel on a higher ratio than usual and there are some little pigtails in the singles that didn’t come out when I plied so there are some small, hard places in the yarn . . . which, frankly, would bother me more if I weren’t kind of sick of this roving by now. It’s still soft, it’s still beautiful, it still spins up wonderfully, but it’s still here. It should have grown up and moved out long ago.
My deal with myself is that I can spin other things from my spinning stash so long as I alternate between this mountain of roving and the new, exciting stuff. That seems fair, don’t you think?
And so, as of last night, I’m spinning my Tibetan Dreams roving.
Look how pretty it looks in my hat, waiting to be spun. Like little corriedale roses . . .
In fact, that’s exactly what this roving makes me think of–a garden of roses. Purples, yellows, golds, peaches, pinks . . . it’s like a flower shop. Very Springy.
And, of course, it’s effortless to spin. No pre-drafting necessary, and it’s just gorgeous.
I mean, really . . . gorgeous. Vibrant, vivid, fabulous color.
I do find that my two main criteria in knitting is that I like yarn that is soft, and I like creative color combinations. I’ve nothing against white, black, beige, but I xan’t remember the last time I knit or spun something that wasn’t some sort of color.
Of course, I don’t know that this, as a finished yarn, is going to be something I ever knit anything from, or would wear . . . I won’t know until I’ve got the finished skein in front of me . . . but in the meantime, my eyes are drinking in the colors.
It’s such a relief, too, to have spinning progress to show you, too, because there’s nothing I can show you from the knitting side. My mystery project is moving along . . . I’ve finished my first skein of Cascade 220 . . . but obviously I can’t be more specific. (My sister even asked me yesterday to tell her what the surprise was, as if! How does she know it’s not something for her?? All I’ll say is that I’ll be able to show and tell by the end of our family gift-giving season in May and June.)
Oh–and the cake in yesterday’s Easter picture? Homemade crumbcake, made from the recipe in the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated, which just arrived a week ago . . . I used two of its recipes for Easter, so its timing was perfect! (The other one was the “Better than A-1″ steak marinade. You know, in case you’re interested.)
Easter
Happy Easter, everyone!
Waiting Saturday
So, here we are on the nameless Saturday of Easter weekend. Have you ever noticed that all the other days in this weekend . . . starting with Thursday, really . . . have special monikers, but not Saturday? Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, (plain, ordinary Saturday) and then Easter. The biggest day on the Christian calendar. (Although, really, I’ve always been more of a fan of Christmas–birth without having to be crucified first. Not nearly so much anguish.) Anyway, I’ve always felt that this Saturday deserved some kind of extra title, because, well, all the other days do . . . but what, really? Waiting Saturday has always seemed appropriate to me. Not only because the disciples were waiting (well, they didn’t know, of course, but still), but because as a kid, the night the Easter Bunny came was almost as hard to sleep through as the night Santa came….
So, what have I done with my Saturday? This morning, Mom and I went to the bookstore and the grocery store, and then I baked. Cake for tomorrow’s dinner, and a crumb cake for breakfast. We took Chappy for a walk, too, but otherwise . . . that pretty much sums up my day. Tonight, we watched “The Holiday” with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, which I thought was relatively cute and amusing but kind of long-winded. It certainly could have been edited some more, tightened up a little, but still. Good for a holiday weekend. I got an hour and a half’s knitting done on my mystery project, too. Thankfully, it’s moving along reasonably quickly–faster than my “real” projects are–and someday I’ll actually be able to show it to you….
Now, here’s a great article from the Washington Post. What would happen if one of the world’s foremost violinists busked in a DC subway station during rush hour?On his Stradivarius, nonetheless. Would people notice? Would he draw a crowd? Be ignored? Great article . . . and the snippets of online video are interesting, too.
And, that’s pretty much it for tonight. Not even a Saturday Sky picture for you (sorry). Hope everyone’s weekend is going swimmingly, and wish you all a happy Easter, whether it’s a day you celebrate or not. (Because, you know, if not, I wish you a happy Sunday–it’s a win-win all around.)
Sleeping
Because, really, how could I resist? I just adore this photo…..
Brought to you by:
Jewels
Lucky Chappy. He’s got new bling for his collar.
(And, I can’t believe I just used the word “bling.”)
Isn’t it cute? A silver tag that I bought from Etsy. Because, well, doesn’t Chappy deserve something beautiful?
Useful, too, because it’s got his phone number on the back. Very important, you know, because he doesn’t have a wallet to carry his I.D. in, and a microchip is handy (he has one, of course) but still not as convenient as a phone number on the collar!
Wait. What’s that?
You want to know what it’s sitting on?
Well . . . okay . . .
Two soft, beautiful, gorgeous ounces of 50/50 tussah silk/cashmere, dyed in the Opal colorway.
My camera couldn’t capture the greens in the roving–it focused more on the blue and purple, but trust me. It’s got all three of them, and they are just too, too beautiful.
I don’t know when I’ll get to spin this, mind you. I’ve got bunches of others waiting their turn. But I already know how luscious this is going to be. I spun some of this last summer, remember? In the colorway Reds that I got from my Yarn Aboard pal. So I know how wonderfully this is going to spin. The current plan is to use this to try out the lace-kit for my Little Gem, which has been waiting since November.
But, ooh, it’s tempting….
Here’s an interesting link–what if we taught English the same way we taught mathematics? Language skills taught out of dictionaries and grammar guides, used only for necessities, not for joy, for pleasure, for beauty . . . because, the point here is that’s how we teach math. For balancing checkbooks, doing basic calculations, but never for the joy of it. Now, I’m not nor never have been a math whiz, but I did the advanced stuff in high school, and found pleasure in balancing an equation or solving a proof . . . there’s a beauty there, too, that so many students never see because they’re stuck with an uninspiring methodology . . . food for thought, huh?
And, it might be getting bad reviews, but Chappy still wants to see this movie… the commercials on tv are so cute. How do I break it to him that the movie itself is supposed to be bad? Or, would he just not care, what with it being a movie about a smart dog, and all? Of course . . . what with Chappy himself just being a dog, he’ll probably believe what I tell him, huh?
At least he’s got a nice new tag on his collar . . . or, well, will as soon as I pull out the pliers…..
Chaperone
Okay, the Journey Wheel finally made her way up the stairs and is now playing interference . . . just in case the Little Gem and the Lendrum get any ideas.
Of course, the Journey Wheel isn’t feeling its best right now. The string around the Flyer wheel broke, and while I was trying to adjust that, the string tensioning the spring also broke, so now I’m trying to get it back in working order, but still can’t get the flyer drive band the right length, have everything rotate as it should AND stil be able to close it and put it in its case.
Really, when I’m done here, JW and I are going to have a friendly little chat.
I don’t want you to think that we’re angry with each other, though, because we’re not. We’re working together to solve this should-be-temporary little problem.
And in the meantime, I’m letting her hold this pretty braid of Vesper Blue-Faced Leicester roving in Pacific that came today. Turquoise and brown . . . mmmm . . .
Now, I’m going to get a head start on Thursday, with . . .
- Just out of curiosity, as we enter into Passover and Easter season
. . . have you ever read the Bible? Just the odd chapter or Psalm? The
whole thing? (Or, almost the whole thing? It’s some heavy reading, of
course, and those “begats” get kind of tedious.) I’ve read most of the Bible, but not all of it. Pretty much all of the Old Testament, though I skimmed a fair amount of the prophets . . . it got kind of redundant. (Sorry.) The New Testament? I’m stalled somewhere after the book of John… - If so, was
it from religious motivation or from a literary perspective? Stuck with
nothing else to read in a hotel room the Gideon’s have visited? Any
combination? Curiosity more than anything else. There really are some beautiful passages in there, but I’m not exactly zealous enough to plow through some of the most boring parts. (Well, some of it IS boring; that’s not sacrilege so much as, well, fact.) It’s certainly true that there’s a lot of wisdom in there. I was raised as a Christian, and thought it behooved me to address the original text, as it were . . . and, seriously, one of these days I’ll get all the way through to Revelations. Really! - If not, why not? Against your religious
principles? Too boring? Just not interested? Something you’re planning
on taking care of when you get marooned on a desert island? - And while we’re on the subject . . . what about the other great religious works out there? Are they more to your liking? I’ve read some of those, too, yes. I find the comparisons fascinating, and the different world-views endlessly interesting. My favorite analogy of religion? That all religions–all of them–are trying to get to the same peak of the same mountain–the answer to all your questions about why we’re here, the meaning of life, all of it. But all of them are approaching from different angles–some have hard paths, some have easy. Some (like, say, the ones that promote human sacrifice), have their routes blocked by avalanches or crevasses. But they are all trying to get to the same place. I love that. Because to me, it doesn’t matter what you call God (if you call Him at all), but asking the questions, and trying to be a good person that matters.
And, honest, that’s about as “deep” as I’m going to get tonight!
Let’s Talk About Spindles
We’re doing spindle testing here at Chappy’s house.
I have an assortment of spindles which mostly don’t get out of the closet all that often. (Because, well, you know, three wheels.)
Today, though, I decided to pull them out and compare them.
We have here, from left to right, a Jenkins Turkish spindle (which, um, just arrived today), a Kundert, two Goldings (a tiny one and a larger one), and a petitelittle Greensleeves Vixen.
The Goldings–shocking though this is going to be to hear–almost sacrilege-are actually my least favorite of the group.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re absolutely gorgeous. I mean, look at them. Beautiful. But, comparatively? They honestly don’t spin as long or as well as the others.
The Greensleeves Vixen is a lovely little spindle, but that’s the thing. Very little. It spins well enough for its size, and is lovely to look at. (Tulip wood, by the way.) Very pretty. But . . . just okay. Not awful. Not wonderful. Perfectly nice.
The Kundert, though? This was my first good spindle and remains my favorite. It spins like it’s going to rotate forever. It’s beautiful. It’s aerodynamic. It’s just lovely. Big kudos on this one. I love it, and have yet to find one that I like better.
And, the new kid on the block? The Jenkins Turkish spindle? Well, this just stepped up to be my second favorite.
It would have had a chance for first except for that oh-so-annoying but necessary half-hitch at the top every, single, time I have to pause to wind on. If there were a hook on the top of the shaft that I could just loop around like I do on the top-whorl spindles, I’d be happier. No matter how “traditional” that pretty little notched top might be, I’d rather have a hook. By a lot.
But the spinning thing? Absolutely no problem there. Rotating is definitely not the problem for this Turkish spindle. It does that just wonderfully. This one, by the way, is Canary wood, and is a thing of beauty. Just saying.
Now, will all this playing mean my wheels are in any danger of being neglected and unloved? No. Spindles are nice, and it’s been fun playing with them, but ultimately they’re not fast enough for me. I appear to be more of a product than a process spinner and knitter–as much as I love doing them, I like to get to the finished product, to be able to use or wear whatever it is I’ve made. So ultimately, spindles are a nice diversion, but for “real” spinning, well, yeah . . . I like my wheels.
Spindles sure do look pretty though, huh?
Oh, and I think this is actually a couple of years old (if not, I saw one remarkably like it a couple of years ago), but you must check out this video of this Honda Accord ad. The entire thing was filmed in one take, no tricks, no computers. It took 606 takes to get it right, and all the parts in the ad come from actual Hondas. Just . . . wow. Old or not, I’m glad my Dad sent me a link for this because, honestly, I could watch it again and again and again….
Leaning
I think I really need to bring my Journey Wheel upstairs to join this tete a tete, don’t you? Now that the Kiwi has moved on to a new spinner, the two left in my bedroom are busy getting to know each other. Up until now, the Kiwi and the Lendrum have been the ones next to each other, but now, when not being actually spun on, the Little Gem is hanging out with the Lendrum.
They look kind of cute together, actually, with the Lendrum leaning in . . . Does anyone remember the discussion about “leaning” in the movie “While You Were Sleeping?” I did so love the appalling character of Joe Jr . . . Mom and I stayed at an Inn once that had one of its own and he was awful in person, but the character in the movie? Sort of sweet in his overbearing, kind of obnoxious way…
Anyway, quoted here courtesy of IMDB.
Lucy:
[to Jack] Okay, um. What do you mean by the leaning thing? You mean because he gave me flowers?
Jack:
And then you *leaned*
Lucy:
And then I leaned.
Jack:
Yeah.
Lucy:
Okay, how did I lean when I leaned?
Jack:
It was a lot different from hugging. Hugging’s very different. Hugging
that involves arms and hands; and leaning is whole bodies moving in
like this
[leans toward her suggestively]
Jack:
. Leaning involves *wanting*… and *accepting*. *Leaning*…
Joe Jr.:
Hey Luce! Is this guy bothering you?
Lucy:
[Laughs] No, no.
Joe Jr.:
Are you sure? Because it looks like he’s *leaning.*
Well, the Lendrum is leaning. This worries me a little. What if Jessalu was right? Maybe I’d better get that Journey Wheel up here right away!
I have been working on my mystery-I-can’t-tell-you-about-it project, so my “unshielded” knitting projects are now going slower than ever . . . As if that Celtic Icon that I’ve been working on since October really needed MORE time in the knitting bag.
Speaking of worrying, this situation worries me a whole lot. And I not the only one. Not least because this is one of my favorite non-knitting blogs, but because it’s just wrong on so many levels. I don’t want to discuss them here, but, well, this is one of those things that you either understand (which I’m guessing most of the people reading my blog do), or you don’t (in which case, why are you here?) There are just some really sick people out there…. Not you, of course, but you know, those other people….
Move Over
Okay, move over computer!
I got my match for the Knitterly Letter Swap that Domesticat organized today. I won’t tell you who, of course, but I’ve got my stationery ready, and filled my favorite fountain pen with some lovely “Skies of Blue” ink, and I moved my laptop to the side . . . so, I’m all set. It’s actually pretty nice to have a reason to get the actual paper out, you know?
I feel like I’ve gotten very little done today, though that’s not strictly true. I was so tired last night, for whatever reason, that I actually turned off my light about fifteen minutes earlier than I would on a week night . . . and then slept until two hours later than I would to get up for work . . . and I was still tired. Weird, huh? Maybe selling my Kiwi yesterday was more traumatic than I thought? Or the fact that I spun for an hour last night took more out of me than I realized?
Although, that would explain why my legs and lower back feel stiff today. Because one thing I’ve noticed? When I’ve been doing a lot of spinning, the backs of my calves gets really tight. As in, going up the stairs or walking uphill gets painful. Which is why, even when I’m on a spinning jag, I try to take a day off every couple of days. (And, come to think of it, that’s exactly the reason I gave up doing step-aerobics . . . do people even do those any more?) Of course, I suppose I could try some stretches before spinning, warm up for all that exercise…. (grin)
Still, I managed to scrape myself off the couch long enough to clean the bathroom, dust my room (though, I never did get around to the vacuuming). I baked a Mocha-swirl Bundt Cake (new recipe, so I don’t know how that came out yet). I helped Mom put the groceries away, did some spinning, cooked a pot roast, made some tea. Wrote my letter (yes, this paragraph is coming some time later). And yet, it FEELS like I did next to nothing today . . . go figure!
The worst part? I’m still tired….. and tomorrow’s Monday. Sigh.
Reading List from March
Here are the books I read in March:
1. GUN SELLER by Hugh Laurie (339 p.) Kind of a cross between PG Wodehouse and James Bond is one of the blurbs inside the cover of this book, and it’s not that far off. Written by Hugh Laurie, who not only does a wonderful Dr. House but is also my ideal Bertie Wooster wrote this somewhat funny, if really violent story. Knowing the actor, I can clearly hear his “voice” throughout, and it’s very readable and pretty enjoyable, even if not my usual kind of book.
2. SPLIT INFINITY by Piers Anthony (259 p.) This is a blast from my past, pulled out from the back of my library. I read this in high school. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy cross which takes place on a planet named Proton, which is very sci-fi indeed, but which has an alternate realm called Phaze which couldn’t be more “fantasy”–unicorns, demons, magic, the works. Meeting them both is Stile, a master gamesman from the primary entertainment in Proton who suddenly gains a robot determined to protect him from some, unknown threat . . . which is when he discovers the Curtain that divides the two realms and . . .
3. BLUE ADEPT by Piers Anthony (255 p.) Now that Stile has gained a certain amount of security between the two worlds, he’s determined to find out who’s trying to kill him . . . could it be another magic-worker from Phaze?
4. JUXTAPOSITION by Piers Anthony (276 p.) The finale of the original “Adept” trilogy, where pretty much everything comes to a head. I don’t want to say too much on the off-chance anyone wants to read these, because pretty much any description at all is going to give away major plot points from the earlier books. Overall, this trillogy is enjoyable enough, so long as you take a huge helping of credulity first. Far too many coincidences. Like, for example, the Oracle in Phaze will answer one question per person in their lifetime, and so often, the plot has “so-and-so went to the Oracle and it said….” when, really, would that character really have wasted their one and only question to find out why there’s an earthquake, or whatever? And, the reality of the “Game” requires a pretty much impossible range of skills and expertise–and just about every new situation Stile finds himself in comes with a “Luckily, thanks to his training for the Game, Stile already knew . . .” fill in the blank. Swordplay, chess, playing instruments, acting, dancing, you name it, he has the skills to handle it. But, that aside, and allowing for some pretty bizarre societal norms (like, all serfs on Proton are naked, period), it’s a decent enough read . . . Yes, I know I sound critical, and it’s true, I liked these a lot more when I was 16, but still. The author–never one to forego a chance to make more money on bleeding a series dry (Xanth, anyone?)–added an additional four books to the series, which are pretty much awful . . . these, at least, are fresh and creative.
5. SAFE-KEEPER’S SECRET by Sharon Shinn (222 p.) Book one of this trilogy, written more for young-adults (but who cares?) . . . one night, a rider arrives at the door of a Safe-Keeper–a person who absolutely must keep a secret–with a baby . . . who grows up with her own daughter, born that night….
6. TRUTH-TELLER’S TALE by Sharon Shinn (276 p.) Second book in this trilogy, telling the story of two “mirror” twins–exactly alike, but mirror images of each other–one of whom is a Safe-Keeper and the other a Truth-Teller (who, if it’s not obvious, can only ever speak the truth).
7. DREAM-MAKER’S MAGIC by Sharon Shinn (221 p.) Third of the trilogy, centering on the one and only person in this imaginary kingdom who can make dreams come true, no matter how unlikely. This trio of stories is geared more toward younger readers, but since it’s Sharon Shinn, one of my absolute favorites, I’m happy to read it any way. I kind of hate the artwork on the covers, and the second is my favorite of the three, but they’re perfectly nice books, and the author tells a good story.
8. ART OF SHETLAND LACE by Sarah Don (117 p.) Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A classic that’s newly reprinted by Lacis.
9. HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON by Naomi Novik (357 p.) Obviously an alternate world–ours, caught up in the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s, but one where we have dragons, and use them in battle. As I understand it, this book/series is also being made into a movie by Peter Jackson, of LOTR fame . . . you know, in case you didn’t know, or hadn’t heard of the books and wanted to get them read before the films come out.
10. WIZARD’S SHADOW by Susan Dexter (277 p.) Sadly out of print, this is a lovely little fantasy book by a author I’ve really loved since high school. Crocken is a peddlar who makes a deal with a disembodied shadow and finds himself in the middle of quite a political intrigue in a country he’d never heard of. Good writing, entertaining story. I really wish she’d write again…..
11. SPINDLE’S END by Robin McKinley (422 p.) A retelling of Sleeping Beauty by one of the masters of reinterpreting fairy tales. Unique, beautifully written. And, well, there’s at least a little spinning….
12. LACE STYLE by Pam Allen & Ann Budd (155 p.) Lace patterns–some better, some worse. There are a few patterns in here that I think are fabulous, but some that that are just “eh.” That’s the way it is, right?
13. PERFECT RED by Amy Butler Greenfield (261 p.) Great, interesting history book on the color red–why it’s been so beloved throughout the centuries, and how it became such a huge trade commodity when the Conquistadors discovered Cochineal in the New World. Entertaining and just fascinating–even without being a dyer myself, I loved this book. And since I have so many friends who dye their own yarn, I liked it even more.
14. DRAGONFLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey (188 p.) The book that started it all for the Pern dragonrider books for which she’s famous. The writing is “young” in this book, since it was her very first novel (to my knowledge)–it doesn’t really compare with the quality of later books, but the story is still a good one, and really, it’s vital for knowing what’s going on in the rest of the series. The premise? Lessa becomes the rider to Ramoth, queen dragon of the only remaining weyr on Pern . . . but the dangerous Thread is coming, and they need help . . .
15. DRAGONQUEST by Anne McCaffrey (250 p.) Now that there are plenty of dragons, Lessa and Flar, Benden Weyrleaders, are determined to eliminate the danger of Thread . . .
16. WHITE DRAGON by Anne McCaffrey (296 p.) This one focuses on Jaxom, young Lord Holder, and rider of the white sport dragon, Ruth. It’s always been one of my favorites, possibly because I was so close to Jaxom’s age when I first read the book, or just because the discovery of Landing was just so amazingly cool….
17. RENEGADES OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (354 p.) Not really one of my favorites, but it does move the story along . . . much of the first half is an overlap to stories we already know from earlier books, but the ending, with the discovery of AIVAS? So, so cool. And the cliff-hanger ending just about killed me the first time I read it….
18. ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (404 p.) One of my other favorites–basically the entire planet band together to re-learn long-forgotten skills in order to, once and for all, stop Thread from falling on Pern.
19. DOLPHINS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (340 p.) More of a young-adult book, this Pern book talks about the dolphins. They came with the original settlers some 2500 years ago, but people had forgotten that they were intelligent . . . until now.
20. SKIES OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (447 p.) Probably the last of the “current” timeline of Pern books–Thirty years into the current Pass, and with F’lessan, F’lar and Lessa’s son, the main character–along with a good idea of what the Dragonriders will be doing once they no longer have to fight Thread when this pass is over… The last few “Pern” books have been written or co-written with McCaffrey’s son Todd, and I don’t think they’re nearly as good, but since that’s the case, and she is getting up there in age . . . my guess is this the end of the story. A real pity, that . . . I’d so like to know what happens next!
21. GRAND SOPHY by Georgette Heyer (404 p.) A Regency romance, really, by the woman who made them classic. Sophy’s father asks his sister’s family to watch after his 20-year old daughter while he travels to Brazil . . . They agree, but have no idea what they’re in for. Sophy is like a sophisticated Pippi Longstocking with decent manners–dragging the stuffy family members into situations they’re not quite prepared to deal with, but with the best possible motivations. Enjoyable.
22. THRONE OF JADE by Naomi Novik (394 p.) Book two of the Temeraire series (see #9 above). The dragon Temeraire and his captain Laurence are on their way to China. to gain permission from the Emperor for the two of them to stay together, despite Chinese custom to the contrary….
23. BLACK POWDER WAR by Naomi Novik (365 p.) Now on the way back from China, Laurence and Temeraire get side-tracked by an urgent mission to Turkey, followed by an engagement with Napoleon’s army, on its way to Russia…. All in all, an enjoyable enough series of books. I didn’t adore them (her dragons just don’t compare to Anne McCaffrey’s), but I also fully expect to read them again, even if they’re filled more with battle sequences than the relationship between the dragons and their captains. (And we’ll bypass my frustration that Laurence spent months travelling to China without bothering to even try to learn a word of the language.) Perfectly good books–and the first of the series has been nominated for a Hugo award, did you know?
24. CASTS OFF by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (218 p.) The Harlot’s fourth book, written as a travel guide to the Land of Knitting. Highly entertaining. I liked this one better than the last one (more entertainment, less how-to), and appreciated the attempt to explain Knitting as a journey . . . one which knitters and non-knitters (aka Muggles) can appreciate. Highly recommended.
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