Is this not the best bedside clock ever? They sold them in two styles–right-side and left-side–so you can see the time with your head still on the pillow.
Besides, I love that soothing tick-tock, tick-tock sound of a mechanical clock.
I’ll admit . . . just between us . . . that I don’t actually keep it next to my bed, though. Its alarm, well, let’s just say that I don’t like having to peel myself off the ceiling in the morning….
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Very little to say tonight, but a picture says a thousand words, right?
One sleeve finished, one more to go.
Did anybody see Pushing Daisies tonight? Knitting to the rescue! Loved that, and loved the knitted money and gun cozies, too . . . I’m still making my mind up about this show, but loved seeing Kristin Chenowyth getting a chance to sing tonight. But is anybody other than me finding the narrator’s year/day/minute age break-down of every character really annoying?
And, last, has anybody else heard about the Comfort Doll Project? Where little, handknitted dolls are used as packing materials for HIV medicines being sent to Africa–keeping the medicine safe and then providing a different kind of comfort for the kids. What a great idea!
(So much better than that time I ordered dog supplies and they came packaged with actual popcorn instead of the styrofoam stuff . . . Well, it was biodegradable and smelled really good, anyway…)
So, La wants to see asses for Wednesday?
Well, these were three of the cutest I could find.
Now, about knitting . . . have any of you been reading the Tech Knitter‘s analysis of left-slanting decreases? Brilliant. I love reading about nifty and new ways . . . or old ways . . . of doing things. Being a thinking knitter, I love knowing the whys and wherefores of why some things work and some things don’t, and her site is just wonderful for that.
Hey, let me ask you–on my other, new blog (Punctuality Rules), what do you think of the picture in the header? Good idea? Bad? Good picture? Or bad? I love the picture when it’s full-size (as seen in this post), but I don’t know . . . does it lose something at that size?
(And, why, no, of course this isn’t my lame attempt at getting you to come visit my other, brand-new blog? Why would I do such a thing??)
Sleeve number one is coming along . . . thankfully much faster once I got past the ribbing. In fact, just a couple more inches and it’ll be time to start sleeve number two.
You can also see all the many yarn ends. I spent a fair amount of Sunday afternoon weaving them in. Well, sort of. What with it being nice, sticky, Shetland wool and all, I figure it doesn’t really need THAT much help, right? So I kind of just did the quick and dirty version of weaving them in.
Now, of course, I know that there are other options for joining yarn ends that would avoid all this messiness, and I seriously considered them, but decided that it was going to be too complicated, trying to capture the ends while doing fair isle. I decided that it would just be easier to do them the tedious way.
Although, I have to tell you that there really were a lot of them.
Oh, and I have two new blogs to tell you about, though neither is about knitting.
One, Punctuality Rules, is another of mine, and it’s about writing rules and common courtesy . . . an unique combination, I’m aware, but, well . . . I tried to explain that in the first post.
The other blog is Mom’s, and is called MV Obsession. Yes, I finally convinced her to start a blog, and Martha’s Vineyard IS the obvious choice of a topic for her, wouldn’t you say?
Stop by and visit!
The “foolproof pie dough” looked so promising…. And, except for sticking to the rolling pin every chance it got, it even rolled out fairly easily . . .
… Until I tried to get it off the counter. It stuck so very badly I had to use my fingers to gather it back into a ball and STILL couldn’t get it all off. (Making this one of those times to be grateful for my bench-scraper.)
So, I resorted to my old “dump it in the middle of the pie plate and mold it into shape with my fingers, hoping for the best and that it won’t stick too badly to the actual pie plate when it bakes so that we can get the pieces out to eat them later” trick. So, here you see the finger-pressed pie crust, with the lower layer of cranberry filling and the upper layer of apples waiting. Just in time, I remembered my aversion to the texture of whole cranberries–something about chewing on cranberry skins makes my teeth itch–so I ran the pre-cooked cranberry mixture through my little mini-food processor first, making it smooth. Because, darn it, after all this work I want to be able to EAT this pie!
The upper crust did cooperate at least a little more than the bottom one did. It only really stuck right in the middle . . . and, well, you need steam vents, right?
Let’s fold our hands and pray… (I do so love when he sits with his paws folded like that.)
Later….
Well, it looks promising, except for the overflow from the completely-unsealed crusts. (I mean, really, I was just happy they reached the edge at all.)
Mouth-watering, even.
For a wonder, it came out of the pie plate relatively easily.
The apple and cranberry layers are mostly intact. The crumb, or texture, of the crust wasn’t perfect–almost cookie-ish, rather than light and flaky–but all things considered, I don’t know that I can really complain about that (grin).
Dad definitely liked it, but Mom made some pretty impressive faces . . . apparently there wasn’t quite enough sugar in there to counteract the tart cranberry for her taste. I thought it was pretty good, although for my taste the apples were a little over-cooked. I like my apples to have a little bite to them, not to be mushy, so I think the pre-cooked apple filling was unnecessary (though that’s just me).
My assistant was certainly eager for a taste.
All in all, mostly successful, even if the pie crust STILL didn’t choose to cooperate with me. One of the most labor-intensive pies I’ve ever made, though, and I don’t see how you could follow the instructions and get the whole thing done in one day, either. Make the crust, then chill at least 45 minutes. Make the cranberry and apple fillings, cool them to room temperature. Roll out the bottom crust then chill again for 30 minutes. Assemble the pie, bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 for another 20-25 minutes, turn the pie and bake another 20-25 minutes. Cool the entire pie for at least two hours before serving. You’re talking about five hours from beginning to end . . . and that’s assuming you don’t like your pies cold like we do. I got this pie out of the oven at about 11:45 this morning and it was still warm when I put it in the refrigerator around 3:00.
All of which, I might add, I spelled out at the table while we were eating this because I didn’t want Dad getting too attached to this recipe. It came out tasty, it did, but it’s not the kind of pie you just throw together, you know?
Especially if you’ve got pie-crust issues like I have . . . Once again, there are just so many reasons to be thankful to Pillsbury!
I’d hoped to do some spinning last night but, alas, got stuck at the computer yet again. This afternoon, though, I was sitting in my room (yes, on the computer again) and when I looked up, my wheel was basking in the sun, and . . . what’s that?
It’s really hard to see, so I added that red arrow . . . there glimmering in the sunlight . . . a single line of a spider web.
Now, that’s just sad.
Although, I suppose I should be glad that SOMEBODY is spinning with my spinning wheel, huh?
I haven’t been staring at the computer all day today, though. In fact, very little of it has been spent with the computer. I went up to the mall with Mom this morning so she could return a purse she’d bought, and we stopped in a grocery store on the way home. I’m giving pie crust another try.
Pie crust is one of those things (like, say, knitting) that everyone who can do it says, “Oh, it’s so easy!” but that, if you don’t have the knack, seems impossibly frustrating. I’ve read dozens of articles, recipes, tips, hints, instructions, rules on what you need to do to make light, flaky pie crust, and yet I’m lucky if I get one good batch out of every 10-20 tries. Even if everything else works right–the fat and water are cold enough, the dough is not overworked–even if it rolls out without cracks, breaks, and other problems . . . even if everything else goes well, the crust will fall apart when I try to transfer it to the pie dish. I can fold it into quarters, roll it out on parchment paper, drape it over the rolling pin . . . none of it matters, I still have problems. This is not a success ratio I’m particularly happy with, and so I usually just default back to using the Pillsbury stuff you buy in the grocery store.
This month’s issue of Cook’s Illustrated, though, has a recipe for “Foolproof Pie Dough” which sounded interesting. Although it’s already questionable because I don’t have a food processer. (And, really, I hate recipes that assume you have them–I would like to have one and I acknowledge their usefulness, but it’s not fair that recipes require you to have one . . . Not everyone has the counterspace, or can afford one, or thinks they’re necessary.) But, anyway, we’ll hope that my KitchenAid did an adequate job, though I’m already doubting the “flaky” aspect of this dough.
Not only did the issue have a good pie crust recipe, but there’s a recipe for a Cranberry-Apple pie which sounded fabulous. So, I’m giving it a try. It won’t be “pie” until tomorrow, though. This is one, labor-intensive recipe. The crust, of course, needs to “rest” in the refrigerator before rolling, fine. But this particular recipe also precooks the filling–separately. There’s a cranberry portion and an apple portion, both of which I assembled this afternoon and are now chilling in the fridge because, after all that, and by the time everything has cooled, who had the energy to tackle rolling pie crust??
Especially with my track record.
Now I’m just wondering, though . . . I wonder if my Little Gem likes her new spinning friend more than me?
My Vogue Knitting Holiday issue came today. I’m already more impressed with it than I was with that book the other day. The articles on British knitting were interesting. There were even a couple of fair isle designs by Alice Starmore and Debbie Bliss. I’m wondering why the “mystery stitch” they analyzed in the “Spotlight” section was a crochet stitch, though. I have nothing against crocheting at all, but this is a knitting magazine. It seems odd that it would spend two pages deconstructing a stitch that most of the allegedly-non-crocheting readers would never use.
Isn’t that sweater coat on the cover gorgeous? Which it really had better be . . . it’s made out of Classic Elite “Lavish” cashmere yarn . . . from 15 to 19 skeins of it. Out of curiosity, I looked up the cost of the yarn . . . It’s a good thing I’m usually sitting on the floor while I’m on the computer, because I would have fallen out of a chair. $57 a SKEIN. That’s only $855 for a size small. Practically a bargain.
Chappy and I gave Mom and Dad a thank you card this morning, because, really, we’re both very thankful that forty-four years ago today, my parents got married. His life would have been different if they hadn’t, and mine certainly would have been! So, thanks, Mom and Dad.
Other family news? My nephew had a bad fall in his mountain biking club the other day and is now sporting a cast on his right wrist and is pretty banged up, poor kid.
All in all, I’m really glad it’s Friday. I want to get at least some spinning done tonight–it’s been too long. I’ve been spending too much time in front of the computer lately. I’m so glad that I can sleep in tomorrow! And Chappy? Lucky Chappy gets to sleep on the bed tonight.
I told you on Sunday that I’d have some good Eye Candy today and so, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to . . .
Old Betsy, my town’s very first fire engine, dating back to 1926.
Lordy, lordy, but she’s a pretty machine! I love how the fire hose is laid out in rows in the back. Love the glass lantern, and the siren that says “sireno.” Love the scroll-work detail painted on the fenders. Love how she’s absolutely a thing of beauty and yet eminently practical.
She looks like she’s enjoying her retirement from active duty, don’t you think? Coming out to festivals, driving in parades . . . sounds like a good life for an elegant old Fire Engine to me.
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I thought you’d like to see a knitting update.
First, here are my Ribby sleeves–about 16 rows from being finished, assuming the yarn doesn’t run out. You can see how much I’ve got left . . . I THINK it might be enough, but it’s going to be close. At this point, if I run out of the brown, I’ll just finish the last few rows in the blue I used for the body. Since the neckband will be blue, if the color “spreads” into the very, tippy-top of the sleeve caps, well . . . I’ll just deal. I’d rather do that than have to wind another ball just for that little bit of knitting.
(And, no, don’t ask me what I’ll do about yarn for seaming the sleeves.)
Actually, speaking of the body, I realized something when I was reading through the sleeve pattern the other day. I’d forgotten that I needed to knit edgings onto the front of the cardigan . . . and I’ve already basted in the zipper. Oops! My inclination, though, is that I don’t think it will matter (much). The front edges have a little, stylish ribbing anyway, and then of course, they’re closed with a zipper, so it’s not like curling is going to be a problem. I think I can safely leave it this way and the finished sweater will look just fine. Only I (and, well, you) will ever know.
And then, the cuff of my first Autumn Rose sleeve. Obviously, it’s not very far along yet, but, well, you know how corrugated ribbing can be! And then, the tighter circles make the two-color yarn thing a little more unwieldy. It seems like I’m forever dropping at least one of the colors to slide the sleeve along the needle. (And, no, DPNs would NOT be easier.) It’s just been a while since I did small-circumference two-color knitting, is all.
I wouldn’t want any of you to go into Chappy-withdrawal, either, so here’s a picture of him, hoping somebody will come and play . . . There’s just something so sweet about him bringing his toy up on the chair with him, but you add in the politely folded paws and the chin resting on the arm . . . “Nobody’s EVER going to come play!” . . . Well! Just too cute.
And yes, I did, in fact, try to play with him, but as soon as I headed over, he picked up his frisbee and wouldn’t let go. I could have ordered him to, and he would have, but in this case? Why? It’s his toy, after all, and if he didn’t really want me to throw it for him, that’s his perogative, right? And, anyway, I did get one or two throws in when I got home from work. (For the record, this is a house-friendly flying disk–nice and soft–it’s one of the reasons Chappy loves it so much. My favorite way of throwing it for him? Rolling it on its side like a wheel–it bounces nicely and does fun, unexpected turns that way–AND stays low and away from breakable things on furniture. Just sayin’.)
Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit
(ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have
issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking
for more exactly like them? (grin)
Well, sort of. I don’t think I’m a prude, and yet there are things that I don’t think need to be in my reading material. I really never do swear (maybe one “damn” in a year, and that’s honestly as strong as it ever gets), and therefore don’t see the need for excessive swearing in the books I read. Some bad language is workable, but yes, there have been books I’ve put down due to too much. I don’t care how “real” it is, too much use of certain four-letter adjectives (or any, for that matter) is just lazy writing, in my opinion. And then, love scenes? Same thing. I can enjoy a nice love scene as much as the next person, but I have an imagination, I really don’t need or want everything spelled out for me, thank you. Because, really, I just want the STORY, not the gratuitous distractions…. (grin)
Well, you know the book has to be bad (to me, at least), if this happens.
Yes. I’m returning the book.
Sure. I know. To normal people, this isn’t necessarily a big deal. To me, however . . . huge. Return a book to a store?? Ha! I don’t even return duplicates. Or books that I hate. Or gift books I’m never going to read.
Generally speaking, if a book comes into my hands, it’s staying here. I mean, you don’t get a library of 2,945 books by giving them back, you know what I mean?
So, the fact that I’m willing to return this book when I’ve kept others that I had as little use for?
Yeah. I really didn’t think much of this book.
Oh, but the best part? When I went to Amazon and clicked that I’d like to return an item, the website crashed on me. I think it went into shock….
Okay . . . back I go to fighting with the computer, trying to figure things out that don’t want to be figured out. I was getting so frustrated, muttering, “What? What!” under my breath . . . because, no, I really don’t swear . . . that Chappy climbed out of his crate, not once, but three times to come over and give me a hug to try to make me happy. And he finally just laid down next to me and let me actually pet him until I calmed down.
I tell you, he’s just the sweetest little boy . . .
My copy of Inspired Fair Isle Knits by Fiona Ellis came today. I’ve looked forward to this book for months since I liked her Inspired Cable Knits so much, and now it’s here?
Um. Let’s see. You know how your Mom taught you that old saw, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all?”
Well . . . that scarf on the cover is really lovely. . . . There’s a pretty pillow in there, not that I knit pillows. . . . The writing is pleasant, and the little blurbs about different folk tales and legends, scattered through each section of the “elements” (Water, Air, Fire, Earth) are enjoyable . . .
But, um, the rest? Well, you’re not going to be hearing any paeans of joy like you did when the Cable book came out.
How do you politely say that there wasn’t a single thing in there I really liked? I mean, there’s a nice enough tank top, but I never wear tank tops, so that’s useless to me. The “Sway” cardigan is about the only thing I remotely liked, but still wouldn’t consider making it. There are a couple cute kid knits (but, really, put a cute kid in a handknit and you’ve got a good chance at a winner, and it doesn’t hurt that the one kids’ cardigan is the one most “classic” in design). But then there are a disproportionate number of patterns that I found downright ugly, though I will say the color combinations, as a rule, are nicely put together.
I’m all for creative uses of knitting techniques, and using a fair isle stripe in an unexpected place isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, as much as I love knitting tradition, it’s good to break out into something new, to stretch the boundaries. Eunny Jang’s Autumn Rose sweater certainly isn’t a traditional fair isle design, and yet it honors the tradition–it chooses the more fitted shape, the 3/4 sleeves, the scoop neckline as ways of updating the boxy gansey shape. The sweaters here, though, seem more slapdash, thrown together. Fair isle pockets on an otherwise stockinette sweater, but which only manage to look like afterthoughts. Wildly untraditional color motifs undulating up a sleeve or across a sweater that don’t do anybody any justice–the designer, the sweater, the knitter or the wearer. Sweaters that are half fair isle and half cabled, so that the two halves seem to be competing rather than working harmoniously together. Wide panels of fair isle weighing down an otherwise light, lacy shawl for no reason I can fathom. And then, the photography, while good enough and artistic enough in some ways, is aggravating in others–You get nice detail of, say, the stitch motifs but not of the whole sweater. Is the model standing sideways/hunched over/arms folded because it was the whim of the moment, or because the photos are trying to hide something?
Ultimately, for a book that uses the four, natural “elements” as inspiration, there are a lot of nasty weather systems going on in here, knocking the roofs off the fair isle tradition rather than freshening the air with a good, stiff breeze. In other words, this review comes down to one word: Disappointing. Such a let down. To me, anyway.
Ah, my favorite month of the year. (Well, if you discount the seasonal allergies.)
Hey, my Mom said the funniest thing the other day. We got a flyer for a craft show in Morristown the 20th of October.
“Darn,” I said, That’s the same weekend as Rhinebeck.”
“I guess that means we don’t need to keep the flyer then, huh?”
“Nope.”
“But . . . ” she said, “Maybe we should hang onto it, in case it rains?”
Um. You know, it was the strangest thing. She looked like my mother, but obviously in that moment, she was taken over by aliens or something. Because, really, skip Rhinebeck? I don’t think so!
Besides. I’m a square, after all.
So . . . who else is going to be there on that Saturday?
Here’s what I read in September:
1. GUARDIANS OF THE WEST by David Eddings (454 p.)
2. KING OF THE MURGOS by David Eddings (368 p.)
3. DEMON LORD OF KARANDA by David Eddings (422 p.)
4. SORCERESS OF DARSHIVA by David Eddings (406 p.)
5. SEERESS OF KELL by David Eddings (399 p.)–The second series with the cast of the Belgariad, sequel to the “original” story of Garion and his friends. This is fun, entertaining, good fantasy. Not dark or challenging, but not overly simplistic, either. Just . . . enjoyable, even if it’s not quite as good as the Belgariad that came before it. Still, none of his other series have ever resonated with me like these have, so it’s always good to revisit.
6. ENDER’S SHADOW by Orson Scott Card (467 p.) Pretty much the story of his classic “Ender’s Game,” but from a new perspective, that of Bean, the smallest, smartest soldier at Battle School. Now, this kicks off a series that follows Bean through his adventures after the war, but really, I don’t like any of them as much as this. This, and Ender’s Game, are the core, and it doesn’t get better for sci-fi than these two.
7. KNITTING CLASSIC STYLE by Veronik Avery (138 p.) Basically a book of knitting patterns, but oh, one of the best new books of patterns I’ve seen in a while. Great designs.
8. CONFLICT OF HONORS by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
9. AGENT OF CHANGE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
10. CARPE DIEM by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
11. PLAN B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (330 p.)
12. I DARE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (467 p.)–These five basically make up the core series of the Liaden series. Truly excellent sci-fi “space opera,” but so, so good that’s almost an insult. Great world, great writing, a completely distinctive “voice,” which is a rare thing for books writtren by a team, and just a series I keep going back to again and again. There’s a reason these authors are in my “top 10″ list. Oh, and their books are available as e-books, too, AND they’re publishing Fledgling, an online book, chapter by weekly chapter, too
13. A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L’Engle (211 p.) It just seemed entirely appropriate to re-read this childhood favorite this week, in memoriam, as it were. This is the best, the very best, of her books (although her memoirs are darn good, too). Or at least, I think so–Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace trying to tesseract with Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit, all while trying to rescue Meg’s father . . . and let’s not forget Aunt Beast. Such a great book, and if it doesn’t feel quite so original as it used to, that’s because it’s been “copied” so many times since it was written back in the 60s. But really, there’s a reason for that. It’s the best of its kind.
14. LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES by Shirley Jackson (241 p.) A memoir by the author of The Lottery that just makes me laugh outloud. Raising children in New England in the 50s, her tone of voice is priceless, and I just adore this book. I even remember an excerpt in one of my high school literature texts about sending her son off to kindergarten, when he’d come home and regale his parents with stories about how awful Charles had been today . . . but when they went to parent-teacher night, they found out there was no Charles in his class . . . I’m telling you, out-loud giggles. In fact, the “voice” a lot of times, reminded me of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, don’t ask me why, as there was nary a stitch of knitting in the entire book.
15. HAWK’S GRAY FEATHER by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (382 p.)
16. OAK ABOVE THE KINGS by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (388 p.)
17. HEDGE OF MIST by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (420 p)–Another good series, this time, a take-off on King Arthur, set in the far off, outer-space kingdom of Keltia . . . which immediately makes it sound absolutely awful, but it’s truly not. It’s beautifully written, wonderfully imaged, and almost always can make me cry….
18. DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley (342 p.) A new book by one of my favorite YA authors–and hers are few and far between, so that I’ve had this pre-ordered for months and months now. In this one, we have an earth almost exactly like our present-day earth, except there are dragons, an endangered species. Jake lives with his father at Smokehill, a national park dedicated as a sanctuary and walking a fine line between legislations that make it a crime both to harm a dragon and to actually aid one. Then, when Jake finally gets permission from his father for his first night out camping alone, he comes across a dying dragon and a recently-killed poacher . . . and a near-death baby dragon, which no-one had ever seen before. Ever. And then, of course, everything changed . . . although, there was still that pesky law that saving the life of a dragon was a federal offense . . .
19. DEAD HEAT by Dick Francis & Felix Francis (342 p.) And another torch passes . . . this book, the newest in a long line of British horse-racing-related mysteries, is co-written by the author and his son, and while a decent-enough read, it doesn’t quite have the feel of a “true” Dick Francis mystery. All the elements were there–the decent protagonist, the horse racing connection, the love interest, the unravelling of the hidden plot, the life-and-death confrontation . . . it’s all there, and yet, it just didn’t have the resonance that I wanted to be there, like his voice was being obscured by another voice–one that knew the tune but didn’t have the depth of quality to give the story its due. A perfectly adequate book, and better than no new Dick Francis book at all, but still . . . it just wasn’t the same.
20. TWISTED SISTERS KNIT SWEATERS by Lynne Vogel (142 p.) Everything you need to know about designing a sweater, more or less . . .
21. THE WHISTLING SEASON by Ivan Doig (345 p.) It was pure chance that I picked this up–the description on the back was extremely, frustratingly vague, but it came with so many exemplary blurbs I decided to take a chance, and I have to tell you, it was excellent. Written as a memoir, it tells the story of a widowed-father and his three sons who answer an ad in 1909 for a housekeeper to come from Chicago to Montana. She doesn’t come alone, though, she brings her brother, who steps in as the school teacher when the one they have elopes. That gives away more than enough of the plot, and I don’t want to risk saying any more, but it was a beautiful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was framed by glimpses into what Paul (the narrator) was doing in 1953(?) when he was telling the story, just as Montana’s school board is about to close all one-room schoolhouses… Really. Excellent.
22. THE WILDER SISTERS by Jo-Ann Mapson (364 p.) One of my favorites of Mapson’s, and much more…. encouraging…. than her Bad Girls Creek series. Rose Wilder, having lost her cheating husband in a car accident is working and falling for the local vet, who in turn is getting regularly drunk because his cheating wife has left him. Lily Wilder, on the other hand, has had enough of her high-pressure job as a medical equipment sales person–not to mention her bad choices in men–and takes off for the family ranch on the spur of the moment, where she and Rose meet up and patch up a quarrel . . . And that’s all just in the first couple of chapters. It’s an evocative book, in that it very much evokes the time and place of its setting (1990s New Mexico), and the story of the women’s struggles is so well-done. Mapson is really such a good writer . . . it’s such a shame her Bad Girls Creek books were so darn depressing (grin).
23. MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT by Ann Patchett (357 p.) As magical and perfect as her Bel Canto was, this is the book of Ann Patchett’s I keep going back to. As the book opens, Sabine is mourning the loss of her partner, Parsifal the magician, and then she gets the shocking news from the lawyer–Parsifal has been lying all these years . . . the family that he said died in a car crash in Connecticut when he was a child was, in fact, still alive and well in Nebraska . . . and nothing whatsoever like the family he’d described. Wanting to know what could possibly have made him break so completely with his family, she accepts their invitation to Nebraska . . . Just . . . a beautiful book. Her writing is beyond wonderful, and for whatever reason, this story touches me. Love it.
24. COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO CREATING A WEB PAGE by Paul McFedrie (369 p.) Pretty self-explanatory, wouldn’t you say?
25. DECEPTION OF THE EMERALD RING by Lauren Willig (448 p) Third in her “Pink Carnation” series, which is adding new “spies” to the Scarlet Pimpernel pantheon of Napoleonic-era spies. Framed by telling the stories of a modern-day graduate studet digging through archives, each book tells a spy story/romance–kind of “fluffy” compared to more serious fiction, but definitely entertaining and diverting.
26. MYSTIC AND RIDER by Sharon Shinn (440 p.) First in her “Twelve Houses” series of fantasy books. It’s a true, classic fantasy kind of outline–a quest, sword fights, magic . . . but it’s a very well done classic style fantasy, and her writing never disappoints me. The fourth (and final?) book of the series is due out in November (on my birthday, nonetheless), so I figured it was a good time to refresh my memory of the first three….
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House Calls
