Unraveled, Week 15/2026

What a week it has been already! I'm glad we've reached the midpoint of it, which means it's time to join Kat and the Unravelers and to give you an update on my crafting and my reading.

Though it's felt like slow going at times, I have been making steady progress on my sweater, and you can really see how much I've done when you compare this photo to last week's:

The last time I measured the body under the arm, I had about 5 inches knit. The pattern tells me to knit until I have 12.2 inches (yes, that's a weird measurement; I presume the designer started with metric and converted to imperial) before the ribbing at the bottom, so I'm nearly halfway done.

And I am getting close to the toe of the first Home Movie sock, which -- as predicted -- did some fun pooling throughout the gusset decreases:

I've done a ton of reading this past week and finished six(!) books, but because it's been a busy week, I'm going to stick with brief reviews today.

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

5 stars

This the next Read With Us selection, and I predict we'll have an amazing discussion about it! This debut novel tells the story of a tragedy in an immigrant family in a truly inventive way: in a series of short statements given by friends, neighbors, reporters, police officers, and others who all have an opinion of what happened. And what happened isn't clear; I'm convinced the author made this deliberately ambiguous. I don't want to give any more than that away. Suffice it to say that it's a nearly 400-page book and I flew through it in just a few days. Highly recommend!

Go as a River by Shelley Read

2 stars

I'd seen the cover of this one a lot of places and it had decent reviews, so I listened. I should have listened to my gut when it was telling me to DNF it during the first quarter of the book. I found the plot and characters to be a bit far fetched and I wasn't impressed with the writing. I only kept listening because so many people seemed to love it and I thought it would get better. Sorry to say it didn't for me. (It might be better read with the eyes; the narrator was not to my taste and I'm sure that colored my opinion quite a bit.)

The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson

4 stars

I found a hardcover of this book in the nearest Little Free Library (aka the good one!) and recognized the title as one a couple of friends had read. It's a quiet novel in which the narrator, sick with a fever, pulls a book off her shelf that leads her to remember four people from her past and the role they'd played in her life. I thought the last one was particularly affecting. 

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler

4 stars

I've enjoyed listening to Kate Bowler on one of my regular podcasts but had never read any of her books until Carole's review of her new one convinced me to give one a try. This memoir that deals with her diagnosis and treatment for Stage IV colon cancer was available, so that's what I started with. I was surprised by how funny and uplifting a book on such a serious subject could be, but that's the kind of person Kate Bowler is. 

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

4 stars

Another quiet book, this is a memoir about the comfort the author found in observing the life and behaviors of a snail brought to her bedside by a friend while she was recovering from a serious illness that prevented her from doing much other than lying in bed. It reminded me quite a bit of Raising Hare in its focus on a singular animal that led the author to learn more about it. I know several of you have read and enjoyed it, so thanks for the recommendation.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

4 stars

This is sort of a romance but also pokes fun at the world of romance novels and their common tropes. It's set in the world of audiobooks and their narrators, clearly informed by the experience of the author -- a well-known and well-respected narrator herself! I was looking for something entertaining and more lighthearted, and this certainly fit the bill.

Currently reading: The Hakawati and The Personal Librarian, plus I've got Kate Bowler's newest book on audio from the library!