Unraveled, Week 27/2026

It has been a relaxing couple of days away, even if there hasn't been much of an opportunity to sleep in; when there are two small children who have no sense of volume control in the house, it's hard to keep sleeping once they're up. But there no sense of rush and nowhere to be, nor is there any puppy needing walks or attention. We've had some rain every day since we got here and high temperatures in the mid-70s F, so it's been a very welcome reprieve. We'll head home tomorrow, and as nice as it's been to be away, I am looking forward to being back in my own bed, where the air conditioning works better.

As it's Wednesday, it's time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers.

I brought my socks in progress on the trip but also wound some yarn for some new charity hats. I cast on the first on Monday evening, using some yarn I picked up off the freebie table at the first SSK I attended back in 2017.

This skein from a now-out-of-business company called Yarn Carnival. It's a light fingering weight -- 490 yards per 100 g skein! So this should be a good-sized hat when it's done.

I also brought a spindle project with me and have spent some time each day working on this second turtle (I finished one last summer when I started this project while Molly and I were at SSK).

Though last week was busy with work and Ruthie's illness, I took advantage of the long holiday weekend to do a little more reading and finished up three books before we left for our trip.

There's a reason there's always a pretty long wait for the books in the Thursday Murder Club series at the library: They are always a fun read. The Last Devil to Die, the fourth installment, brings a murder that appears to be connected to a shipment of heroin -- and a victim known to the members of the club. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is having to come to terms with her husband's worsening dementia, and their police friends are trying to solve the case even after they've been kicked off it. As per usual, it's all slightly ridiculous, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment. I gave this one 4 stars.

I really enjoyed Nikki May's This Motherless Land when I read it last year, so I thought I'd give her debut novel, Wahala, a try. This book focused on female friendship centers three Anglo-Nigerian women: Ronke, a dentist who keeps making poor choices in the men she dates but is hoping her current boyfriend is The One; Boo, who has an adorable young daughter and loving French husband but who feels frustrated with her life; and Simi, who left medical school to pursue a career in fashion and is married to a businessman who is out of the country for long periods of time and isn't sure she wants the baby he insists they should be trying for. They have all been there for each other for years, but the friendships are thrown into upheaval with the arrival of Isobel, who seeks to worm herself into the lives of all three. I enjoyed most of this book and its exploration of the search for life meaning and identity all of the three main characters seemed to grapple with, but it took a turn near the end that seemed rather far-fetched to me. I gave it 3 stars.

I had been savoring Land by reading it in bed at night, a handful of pages at a time, but I decided that I didn't want to shlep a hardback book with me on vacation, so I brought it downstairs to read during Ruthie's nap time. I know many of you have already read this book, are reading it, or are planning to read it, so I will spare you any summary of the plot. I thought that this book beautifully showcased what an amazing writer Maggie O'Farrell is, but I found the story to be sad and even a little unsatisfying in the way things ended. I felt that there were several threads left dangling and too much heartbreak for one family, though in that respect I'm sure it wasn't too uncommon in Ireland at the time. Overall, I did like it quite a lot, though I can't say it was my favorite O'Farrell. I gave it 4 stars.

What are you making and reading this week?