Unraveled, Week 32/2021

Despite Rainbow's insistence yesterday that it was Monday, I know that today is Wednesday, which means it's time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers and catch up on what I'm knitting and reading.

While I have been focused primarily on spinning again in an effort to finish my final skein for handspun Shifty (I should finish the third and final bobbin of singles today), I have made a bit of progress on my knitting projects. I took my sister-in-law's socks with me to my nephew's birthday party and successfully avoided all water balloons, so they (and I) stayed dry and I turned a heel. I also picked up the baby-sized Flax Light last night and finished the yoke, so today I'll be splitting the sleeves from the body and starting the mindless stockinette in the round.

It's been an excellent week of reading, with four books finished:

Katie has long been singing the praises of Jayber Crow, so when she mentioned that it was a Kindle deal last week, it took me about five seconds to snap it up, and I am happy to report that it was more than worth it. This is a slow book in the sense that not a long happens, so this is not the kind of book for you if you prefer propulsive page-turners. But this is very much a comfort read, filled with stories about interesting people and the reflections of a very thoughtful narrator. If you liked Middlemarch, I think you'd like this a lot. I gave it 4 stars.

Bingo square: Recommended by a friend

I had heard Kiese Laymon's memoir Heavy mentioned on the Novel Pairings podcast, and it seemed like a good audiobook option because it wasn't too long (I have a tendency to not pay attention to audiobooks that are too long). At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book because the first third or so gave me an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. But as I got further into it, I realized that was pretty much the point. This is a brutally honest accounting of the weight of the trauma of racism, poverty, addiction, abuse, and so many other issues. The audio is read by the author, which only added to the impact of his words. It's not an easy read, but it certainly is a powerful one. I gave it 4 stars.

Bingo square: Memoir or autobiography

I finished Heavy in the middle of a walk, so I immediately went onto Hoopla and borrowed the audio of A Streetcar Named Desire. I had already listened to the Novel Pairings episode on this play and so the plot wasn't a surprise, but I had never read this dramatic classic before. The version that was available to me was from a performance from the '70s, and I think having an older recording actually worked because the voices sounded more of the time of the setting to me. I wouldn't say I really enjoyed the play because frankly all the characters have something to hate about them, but I appreciated the writing and admired Williams' skill. I gave it 3 stars.

Bingo square: Adapted for the screen

I finished the fourth book, Claire Fuller's Our Endless Numbered Days, just yesterday afternoon, and I am still processing it. I have a feeling this is one I'm going to need to discuss with others! I picked it up because I so enjoyed Unsettled Ground that I thought I would read Fuller's other novels, and a couple of you had recommended her debut. I enjoyed most of this book, though I felt a growing sense of dread as I got closer to the end and the full picture of what had happened, and frankly the ending threw me for a loop. I haven't given this book a star rating or written a review yet because I'm still not sure what to think! I will say it's well written, though, and I'm looking forward to reading her other two books.

Bingo square: An author you read for another square

My second bingo card is filling up nicely, with 12 squares left to fill for a second cover-all. One of those will be filled by The Rose Code, which I'm still reading (nearly halfway through), and one will be filled by Home Fire, which I just got from the library this morning. I mentally have books designated for most of the other squares, too, so it's just a matter of finding the time to read!

What have you been reading and making this week?