It appears in publicly rejoicing in getting caught up at work, I jinxed myself. I was thinking about how I wanted to spend my day while I was out on my walk yesterday, assuming it would be another quiet one, and I came home to discover a giant project had landed in my inbox while I was out. So I'm not saying anything the next time I get caught up, and I'm quickly posting this to join with Kat and the Unravelers today.
Very little knitting happened yesterday, but I did manage to finish my hat last night:
Obviously it very badly needs to be blocked so that it looks more like a hat and less like a deflated hot air balloon, but it's done and another ~180 yards are used up from my stash.
Reading has picked up just a little bit, I think mainly because I've been reading some library books that have been faster to get through. I finished two in the past week:
I've been working my way through Claire Fuller's back list, and my penultimate read was Swimming Lessons. I enjoyed her writing and the fact that part of the story is told through letters that have been placed in books (and the fact that the book each letter is placed in is noted and seems to be related to the content of each letter). But I found the story a little hard to follow and felt that the ending was a bit too ambiguous for me. I think that seems to be a common thing for Fuller, and while in the case of Unsettled Ground it felt appropriate, here it was just frustrating to me. I gave it 3 stars.
Shortly after I finished Swimming Lessons, I was surprised to get A Town Called Solace from my library holds a couple of weeks earlier than I was expecting it. It was on the Booker Prize long list and had a bit of a wait, but I was delighted to get it just when I was ready for a new book. This one is set in a tiny northern Ontario town in the mid-1970s and is told from the point of view of three people whose lives are interconnected, a 7-year-old girl whose teenage sister has gone missing, a 70-something-year-old woman who lives next door and is dying, and a mid-30s man going through a divorce who has inherited the woman's house and has a strange connection to her from earlier in their lives. The story is emotional but beautiful and well told. I gave it 4 stars.
I am hoping to be able to get through the new pile of work in a reasonable amount of time so that I can start a new library book (likely the last Claire Fuller novel I have left to read, Bitter Orange) and get back to my crafting. Today, in addition to bringing the arrival of fall, my favorite season, is also the Mister's birthday, so we'll be having a celebratory dinner tonight with my brother- and sister-in-law and nephew.
Seeing as I'll be otherwise occupied today, I'd love to hear what you're reading and crafting so I can live vicariously through you!
I am loving this hat pattern. Seems like a good option for some leftover yarns in my stash.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Goodreads, I read Swimming Lessons a few months after it was published in 2017. I don't really remember what it was about, do it didn't make a lasting impression on me. On the other hand, Bitter Orange is a book I won't forget!
ReplyDeleteI like your hat pattern!
That is a lovely hat, even unblocked! I'm set on finishing my current Hitchhiker as I'm kind of tired of it, reading What Strange Paradise, and waiting for lots of other books from the library. Here's hoping that you can get through the big project that work snuck into your inbox, and a very Happy Birthday to your husband!
ReplyDeleteI love that hat pattern. Sorry about the big work project, though!
ReplyDeleteWell look at that! Your Mister and my brother have the same birthday! Enjoy the day (hopefully that project wraps up fast). I'm planning to make a Spanish tortilla for a birthday lunch, though it's my first time--hoping I can flip it and get it back in the pan neatly.
ReplyDeleteSolace sounds like a good story. And yay for nearly completing Claire Fuller!
I'm kind of mixed on Claire Fuller. I kind of liked Unsettled Ground and kind of did not. I've taken Bitter Orange out via Overdrive several times, but have never read it. I'll be interested to see what you think. Happy Birthday to your Mister - he is just 2 days before Fletch! Solace does sound like a good read.
ReplyDeleteLovely hat! I am sure that someone's head will be profoundly grateful for such a stylish hat! I am off to find A Town Called Solace and sending your Mr. the happiest of birthdays!
ReplyDeleteI was thrown off by the ending of Swimming Lessons, too. But I love how Claire Fuller pulls off her endings - I think they're so much fun. I hope you enjoy Bitter Orange. I read it last year (I think?) and it was my first by Fuller. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your hubby!!
Lovely hat and a pattern I need to keep in mind. I have not heard of either books, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe hat looks great!! I really love the pattern you put on it - did you come up with it yourself when you made your original pattern or did you find it somewhere?
ReplyDelete