Teaser Tuesdays -- Rich Boy

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page 
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

• Ready for a tease? Here it is:

"The air conditioner trilled loudly in the shop on Sixth Avenue just off Twelfth Street, as the elderly man with a twirled mustache, in a shirt and bow tie, cut Robert's facial hair with scissors getting it short enough to shave....Robert enjoyed being shaved and washed and taken care of more than he'd expected---for the last three years, he had wanted just the opposite, but now he remembered how people lived, could live."
---Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz

What are you reading?

Succinctly Yours: Microfiction -- Week 18

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words. It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more.The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it here.

 

 

Gepetto made an arbitrary choice to carve a boy.
Would he be able to complete this novel project?
 Why did he keep thinking of strings?

:::::

Yarn Along - The Sea House

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

 The Sea House by Esther Freud is set on an English coastline with desirable beaches and a sleepy village. The main character, Lily, is translating a set of letters circa 1930 from German to English. The author is slowly revealing Lily's life and introducing an interesting set of supporting characters.

So far, I have to say it's an OK read. Perhaps it will become more gripping as I continue along.

This little cottage is coming off the crochet hook in sc based on a half-remembered pattern I used to make a "house tote" for my daughter and her friends in the late 70's. Using a G hook and WW I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby, I've made pieces for the window and door to be sewn on to the yellow part.

The scalloped trim is pinned in place and a few stitches created flowers and grass. The door knob is a white bead and three tiny green and blue beads are the center of each flower. This will continue to be a WIP for a while as I add little touches, windows on the back, vines and flowers, and a butterfly. This is for seven-year-old DGD's November birthday, so I have plenty of time to play with it! Fun!

 

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
  Ready for a tease? Here it is:

• p.125  "From now on the letters were all typed, and Lily found she missed the grandeur of the writing, the swirls and loops of the black ink. She was used to straining for meaning of a too hurriedly drawn words, missed the satisfaction that came to her when she'd deciphered something she'd first thought impossibly unclear."         ---from The Sea House by Esther Freud

 

                                                                                             

What are you reading?





The Greater Journey

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, 1830-1900 by David McCullough

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


David McCullough presents a luscious book of words and images to tell the interwoven stories of the life and times of creative Americans between 1830 and 1900 as they were drawn to arduous journeys to inspirational Paris. The historical perspective is enormous and magnificently rendered as the humanity of great American artists and little known details of their lives unfold. French history flows through the story in a most engaging way leaving the reader full and satisfied at the end of this delicious book.


View all my reviews

Succinctly Yours: Microfiction--Week 17

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words. It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more.The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it at here.

 

After Devon made an obscure reference to her inability to swim, Ann stood slowly. Are the rumors about him true, she wondered. Fear reigned.

BOOKS!

I'm so excited that I just have to share this with people who "get it"!!
My order from Book Close-outs just arrived and WOW!! I am not affiliated with them and don't order often, but when I do, I DO!!

The nice tall stack of books on my desk includes

DIVAS DON'T KNIT -- Gil McNeil
THE SPINSTER SISTERS -- Stacy Ballis
THE HOUSE ON OYSTER CREEK -- Heidi Jon Schmidt
THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS -- Erica Bauermeister
RICH BOY -- Sharon Pomerantz
THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS -- Meg Waite Clayton
DAUGHTERS OF FORTUNE--Tara Hyland
THE ISLAND -- Elin Hiderbrand (Loved BAREFOOT.)
JULIET -- Anne Fortier

Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts on these titles/authors?

I don't know if I can calm down enough read right now!!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Rainbows and a Grandaughter

 These are colors that seven-year-old DGD would like in her requested blanket. She was thinking of rainbows, she said. When asked if she wanted a blanket with rainbows on it, she told me she wanted the colors all swirly. Swirly colors with her name in quite large letters and a dolphin and...ummm...one other thing. I can't remember now. So, armed with many colors and this pretty pattern, I tried using all of them in the lovely cascading effect. My eyes were in shock, so I just had to do something different!

 Since a different pattern might help, I searched through Ravelry , through my favorites lists, my notebooks, my files, my books and magazines finding some "maybes", a few "possibilities", yet still searching. Then, as I sleepily browsed my email one morning, lighting struck!! And blew my computer! No, not really, sorry. I did see an email from Caron yarns with the perfect pattern for this blanket. It uses several colors. There are patches were I can add her name and the dolphin and the other thing I can't remember. And I was moved to scale down the color palette according to an approach I learned from Laura Bryant in a class at Stitches West.

 With my charts and yarns and other necessities, I repaired to the deck to enjoy the summer day and crochet this cutie-cute blanket. Nothing could stop me now!

 Nothing...except...

 Tangled yarn!! Having come this far after my trial-and-error, my searches, my color sorting, my prepared table on the deck--one word came to mind:

 BOBBINS!!!!

 As I sat plumping the bare bobbins with each color of yarn, I looked around at the beauty the Lord has made: right petunias to cheer the day,

 Clumps of greenery to bring color to a dark spot,

 Even a cute ladybug to give me a smile. See her there, right by the lantana bud? Yes, to me, all ladybugs are "she". Certainly there are some manly guybugs around, aren't there? Bring on the entomologists!

And my sweet Lailah to ward off all the squirrels. All is well. The plan is set. The crocheting has begun and a day on the deck is just as uplifting as it can be.

Happy knitting and crocheting to you!

Teaser Tuesdays -- The Greater Journey

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Ready for a tease? Here it is:

"As robust a walker as any of them was James Fenimore Cooper, who in earlier years had been known to walk from New York City all the way to his country home in Westchester County, a distance of twenty-five miles. No sooner had Cooper settled in Paris in 1826 than he decided to the entire circumference of the city on foot, taking with him an old friend, a retired American naval captain with the memorable name of Melancthon T. Woolsey, under whom Cooper had once served at sea."

From a glorious nonfiction book by David McCullough,
 The Greater Journey Americans in Paris.

What are you reading?
 

FO is spotted!

I can hardly believe it! I have, right here, an official FO!! I wanted to make a wrap suitable for a man for our church's prayer shawl ministry. It’s a boring pattern, but I decided to press on and complete it! It took me quite a long time because I was more inclined to work on other WIPs. It's made with two skeins of James C. Brett Marble Chunky yarn and size 10 needles.

What have you been knitting?

Teaser Tuesdays -- The White House Doctor

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two  “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

From The White House Doctor by Dr. Connie Mariano:

page 116 - Thousands of Moroccan mourners lined the serpentine streets as our motorcade arrived at the Royal Palace. President and Mrs. Clinton, along with former President George H. W. Bush and former Secretaries of State James Baker and Warren Christopher, exited their limousines surrounded by a heavy cover of Secret Service protection.

 What are YOU reading?



Succinctly Yours – Week 14

 

Missing the off ramp, Duane headed for the stairway and a tight left turn so he could back track, a tribute to his quick thinking. Beep beep.

Visit Succinctly Yours for more fun captions. You can add your own!

Friday Fibers

 

While I continue to forge ahead on the feather and fan wrap that has been on my needles since March (I think!), I did stock up on some colorful I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. Youngest Granddaughter requested a "swirly rainbow" colored afghan. After duly searching and viewing all matter of rainbow ghans, I decided that I would crochet rather than knit it and that I do not want to use bright primary colors. Since I'm working with the yarn, I am choosing to tone it down a bit. This is a bright combination, I think, and seven-year-old K will be happy with it. She also wants her name and a dolphin on it! It seems there is one other item she wants on it, so I need to find her drawing that I asked her to make. Right now I plan to knit or crochet those separately and applique them to the ghan. And, no, I am not putting her name in gigantic letters across the width of the ghan as she drew them. Something slightly more understated is in order!

Plymouth Encore WW is my go-to afghan yarn, but I decided to use a less expensive yarn for this. I hope it holds up well! She's a lively girl!

Teaser Tuesdays The Summer Kitchen

Click on the image to visit "Teaser Tuesdays" to read about more books.
You might want to add your own teaser to the list!

I've just begun reading The Summer Kitchen by Karen Weinreb. Here is a teaser that explains the book's title:
 

page 13 "Her summer kitchen played no small part in the women considering her affinity for baking an adorable hobby. There were not many still standing of these kitchens once designed for the privileged to keep the heat of preserving in the summer away from the main house."

Note: After typing the second sentence, I realized that it has awkward construction. Does it seem awkward to you?

What are you reading?

The Bolter by Frances Osborne

The Bolter by Frances Osborne

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The story is well-written with a comfortable flow. However, I cannot say that I "liked it" because it is a biography of a hedonistic, self-centered woman at the turn of the 20th century. The author is Lady Idina Sackville's great grandaughter who seems to be quite smitten with the subject as being a wealthy adventuress for whom there are no rules. While the problems of fidelity, promiscuity, drugs, and alcohol abuse are included, they are viewed through rose-colored glasses and lightly acknowledged while rushing on to Idina's next grand adventure.

This deeply researched book brings life to Edwardian England, the carefree '20s, and two great wars as experienced by Lady Idina whose scandalous life ultimately ends in loneliness and sorrow. Despite the vivid accounts about lovers, wealth, family, glamour and extensive travels, this is indeed a sad, sad life story. I look forward to reading this author's work in a book where she does not have a personal connection with the subject.

View all my reviews

What are you reading?

Succinctly Yours: Microfiction

 

Harold considered the many comments made to him. Grabbing a hand mirror, he agreed that even at a right angle, he is a most handsome man.

Visit Succinctly Yours for microfiction and add your own!

Yarn Along - The Bolter

Our deck is an enchanting place to knit. The table sets under a vine covered pergola with pots of flowers all around. I also enjoy knitting on our swing at the other end of deck with a slight breeze from the motion of the swing and a different view of our lawn. I've always been a swinger!

 The Bolter by Frances Osborne is an engaging biography of the author's flamboyant great-grandmother at the beginning of the 20th century in England. The author develops a strong sense of place so that I feel I am right there in the stream of the story.

While I'm reading, I have been knitting a strip of 1x1 twisted ribbing which will become a part of my crazy quilt - inspired ghan. This is a random project with so many sources of inspiration that I truly wonder how it will morph next! Sometimes I'm not sure about this whole idea while other times I think this is the most creative knitting that I've done a very long time.

 

View more books and knitting by clicking the above picture.



What are you reading and knitting?



Tuesday Teaser -- Let's Read!

Visit Teaser Tuesday to for more book quotes. Perhaps you'll find a book that you'd enjoy! You can add your teaser, too!Here's my teaser for this week from a biography, The Bolter by Frances Osborne:

"Honeymoons usually lasted a month or more.

It was long enough to ride around the pyramids

and float down the Nile to the temple of Karnak."

Gentle readers of a certain age, like me, are you thinking of Johnny Carson right now?

Succinctly Yours

 

You go in first.
No, you go first.
I went first the last time!
SPLASH!
Goosed again?

Visit Succinctly Yours and try your hand at microfiction!

Wednesday Yarn Along -- Join in!

 Do visit small things at http://www.gsheller.com/ and join the Yarn Along!

 

My long term knitting continues for my crazy quilt in a variety of yarns and stitches. I have crocheted a few pieces together, some are pinned together, and others are loose so I can move them around. One thing I noticed is that it was screaming for lighter color here and there, so that's what I am knitting now: pieces and strips to insert here and there..and, over there...and, well, maybe a bit here.... Fortunately, I am a process knitter so I am greatly enjoying this  except when people ask if I've finished it YET. I foolishly try to explain why it will take some time and may never be finished because of continuous embroidery. I really don't think they understand. :)

The book, The Capitol Game by Brian Haig, is much easier to set aside after 91 pages in because I simply cannot engage in the story line. I've really, really, really tried. Maybe I am not in the mood for this book right now or, more likely, the story is familiar and oft-used. I'll be moving on to another gripping read.

Teaser Tuesday



Visit Teaser Tuesday to for more book quotes. It's a great way to find some great reads! You can add your teaser, too!Here's my teaser for this week from
The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society by Augusta Trobaugh:

'Something that should remain a secret,' Zion pronounced,

speaking slowly and trying to resist the urge to tell.

In the end, she couldn't keep her mouth shut: 'Well just so you all will know,

he never did appreciate how hard it is to be a preacher's wife....'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Killer Commute by Marlys Millhiser

 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book began as a promising, gentle mystery but suffers because of poor writing and editing. The writing style is distracting and occasionally confusing, however the characters and setting are charming with clever quirkiness. This story could be quite entertaining if handled by more capable hands. I cannot recommend this book and do not plan to read other works by this author.

View all my reviews

Succinctly Yours: Week 10

Five trees in a row near a glistening street

Tower over lovers as they meet.

Join me dear

We will ride

And fly to love's beat.
 

Visit Succinctly Yours for more microfiction and to add your own!

Flowering

The once empty pots on our deck are now filled with beautiful colors of spring.

 Lantana and Lobelia

 Marigold and a funky little --maybe starlight, snow-something plant

 Coleus, Spring Mix, and Lobelia

 Salvia, Marigolds, and Petunias with my magic fairy wand

Mother's Day Begonia from my DH

We Remember

Yarn Along Wednesday

The Prayer Shawl 2 is coming along nicely in this scrumptious James Brett "Marble" chunky yarn. I've had it on the needles for a while now, but want to get it finished and take it to church. That means I must quit playing with my crazy ghan and stay focused on this! Can I do it?? We shall see!

Killer Commute by Marlys Millhiser is a gentle mystery with quirky humor and an interesting story line. While not a riveting book, it is an OK read. I know, I know...not a ringing endorsement, is it?

Do visit small things at http://www.gsheller.com/ and join the Yarn Along!