Unraveled Wednesday: 11/26/25

I’m here (maybe, hopefully, joining Kat) with some actual unraveling for Unraveled Wednesday. After finishing Justin's socks, I knew I needed to finally cast on for a Hitchhiker. I went through my stash, culled and organized it a little bit, and thought these yarns might work nicely. 

I only have one skein of the black & white speckled yarn, but the gray is a delightfully soft blend of baby alpaca, camel hair, cashmere, and silk. I thought this would make something perfect to wear around my neck, but after I cast on and knit twelve teeth, I decided that I really needed more color. So there was a small bit of unraveling, more digging in the stash, and it produced three skeins I had completely forgotten about. They're Wollmeise; I think they go together perfectly, and are providing the color and comfort knitting I wanted. 

 

 

I wound the skeins for Justin's slippers and plan to cast on the day after Thanksgiving, right after I've enjoyed my leftover pie for breakfast. My plans for the weekend are simple and lovely: knitting, reading, and relaxing in my pajamas for a while. No shopping for me!

I read two books this week. I was really looking forward to Winter Stories, especially because I loved Rishøi’s Brightly Shining. She has a gift for writing about people on the margins with tenderness and precision. But while this collection showcases her talent for atmospheric, deeply humane storytelling, I struggled to make an emotional connection with the characters this time around.

Each of the three stories centers on people trying to make their way toward stability, an overwhelmed young mother, a father newly out of prison, and siblings running from a home that no longer feels safe. Rishøi captures their desperation and small hopes with her usual clarity, and in each story a stranger steps in with an act of kindness. Yet those gestures, while meaningful, only make things marginally better, underscoring how fragile and temporary relief can be.

There’s a quiet power in these pieces and moments of real emotional resonance, but for me they never fully added up to the immersive experience I found in Brightly Shining. Readers who appreciate bleak but compassionate realism may find more to hold on to. I admired the craft, but the connection I’d hoped for never quite landed.
This one was three stars for me. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on December 2, 2025. There is a Goodreads giveaway if you're interested. 

 

Kat recommended this one and it was well worth reading. Run for the Hills is Kevin Wilson doing what he does best: taking a premise that sounds slightly absurd on the surface and turning it into something surprisingly heartfelt. The novel has his signature blend of offbeat humor, dysfunctional family dynamics, and characters who feel like they’re always one deep breath away from falling apart, but who somehow keep inching toward connection anyway.

The book’s energy is high from the start, almost chaotic at times, and while that momentum is part of its charm, it also makes some sections feel a bit scattered. There were moments when I wished for a little more grounding or emotional depth, especially compared to Wilson’s strongest work. Still, his dialogue snaps, his observations shine, and the way he captures the anxieties of modern life feels both sharp and forgiving.

What ultimately lingers is the tenderness underneath all the eccentricity; Wilson’s gentle insistence that even when everything feels unmanageable, people are worth loving and relationships are worth trying for. Run for the Hills may not be my favorite of his novels, but it’s a funny, affectionate, and consistently engaging read that will appeal to anyone who appreciates Wilson’s particular brand of oddball heart. Three and a half stars rounded up.  

 

What are you making and reading this week?