It's the same knitting as last week (and the week before that, and the week before that ... ) but there has been some reading progress this week. I finished Stillmeadow Seasons, Winterdance, Trauma Room Two, and The Children. Three exceptional books with only one clunker makes for a pretty good reading week. I've started A Stash of One's Own (which has reminded me that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee really is a wonderfully eloquent writer) and Millard Salter's Last Day on Kindle.
<small rant> I do wish that publishers would think long and hard about what seems like a common practice of comparatively marketing books. The publisher's blurb says that Millard Salter is written "in the spirit of the New York Times bestselling A Man Called Ove", but I'm not finding this to be the case. I loved Ove, and I'm enjoying Millard so far, but to me they are different books. I think it does both books a disservice to compare them like this when all they really have in common is a main character with a similar goal. I'll probably have more to say when I finish reading Millard's story. </small rant>
What are you making and reading?
I feel you on the same knitting front! That's a lot of books for one week, too.
ReplyDeletesounds like someone didn't read the book...I don't like that as well. I love your slowly evolving gradient :)
ReplyDeleteYou've read a ton this past week! I'm envious. Though if I spent less time scrolling on my phone looking at nothing I may be able to get a lot more reading done too! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm nearing the end of my niece's shawl, I have 26 long rows left to knit. Thanks for recommending Trauma Room Two, I really enjoyed it. I'm reading the 3rd volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt and I can't get over how little our country has changed over the years and how similar world politics were at the beginning of WWII compared to now. It is very inspiring to read about how ER responded to it all, I only wish I was taught more about great women in my history classes in school.
ReplyDeleteBook blurbs usually make me cross so I never read them, the covers or book flaps. Your Hitchhiker is changing color! I love it!
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of reading for a week, Bonny! Did I miss it, or did you say which book was the clunker? The gradient on your shawl is coming along, and it is beautiful. You will have a shawl to cheer you for a long time. I quit reading book critic book reviews. I find that their interests and opinions generally do not mirror mine, and after all they are in the business of getting people to buy books, so there is that. I try to get all new-to-me authors from the library to avoid wasting my money. If I like them, then I feel good buying their books. This does make me cheap/thrifty, but that's just how I roll. I am afraid Thanksgiving is going to seriously curtail any knitting or reading for me in the next week.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't miss anything; The Children was only two stars for me. If you want to, you can always look on the right hand side of the page where the five most recent books I've read are displayed along with my goodreads star ratings. I really should quit reading publisher's blurbs, but I still haven't learned and seem to fall for their hype too often.
DeleteI'm still not sure who will be here for Thanksgiving, but John is trying to convince me we should just go out for Chinese (but I love leftovers, so will make things no matter who is here). I hope you manage to get some reading and knitting time in; even a few minutes might help calm down any holiday frenzy.
I have to say, it would be hard for a book to live up to Ove at all, in my opinion ...
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of books Bonny to finish in one week! Yikes!! I often don't agree with reviews of books, so don't pay too much attention to them. I'm finding that I'm getting better recommendations from blogs! Your shawl is really growing and the gradient colors are now so evident - it is beautiful!
ReplyDeletePretty yarn! And I'm glad for the reminder to read Clara's book. Maybe it'll be a holiday read.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I can't agree more about the publisher's blurbs that are off-base. Too annoying for the sake of marketing.
Count me in as another reader with profound irritation about marketing blurbs. (Urgh.) Your Hitchhiker is just cruising along now, changing colors in a most wonderful, subtle way! Lovely. (I didn't read or knit much this week at all . . . although I did read A Kind of Freedom in it's entirety while I traveled yesterday. Quite good; shortish.) XO
ReplyDeleteWhat a great rant! I agree!
ReplyDeleteThe hitchhiker is coming along. Clara's book is in my stack of "to read." I am to the point of ignoring the book blurbs on the jacket covers. I'd rather read a short synopsis from the jacket or the web page.
ReplyDeleteoh my, huge progress on the Hitchhiker front! I'm 100% with you on your small rant. and thank you for the reminder about Clara Parkes - I have yet to read one of her books.
ReplyDeleteI am re-reading Population: 485 by Michael Perry in preparation for seeing the stage adaptation in January; it's one of my all-time favorite memoirs and I've wanted to re-read it for a while now, anyway. My making is all over the place at the moment!
ReplyDeleteI felt the EXACT same way. Millard and Ove are nothing alike! At all! And each is brilliant in it's own way. I stated in my review if you were looking for another Ove, you would be disappointed! And, your knitting is beautiful!
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