Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Unraveled Wednesday

Joining Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday. I'm still working on Another Nervous Breakdown, but in an effort to avoid showing you the same slow-growing Hitchhiker photo for weeks on end, I'm going to show you my concurrent comfort knitting.

This is a Sockhead Cowl (ravelry link) in Wollmeise Blend, a lovely mix of merino and cashmere. This is my third one, and they've been spaced out enough that I've forgotten how much of a slog they can be. But this yarn feels delicious flowing through my fingers and I'd like to finish the ribbing and get it done, just in case I get a chance to wear it this winter. It would have felt good yesterday with wind chills in the 20s and 30 mph winds. Just another few inches of ribbing and I'll get my wish.

I've become a faithful, monogamous reader in the past week, and I anticipate this trend continuing until I finish reading my pile of Sarah Moss novels. I finished The Tidal Zone and as much as I enjoyed Summerwater and The Ghost Wall, The Tidal Zone was all I had hoped for and more. I don't usually do this, but I'm copying and pasting my review here in hopes that maybe others will be intrigued enough by her stunning prose and premise to give the book a try. 

"The Tidal Zone is my third Sarah Moss novel, and it was so good that I still want more. It's the story of Adam, a stay-at-home dad and his family. One day Adam receives a phone call that his 15-year-old daughter, Miriam, has collapsed at school, and things unfold from there. There are clear and poignant chapters about how things are going in the hospital, interspersed with the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral after World War II (because Adam is working on a project), and Adam's father telling his own story of his life in the 1960s. Things are not neatly tied up so this may not be a book for everyone, but I love Moss' language, intelligence, and extraordinary writing about the mundane and not-so-mundane. I have dog-eared so many pages that I know I will be re-reading The Tidal Zone at some point. But not until after I finish my next three books by Sarah Moss. Up next, Night Waking...

Although try this: if you could know what is going to happen, if you could know the lives and deaths of your partner and your kids and yourself, if you could know their loves and losses, triumphs and failures, sicknesses and last moments, would you? No. You think you want a story, you think you want an ending, but you don't. You want life. You want disorder and ignorance and uncertainty."

I am currently reading Night Waking, the first in a loose sort of trilogy, and just like my other Sarah Moss novels, this one is even better than the last. I've been reading it before I go to sleep, and I've dreamt about it on several occasions. It takes me right back to the sleepless early years of motherhood. The male protagonist, Giles, is a real a**hole and I've had to remind myself several times not to be angry at my husband because he is not Giles. Sarah Moss' writing is that good and immersive. 

What are you making, reading, and immersed in this week?

15 comments:

  1. Yesterday's winds were insane... and bitterly cold! I started Summerwater last night! And now I am off to queue up all the Sarah Moss books my library has available! Thank you for piquing my interest!

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  2. that cowl is a brilliant cheerful shade of blue! I love it :)

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  3. Sarah Moss is a master. And I'm so glad you're in a Sarah Moss "phase" so we can all climb on board with you! XO

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  4. Were you working on that cowl last night? I thought I saw that beautiful brilliant blue.

    I just love it when I discover a new-to-me writer and have their entire back catalog to get through. I'm glad you've been having such a lovely reading time with your new(ish) discovery.

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  5. Love the cowl, I knitted one early winter and I remember it as a slog as well, though its warm and a good knit to add to winter gear. I'll be looking into the Sarah Moss trend...thanks.

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  6. Love the color of that cowl! I did not like Ghost Wall but Summerwater was very, very good. Sarah can write!

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  7. Oh, that cowl is a fantastic color! You're so close to finishing!!

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  8. Oooo...I don't know if I could read Night Waking before bedtime (dreams!)...maybe nap time would work. Sarah Moss books have a way of leaving you satisfied at the end, and yet wanting more. I think Tidal Zone strikes a particular chord with parents who have seen a child through serious illness. Then I wonder, does any parent get to escape that experience...that fearing for your child's life?

    The color of that cowl is gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you! You may be on to something with the timing of reading Night Waking. I haven't been sleeping well since I started reading it, but hadn't put the two things together. I hope to have some time this afternoon that I can devote to daytime reading. I know I'm going to be incredibly sad when I reach the end of my pile of Sarah Moss novels, so I should probably pace myself.

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  9. I love the color of your cowl! The only book by Sarah Moss I've read is Ghost Wall and while I found the writing beautiful, the story was a bit too dark for me, so I've hesitated to read her other books. Your reviews are making me think about reading her other books.

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. Ghost Wall was dark, but I found Summerwater less so. The Tidal Zone wasn't exactly dark, but more melancholy. I'm only halfway through Night Waking, but I think it might end up being a bit too dark for your taste. Sometimes you're just lucky enough to find an author that feels like they're writing for you, and Sarah Moss is that author for me.

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  10. Isn't it great when you find an author you love and they have a bunch of books for you to read? I'm so glad that's happening for you right now.

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  11. I need more time! I've never even heard of Sarah Moss until you mentioned her. And that blue cowl is just gorgeous. I wish you only one more super cold day to rock it and then away it goes until next year!

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  12. I hope you finish the cowl soon - it is such a lovely blue. At the same time, I hope some of our Spring-like weather comes your way. I could hardly believe that I took a walk in 68 degree sunshine this afternoon. March is such a tease. I am glad you are reading an author you enjoy so much. It's a great way to read.

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  13. Summerwater is still a few weeks out on my Holds list. I guess I'd better just put all the rest of her books on hold, too! I'm glad I got back to knitting socks ... they are perfect around and around comfort knitting. and they wear out! (of course my output is still way less than the demand and I expect it will take me years to fully stock the sock drawers of those I'm knitting for :-)

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