I'm joining Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday with more mundane and boring baby washcloths.
They're not terribly exciting, but they are just right for meditative hot-weather knitting. No two-color ones have been knit yet, but that should happen in the next couple of days, and then on to the Baby Surprise Jacket.
| As dull as my knitting was last week, I did have a few reading revelations. The first was with The Transit of Venus. When two reading friends whose opinions I trust call The Transit of Venus "the most compelling, satisfying book I’ve read in a very long time" and say "I am astonished at Hazzard's use of language, sentence structure, foreshadowing, and the depth of her characters," I pay attention. I made my local library get their copy of The Transit of Venus out of storage, and I eagerly started reading. I kept waiting to get to the parts where I couldn't put the book down, but 147 pages in, it was a relief to put the book down for a final time and return it to the library. I wanted to love it, and I've put it on my "try again someday" shelf, but this is not the right book for me now. Maybe someday I'll try again and it will be a better fit. So giving myself permission to stop reading was the first reading revelation. The second revelation has to do with The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys. I think Jane originally recommended this book and I put it on my list after reading The Lost Garden by the same author. I just finished The Evening Chorus and it was exquisite. It's a quiet but commanding book about how three people, a man, his wife, and his sister, deal with life during WWII in England and afterward. Humphreys writes beautifully about love and loss, but it's really a story about nature's constancy during a time of unspeakable human ruin. I'm tempted to re-read it immediately but want to just sit with it for a while. I also finished a pre-publication copy of Lucy by the Sea. There were no real revelations for me here; it's the latest in Elizabeth Strout's novels about Lucy Barton. I have enjoyed all the other books (especially Oh William!) and also loved this one. Lucy is by the sea because of the pandemic, but Strout has filled this book with more wonderful insights from Lucy about loneliness, grief, longing, loss, resilience, and the human condition. I hope Elizabeth Strout keeps writing about Lucy Barton because I will gladly keep reading. |
What are you making and reading this week?
I'm still really liking the color of your baby washcloths! Such a rich color. I tried reading The Lost Garden but could not get into it. Likewise, I am not a huge fan of Elizabeth Strout (I know - I may be the only one!!) and I have not ready any of the Lucy books. But, as you have said to me, it's a good thing there are so many varied and good books out there - enough to satisfy everyone!
ReplyDeleteLovely stack of washcloths! (those will be immensely handy!!) I have not quite given up on The Transit of Venus, but I am easily distracted by other things. (this might be a hint to move on, but I will persevere for a bit!) I have The Lost Garden on my TBR list, and I am adding The Evening Chorus! And a new Lucy book! Ooo!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you allowed yourself to just put The Transit of Venus aside! Life is just too short (and too busy) to read stuff you're really not connecting with. Bravo! :-) Maybe someday you'll be in the right mood to pick it up again, y'know? Or maybe not . . . I'm eager to read something else by Helen Humphreys after reading The Lost Garden earlier this summer. And Lucy By the Sea. . . sigh. I can't wait. XO
ReplyDeleteI have heard that Transit of Venus is good but also not an easy read. Perhaps you'll pick it up again someday, but if not, well, there are plenty of other books to read! The washcloths look like perfect hot summer knitting -- small and not too mentally taxing. I'd love to be knitting a washcloth or dishcloth instead of a sweater right now!
ReplyDeleteUntil a couple of years ago, I would stubbornly refuse to put down a book no matter how much I disliked reading it. Lately, I have picked up at least 4 or 5 books that I just could not force myself to read after about 100 pages. I don't know if it is related to aging or a realization that I do not have to read anything I don't enjoy, but there it is. Your washcloths look so pretty, Bonny. That's becoming quite a stack!
ReplyDeletelove your pile of washcloths and they are the perfect project for summer - portable and light! I'm obsessively reading The Stand by Stephen King.
ReplyDeleteLucy by the Sea was not on my radar at all - thank you for that! And I've added The Evening Chorus to my list as well.
ReplyDeleteLucy by the Sea sounds wonderful - thank you for the preview!
ReplyDeleteI've read enough Shirley Jackson books to know Transit would not be for me. Good for you in knowing when to stop. I'm 30 pages from finishing a 740 page book about an Indian family and the story of their Ma/Amma. It's my pick of the year! (Tomb of Sand)
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