Unraveled Wednesday: 5/15/24

I'm happy to join Kat and the Unravelers today with a sock and a third. I finished the first one, cast on the second one, and I'm past the heel, picking up gusset stitches, and beginning the gusset decreases. Just a foot and toe to complete and I'll have a pair!

I tried the Finchley graft (youtube video link) that Vera wrote about recently on the first sock and it seemed slightly easier and faster than doing Kitchener on the toes. I'll have to try it a few more times to get more familiar with it and really decide which method I like best.

I finished one ARC last week, but it was just average for me. A Great Marriage was the first book I've read by Frances Mayes (she is probably best known for Under the Tuscan Sun), so I wasn't sure what to expect. This is the story of Dara Wilcox and Austin Wilcox who meet and fall deeply in love. The book opens with a prenuptial dinner at her parents' house, and it's all perfect until some wine is spilled. Several family members see this as a possible bad omen, and it turns out to be just that. Austin receives distressing news that disrupts their plans and the wedding is canceled. Dara flees to California to visit with friends, then heads to South Carolina to help restore an inn. There are moments of angst and some drama, but it reminded me of a Hallmark movie in book form. My mother-in-law used to love to read books with very mild dramatics (where nobody suffered from serious illness or died) and the ending was all tied up neatly with a big bow. This book made me think of her as she would have loved it.

I found the author's writing style difficult to read. She used a lot of sentence fragments and once I started noticing them, I had difficulty concentrating on what she was saying and found myself paying attention to how she had written it. But if you like your books to be mainly romantic escapes where nobody really suffers and characters live happily ever after, this one may bring you enjoyment. (And as a bonus, it has an arresting and interesting cover!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on August 13, 2024.

What are you making and reading this week?

P.S. I'll be back tomorrow with some poetry, but I'm visiting my SiL for a while and will be taking a short break until sometime later next week. See you then!