I’m happy to join Kat and the Unravelers today, with a bit of unraveling due to my own carelessness, but I'm back on track now.
I have been doing six teeth between eyelet rows, but I was happily knitting along when I noticed that I had only done five teeth between the last two eyelet rows. I tried telling myself that nobody would notice while I was wearing it, but I would know. And I knew it would bug me, so I ripped out a bunch, made sure to knit six teeth before I did the eyelet row, and then kept going. I'm just a little bit past where I was last week, but I know I'll be happier in the long run.
I finished one book this week. Once and Again is one of those books that worked for
me in spite of itself, or perhaps more accurately, in spite of my own
reading preferences. It leans heavily into two elements I tend to avoid:
magical realism and romance. That’s on me for not reading the
description closely enough, but I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical. And
yet, I was still drawn in.
The novel’s central premise, that each woman in the Novak family can turn back time once, was undeniably compelling. Serle uses this idea to explore the weight of choice, regret, and the quiet, persistent question of “what if.” I found myself especially taken with the way this one-time power shapes not just decisions, but entire outlooks on life. Knowing you only get a single do-over would inevitably make you more cautious, or maybe more reckless, and the book captures that tension well.
The Malibu setting and the layered family dynamics added warmth and texture, even when the plot drifted into more predictable romantic territory. The rekindled first-love storyline didn’t fully win me over, but it was handled with enough sincerity to keep me invested.
I was quite taken with the idea of being able to turn back time once and how that might make you live your life differently. At times, I wanted the novel to dig a little deeper into the emotional and philosophical implications of its premise. The concept is so rich that it occasionally felt underexplored, especially when the narrative leaned more toward romance than introspection.
Still, this was an enjoyable read overall, thoughtful, easy to read, and anchored by an idea that lingers after the final page. Even if it didn’t completely align with my usual tastes, I’m glad I gave it a chance.Three stars from me.
The novel’s central premise, that each woman in the Novak family can turn back time once, was undeniably compelling. Serle uses this idea to explore the weight of choice, regret, and the quiet, persistent question of “what if.” I found myself especially taken with the way this one-time power shapes not just decisions, but entire outlooks on life. Knowing you only get a single do-over would inevitably make you more cautious, or maybe more reckless, and the book captures that tension well.
The Malibu setting and the layered family dynamics added warmth and texture, even when the plot drifted into more predictable romantic territory. The rekindled first-love storyline didn’t fully win me over, but it was handled with enough sincerity to keep me invested.
I was quite taken with the idea of being able to turn back time once and how that might make you live your life differently. At times, I wanted the novel to dig a little deeper into the emotional and philosophical implications of its premise. The concept is so rich that it occasionally felt underexplored, especially when the narrative leaned more toward romance than introspection.
Still, this was an enjoyable read overall, thoughtful, easy to read, and anchored by an idea that lingers after the final page. Even if it didn’t completely align with my usual tastes, I’m glad I gave it a chance.Three stars from me.
What are you making and reading this chilly April day?
Who hasn't wished they could turn back time, once, maybe more than once. It is a fascinating concept, but I am reminded of the Monkey's Paw when I think about it. You never know what you would get if you had that power. Does anyone have the ability to know if the result would be better or worse? It would certainly affect how you live your life, but would it be a better life? Are you prone to caution or risk? Yep, a huge conundrum of thought! LOL I'm glad you made the decision to correct your boo-boo. You're right, it would have bugged you.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry your week has included some unraveling, but I'm glad you caught they error before you'd knit too far beyond it so the undoing was limited. Your book finish sounds interesting -- maybe not the best read but certainly thought provoking. I just started the next RWU book yesterday afternoon and am really enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your unraveling, but I definitely would have done the same thing. You'll be able to wear your latest Hitchhiker with no pangs of wishing you had fixed it! The book you read sounds interesting....but not sure it's for me.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or can everyone hear Cher iconically singing If I Could Turn Back Time.... Yeah... not a bad earworm for the day! And while ripping back is painful, sometimes it is the only answer!
ReplyDeleteY'know . . . I always hate ripping back once I've made such a "knitting investment" . . . but I never regret it once I've done it. As my home ec teacher used to say . . . "anything worth doing is worth doing over to make it right." (She was full of pithy sayings about such things.)
ReplyDeleteI would have had to rip back too. A pattern like that demands perfection.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Five does not equal six, and I know that's all I would have thought about if I had left it.
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