Reading While I Sew

You may know by now that I have a propensity for doing two things at once. Case in point: I am still making blocks for two quilts - the great granny squares and the trip around the world squares.

Since early in retirement, I picked up the audio book habit. Formerly, an avid book-in-my-hand reader, I tried listening while sewing, and I liked it a lot. I learned that when doing just basic things that require little concentration, I could also do lots of reading. I loved the idea of completing two things at once. I also learned that I cannot under any circumstances listen while measuring or cutting, nor can I listen while long-arming. Pressing, trimming, chain-piecing - these are great times to have an audio book going.

Recently, my Overdrive app contained these titles. What's the chance of having three books with the word 'stars' in the titles? Mighty strange coincidence, I would say. 

The picture is small which makes it hard to see the titles. They are The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue; When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McClain; and Raft of Stars by Andrew Graff.

These are a mixed bag of books covering a wide range of topics. The Pull of Stars covers just 3 days in a Dublin hospital during the 1918 flu epidemic. The stress of the flu has put incredible pressures and conditions on the staff, including the main character, a nurse in a labor and delivery ward. The topic was timely with our recent pandemic experiences. While some rather graphic hospital procedures were realistically detailed, the story kept me engaged. Until the very end, that is, when our main character  suddenly behaves entirely differently, totally unexpected and out-of-character, in my opinion. The ending of this book took such a ridiculous turn, leaving this reader to wonder what on earth causes authors to take such tangents in concluding a book. I was quite dissatisfied, and very reservedly would I recommend it based on the contrived present-day, social agenda-driven ending.

When the Stars Go Dark is a crime detective tale involving teenage runaways and/or kidnappings. Referencing several real-life crimes, this fictional mystery is told from a detective's perspective with a similar history involving a childhood friend. I was engaged while listening, but the story must not have been overly memorable, because I had to refer to the Goodreads synopsis for help in recalling it. I guess that means I cannot honestly give it raving reviews.

The most satisfying of these three books was Raft of Stars which qualifies as a young-adult title, in my opinion. Think of a modern-day (1994) Huckleberry Finn. The characters are well-developed; adults are caring and responsible; kids are kids. This book would be great to recommend to young readers, say middle-school and up. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

A more recent title filling my ears was 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard. From the beginning, I felt as though I probably was not going to enjoy the book - it deals with the 2020 shut down, a murder scene found right at the very beginning, and a preposterously poor decision by the female main character. I had misgivings, for sure, but I stayed with it. Twists occur, and I certainly did not see it ending as it did. The background story of the pandemic and how it was handled in Ireland was interesting, and overall, the book was though-provoking. I do think the characters behaved foolishly, but given the pandemic situation, maybe it could be believed. I suppose I am glad I read it, but gosh, reading so soon after the pandemic? I might not be ready!

I am packing today for retreat, and I have a few household things to check off my list before being gone a whole week. Busy, busy!

Happy Quilting, Friends!