Snowbird Reading

Since retiring, nearly all of my reading has been done with audio books. For a formerly confirmed book-in-hands kinda' gal, this change in preference is rather surprising. The benefit of this switch to preferring audio is the ability it gives me to multi-task. A book in my ear and a large stack of chain-piecing makes a perfect combination. 

One of the many aspects of not knowing what to expect with our recent snowbird experience - would I be able to incorporate a literary element into our vacation experiment? As it turns out, I did exactly what I do here at home - long miles of chain-piecing and an audio book queued up. Worked like a dream.

I read six books, some I would recommend; others perhaps not. I won't give an in-depth review, but I will share overall impressions. First, I re-read To Kill A Mockingbird because I then wanted to read the follow-up book Go Set A Watchman. I briefly alluded to this in a previous post.

I was glad to re-read TKAM; after so many years, there was much I'd forgotten. GSAW was not nearly as satisfying, unfortunately. I imagined how Scout would grow up and how she'd behave as an adult; the way she is depicted in that later version just didn't fit. She was a complainer and a whiner - much too willing to jump to false conclusions than seemed implausible. For a little girl who thought her father could do no wrong, she sure was more than willing to see otherwise in the sequel. I just didn't care much for the book and I was really glad to be finished with it. I actually thought of just quitting about halfway through, but figured I owed it to Harper Lee to give her a chance at character growth on Scout's part. I suppose in the end she did, but it wasn't at all satisfying.

Next, I read Weyward. I wasn't so sure I was in the mood for this mixture of magical realism and historical fiction, but this book turned out to be quite a great little adventure. The mystique of women with particular skills in medicine, potions and tinctures that reappear in later generations fascinated me. This tale contained stories from three time-periods, all of which were captivating and satisfying. The present-day character solves family mysteries, and she learns of sad realities endured by her ancestors. I enjoyed this immensely and highly recommend.

Then, Yellowface came up in the queue. Almost immediately, I was not impressed as the main character follows through with a reprehensible lie right from the start. It was really hard to like this girl, and that just doesn't normally go hand-in-hand with protagonists. I stayed with it, however, because - 1) it came with a good recommendation from a source I normally trust, 2) the character worked in the publishing industry, and it was rather interesting to see the inner working of all that, and 3) surely, (I hoped) she would eventually come clean with her "lie" and be all the better for it. Well, I suppose it was worth the time I spent finishing it, but I'm not really crazy to recommend it. I know there are lots of better books.

The River We Remember was great. Such an impressive sense of setting, Krueger outdid himself with the slow, easy development of the plot. I liked the characters and their backstories were engaging. The characters are vastly diverse - a Native American with his Japanese wife, an aging small town deputy, a "lady lawyer" and a good, old-fashioned journalist. I will read more by Krueger, for sure.

Last, Horse by Geraldine Brooks arrived on my shelf, and I was very eager to read this simply because I am such a fan of this author, having read nearly all of her best works. I did love this, and she continues to impress the heck out of me with the extent of her research, but I won't rank it up there with People of the Book or Year of Wonders or March. 

All the information on the horses, the history of horse racing, breeding records, the invaluable parts played by trainers and jockeys and investors and slaves and wealthy landowners and free blacks - all so very fascinating. What soured me was Brooks' tendency to tell the reader what to think about certain present day hot-button issues. I would prefer that she leave that to the reader; we are generally intelligent enough to see the issues presented, and can form our own opinions, whether they agree with hers or not. So I do definitely recommend Horse, but with the warning that there will be some politicizing in the latter half of the novel.

That concluded my Florida reading, As we headed for Ohio, I had Charles Frazier's The Trackers on the audio earbuds. You remember, I hope, Cold Mountain and Varina, both of which were excellent. The same author gives us this book and since being home, I've finished it and highly recommend it. Set during the depression in a small Wyoming town, the main character has a job through the WPA, but ends up doing far more than painting a mural in the post office. He gets caught up in the lives of a few of the townspeople, and the action moves across America before it's over. I definitely recommend.

I'm currently at retreat and did not bring my computer, so I will be MIA until at least Friday. I will have plenty of pictures and tales of all the projects, so come back later to check on my reports of all our sewing fun.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

On the Audio Book Playlist

One way for me to keep myself on task in the the sewing room is to have a good audio book queued up on my library app. Here are some good ones that I've listened to recently.

The Power of Moments was so good that I listened to it twice. It is nonfiction and delves into how to create more memorable moments in our lives and the lives of others - loved ones, co-workers, strangers, even. If I were still in the classroom, I would have a lot of good ideas to add into my teaching. I shared a good section with my daughter who works in HR - as a young professional, she could definitely use the ideas presented in this book.

Not all of my reading has been nonfiction. More often than not, I read fiction. These next few - all mysteries - have been quite satisfying. 

If I were to rank these three, Before the Fall would take top billing. The main character was a man with character, an unfailing moral compass - upstanding, honest, following his conscience at every obstacle. A rare breed, for sure, but I sure did like his heroic efforts in this book. I see that it is being made into a movie; it'll be a good one, in my opinion.

The other two were entertaining, but I can't rave about either one of them, truth be told. I actually had to review the blurb on The Last Thing He Told Me, because I couldn't recall the story line.  Embarrassing, but true. That doesn't make it a bad book; that just tells you something about my short-term memory. 

Listening to books while I sew doesn't have to be the most riveting material. I am content with whatever can occupy my brain while I am stitching or pressing or whatever. Well, I do have standards, though, and not everything makes the cut. There have been a few that were so uninteresting that I quit them after a few chapters.

 

Let me tell you about my backup plan for when I am waiting on bestsellers to make their way to my library card.

I determined a couple of years ago, that I would find authors I liked who had an extensive list of titles from which to choose. I went through a gazillion novels by Vince Flynn, Ann Cleeves, Susan Meissner, Alllyson K. Abbott; Louise Penny, Brad Thor, and more. With most of these, I tried to read in order if the characters were recurring and a timeline existed from one novel to the next. 

My current novelist of choice is Philippa Gregory, whose incredible list of historical fiction titles has kept me entertained for many months. Her knowledge and storytelling prowess of the history of the kings and queens of England is beyond compare. She is the very best in the telling of the stories of the royals throughout England's history. I determined that I would read these novels in chronological order and so it takes awhile if I need to wait on one title or another. Generally, though, the titles are so plentiful that I am not waiting long. I can just about always get something from her to fill down time. And I am not so demanding about staying in chronological order as I was at the beginning.

The King's Curse is my current read. It is the tale of the reign of King Henry VIII, told from the perspective of Margaret Pole, who was descended from the Plantagenets, the family deposed by the Tudors. I have a natural curiosity about all these historic royals, and I am forever impressed by how skillfully Gregory can tell these stories from such diverse points of view. In one book, for example, she tells a story that sheds a particular character in a negative light, yet can come back in a later tale, and show that same character in a positive light. Quite impressive. 

I can do a lot of sewing with a good book playing in my ear; whiling away many hours in the sewing room this way, and I am content to do so.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Reading

You all probably know that I listen to audio books while I sew, and this has become my primary way of reading, especially since retiring. I love the fact that I feel as though I am multi-tasking in the two most favorite activities - sewing and reading. Perfect!

Typically I use an app on my phone called Overdrive. It is connected to my local library and the consortium with which it is affiliated, so access to a vast library is just a click away. Any requests for current best-sellers are usually backed up with a long wait list; so to fill down time I have made a goal of working my way through all the Plantagenet and Tudor novels by Philippa Gregory. 

That's quite a goal.

These novels cover the years of 1430-1568 and there are 15 total (unless she's added some since I last tallied it up). 

Originally, I was trying to read them in chronological order, but lately I've been taking them as available, so I'm all over the time period. Eventually, I find myself situated in the correct royal court of the correct royal family. I am currently reading The White Princess.

This is the third novel in the series and is about the York princess Elizabeth who, to unite the kingdom, must marry Henry VII, a Tudor. It's entertaining reading; I don't fret if I don't hear every word. The thread of the plot is easy to pick up if I am momentarily lost. 

What draws me to these novels is two-fold: I'm impressed that Gregory manages to keep all the people and their various connections straight. Even more impressive is that Gregory is able to present characters as both heroes and villains. For example, Margaret Beaufort was a wicked lady in one novel, and is the sympathetic main character in another. It really shakes my opinions about these historic figures when presented from both sides. It makes me realize that these people had both redeeming qualities and despicable qualities. Everyone does, wouldn't you say?

I need to get cleaned up for a book club meeting; we read The Maid by Nita Prose; I will share some thoughts on it in a later post.

Gotta' run!

Happy Quilting, Friends! And happy reading, too!

Seam-Ripping

You haven't seen much of me here for a few days. The reason is that I mostly am not getting as much sewing done as I ought, and since this blog is primarily about my sewing and quilting, I have no material.

However, I do occasionally get some time in the quilting room, and over the weekend, I sewed 24 chain units onto the last 12 stars.

Wrong.

All had to be ripped out.

The photo above shows very clearly what is wrong. That rectangular unit is upside-down. So all 24 seams needed ripping out. I grabbed the iPad to watch something while I ripped. It's always best to have a diversion from the boo-boos. I used this opportunity to begin the second season of The Crown. Good choice, too.

In other news, I am reading a book on my iPhone. Do people do this nowadays? I have to admit that I am not minding it at all. My book club's selection for this month is So Well Remembered by James Hilton, published in 1945. Because of its age, I had a hard time finding a copy, so I ordered it through iBooks. A bit more than half-way through it, I find it quite enjoyable, and consequently, I am reading when I ought to be sewing. (I have always had this problem with books. They have a way of consuming me!)

Also, MLB has started up and I want to watch the Indians whenever I can, so I have taken my tub of Lake Effect hexies to my chair in the family room where I can stitch and watch ballgames at the same time. After about 3 games, I can see that this is going to be very productive. The few hours each evening is showing satisfying results. Below is an early picture of my work on this long-term project.

Hey, come back tomorrow! I will share update pictures of the progress I have made on Lake Effect. I really do think you will be surprised at how much I have done.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

My Reading Life

My life might seem to consist only of making quilts, but this is not the case, at all. I have had a lifelong love of reading and on more than one occasion I have mentioned that I was not sewing or quilting because I had a book to finish for book club.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” Jane Austen,  Pride and Prejudice 

Since 1999, I have been in a book club with some women who have become very dear to me. I will not be able to list all that we have read in those nearly 20 years, but I can say a little bit about some of my personal favorites.

The six books pictured above were all really great reads, even The Historian, which besides the enormous length of the book, revolved around vampires, a subject that doesn't enthrall me. The Pilcher book, Winter Solstice, was wonderfully comforting and such a gentle read, while the subjects in the others were edgier, more gripping and dramatic in one way or another. Our group likes to be varied in our selections, and in my opinion, we do read a pleasingly wide variety of genres and topics, both current and not-so-current.

We have read fiction and non-fiction, historical, classics, biographies, YA and best-sellers. A few turn out to be duds, but mostly I have been satisfied with our choices.  That 2nd book above, The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B, is about Napolean's wife and is written in diary form. I devoured it. It is the first of a 3-book series, and I read them all. O Pioneers is a classic that I read back in high school, and reading it again as an adult was pure enjoyment! I love Willa Cather's writing.

Seabiscuit was fantastic, as was Shipping News, The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Year of Wonders, and The Glass Castle. I have only a faint memory of the Atkinson novel, and the Ruth Reichl book is something of a cookbook, if memory serves.

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” 

Stephen King,On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft  

Three books not pictured here, I would like to mention. Categorized as being at the very top of our "Best Books" list are The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Wow, they were so excellent, and offered thoughtful and challenging discussion.

I don't own nearly all the books we have read; I do make use of our library when availability is not an issue. We in the reading group do share library copies as well as personal copies on occasion. And as I am typing here, I am thinking of dozens more that we liked - maybe I will try to share more titles in a later post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Reading and Recovering

Besides glue-basting hexies, reading quilt magazines, and attaching borders, I have found myself buried in a very good book as I make may way through recovery from surgery. I imagine quite a few of you know the feeling of being happily buried in a good book. You get carried off to another place and time, and before you know it, all else is forgotten.

I love when that happens.

The book I am currently buried in is called The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman. Published in 2014, it is the story of Malka, who along with her family flees Russia to find a new beginning in the USA. The tragedies that befall her and others in her family as she grows up in early 20th century New York City are told in flashbacks by the present day Lillian (her American name) as an elderly ice cream mogul. Initially, I was not very much liking the main character, but since this is a book club read, I needed to stay with it. She has grown on me, at last, and I am enthralled by her story, and halfway through, I find that I cannot stop reading. The story of the immigrant experience in NYC in the early 1900s is fascinating. I hope I am equally enthralled by the ending.

So there goes glue-basting and anything else quilting related for the next day or two. Ah well, one needs balance, eh?

Happy Quilting - or Reading - Friends!

Stash Use

As we begin a new year, I am reading quite a few blogs whose main topic is stash reduction. I have tried really hard in the last couple of years to do this, and honestly, I feel as though I've been relatively successful in that effort.

Fat quarter purchases from January 2011.

The first year or two after I retired, I had a lot of time available for online fabric shopping. Needless to say, I bought a good bit, usually on sale, but in larger cuts. My justification was that these larger cuts could be put to use as quilt backs.

Now I had spent a good 15-20 years buying fabric, so I already had a large stash. The last thing I needed to be doing was enhancing it! But I did. It became apparent after awhile that I had to reign in the spending and accumulating.

As fabric has gotten quite a bit more expensive in the last couple of years, it was easy to decide that more fabric, even on sale, was counter productive. I needed to do some serious "stash attack" - make quilts using the gorgeous fabrics I've amassed and enjoy both the process and the finished product.

Gracie likes it when I leave the stash drawers open. She likes investigating.

It's been a good bit of fun, I have to admit. I am rather proud that I've made as many quilt tops as I've made, and most of them from the stash. I look forward to actually getting a few more of them quilted. At that point, (I hope) the larger cuts I bought will be used for backing as planned.

All that said, I don't think I am ready to join the ranks of those bloggers who are forbidding themselves from buying any more fabric. Nor will I join those who are keeping score of yards used from the stash as opposed to new yardage added to the stash. Sounds like too much math for me.

Quite a few boxes have arrived here that were full of fabric; not so much lately as there were back in 2009-10.

Since I am not forbidding myself from buying more fabric, I have established a few ground rules that I try to follow. No more wanton buying just for the sake of fabric accumulation. No siree! I have rules!

Rule #1: If at all possible, buy when there are sales.

These were great sales purchases. Theme? Making 60-degree angle table runners.
These, then, follow 2 of my rules - #1 and #2.

Rule #2: Have a definite project in mind if buying more than a fat quarter. No more impulsive purchases!

Rule #3: Take swatches from the stash that need another fabric (or a couple) in order to become a project. I have several pieces that just don't seem to go with any other thing in the stash.



This is a fabric that needs some mates. I don't have anything that looks right with it.
Alas, it was an impulse purchase.

Rule #4: Determine what new lines of fabrics I really, really love. I have an ongoing infatuation with Kaffe Fassett, French General, and 3 Sisters. I used to buy those with wanton disregard for when, where, or how I would use them. Now, I try to be extremely selective when buying from these lines, or any lines, actually.

Rule #5: Limit buying to trips or outing with my quilting girlfriends. If we are planning to go on a shop hop or to a quilt show, then I will cease buying for a few months, and save for buying while on the outing. There are generally some good deals and some new stuff.

Not a lot has been going on in the sewing room the past few days. DH is nearly done with the painting, and is steam-vaccing the carpet. I might actually begin moving some things into the new room tomorrow.

Instead of sewing or quilting, I have been reading! I finished a book last night that I checked out of the library on Wednesday -- The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory. It was a page turner, as every other Gregory book has been. I need to figure out the ones I've read and begin a year of filling in the gaps. She has written A LOT of historical fiction which revolves around the throne of England through the years. I love that kind of stuff.

I understand this is one of 4 books in a series called The Cousins War. I will try to be more careful to read books in the correct order; I fear this is the final book in the series. Ah, well, I will figure it out.

That's all for now, quilters. If you have any ideas on stash reduction, I'd love to hear them!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

No Self-Control

Instead of working on the finishing touches for this

I have been obsessed with finishing this

I have absolutely no discipline when I get into a good book. I refuse to tell you how late I stayed up last night finishing this page-turner. But I did it, and I now can get back to work on this

I've only got the borders left to do. I am eager to get to it.

Happy Quilting!

I've Done It Again

While the prom dress was at the drycleaners for pressing, I succumbed to one of my weaknesses: I started a book. Over 600 pages in 2 days - it was a fantastic read. I'm late to the discussion of this book, as it's been out since 2008!

For 30 years as a high school English teacher, promoting the love of reading was a priority objective. Turning teenagers on to the wonders of a good book was almost a crusade for me and my friend/colleague Sharon. We expounded the virtues of being captured in a good book. I spent a small fortune on paperbacks to stock my classroom shelves. Students borrowed on the honor system, but still, many books never found their way back to the shelves. We (Sharon and I) talked about books, kept lists, shared articles and reviews, recommended titles - anything we could to entice reluctant teens to open a book and allow themselves to be whisked away! Every Friday was reading day, and we brought our own books to read, letting them see us engrossed in a fascinating read. I know I personally have been moved to tears while reading as well as laughing uncontrollably - all in front of a classroom full of teens. I really think they need to see the emotional nature of reading. We wanted them to see and experience the magic that reading an amazing book will produce. Many of them did, fortunately. Some never did take the plunge, but perhaps the seed was planted and someday in their lives that seed will begin to grow and blossom. Hopefully, my love of reading was enough to nurture the notion in their subconscious - just waiting to thrive.

Since retiring, my reading has taken a serious backseat to my quilting. I used to read a lot more voraciously than I do now. I'm lucky to read just one book per month - the book club selection, and that's it! I was a better reader when I taught and had less time!

Now my free time is taken up with quilting pursuits. Not a bad thing, either, to my way of thinking. *wink, wink*

Next up? I'm either going to pick up the 2nd Larsson book, or begin a quilt . . .