pickIn between long walks on the beach and eating good food, I‘ve done a ton of reading and knitting. Our Molly goes to the vet tomorrow to see how reducing her immunosuppressant med is going. If this week is any indication, she‘s doing well. She LOVES walks on the beach and has enjoyed getting there daily.
Including a picture of the finished knitting for @Lindy
pickIt‘s been a crazy couple weeks, but we‘re finally on vacation. We traded our usual part of the Oregon Coast for another one. Time to relax and read and knit and walk on the beach!
pickI stumbled upon this book and got it from Libby. Couldn‘t put it down. It‘s SO GOOD.
Frankie is a sophomore at an elite prep school. When she gets the attention of a popular senior boy, her life changes. She soon sees that he will protect his own interests before anything else, including the secret society he‘s part of.
This book tears into the patriarchal structure of elite schools and the ways their male alum perpetuate the structure.
pick#bookreport
After a rough couple weeks, I needed a return to the Vampire Knitting Circle series and something that didn‘t require lots of thinking.
Nearing the end of Dawn Treader for #NarniaReadalong and it‘s been so long since I read it or past it that I don‘t remember any of it anymore. Such a good series.
Dipped into Dearly Beloved last night and looking forward to its exploration of faith and friendship.
My estimated hold deliveries have been progressing nicely lately. It would be nice to not have to delay any of them.
pick#weeklyforecast
Finished tagged for book group. Narrator‘s brother breaks out of jail. Narrator, father, and sister pile into an Airstream and go looking for him. The faith of their father is a strong undercurrent in the story.
Real Men Knit was a bonus this week, thanks to Libby. Set a story in a yarn shop, and I‘ll read it.
Keeping up with #NarniaReadalong better this week!
Next in line on Libby for Constant Rabbit, finally.
#bookreport
Finished the first Percy Jackson series, and need to figure out what‘s next in that world. Starting tagged for #NarniaReadalong today. Really need to devote energy to Deep River and Hybrid Church for work reading this week. Poor Jane Jacobs is getting tabled for the moment. I do want to read a little more, to see if I‘m even interested in it, though.
1️⃣ Fred Weasley, of course.
2️⃣ I‘ve been pondering this all day. I was quite satisfied with the ending of the Harry Potter series, and I can‘t come up with anything else, so I‘ll stick with that.
3️⃣Book group reading, and I‘m enjoying it.
Thanks for the tag @MoonWitch94 !!
Getting some reading and knitting done while the dog snoozes. My hands are cold and I want hot chocolate, but if I get up, the dog will get up. And then I won‘t get to knit and read.
#WeeklyForecast
Continuing on with the #NarniaReadalong even though I‘m usually a couple days behind. Rereading these books is a joy.
Finished was a book I didn‘t expect Libby to deliver for another few weeks, and it was fantastic. Peace Like a River is for my book group. And finally finishing the Percy Jackson series. And I‘ll get back to Jane Jacobs soon, I hope.
Doing my #NarniaReadalong reading with breakfast. I get my first COVID vaccine today! 🎉🥳
pickI did not plan to spend my afternoon finishing this, but I couldn‘t put it down. It‘s so good!
Desiree and Stella are twins. They grow up in a tiny town where light-skinned Black people are a majority. The lighter your skin, the better. After the twins leave home, Stella begins to “pass” as white. She abruptly leaves her sister and they have separate lives for decades, till a chance meeting of their daughters changes everything.
Finished my Anne-inspired shawl yesterday. It‘s named Raspberry Cordial. Very happy with how it turned out, and looking forward to wearing it.
#craftersoflitsy #knittersoflitsy
pick#weeklyforecast this week has some exciting changes. Finished the tagged for book group, and quite enjoyed it (despite it being a bit verbose), and (AGAIN) a narrator I didn‘t particularly like.
Vanishing Half was delivered 3 weeks earlier than expected, and is so good it‘s prevented other progress, which meant playing catch-up on the #NarniaReadalong (AGAIN) this morning.
pick#weeklyforecast
Finished tagged and first book on the #NarniaReadalong and actually managed to stick to my reading plan for the week. Should finish Owen Meany this week.
Tagged is another charming story of the small Scottish town of some of Colgan‘s other tales. Nurses Lissa and Cormack swap jobs for 3 months, giving both of them a needed change of scenery.
Found this online. I think this can certainly extend to books. We rescue books! We are heroes for giving books a good home!
My #LibbyList saw some action this week! Tagged was delivered, House in the Cerulean Sea was added to my holds.
pickLoved reading this for the first time in 20 years. The children take their thrones and rule Narnia wisely. One day, they are riding and come upon the old lamppost, but don‘t recognize it. And yet it feels familiar. They end up back in the wardrobe and no time has passed. The professor once again supports them, saying they‘ll return again one day. Looking forward to book 2.
@CaffeineAndCandy #NarniaReadalong
Chapter 16: The Great Battle finally happens. Aslan has died and come back to life. He breathes on the statues and they come back to life.
The chapters about Asian‘s death and return are so full of biblical allusions that I‘d never noticed as a child. I love when stories are like this — enjoyable on multiple levels.
#NarniaReadalong @CaffeineAndCandy
One of my favorite knitting designers released a pattern inspired by Anne of Green Gables, called Raspberry Cordial. I had to knit it. I‘ve wanted to use this color of yarn for a while, and this project is the perfect excuse. There‘ll be bits of the chartreuse and some silvery gray later.
#knittersoflitsy
pick#weeklyforecast
Making progress on 3 books, including the #NarniaReadalong . Got sidetracked from Jane Jacobs by the story of Henrietta Lacks. Excellent introduction to the causes for distrust of hospitals and researchers among Blacks. Highly recommended.
Playing catch-up in the #NarniaReadalong . Our dog had to go to the emergency vet (70 miles away) and now we know she has hemolytic anemia. ☹️
Chapters 11-13 are full of action. All parties head to the Stone Table. As they travel, the world around them changes from deep winter to spring.
At the Stone Table, the children meet Aslan. When Edmund and the WW arrive, she claims Edmund‘s blood - he‘s a traitor. WW and Aslan talk and she gives in. ⬇️
My #LibbyList isn‘t changing much these days. Which....probably means getting 2 or 3 in one week at some point. Good thing I can delay holds.
Catching up on the #NarniaReadalong with chapters 8 and 9.
The children meet Mr and Mrs Beaver and enjoy dinner. They learn about Aslan and the White Witch. Edmund sneaks off and makes his way to the WW‘s castle, where he finds statues of the unlucky souls to have found disfavor with her. Edmund‘s jealousy toward his siblings (fueled by the enchanted candy fr-m earlier?), particularly Peter, makes him petty and vindictive.
@CaffeineAndCandy
pick#WeeklyForecast
I 💜💙💚 this book by Shonda Rhimes. Successful but unhappy, she began to say yes to things that scared her. She learned how to live a happier, fuller, more authentic life because of it. I might just get it on audio for days when I need to hear her words of encouragement.
Chapter 4, where the White Witch acts all nice to Edmund, especially when she learns he has 3 siblings, and totally takes advantage of his selfishness.
Also: I had Turkish Delight once and thought it was gross. Definitely not worth the calories. Edmund needs better taste in candy.
#NarniaReadalong @CaffeineAndCandy
Chapter 3: Oh, Edmund. Thanks for reminding me why young me never liked you. First, you‘re a jerk to Lucy, then you don‘t want to apologize to her when you get to Narnia.
#NarniaReadalong @CaffeineAndCandy
Chapter 2 Lucy meets Mr Tumnus, who is happy to meet a Human Girl. She agrees to go to his home, where he feeds her and tells her stories. When she tries to leave, he tells her of the White Witch who rules Narnia, making it always winter and never Christmas. Mr Tumnus cries as he explains that he had planned to turn Lucy over to the Witch. But he leads her back to the Lamp Post and she returns home.
#NarniaReadalong @CaffeineAndCandy
I think I‘m going to have to buy a copy of this book and keep it by my chair. It is the best kind of inspirational—not preachy, not holier-than-thou. It‘s more “look, here‘s an embarrassing and/or funny story of a mistake I made or how I believed a lie that society tells us. Don‘t believe the lies. Be your own kind of awesome and be good to yourself and be true to who you are.”
Chapter 1 wastes no time. Lewis allows us to learn about the characters as he tells his story. We learn that the 4 Pevensies are in the country because of the air raids. They soon realize their luck in having a wonderful place to stay. As they explore the giant house, Lucy, the youngest, finds a wardrobe....which leads her to a snow covered wooded area. She meets a Faun and the chapter ends.
#NarniaReadalong @CaffeineAndCandy
@CaffeineAndCandy is hosting #NarniaReadalong beginning today. We‘ll be doing a chapter a day of the 7 books of the Narnia series. I‘m really looking forward to reading these books again. I love the tagged and have read it many times, but it‘s been decades since I read the whole series.
Won‘t you join us?
pickCompelling story of an alcoholic flight attendant who inadvertently gets caught up in foreign intrigue when she wakes up in a strange hotel room and the man she slept with is dead. I seem to have a habit lately of reading books about people I don‘t like.
Just found out this is now a series on HBO Max, with Kaley Cuoco playing Cassie. Too bad I don‘t have it.
Using Libby has really helped me read more. I like being able to support my local library, but I prefer getting books on my tablet, where I can increase the font as needed.
Show me your #LibbyList !!
Morning knitting, reading, and hot chocolate.
#knittersoflitsy
so-soRead this on my day off yesterday. Good enough to keep me interested, but I wasn‘t crazy about any of the characters.
Anna is a PA for a super rich family living on Park Avenue. She‘s good at her job, which is mostly making sure the wife is happy and doesn‘t have to be concerned with tedious life details...like spending time with her children. Anna does it all well, till her own life starts spiraling out of control.
For Love Your Pet Day, one of my favorite pictures of Miss Molly By Golly Tamale Wonky Ear McLeggy Legs, Defender of the Deck, Destroyer of Flip Flops, and Reason We Can‘t Have Nice Things. She was sound asleep like this for about 10 minutes.
pickRead this gem this week. Justyce is a student at a prep school where he‘s one of a very small number of Black students. There, he thrives academically. After being unjustly detained by police, he begins writing letters to MLK, searching for wisdom to navigate his increasingly difficult world.
As a middle aged white female, I have found books like this to be helpful in understanding the experiences of people different from me.
When I took Spanish in college, my professor suggested reading children‘s books we are really familiar with to help learn the language, as well as simpler books written specifically for beginners. My listening comprehension is terrible, as I‘m hard of hearing, but I‘d like to improve my fluency enough to read in Spanish.
Libby unexpectedly had a copy of this available when I was looking for something to read during my staycation. It‘s been ages since I read any of her books.
The first paragraph of this book is one of the finest ever written.
Also, Cara Cara oranges are a delight.
I knew it was coming up soon, but thought it was in a couple weeks. I‘m really happy I found Litsy and looking forward to year 2.
Jessica and her daughter Emily go on a college tour. In the first stop, Washington DC, they take a side trip, resulting in this quote that amused me.
I love a good gift shop. One of the items on my post-COVID travel list is getting back to the Georgia O‘Keefe museum in Santa Fe. I need more stuff for my walls.
pickEmira is a babysitter for a couple that would have been yuppies 35 years ago. When Alix, the wife, learns that Emira‘s boyfriend is her ex-boyfriend from high school, Alix decides to intervene. But Alix‘s motives are far from pure, and her resentment of the ex keeps her from owning her own bad choices. But the boyfriend isn‘t a saint, either.
A little morning reading for work and a little knitting to keep me (mostly) sane.
#knittersoflitsy
so-soI started this as soon as I finished Ready Player One, because RP1 was so good.
This was a disappointing sequel. It needed a lot of editing. I 💜 80s pop culture, but the Prince task was tedious. And the LoTR task was even worse, as I‘m not a fan of those books and couldn‘t pronounce half the stuff (I was reading aloud to my husband).
This could have been such a good book, but it just wasn‘t.
My Libby hold list is looking pretty good these days. The wait time for Vanishing Half is dropping steadily. Hope that means people are enjoying it.
pickFinished the tagged while doing some knitting that required less attention. Time to get back to my sweater.
Author tackles alternative history: What if Hillary Rodham didn‘t get married? Carries with it questions about double standards and society‘s expectations of women.
Author‘s wife is apparently responsible for this.
One day, Bernie memes will stop being funny to me. Today is not that day. Tomorrow‘s not looking good, either.
