Steampunk with knitting needles

Needles and Artifice: A Refined Adventure Story with Ingenious Knitting Patterns by The Ladies of Mischief
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How often do you get a steampunk adventure WITH knitting patterns?

The story follows the adventures of a group of Ladies who turn male/female relationships upside down, but in a genteel sort of way. There is always time for tea and knitting. (It was so nice to know that Kristoff makes a good cheese toast. I'd like to meet him myself.)
The moral of the story...Don't mess with intrepid ladies with mad mechanical skills.

The patterns are probably not for beginners and a few look rather daunting at first glance, but many of them look like something that can be worn whether or not you are into steampunk.

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The Red Queen's Daughter

The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Red Queen is Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VII, who survived him and later married and had a daughter Mary. The story is narrated by Mary and chronicles her (Mary's) training in white magic and then employment as a Lady-in-Waiting by Elizabeth I.

This interesting story moves slowly, because the author has packed it full of details about Elizabeth I's court, from the convoluted relationships of various courtiers to how the elaborate clothing was taken care of. I happen to enjoy that kind of book, but that's me.

The magic seems a little more iffy. Mostly, we are told "And she told me to figure it out for myself", and remarkably Mary jumps right in and, except for a case early on, has no problems.

Task 30.7 B



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Big Blue Book fulfills cover expectations

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you like books set in England at the turn of the 20th Century that feature people with enough money to indulge their eccentricities you might like this one. There are lots of references to political and social movements of the period.
This book moved rather slowly and had lots of people drifting in and out. At one point I was going to stop reading it, but decided to keep at it just to see what happened to the characters. It makes you think that maybe all their quirks KEPT the characters from being happy.
This is not the happiest book I've ever read.

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An Alaskan Life and Lovin' It

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Family, Friends, and Faith in Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's not that death has no mysteries for someone who writes obituaries, it's that the writer has turned death' mystery into a way of meeting and celebrating life.
Lende survived a serious bike accident and went on to not just cope with life but to enjoy the good with the bad. Along the way she has written about her life in Haines, Alaska and her friends and neighbors--both the living and the dead. An Episcopalian, she draws on a great wealth of spiritual tradtion to tie life together.
I had enjoyed her first book If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name, which came out just before her accident, and I must say that I've enjoyed this one just as much.

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A Three Dog Life

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Abigail Thomas' account of her life after her husband Rich was hit by a car and suffered massive brain damage. Her life changed and she had to plan for the future, while her husband remained living in the ever-present now. In addition to Harry, the beagle who was with Rich at the time of the accident, she acquires Rosie (half whippet, half dachshund) and the beagle Carolina Bones.
I empathized with her, almost to the point of reliving my own years following my husband's long bout with a brain tumor. While there are some differences (as a neurologist was quick to point out), I still saw many of the same behavior in my husband.
The amazing thing is that I did not find this book to be depressing, nor was it full of Pollyanna-ish cheerfulness.

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GoodRead Seasonal Reads Summer Reading

Once again I've been lured into the GoodReads Seasonal Reading Challenge.
This summer there are 56 tasks, with most of them requiring one book to be read for completion.

Of the several hundred people who have taken up the challenge, most don't plan to finish all the tasks--they have a life that revolves around work, family, recreation, and other things. They pick the tasks that dovetail with their list of books they want to read and get on with it.

Some of us create our list of books we want to read from the list of tasks. My actual TBR list never seems to have quite what's required for the challenge, but I've discovered some great books along the way. I'll be sprinkling those titles through here the next three months.

(And if you'd like to try GoodRead try here http://www.goodreads.com/. The Seasonal Challenge is under Groups. Tell them I sent you.

Knit one, Read one

Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(So far, very funny but informative book. Author is trying to knit a pattern by a knitting designer who is known for vigorously defending her intellectual property rights, so there is information about that thorny issue.)
Martini has ably managed to encompass knitting, copywrite law, childrearing, yoga, knitting blogs, and friendship with humor and skill.
If you are a knitter you will probablly read this book and nod your head in places because you know the Sock Knitting Gods are not always on your side. If you are not a knitter you probably won't touch this book with a ten inch knitting needle, but you'll be missing a good read. This is not so much about the finished sweater as it is about the process of knitting...the way knitting makes your life different. Not necessarially better, but different.
And I want a bumper sticker that says " I knit so I don't kill people".

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