Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

This may be my best book of 2019, although I'll reserve judgement for awhile in case I come across something better. It's possible, but I loved the lyrical writing of this novel and everything about the characters and the story. It's a coming of age and one of the finest of the type that I've ever read. The young narrator's very human story was comic and touching and the setting was delightful. OK, the author was absolutely channeling Harper Lee and C. S. Lewis poked his head in during one of the final chapters, but the book doesn't suffer for it at all because the writing was interesting and the bit of mysticism added some originality and was thought provoking. A good read that I am surprised I hadn't found before.

What I'm spinning: A lot of this and that for a colorful designer yarn
What I'm knitting: Socks! Who would have thought?
What I'm crocheting: Super Fine Sampler Blanket
What I'm reading: Death of a Kingfisher by M. C. Beaton
Current sounds & sights for spinning along: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (Audible Book)
How the diet is going: 43 pounds down and holding

Book Review - Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.

As a native of the Appalachian mountains, I can be very critical and ultra sensitive to novels that portray the area with stereotypes and ridicule. Taylor Brown's Gods of Howl Mountain is a powerful portrayal of the beauty of the mountains and the dignity of the people that live often harsh and hardscrabble lives separated from the people "down below" by their poverty and isolation. The writing is absolutely lyrical, with elegant descriptions and powerfully emotional scenes that flow with the plot. The characters were well drawn and sympathetic despite the often wrenching and difficult choices they make. There was nary a stereotype and certainly no ridicule and I look forward to finding other titles by this author.

Book Review - Woodwalker by Emily B. Martin

Woodwalker by Emily B. Martin

At one time in my life, I loved fantasy fiction and devoured every book in the genre that I could get my hands on. It has been a long time since I delved into this area, but Woodwalker was a great story to bring me back to the fold. Not exactly a magical fantasy, and the story was grounded in reality and used familiar settings, plants and animals, but there was an otherworld feel to the cultures described. The plot was quietly interesting and the author was deft in revealing details about the world through the story line and dialogue. Enjoyable and a pleasant, fast read.

Book Review: The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. An intriguing, fun read that turned out to be an emotional roller coaster ride with action, science, magic, fantasy and a world war. The characters were well drawn and it was easy to suspend disbelief because of the thorough and sensible descriptions of why the magic worked. The plot was well written and I blazed through the book, wanting to know what happened next. I'll keep an eye out for further work from this author.

Book Review: The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

 I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. This fictionalized account of the friendship between Mary Pickford and Frances Marion was both fascinating and informative. Frances Marion was a talented screenwriter who got her start with Mary Pickford during the early days of silent films in Hollywood. The story is interesting and I think the author captured the realities of a friendship between two strong women who struggled to balance careers, marriage and motherhood during a time when careers for women were rare. The novel is also a portrait of a century of change, following the beginnings of movies from the early and innocent days of creative art through the times when the industry became big business. I enjoyed the story, the setting, the characters and will look for other books by this author.

What I'm spinning: Plying merino singles with gorgeous hand dyed alpaca
What I'm knitting: This and that
What I'm crocheting: Slip stitiched bags
What I'm reading: See above
Current sounds & sights for spinning along: Six Feet Under

Book Review - Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

The young writer brought up some very interesting points about the economic and social situation in America's Rust Belt but very few answers as to how to deal with the enormous problems in the area. Like the author, I'm not sure there are any easy answers. One of the many points I found interesting was in the last chapter, where he acknowledges the enormous amount of help he received through his life from many people, especially the support of his grandparents. I often hear people that consider themselves self-made claim that they never received help from anyone. I suppose it depends on if you think help is only financial.  Branching out from this was the question of how to offer support to a social group that is isolated in poverty with few examples of success as inspiration and few mentors to show the way out of the crippling situation. Vance points out how little he knew about the world how to succeed, even after a stint in the military and four years of college. He also mentions how helpful knowing the right people can be in career and life choices.

The constant message that Vance received as a child was that he and his culture weren't good enough and that the choices of the white working class don't matter. His grandmother, an amazing woman who did her best despite struggling with an alcoholic husband and children with enormous issues,  tried to counteract this idea but was only partly successful. Vance's time in the Marine Corps did the most to change his attitude, although he constantly reinforces that he felt himself lucky to have had the support of his grandparents and I think he is right. Their support, along with the many other people that helped him throughout his life, helped him overcome a childhood of trauma due to an absent father and a mother who never overcame drug addiction.

This is not a book with answers to the problems of the working poor in America, but I think the book gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the complicated attitudes and issues. There are some valid criticisms of the book; some think he blames the poor for their own misfortunes and he does have a pessimistic view of how much the government can help. What stands out to me is the despair of the families and town, the struggles with addiction and hopelessness. At the end of the book things have deteriorated, both in the town and in his mother's personal life. To me, doing something to help has got to be better than standing by and doing nothing. 

A little knitting going on.

Completed Quill Shawl

It took awhile but I finally completed the Quill Shawl, pattern by Jared Flood. I have to say that the finished shawl is as wonderful as I expected and I think it looks a bit like the shawl that inspired me to track down the pattern. I think I mentioned that I saw the shawl in a Hercule Poirot British TV adventure and had to stop everything to track down what the pattern might be. It's called a Hap shawl and is a traditional Shetland Island piece.

Poirot and his shawl

I plunged immediately into another shawl pattern (do I really need all these shawls?) that was showing up as popular on Ravelry and it was another pattern that well deserved the attention.

Reyna Shawl in Unplanned Peacock's Peacock Sock Yarn in Gummi Shark colorway

This was an easy lace knit and the yarn worked well with the pattern. It's a small shawl in the fingering weight sock yarn but I like little scarf-like triangles for winter wear.

Chinese Tile Scarf in Queensland Collection Uluru

My plan was to next make the beautiful Chinese Tile Scarf featured in the Summer, 2016, issue of Spin-Off. BUT --  this yarn was SO not the right one for this project. The colors change too often and the wavy texture of the yarn completely obscured the lace pattern. So back I went to my list of projects I want to do and the very pretty ZickZack scarf, with a simple ripple pattern, came up. I happen to have two balls of the Queensland Collection Uluru in two colorways, so I started the scarf and have been pleased with the results.

ZickZack Scarf

My version has subtle striping and color changes because the two colorways I am working have some similar colors. A more dramatic version with two contrasting colorways would be interesting. I still want to do the Chinese Tile scarf when the right yarn comes along.

What I'm spinning: hand dyed angora singles
What I'm knitting: ZickZack by Christy Kamm
What I'm crocheting: Still hibernating
What I'm reading: Murder and Moonshine by Carol Miller
Current sounds & sights for spinning along: Broadchurch on Netflix