Reading and knitting…

It started a bit unexpectedly. I was feeling “a bit stab-y” as I relayed to my Beloved. I went into my stash and found the softest yarn I could find, took a few minutes to cast on, and then returned to the fray. He began to chuckle- it turned into a full-bellied laugh, and I looked at him innocently. “What?” “You say you’re feeling a bit murderous and you go and find sharp knitting needles…” Ahem. Yes. I haven’t knit all summer, but it was definitely time. I don’t know what it is about knitting for me, but (aside from the sometimes #$%^#& cast-on and/or cast-off) knitting definitely calms me and helps me keep focus. It’s very meditative. I needed meditative the other day! I’m not sure what I’m making yet, either. It’s a stash buster. I’m thinking possibly of making it into a pillow cover. It’s unbelievably soft! I think it is some leftover bamboo yarn from a failed project very early in my knitting escapades. Is it wrong when you want to pet your knitting?

I didn’t start the summer with a reading goal in mind. I just wandered…there are a few missing from the stack.

I haven’t read The Spark yet. I remember running across their story on social media some time in the spring and being fascinated by his learning journey. I’m looking forward to digging in.

I’ll admit to getting sucked into The Flight of Gemma Hardy by it’s cover and then a brief reckoning of the back blurb. I didn’t realize she had [heavily] borrowed from Jane Eyre. I wasn’t but a few pages in before I groaned with recognition. It was a betrayal. I jumped ahead about two thirds into the novel, where it got interesting for its own sake. In my opinion, the author should have took her ideas and characters in Iceland and turned that into the novel, not copy Bronte’s plot the whole way through. I don’t know why it has become okay to so brazenly and openly “borrow” (ahem, Austen re-creators I’m giving you the stink eye) from these authors. So make of that what you will.

The Casual Vacancy reminded me why J.K. Rowling became the success she did with Potter. It is brilliantly written- no plot holes, tight narrative, absolutely skewering character sketches. And boy, does she know how to ratchet up the suspense. It’s profane. It’s hysterical. It’s heart-rending. It’ll make you look in the mirror and think hard. It’ll make you appreciate family in a way you probably hadn’t thought to before. She is the Austen of our age, but on a much wider scale. If you’re squeamish about language or tough subjects, stay away. But you are in good hands with Rowling- she’s not using them as throw away or cliche, so I encourage you to trust her.

I picked up The Dyslexic Advantage at the library. I’m trying to understand more about Lorelei’s diagnosis. This one is interesting, but I am finding it a slog. There is a lot of technical information (numbers in studies, etc) that honestly detract from the discussion at hand. The authors would have done better to foot note a lot of the technical information and told us instead why it is important instead of cluttering up the chapters. A bit ironic for a book about dyslexia, actually. I do appreciate their viewpoint that dyslexics are highly gifted in other areas- something I already knew to be true for Lorelei.

I picked up my old Austen compilation from college and read Persuasion, which, remarkably, I had not read before. (I also have not read Lady Susan.) It was a good jaunt. It’s not one of her best works, but I did think her considerations of constancy and loyalty were interesting.

Aimee recommended The Homemade Pantry on Instagram earlier this summer, and I too, recommend it highly. Especially for mamas of large families. The recipes are clear and easy to follow (and also easy to substitute for gluten free). It was well worth my investment.

Sharing with Ginny.