Lots has happened since I last posted. Hurricane Gustav, for one very big thing. We did not evacuate before the storm since we survived Katrina in our neighborhood with only loss of a few shingles, some tree limbs and power. We were so very fortunate. So we decided to sit this one out since the storm seemed headed west of us. We made it fine - not even any shingles or tree limbs lost this time. But power? That was gone pretty early in the day. And stayed gone for nearly a week. We knew the power would go out, but thought it would be restored pretty quickly and that we could get by until it came back. But that didn't happen.
My husband had just come home from a week in the hospital for a nasty cellulitis infection in his leg a few days before the storm and his leg infection was still a bit problematic. Since he needs a C-PAP machine to sleep, he could not lie down, but had to sleep sitting up. Which meant his leg was swelling and that's not good. So after two nights without power we decided to head east to Biloxi where we were lucky enough to get a room at a Holiday Inn right on the beach. We had air conditioning, but the AC in the room was not working really well. It beat the heck out of no air at all, so we didn't complain. Besides, by the time we snagged the room and got over there it was nearly midnight and we just wanted a nice hot shower and a comfy bed. The minimal AC didn't bother us once we settled down and fell asleep.
The next day we went back to Slidell to check on the house and the kitties, hoping the power would be restored. But though they were working on the lines behind our house, the power was still off. We lucked up and got a room at one of the casinos in Bay St. Louis and trekked back to Mississippi for another night. This time an AC that worked so well we complained about being cold! Then we chastised ourselves for having the luxury of complaining about being cold when so many others were surely miserable in the heat and humidity. The humidity had been so high in our house during the storm that there was condensation on the slate tiles, making just walking across the room dangerous for us old foggies. Another good reason to leave.
So with Ike looming on the horizon, we are probably going to skip town this time around. Don't know where we'll go, though. Hubby's relatives in Baton Rouge are still suffering in the heat and humidity from Gustav. Baton Rouge looks like Slidell after Katrina from what I can tell. So I doubt they'll be ready to host more evacuees at this point. North Louisiana parishes also lost power. I saw a map of Louisiana showing where power was out and there were only two parishes in the entire state that did not have outages from Gustav! Some will likely be without power for two weeks or more.
I don't know where we'll go, but I'm hoping the money holds out until hurricane season is over. We can't afford these evacuations any more than most others down here. Certainly not two in a row. Hotels are expensive and gas is unbelievably high. Then there's the cost of food on top of it all. And whether FEMA will help is another matter. Besides, they'll likely just reimburse if they decide to help at all and that means we need money on the front end. So far, so good. But let's hope there's nothing after Ike! Yikes!
I also hope the levees in New Orleans hold out. Gustav didn't really test them, no matter what you may have heard from the news stations. I have some very nasty words for the criminally negligent US Congress, President and, of course, the Army Corps of Engineers. Very nasty. Not to mention very, extremely, vilely nasty words for all those mean-spritied, hateful, moronic, determinedly ignorant Sweet Old Boys and Girls around the US who continue to disparage New Orleans. I don't know what is wrong with this country that we can take the money meant to build and upgrade levees to protect our own cities and towns and use it to invade a sovereign nation under false pretenses, then spend billions supposedly rebuilding that foreign country while letting portions of the USA collapse, get washed and/or blown away, all the while railing so G#$ D$#* self-righteously about lazy people too stupid to get out of the way of a hurricane and then huffing sanctimoniously and ignorantly about how we shouldn't be rebuilding New Orleans or bothering to restore Louisiana's disappearing wetlands. Has anyone said those nasty things about Florida? Or Mississippi? Or Georgia? Or North or South Carolina? Or Texas? NO! THEY HAVE NOT! We should be ashamed. Many wonderful Americans (and others, too) have come down and continue to come down here to help New Orleans and the Gulf Coast out. Without them, we would definitely not be as far along as we are now. They have been and continue to be our salvation and I thank God for those loving souls every single day that rolls around. But it hurts me deeply to know that there are still so many Americans who aren't ashamed of themselves for such boorish, ignorant, hateful mean-spiritedness. Some of them are folks I am related to. And that galls me and infuriates me beyond words. My blood pressure's rising again. Better change the topic.
I've done some reading between the last post and now, but for the life of me at this point can't remember exactly what all I have read. I do remember that just before Gustav came, I finished Pick Your Poison, by Leeann Sweeney and thought it was a lot of fun. I learned about it from the Yahoo cozy mystery discussion group and ordered it from PaperBack Swap. I'll be getting more of that Yellow Rose series to be sure. I like the main character, there's a good bit of humor in the book (always a plus for me), and I thought the plot was pretty well done. It kept me guessing, and that's unusual for cozies. Before Gustav I had started reading Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs, another one recommended by the Yahoo group. I was enjoying it, but I'm thinking I'll just pack it in my evacuation bag and start from scratch. I'm too nervous at the moment to read and comprehend much of anything.
As for sewing, I haven't done much of that this month. I finished a baby quilts for a great-nephew and managed to get it bound before the storm. Another baby quilt top is finished, but I still need to put on the fleece backing, tack it down and bind it before it's ready to go. But since it's so hot, I don't think the little toot is going to be needing any fleece-backed quilts any time soon. Especially since the family's without power right now! So that one's not a priority at the moment.
I packed up my finished quilt tops before Gustav hit so I could grab them and at least save that work if the need arose. If we evacuate, I think those will go with me in the car if I have to sit on them! I've been collecting some gorgeous fabric to make my sister a quilt and I have all my brother's shirts for the memory quilts I've promised his wife and kids. I can't bear the thought of those being washed or blown away or mildewed. If we leave, four kitties are going with us. So that doesn't leave a lot of room for quilt fabric and projects, now does it? Well, let's just hope Ike blows out to sea and leaves us all alone.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
PaperBack Swap books
I joined PaperBack Swap (http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php) a few months ago and have really enjoyed that site. It's great. I can list and order all sorts of books, fiction and nonfiction. I joined mainly to be able to get certain mysteries which my library does not carry but which I desperately want to read or which I would like to own if I weren't so strapped for cash - %(!
I visit my local used book store fairly regularly, but I've found that I can get some of the books I want from PaperBack Swap for just the price of postage, which is usually less than even the used book store sells them for! What a deal, eh? For example, postage for an average paperback mystery usually runs right around $2, give or take a few pennies. To buy that same book at Waldenbooks, B&N or Borders, I'd have to pay $7 or so. At the Book Sack, I'd have to pay half whatever the cover price is, around $3.50.
But with PaperBack Swap, I only pay postage on books people order from me. Then when I get a credit for a book I sent out, I can in turn order a book from another member and that member pays the postage. So I've been having fun looking for books I would otherwise not be able to read. And I've found some good ones, fiction and nonfiction, mysteries and literary fiction, history, and yes, even quilting. I was thrilled to find and order a book of redwork patterns to make the redwork kitty quilt I've been dreaming about for a long time!
Although I usually prefer mysteries for my fiction reading, I will read pretty much anything that is written well, has characters I can love or hate passionately, and has a plot that keeps me turning the pages. I especially enjoy finding Southern writers, being a Southern gal born and bred. I'm especially enjoying finding Louisiana authors that I've not heard of before. I'll write more about those books later. There are some winners and losers in that category.
Today, before I go mail this book out, I want to tell you about Clay's Quilt by Silas House, a fabulous book set in the mountains of Kentucky in fairly recent times. The characters seem true to life to me, but are not that insulting caricature that some authors insist on using when writing about rural Southerners. I hate that about as much as I hate, loathe and detest smarmy fake Southern accents from actors. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it! Anyhow, these characters are complex, with strengths and weaknesses, doubts and pigheadedness and all those irritating or endearing traits you see in the people you most like - or despise, as the case may be. The Good Old Boys and Girls aren't one dimensional and the religious characters show some of the good and the bad things that I remember about my evangelical and fundamentalist upbringing. I think this book is very respectful of the region and the people and I really appreciate that. It doesn't blink about showing some of the attitudes and behaviors that turned me off to evangelicalism gone amuck, but it doesn't paint all evangelicals and fundamentalists as total and complete idiots, either. I respect that.
Clay's Quilt uses the idea of a crazy quilt as a metaphor for the life of a young man whose mother was murdered by his father when he was just three years old. When Clay meets a woman who has left her abusive husband and the two fall in love, old questions about his mother's struggles with her abusive husband (whom Clay never really knew) are revived. He depends on his family and friends to help him come to terms with his own losses and deal with his fiancee's struggles.
I'm not really doing the story justice here. It was rather complicated and I am in a hurry to get to the Post Office. This is one of those types of books that makes me think about my own life, face some of my own unanswered, and probably unasked, questions about my own family history. I recommend this book highly. Here's a link to a book discussion group with a short synopsis of the book followed by questions: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/clays_quilt1.asp. Good questions. I'll be using most of them in my private journal.
On a quilting note, I finally got the binding on one of the baby quilts that's been hanging around for a few months! Woohoo! I'll post a picture later. My quilting project for the day (I hope) is to put the fleece backing on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears quilt I made for my newest great-nephew. It's such an adorable quilt. It has Goldilocks' face, three bowls of porridge, the three bears, and the bears' house in the forest. Just adorable and perfect for a gift quilt.
The pattern was in a book of nine-patch baby quilts I bought off the clearance rack at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. The next baby quilt from that book that I want to make is the one with little cars on it - so cute! And, like the Goldilocks quilt, I can use up some of my scraps since the cars should be all colors. I love that about the quilts in that book. But time -- now that's the real problem. Not to mention guilt for not having finished other promised projects. Maybe when I finish the next memory quilt I'm doing using my brother's shirts I'll reward myself with a break to make the car quilt. Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?
I visit my local used book store fairly regularly, but I've found that I can get some of the books I want from PaperBack Swap for just the price of postage, which is usually less than even the used book store sells them for! What a deal, eh? For example, postage for an average paperback mystery usually runs right around $2, give or take a few pennies. To buy that same book at Waldenbooks, B&N or Borders, I'd have to pay $7 or so. At the Book Sack, I'd have to pay half whatever the cover price is, around $3.50.
But with PaperBack Swap, I only pay postage on books people order from me. Then when I get a credit for a book I sent out, I can in turn order a book from another member and that member pays the postage. So I've been having fun looking for books I would otherwise not be able to read. And I've found some good ones, fiction and nonfiction, mysteries and literary fiction, history, and yes, even quilting. I was thrilled to find and order a book of redwork patterns to make the redwork kitty quilt I've been dreaming about for a long time!
Although I usually prefer mysteries for my fiction reading, I will read pretty much anything that is written well, has characters I can love or hate passionately, and has a plot that keeps me turning the pages. I especially enjoy finding Southern writers, being a Southern gal born and bred. I'm especially enjoying finding Louisiana authors that I've not heard of before. I'll write more about those books later. There are some winners and losers in that category.
Today, before I go mail this book out, I want to tell you about Clay's Quilt by Silas House, a fabulous book set in the mountains of Kentucky in fairly recent times. The characters seem true to life to me, but are not that insulting caricature that some authors insist on using when writing about rural Southerners. I hate that about as much as I hate, loathe and detest smarmy fake Southern accents from actors. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it! Anyhow, these characters are complex, with strengths and weaknesses, doubts and pigheadedness and all those irritating or endearing traits you see in the people you most like - or despise, as the case may be. The Good Old Boys and Girls aren't one dimensional and the religious characters show some of the good and the bad things that I remember about my evangelical and fundamentalist upbringing. I think this book is very respectful of the region and the people and I really appreciate that. It doesn't blink about showing some of the attitudes and behaviors that turned me off to evangelicalism gone amuck, but it doesn't paint all evangelicals and fundamentalists as total and complete idiots, either. I respect that.
Clay's Quilt uses the idea of a crazy quilt as a metaphor for the life of a young man whose mother was murdered by his father when he was just three years old. When Clay meets a woman who has left her abusive husband and the two fall in love, old questions about his mother's struggles with her abusive husband (whom Clay never really knew) are revived. He depends on his family and friends to help him come to terms with his own losses and deal with his fiancee's struggles.
I'm not really doing the story justice here. It was rather complicated and I am in a hurry to get to the Post Office. This is one of those types of books that makes me think about my own life, face some of my own unanswered, and probably unasked, questions about my own family history. I recommend this book highly. Here's a link to a book discussion group with a short synopsis of the book followed by questions: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/clays_quilt1.asp. Good questions. I'll be using most of them in my private journal.
On a quilting note, I finally got the binding on one of the baby quilts that's been hanging around for a few months! Woohoo! I'll post a picture later. My quilting project for the day (I hope) is to put the fleece backing on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears quilt I made for my newest great-nephew. It's such an adorable quilt. It has Goldilocks' face, three bowls of porridge, the three bears, and the bears' house in the forest. Just adorable and perfect for a gift quilt.
The pattern was in a book of nine-patch baby quilts I bought off the clearance rack at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. The next baby quilt from that book that I want to make is the one with little cars on it - so cute! And, like the Goldilocks quilt, I can use up some of my scraps since the cars should be all colors. I love that about the quilts in that book. But time -- now that's the real problem. Not to mention guilt for not having finished other promised projects. Maybe when I finish the next memory quilt I'm doing using my brother's shirts I'll reward myself with a break to make the car quilt. Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?
Friday, August 1, 2008
More pre-library trek dreck
Two more books in my library book bag, Tumbling Blocks by Earlene Fowler and Devil's Gonna Get Him by Valerie Wilson Wesley. Both were very enjoyable.
Earlene Fowler is one of my favorite authors. I've read every one of her Benni Harper mysteries and for the most part have enjoyed them. Sometimes Benni gets on my nerves, sometimes Gabe gets on my nerves, and sometimes Earlene gets on my nerves. But for the most part, the books are a good way to pass a few hours. I would prefer the quilts were featured a bit more, but heck, at least they're in there. This was one of the better books in the series. Gabe's mom is coming for a visit over the Christmas holidays. As if that weren't stressful enough for Benni, who is convinced Gabe's mom does not like her one teeny bit (something I can relate to, unfortunately), it turns out that Gabe's mom ran off and got married secretly and has brought her new hubby along for the visit, springing the surprise on Gabe and setting up some major family conflict that frustrates us all over the course of nearly 300 pages. Sometimes I just want to smack Gabe up side the head, but of course I'd be arrested for assaulting an officer, never mind that the hard-headed oaf deserves to be snatched bald-headed at the least. But, of course, things work out in the end and they wind up a big happy family. Isn't that what fiction is all about? At least the kind of fiction I like to read. I like thinking that some families somewhere actually learn to get along, grow closer as they age and miraculously support each other in times of crisis. I such a dreamer!
Valerie Wilson Wesley is a new author to me. She's one of the ones I discovered by just randomly grabbing books off the shelf at the library. The title Devil's Gonna Get Him got my attention and I decided to give her a try. Tamara Hayle is a single mom trying to raise her son while working as a PI in Newark, NJ. She's a very strong-minded, independent black woman, but does not fit into any of the usual black woman stereotypes, thankfully. I liked her a lot and can relate to her easily. She's struggling financially when the wealthy Lincoln Storey, who just happens to have been her lover many years ago, walks into her office and hires her to look into his daughter's fiance's background. But that very evening at a lavish party Storey throws for a local female politico, Storey is murdered and Tamara has to find out who done it. I'll be reading other books by Wesley, that's for sure.
Earlene Fowler is one of my favorite authors. I've read every one of her Benni Harper mysteries and for the most part have enjoyed them. Sometimes Benni gets on my nerves, sometimes Gabe gets on my nerves, and sometimes Earlene gets on my nerves. But for the most part, the books are a good way to pass a few hours. I would prefer the quilts were featured a bit more, but heck, at least they're in there. This was one of the better books in the series. Gabe's mom is coming for a visit over the Christmas holidays. As if that weren't stressful enough for Benni, who is convinced Gabe's mom does not like her one teeny bit (something I can relate to, unfortunately), it turns out that Gabe's mom ran off and got married secretly and has brought her new hubby along for the visit, springing the surprise on Gabe and setting up some major family conflict that frustrates us all over the course of nearly 300 pages. Sometimes I just want to smack Gabe up side the head, but of course I'd be arrested for assaulting an officer, never mind that the hard-headed oaf deserves to be snatched bald-headed at the least. But, of course, things work out in the end and they wind up a big happy family. Isn't that what fiction is all about? At least the kind of fiction I like to read. I like thinking that some families somewhere actually learn to get along, grow closer as they age and miraculously support each other in times of crisis. I such a dreamer!
Valerie Wilson Wesley is a new author to me. She's one of the ones I discovered by just randomly grabbing books off the shelf at the library. The title Devil's Gonna Get Him got my attention and I decided to give her a try. Tamara Hayle is a single mom trying to raise her son while working as a PI in Newark, NJ. She's a very strong-minded, independent black woman, but does not fit into any of the usual black woman stereotypes, thankfully. I liked her a lot and can relate to her easily. She's struggling financially when the wealthy Lincoln Storey, who just happens to have been her lover many years ago, walks into her office and hires her to look into his daughter's fiance's background. But that very evening at a lavish party Storey throws for a local female politico, Storey is murdered and Tamara has to find out who done it. I'll be reading other books by Wesley, that's for sure.
Before I Trek to the Library
I need to post about the books I've read before the books leave my house and return to their library home and I forget some of the details. This might be long, but who cares?
Falconer's Crusade by Ian Morson
I picked up this book first of all because I was on a medieval mystery kick and second of all because it was set at Oxford University in the 13th century (1264 to be exact). This book had several other elements that made me rush right home to read it: political games as the university leaders try to play the guessing game of who's going to win out in the struggle between Henry III nad Prince Edward, the 13th century version of liberal vs conservative in academia, the seemingly age old problems between academia and ordinary mortals, plus religious prejudices. It seems trite but true that there is nothing new under the sun.
I liked the main character, William Falconer, a progressive professor with failing eyesight but as keen a mind as you'll ever want to find. Regent Master Falconer takes new country bumpkin student Thomas Symon under his wing, recognizing the young man's intelligence and academic promise. Thomas arrived in Oxford just as the political unrest was growing and the animosity between town and gown (academia and 'the real world') broke out into violence when a mob, angry over the savage murder of a young servant girl, blames her death on the academics and finding some hapless students out in the streets at night, beats them to death. Among the many interesting things about medieval whodunits, the one that always surprises and amazes me even though it shouldn't is their version of CSI investigations of crimes. In this book, there is Regent Master Falconer who brings his devotion to Aristotelian logic and his insight into human nature to bear on the investigation. He also has reason to involve another progressive professor who is secretly doing that awful, horrid, abominable study of human anatomy that is not trusted by religious and academic conservatives. But this early CSI approach helps absolve the innocent and bring the guilty to justice. Fascinating. I'll be looking for more books by Morson, you can be sure of that.
The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd
This book was not one of my favorites. I chose it because Peter Ackroyd is a scholar of medieval times, so I thought he would be to medieval England as Peter Tremayne is to medieval Ireland. And since the novel was based on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales I was intrigued. I was disappointed and quite frustrated and came very close to just giving up on the book more than once. But I persevered, hoping that sooner or later things would start to make sense and I could pick out a plot somewhere along the line. I got desperate enough to look up a couple of book reviews online and those actually helped me calm down and try to enjoy Ackroyd's unique approach to plotting a novel. I finished the book, but I can't say that I enjoyed it. Clerkenwell uses Chaucer's format. Each chapter has a title reminiscent of Canterbury Tales, but that is pretty much where the similarity ends. The "tales" are not told from the point of view of the title character (The Prioress, the Friar, the Merchant, the Clerk, etc.). Sometimes those title characters are just passing by or so it seems. Eventually we find out that political and religious terrorism are as much problems for London in 1399 as they are for New York in 2008, what with bombings and murders and such, all in the name of somebody's version of deity. And then, too, there is the ending which is depressing as all hell when we find out that those religious zealots were just being used for political ends. Imagine that! Who would have thunk it, eh?
Another irritating thing about the novel was Ackroyd's determination to throw in every last stinking tidbit of arcane information about life in the 14th century. Now, I truly love finding out about how uncomfortable life was in medieval times. Makes me appreciate the advantages of modern sanitation for one thing. I don't mind that sort of information. And I love it when authors use terms that were meaningful in whatever century of the past. It gives the novel a verisimilitude while giving me a little sense of the flavor of the period. But I appreciate an author who understands that 21st century folks just might not get the 13th or 14th century lingo and doesn't feel a need to rub our noses in our ignorance. Just explain the terms to me in the odd event that language usage has actually changed at some point over the last six hundred years or so, you know? Duh. I like language and am fascinated by the changing usage of terms and expressions. I get a kick out of trying to figure them out. But at some point, most of us are going to need a little help. Unless, of course, the whole point is to make readers feel like morons. Hmm? Would an august academic do that? Nah, surely not! The people in this novel tend to speak in riddles, parables, old sayings, etc. Ackroyd loves those. He also loves using terms that mean nothing to a 21st century reader without bothering to explain a single one. Some I looked up online and others I decided weren't worth the effort. No one in the book ever seems to just speak plainly and Ackroyd doesn't seem to feel a need to give so much as a hint as to what the heck folks mean. You have to figure it out for yourself. Sometimes I succeeded and other times I just gave up and kept reading. I hate being made to feel stupid. That is the one unforgivable sin as far as authors are concerned, so I'll not be reading any more of Ackroyd, thank you very much.
Falconer's Crusade by Ian Morson
I picked up this book first of all because I was on a medieval mystery kick and second of all because it was set at Oxford University in the 13th century (1264 to be exact). This book had several other elements that made me rush right home to read it: political games as the university leaders try to play the guessing game of who's going to win out in the struggle between Henry III nad Prince Edward, the 13th century version of liberal vs conservative in academia, the seemingly age old problems between academia and ordinary mortals, plus religious prejudices. It seems trite but true that there is nothing new under the sun.
I liked the main character, William Falconer, a progressive professor with failing eyesight but as keen a mind as you'll ever want to find. Regent Master Falconer takes new country bumpkin student Thomas Symon under his wing, recognizing the young man's intelligence and academic promise. Thomas arrived in Oxford just as the political unrest was growing and the animosity between town and gown (academia and 'the real world') broke out into violence when a mob, angry over the savage murder of a young servant girl, blames her death on the academics and finding some hapless students out in the streets at night, beats them to death. Among the many interesting things about medieval whodunits, the one that always surprises and amazes me even though it shouldn't is their version of CSI investigations of crimes. In this book, there is Regent Master Falconer who brings his devotion to Aristotelian logic and his insight into human nature to bear on the investigation. He also has reason to involve another progressive professor who is secretly doing that awful, horrid, abominable study of human anatomy that is not trusted by religious and academic conservatives. But this early CSI approach helps absolve the innocent and bring the guilty to justice. Fascinating. I'll be looking for more books by Morson, you can be sure of that.
The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd
This book was not one of my favorites. I chose it because Peter Ackroyd is a scholar of medieval times, so I thought he would be to medieval England as Peter Tremayne is to medieval Ireland. And since the novel was based on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales I was intrigued. I was disappointed and quite frustrated and came very close to just giving up on the book more than once. But I persevered, hoping that sooner or later things would start to make sense and I could pick out a plot somewhere along the line. I got desperate enough to look up a couple of book reviews online and those actually helped me calm down and try to enjoy Ackroyd's unique approach to plotting a novel. I finished the book, but I can't say that I enjoyed it. Clerkenwell uses Chaucer's format. Each chapter has a title reminiscent of Canterbury Tales, but that is pretty much where the similarity ends. The "tales" are not told from the point of view of the title character (The Prioress, the Friar, the Merchant, the Clerk, etc.). Sometimes those title characters are just passing by or so it seems. Eventually we find out that political and religious terrorism are as much problems for London in 1399 as they are for New York in 2008, what with bombings and murders and such, all in the name of somebody's version of deity. And then, too, there is the ending which is depressing as all hell when we find out that those religious zealots were just being used for political ends. Imagine that! Who would have thunk it, eh?
Another irritating thing about the novel was Ackroyd's determination to throw in every last stinking tidbit of arcane information about life in the 14th century. Now, I truly love finding out about how uncomfortable life was in medieval times. Makes me appreciate the advantages of modern sanitation for one thing. I don't mind that sort of information. And I love it when authors use terms that were meaningful in whatever century of the past. It gives the novel a verisimilitude while giving me a little sense of the flavor of the period. But I appreciate an author who understands that 21st century folks just might not get the 13th or 14th century lingo and doesn't feel a need to rub our noses in our ignorance. Just explain the terms to me in the odd event that language usage has actually changed at some point over the last six hundred years or so, you know? Duh. I like language and am fascinated by the changing usage of terms and expressions. I get a kick out of trying to figure them out. But at some point, most of us are going to need a little help. Unless, of course, the whole point is to make readers feel like morons. Hmm? Would an august academic do that? Nah, surely not! The people in this novel tend to speak in riddles, parables, old sayings, etc. Ackroyd loves those. He also loves using terms that mean nothing to a 21st century reader without bothering to explain a single one. Some I looked up online and others I decided weren't worth the effort. No one in the book ever seems to just speak plainly and Ackroyd doesn't seem to feel a need to give so much as a hint as to what the heck folks mean. You have to figure it out for yourself. Sometimes I succeeded and other times I just gave up and kept reading. I hate being made to feel stupid. That is the one unforgivable sin as far as authors are concerned, so I'll not be reading any more of Ackroyd, thank you very much.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Another medieval mystery
Through the DorothyL mystery discussion list I learned of a new medieval mystery series by Priscilla Royal and was thrilled to find that my library had the first book in her series, Wine of Violence. It is set in 1270 at the small priory of Tyndal, a double monastery with both women and men, on the East Anglian coast. A young noblewoman, Eleanor of Wynethorpe, has just been appointed the new prioress. Tension is inherent in this situation simply because of the change of leadership in such a large establishment as a double monastery. But to make matters worse, Eleanor's appointment was a political and the nun who had been expected to be named prioress was demoted. The day after she begins her duties, a monk is brutally murdered and she is faced with solving the murder. As she is talking with the men's prior and his assitants about this murder, a new priest, Brother Thomas, arrives. We learn that he has been sent by a powerful but unnamed church figure to poke about secretly in the monastery's finances and report back. Something is awry and Brother Thomas is charged with finding out what that is. In addition to his spy mission, Brother Thomas also has other difficulties to overcome. He was forced to become a priest and enter monastic orders rather than face death by burning for a brief homosexual affair when he was younger. As it turns out, he is a very intelligent and astute man who is a great deal of help to Eleanor not only in the solving of the murder, but also in helping her work through some of the "personnel" problems that had arisen in the monastery. And to make matters more interesting, Eleanor is strongly attracted to Brother Thomas. So both are fighting several battles at once. Complex, yes, but Priscilla Royal handles it beautifully and I will most certainly be reading the other novels in her series.
I didn't do much sewing yesterday and none at all today. I woke up with a horrific headache which has only abated enough to allow me to get online and type this entry. My eyes feel like they are about to bug out of my head, though. I took a decongestant a while ago and am feeling a tad better.
Yesterday I cut out the green squares and a few more of the muslin squares for my next memory quilt and was hoping to sew some of the strips of shirt fabric onto the muslin today. But I'm not sure I should handle sharp objects right now. We'll see. I would like to get a couple of more squares made.
Here's a link to a picture of a string quilt made by the pattern I've decided to us:
http://www.quilttownusa.com/Quilt_Gallery/stringpiecedgallery.htm
My inspiration is the one by Virgnia Jones (the third one down on the right hand side) that uses half square triangles of strings and solids. Mine won't be as colorful as hers, but I think it will be very dramatic. I've got a really nice medium to dark forest green leaf fabric that I'm using as the solid. I'm using 8" finished squares and am thinking of using sashing and cornerstones to set them apart, but haven't decided on that yet. I thought the light fabric with the green leaves that I used in Janice's quilt would be nice as sashing with a yellow for the cornerstones. I'm hoping to do a mock-up of the quilt in my EQ6 so I can sort of "see" whether that idea will work or not.
Time to go start supper. Yesterday I cooked boneless pork chops in a tomato sauce with petite diced tomatoes and Italian seasonings. It was delicious. We had some of the sauce leftover, so I saved it because it was too delicious to toss out and tomato-based sauces only get better as their flavors sit and blend. I'm thinking I'll braise some chicken for tonight's supper and make some rice. I love rice or potatoes with a tomato based sauce over them. Yum! Low-cal and delicious at the same time.
I didn't do much sewing yesterday and none at all today. I woke up with a horrific headache which has only abated enough to allow me to get online and type this entry. My eyes feel like they are about to bug out of my head, though. I took a decongestant a while ago and am feeling a tad better.
Yesterday I cut out the green squares and a few more of the muslin squares for my next memory quilt and was hoping to sew some of the strips of shirt fabric onto the muslin today. But I'm not sure I should handle sharp objects right now. We'll see. I would like to get a couple of more squares made.
Here's a link to a picture of a string quilt made by the pattern I've decided to us:
http://www.quilttownusa.com/Quilt_Gallery/stringpiecedgallery.htm
My inspiration is the one by Virgnia Jones (the third one down on the right hand side) that uses half square triangles of strings and solids. Mine won't be as colorful as hers, but I think it will be very dramatic. I've got a really nice medium to dark forest green leaf fabric that I'm using as the solid. I'm using 8" finished squares and am thinking of using sashing and cornerstones to set them apart, but haven't decided on that yet. I thought the light fabric with the green leaves that I used in Janice's quilt would be nice as sashing with a yellow for the cornerstones. I'm hoping to do a mock-up of the quilt in my EQ6 so I can sort of "see" whether that idea will work or not.
Time to go start supper. Yesterday I cooked boneless pork chops in a tomato sauce with petite diced tomatoes and Italian seasonings. It was delicious. We had some of the sauce leftover, so I saved it because it was too delicious to toss out and tomato-based sauces only get better as their flavors sit and blend. I'm thinking I'll braise some chicken for tonight's supper and make some rice. I love rice or potatoes with a tomato based sauce over them. Yum! Low-cal and delicious at the same time.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Medieval mystery kick
Well, I just wrote a rather lengthy entry and then managed to lose it all when I went to preview it. So I'll try to do a shorter version now because my tummy is screaming at me that it needs to be fed and I just don't think my brain can remember what all I wrote. But I've been wanting to keep a record of some of the books I've read and my feelings and thoughts about them, so thus this Quilts 'n Mysteries blog.
I've been on a medieval mystery kick lately, having read three books in the last two weeks set in various medieval time periods. Since I'm starving at the moment, I'll just list what I've read and then try to come back later and make a comment or two.
Several years ago, our church's choir went to England to sing the daily evensong and Sunday services at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. I went along with hubby for the trip since the director was smart enough not to let me sing in the choir. So while the choir was rehearsing each day, I got to spend a good deal of time roaming around that marvelous church, studying the windows, reading about it's history and just generally soaking it all in. I learned that St. Frideswide, patroness of Oxfordshire, had built a convent there way back in the 700s. You can read about her legend here: http://www.britannia.com/history/legend/berks/frideswide01.html.
Well, after returning to the states, I was browsing about at the library doing my usual book selection method that involves randomly pulling books off the shelves to see if they'd interest me. And I came across a set of books by Margaret Frazer set in guess where? St. Frideswide's convent in Oxford! I was so excited and quickly became addicted. The series is set at the small priory of St. Frideswide in the 15th century with Dame Frevisse (another version of the name Frideswide I recently discovered) as a nun who has a knack for solving mysteries. The latest book that I've read is The Apostate's Tale. Sister Cecely suddenly shows up at St. Frideswide's asking for safe haven for herself and her child. She had abandoned her vows nine years before to run off with a man she had met when he visited the priory. But does Sister Cecely really want to redeem herself or is there another motive? I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think Dame Frevisse, who I sometimes found to be annoying and judgmental, has mellowed a bit over the years and she didn't seem to me to be as harsh as she has been in the past, even though the return of a nun they all saw as an apostate drew out lots of anger and angst in this very closed society. It seems that for once, Dame Frevisse at least considered some of the reasons Sister Cecely had failed as a nun, although she was not fool enough to believe the former sister's tale. And well that she didn't, for Sister Cecely turned out not to be at all trustworthy, but was just as shallow and self-absorbed now as she had been as an immature young girl having to enter a priory against her personal wishes. More later. Supper calls and my tummy must answer.
Tomorrow's plan: work on the blocks for one of the memory quilts and read and drool over the new quilt book I bought today. I went to the quilt shop to get a king size batting for my sister-in-law's heart quilt and while there found a book I simply had to have. I've been collecting fabric to make a quilt for my sister and her husband, but just could not settle on a pattern. Sylvia had said she wanted a sampler quilt with stars and the book I found today, Star-Studded Quilts by Roxanne Carter, is just perfect. I'll need to buy more fabric, but that will be part of the fun. The blocks seem a little complicated, but with my trusty Thangles, I think I can handle it. To see some gorgeous quilts, visit Roxanne Carter's website: http://www.quiltingwithroxanne.com/. Sure hope my little quilt turns out even half as gorgeous as those on her website!
I've been on a medieval mystery kick lately, having read three books in the last two weeks set in various medieval time periods. Since I'm starving at the moment, I'll just list what I've read and then try to come back later and make a comment or two.
Several years ago, our church's choir went to England to sing the daily evensong and Sunday services at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. I went along with hubby for the trip since the director was smart enough not to let me sing in the choir. So while the choir was rehearsing each day, I got to spend a good deal of time roaming around that marvelous church, studying the windows, reading about it's history and just generally soaking it all in. I learned that St. Frideswide, patroness of Oxfordshire, had built a convent there way back in the 700s. You can read about her legend here: http://www.britannia.com/history/legend/berks/frideswide01.html.
Well, after returning to the states, I was browsing about at the library doing my usual book selection method that involves randomly pulling books off the shelves to see if they'd interest me. And I came across a set of books by Margaret Frazer set in guess where? St. Frideswide's convent in Oxford! I was so excited and quickly became addicted. The series is set at the small priory of St. Frideswide in the 15th century with Dame Frevisse (another version of the name Frideswide I recently discovered) as a nun who has a knack for solving mysteries. The latest book that I've read is The Apostate's Tale. Sister Cecely suddenly shows up at St. Frideswide's asking for safe haven for herself and her child. She had abandoned her vows nine years before to run off with a man she had met when he visited the priory. But does Sister Cecely really want to redeem herself or is there another motive? I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think Dame Frevisse, who I sometimes found to be annoying and judgmental, has mellowed a bit over the years and she didn't seem to me to be as harsh as she has been in the past, even though the return of a nun they all saw as an apostate drew out lots of anger and angst in this very closed society. It seems that for once, Dame Frevisse at least considered some of the reasons Sister Cecely had failed as a nun, although she was not fool enough to believe the former sister's tale. And well that she didn't, for Sister Cecely turned out not to be at all trustworthy, but was just as shallow and self-absorbed now as she had been as an immature young girl having to enter a priory against her personal wishes. More later. Supper calls and my tummy must answer.
Tomorrow's plan: work on the blocks for one of the memory quilts and read and drool over the new quilt book I bought today. I went to the quilt shop to get a king size batting for my sister-in-law's heart quilt and while there found a book I simply had to have. I've been collecting fabric to make a quilt for my sister and her husband, but just could not settle on a pattern. Sylvia had said she wanted a sampler quilt with stars and the book I found today, Star-Studded Quilts by Roxanne Carter, is just perfect. I'll need to buy more fabric, but that will be part of the fun. The blocks seem a little complicated, but with my trusty Thangles, I think I can handle it. To see some gorgeous quilts, visit Roxanne Carter's website: http://www.quiltingwithroxanne.com/. Sure hope my little quilt turns out even half as gorgeous as those on her website!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
New Adventure
This is my first blog and I'm a bit excited about it. I've been thinking of doing this for a while now and when I came across the Quilting Bloggers web site, I decided to take the plunge. I'm not good at naming things, kitties, books, stories, etc., but since I love quilting and I love reading mysteries, and occasionally participating in a mystery quilt, Quilts 'n Mysteries seemed an appropriate name. There's also the mystery of just exactly when my many UFOs will actually get finished and off to their new homes!
As for making quilts, I'm not doing much at the moment. I finished the top for a memory quilt for my sister-in-law using my brother's shirts. I made a some crazy-patch heart blocks from Jim's shirts, machine appliqued them down to a neutral background square and set them in rows using sashes and cornerstones. It's a quilt for her king size bed, 100" square, with ten inch blocks, and 2 inch sashing and cornerstones, six blocks across and down.
I think it turned out pretty nice, actually. I was very afraid at first that it would be ugly, but I really like the fabric I chose for the sashing and cornerstones. I used a neutral background fabric with tiny white hearts that I like a lot. Jim was an outdoorsman, so I chose fabric with leaves for the borders, sashing and cornerstones.
So, that's one memory quilt down and three to go! I'm making lap-sized quilts for my two nieces and nephew. I joined the Heartstrings group on Yahoo groups because I enjoy doing string quilts with my scraps and like making charity quilts. As a bonus, the site had some links where I found lots of string quilt patterns. Yesterday I used one of those patterns and made a few blocks. I think it's going to be much easier than the crazy patch hearts and will go together faster. Maybe it won't take me two more years to get these three done. Please, God, let me get them done -- SOON!
It's been two years since Jim died and it's way past time to get these quilts finished. It has been very hard working on them. I break down a lot just looking at the shirts and remembering my brother. He shouldn't be dead. He was too alive and full of life. He died of pancreatic cancer and I found out that it can run in families. My father also died of pancreatic cancer when he was only 59. Jim was in his early 60's and had just retired and was planning to move to Arkansas to be near his kids and grandkids. I'm 61 and hopefully in reasonably good health - as far as I know. But who knows? Right? My other older brother found out at his regular yearly checkup that he has prostate cancer. Before that, he had no symptoms whatsoever. And my sister just finished treatment for breast cancer. Her husband is now undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Did I mention that a cousin died of breast cancer many years ago, another aunt had breast cancer, but was cured and doing well, another aunt survived colon cancer and a cousin has had several bouts with prostate and bladder cancer. Seems like too much cancer for one family, IMO.
Well, on to brighter topics. I finished an adorable quilt top for the newest great-nephew on my hubby's side of the family and now need to back it with fleece, put on the binding and get it to the new mom. I found a cute book of baby quilt patterns and made the Goldilocks and the Three Bears quilt. It turned out really cute. I'll take a picture to post now that the camera's been recharged and I have a site to post pictures to. I'm also very slow getting this one done, but at least the baby's only a couple of months old and I should have it finished before he graduates! Maybe doing this blog will help keep me focused? Maybe.
As for mysteries, I've finished three good ones and hope to write about them soon.
As for making quilts, I'm not doing much at the moment. I finished the top for a memory quilt for my sister-in-law using my brother's shirts. I made a some crazy-patch heart blocks from Jim's shirts, machine appliqued them down to a neutral background square and set them in rows using sashes and cornerstones. It's a quilt for her king size bed, 100" square, with ten inch blocks, and 2 inch sashing and cornerstones, six blocks across and down.
I think it turned out pretty nice, actually. I was very afraid at first that it would be ugly, but I really like the fabric I chose for the sashing and cornerstones. I used a neutral background fabric with tiny white hearts that I like a lot. Jim was an outdoorsman, so I chose fabric with leaves for the borders, sashing and cornerstones.
So, that's one memory quilt down and three to go! I'm making lap-sized quilts for my two nieces and nephew. I joined the Heartstrings group on Yahoo groups because I enjoy doing string quilts with my scraps and like making charity quilts. As a bonus, the site had some links where I found lots of string quilt patterns. Yesterday I used one of those patterns and made a few blocks. I think it's going to be much easier than the crazy patch hearts and will go together faster. Maybe it won't take me two more years to get these three done. Please, God, let me get them done -- SOON!
It's been two years since Jim died and it's way past time to get these quilts finished. It has been very hard working on them. I break down a lot just looking at the shirts and remembering my brother. He shouldn't be dead. He was too alive and full of life. He died of pancreatic cancer and I found out that it can run in families. My father also died of pancreatic cancer when he was only 59. Jim was in his early 60's and had just retired and was planning to move to Arkansas to be near his kids and grandkids. I'm 61 and hopefully in reasonably good health - as far as I know. But who knows? Right? My other older brother found out at his regular yearly checkup that he has prostate cancer. Before that, he had no symptoms whatsoever. And my sister just finished treatment for breast cancer. Her husband is now undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Did I mention that a cousin died of breast cancer many years ago, another aunt had breast cancer, but was cured and doing well, another aunt survived colon cancer and a cousin has had several bouts with prostate and bladder cancer. Seems like too much cancer for one family, IMO.
Well, on to brighter topics. I finished an adorable quilt top for the newest great-nephew on my hubby's side of the family and now need to back it with fleece, put on the binding and get it to the new mom. I found a cute book of baby quilt patterns and made the Goldilocks and the Three Bears quilt. It turned out really cute. I'll take a picture to post now that the camera's been recharged and I have a site to post pictures to. I'm also very slow getting this one done, but at least the baby's only a couple of months old and I should have it finished before he graduates! Maybe doing this blog will help keep me focused? Maybe.
As for mysteries, I've finished three good ones and hope to write about them soon.
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