Monthly Archives: November 2007

Knit With Beads: Beautiful Gifts by Scarlet Taylor

American Literature

Synopsis: 18 original designs that illustrate different techniques for knitting with beads. Review: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I am now dying to get my hands on some beads and work with Scarlet Taylor’s fabulous patterns in Knit With Beads. It’s the follow-up to a book I have not read, but these aren’t advanced techniques, as far as I can tell. Anyone proficient in intermediate knitting techniques like cabling and lace will be able to follow the lesson segments and pick up beading techniques quickly and easily.

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Superfast Birthday = Best Husband Ever

On Reading 18 Comments

My birthday was on Sunday, but it extended through today with a box of books that Superfast Husband bought for me! Check out this tantalizing list of books–I don’t know what to read first (after I finish The Fionavar Tapestry)! The Axe, Volume 1 of The Master of Hestviken and Gunnar’s Daughter by Sigrid Undset Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder Dreamsongs by George RR Martin Come Along with Me and Just An Ordinary Day by Shirley Jackson And…

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The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 2)

Canadian Literature 6 Comments

Synopsis: Book 2 of the Fionavar Tapestry finds five Canadian students returning to an alternate universe where they continue to fight an epic battle against a demonic demigod and step further into their unique destinies. Review: As with any good second book in a trilogy, The Wandering Fire deepens the Fionavar mythology and heightens the stakes for all involved.

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The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book One)

Canadian Literature 14 Comments

Synopsis: Five Toronto college students are pulled into an alternate world where they discover their true destinies at the outset of a war that could affect all worlds, including their own. Review: Yep, another hard-to-synopsize epic fantasy book. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay employs one of the standard fantasy templates–ordinary people drawn into an extraordinary world–making the book “execution dependent.” That means that Kay has to work twice as hard to make the story feel fresh and exciting.

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Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk

American Literature 8 Comments

Synopsis: A headstrong Upper West Side yearns to escape her family’s Jewish Bronx origins and become a Broadway star. Review: This is the third or fourth time I’ve read Marjorie Morningstar, and every time I find myself absolutely riveted for the first two-thirds, then bored and indifferent for the final third, only to be knocked out by the epilogue. The book is rich with details and some astonishing set pieces–such as Seth’s bar mitzvah–but it’s hollow at the core. It’s as if author Herman Wouk…

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Oh, Horror! (Booking Through Thursday) + Question from a Reader

On Reading 2 Comments

First of all–happy NaNoWriMo & good luck to all who are participating! I’d be with you if my baby’s due date weren’t smack dab in the middle of the month. This week’s meme: What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping? I do like a good scare, though I much prefer the Gothic kind of horror to any other kind. My love for Stephen King…

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