It’s a measure of how fascinating a character Queen Elizabeth I was that I managed to finish this book. Strike 1: When I bought it (several aeons ago, admittedly), I thought it was a scholarly book. When I picked it up to read it, and found that it was a fictionalized memoir, I was somewhat […]
Queen of This Realm – Jean Plaidy Read More »
And here is my Evenstar Shawl, in all its unblocked glory, finished just this morning. I have laid in a stash of extra blocking pins in anticipation of blocking this – there are tons of little scallops on the edging, and I wanted to make sure I could block those properly. Which, speaking of the
Lavan Firestorm is a Herald mentioned in passing in the main Valdemar books, having been the last person before the present day of that world to have the Firestarting gift. This book is the story of how he discovered his gift, and became a Herald. It’s not a pleasant story, because Lavan was severely bullied,
Burning Brightly – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
This is a book of essays about songs that have particularly interested Hornby at various points of his life. The essays may not concern the song directly, but are sometimes about what that song may remind him of, or of feelings or events that that song is forever linked to in his mind. It’s an
Songbook – Nick Hornby Read More »
Karen Cushman writes really excellent young adult historical fiction, where she really gets inside the head of a young person from some past historical period, and does it in such a way that they don’t feel too modern, but still firmly belong in their own time period. Up until now, what I’d read of hers
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple – Karen Cushman Read More »
The last week of July was my vacation with the BF, and since he had a family reunion, we headed over to Vermont and the adjacent area of New York. (My personal vacation is coming up in September, and it’s completely awesome – as I’ll be able to post about in October.) A lot of
What I Did on My Summer Vacation Read More »
So, as I’ve probably mentioned any other time I’ve written up a McKillip book, is how she will throw you into the middle of a fully built up world, and you’ll just be along for the ride, picking up clues to what the heck’s going on as you go along. What makes this book different
Fool’s Run – Patricia A. McKillip Read More »
Anna Gravinsky was born before the Russian Revolution, the only daughter of a Count from St. Petersburg, and though she could have grown up spoiled, she grew into a charming girl beloved by everyone who met her. When the Revolution comes, Anna’s father is killed, and she, her mother and her younger brother flee to
A Countess Below Stairs – Eva Ibbotson Read More »
Any American gardener should read this book – it’s the story of Pollan’s evolution as a gardener at his New England farmhouse, but within this evolution, he explores quite a bit of what makes gardening here in America both the same as other places, and also very unique. One of the things he brings up,
Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education – Michael Pollan Read More »
Do you know what this is? This is a hell of a lot of iris. I had a day off today, so I tackled the iris bed. They’ve been there about ten years now, so it was quite thick in there. About an hour and half later, I had the above, nice and clear. As
