Posts About books & reading

works in progress

January 15, 2013

A few things in progress around here… I chose my quilt size and design! For a couple of weeks I thought about just going for a king size (which is what I really want to make for our bed) but in the end reality won me over and I decided to go with a crib-size to use as a throw. I’m very much a beginner at quilting and sewing so I don’t want to get in over my head. I chose the half-square triangle design below from the book Denyse Schmidt Quilts and I plan to follow the directions exactly other than choosing a different color that will match my house better. On a whim over the weekend I pulled out my…
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five favorite books of 2012

January 3, 2013

Many of the books I read in 2012 I liked a lot and rated 4 stars. But only five (technically six, because I cheated) would I say I LOVED and rated 5 stars. Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud – This is the third in a trilogy of children’s fantasy that I listened to on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed. It was a perfect example of what a final book should be. Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie – I’m fascinated with Russian history, and this is one of those stories where the truth really is stranger than fiction. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – The characters were the main draw for me here. I loved them. Sabriel and Lirael…
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five favorite books of 2012

January 3, 2013

Many of the books I read in 2012 I liked a lot and rated 4 stars. But only five (technically six, because I cheated) would I say I LOVED and rated 5 stars. Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud – This is the third in a trilogy of children’s fantasy that I listened to on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed. It was a perfect example of what a final book should be. Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie – I’m fascinated with Russian history, and this is one of those stories where the truth really is stranger than fiction. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – The characters were the main draw for me here. I loved them. Sabriel and Lirael…
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what i read : october to december 2012

January 2, 2013

My reading slowed waaaay down at the end of this year because a) holidays are crazytown, b) I mostly listened to Christmas music on my commute instead of audiobooks, and c) I started reading Moby-Dick and The Passage, both of which I am still in the middle of, and both of which are super long. But! Here is what I did finish. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Exactly my kind of book – a little magical, mysterious, romantic, with lots of foreshadowing and pretty words. While I was reading I felt like it was a little too long, but I’d probably enjoy that on a re-read. (4 stars) The End by Lemony Snicket: The last of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and…
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what i read : october to december 2012

January 2, 2013

My reading slowed waaaay down at the end of this year because a) holidays are crazytown, b) I mostly listened to Christmas music on my commute instead of audiobooks, and c) I started reading Moby-Dick and The Passage, both of which I am still in the middle of, and both of which are super long. But! Here is what I did finish. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Exactly my kind of book – a little magical, mysterious, romantic, with lots of foreshadowing and pretty words. While I was reading I felt like it was a little too long, but I’d probably enjoy that on a re-read. (4 stars) The End by Lemony Snicket: The last of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and…
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