Oh my! The reading has been so very good! So very, very, very good! Really, this might be the second-best summer of reading ever! (What was first? Well, nothing can quite compete with the summer I discovered The Little House books…)
This week I finished 3 books:
- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. LOVED! Through and through! I listened to this (excellent narration, btw) and I am so glad I did. The book contains so much detail that I would have skimmed over if reading, but listening – oh my. What an amazing picture Ondaatje paints in this post-WWII story. It is a 5-star book, all the way, filled with the incredible story of Caravaggio, Kip, The English Patient, and Hana – they are all damaged by the war – in visible and invisible ways. If you love WWII history, you will also love this book!
- Nutshell: A Novel by Ian McEwan. Fascinating concept and very well written. I gave this book 4-stars.
- Dawn by Elie Wiesel. While the writing is excellent, this book was incredibly sad. I was left with one overwhelming thought: Man’s inhumanity to man seems to be a vicious circle. Are we doomed to keep making the same mistakes over and over? I gave this book 4-stars.
I am 3 squares away from a cover all – and it is only August 9!! This makes me insanely happy!!
My current reads are as follows:
- I am about halfway through reading Viveca Sten’s Still Waters. So far, so good. And, no…I don’t have a clue who “did it” yet.
- In my ears, I began listening to Michael Chabon’s The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. I am about 2 hours into the 26 hour listen.
- Also, a library hold came through so I am also listening to Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings.
Really… so much good reading this summer!
Now, how about a knitting update?
- I started Bateau and much to my chagrin the yarn was pooling most impressively. Sooo…. I ripped back to my cast on (thankfully I had only knit about an inch and a half…) and now I am cruising along helical striping. Is the yarn still pooling? Yes, but not so impressively. And, being a bit “blendy” with these skeins is necessary as they are quite different!
- I am also working on fingerless mitt #2 – I did manage to get quite a bit done at knitting last night (but the darkness of the mornings now makes early photos a challenge!
What are you reading and making?
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Oh, the joy of the Little House summer! I think that’s what I’m always trying to recapture with summer reading. I’m going to have to put The English Patient on my list. I tried to read it years ago but didn’t appreciate it and will try the audio. You’ve got a great-looking card and gorgeous yarn!
I can imagine a Wiesel book would be sad, I haven’t read him yet. You’ve piqued my interest about the English Patient! My reading has been pretty good this summer except for one odd book (the rosie effect, meh).
Little House in the Big Woods is on a square of my Bingo card this year! My reading progress has been dismal… and I’m still reading the same stuff. And also knitting the same thing. 😉
The English Patient is one of my favorite books as is Kavalier and Clay. I’m working on two Bingos at one time, but a coverall is way out of my league. Good for you!
Reading blogs. Finished The YEar of LIving Bibically. Loved it.
Knitting a beaded purse bag and I’m over the moon about it.
My son and i enjoyed PHOTO ARK a National Geographic animal photo book that is amazing.
I read Elie Wiesel’s Night this summer, the subject was difficult and sad, yet his message that individuals taking a stand against evil can make a difference left me with hope.
Like Bonny, I tried to read The English Patient years ago and just could not get into it. You will have a cover-all in no time. I finished two books this weekend, but no bingo yet. I think I should have kept going to get a “better” bingo card – lol. And, knitting on the same socks and blanket with no real progress noted. Still enjoying both though!
Great progress on ALL fronts! I love that helical striping technique for blending skeins. …and oh my – I watched the first episode of the latest Sherlock season last night. I’m in love with Benedict Cumberbatch all over again 😉
So many things to comments on!
1. There are two versions of The English Patient at audible.com, one with Ralph Fiennes as narrator and the other with Christopher Casanove. Which did you listen to?
b. I loved Nutshell, too. Ian McEwan is one of my favorite authors.
III. Tragically, there are no Viveca Sten books in my library consortium’s catalog. It’s really okay,though, because I never (NEVER!) run out of books to read.
4. Elie Wiesel is a saint. EW anecdote: a friend had him for a seminar in college. Right before break, she gave him a copy of Sharon McCrumb’s “Bimbos of the Death Sun” because the mental image of him reading that on the airplane made her giggle.
v. That Hand Maiden yarn is gorgeous!
I have been reading Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking.” It’s a book that’s been on my to-read list for years and years, and I finally just ordered it from Amazon. It’s very different but also very good. I just hope I can finish it this week, because I’m planning to take the last Outlander book on vacation with me (we leave on Saturday morning).
I, too, love The English Patient (sigh. . . ), and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is one of my all-time favorites. Great books! I just finished Magpie Murders and it was great — fun and very clever. As for the knitting? Ahhh. . . not so much.
Your Bingo card is impressive! I’ve added to my TBR. It’s been a great reading summer for me–but dismal for knitting. I’ve been traveling a lot (frequently as driver) and just haven’t been knitting. Once school returns, I’ll get back into my knitting!
My reading has slowed down a lot this week because I just can’t concentrate much but I still hope to finish Anna Karenina by Labor Day. Knitting, on the other hand, has been my life saver and that baby blanket is going great guns.