Good book

Anne Patchett's latest book, State of Wonder, 2011 is good. It was rough going for awhile as the characters were unappealing but by the end she's got you totally involved in all of them. The Amazon sounds overwhelming and too wet and hot and dangerous! It's a good story; the ethics of pharmacology, fertility, malaria, exploitation of people and places.

A fast but interesting read is the book written by a doctor, recommended by Abraham Verghese; Anatomy of a Kidnapping: A Doctor's Story by Steven Berk, 2011. He was taken at gunpoint from his home, and survived to tell the tale. It's well written - a good read.

and knitting, a present made:

finishing things

Books and knitting...
finished reading the last Troy book, John Lawton's series following Frederick Troy. Sad to not have any more to read, I do like his writing. The last book was A Little White Death, written in 1998. It's set in the early 60's in London mostly. Troy seems to have survived TB, only barely. The plot meanders about, but he pulls it all together in the end and the characters are interesting.

Finished Graham Hurley's book about Joe Faraday's latest case: Borrowed Light, 2011. Set in Portsmouth UK, always interesting because his characters are flawed and believable. The plot doesn't really matter much, just a good mystery. He has a knack for ending his books as cliff hangers, good thing the next one is already in print.


Mitts finished










Blanket







Also finished Charlotte Gray, 1999 by Sebastion Faulks and started his newer book, A Week in Decemberr, 2010. I do like the way he writes. Good storyteller; always my favourite. I'm glad I started reading his books.

blanket and mitts

Kay Gardiner's Mitered Crosses Blanket so far. Love the pattern. I'm using left over and thrift shop sweater undone finds. Sock yarn doubled for a few squares.










and Kate Davies, mittens only I am making them fingerless

knitting

Stephen West scarf


Backlogged because I have not got the camera out to take pictures.
The baby sweater and booties were knit in September. I am working on 4 other things. Fingerless mitts, mitered square log cabin blanket almost finished. The bottom shawl is supposed to be Catkin but I am modifying it - did not like the way it was turning out. I do like the Stephen West scarf, Spectra - it just keeps getting left behind by other knitting.

unneverving book

Zoe Heller, What Was She Thinking; Notes on a Scandal, 2003. Narrated by a dreadful controlling woman who is telling the story of a total flake of another woman, there are no redeeming qualities in either of them and yet the book is compulsive reading. Or listening. It certainly is perceptive and well written but it's not a pleasant experience.

Bought this book yesterday, Spinning Wool, beyond the basics by Anne Field, 2010. It's a beautiful book that I've had from the library, hope it will help me learn to spin.

I did enjoy listening to Michael Robotham's first mystery, The Suspect, 2005. A detective, Joe O'Loughlin, really a London psychologist, loves his job and loves his family but he's got troubles; Parkinson's and someone trying to destroy his life. Good plot, good characters.

Good book, not-so-good book

The Sister Brothers by Patrick DeWitt, 2011, may be up for many awards but I sure didn't like it. Listened to most of it and finally gave up because I didn't find it interesting in any way. I don't get it.

But I listened to Trustee from the Toolroom, Nevil Shute's last book written in 1960 and loved it. Read it over 40 years ago so I knew the story but what a welcome relief after that other book.

Finished Old Flames so I started my last Frederick Troy book, A Little White Death, by John Lawton. Who knows when he wrote it. Early 2000s I think. The poor guy has TB now and is going crazy in a sanatorium in the early 60s. I like the way the plots meander around and you get this story, that story and finally things come together.

Also started Michael Ondaajte's latest book, The Cat's Table, 2011 and I like it so far.

And then the library book I loved, I thought it was a book for adults but it's not, it's for kids. Beautiful photos and a great story, in which the black Labrador's true worth is revealed. What's not to like? Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz, 2011.

books

Finally tripped on the summer book that I listened to and forgot, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson, 2011. With a title like that, no wonder I forgot. It was pretty good, if a bit long to listen to. An American ambassador in Berlin during Hitler's rise. Interested to read about Berlin as beautiful.

Listened to the first of Tess Geritsen's myteries this week, The Surgeon, because I've been watching the TV show. Book is too bloody and gruesome for me, I skipped over all the guts and blood parts. Don't think I'll read any more of her books. It's a good enough mystery, just too gory for me.


Just started The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, 2011. Not sure about it, but it seems alright so far. Set in 1851 right in the middle of the California gold rush, the story of two infamous brothers Charlie and Eli Sisters who set out on a mission by the commodore from Oregon City to apprehend and kill Hermann Kermit Warm.

Just about finished John Lawton's book, Old Flames, and it's very good. I do like his writing very much.

Just started a good memoir by Gail Caldwell, Let's Take the Long Way Home, 2011. She is writing about her friendship with Caroline Knapp - who wrote A Pack of Two - a book I bought a long time ago, because she was a drinker and a dog lover. This is a very good book.