Catherine Wheels and Book Reviews

It seems appropriate that THIS week being 4th July- a big fireworks festival here in the USA- I am making something with the same name as a firework :)

This blanket, which is crocheted, is made in the Catherine Wheel or Bavarian Crochet pattern.

The only problem is here that the camera and computer screen conspire to distort the colour of this blanket- which I am attempting to make look like this one here.  I loved the rainbow of colours, and the fact that this uses up stash yarn so quickly.  In fact, I actually had to buy three balls of yarn to make my rainbow- 1 because I did not have the colour and 2 because I actually RAN OUT of colour!
This is already the size of a decent lap blanket, but since my husband has declared he likes the blanket, it shall be for him- which means full size!

As for the book- it is the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel from Charlaine Harris.  I have been reading these books for years now- about 9 in fact!  I discovered them when they were still in the mystery genre, and have thoroughly enjoyed them ever since.
That being said, I have a few books I have read this summer I *did* want to mention (in case you are still looking for something to read!).

You saw the other day when I mentioned the Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri.  I loved this read.  It is slightly paranormal... but not quite in the paranormal genre.  If you like Sarah Addison Allen, you'll enjoy this book too.
When Nora's husband is caught cheating on her, she moves herself and their two girls to the town of her birth, on a small island in Maine.  Here she tries to come to terms with her marriage and decide its future, and at the same time she is trying to find out a little more about her mother, whose mysterious death precipitated her father removing her from the island at a very young age.  With a mysterious fisherman who is washed up by a storm, an aunt who is hiding something and locals of all flavours, it is up to Nora to make some very hard decisions.

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  This is the continuation of a series- the Alpha and the Omega.  It is a paranormal series I enjoy, and in fact the author has a second series (Mercy Thompson) set in the same world.  If you enjoy paranormal/Urban fantasy series, you'll enjoy this one.  When Charles, who is acting as the enforcer for the Marrock, starts acting oddly, he is sent to Boston with wife Anna to take his mind off of things.  There, they must uncover a serial killer, who appears to have targeted Werewolves.  When Charles' guilt starts affecting his relationship with Anna, they must find a way to fix it, because her life might depend on it.

The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis.  This is the first in a detective series starring Detective Wesley Peterson.  This series features a detective whose hobby is archaeology.  It is set in South-Western England, and is rather enjoyable.  Wesley has just moved to town when a local archaeological dig unearths a skeleton, and a young lady is discovered dead on the cliffs.  As he investigates, the parallels between the two cases strike a chord, and one might hold the answer to the other.

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens.  This is the second in the Graveyard Queen series, which is about Amelia Grey, graveyard restorer, who can see ghosts.  This series sticks the paranormal stuff firmly in the evil column, and is more in the nature of mystery/thriller type reading.  If you get spooked reading, you might want to avoid it, but I love the series.
Amelia has left Charleston for a job in a remote town in North Carolina.  When she arrives, the town seems to be full of ghosts, and not just the literal ones.  As Amelia gets into the restoration of the small town cemetary, she starts to uncover the town's secrets... and the secrets of her own, personal history.  As she does, her life becomes threatened by some unknown danger.

Juliet by Anne Fortier.  What if Juliet of Romeo and Juliet really existed?  And what if she were a twin and what if there were descendants?  This story (which is fiction) is based off of the tale made famous by Shakespeare.  It switches between the modern story of Julie Jacobs and that of the original Romeo and Juliet.  Julie's Aunt Rose just died, leaving behind instructions on how to find out her mysterious past in Italy.  When Julie gets there, she doesn't find what she expects to find, but is also thrust into danger because of the things her mother hid, things that prove the story of Romeo and Juliet was real, and involving the curse that has affected the families involved ever since.

These are not all the books I have read recently- just the ones I really liked and wanted to recommend ;)  Happy reading!

Yarning along with Ginny.

BOOK REVIEW: Farm City

FARM CITY: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter

This was a fun read, the memoir of an 'urban farm' in downtown Oakland, CA. Novella tells us how she went from beekeeping, to chickens and eventually to pigs, and all the things she learned along the way!
At times funny, other times a little sad, this book fits in on the shelf right next to Michael Pollan's writings :)
It was well written, and will probably give you the best taste of what meat farming in the back yard is really like. Novella doesn't pull her punches when she describes the slaughtering of her animals- whether for food or other reasons.
It was refreshing to read a local food book that was not all about being a hippie- although Ms. Carpenter admits to being the child of hippies ;)
If you like Michael Pollan's books, or enjoyed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, then this book is one you will certainly enjoy.

I rate it **** 4 stars. Very entertaining :)

The Art Books I Like

This is a continually running post I am setting up- I will link it in the sidebar for the express purpose of recording the wonderful art books I like :) There are three categories- drawing, painting and inspirational. That's pretty much self explanatory :D. There is no particular order to these, just the one I felt like ;)

DRAWING

The Big Book of Drawing by Lee Hammond. Lee's books are ALL great books for teaching drawing. They are what I would call intermediate to advanced level drawing books, for those who already understand the basics of perspective. Lee's books are all about making your drawings REAL. She has some really great tips, and I highly recommend trying them out- some seem a little fussy or finicky BUT are actually very helpful if you have complicated pictures you want to draw :)

How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs by Lee Hammond


Lifelike Drawing in Coloured Pencil by Lee Hammond. This one takes the steps from her graphite books a lot further- teaching you how to add colour. I admit, I liked it because she used Prismacolor pencils- which I happened to have :D


Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. This is a really good book for the beginner artist. Yes, it CAN help the more advanced, but typically it works best for those who want to learn from scratch :)

The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature by Cathy Johnson. I love Cathy's books, and she also has a number of CD's at her website that are worth checking out since many of the older books are far too overpriced (and it is not money going to her!!). The CD's are compilations of information from her older books and modern updates. Definitely look for these :) This particular book is a guide to sketching while out and about- in different media.

Sketching Your Favourite Subjects in Pen and Ink by Claudia Nice. Claudia's books are really the definitive work on sketching in pen and ink. If you want to learn some of her tricks, then her books will definitely teach you how to make the most of that pen you are too timid to try :)
How to Keep a Sketchbook Journal by Claudia Nice. This is a simple book that just gives some helpful suggestions on making your own sketchbook journal- my favourite part is the little bag she made for her tools though :)

PAINTING

Creating Nature in Watercolor by Cathy Johnson. This is great tips and tricks book for actually painting from nature. Like most of Cathy's books it is full of ideas, and worth buying :)

Creating Texures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice. Goes with her pen and ink drawing books, only this one adds paint too. Buy as a companion to the pen & ink book and enjoy the full versatility of inks :)



Beautiful Botanicals by Bente Starcke King. If you ever had the idea of becoming a botanical artist, then this book is a good start. She has several tutorials you can follow through, plus tips and techniques to try.


Create Your Own Artist's Journal by Erin O'Toole. One of my favourites because it is such a nice record of HOW to make your journal, by telling you how SHE made hers!



The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook by Gordon MacKenzie. One of the more unassuming books, this is full of techniques to use when painting with watercolors- worth the look.

INSPIRATION

When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journey of Staying Put by Vivian Swift. This is a glimpse into the sketchbooks of an artist- she has compiled pictures from her journeys and her current staying home life. It's a fun read, and sure to get you thinking :)

The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are by Danny Gregory. Many people credit this book with making them want to draw again- although in some ways it IS an how to book, it is also inspirational for making you WANT to do it, and not be worried about HOW you do it. As with all of Danny's books, he illustrated it himself, his drawings are definitely quirky and very lively :) It's a great book for those just starting back into drawing.

Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory. This is Danny's journal- one of self discovery and realisation. It's a heartwarming read :)

An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers by Danny Gregory. I consider this one to be the most inspirational of Danny's books- because here you get to glimpse into the sketchbooks of all kinds of artists! This book is sure to inspire anyone of an artistic bent, into wanting to make their own journals. If you can only buy ONE inspirational book, make it this one!

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden. I love this book- not because it was written long ago, so much as the life it shows in it. The author's story is somewhat tragic, but her paintings and nature notes should definitely grace EVERY homeschooler's shelf, and artists are sure to find her book a delightful read :)

BOOK REVIEW: Food Matters

Food Matters
Originally uploaded by spinneretta

This book by Mark Bittman, is a great read. In the style of Michael Pollan, he gives you an "how to" guide for "eating consciously". It's the awareness factor- do you know what you are eating?
He gives a lot of information on practises within the world of processed food, and describes how he lost weight with his 'before 6' diet.
He has a 4 week menu plan, and a boatload of recipes. Each recipe is accompanied by notes- many of which guide you in making a few seasonal changes :)
It is the first 'how to' guide I have seen for the way *I* have always thought we should eat- and my favourite aspect is definitely those annotations on seasonal changes. There are not enough of those as far as I am concerned, but the menus are interesting, the food simple, and yummy :)
Enjoyable Read :) 4 **** Stars

Daily Art and a Book Review

Today's offering (the one from earlier was painted yesterday).



An apple from my grocery shopping yesterday. These are local... Virginia apples. That means that autumn really is beginning! The mountains are producing- that's great! I love apples and pears. I am so glad our locally owned grocery store stocks locally grown food :)
I kind of like how the apple turned out. It was a mixture of yellow and red- very autumnal colours :)

While I waited for the colours to dry so I could add shade, I went to work on another piece. I had originally planned on a pumpkin, BUT the book I had just finished caught my eye- what better way to commemorate it than painting it?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
This is an extraordinary romp through post war society. It is the fictional letters between an author, Juliet (in London), and the members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (on the channel island of Guernsey), who tell her their tales. The letters start a friendship that comes to change the life of Juliet, as she becomes close friends to the members of the society.

With the exception of one small part of the book, the entire thing is presented in letter form. We learn about Juliet from the letters she sends to the people on Guernsey, and we are intrigued by their tales of life under German occupation.

The tales of the islanders are heartrending- those of us who are more inclined to cry than others will definitely be in tears!

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and loved the idea of recording books in my little Moleskine as a memory aid :)

I gave it 5 ***** Stars. (Yes, I do only tend to read books I give 4 or 5 stars to ;))

BOOK REVIEW: A Yearbook of Seasons and Celebrations

A Yearbook of Seasons and Celebrations by Joanna Bogle. I have such trouble trying to remember this title... I KNOW I have accidentally called it the wrong name on this blog before, and I am SO SORRY!!! I blame that on the fact that her previous book is called A Book of Feasts and Seasons! Yearbook, is really a companion to A Book of Feasts and Seasons. It elaborates on the liturgical seasons mentioned in the first book, and adds in some saintly festivals too. Joanna Bogle has a very engaging style of writing, and her passion for bringing back the celebration of the liturgical year is very evident :)
She has recipes, ideas for games and ways to celebrate with your children. I was very pleased to see that she had included the Saints and some of the more Minor Church Feasts, these are the ones you inevitably don't have the slightest ideas for ;)
The book, as with the first, is divided into the various feasts, according to the liturgical calendar. That means the book begins with advent and ends with St. Andrew :)
If you have her first book, this is a recommended addition to it, fleshing out the ideas as it does so :) DO have a kitchen scale handy, as all the recipes are in their original English measurements!

If you do not have her first book, I recommend you get it- you'll find it a pleasing addition to your seasonal celebration library!

I give it 4 **** Stars.

BOOK REVIEW: A Haystack Full of Needles

A Haystack Full of Needles by Alice Gunther

This is a lovely book, an introduction if you will, to letting your child have a social life outside of the family :)
The previous sentence is a short summary, which really doesn't do the book justice. Alice has put her wonderful ideas at the fingertips of the rest of us, and I urge other homeschoolers to go out there and read this book!

Inside, Alice tells us how she started out in homeschooling, and how she created the opportunities for her children, to participate in activities with friends in all fields.

She makes some wonderful suggestions for starting your own homeschool group, where and how. Although it is flavoured with a distinctly Catholic tone, and aimed at Catholics, much of the information is very useful to those who are not Catholic, and almost always easily adapted!

She has suggestions on how to make sure your group doesn't fail, and how to have a manageable schedule. Repeatedly throughout the book, she suggests that a 6 week schedule is all you need to make something work. And with that tidbit, I'll let you get the book to find out the rest ;)

This is the ideal book to give to the new homeschooler, along with your local group email address :) It is also the ideal gift to give to the experienced homeschooler, with a little burnout! For that matter, if the idea ever pops into your head that socialization is really a problem, get the book.

Alice, is a very sweet person. Her ideas are wonderful, and if you have ever enjoyed reading her blog, you will definitely enjoy the book :)

I give this a well deserved 5 ***** Stars.