Binging on books

I have been very slack about stitching - the only time I have been into the sewing room for months has been to do some trouser shortening for Martin and some repairs for Helen and Kevin. I have been feeling so tired that if I wasn't sleeping I just wanted to sit. So I have been reading and rereading.

Last year I reread all the Phyrne Fisher novels by Kerry Greenwood and was delighted to discover a newly published one which I promptly devoured. Then Stephanie Laurens came out with the final book in the Bride Quartet, so I had to reread the first three before I read the new one! This series is set in India in the early 19th century and involves a group of four East India Company soldiers who discover the villain behind a vicious cult and have to take the evidence to England, hotly pursued by the cult. Naturally each encounters a lady along the way and romantic entanglement ensues. I enjoy SL's story telling, but have to skip large chunks of the sex scenes.

Then the final volume of Nora Roberts Bride Quartet came out. This is modern romantic fiction and good light reading, but of course I had to reread the first three before I could finish off the series!

I also read "Ape House" by Sara Gruen. I loved her first book "Water for Elephants". I was less taken by this, mostly because the story timing was inconsistent throughout the novel - events moved very quickly, then slowed to a crawl, then heaps of action at the end. I may have to reread it to see if my first opinion is justified.

Since New Year I have been indulging myself in the "in Death" series by JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts). I read the latest volume "Indulgence in Death" (appropriate) and started rereading the entire series from the beginning. Some days I have read two of them, so I am now half way through #11. I suspect I am getting a bit tired of them, so I may stop soon.

I have only one completely untouched book waiting - "The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. I enjoyed her first two books "The Shifting Fog" and "The Forgotten Garden", so I expect to like this as well.

A new book

I preordered this from the Book Depository and it arrived this morning. I haven't even flipped through it yet, I am waiting till I have a bit of uninterrupted time (diarrhea today, yuck!).

I was fortunate to do a 5 day workshop with Jane at FibresWest at Bunbury in 2008 and learned so much about surface design. I have had her first book, Complex Cloth, since 1997 and it has been probably the most used textile book I own - and I own lots.

So I am looking forward to this one.

I am reading

a couple of books on digital printing for fabric. There is not a lot of information in either that is not available elsewhere (I think Gloria Hansen's Digital Essentials is the benchmark) but I am enjoying the eye candy and it is interesting to see how the the same basic techniques can result in such different textile pieces.




I have not been reading as much in the last week or two because I have been working on the Stitched and Bound quilt, but I have finished the two latest episodes in Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series - Swallowing Darkness and Divine Misdemeanours. She is the author of the Anita Blake Vampire Killer series which I have never been able to get into, but I like this series about the fey living in a contemporary USA. I also read LE Modesitt's The Lord Protector's Daughter and a Diana Gabalden - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. Believe it or not, I have never read any of her books about Jamie Fraser - my sister is a great fan and recommends them, so they go on my list. At the moment I have two books on the go - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Naomi Novik's Empire of Ivory. And I am knitting.

What I have been reading

ALL the Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood - the whole 18 of them. I have read them all before, some of them more than once, but still found them most enjoyable.

I also read Fantasy in Death by JD Robb (Nora Roberts). Enjoyable, but not as good as the previous one in the series: Kindred in Death. I have lost track of how many novels are in this series - more than 25 I think. And yes, I have them all. Not quite ready to start a reread of them as yet.

While I was having chemo today I finished The City and The City by China Mieville, which I saw recommended on some blog - where I can't remember. It is a murder mystery/fantasy set in a place somewhere in Eastern Europe where two cities coexist in the same space and time. I found it fascinating and a good read. Another author to be added to my library list - I did borrow this one instead of buying.

Still trying to read from my own bookshelves, I found 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs. I have no idea why I haven't already read this one. I will start it tomorrow and sandwich reading with working on my Textile Tantrums (Dale has extended the deadline) and my entry for Stitched and Bound which needs to be finished soon if I am to have it professionally photographed.

Doing nothing much

except reading, but I started a textile piece today. It is the challenge for the Designing Women meeting on Saturday week: "a whiter shade of pale". I am using some of my large collection of lace. No photo until the meeting - I want to keep it under wraps.

As for the reading, after I finished reading Ian Rankin's The Falls, which I really enjoyed, I have been rereading Kerry Greenwood's Phyrne Fisher series and am now about to start number 11. But I am also reading the other Ian Rankin which Sheila loaned me so I may give Phryne a break for now.

The pile of books that I have not read, as opposed to those I want to reread, doesn't seem to lessen. I am appalled by the number of unread books in my bookshelves, and I am still buying. Trying to restrict myself to secondhand stuff, though - I bought A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian for $2 at swapmeet last week - I have heard good reports of it and the price was right.

I am reading

lots of books and gaining immense enjoyment from them.

On Sunday I finished Geraldine Brooks' "People of the Book" which I really liked. Juliet has now given me her first book, "Year of Wonders", but I am putting it to one side for the moment. Last night I finished "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. (You were quite right, Jennifer, I loved it). I enjoyed it so much that I think I will read it again almost immediately - I know I was so involved in the story that I probably missed a lot. I think Kevin may enjoy it too.

Tonight I am going back to Ian Rankin's Rebus. I read a heap of them all in a rush and suddenly had enough. But I have two that Sheila loaned me months ago so I will attempt them before the next gathering of our sewing group in mid February so I can return them to her.

And I went to Husqvarna Club today. I hope to keep up with as many groups as I can - I will just stay firm on not taking on too much within them.

Books are fibre, aren't they?

It has been wonderful to have complete justification for losing myself in a book every day. I confess to not being able to tackle anything heavyweight as yet and my textile books remain unopened. Maybe next week. In the meantime I am devouring mostly crime and fantasy/SF.

I have been hoarding the Bujold books - she is an excellent writer (Miles Vorkosigan, anyone?). This seemed like the time to read them - especially since there is a fourth volume due out in late January. I have ordered it from Amazon and will read Volume 3 and 4 together - there is a logical break between them and the first two. I thoroughly enjoyed them and will now reread the Miles books soon.

Kerry Greenwood is one of my favourite Oz writers. I have all of her Phyrne Fisher series (something else to reread), but felt like wallowing in more contemporary Melbourne. This is wonderful fantasy crime. I started with this

and have now reread all but Devil's Food.

I borrowed from the library for a couple - I do not actually own every book I have ever read - just a lot of them.

Other books I have read and enjoyed in the last weeks include Body Double by Tess Gerritsen (definitely a white knuckled page turner) and The Bread with Seven Crusts by Susan Temby.

My sister loaned this to me some months ago and said I would enjoy it. I did, though I felt the ending was less satisfactory than the body of the novel. It is the story of an Italian POW working on a farm near Southern Cross in World War II. Our father employed Italian POWs during the same time period and it brought back many memories, even though I was only five when the war ended.

Tonight I intend to read a Nora Roberts. I feel like some very easy reading.

Reading

Over the last couple of weeks I have read all eight of the Bastion Club novels by Stephanie Laurens. These are romances set in the English Regency period. I enjoyed her storylines, but skipped the major portions of each book that were devoted to descriptions of love making.

Then I read this.


It is the story of a writer whose speciality is Household Guides - to the Kitchen, to the Garden and so on. She is dying of cancer as she writes her last book. The novel explores how she addresses the unfinished business of her life and deals with the legacies she wants to leave her husband and daughters. It could also be described as a romance, but contains no sexual descriptions. I loved it.

Swapmeet

It is a beautiful sunny day today so we went to a couple of local swapmeets. The one at Melville was bustling and we bought some videos of old movies that we had missed seeing.

I couldn't resist buying this 1895 textbook.


The pencil drawing of the owner's name on the flyleaf is lovely.

And this one has some delicious advertisements inside - including one for the Australia Hotel, once in Murray Street, now long gone, which had "a telephone and hot and cold running water in every room". Probably still had communal baths and loos though.


They cost $1 each. Money well spent.

Research

I am researching fabric books and book making in general for a workshop I will be giving later this year. It is surprising how much information is available.

These are the books I think will be most useful, and a selection of some magazines with relevant articles.




Thank heavens for cumulative indices. I know if I had had to look through all my magazines I would still be looking in a fortnight's time, having been distracted by lots of other articles!

I also finished this small bowl as a sample for another workshop. I had forgotten how simple and how much fun they are to make.

I am reading

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.


This is her second book. I read the first - The Shifting Fog - while we were in Bali. While I enjoyed it, I did not consider it a keeper and traded it in at the Borneo Bar and Restaurant in Sanur.

This book has a similar feel, but a tighter structure. I think it may be better, but then, I am only 2/3 through. I really like the way she is weaving three stories together.

Almost tweeting

I am resisting the move to Twitter and I have only looked at a couple of Tweeters.

However, I found an entry on someone's blog that looks almost like a Twitter blueprint. Can't think what to Tweet about? Help is at hand!

This is the list:
Making :
Cooking :
Drinking :
Reading:
Wanting:
Looking:
Playing:
Wasting:
Sewing:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Wondering:
Loving:
Hoping:
Marvelling:
Needing:
Smelling:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Knowing:
Thinking:
Feeling:
Bookmarking:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:

So to take the first four:
I am making metres of wrapped cord (Why will be explained later)
I am cooking (have cooked) a beef curry for dinner. Yummo!
I am drinking a glass of bubbly.
I am reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Craft Fair

I went to the Stitches and Craft Fair today. I was helping to look after the Contemporary Quilt Group display in the morning and then, after a quick look at the quilts, I went shopping.


This book has just been reprinted and I bought it for the Designing Women library. I have owned it myself for years but I had forgotten what consummate craftmanship Annemieke displays. I hope it will inspire many of our members.

I am going back to the fair on Sunday with my sister Dorothy. I plan to have a longer look at the quilts. I don't plan to spend any more money - famous last words?

Revisiting the Classics

I borrowed this book from the library, but before I read it I felt I needed to reread Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

My copy of P and P was given to me for my 13th birthday. I remember I liked it at the time - in fact there is a double tick by the title. This was a stupid habit I had then. Similar to the cryptic marks in library books that some borrowers use so they don't keep borrowing the same books!

I don't think I had reread it since I was in my early 20s and had to study Jane Austen in a University unit on THE NOVEL, though I know I have seen several film and television versions.

I am glad I did read it again. I had forgotten just how much the Regency romance genre owes to Jane.

Colleen's version? Pure melodrama, but most enjoyable. She does write well.

I'm still reading

My friend Sheila loaned me a pile of Ian Rankin books after she read my post about having just discovered this writer. I plan to read them in the order they were published. So far I have only read the first (Knots and Crosses) which I really enjoyed.

And I have discovered another new to me writer. This book was featured as the West Australian newspaper's book of the month a while ago and I thought it sounded quite interesting, though I wasn't interested enough to buy it.

When I saw it in the library I was happy to add it to my selections. It is set in two times: the present and 1830s Boston and the two stories link together. Another book I have really enjoyed, and another author to add to my "Look out for . . " list.

Ian Rankin/Rebus

I can't believe the response to this blog - I have had several emails about it. Thanks to everyone who has offered me copies to read before I raid the library or the secondhand book stores.

As I said: it is wonderful to discover a "new" author who has such an oeuvre. Much better than biting the fingernails waiting for the latest book - though I am sure that will happen once I have read all he has written. One can read so much faster than a favourite author can write!

I'm reading

lots. I haven't been able to see well enough to sew much because it needs a constant switch of glasses, none of which seem to do the job properly, but once I get the reading glasses on and focus on a book all is well.


I have just finished this book. I love it when I discover a new-to-me writer who has written heaps of books. I had heard of Rebus, maybe even watched parts of a TV episode, but had never read any of the books. Now I am a fan. I will be searching the library . . . and the secondhand bookshops.

This resonates:
" . . he picked up some books from the floor and stacked them against a wall, beside other columns of paperbacks and hardbacks, read and unread. One day he would get time to read them. They were like contraband: he couldn't stop himself buying them, but then he never really did anything with them once he'd bought them. The buying was the thing, that sense of ownership."

I have some of those piles too.

Books

My name is Joan and I am a bookaholic.

I am still working through Maggie Grey's "From Image to Stitch" - so many ideas and things to try.


I want Gloria Hansen's new book as well, but I think I will wait a week or two until the Aussie dollar recovers a bit - it's getting better, but I doubt it will get back to the 90c US high of a couple of months ago.

In the meantime I have two new books sent to me by Dale. Have flipped through Julie's, haven't opened Maggie's.



Oops - more things to try.

And if I had unlimited funds I might just be tempted by a couple of these books. Just remember that the AUD is only worth 40c of the GBPound if you are thinking of making a bid.

Exploring South Perth and a new bookstore

Jennifer and I went to have lunch with Helen today. I had left a message that we would be there about 11.45 am, so when we were a little early I took Jennifer to Como, to the Preston Street Art Space, a shop I had seen back in May. I was at the Scquilters Retreat at the Pagoda and went for a walk on the Saturday afternoon. I passed the shop (which was closed) and made a note to self that I needed to go back there. Today was the day and Jennifer and I both really enjoyed the visit. Lots of lovely stuff - textiles, paintings and jewellery. Thelma has heard of Designing Women and so I will take some invitations to our November Exhibition for her customers. I will also look out for their piece in the Art in Bloom exhibition at the Art Gallery next weekend.

Mends Street was buzzing - the weather was fabulous - and we ate at the Dome cafe. Then we strolled down to the jetty to look at the ferry timetable. I think if the ferry had been there I might have persuaded Helen and Jennifer to make a short trip across to the city, but it wasn't, and wasn't due for 20 minutes, so we went back to the car and drove on to explore the Angelo Street precinct. Nice mixture of boutiques, cafes and solidly commercial institutions like banks and supermarkets. Really liked the Secret Garden which is a garden centre, gift shop and cafe all in one. I found a cumquat tree there in full fruiting flush - Kevin wants one. However I don't think he wants to pay $250.

After we dropped Helen back at the unit we went to Fremantle to look at the new Elizabeth's Books Warehouse. It is quite different from the standard Elizabeth's shops: mostly new books imported from the UK and the US, but with some real antiquarian books. I saw an Illustrated Holy Bible with metal edges and lock and a Bible and Concordance in a blue velvet lined wooden box. I coveted the latter, but both were priced well out of my range. I did spend $5 on a book by Nick Bantock (author of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy) called The Venetian's Wife. It has much more text than others of his, but also his amazing illustrations. I look forward to reading it.

Reading

Could I resist? There on the library shelf was a book with my name on it - literally.


The novel is set in the 1880s and is the fourth in a series of crime novels set in that time period. I am having some difficulty in getting into it. I am not sure why - the author (according to a Google search) has published 8 books in this series, so she definitely appeals to a large number of readers. I will try again.