Gratuitous Ticia Photo

Just because she wants to say hi to the other kitties out there in blogland.

UFOs - Update on the &*%! Sweater

All around me are unfinished objects. I promised myself that &*%! sweater for my Grandmother (only on the needles for two years) will be finished before I start/work on anything else. The body is sewn together, front plackets done, collar done and sleeves 85% done. I'm knitting both at the same time which is a bit slower but worth it.

So this week I've been working away at the sleeves while finishing up my marathon viewing of Season 2 of Stargate SG-1. I have two episodes left to go and somehow I don't think the sleeves will finish at the same time. I think it's going to need season 3 to finish up this sweater.

Once that's done I can sew in the ends on my Olympic scarf and present everyone here with a photo of the beautiful finished project.

BOOK REVIEW: Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis

Fiona Ellis’ debut knitting book Inspired Cable Knits: 20 Creative Designs for Making Sweaters and Accessories is a work of art that is aimed at both novice and experienced knitters. More than just a collection of sweaters, this beautiful book takes the reader through Ellis’ creative process, lifting designs and textures found in the natural world and translating them into cable patterns. Inspired Cable Knits features very clear charts, as well as written instructions for those who prefer not to work from stitch charts.

Cables, for anyone who may be wondering, are the knitting stitches featured on traditional cream-coloured Aran, or Irish, sweaters. Highly textured stitches, they are created by moving stitches in front of, or behind each other.

Divided into four sections; change, nature, energy and time, each highlights a different theme that Ellis has incorporated into her designs. The section that called out to me most strongly is the one labeled “inspired by time”, which focuses on the value of slowing down. Ellis took the classic garments that are worn over and over and took elements of these, giving them modern twists.

Cable knits are my favourite type of knitting and Fiona Ellis obviously has a feeling for them as well as she states in her introduction that “I love their crunchy, nubbly textures.” The traveling stitches require close attention as they build a complex, highly textured piece of fabric. Most likely the fascination for me is in the mathematics required to accomplish this type of knitting. What is interesting is that these are the same characteristics that make many knitters throw their hands up in horror.

Ellis believes that all knitters will benefit from the journey exploring cable knits and that the focus required leads to a contemplative state of knitting and mindfulness of the entire process and organic nature of knitting. To assist knitters in achieving this goal, she has included a “mindfulness” pointer with each pattern to engage the knitter’s mind in the process of creativity.

Inspired Cable Knits is a beautiful book will provide many hours of pleasurable browsing and dreaming of future projects. I know my copy won’t languish long before I pick up the needles to cast on a project taken from its pages.

See the review as it is posted at Armchair Interviews - Inspired Cable Knits.

Errata for Inspired Cable Knits may be found here.

BOOK REVIEW: Maddalena by Eva Jana Siroka

Eva Jana Siroka’s debut novel, Maddalena, feels like it has come from an earlier age, one where novels are paced slowly and setting is as important as action. This beautifully illustrated novel, featuring twenty-three original watercolors by the author, took ten years to research, write and illustrate. Siroka, a renaissance art historian, has taken the story of Titian’s famous painting, Penitent Magdalen (originally owned by the historical Alessandro Farnese’s brother-in-law) and brought it vibrantly to life.

Set in 16th century Rome, Maddalena is the story of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese’s love for Monna Rebecca, a Jewish apothecary; her conversion to Christianity; and his quest to become Pope. Maddalena (the converted Rebecca) is of the wrong class, religion, and color, but this does not deter Farnese, determined to possess Maddalena, even if it will cost him the papal chair.

Maddalena is also the story of a papacy weakened by epic corruption and a struggle for power, told through the eyes of Bartholomaeus (Berti) Spranger, a Flemish born painter to Cardinal Farnese and later the Pope. The reader is introduced to a period that saw the birth of great art and musical achievements yet included the harshest days of the Catholic Inquisition, a time when the simplest transgressions could lead to horrific punishments. As this intricate novel unfolds, the reader journeys with Cardinal Farnese in his struggle to balance his passion for Maddalena and his ambitions.

Siroka bring this important period in Rome’s history dramatically to life. Her writing is at its best when transporting readers to the streets of Rome, evoking the sights, sounds and smells of the teaming city. The author’s years of research into the lives of sixteenth-century, North European painters has paid off by creating a dazzling world. Initially the variations of character’s names used, and the shear number of secondary characters is overwhelming and daunting; however the plot quickly draws in the reader.

Notwithstanding the fascinating history woven into this powerful novel, first and foremost this is a novel of love and relationships. This reader eagerly awaits Bartholomaeus, the second book of The Golden Tripolis trilogy, which will be set in imperial Prague.

See the review as it is posted at Armchair Interviews - Maddalena.

BOOK REVIEW: The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James

Imogen spent years determined to capture the heart of Draven Maitland and marry him, despite the fact that he was affianced. In Much Ado About You, the first book in the Four Sisters Regency series by Eloisa James (which focuses on Tess, the oldest Essex sister), Imogen succeeds in her heart’s desire and spends two weeks married before Draven is killed in a riding accident. Now the third book in this series - The Taming of the Duke – focuses on Imogen, who is determined to enter the delicious world open to respectable widows, that of taking a lover. She has decided that Gabe, brother of her guardian Rafe, fits the bill nicely however Rafe and Gabe have other plans for the adventurous widow.

James’ series feature innovative plots, vibrant dialogue and an authenticity that comes from immersing herself in studies of the relevant time period. As a scholar of Shakespeare, the nod she gives his plays when choosing her titles is intentional. The Taming of the Duke takes the basic plot of The Taming of the Shrew and turns it on its head. Raphael, Duke of Holbrook, is an unlikely hero, mired as he is in an alcoholic stupour caused by guilt and pain. Readers gain an understanding of Rafe’s history in the first two novels in this series but it is only in this third offering that he develops into a possible hero – needing to overcome his addiction to alcohol rather than the vitriolic temperament overcome by Katherine in Shakespeare’s offering. Gaining mastery of his alcoholism wouldn’t have been easy, as in the 1800s alcoholism was a moral failing rather than an illness. That James is able to pull this all together into a delightful novel shows just how skilled a pen she wields.

Romance novels comprise 53.3% of all mass market paperback novels and 34.6% of all popular fiction, with an astonishing 51.1 million readers in the US alone. (2002 statistics, compiled by Romance Writers of America) One of the fastest growing sub-genres of romance is the inspirational romance, which adds a spiritual obstacle that must be overcome, strong family values, duty, honour, chastity and integrity to the traditional romance template. James, ever the scholar, chooses to show how religion was part of the daily life of men and women in the 1800s rather than limiting herself by writing within the chaste boundaries of this popular category.

Mary Bly, using the pen name Eloisa James, has been living a double life for many years. Only recently did Bly, a professor of English literature who teaches at Fordham University in New York City, “come out of the closet” to her academic colleagues. The Taming of the Duke is her 10th novel.

See the review as it is posted at Front Street Reviews: The Taming of the Duke

Independent Bookseller Day - April 21

So here's a call to action for all you book lovers. On April 21, go visit your local independent bookstore and buy something. Tell them why you appreciate them being in your community.

Thanks to Booklust for reminding me of this important day! But as she says..."But really, we should keept April 21st in our hearts every day, and remember to Think Independent, Read Independent, and Buy Independent."

BOOK REVIEW: The Kiss by Elda Minger

Tess Sommerville is due to be married to the man of most parents’ dreams. Successful, rich and powerful, Paul Atherton blew into Tess’ life and swept her up in a whirlwind courtship. While out with her best friend Brooke the night before the wedding, Tess begins doubting her decision, and of course this is the moment Will Tremere, her high school crush, decides to walk back into her life.

Later that night, Tess stumbles upon Paul in a highly indiscreet position with another woman - in the very church where the wedding is to be performed. In a moment of panic, Tess calls the number Will gave her and offers to join him on his drive to California. And thus begins The Kiss, a new contemporary romance novel from Elda Minger.

The Kiss has many standard features that propel the plot forward: the getaway from and chase by the evil fiancée, a super-controlling family, the road trip as metaphor for Tess’ personal journey of discovery (and development of a backbone) and of course, the blossoming romance between Tess and Will. So what is there that sets this contemporary romance apart from the rest and makes it worth the reader’s investment of time and money?

More than anything else, what recommends The Kiss is the vibrant cast of secondary characters. Favourites by far are Toby and Sugar, the canine companions for the road trip, and Elaine, the psychic, who communes with them from the West Coast. Rather than making this a groan-inducing plot feature, Minger infuses the characters with enough kookiness to keep the right level of camp and fun.

Her deft writing and sense of timing ensures the novel never goes so far over the edge as to be unredeemable. Elaine, Brooke (the best friend) and Kim (Brooke’s cousin) are the needed balance for the stock characters played by Paul and Madeleine (the controlling step-mother).

There were two areas that were disappointing with The Kiss and addressing these would have definitively moved this novel into a league of its own. First would be further development of Paul and Madeleine’s characters. By moving beyond the standard mold set by the genre, Paul and Madeleine would have ceased to be cardboard stereotypes and become full-scale protagonists, perhaps even evoking some sympathy from the reader. Given that The Kiss runs 304 pages - and 30-40 of those pages could have been edited to create a tighter novel - Minger had room to explore their motivations in greater depth.

The second area where Minger could have differentiated herself is in Tess’ breakdown. Readers can certainly sympathize with her pain and understand the need for her to have time to heal. Having it last nearly half the novel wears thin and threatens to pull The Kiss into the realm inhabited by many of the “poor me” genre of chick lit. This reader wanted Tess to hit the anger phase earlier and found patience quickly vanishing with her lack of backbone.

Elda Minger is well known for her best-selling romance novels (more than two dozen), and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Romantic Times' Best American Romance. While she has written many types of romance novels, her recently published works are contemporary in style and setting. The Kiss is sure to please both ardent fans and win her some new ones.

See the review as it appears at Curled Up with a Good Book - The Kiss

BOOK REVIEW: Enchantments by Linda Ferri

Enchantments, originally published in Italy (1997) under the title Incantesimi, is Linda Ferri’s debut novel. Told in a series of 25 short vignettes, it is narrated by an unnamed Italian girl in the style of a memoir, from the toddler to early teen years. The narrator and her family move from Italy to Paris during the opening scene of this small novel. What follows is an intimate tale of a family whose dynamics are illuminated through summers in Italy, a visit to America and winters in Paris.

Making a cohesive whole out of such a small book is a challenge for any author, but to carry it out in a debut novel and have it result in such a strong voice is a trademark of a gifted new author. Everything about this book is intimate, from the size of the book (measuring only 7.4” x 4.7”) to the length of each vignette to the fact that the narrator is never named, although the reader learns the names of all her family members.

Ferri captures the dreamy sense of wonder that permeates a child’s life. She uses language to tantalize the reader, drawing one into the world she has created. “…so the fear dissolved, reduced to a bit of a mystery I carried in my pocket when I made a foray up to the attic or down to the cellar.” Alone the words don’t have much meaning, but the feeling they evoke is of being privy to a private world and language, one inhabited by a creative child who enjoys making words dance and play.

The distinct chapter titles also add to the dream-like state engendered by this novella. Titles such as “the castrator,” “perfidy” or “dame dame” add to the mystery, impelling the reader to journey with Ferri just a little longer until, suddenly, the narration ends and the reader is shaken rudely awake.

Woven throughout the vignettes is the narrator’s dynamic relationship with her father. She loves him, fears him, is embarrassed by him, and even though she is fond of him, she “would like him better if he were a woman.” Here too, in describing these moments of tension, Ferri’s masterful use of language is present. “…and I know the chain has snapped: he’s not barking anymore, he’s ready to bite.” Seen through the eyes of a child, this novel provides masterful insight into a marriage created by two volatile personalities.

Originally published in Italian, Linda Ferri did her own translation for the French edition. For this English edition she called upon John Casey, one of the pupils she tutored in Italian. Casey (whose first translation was Alessandro Boffa’s You’re such an Animal Viskovitz! - Knopf, 2002) is a gifted translator – he has maintained Ferri’s distinctive voice and playfulness of language yet provided a work that flows as gracefully as if it was written in English.

In her other life, Ferri writes screenplays and this has definitely influenced her stylistically. Her use of language in Enchantments has a cinegraphic quality, painting pictures in the mind of the long, hot summer days of childhood when the worst that could happen was stubbing a toe.

See the review as it appears at Curled Up with a Good Book - Enchantments.

Spring is finally here

Well I've been silent quite a few days but I have a good reason - a new job. I'm doing some consulting for a few weeks and that is keeping me very busy.

So to celebrate spring - and at least give people something new to look at until I can do a decent post - here's something I wish I was seeing now. This is a picture I took several years ago at the floating flower market in Amsterdam.

It's going to be an interesting election

Impeachment Talk Reaches the Mainstream

What took them so long? Now I need to get a copy of William Goodman's book Articles of Impeachment Against George W. Bush.

(Thanks Bookslut for pointing this one out! I had missed this article.)

It finally all comes together

Thank you The Bookish Girl for finally helping me pull together what knitting brings to my life (and for the rockin' image)! I have many dear friends who live nearby but sometimes you just need to send out the call to the knitters in your life - to have them be with you and knit in the same room, even if you don't say a word. There is something about the sound of knitting needles that soothes like no other.

To my dear knitting pals Heather, Alana and Christiane - a heartfelt thank you for responding to my knitting signal.

Today I'm embarassed to be Canadian!

Canada is one of three countries (with the United States and Argentina) that has refused to sign the UN's Biosafety Protocol. WTF?!? I'm going to send letters to my politician about this one.

From Organic Bytes Issue #77 - Organic Consumers Association
Biotech corporations are facing off against developing nations and most of the world this week in Brazil in a debate over the United Nation's Biosafety Protocol. The precedent-setting treaty is an international agreement signed in January 2000 by 132 of the world's nations. But the three main countries that grow genetically modified crops (the United States, Argentina and Canada) refuse to sign it, because the international law would require that countries be notified if the grains they are importing are genetically modified. Biotech companies want that language removed from the treaty, saying that developing nations and anti-GMO consumers in industrialized nations are not entitled to know whether their food is genetically engineered or not. From a press release on March 10, 2006.

Olympic Knitting is finally completed!

I'm so excited to report that my Olympic knitting has finally been completed. It is being blocked and as soon as I can grab a camera, I'm going to post a picture!

And this rant basically sums up my feelings about the situation

Rant on the best picture nominations leaving out the highest grossing films.

Don't even get me started on Crash winning.

This made me laugh and then start to worry...

Reading The Bookslut generally has me laughing loud and long but then I read this entry from Jessa Crispin and after the first outburst of laughter brought on by the phrase "Time to hang up the heels and bring on the chocolate," I began to join Jessa in her concern. (perhaps it's that ever-looming 40th birthday?)

BOOK REVIEW: Big Girl Knits: 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves by Jillian Moreno & Amy Singer

After many years of waiting, a knitting book geared to plus-sized knitters has arrived. Jillian Moreno, knit-wear designer for Acme Knitting Company, and Amy Singer, editor of Knitty.com and regular columnist for Interweave Knits, have created Big Girl Knits: 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves. This book is both a style guide and a pattern manual, collecting knit-wear patterns designed by twenty-one leading knitwear designers, specifically with the fashion-conscious, curve-endowed woman in mind.

What sets this knitting book apart is the style guide that comprises the first fifth of the book. Designed to help women with curves learn the best way to dress their body by determining which of the three “Bs” best describe their body type: boobs, belly or butt. Using cleverly designed icons, each pattern in the latter part of the book is coded with appropriate icons, making it easy to determine at a glance if a pattern works with your body type. Each body type is then broken down and the best necklines, shaping and sweater lengths for each is described.

If the authors had stopped there, this would have been purely a helpful guide with some great patterns; however they took the style guide a step further by outlining yarn types and weights that flatter bodies with curves - including gauge guidelines. An extremely helpful section on accurate measuring and pattern adaptation is also included, to help plus-size knitters overcome their fear of approaching their own bodies with a measuring tape. Altogether this invaluable style guide makes Big Girl Knits an indispensable aid and a must-have for every knitter’s reference section.

The patterns themselves are fashionable, practical and incredibly flattering. Arranged in chapters by pattern category, the designers have not forgotten some of the fashion essentials. Patterns are included for a wide range of tops and coats but also yoga pants, four types of skirts, socks and wraps. Having only seen the uncorrected proof of the book, I look forward to getting a better look at the knitted details in the colour pictures.

See the review as it appears at Armchair Interviews - Big Girl Knits. And don't forget to visit the book's website.

BOOK REVIEW: Mission to America by Walter Kirn

The shrinking population of the Aboriginal Fulfilled Apostles (AFA) has led to a crisis – new bloodlines must be introduced into the community if they wish the community to continue, as it has done for more than 147 year. This isolationist sect has lived apart from mainstream society, tucked into the hills of rural Montana and led by matriarchs, who follow the edicts of their Seeress to maintain a life of modesty and nutritional vigilance called Edenic Nutritional Science. The only wealthy member of the faith, Ennis Lauer, has hand-picked a group of young men to prepare for an unheard-of mission – seeking out “brides” in mainstream America. Mission to America tells the story of one of these pairs of young men, Mason LaVerle and Elder Stark, as they leave Bluff, Montana and travel to Colorado in a decrepit van, bringing their message of clean living and healthy digestion to world-weary Americans.

Walter Kirn’s fifth novel focuses on Mason, a naif bewildered by the choices and depravity all around them as they begin their journey. Dressed to look like Jehovah’s Witnesses’ younger cousins (to take advantage of the good will that group has engendered), they follow the techniques taught by Ennis Lauer – essentially sale closing techniques used by con men and used car salesmen.

Where Mason’s overriding characteristics are naïveté and a calm presence, Elder Stark’s are all sharp edges and chaotic energy. Asserting his leadership in their relationship early on, Stark quickly develops a maniacal appetite for reality television and the worst of America’s junk food. His character soon belies the images created by his name, becoming the polar opposite – a beast controlled by his appetites. These appetites are what make him the natural choice as Lauer’s ambassador in his bid to usurp leadership of the AFA.

When lampooning America’s hunger for spiritual gurus, Kirn is at his best. Using Mason to mirror America’s lack of moral compass works to illuminate the fear and dearth of spirituality at the core of most of the selfish choices made each day. In a post 9-11 world, this novel can be read as an indictment of the spiritual journey upon which many Americans claim to have embarked although in reality, they are caught up in the soulless world of reality TV and idle consumerism. Occasionally he gets bogged down in describing the belief system and mythology of the faith he has created but at its core, this is a strong, thought-provoking and humourous novel.

Mission to America leaves the reader questioning the nature of faith, the quest for understanding and wondering how much of Kirn’s early childhood experiences with the Mormon church are reflected within the character of Mason.

See the review as it appears at Armchair Interviews - Mission to America.

BOOK REVIEW: Johnny Kellock Died Today by Hadley Dyer

Rosalie Norman is facing the summer of 1959 as if she was being sentenced to boredom. Her best friend is away and she is stuck socializing with the boy next door, a strange young man called “the Gravedigger” by the local children due to his job at the local cemetary. Her carelessness with her drawing pencils causes Rosalie’s mother to fall and fracture her ankle and as a result, the Gravedigger is recruited to help the family out with chores. This forced connection is not one that Rosalie wants, fearing the backlash from fellow students when returning to school in the fall. Johnny Kellock Died Today is centred around Rosalie’s hunt for the titular character, her favourite cousin Johnny, whose disappearance her family is hiding.

Hadley Dyer’s first novel pulls from memory the long, hot summers of childhood. Rosalie is the youngest child in a family of grownups, the afterthought baby whose place is never quite certain. Her mother is a true matriarch, ruling the family with the authority of a field general – while her father, the nurturer and comforter, is called only by his surname.

In this family of shifting tensions and dynamics, Rosalie appears to be at sea. Dyer has written a character that lives so much in her mind, and the comics she draws, that she does not appear at all connected to her family. This is exemplified by the fact that she has no knowledge of her father’s first name, in fact wondering to herself at that poignant moment “How is it even halfway possible I didn’t think about this before?”

As the Gravedigger becomes David, Rosalie learns more about herself and her family’s secrets than she ever thought possible. Her household make-up changes yet again and Rosalie is able to finally become one of the adults rather than the afterthought child.

This is a delightful story told in Rosalie’s distinctive voice, wonderfully evoked by Dyer. This reader’s only complaint is that the sub-plot of Martha, Rosalie’s sister, is not more satisfactorily concluded. The reader is left hanging, wondering what has driven her solitary wanderings and tension.

This engaging novel is sure to become the perfect read for a hot summer day, read on the porch with a glass of lemonade.

See the review as it is appears at Front Street Reviews - Johnny Kellock Died Today. Don't forget to check out Hadley Dyer's blog.

Yet another WTH link...

Harry Potter turns kids into Satanists? Huh....

What's with the Vatican?

Another Author Response

I love getting feedback like this, especially when I'm seeing it for the first time in an e-zine.

Dear Armchair Interviews:

RE: SOME LIKE IT HAUTE chick lit review by Janelle Martin.

Thank you, as always! The author (Julie K. L. Dam) is over the moon!

Miriam Parker, Time Warner Books

Writing reviews can feel like writing in a vacuum, so rarely do you hear from your audience and even less often from the authors. I'm glad that I was able to help Julie K. L. Dam over the moon!

Original review is here -> Some LIke It Haute