For my special friend.
She got a little camera shy in the end. By the way, the cell phone did it’s thing again. That hair is supposed to be magenta. Now I just need to figure out how to get these special friends together. I made her using LoomaHat’s Tiny Doll pattern and YouTube.
Sorry I’m late to the SOCS, Linda G Hill, I was busy with all my PROJECTS. Yes, all those knitting projects have kept me going all day. I am nearly finished with one or two but they take the kind of concentration one needs as they learn new stitches. YouTube tutoring included. I’ll share again when finished.
Part of the reason I am late to the party was the weather. Yep, we got snow again, but with this system rolling in the bones and fibromyalgia knocked me for a loop and when I get to that stage the only thing I can do is nap and hope to wake with less pain. And that did work. Of course that means I may be up for another hour or so catching up on everything I should have been doing at naptime.
If it helps, I am reading your book: All Good Stories, now and hope to be finished tomorrow some time. It is fun.
Well, that’s all I got for now.
The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
THIS is my kind of book! Okay, it isn’t fantasy or sci-fi but the elements I love in those stories are here. Adventure, new horizons, philosophies, some things to learn and think about. Those are all present in this book. I am sad that it has ended and think I may have to read it again sometime with Audible version. The text-to-speech was great but with this taking place in Bulgaria, I needed someone to pronounce words better than the British female robot. Which usually works quite well for me, but there were some names that when I was reading with my eyes too, I could see they were not pronounced anywhere NEAR right.
The main character is well developed, the secondaries not as deeply but the story wasn’t about them so that was okay by me. With the person so developed and the world so real I felt I was watching a movie. In fact, this would make a marvelous movie, there is just so much depth here!
The time of the book moves back and forth from about WWII and now. The political themes presented seem very poignant, and apropos warnings to our current system and how delicate it is.
But my favorite part of the book, though the saddest, was how music played a part in the day to day survival of the musician. I don’t want to expound on this as it would be a spoiler. Needless to say, it gave me the unavoidable courage to face the cold of my studio and play the piano for as long as my fingers could move, and then left me with a fire to get back in there as soon and as often as I can as Spring brings warmer weather.
Oh, how I wish there were a book two. I don’t know how it could be done as none of the situations or people remain in the right places for that. But I did want to see what happens now that the main character has made friends with the musician’s son. What could they give each other? Will they become more than friends? And what about the taxi driver? Is there happiness in his future? What a cool guy he was! Like I said, I am left wanting more and that may have to happen by re-reading with audio.
By the way, I was given this version for review by NetGalley dot com. Please, if you get the chance to read this, do. I hope you love it as I did.
And that’s just about all I have to say right now. I can’t believe I have actually written here every day since New Year’s Day! <<Patting my own back>>
Another thing, I was thinking today about how grateful I am for all my family and friends. How they all play a part in my life. And though we may not agree on everything, we do all know the love is there, always.
And how I love talking to friends on Google Hangout.ย It brightens my week and gives me perspective on life. I am such a bad “phone person”. Really. Thinking about talking on the phone can turn me into a puddle of sweat and a pile of shakiness. Even if I am thinking of calling people I love. I don’t get so bad when they call me. I like to think I drop everything and give the conversation my all. I don’t know what that is all about. It just is.
And I had hoped to finish the book I’m reading. It is so good! But I’m only at 97% so maybe tomorrow I can tell you more about it and the thoughts that bubbled up while reading it.
I guess that is all for now. So as myย bloggy friend mentioned: March Fo(u)rthย and conquer!
Because I love her books and her blog. I have to share! I feel she has given me quite the education of all things Japan.
Here are the starts, continuings, and finishings of the day. Kind of a jumbled mess. Let’s see if I can sort this out.
This little guy is done. That string doesn’t belong to him.
This little guy still needs arms, a face, and a scarf to keep him warm. (the 2 is for how many rows into the arm I am.
Ribbing on the beginning of a purple hat. Haven’t decided what stitch for the body of the hat.
Middle of the basket weave rust hat. I am loving working with my oval loom.
On a different note (C#?), I am reading The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova. It is so intriguing that I had to keep my hands busy while listening. This was so inspiring that I had to run into my cold studio and play the piano for a while. I miss playing but that room is SO cold! Found out Kali either doesn’t like the piano (she doesn’t like noises, like cell phones, or computer, etc.) or it was too cold for her, too. The session was long enough to find that muscular memory could still get through a couple favorites. And my ear/eye heard a couple songs I had never played but felt the need, now, to learn to play them. Funny how time away from music makes me feel like I’m dyingย without it. Can’t wait for the room to get warmer so I can spend more time playing.
While leaving my studio I looked over at the trees. Yeah, the Christmas trees I couldn’t decide about before. Well, the lights don’t work anymore. So I have started the process of putting it all away. I will take the time to see if there is something I can do toย fixย the lights, otherwise, I will have to buy more by next year. This frees up the space for sofas. We really need sofas in that room for when family and friends come to visit. I know that within the month it will start getting warm enough to want to be in there more.
It was spring today! I actually enjoyed being outside for a while! Yes, I know there is snow in our future but I was so happy today–and warm enough not to have on a jacket!!!!
What did she say?
Are you sure?
Spring means WALKS! And lots of time outside!
Ever ran out of gas in your vehicle?
Not that I can remember. But I have been in cars when that happened. It is such a weird feeling to be going along toward a destination and suddenly the car stops. So inconvenient! I think that is how I learned never to let that happen. But I did stretch my luck quite often. Usually waiting to get to the station with the better priced gas.
Which are better: black or green olives?
Black olives are so yummy! Oh, but those stuffed green ones, with garlic or cheese or…okay I just love olives. This question sent me to the fridge thinking I had some. But it was a jar of mushrooms and they weren’t nearly as tasty! Boo!
If you were a great explorer, what would you explore?
Space. The final frontier. Or the ocean. Or caves. Heck, just my backyard, sometimes!
Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?
“But how will I know what I want til I get what I want and I see if I like it?” Cinderella, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim.
“Books may well be the only true magic.” Alice Hoffman
“I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place.” Anne Tyler
“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” Jane Goodall
There are so many more on my GoodReads pages. 18 pages so far…
Optional Bonus question: ย What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?ย
Well, look, we are all still alive and well. Thursday my hubby sees the shoulder specialist and we’ll see what his next step is. He is still hurting pretty bad so I hope there is something they can do about it all.
Share Your World is brought to us by Cee’s Photography. Come join the fun!
This little guy is here now.
These guys were unimpressed.
This little guy needs a face but he is farther along that his buddy still on the loom. I love making these Tiny Dolls. As you can tell by this picture my next project needs to be Getting a Grip (aย new one) made.
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 100 books for the 2013 Reading Challenge! 115 of 100 (115%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 225 books for the 2012 Reading Challenge! 225 of 225 (100%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 200 books for the 2011 Reading Challenge! 204 of 200 (102%)
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Hi! my name is Sebastian (You can call me Seb!) ...welcome to my Blog. I'm a photographer from Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy my work.
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