Sometime in June of 2012 I gave up watching television in the evenings (altogether really) and started reading books instead. For some reason the television made me anxious and I had trouble falling asleep - while reading calms and entertains me at the same time. In the past ten months I've read nearly forty books - some great, others not so much. I want to share the best ones here with you.
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Shine, Shine, Shine by Lydia Netzer
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
No reviews from me - these books are all excellent. I linked the titles to amazon if you'd like to read what other's have said.
I'm progressing right along with my star blocks but I just realized that I may need to sash the outside edge in the white kona cotton so that I can square up my quilt easily without sacrificing any of the design. I wasn't planning on this and will need to order another yard of the white kona cotton. What do you think - no sashing or a 2 inch white border to help square up the quilt after quilting?
Happy Reading and Quilting to you all on this Thursday.
Which also happens to be pi day so I hope you also get to eat some pie - while reading and quilting, of course! Fortunately pie also tastes great and works wonders if you're eating it while your kiddos are running around screaming and bickering. Have a great day!
I read Gone Girl, The Fault in our Stars (so sad) and Olive Kitteridge and loved them all. I'm on Spring Break in two weeks so I will definitely check out some of these titles. I love the blocks...sigh...someday I will learn how to quilt.
Posted by: jane | March 14, 2013 at 05:01 PM
that is a good stack of books - only one of which i have read! thanks for the recommendations. i've been reading a lot lately, too.
Posted by: erin | March 14, 2013 at 07:20 PM
oh, and for the quilt...i like the idea of a border around the entire thing.
Posted by: erin | March 14, 2013 at 07:21 PM
I really like seeing your star blocks together. The different fabric combos really make each of the blocks look so different. At first I wasn't sure it was all the same pattern.
Posted by: julie | March 14, 2013 at 09:37 PM
I love the quilt stars--makes me want to haul out my machine. There is a new Joann opening in April that is really, really close to my house, so I may be resuming quilting soon!
I love the idea of giving up TV at night. Most nights there isn't anything in particular we like to watch, so I end up channel surfing until I find a rerun of something. I think I should just give it up on those nights and stick to the books.
Gone Girl is the only book in your stack that I've read, and the ending really, really bothered me. I should check out some of the others in your stack.
Posted by: Meg Evans | March 15, 2013 at 04:00 PM
Jane, quilting is just sewing fabric together - you can do it!
Erin, love seeing what you read and your thought on your days on flikr. Just ordered fabric for the border - i hate having to wait but it will totally be worth it.
Julie, thanks so much. Try them. They are not difficult.
Meg, Yes, get that machine out! I miss your sewing. I loved the ending in Gone Girl. There are reviews on amazon that agree with you re: the ending but i found it very powerful and profound. I love the power of words. There are people who are hurt by physical pain but most are hurt much more through words and self doubt...i won't go on but you get the point.
Posted by: Larissa | March 15, 2013 at 05:46 PM
I read Gone Girl, The Fault in our Stars (so sad) and Olive Kitteridge. I shared a list of my reads for 2012 on my blog (http://imenesaid.com/imene-co-3/2013/1/book-list-for-2012).
I had stopped watching TV in the evening for a while and you're right I slept a lot better. I need to find a new book that draws me in.
I admire your quilts and I so want to start. Maybe you can help me get started. Do you know any books I could read?
Posted by: imene | March 19, 2013 at 01:00 PM
Sash! It will set the blocks nicely and no sacrifice of block pattern.
Posted by: Sue Lindsay | April 25, 2013 at 08:30 PM
Articels like this really grease the shafts of knowledge.
Posted by: Veruca | May 16, 2013 at 11:36 AM