Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton

I know it's hard to believe, but I actually finished this book. It's been lingering in my 'currently reading' sidebar for what seems like ages. Again, I have to blame it on the furious knitting activity that has been taking place at my house. I've finished two scarves and four hats in the last couple of weeks. That may not seem like a whole lot, but combined with work and getting ready for Christmas, it's pretty good. I wrapped my very last gift last night, and now I can get back to reading!


This book is part of the Knitting Mystery series by Maggie Sefton. I've read all of the previous five books and have enjoyed them. However, this one was kind of a let down. I don't think it is actually the book itself. I just think I'm tired of the series. I begin to lose interest with the same set of characters, same setting, and similar plot lines after several books. The biggest draw for me in the beginning was all the references to knitting -- descriptions of new projects, luscious yarns, etc. However, I don't think even that can keep me interested much longer.

Kelly Flynn, CPA and part-time sleuth, gets involved in another mystery in the small Colorado town of Fort Connor when a woman is killed in a hit and run. At first it appears to be an accident, but it soon turns out to be something more sinister.

I am not usually a very astute reader. I don't normally look for the clues in mysteries. So, even though I may have some idea about who dunnit, I'm not usually sure about it until close to the end of the book. However, in this case, it was blatantly obvious early on. Again, it's a fun read, but I think I need to take a break from the series, at least for a while.

One thing I did like about this one is that it contained more than the usual one recipe and one knitting pattern. Instead, it contained five knitting patterns and seven recipes.

I'm beginning Lee Smith's Christmas Letters today and look forward to something with a little more substance.

Blah...

I'm not sure exactly what's going on around here these days, but I think I'm in a reading slump. I've been sick and can't seem to shake it. I'm better, but I'm still exhausted by the end of the day and don't sleep very well. I finished The Graveyard Book, which I really liked, and I've started On Agate Hill by Lee Smith. But, I haven't gotten very far into it, at all. I love Lee Smith and the book seems like it's going to be good. But, I put it down before I really got into it, and I haven't been motivated to pick it back up.

Things have been pretty stressful at work, and I usually turn to reading for stress relief, but I've been knitting instead. I don't have to concentrate and the rhythm is quite soothing. So, though I haven't been reading over the last week, I have been knitting. I've finished one pair of socks and am about to finish the first sock in another pair. I'm surprised at how fast socks knit up. I was so intimidated by them in the beginning. Maybe one day if I get up the courage, I'll actually put a picture on here of one of my creations.

My husband and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to spend the day in Seagrove, NC. For those of you who may not know about Seagrove, it's a wonderful little town that is famous for it's pottery. There are numerous shops and galleries within a 5-mile radius of the little downtown area. It's only about an hour's drive, but I've never been. So, I'm pretty excited about that. The weather is really supposed to cool off tomorrow, as well. So, it should be a nice day for walking around. There's also a covered bridge in the area that I want to go see. After our day checking out the pottery, we're going to spend the night at an inn in Pinehurst. This is another little town, except this one is famous for it's golf course. However, we won't be playing any golf on this trip. The one night stay includes dinner and breakfast the next day. Pinehurst is a nice little town for window shopping, as well. So, we'll just hang around there on Sunday.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and hopefully I'll have some reading to talk about next week. By the way, I have been keeping up with what everyone else is reading through your blogs. I'll be anxious to catch up with everyone who participates in Dewey's Read-a-thon when I get back.

Catching Up

I had a really great extended weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. I guess I really shouldn't have to say that I ate way too much, but I did. I spent time with family and friends. I know it sounds silly, but I love it when everyone is home. Everyone may be doing their own thing, we may not do anything special, but I just love it when everyone is home. I didn't really do much of anything productive. I should have cleaned my house. I should have finished the two books that I need to read for book club meetings. But, I did get my Christmas tree up and decorated. I love Christmas, but I really don't like decorating. If I were a wealthy woman, I would pay someone to decorate my home for Christmas. But, alas, I'm a librarian. Oh well, enough rambling. While catching up on reading my favorite book blogs, I came across a couple of things I wanted to share with you. You may have already seen it, but here it is just in case. Enjoy!

I found this at Librarian.net and thought it was pretty neat. I'm not sure how I feel about destroying books for the sake of art, but I'm just going to assume that these were library books that were being weeded and were already damaged beyond repair. :)

Then I saw this at the Shifted Lbrarian. I love board games so I think this might be fun. Although, I can't ever talk anyone in my family into playing a board game with me. I read Pillars of the Earth as an undergrad in a Medieval England course that I was taking as a history major. I absolutely fell in love with it. In fact, I loved it so much that I sought out other books by Ken Follett and was disappointed to find that he hadn't written anything else like it -- until now. He has now published the sequel, World Without End. I can't wait to read this one. Like the first it is a rather lengthy tome so I think it may be an "over the Christmas break" book.

Finally, the New York Times has put out their annual list of the year's best reading. I like to look at it and see how many I've read and which ones I may want to read. It's also a good place to get ideas for Christmas gifts, as well.

Look for reviews of a few books coming in the next little while. My reading has slowed down quite a bit while I'm frantically trying to finish knitting some Christmas gifts, but I've managed to finish a couple things.