Abigail Adams, One of My Heroes

Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Biographer Woody Holton is definitely an Abigail Adams fan. This is a good thing, because if he were not a fan, he never would have waded through the Massachusetts Historical Society archives to prepare this book. He also did a very good job of bringing the second First Lady to life. Unfortunately, being a fan also means that some of his writing was very close to fawning over Mrs. Adams. I do understand this as I have long been an admirer of her myself. Still, the writing did drag at times and there were many chapters that could have used more work. Historical works do not need to be constantly thrilling, but they can be consistently engaging. If you don't believe me, please read Cokie Roberts' book Founding Mothers or 1776 by David McCullough). Holton isn't in their league, but he does show promise.

I learned much about Mrs. Adams that I did not previously know. Now I have to come to terms with my own biases since I have learned that she was, after all, human. I am still very impressed with all that she was able to accomplish and grateful that Woody Holton reintroduced me to a true Founding Mother.

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Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As with all anthologies, every selection can't possibly satisfy every reader. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this collection. I fully expected to enjoy the Neil Stephenson selection and I was not disappointed. I could have done without Joe Lansdale's "The Steam Man of the Praire and the Dark Rider Get Down," but I was thrilled with Mary Gentle's "A Sun In the Attic," Molly Brown's "The Selene Gardening Society" and Stepan Chapman's "Minutes of the Last Meeting." Even Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent" left me wanting more and I have never been a Chabon fan. I have already picked up one of Gentle's novels and look forward to finding more fun reads in this genre.

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Tripping the Light

One fine day, I took my son to a local sporting goods store (what? isn't that where everyone spends her disposable income?) and needed something to clear my mind so we went next door to the dreadful chain book store (only dreadful because it, too, gets a large chunk of my disposable income). Wandering through the stacks just reminded me how very many books I already had waiting for me. Then I saw the Terry Pratchett books. Of course! I needed a break. This was the perfect change of gears.

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Seriously, what can anyone say about a Discworld book? This one is another delightful romp with Rincewind and Twoflowers. Life on Discworld is perfectly warped and ready for you to lose yourself. Just give in and enjoy! Oh, and watch out for DEATH. He may need a fourth for Bridge.

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As I was finishing the book, I took up needles and yarn and ended up with a fun shawl that just seems like it is made up the colors of Discworld.

Project: The Wisp Fantastic

Pattern: Wisp

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock

Needles: US 10 1/2

Notes: At a recent knit night, one of the women brought her new interpretation of Wisp. While looking through Ravelry, I found a version done in Noro sock yarn and just had to follow suit. This is a very quick and fun knit. I did add buttons and need to have another photo shoot, but this will have to do for now.

Simple Woman's Daybook for April 6
or, where I return from the the craziness and attempt to reclaim my blog...

These writing prompts are available from Simple Woman's Daybook where each tuesday we're invited to join in celebrating the beauty of everyday moments around us. (Thanks, Marguerite!)

Outside my window... I watched children play and heard laughter while Young Man entertained the neighbor's daughter.

I am thinking... the very long list of things that needs to be done around the hours and at the office.

I am thankful for... a son who still enjoys snuggling with his mother while reading or watching a movie.

I am wearing... my new CAbI clothes, jeans, tee, soft, white hoodie.

I am remembering... that I need to get up earlier tomorrow to get to the meetings of the day.

I am creating... a Melon Pattern lace scarf from Victorian Lace Today. As a departure from my usual penchant to modify every pattern I knit, I am knitting the scarf from the cover of the book in the called for yarn. What can I say? I liked this one just as it was.

I am going... to go to bed as soon as I post.

I am currently reading... Abigail Adams, by Woody Holton. I've been reading this on and off since December. I do like the book and I adore Abigail, but I keep getting interrupted by other books that need my attention.

I am hoping... that my big meeting tomorrow doesn't take its full allotted time.

On my mind... too many things (not a very simple thought, sorry).

Noticing that... Young Man remembered to pick up his Clementine peel, but left his plate.

From the kitchen... we had the last of the yummy pork loin roast and I baked snickerdoodles when the cookie dough order was delivered.

Around the house... things are looking a bit neater after some effort this weekend. Our taxes are filed. Young Man wants us to put in a garden so he and Mr. Engineer have started digging up the raised bed. Young Man did his best to channel Tom Sawyer as he tried to engage the neighbor children to help dig. That scheme didn't work out quite as planned.

No pictures tonight. It is time for bed!

Booking Through Thursday - Winter Reading

The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now... So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch ... what kind of reading do you want to do?

Well, it is hardly cold and wintry here in Southern California, but this Minnesota girl does remember those days. Why do you think I moved? When it is nasty outside, and I am barricaded in the house with a mug of hot cocoa and a book, I want something that takes me away. A mystery might be good, but some mysteries just aren't. Mostly, I want a setting that is so well-described that it jumps off the page and makes me forget about what is going on outside the windows. The young adult book that I just started, The Hunger Games, seems to have that magic. I know that the plot is going to get very dark, but I can't stop myself from reading the next chapter. Then again, the book that I just finished was good, but it didn't quite grab me strongly enough to keep out the chill.


An Unsuitable Job For A Woman by P.D. James


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this one for my book club and it took me a little to like Cordelia or maybe it was that it took me a while to get comfortable with author P.D. James' style. Eventually, I settled in and enjoyed myself. As with all mysteries, the main discriminator for me is whether or not I guessed whodunit before the great reveal. In this case, I figured out part of the mystery, but not all of it. That was good. Still, there were a great many things I did figure out before the end and there were a number of details that didn't seem necessary. Some were and others were red herrings. One thing that I found quite interesting was that I found it difficult to guess the time period. Obviously, it is a modern story, but there weren't too many references that would pin the story to a particular decade. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but I'm not sure that I'm interested in digging into another in the series.

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