Book Chat - 9/26/2026

I know today is not Thursday, but I’m going to talk about books anyway. 

Y’all! The Birthday season has begun, but it hasn’t been altogether celebratory yet. We had gone out of town for the month leading up to the Birthday Season. It was a great trip - a month on the British Isle - England, Scotland AND Wales. And then, we came home and found a water leak that had done a bit of damage to the tile and the wood floors upstairs.

For the first couple of weeks of the Birthday Season, there have been wet towels, fans, demolition of floors and walls. The jackhammer the other day added such a flair to the whole shebang.

I suppose I can celebrate that there are less noisy fans today than there were yesterday…

On to happier topics, here are the books I read in August:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Kline

In Book 2 in the Cerulean Chronicles, we hear Arthur’s story. It was good.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

In the little town of Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean is on a mission to remove inappropriately books from all the public libraries. She sets up a tiny library in front of her house and fills it with the books that made her a proper, Southern lady. The townspeople borrow the books and learn more than they bargain for. It was very good.

Famous Once by Jane Green

Astrid Lane, who used to be married to a famous rock star. Her daughter starts working on a retrospective about her dad. Before long, mother and daughter band together to unearth some family secrets. It was good.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen

A biracial teen is sent to a small town in Alabama by his father to spend the summer. Luckily, the town oddball with a big heart befriends him. Together, they navigate life in a town that does not accept them. It was very good.

The I Hate to Cook Book: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition by Peg Braken

Originally written in the 1960s by a woman who hated to cook. The book has easy, fast recipes that allow you to get to the important stuff you’d rather be doing, whatever they are. Most of the meals reminded me of the types one can find in the midcentury editions of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I enjoyed reading the introductory blurbs before each recipe.

The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich 

I really like reading just about anything Louise Erdrich writes. Her characters are everyday people. The central characters are involved in a love triangle. Kismet Poe is loved by two young men. It’s interesting to see with whom she ends up. I liked the book very much.

That’s it. That’s the list!

MK out.

 

Book Chat - 8/20/2026

Wowzers, People! I thought I was caught up with everybody on my book reading, and I have another LIST again. I read the following books in June and July.

Before I start, I have to give a shout out: Happy Birthday to Robert Plant!!! (Because he reads my blog, of course.)

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

This book keeps you guessing till the end. You have to keep reading just-one-more-page, because you want to know what is really happening. Two women come together in a seemingly benign way. As more of the story unfolds, it gets darker and more layered. It was good.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

This author also wrote The Help - a great story with great characters. I have to say that this book is as good. Two sisters, with different economic circumstances, join forces with others (awesome characters all) to try to save two family homes, and a little girl who was left at an orphanage. Oh my! It’s the second five star book for me this year.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins, Reid

The story is set in the late 70s, early 80s about women pioneers in the space program. I think TJR is a very good writer, and this book did not disappoint. It’s definitely a page turner, and it being set just up the road from my hometown made it more endearing to me. I loved it.

Kin by Tayari Jones

In this book, we watched two girls and their paths to adulthood after being left by their respective mothers. One goes on to be a people pleaser to the life she should. The other sets out to find her mother, no matter the cost. It was very good, although the story ended rather suddenly and subtly for my taste. 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

A young girl suffers a trauma right before her freshman year in high school. We watch her heal as she navigates high school and all the indignities that come with it. It was good.

Wrecked by Catherine Newman

This book is the sequel to Sandwich. We pick up with Rocky and her family a few years down the road. They are still life-ing. It was good.

It’s already into August and I might have begun another list…

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 8/12/2026

I am still working on this shawl. It might get finished soon.

That’s it.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 7/1/2026

I’m still not ready to show y’all what I’m trying to make with the blue and white yarn, but I started something else.  

I wasn’t ready to give up on this pattern:

I looked in the yarn vault and found this yarn:

I haven’t gotten very far, but I’m thinking this combination will stick.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/26/2026

When I saw this fabric collection, I knew I had to make something with some of the prints. It’s called Hydrangeas in the Garden by Jennifer Bosworth for Riley Blake. 

I do love me some hydrangeas. I decided I would make pillowcases because, who doesn’t like a pillowcase? I change mine at least every other day, sometimes daily. Plus, I have so many quilts on deck - I didn’t need fabric for yet another quilt, mocking me from the corner.

I couldn’t decide which color way I liked best - the pink or the purple.

I got both.

MK out.

Movie Not Monday - 6/24/2026

Last month, I watched many movies - shorts, features and student films - in the Women’s Voices Now Film Festival. Many were good, some were just okay, But all spoke to women’s issues and had relevant points. Other than that, I’ve mostly watched streamers.

I do have three movies to share:

Secret Mall Apartment on Netflix is a documentary about a group of friends who found a space in the Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island. They came up with the idea of building an apartment and living in it without being detected. They lasted four years before someone found the space and then they were barred from it. It was interesting.

Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack star in Good Luck To You, Leo Grand. A widowed, retired school teacher, who has only had one sex partner in her life, would like a little adventure, with six included. Ready with her list of things she’d like to accomplish, she hires a sex worker and gets down to business. It was pretty good.

And - finally, I watched People We Meet on Vacation - see last Book Chat. I did not like this adaptation. That’s all I’m going to say about that. 

Streamers:

First, I have to comment about The Split, starring Nicola Walker of Last Tango in Halifax, (another great watch) fame. This series is streaming on Prime. It’s about an attorney (Walker) who leaves the family firm and joins a competing one. It is so good. I highly recommend it.

The Pitt Season 2  - Apple - very good

The Testaments - Hulu - very good

Alice and Steve - Hulu - meh

Disco, Soundtrack of a Revolution  (three parts) - PBS - enlightening

Sweet Magnolias Season 5 - Netflix - three seasons too many

Next time.

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/19/2026

It’s the weekend! It’s time to recreate, but it’s supposed to rain this weekend; so some activities will not be feasible. I wanted to get my car washed, too, but I digress. Maybe, I will work on some projects to finish to show y'all, just like the two I have to show today!

First, I made another scrub cap. I have another doc friend who went to A&M; so, this cap will be a Christmas present.

I know - I’m ahead of the game.

AND, I’ve finished the fourth entry for Year of Shawls. 

 

The pattern is Be Simple by Carolyn Glauz-Todrank. The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug in Lagoon that I won in my friend Lorette’s contest on her blog twelve years ago. I’ve used all three skeins now. I forgot to mention I used one of the skeins recently (the yarntini Semi-Solid Sock - the light gray one called gin) in this shawl. Looking at the colors while I was making this shawlette made me happy. It was a fun and fairly quick knit.

Of course I have another shawl OTN. Who do you think I am?

MK out.