sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

January 23, 2020


where my bookmarks are at
posted by soe 1:57 am

No new knitting news to report at the moment, but I do have some reading updates.

I have finished listening to Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia. Next up in the headphones will be the second installment in Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, A Fatal Grace. I put both my paper books aside. I have a plane flight next week, so if I’m awake for any of it, it should be good listening.

I put both my paper books aside last week to finish Tuesday and am in no rush to pick them up again. I have a bunch of middle grade and YA titles out of the library right now though, so sampled a couple tonight to decide what will be next. Lynne Kelly’s Song for a Whale looks promising, but didn’t grab me the way Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia did. In this story, Tristan’s best friend has died, leaving him a journal filled with African and African American-based folklore stories from a class project they’d been working on. Except now the journal glows green and has an unusual symbol on the cover. Tristan is heading to Alabama to work on his grandparents’ farm for the summer and get past his grief, except that now, in addition to mending fences, he might also have to help John Henry and Brer Rabbit contend with African gods. Doesn’t it sound so good?

What are you reading?

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January 22, 2020


fo: posey socks
posted by soe 1:54 am

Posey Socks

This weekend I wove in the ends and wore for the first time my Posey socks. I’d finished the knitting — which I started back in January 2018 — this past spring, but had simply put them away for the season at the time.

I bought the yarn, Lollipop Yarn Quintessential Gripes in Purrfection, the day our cat Posey died back in 2017. I’d picked up the ball because the colors reminded me of her — she was white with grey and brown patches and had an adorable pink nose and pink ears that stood out through her fur — and then saw the name, and pretty much knew it was a sign.

Cat in a Box

The dark grey of the heel and toe was a mini skein from MarigoldJen Yarns that I picked up at the Homespun Yarn Party a couple years ago.

Much like Posey, the socks are soft and comfortable and adorable.

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January 21, 2020


top ten new additions to my book collection
posted by soe 1:49 am

For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic, That Artsy Reader Girl invites us to share the top ten most recent additions to our personal bookish collections:

  1. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller: I picked up this at a Little Free Library on Saturday.
  2. Kate Murphy’s You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters: This book came as a freebie with the purchase of …
  3. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: I bought this on New Year’s Day, when one of our local indie bookshops was having a sale, because I loved her debut novel.
  4. A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, edited by Maria Popova and Claudia Bedrick: Karen gave me this collection of letters for Christmas.
  5. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: A surprise gift from my parents for Christmas.
  6. The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling: Rudi’s mom gave me the illustrated version for Christmas.
  7. Hillary McKay’s The Skylark’s War: I picked this up while doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I saw it, because I hadn’t realized it had finally been published in the U.S.
  8. Jasmine Guillory’s Royal Holiday
  9. Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
  10. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary: All three of these books came from my #TBTBSanta, Helen.

What are some of the most recent additions to your personal library?

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January 20, 2020


monday morning music: ‘a dream’
posted by soe 1:49 am

“A Dream” by Common and Will.i.am.

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January 19, 2020


seems obvious
posted by soe 1:27 am

Seems Obvious

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January 18, 2020


long weekend planning
posted by soe 1:17 am

I have Monday off, which means I get to fill three days with some combination of fun and chores. Here’s some of what I’m thinking that might include:

  • Taking part in the Women’s March. I’m just going to march, not hang around for speechifying, nor take part in the theatrical flash mob singalong they’ve planned.
  • Having a hot drink with Sarah after the March.
  • Finishing some overdue correspondence.
  • Washing laundry.
  • Listening to my audiobook.
  • Putting away the last of the Christmas decorations.
  • Bowling.
  • Baking cookies. Maybe I will make myself a batch of Gramma cookies, since her birthday was today.
  • Doing something with Rudi on Monday after he’s back from coaching.
  • Knitting another row on my shawl.
  • Clearing off my couch and my coffee table.
  • Catching up on some sleep.

What are you thinking about doing this weekend?

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