One of my favourite activities is checking out the bargain tables at bookstores for knitting books. Occasionally, gems will turn up that are too good to miss. Recently, the Chapters/Indigo book chain had a huge discount for Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge. It was priced about 75% off from its regular price. However, it was so close to Christmas and I hadn't gotten that far with my Christmas shopping. So I hinted (well, if you define hinting as taking a picture of the book with a cell phone and showing it to a significant someone) that this would make an absolutely wonderful Christmas gift.
On Christmas morning, I was delighted to find this book under the tree. In fact, since then, every time I glance at the book, I feel excited. The book is about a decade old already; it was originally published in 2005, but it contains a lot of knitting patterns that could be used and adapted for decorative borders. In this way, it is rather like a stitch dictionary/encyclopedia for edgings. This collection contains over 350 patterns, categorized into the headings of Unique Ribs, Cords, Appliques, Colors, and Nouveau. At the beginning of each of these five sections, a photograph of a sample garment that utilizes these edgings is shown. Within each section, there are photographs showing samples of the knitted borders along with instructions on how to create these edgings. Towards the back of the book, instructions are given for making the photographed garments that were shown at the start of each category. The patterns are for a rib and bobble sweater, a cord and circle scarf, an appliqued rose capelet, a floral wrap, and a coat.
The blurb inside the dust jacket claims that novice knitters as well as experienced knitters will be able to carry out the instructions provided by this book to make these edgings. I would agree that a novice knitter may be able to find a number of patterns that they will be able to use easily, but in my opinion, many of these patterns may be more comfortable for an intermediate knitter. However, a novice knitter might be inspired to try their hand at cabling and intarsia just by viewing all the lovely possibilities. Also, because the book is a stitch dictionary, a knitter will need to play around with a bit of math and gauge so that the patterns can be adapted into whatever projects they will be utilized for.
I love looking at the examples of ribbing, fringes, cording, flora, loops, bobbles, cables, ruffles, flaps, intarsia, lace, and shapes. I am floored by the ideas that the author has come up with. The book is a source of inspiration for making unique creations, and that's what excites me. This is a book that I am glad to have as part of my reference library.
Saturday 24 January 2015
Sunday 18 January 2015
Review: Her Stolen Past by Lynette Eason
Her Stolen Past is a Love Inspired Suspense novel written by Lynette Eason. The novel is about Sonya Daniels, a hospice nurse who has a mystery to solve. While going through the personal effects of her late mother's home, she finds a birth certificate for a baby who had been kidnapped but never found. Brandon Hayes is a police detective who also works as an investigator for Finding the Lost, a private agency. He is hired by Sonya to find Heather Bradley. As Sonya and Brandon attempt to uncover the mystery of the missing child, their lives are endangered, and it becomes obvious that someone doesn't want Heather Bradley to be found.
Sonya, the daughter of a pastor and his wife, has her reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the Heather. Without finding out the truth, there will be a cloud of uncertainty over her family's past.
Having his life threatened has made Brandon more determined to discover why someone wants to keep Heather Bradley hidden. However, the more time he spends with Sonya, the more he falls in love with her, even though he knows that it is unprofessional to get into a relationship with a client. He's also gun shy about getting into a relationship with a woman since he was previously burned by his ex-fiancée. There's something about Sonya that makes him reconsider his thoughts about women, though, and he becomes interested in the idea of developing something with her, if only they can keep themselves safe from the deadly danger that results from their search for Heather.
In the past, I've found Lynette Eason's books enjoyable to read. This one was definitely filled with suspense and mystery. This novel also tossed in the issue of forgiveness; Brandon's character needed to come to a place where he could forgive the people who had hurt him in the past. The discussion of forgiveness by the characters and the resolution seemed a bit stilted and sudden, but I think that it may be due to the constraints of the smaller size of this kind of novel as compared to ones that are longer. Brandon's forgiveness of the people who hurt him took place over two months, but only over five pages in the book. I think that a longer novel would have given the forgiveness storyline a bit more developmental room to feel more natural. As it is, I'm pleased to read about a spiritual issue in addition to the suspenseful storyline.
Besides the tackling of a spiritual topic in this novel, I felt that there was something else different about Her Stolen Past as compared to other Love Inspired novels that the author had written. The first few chapters really drew me in with the mystery and plot development of the story because it starts off with a bang; Sonya is in danger of getting shot by a sniper. The danger continues in the book, but after a few chapters in, something changed in the writing style, although the pacing continued to move quickly. I'm still trying to decide if it was just a reflection of the character of Brandon with his aloof, no-nonsense, keep-to-the-point speech that gave a simpler and plainer feel to the story telling, or if the cause was due to something else.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the rest of novel; it kept my interest right to the very end. I loved the character of Sonya; she was a strong woman who stayed true to her faith in the Lord in spite of the tumult that was brought into her life because of her search for answers. I also liked that she stuck to her principles, even though it meant sacrificing the possibility of a relationship with Brandon.
Her Stolen Past is the final installment of Lynette Eason's "Family Reunion" Series.
Sonya, the daughter of a pastor and his wife, has her reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the Heather. Without finding out the truth, there will be a cloud of uncertainty over her family's past.
Having his life threatened has made Brandon more determined to discover why someone wants to keep Heather Bradley hidden. However, the more time he spends with Sonya, the more he falls in love with her, even though he knows that it is unprofessional to get into a relationship with a client. He's also gun shy about getting into a relationship with a woman since he was previously burned by his ex-fiancée. There's something about Sonya that makes him reconsider his thoughts about women, though, and he becomes interested in the idea of developing something with her, if only they can keep themselves safe from the deadly danger that results from their search for Heather.
In the past, I've found Lynette Eason's books enjoyable to read. This one was definitely filled with suspense and mystery. This novel also tossed in the issue of forgiveness; Brandon's character needed to come to a place where he could forgive the people who had hurt him in the past. The discussion of forgiveness by the characters and the resolution seemed a bit stilted and sudden, but I think that it may be due to the constraints of the smaller size of this kind of novel as compared to ones that are longer. Brandon's forgiveness of the people who hurt him took place over two months, but only over five pages in the book. I think that a longer novel would have given the forgiveness storyline a bit more developmental room to feel more natural. As it is, I'm pleased to read about a spiritual issue in addition to the suspenseful storyline.
Besides the tackling of a spiritual topic in this novel, I felt that there was something else different about Her Stolen Past as compared to other Love Inspired novels that the author had written. The first few chapters really drew me in with the mystery and plot development of the story because it starts off with a bang; Sonya is in danger of getting shot by a sniper. The danger continues in the book, but after a few chapters in, something changed in the writing style, although the pacing continued to move quickly. I'm still trying to decide if it was just a reflection of the character of Brandon with his aloof, no-nonsense, keep-to-the-point speech that gave a simpler and plainer feel to the story telling, or if the cause was due to something else.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the rest of novel; it kept my interest right to the very end. I loved the character of Sonya; she was a strong woman who stayed true to her faith in the Lord in spite of the tumult that was brought into her life because of her search for answers. I also liked that she stuck to her principles, even though it meant sacrificing the possibility of a relationship with Brandon.
Her Stolen Past is the final installment of Lynette Eason's "Family Reunion" Series.
Sunday 11 January 2015
Review: Snowbound with the Baronet by Deborah Hale
In the regency, Snowbound with the Baronet, by Deborah Hale, Lady Cassandra Whitney and her friend, Mrs. Davis, are travelling by public stagecoach during a snowstorm to Noughtly Hall, home of the Viscountess of Moresly, who is Cassandra's aunt. Even though Cassandra is the daughter of a duke, her father's death has left his widow, Cassandra's step-mother, and his four daughters dependent upon the graces of his heir, Lord Highworth. Cassandra has taken matters into her own hands and makes an agreement with Aunt Augusta, the viscountess, that she will become the viscountess' companion, in exchange for a Season for her youngest sister, Evelina, and for a housekeeper's position for Mrs. Davis.
On their travels, they come across a carriage which has thrown a wheel, and are forced to take on the passengers from the carriage. These passengers include Sir Brandon Calvert, his cousin, Imogene, and their accompanying staff. The ride becomes quite awkward for Lady Cassandra and Sir Brandon, because they share a past. Four years ago, he had proposed marriage to her, but she refused him in the belief that her refusal would protect him. He believes that she played him for a fool, because she had given him the false hope of being accepted. He can forgive her for refusing him because he could understand their differences in station (he is the aforementioned baronet in the title of the book), but not for the way that she toyed with his feelings into making him believe that he had a chance to win her.
Because of the increasing severity of the snowstorm, the roads are no longer passable. The travelers are forced to take refuge at the farm belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, who extend their hospitality to virtual strangers. Being forced to spend time with each other in such close quarters causes Cassandra and Brandon to realize that they still have unresolved feelings for each other; however, Brandon is reluctant to put his heart out there again after getting burned by Cassandra once before, and Cassandra is too proud to reveal to Brandon the real reasons for her refusal in the past. Brandon also has secrets of his own which he is too proud to reveal, and even though he becomes increasingly aware that he wishes to rekindle his relationship with Cassandra, his own past warps his ability to trust Cassandra and take a chance on a future with her. Cassandra, for her part, still must wrestle with her pride and concern for her reputation instead of risking humiliation which could possibly help her regain a future with Brandon.
As mentioned above, the issue of pride appears many times in this story. It is because of pride and a drive for independence from the new duke that propels Cassandra to become her aunt's companion. It is hinted by Viola, Cassandra's oldest sister, that pride led Cassandra to refuse marriage to Brandon the first time. Cassandra finally acknowledges the truth of this later on in the story, and although she humbles herself enough to admit the reasons for her refusal to Brandon, her pride rears up its ugly head again when she refuses to reveal the reason why she is travelling to her aunt's residence. She does not wish to be thought of as a gold digger, especially after she discovers the nature of Brandon's secrets. This leaves Brandon to imagine the worst of circumstances that might require her to travel away from the safety of her own immediate family; he thinks that she might be in an Interesting Condition (i.e. with child).
I thought that the plot and central conflict for this novel were well planned out. I could appreciate the complex reasons why the characters were too proud and afraid to reveal embarrassing and shameful secrets about their own families. However, as a reader, because I was privy to what the hero and heroine were thinking, I felt like giving them a couple of good shakes to get over their pride if they wanted the other person's love.
Also, I appreciated that this novel was clean; only kisses were present. I thought that the description of the first kiss that Brandon gave Cassandra in this book was satisfying to read. I would classify this novel as secular, although there is a short prayer made to the Lord at the Twelfth Night meal.
Deborah Hale has previously written other regencies for the Love Inspired Historical line, which includes the Glass Slipper Brides, a series about a group of childhood school friends who all eventually became governesses. Snowbound with the Baronet is the first in a series about the Whitney Family. There will be future stories about the rest of the females in the Whitney family, including Cassandra's three sisters and step-mother.
On their travels, they come across a carriage which has thrown a wheel, and are forced to take on the passengers from the carriage. These passengers include Sir Brandon Calvert, his cousin, Imogene, and their accompanying staff. The ride becomes quite awkward for Lady Cassandra and Sir Brandon, because they share a past. Four years ago, he had proposed marriage to her, but she refused him in the belief that her refusal would protect him. He believes that she played him for a fool, because she had given him the false hope of being accepted. He can forgive her for refusing him because he could understand their differences in station (he is the aforementioned baronet in the title of the book), but not for the way that she toyed with his feelings into making him believe that he had a chance to win her.
Because of the increasing severity of the snowstorm, the roads are no longer passable. The travelers are forced to take refuge at the farm belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, who extend their hospitality to virtual strangers. Being forced to spend time with each other in such close quarters causes Cassandra and Brandon to realize that they still have unresolved feelings for each other; however, Brandon is reluctant to put his heart out there again after getting burned by Cassandra once before, and Cassandra is too proud to reveal to Brandon the real reasons for her refusal in the past. Brandon also has secrets of his own which he is too proud to reveal, and even though he becomes increasingly aware that he wishes to rekindle his relationship with Cassandra, his own past warps his ability to trust Cassandra and take a chance on a future with her. Cassandra, for her part, still must wrestle with her pride and concern for her reputation instead of risking humiliation which could possibly help her regain a future with Brandon.
As mentioned above, the issue of pride appears many times in this story. It is because of pride and a drive for independence from the new duke that propels Cassandra to become her aunt's companion. It is hinted by Viola, Cassandra's oldest sister, that pride led Cassandra to refuse marriage to Brandon the first time. Cassandra finally acknowledges the truth of this later on in the story, and although she humbles herself enough to admit the reasons for her refusal to Brandon, her pride rears up its ugly head again when she refuses to reveal the reason why she is travelling to her aunt's residence. She does not wish to be thought of as a gold digger, especially after she discovers the nature of Brandon's secrets. This leaves Brandon to imagine the worst of circumstances that might require her to travel away from the safety of her own immediate family; he thinks that she might be in an Interesting Condition (i.e. with child).
I thought that the plot and central conflict for this novel were well planned out. I could appreciate the complex reasons why the characters were too proud and afraid to reveal embarrassing and shameful secrets about their own families. However, as a reader, because I was privy to what the hero and heroine were thinking, I felt like giving them a couple of good shakes to get over their pride if they wanted the other person's love.
Also, I appreciated that this novel was clean; only kisses were present. I thought that the description of the first kiss that Brandon gave Cassandra in this book was satisfying to read. I would classify this novel as secular, although there is a short prayer made to the Lord at the Twelfth Night meal.
Deborah Hale has previously written other regencies for the Love Inspired Historical line, which includes the Glass Slipper Brides, a series about a group of childhood school friends who all eventually became governesses. Snowbound with the Baronet is the first in a series about the Whitney Family. There will be future stories about the rest of the females in the Whitney family, including Cassandra's three sisters and step-mother.
Sunday 4 January 2015
Review: Dubiosity by Christy Barritt
Dubiosity. Definition: doubt, uncertainty.
It is also the name of Christy Barritt's novel which is published by Waterfall Press.
Savannah Harris is an ex-investigative journalist and ex-pastor's wife who is presently working as a textbook editor. She is filled with doubt in many areas of her life because of the tragedy that resulted from digging too deeply into secrets that certain people wanted to keep hidden. As a result, she lost her baby daughter, her husband, her journalistic fervor, and her faith. Now a childless widow, her investigative abilities are called upon again when a dying migrant farm worker requests her presence at his deathbed and tells her that her that he was murdered. He utters the name of a prominent business man, the owner of a local farm, but without any explanation before he passes on. Savannah cannot believe her ears and is reluctant to look into the matter. However, with the disappearance of three more migrant workers and the mysterious attack upon the migrant workers' advocate, Marti, who happens to be Savannah's best friend, Savannah can no longer ignore that something illegal and dangerous is happening to the migrant workers at the farm where they work. It becomes more apparent that the threat is real when Savannah discovers flattened pennies in locations connected to the migrant workers who have died or disappeared, and then in the presence of her own home.
Clive Miller is doing a little bit of investigating of his own at the farm. He is Savannah's new boarder, staying at the carriage house on her property while he tries to discover who murdered his wife six years before in the Cape Thomas area. He has a tight timeline; he has other obligations that require him to be elsewhere in a short while, and there is also the danger that people will find out who he really is before he gets the information that he wants. When Savannah is threatened in her home, Clive offers his help. Their attraction to each other grows as they spend time with each other, both helping each other in investigating the happenings at the farm. However, Clive is a believer and Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence of God since He allowed such horrible tragedy into her life. She still feels guilty about her past actions which led to the deaths of her husband and child. Clive, on the other hand, must keep his motives for finding out who murdered his wife as a means of redemption, rather than for revenge and retribution.
The stakes are raised when their adversary explodes Savannah's car, in an effort to deter her from continuing on with her investigations. The murderer of Clive's wife leaves behind a necklace to convey the message that someone knows who Clive really is, and also to gloat about her murder. Savannah finds out Clive's true identity. Will she be able to figure out who is responsible for the deaths, kidnappings, and attacks in the Cape Thomas area? Is it Clive? Is it the farm owner? Is it one of the migrant workers? Or is it someone else entirely?
"Dubiosity," is an apt title for this book. Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence and goodness of God. She is doubtful about whether she can use her journalistic gifts for good since it had resulted in so much pain and death for her personally. She is doubtful about whether or not the migrant worker's death was murder. She is doubtful about whether the farm owner could be guilty because she perceives him to be a good man. She is doubtful about Clive once she finds out who he really is, even though she has been able to get a good gauge of his character after spending time with him.
However, Savannah does come to a place of restored faith in God, when she finds that she can rely only on Him to get her out of the danger that she is in. She confesses that though she had believed in His existence before, she did not have a relationship with Him and that she finally wanted to be His disciple, using her gifts for God instead of using them for other reasons, purposes, or idols. In this spirit, I found that the Scripture that is inscribed at the start of the book to be totally appropriate. It reads: Stop doubting and believe. - John 20:27. This is necessary for Savannah to break through in her struggle with the Lord, and also in how she sees herself, her talents, and her future. She needs to believe in the existence and goodness of God. She also needs to see that without God, she can do nothing (see John 15:5). For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Dubiosity captured my attention from beginning to end. As the novel unfolded, I was able to cross a few candidates off from the "Guilty" list, but I still went back and forth for a while. There is a number of characters that I have not mentioned in this review who were possibilities as the mastermind behind the dark activities in Cape Thomas. I was pretty much kept in the dark until the end, and even then, because of what happened, I was unsure until the heroine was able to wrangle the confession out of the guilty party. This was a great romantic suspense story that I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to read.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Dubiosity" from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
It is also the name of Christy Barritt's novel which is published by Waterfall Press.
Savannah Harris is an ex-investigative journalist and ex-pastor's wife who is presently working as a textbook editor. She is filled with doubt in many areas of her life because of the tragedy that resulted from digging too deeply into secrets that certain people wanted to keep hidden. As a result, she lost her baby daughter, her husband, her journalistic fervor, and her faith. Now a childless widow, her investigative abilities are called upon again when a dying migrant farm worker requests her presence at his deathbed and tells her that her that he was murdered. He utters the name of a prominent business man, the owner of a local farm, but without any explanation before he passes on. Savannah cannot believe her ears and is reluctant to look into the matter. However, with the disappearance of three more migrant workers and the mysterious attack upon the migrant workers' advocate, Marti, who happens to be Savannah's best friend, Savannah can no longer ignore that something illegal and dangerous is happening to the migrant workers at the farm where they work. It becomes more apparent that the threat is real when Savannah discovers flattened pennies in locations connected to the migrant workers who have died or disappeared, and then in the presence of her own home.
Clive Miller is doing a little bit of investigating of his own at the farm. He is Savannah's new boarder, staying at the carriage house on her property while he tries to discover who murdered his wife six years before in the Cape Thomas area. He has a tight timeline; he has other obligations that require him to be elsewhere in a short while, and there is also the danger that people will find out who he really is before he gets the information that he wants. When Savannah is threatened in her home, Clive offers his help. Their attraction to each other grows as they spend time with each other, both helping each other in investigating the happenings at the farm. However, Clive is a believer and Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence of God since He allowed such horrible tragedy into her life. She still feels guilty about her past actions which led to the deaths of her husband and child. Clive, on the other hand, must keep his motives for finding out who murdered his wife as a means of redemption, rather than for revenge and retribution.
The stakes are raised when their adversary explodes Savannah's car, in an effort to deter her from continuing on with her investigations. The murderer of Clive's wife leaves behind a necklace to convey the message that someone knows who Clive really is, and also to gloat about her murder. Savannah finds out Clive's true identity. Will she be able to figure out who is responsible for the deaths, kidnappings, and attacks in the Cape Thomas area? Is it Clive? Is it the farm owner? Is it one of the migrant workers? Or is it someone else entirely?
"Dubiosity," is an apt title for this book. Savannah is filled with doubt about the existence and goodness of God. She is doubtful about whether she can use her journalistic gifts for good since it had resulted in so much pain and death for her personally. She is doubtful about whether or not the migrant worker's death was murder. She is doubtful about whether the farm owner could be guilty because she perceives him to be a good man. She is doubtful about Clive once she finds out who he really is, even though she has been able to get a good gauge of his character after spending time with him.
However, Savannah does come to a place of restored faith in God, when she finds that she can rely only on Him to get her out of the danger that she is in. She confesses that though she had believed in His existence before, she did not have a relationship with Him and that she finally wanted to be His disciple, using her gifts for God instead of using them for other reasons, purposes, or idols. In this spirit, I found that the Scripture that is inscribed at the start of the book to be totally appropriate. It reads: Stop doubting and believe. - John 20:27. This is necessary for Savannah to break through in her struggle with the Lord, and also in how she sees herself, her talents, and her future. She needs to believe in the existence and goodness of God. She also needs to see that without God, she can do nothing (see John 15:5). For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Dubiosity captured my attention from beginning to end. As the novel unfolded, I was able to cross a few candidates off from the "Guilty" list, but I still went back and forth for a while. There is a number of characters that I have not mentioned in this review who were possibilities as the mastermind behind the dark activities in Cape Thomas. I was pretty much kept in the dark until the end, and even then, because of what happened, I was unsure until the heroine was able to wrangle the confession out of the guilty party. This was a great romantic suspense story that I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to read.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Dubiosity" from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
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