2012 Authors A-Z

 

It is time to officially close off the 2012 reading year. I just turned the final page of 'Blackrobe' and since I won't have time to start and complete another book by the end of the year it is time to recap.

2012 has been a wonderful reading year. At the outset I promised myself to touch all the letters of the alphabet during the year. That was truly a fun journey as there were times I read books by authors I would never have considered otherwise. Q, X & Y were actually the most difficult to find but were certainly worthwhile.

At the beginning of 2012 my friend Brenda & I decided to RAL some children's books. This was such fun and if you haven't read children's books for a while I can highly recommend you pick up some old faithfuls in 2013. In case you're interested I've highlighted our choices for 2012 in red. Brenda and I will continue our journey down memory lane in 2013 with our friend Michelle joining us.

I managed to read 59 books during the year and I know some of you will want to know what my favorites were. 

I loved each and every one of the children's books and can not say enough about rediscovering old friends.

Stephen King's "11/22/63" was my absolute favorite for the year. I dedicated an entire post to it before and haven't changed my mind since.

My second pick would have to be 'Traveling with Pomegranates' by Sue Monk Kidd & her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor. Every mother and daughter should take the time to read this wonderful book. It will open your eyes to see just how special a mother/daughter relationship is.

Jean Baggott's memoir "The Girl on the Wall" is a must read for every woman and every stitcher. The following is part of the overview Barnes & Noble gives of the book. "An extraordinary memoir – told through a hand-sewn tapestry – of a very ordinary English life.  As the clock struck midnight on 31 December 1999, Jean Baggott vowed that from that point on her life would be devoted to the  happiness of ‘the girl on the wall’ – a  1948 photograph taken of Jean when she was eleven, recreated in needlework. Reflecting on her hopes and dreams 60 years on from that photo, Jean stitched a remarkable tapestry looking back on her life and the changing world around her."

I'll leave you with my 2012 list. Who knows, maybe you will find something on it which will appeal to you. 

01 Alcott 'The Inheritance'
02 Baggott 'The Girl on the Wall'
03 Brookner 'Hotel Du Lac'
04 Bryson 'Shakespeare'
05 Carr 'Killing Time'
06 Collins 'The Hunger Games'
07 Collins 'Catching Fire'
08 Collins 'Mockingjay'
09 Dodge 'Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates'
10 Dunn 'Death at Wentwater Court'
11 Erdman 'The Silver Bears'
12 Foer 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'
13 Follett 'Fall of Giants'
14 Ford 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet'
15 Grafton 'V is for Vengeance'
16 Gruber 'The Book of Air and Shadows'
17 Hodgson Burnett 'The Secret Garden'
18 Irving 'A Widow For One Year'
19 Jenkins 'Looking for Alaska'
20 Kidd & Taylor 'Traveling with Pomegranates'
21 King '11/22/63'
22 Lamb 'Henry's Sisters'
23 Lawson 'Let's Pretend This Never Happened'
24 Marillier 'Daughter of the Forest'
25 Marillier 'Son of the Shadows'
26 McCann 'Let the Great World Spin'
27 McCoy Hughes 'The Shadows Move'
28 McEwan 'Saturday'
29 Michener 'Alaska'
30 Montgomery 'Emily of New Moon'
31 Moran 'Nefertiti'
32 Mortman 'The Wild Rose'
33 Norton 'The Borrowers'
34 Orwell '1984'
35 Parton 'Dolly'
36 Peters 'Lion in the Valley'
37 Preston & Child 'Fever Dream'
38 Preston & Child 'Cold Vengeance'
39 Preston & Child 'The Cabinet of Curiosities'
40 Qiu 'Death of a Red Heroine'
41 Rosenberg 'The Twelfth Imam'
42 Shields 'Jane Austen'
43 Spyri 'Heidi'
44 Skelton 'Endymion Spring'
45 Stanwood 'The Memory of Eva Ryker'
46 Thomas 'Our Tragic Universe'
47 Trigiani 'The Shoemaker's Wife'
48 Tucker 'Living in a Foreign Language'
49 Upton 'The Alaska Cruise Handbook'
50 Vanderbilt 'Fortune's Children'
51 Verne 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'
52 Wagler 'Growing Up Amish'
53 Wall 'Blackrobe'
54 Weir 'The Children of Henry VIII'
55 Willig 'The Secret History of the Pink Carnation'
56 Wyss 'The Swiss Family Robinson'
57 Xinran 'Sky Burial'
58 Yancey 'The Highly Effective Detective'
59 Zwaan 'Parnassia'

Merry Christmas 2012

Snow Family Christmas

Snow Family Christmas 

designed by Donna Race for Dimensions

stitched with provided threads on provided 14 count light blue Aida

started 10/26/2009 - completed 11/16/2012

It's hard to believe that Snow Family Christmas is finally finished - about an hour ago as a matter of fact. 

The frame has been ordered so I guess I really should have waited to show it off once the framing is done. Of course I'm so thrilled to have placed the final French knot that I just have to reveal it now.

Hadewych

You may remember in my last post that I had a project which I didn't want to show you yet. That was because I wanted the proud parents to see it before the rest of the world did. Finally........ here it is!

'Welcome Little One'

designed by G. Oliveira for Dimensions

stitched 1/2 and 2/2 on 32 ct antique white Lugana with threads from kit
started May 4, 2012 - completed July 12, 2012

On June 17 (three weeks early) our daughter gave birth to a beautiful, healthy little girl. Hadewych's first name is all her own. It is a lovely old Dutch name which means "strijd vrouw" (female warrior). She was also named after her oma Margaretha (me) and her beppe Rinske (her grandmother on father's side).

In August DH & I flew to The Netherlands to meet our beautiful granddaughter. She is absolutely amazing and the love of all our lives.

Where does the time go?

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is already the last day of July. Where does the time go? It just seems like yesterday that I last posted but now I realize it has been 1 1/2 months.

During my absence I've managed three finishes. The most important one has also been framed but I won't be showing it just yet as I don't want to spoil the fun for the receiver.

What I can show you are:

'Alaska Totem' by Sitka Stitches
stitched on 14 ct Aida with DMC floss from kit
started June 4, 2012 - completed July 15, 2012

While visiting Sitka during our Alaskan cruise this past May we came across a lovely shop on 231 Lincoln Street. This shop sells original Alaskan and Pacific Northwest stitching, quilting and much more.

Alaska has many spectacular totems poles - what can be better than to take an original home!!

'Bethlehem' designed by Diane Arthurs for Imaginating, Inc
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct New Khaki lugana with Splendor silk S872
started December 17, 2011 - completed July 29, 2012

What a wonderful journey it was to stitch 'Bethlehem'. Once I finish stitching the complimentary piece 'Three Kings' I will have them framed together. They let us experience the true meaning of Christmas and will be given a very special place in our home.

That's all for now folks. Take care and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Three days - Two finishes

And here they are!!
On Monday I framed this adorable sampler which I stitched in 2010. I've had the frame forever but it takes me a while to get up the courage for the framing process. I'm happy with the result.

My second finish for the week is Michener's 'Alaska'. What a wonderful book and a great preparation for our upcoming Alaskan cruise.

Do you see two little blue tabs sticking out of the top of the book. I often have that as when I read I like to mark things with a special meaning and then flag them so that I can find them again easily. Do you do that?

Just in case you are just as keen as I am to know what others are reading - I have now started 'Looking for Alaska' by Peter Jenkins.

It's OK.......I guess

Why did I fall in love with this piece when I saw someone else stitching it?

'The Eliza Hills 1856 Sampler' from HandWork Samplers
stitched 1/2 on 28 ct hand dyed (coffee, tea, microwave) evenweave
with Belle Soie silks
started 01/24/2012 - completed 04/22/2012

I was so excited about this piece. I hand dyed the fabric myself and it is much darker and warmer IRL. The Belle Soie silks are lovely to the touch yet there was something about them that made them OK but not great to stitch with.

Complain, complain, complain. I do love the saying and at least I have another piece for my sampler wall. :)

No complains about my next finish in progress. The colors are vibrant and the picture lovely. Will post an update on that soon.