Books At Bedtime

Sue, over at Frugal In Suffolk [great blog, full of good pictures and interesting posts] always posts a picture of the stack of books she collects each month from her mobile library van. She chooses a diverse selection of fiction and non-fiction. Often I find she mentions a book I already know and love – or one I haven’t heard about, but her reviews usually whet my appetite. I thought I’d follow suit and post a picture of the half dozen I picked out last week here in Dorset - plus one Bob chose, but I like too.

Marie Claire “Easy” – a bit of a disappointment to be honest [I usually like MC stuff] It purports to be recipes which are ‘perfect when you want light, fresh food’ and each page has the recipe on one side, and full colour photo on the other. But it is hardly innovative. Recipes for boiled eggs [‘serve with buttered toast soldiers’] and potato mash [‘serve with grilled sausages’]aren’t what I expect in a book like this! *

The Little Book Of Dorset -  this is one of Bob’s selection, but I keep dipping into it. It is full of fascinating information about my new county. ****

The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid. I enjoy her Wire in the Blood novels. This is a stand-alone, not part of that series. It interested me for the first half – but then I felt the plot went beyond the realms of believability, and the end was, quite frankly, daft! **

Save with Jamie. The TV series two years ago didn’t do much for me, but the book has a lot more in it. I may try out some of the recipes before it goes back to the Library. Some interesting twists on classics, and quite a few economy tips****

Knitting Off The Axis I thought this might be like Elizabeth Zimmerman’s BSJ but it is far more ‘off the wall’ than that. Fifteen patterns [12 for women, 3 for men] each knitted “sideways, or in another non-traditional direction” [?] Lovely textural fabrics, and gorgeous shapes and drapes - but too many bell-shaped cuffs, which I find a little impractical to wear [they tend to drag in the soup] Good to look at, but I’d be unlikely to want to actually knit one.***

Little Crochet - modern designs for babies and toddlers. Clear instructions using stitch abbreviations and symbol diagrams [it is in US terminology but with UK conversion chart] Yarns are suggested, but helpfully, the yardages also given. Many of the patterns are manageable even for newbie hookers like me. Toys and blankets as well as garment patterns****

Kaffe Fassett’s Quilts En Provence – a riot of colour from the sunny Californian artist, whose work I have admired for over 40 years [ ‘Kaffe’ is so much more exotic than his given name, Frank!] KF and 8 other quilters have produced 20 fantastic quilts, photographed against the red and ochre backdrop of Roussillon, an ancient Provençal town. Reading this really makes me want to create another quilt myself, even though I know I have neither the time, nor the finance for any of the ones in the book [however the instructions are so well written, I am sure I could manage it!] *****

I’m off to London tomorrow, as I have WWDP stuff on Monday and Tuesday. I shall just pack my Kindle, and travel with a Trollope!