Books for April

My book journey continues on. I’ve knocked out 5 more books in my journey to read 100 books this year. I’m still terribly behind but I’ve finished 18 so far and I feel quite accomplished. You can follow my progress through Goodreads. There is also a status meter in the sidebar. I would love to connect with you all and see what reading goals you are setting for yourself. Below are the titles that I have tackled during the month of April.

All book links provided (in the sidebar) are from Amazon where I am an affiliate, but please support the book seller of your choice.





I listened to the Audible version of this book and I cannot speak highly enough of it. Joshilyn really knows how to tell a story and I appreciate that her "southerness" comes across as genuine and not manufactured. This was also read by the author and that in itself was delightful. I will be reading/listening to other titles by Ms. Jackson and can not wait to see what else she has put into the world. I already have two in my Audible library ready to be heard. I highly recommend this title in print and/or audio.



I had the pleasure of meeting this author/blogger at Blissdom 2012. Since deciding to combine my life with that of another, I have been on a journey of pairing down and simplifying. I refuse to believe that he and I can’t comfortably share the two bedroom home I have cultivated as a single girl. I want a good life that is lived within limits that are comfortable but not wasteful. This book has been helpful in helping me make some decisions about how we as a family will use our space. I have yet to do the 10 day clear out/cleaning process that she suggests but it is definitely in my future. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to live better without living bigger.

This was quite an interesting little book. It was written back in 1968. Some of the information is now outdated, particularly in terms of laws and public perception but it still is a good read. The author wrote this so boys and parents could more easily approach the subject of sex, but I would not want to read this as a parent and I wouldn’t want my child to read it. Well, I would think twice about both. But there are things here that all parents should know so I will be passing this on to friends with a son. We’ll see what they think of it. I almost hate to part with it. The copy I have is a very early edition and the only book I own that I can say was actually printed on a press and not using more modern printing processes. It’s quite lovely being able to feel the print on the page. I think I’m more of a physical book lover than I knew.




Thank God this book is a quick read. It was interesting and completely boring at the same time. The author brings up some interesting points about fidelity, infidelity an relationships, but he never expounds on anything. This book is nothing more than a collection of single thoughts that may hit you in passing, but there are no full discussions. Because of this, I think the book falls short of being anything more than a book of quotations on monogamy. Unless you need a good quote, skip this book.




I listened to this book as an audio selection. That is such a mistake. I like Dave Ramsey but I’m convinced he has no inside voice. His intensity is high octane all the time and that can get exhausting when listening to someone for three hours. But, he believes in what he speaks and I believe it as well. So many people have become debt free following his message which is based on biblical principles and one day I hope the future hubby and I can say the same. I highly recommend you read this book, but please buy a paper copy and skip the audio…unless you like being yelled at for hours at a time.

Darn!

After accomplishing the grand feat of cleaning and organizing my stash, I was ready to get back to knitting and crocheting. I do love my fiber crafts and I use them to keep me calm in the stressful times and there is nothing more stressful than unemployment and a slow job search. But before allowing myself to dive into the stash to pick out a new project or even allowing myself to pick up an in-process project, I had to revisit my growing pile of socks that need darning of some kind. Darn!



I took a darning class about 3 years ago at Stitches South and I had yet to actually use the skills that I had learned. And with the variety of fixes that need to be made, I’m probably going to put everything I learned to the test. I pulled out some gray wool to mend with. This yarn is felt-able, which is key to the process.The pink socks are the very first pair of socks that I knit and they have done nothing but get softer and warmer over time. I know it’s not really possible to get warmer, but cut my nostalgic heart a little slack. These are my favorites. The others are not as special when all is said and done, but I do love having hand knit socks and I’m not willing to sacrifice any of them--at least not yet.



The two pair above were easy to fix. Using a darning egg and a lot of patience, they are mended and back in rotation. The holes on the pink socks are clearly products of wear as I have lovingly worn these socks for years. That other pair is a mystery to me. I just finished these socks a few months ago. As a matter of fact, I blogged their finishing here. I doubt I was able to wear these three times before a hole sprouted on the side of the foot. The side! I am going to completely blame this on the yarn and not on my construction abilities. That’s the version of the story that I’m sticking to, you will not change my mind.



Now, this sock is a little different. The hole itself is easy enough to fix, but there is a problem. I machine wash all of my socks. This is not a problem for most of the sock yarns on the market so don’t let this keep you from machine washing your own. But, please make sure you are careful with what you washed your socks with. This pair inadvertently got washed with a really fuzzy set of bath towels that I absolutely hate. That fuzz has worked its way into the lacy pattern of the sock and made the cuff section of the sock incredibly stiff. The result is that I would have to stretch the sock entirely too much to get it over my foot, hence the making of the hole. Really, I should probably find another use for these socks--I thought about making them into fingerless gloves but they are such cute socks. Needless to say, I have not made a decision and these will need to go back into consideration for the day when I am a more skilled knitter. The instructor of the darning class I attended would cut the entire cuff section off and knit a new one, but I am not that dedicated to these socks.And then what yarn would I use?



These Noro socks are just as much a mystery to me. Those are actually holes, but areas where the yarn is so thin that it’s easy to be poked through so the area is stretching out. Again, I am not a skilled enough darner to fix these as the yarn is so thin and the areas curving around the toe. It almost seems like poking through the darning yarn will do more damage than good. I’ll have to think on these a little more as well.

So, my darning adventures only led me to getting two pairs off socks back into rotation, but I will consider that good enough to free me into more yarn crafts. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you knitters out there on how you would repair/remake the socks that I am not brave enough to tackle yet. Thoughts?

Why the Kindle Fire Doesn't Work For Me

When tablet fever hit the world, I was interested. But the iPad as the leading device did not and still does not appeal to me. It’s entirely too big and after being an Android user with my cell phone, I see a lot of limitations with the form factor of the Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad software. I was determined to get an Android tablet when they hit the market, but I couldn’t justify the $500+ price point. To justify the purchase I needed to figure out ahead of time exactly what role the tablet would play in my life. I set about trying to decide exactly how I would use it, which really just resulted in it being an extension of the things I could already do on my cell phone. Of course, the bigger screen was a great selling point. I even considered incorporating the tablet into regular use and downgrading to a feature phone.

When the Kindle Fire was announced at $199, I no longer needed the justification. I was okay spending the money to try it out. Fast forward a few months and I hardly ever use the thing. One reason is that Amazon has put Apple-like limitations on the Android software so unless you are comfortable with rooting the device, you were a little stuck until app developers worked around things. One of the best and most useful things to me about Android is the use of widgets on multiple home screens. Amazon only offers you one home screen that displays like a book shelf.

But, I can still get most of the apps that I love on the Kindle and so I could still do all of the things that I like to do on my cell phone. But I find myself not even thinking to pick the thing up. When I’m home, I go for my laptop. When I’m on the go, I go for my cell phone. The Kindle Fire, although a really great device at a really great price point, has no place in my life. And I do have to say when it’s time to read, my go-to device is the e-ink Kindle.

I have to expand this to be inclusive of any tablet. I just don’t have a place for them in my life. Most of the people that I know that use and love tablets so much are people who are not big laptop users or have children that can not be trusted with a laptop. Some of them still have desktop computers at home and so the tablet hits a nice sweet spot for them. That place does not exist in my life. I never thought I would be rejecting a nice little piece of technology, but it is nice to say that I have everything around me that I need.

Maybe in a couple of years when it’s time to update my computer needs will I reconsider using a tablet device. For now, I will be bidding a fond farewell to my Kindle Fire. I have already wiped it and deregistered it and will be selling it on to someone who can find a place for it.

If you are a tablet user, I would love to hear how it is working out for you.