How Can it Be?

It's a good thing I didn't try to be an Olympian. Knitting isn't growing very fast, but it's because I'm out having a life (as Cookie would say). Book club was Monday evening and we discussed a great read. Everyone enjoyed The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and the discussion lead to a deeper understanding of the story. Lacuna, a blank or missing part, was the main theme of the book and while hints were woven throughout the story they were not easily grasped. This is a book can be read again and again. Every time it's read more of the gaps are revealed and your understanding becomes stronger. Do not believe the bad or disappointing reviews. Lacuna is a book you need to spend time and effort to understand and it's so worth the time. 

Before I started this blog I read 50 books, or more, a year. Keeping up with the blog, and other bloggers, took time away from reading. With the purchase of an iPod reading time has increased enormously. I can knit and read, walk and read, work and read, exercise and read, and well, I love this invention. (There is a full spectrum of music on my iPod, but books are the main focus.)

So, today it's back to the blog, a place that's been on my mind all week but, with one thing or another, I've been unable to post. It is hard to write when you're distracted by books, dreary days (no pictures), little knitting growth, and ennui. Sitting in front of the computer just isn't where I want to be.

Anywoo (as Norma would say), Monday is my 6th blogiversary. SIX YEARS! How on earth did that happen? I'm not sure how I feel about blogging for that length of time and, in the last year especially, I've thought of giving it up. But, and it is a big but, loosing track of on-line friends is just not acceptable and their friendship (your friendship) is what keep me here.

So, blogiversary time means prizes and lots of comments, right? Let's show the prizes...

A skein of Malabrigo Sock in a beautiful shade, Eggplant

A Treasure Ball - as you knit  many little surprises will be found inside

2 balls of Sublime Kid Mohair (yummy soft!)

AND

FOUR skeins of Manos Silk Blend

The comments are up to you, but I'd love to know what was the last book you read. Thank you for reading this blog, for being there the last six months, the hardest 6 months of my life, and for your friendship. See you Monday!

Contest ends Sunday at 5:00pm MST.

Comments

[Diane]

Happy Blogiversary Margene! Please don't think of quitting blogging, I'd miss your mountain photos and I need to see how your Year of Blue turns out.

Reading? What's that? The last book(s) I read have all been job-hunting related. But I've got two sitting on my nightstand, one on basket-making (a new interest) and the other: The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake which was voted one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. I'm working my way through the list (can be found on my blog).

[Cyndy C.]

Happy Blogiversary to you. My last book was The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

[Kay]

The last book I read was The True History of Tea, per your recommendation. Before that though, I loved listening to Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese. Highly recommend it!

[Sue J.]

The last book I read was Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I became interested in his novels after devouring The DaVinci Code. I also read The Lovely Bones about the same time. The movie does not do justice to the novel. Happy blogiversary.

[Philippa]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, life and knitting for six years. I admire your strength, not to mention your knitting skills. The last book I read was "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. It is for the book club I belong to and no doubt will provide us with another lively discussion.

[Karen]

Happy Blogiversary Margene!! I'm so glad you're feeling well and here for us to enjoy.
The last book I read was "The Opinionated Knitter". I read it cover to cover twice before I started knitting any of the patterns. I wish more knitting books were written like it.

[woolcat]

I've not been along with you for the whole six years, but for the last year or two I've been a subscriber and love looking at your beautiful knitting!

I've always been a huge reader, but since I now have a four year old I tend to relax more with knitting than reading - I can knit and still pay attention to my daughter whereas when I read I'm in the book's world and time goes differently (just like Narnian time, only I find when I come back to my world MORE time has gone than I realised). The last book I read was by Gabrielle Roy - it was about an old Canadian lady going to visit her long lost brother in California, not being sure whether she'd find him alive or not - very good but I don't remember the title. OK, looked it up: "De quoi t'ennuies-tu, Eveline?" was the title. Don't know whether it's available in English. I also tried to read "La riviere sans repos" (that one is "Windflower" in English) which is a collection of shorter stories about Inuit people. It is very good, but I never finished the last one because it was a bit too sad. Of course now I don't know whether it has a happy ending! I do recommend Gabrielle Roy, though!

[Jean E.]

Happy Blogiversary, and many more! Lately I have been reading the Maggie Sefton series, very light reading, but it gets me through the winter! I have the Lacuna, maybe I will read that next. I have read most of her novels and enjoyed them a lot!

[Kirsty]

Congratulations! I read City of Thieves, which was gripping. I'd recommend it.

[Suzy]

Finished (finally) The Story of French last night, rereading Possession, and there is a mystery in my go-to-work bag (along side my iPod and my sock -- are we alike, or what). Favorite book of the last several months? The Help. Happy Friday! And Happy Blogiversary, my friend! xo

[Wendelene]

I usually go through a couple books a week, sleep is an over-rated commodity.

Yesterday I finished The Red Door by Charles Todd.

[Debbie]

Congratulations! The last book I read was "Sarah's Key". I read the Lacuana in January and I enjoyed every word of it. I am a fast reader, but it took me a month to finish this book. I found that I would read a few pages and then spend time thinking about what I had read. I agree with you, it is a book to read again.

[Angela]

You've done well to stick with blogging for 6 years - I'm sure that after the newness wears off it can be a chore. The last book I read was The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo. And now I'm reading a Phillip Kerr book, March Violets.

[Theresa P.]

Congratulations, Margene, on six great years. Just like a knitting diary, I would think a blog would be a great way to look back at yourself and see how much you've grown and changed.

The last book I read was The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. I really love her mother/daughter relationships. Next up for me is Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

[Carla]

I work in a library so my list of " I want to read" is VERY long- ( good thing it is not a candy store) Anyway I am currently reading M.C.Beaton's Death of a Valentine but next up and waiting on my nightstand is Alexander McCall Smith's La's Orchestra Saves the World-
Happy Blogiversary!

[jill]

Happy Six Year Blogiversary. I just listened to The Devil in the White City. Nonfiction about the building of the Chicago's Worlds Fair in the 1890s. The book follows the lives of two men. The first is the main architect of the fair. The second is the first recorded serial killer in the United States. I was surprised by how interesting I thought both plot lines were.

I also just finished really reading (with my eyes, not my ears) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society. This post WWII story is told in letters and telegrams. This is a very sweet book and a lovely tale to read before falling asleep.

[Susanne]

I have read a couple since I read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. A wonderful book about women in the south in the 50's and 60's and how they treated and interacted with the "help" that was such an everyday part of their lives. Wonderful story about race relations and history. Excellent read...

[Elizabeth]

I'm keeping track of my books this year using goodreads. The last book I just read was Lost in a Good Book which is the second of the Thursday Next books. The book I'm in the middle of listening to is The Golden One, which is one of the Elizabeth Peters books about Amelia Peabody, read by Barbara Rosenblatt, one of my favorite readers.

[Chery]

Margene, I look forward to reading your posts. I'm glad you blog and share your knitting, pictures and more importantly, your life with us. Congratulations on six years! The last book I read was Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods.

[Kym]

Congratulations on six years, Margene! I'm so grateful for your blog-friendship, and only wish we could REALLY sit down to knit and sip tea and talk books together. :-) The last book I read was Elegance of the Hedgehog (which I loved), but the one before that was The Lacuna (which I also loved).

[marianne]

Huge congrats on your upcoming 6 year milestone! So glad you're making it, on so many levels and so many reasons.
My last book, an odd one for me.... Band of Brothers. I was late to the party watching the mini-series but once I got there I was THERE, so I felt compelled to read the book. xox

[Kelly]

coongrats on 6 years Margene!
The last book I read was Ava Comes Home a light but good read with lots of cape breton humour. I just started The Bronze Horseman yesterday though and am already anticipating this to be a good one!

[Wool Winder]

Congratulations on 6 years! I just finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Very enjoyable.

[CindyCindy]

WOW! Congrats, Margene. That is such an accomplishment. I just finished a sweet little mystery called "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn. I am getting ready to start "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" for a book club I was invited to join. There are many many readers in the knitting blog world!

[Val W]

Happy 6th! I enjoy your blog.

Last book I read was Eat, Pray, Love. I had read the reviews when it first came out, but didn't decide to read it until my DIL gave it to me for Christmas. I enjoyed it.

Here's to six more years!