Book Round-Up

Smart Baseball By Keith Law: How could I resist a book about baseball stats that quotes heavily from the Simpsons? Law's book about good and bad stats (or "smart" and "smrt" stats) is informative and engaging, particularly when his exasperation with certain concepts (the clutch hitter, win/loss ratio) generates some really funny writing.


Buttoned Up by Kylie Logan: This appears to be the last one in the series, although the ending suggests Logan originally intended more. In any case, it wasn't the best. Although the concept of art incorporating Vudon and buttons was quite fascinating, and Logan made a point of presenting Vudon accurately, there seemed to be no acknowledgement of the cultural appropriation issues that would absolutely have been a big deal in the real world. Also, the romantic conflict was kind of dumb.

Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris: As always, Ferris's latest was super enjoyable. This particular mystery was unusual and clever, and the new characters were interesting.

Gabriel Finley and the Lord of Air and Darkness by George Hagen: A fun, fun book. The magical Brooklyn Hagen has created is a delight, and the series deserves to be as popular as the Harry Potter series.

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding: One of the perks of my job is the occasional free book. This one is about E. Forbes Smiley, a rare map dealer who shocked the book world when he got caught stealing millions in maps from libraries. Smiley ultimately decided not to cooperate with Blanding on the book, so we don't get as much insight into why he did what he did as I would have liked. And I didn't need quite so much detail about the publication of maps. But still, a good read.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff: the first installment of a series on the 19th century adventures of a daredevil young woman, the story was fun and the art was cute but there wasn't a whole lot to it. Because the point of view is that of the Turkish Lieutenant, Delilah Dirk remains somewhat of a cipher.

Snow Falling by Jane Gloriana Villanueva*: Jane the Virgin is an absolutely delightful show, so of course when the fictional Jane's novel was published in the real world I had to buy it. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as delightful. It simply retells the story of the first two seasons, but set in Miami in 1902.  The novel suffers from trying to hit every plot point from the show, and would have benefited from shaking up the narrative. Or better yet, leaning into the historical setting. The characters were far too anachronistic to be credible.

*really Caridad Piñeiro.

Holiday Round-Up

Simply Crochet no. 63 came with a kit to make a festive llama.  I was skeptical of the color combination at first, but by the end I found it adorable:

There was a small problem with the kit, though -- not enough yarn, even though I used the smallest recommended hook.  I had to improvise on the ears, hair, and tail, using the scraps left over from the other body parts.

The llama wasn't the only crocheting I did. Back in November, I made the Granny Ripple tree skirt from Annie's Trim the Tree 2017 issue.

It's not quite big enough to go around our tree stand, so I may add another motif or two next year.

There was a lot of yarn left over. In addition to adding to the skirt, I am knitting a scarf for Beadboy2 (slow going) and I crocheted a couple of simple ornaments:

For the Three Kings Day party I threw, I made some simple beaded stars to give to the guests:

Finally, some stitching. Once everything else was made, I had the time to stitch a couple of ornaments for myself. Mmmcrafts's Partridge and Pear (LOVE the series):

And from the 2017 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments issue, the 2017 Christmas Bauble by Patricia Ann Designs:

Who's Who in Hell by Robert Chalmers

If you read the blurbs on the cover, you'd think Chalmers's debut novel was a biting satire of publishing and modern life.  It is that, in part, but that's really not the point of the story. Daniel makes a living as an obituary writer, writing not only anticipatory obituaries to have on hand (an actual practice by newspapers) but satirical obituaries too truthful and cutting to see the light of day. That, in turn, inspires him to begin the titular book, a collection of obituaries of horrible criminals and human monsters.

But while Chalmers pokes plenty of fun at the newspaper industry, the obituaries are just one piece in the larger theme of mortality and how we cope with it. The central story is really Daniel's and Laura's relationship.  This could have so easily gone wrong -- Daniel's your standard ordinary guy trying to get by, and Laura at first threatens to be the Manic Pixie Dream Girl that pulls Daniel out of his slump. But Chalmers smartly develops Laura's character, giving her a personality, relationships independent of Daniel, and her own struggle reconciling life and death.  This makes the heartbreaking ending all the more poignant; the last few chapters gutted me.

I'm not sure I would have read this book had I known what it was really about. But I'm glad I did, because Chalmers depiction of a relationship both conventional and unconventional was honest and moving.

Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine

Alameddine's novel is a gorgeous feat of storytelling, weaving together Bible stories, folklore, fairy tales, mythology, and history, with a framing story set in Lebanon in 2003. Osama al-Kharrat is a middle-aged American returning to his home country to keep vigil at his father's bedside, along with all his siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends. Osama's grandfather was a hakawati -- a professional storyteller -- and Osama has inherited his love of tales. As he waits for the inevitable he tells us stories, not just of his own family but of his country and culture.  Alameddine's writing shines here. Stories are nested within stories, beginnings begin in unexpected areas, and the endings never really come. The language is by turns flowery, poetic, earthy, factual, ironic, and just plain funny. Easter eggs abound, such as the evil wizard King Kade, master of light. The result is a vibrant, lush, colorful patchwork that belies the stereotypes Americans have about the Middle East.

Alameddine depicts a pre-war Beirut that was once considered the Paris of the East. Europeans and Arabs, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Druze were neighbors, friends, and lovers.  The characters we meet value food, poetry, music, and above all family. Alameddine only glancingly depicts the civil war and the havoc it wreaked on the country, but I found it heartbreaking.  And infuriating -- the fact that a handful of politicians and extremists can can so affect a populace that just wants to live its life is a depressing, all too common occurrence.

Fortunately, the realities of life are just a small element of the book. What matters is the story.