Saturday, January 23, 2021

A Much-Delayed Book Round-Up: Christmas Edition

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony: This comic novel deals with the fall-out from a disastrous holiday party, interspersed with the matriarch's annual holiday letters. The wacky hijinks were a bit much for me, but the characters were absolutely endearing, and the reveal about the holiday letters was quite touching.

Unstable Felicity by Cat Hodge: King Lear by way of Hallmark. Really. Jill, a successful accountant in Los Angeles, returns to her small town to save the family inn from the handsome developer intent on buying it. But this novella includes all the questionable decisions and messy emotions TV movies leave out, making it much more satisfying. 

A Literary Christmas by the British Library: an anthology of poems, essays, and excerpts from stories, all with a Christmas theme. The book is organized into different sections such as Christmas Eve and the Nativity, making it easy to select according to one's mood. I didn't finish it all this year, but I look forward to reading more.

Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner: a winter fairy tale that combines Christina Rossetti's "The Goblin Market," Jewish folklore, and the all-too-real history of pogroms in the Ukraine. I liked the story very much, but the protagonist's incessant worrying and low self-esteem became wearying. As did her refusal to actually talk to anyone who could help.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

My Annual Last Day of Christmas Round-Up

 "Blue Christmas" by Blackwork Journey, from 2020's Ornaments mag:

"Black Cat in a Santa Hat" by the Stitcherhood, from the 2015 Ornaments mag:

 

I'm not finished with Primitive Needle's "Primitive Angel" (2009 Ornaments mag), but I hope to do so soon. I will likely omit the year above the angel to make this more likely.

 

This garland was supposed to get done before Christmas, but the white felt balls I ordered were delayed. I've alternated them with wooden balls, some painted gold.

 

I finished the last of the beaded snowflake patterns from Fusion Beads; I changed the colors to make this one look like pinecones. 

 

I love love love the look of these mason jars, and I may keep them up for a long while. I painted the walnuts gold last year, inspired by Hiddensee; the orange slices are the latest batch I made (dried in a very low oven for a very long time). Next fall I will gather more pinecones in different sizes.

I was busy!