A Long-Overdue Christmas Wrap-up

 It's been a tough month.

On the crafting front, I started Sue Spargo's Christmas tree pillow project. I cannot actually afford any of her kits, though, so I worked out of my stash. In the process I changed some motifs and stitches to suit my tastes, such as adding a manger scene because Christmas isn't secular for me, and eliminating most bullion knots because those are the devil's stitch. What I have so far:

I also stitched this freebie from Momentoell. I like the chunky effect she gets by using 6 or even 12 strands of floss. The lovely, soft colors are a nice change of pace, too, from the usual embroidered Christmas tree.

Not much jewelry making happened, but I did remake a bracelet (which apparently I never photographed) with several Christmas-themed charms into a necklace. No point in wearing a bracelet if my wrists are covered up in several layers of long johns and wool sweaters (it's so cold where I work).

 

My middle son gave me a skein of acrylic yarn for Christmas. I love the color, but it is too scratchy to wear so I crocheted a garland. This worked up so fast and fun I made a second with a different yarn.

He also gave me more buttons, so I made a button garland for the tree.

And I finally finished my youngest's quilt: 

On the book front, I read three Christmasy books:

The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson: An enjoyable locked-room mystery, where, amusingly, Dickson had two characters immediately propose the most obvious explanations to accuse each other. John Dickson Carr was name-checked in the locked-room mystery Wake Up Dead Man, too, which was a fun little easter egg.

Snowed In by Catherine Walsh: a cute holiday-themed contemporary romance, related to her previous novel, Holiday Romance. I enjoyed it, but it lacked an effective structure to hang the story on.

Golden Age Christmas Mysteries ed. by Otto Penzler: some of these would better be classified as spy thrillers or adventures, but all were enjoyable. The collection runs the gamut from light-hearted, comedic stories to darker, melancholic ones, so there's something to suit most tastes.

I think that about wraps it up. Aside from the food, cancelled trip, car troubles, pretty snow fall, improv king cake ...

Book Round-Up: Darktober Edition

The Plague Court Murders by Carter Dickson: a locked-room mystery set in a creepy, gothicky house -- perfect for October! It was an enjoyable read, although the dialog was a bit much. Did people really talk like that in the 30s, or was it a literary convention?

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert: A corporate spy with a talent for remote viewing becomes entangled with two sisters who are witches. They weren't very witchy, though, as the novel focused on psychic powers, which was mildly disappointing. Nonetheless, it was entertaining enough, although the fetishization of the wealth of all the main characters got tedious. 

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster: This novel started strong, with each section devoted to a particular woman or two in a paganish, Stars Hollow-like town, but a couple of the later stories left a bad taste in my mouth. Apparently this was meant to be the start of a series, and I definitely would have read more -- I did enjoy most of the characters, and many of the story lines are unfinished in one way or another -- but the author (or the publisher?) changed her mind. As as stand-alone, then, the story might have been served better by integrating all the characters into a single narrative, rather than isolated chapters. 

Hide me Among the Graves by Tim Powers: I can't get enough of his blend of historical and supernatural fiction. This one is a kind of sequel to The Stress of Her Regard (which I have not read), and is about two vampires (a.k.a. the Biblical Nephilim) hunting the citizens of London, from mudlarks, former prostitutes, and veterinarians to the artists Christina and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. An excellent read, with a novel take on vampires.

The King in Yellow and Other Stories by Robert Chambers: The first few stories, quite spooky, have as a linking element a fictional play called The King in Yellow, which purports to induce madness in those who read it. However, the stories gradually transition away from any supernatural element into a more romantic style about artists and bohemians living in New York City and Paris; they were kind of a let-down, to be honest.

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly: Another vampire novel set in London, this time 1907, and it's the first in a series described as "for those who hate the Twilight books." James Asher is a former spy and current Oxford professor hired by a very dangerous vampire to find out who's been killing vampires. It's not as intricate as Powers's book, but very enjoyable.