aquatique – Page 57 – mostly about books

Booking Through Thursday – Resolutions 10 Replies

Posted on January 3, 2013 in Books

Any reading resolutions for the new year? Reading more? (Reading less?) Reading better books? Bigger books? More series? More relaxing books?

And hey, feel free to talk about any other resolutions you might have, too … or why you choose NOT to have any. – BTT

I am not really a resolutions kind of girl. I can outline what I want my reading goals to be: more nonfiction, more poetry, more classics, and while I’d like to read more, I always aim to read about the same as I did the year before. All of these are my usual goals and don’t change very much over the years.

How about you?

booking-through-thursday [Top]

WIP Wednesdays: Frogging Paris 2 Replies

Posted on January 2, 2013 in Knitting & Crafting

Happy New Year, everyone!

This past week, I decided to frog one of my handknit cardigans. This is not really an actual WIP, but frogging nearly 1000 yards of sport alpaca yarn is a job of a kind.

I was never really happy with out Paris turned out. I knit a lot items and it’s true that I do not wear some of them at all. I just couldn’t even see myself wearing this cardigan. I also wanted to salvage the yarn which is Susan Andrew Collection Inca Gold Baby Alpaca.

This was my first time completely ripping apart a sweater. I’m already finished ripping it out and putting them into balls. That took quite a number of days, but I had patience and the time for it. I was sick for most of it so I had not much else to do.

Things I learned: with knitting in the round, it’s easier to start from the bind off end. With knitting flat, start at the cast on edge. I learned this the hard way which is why I have so many left over balls. It was inevitable though with my shortrow sleeves that it was never going to be a simple frogging process.

Frogged cardigan

Do you see the edge of a ball in the top right hand corner. This is the sixth ball that I didn’t use in the cardigan by accident. After I ripped the cardigan, I only had 240g. That’s when I realized I never used the sixth skein which was hiding in my yarn box. No wonder I ran out of yarn, but I wouldn’t knit Paris again.

The next step will be winding the balls on the Niddy Noddy. Thank goodness I made one of those; it is finally proving useful these days. After I tie it up, I will wash, tie, and hang the yarn to dry. I will skein them until I am ready to reball them and use them for a future project.

Plans for yarn afterwards: another cardigan or pullover. The main contender is Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier which I will likely lengthen sleeves. But it’s time I do something with positive ease. This is alpaca after all.

Has anyone else been frogging projects?

For more WIP Wednesdays, go to Tami’s Amis.

WIPs, WIPW, wool, yarn [Top]

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant Leave a reply

Posted on January 1, 2013 in Books

I started reading this book in original French while living in France in the summer of 2010. I managed one chapter and then I had to return to the local library. I try to read one French book a year, but it’s more like I read one French every three years. This was the last French book I tried to start and I tried reading it over two years ago! With the Classics Club, I thought I would revisit this classic of French literature.

French is not necessarily an easy language to read and an even harder language to write. I have been lucky that my comprehension in French has always been good since I took immersion as a teenager, but even then, I am not completely fluent in reading in it.

People were telling me that the best way to read in another language is to read books translated into said language, but there are not many books that I want to read in French since many of them are in English or in the older, original French. One of my favourite French authors is Dumas, but I have largely read his books in English though I have reread some of the Count of Monte Cristo in French.

I read much slower in French than in English. I can’t quantify how much slower, but this book in English would have taken me one weekend day. I read the chapters in French then skimmed Project Gutenberg’s translation to verify.

This is a novel about Paris social life in the 19th century. Paris has and always will be an all-consuming place. The protagonist is very poor at the start of the story. Georges Duroy is apparently extremely good looking, charismatic, ambitious, but he also seems to be stupid and easily becomes conceited even at the beginning. It is funny to read in the beginning how transparent the characters and their motivations are. It is very much a critique of Paris life and a political satire. While the story is unique to the setting, a lot of the themes of social climbing, intrigue, and sex are still happening in political circles across the world.

Continue reading →

2012 books, classics, classics club [Top]

Sunday Salon: Flu & Lighting 6 Replies

Posted on December 30, 2012 in Books, Knitting & Crafting

Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a lovely holiday season.

I didn’t post last week because I really didn’t have anything to write about as I spent most of those last two weeks recovering from my sinusitis. But guess what? I got the flu!

The worse of it is over as the fever broke late Friday. I have been very lucky to not have contracted the flu since I was a toddler. I suspected it was the flu because I don’t remember having a fever that intense. There has been a big flu outbreak in my city, and since my immune system had already been recently compromised (welcome new virus!), I was susceptible. It is disappointing because I wanted to go out more this week. Also, for once, I had plans for New Year’s Eve (rare for me) which I had to cancel. Just my lucky to have a whole of 2012 relatively low on illnesses and all shoved into December.

In other news, I read some Bel-Ami on Christmas and will try to read some today when I am more alert. I really want to finish it before the New Year, but I am not sure I will given how slow I read in French.

I also cleaned up an old TV caddy which had VHS tapes (remember those?) so I could shove some of my less read books up there such as my Harry Potter series. My books are breeding at a fast rate. I ordered 4 new cookbooks and 1 knitting book on Boxing Day. This does not include the 2 actual cookbooks I intended to get myself for Christmas. After that, I will stop until next the holidays at least.

I also went Boxing Day shopping at Michaels. This is my third year in a row shopping there. I don’t really like shopping with big crowds, but a big box craft store isn’t as busy as a mall. Not only is the yarn on sale on this day, there is an additional 25% the whole sale including sale items. I stocked up on some Patons Classic Wool.

I also bought an OttLite Craft Lamp which appears to be a recently discontinued model:

OttLite

I’ve read about these lamps on Ravelry, and been doing some research on them. I have a big desk so I actually have two lamps: one regular fluorescent and one halogen. To save energy, I almost never use overhead/ceiling lights. I wanted to replace the fluorescent lamp because it is rather dim and yellow. Lately, I’ve found it tiring to read long periods under fluorescent light at night. The OttLite comes with good reviews: both for knitting and reading. They are also suppose to be very energy efficient.

So far, it’s been working well. I emailed OttLite with a question and they were prompt in replying even for the holidays. While I am not crazy about choosing a white lamp, I like that mine folds in itself so it looks less cluttered when not in use.

The Michaels I went too didn’t have a big selection. The item was on for 50% off that week though. It was between this craft lamp, a very heavy black table lamp, the Tulip (which obviously had been opened and/or returned), floor lamps, and a travel pink light. I think if I like the OttLite enough, I’ll wait until another sale to get a travel version as I can see it great for travel.

Do you have an OttLite or a specific reading/crafting light? Do you like it and which brand and model do you have?

SundaySalon [Top]

FO Friday: 2012 Review 3 Replies

Posted on December 28, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting

Flickr Slide show (does not include all projects done in 2012).

A year end review of the items I made in 2012. This was my sixth year of knitting. I completed 10 projects (worked on 13). Compare that to the 33 I completed in 2011, the 2012 number is very low.

I do still love to knit, but this year, I’ve taken on more hobbies. I’ve gone back to blogging, reading more, played badminton for a bit, tried to spin for a bit too, play the violin again, socialise and much more. All of this means I am spread more thinly in my leisure time, and honestly, that’s alright. I think I knit so much the last couple of years 2010 and 2011 – especially, the big three S’s: sweaters, scarves/shawls, and socks – that I will have enough handknits to last me awhile. I just am more careful about the projects I start, and I don’t feel the need to start projects as quickly after completing them.

The problem is that I still continue to accumulate a lot of yarn. Not as much as when I knit more before, but still a good amount. This year had me joining the Hazel Knits sock club for a couple of months and the occasional yarn purchase. I also took up spinning briefly which means I now have a small spinning stash of fleece and roving.

Here’s a summary and notes of the projects of this year.

Continue reading →

FOs, knitting [Top]

Booking Through Thursday – Favourites 2012 12 Replies

Posted on December 27, 2012 in Books

A deceptively easy question for this week (easy to ask but possibly hard to answer): What are/were your favorite book(s) of the year? (Bonus points if you know how many books you read.) – BTT

As of today, I’ve read 64 books this year. I am in the process of finishing one more. I am going to do a much longer post about the favourites of 2012, but as follows are a couple of highlights from the year: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. There are more, but I’ll make a proper post next week or so about it.

What were your reading favourites of 2012?

booking-through-thursday [Top]

FO Fridays: Tiny Shoes 4 Replies

Posted on December 21, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting

Tiny Shoes

This was a complete and utter stashbuster. I really don’t know of any girl babies, and I just made this since I had the pattern book and the yarn. It turned out a bit meh to be honest even for a knit that took only a couple of hours at most. They are tad big at the ankle. I made a size small, but because of the sport weight yarn, they are actually the large size from the pattern.

Tiny Shoes, started December 4th 2012, finished December 8th 2012.
Pattern: Tiny Shoes by Ysolda Teague from Whimsical Little Knits
Size: 4″/10cm at the sole
Yarn: Leftover Louet Gem Sports Weight in Linen Grey – Love this yarn! It is soft and has a lovely twist.
Needles: 3.0mm/US#2.5 100cm bamboob circulars
Modifications & Notes: Cable Cast on for new stitches. Garter Stitch Kitchener. Made size S, but I had sport yarn. Blocked by washing it, rolling it up, and then stuffing it with plastic wrappers. Storing it stuffed with tissue paper.
Tools/Notions: Two shell buttons.
Cost of Project: Can’t really calculate since I used all leftovers. Maybe the buttons are like 40p each based on the set I got them.
Would I knit it again? No. I’m not sure what it is, but these aren’t that good of booties.
Helpful Links: Garter Stitch Kitchener

Have a good weekend! For more FOs, go to Tami’s Amis.

FOs [Top]

Booking Through Thursday – Present Tense 5 Replies

Posted on December 20, 2012 in Books

Any books you’re particularly hoping to be gifted this year? Any that you’re giving as presents this holiday season? – BTT

Since Christmas isn’t really celebrated by my family, it’s low on gifts. I do like the holiday season. I am getting myself a couple of cookbooks. This seems to be a tradition as I got myself three cookbooks last year. I really should stop as I now have a wee too many cookbooks. As for other books, I have enough unread ones to last for awhile. I like the cookbooks since they are festive in themselves a lot of the time and they celebrate my love of food and glossy books.

What books are in your life this holiday season?

booking-through-thursday [Top]

2013 Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge 4 Replies

Posted on December 19, 2012 in Books

In any attempt to read more nonfiction, I have joined Bookmark to Blog’s 2013 Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge.

I am always trying to read more nonfiction so this challenge should help with that. All my nonfiction book posts are in my nonfiction tag.

Here are the levels:

Geek: 4-6 books in at least 2-3 different categories
Dork: 7-10 books in at least 4-5 different categories
Dweeb: 11- 14 books in at least 6-7 different categories
Nerd: 15+ books in at least 8+ different categories

I really doubt I could be a Nerd or even a Dweeb. I think I manage dork levels every year wherein approximately 10-20% of all the books I read in a year are nonfiction.

Some of my favourite or often read categories: Travel, Food, Crafting, History, Memoirs/Biographies.

Nonfiction Books 2013:

The Beauty of Color by Iman (Health, Beauty)
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (Literature)
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (Autobiography/Memoirs, Food)
The Best American Travel Writing 2012 (Travel)
Paris in Love by Eloisa James (Memoirs, Travel)
Here’s looking at Euclid by Alex Bellos (Math)
Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman (Parenting / Culture)
Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson (Music / Cultural Studies)
America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t by Stephen Colbert (Humor)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Memoirs)
The Best American Travel Writing 2008 edited by Anthony Bourdain (Travel)
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris (Humor)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Humor)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell (Books, Humor)
Cooked by Michael Pollan (Cooking)
The Last Train to Zona Verde by Paul Theroux (Travel)
Through the Children’s Gate by Adam Gopnik (Memoirs)
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (Memoir, Self-Help, Psychology)
Naked by David Sedaris(Memoir, Humour)
Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love by Helen Fisher (Psychology, Anthropology)

Number of Books:
Number of Categories:

Level:

books, nonfiction, reading-challenges [Top]

More Baths Less Talking by Nick Hornby 1 Reply

Posted on December 18, 2012 in Books

The full title of this anthology of personal essays is: More Baths Less Talking: Notes from the Reading Life of a Celebrated Author Locked in Battle with Football, Family, and Time Itself. I previously loved the first two installments, but for some reason, my library does have the third: Shakespeare wrote for Money. In any case, I love this series and wish I could a subscription to The Believer magazine just to read Hornby muse about reading every month.

Hornby is the kind of author you’d like to go to the pub with, but instead of just talking about football, you also talk about novels and interesting works of deeply researched non fiction. Hornby and I seem to share a love of not only literature, but also appreciation for non-fiction works focusing on social history and society. I find he writes quite eloquently about books, but not in a pompous way or in the conventional book critic way. He usually has a good thing to say about any book and we’re the same kind of reviewer. No matter how bad a book is, I try my best to find some silver lining in it and the time I spent with it.

I think Hornby’s series is great for all of us who enjoy reading and want to incorporate it in our lives. He offers experiences that many readers can relate to such as:

“Surely we all occasionally buy books because of a daydream we’re having–a little fantasy abut the people we might turn into one day, when our lives are different quieter, more introspective, and when all the urgent reading, whatever that might be, has been done.” (p 27)

That just explained my whole collection of cookbooks. Not to mention all those Pulitzer/Bookers I buy from book fairs.

I also really like personal essays too so I will keep reading these books as long as Hornby keeps producing the column for the Believer magazine. Recommended if you like reading about reading.

I must note that I was sleep deprived and ill when I read this book so I didn’t have the most concentration, but it was surprisingly light reading even when some of the books he read were not.

Read December 10-11, 2012.

2012 books, nonfiction [Top]

2013 Book to Movie Challenge 2 Replies

Posted on December 17, 2012 in Books, Movies

I am going to participating in the 2013 Book to Movie Challenge hosted by Doing Dewey.

Yes, another 2013 Challenge. I think I’ll take on one more and I’ll be done for the yearly challenges. I think three 2013 challenges will be enough alongside my other ongoing challenges such as Classics Club, Pulitzer, Bookers, etc.

This challenge is a breeze because I already do this naturally! I’m big on adaptations. Also, I’m a bit behind on the movies portion (still need to watch Little Women) and this will prompt me to watch movies and tv mini series much faster after I read the books

For the sake of this challenge, I am counting TV mini-series as movies as well. Often times, I find they are the best forms of adaptations and even longer so even more of a challenge and fun for me to review

The levels of this challenge as follows:

Movie Fan – read 3 books and watch their movies
Movie Devotee – read 6 books and watch their movies
Movie Lover – read 9 books and watch their movies
Movie Aficionado – read 12 books and watch their movies

I am going to aim for Movie Fan or Movie Devotee. I think the latter is more yearly average now.

I will put here the list of all the books to movie challenge entries:

If you’re so inclined, join me in this challenge!

adaptations, reading-challenges [Top]

Sunday Salon: Reading when sick 2 Replies

Posted on December 16, 2012 in Books

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! How is everyone’s holiday season going?

Last week, I mentioned I was a bit sick and I actually got worse so I’ve been doing nothing this whole week. Or more than my usual amount of nothing. I am finally on the mend now.

I managed to read a book this week: More Baths Less Talking by Nick Hornby. I haven’t finished the review though. I was sick when I read it. I was a bit tired and didn’t have the best concentration. It was still good to read though and a good distraction from my congestion. After the book, even though I wanted to read more, I gave up and ended up watching movies and TV in the end. I watched Labyrinth for the first time and loved it.

I will read a bit of today and try to be a bit more productive again. Need to play some fiddle, meditate and get back to the job applications.

What is everyone doing this week?

SundaySalon [Top]

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