OK, well I had a whole review posted, which got deleted without posting... sigh... let's try that one again.

I picked up this book for free, as I happen to be a newish/beginner canner/pickler/preserver, and I'm definitely obsessed. I have been getting my hands on every book on the subject that I can.

This is such an interesting, historical look at how canning has evolved over the years. Some things are much the same as we do it today, and other methods are much, much different.

It's not a beginner book, and I wouldn't take this book without a big grain of salt, as preserving methods have come a long way.

I have such mixed feelings about this book.

I love the mix/blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopia. I love the world and character building. But the character I fell in love with right away dies, leaving me wishing things were different, each and every page.

Darrow, the main character, is such a great mix of good and bad, hard and soft, you can't help rooting for him even as horror, carnage, pain, suffering, friendship, etc. all surround him.

I loved the first 20% or so of the book, which I read in about an instant because I was so engrossed in it.

That was all the good stuff - now the reason for the mixed feelings.

I just couldn't get into the book after that first 20% or so. I loved, loved, loved the setting and the characters and the events that all happened in that first part of the book, and the rest of it - eh. Not so much. I just couldn't bring myself to care about everything that happened to Darrow for the rest of the book.

There's sections where the action happens fast and furious and I think to myself that I'm finally really enjoying the book again, and then the pace changes and I was, just, quite simply, bored.

The ending however, is simply fabulous. Even though half the book I really didn't enjoy, the ending had a couple of twists and it makes me want to read the rest of the series.

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book received from netgalley in exchange for my honest review

I read this book right after I read "Dark and Stormy Knit". I always read these types of books, being a big knitter, but these types of books are always just too cutesy and happy and perfect for me.

That being said, this is one of the better knitting fiction books out there that I've read. The pacing is good, you can get into the characters, the storyline moves along at a decent pace. I'm not terribly in love with any of the characters, and I'm not terribly upset when the book ends, either. It's a quick read, great for whiling away a couple of hours (or in my case, read on quick work breaks). Molly's character drove me batty for most of the book, she was just way too weak willed (and immature) for her age, and it did make it difficult to really get into the book.


I received a review copy from netgalley for free in exchange for my honest review

A simple little, beginner sewing book, complete with templates and full color photographs. The book has a variety of projects and filled with ideas for items to make for your home. It's designed for beginner sewers (like me), but unfortunately, most of the projects aren't anything I would actually make, as they are a little too cutesy and a little too, well, plain.

That being said, it's a great book for beginners who want to learn to sew for the home (which to me is easier because you don't have to worry about fit issues like you would in making, say, a dress).

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received a review copy for free from netgalley

I believe this is my first book about Anne of Neville & Richard the III, or at least, the first with them as major characters. I only know the briefest amounts of history from this period, so I can't attest to the historical accuracy of the book (though I doubt it's accurate; I do enjoy Gregory's book, but they are always way more fiction than fact). I do believe Gregory did what she wanted to do with this book: she got me interested in enough to read more about them, and my to-be-read pile has grown in size, again.

So, the book - I enjoyed it. I haven't read this series in order, but the book reads fine as a stand alone (and I normally HATE reading out of order with a passion & refuse to do it).

I've been long told to read this series, so I finally got around to it. I was pretty disappointed.

I did finish it, but I struggled to finish it & just couldn't get into the characters, the storyline, or the VA universe. It's well written, I just couldn't get into it. I'm not sure it's Mead's fault; just there was so much hype about how good this series was supposed to be, that it was never going to live up to its reputation.

When I requested this book from netgalley (free, in exchange for my honest review), I didn't realize that this was just a sampler. They are now selling the same sampler on amazon - a good idea if you want to make just one of the afghans from the book, that happen to be in the sampler: Fish Ripples (a baby blanket which can be easily upsized), Marrakesh (with embroidery), and Serpentine (which is not to my taste because of the ruffles, but because it's made in sections, a lot of people will like this one).

All afghans in the sampler - and I assume in the larger, full size book as well - are made out of Comfort (comfort afghans - get it?), a machine washable, soft, acrylic / nylon yarn.

I'm a beginner sewer (more of a wannabe sewer than an actual sewer) and so I requested this book to read and review from netgalley because the word "workshop" led me to believe that this would be a book on learning how to design and sew the perfect bag. I knew there'd be a variety of projects for all skill levels, but still thought it would be suitable for a beginner sewer.

It's not.

The projects use materials such as leather, and involve way too much work and too many steps, for this beginner sewer. The bags, for the most part, are not my style - they are more professional than my life calls for. Yes, choice of materials can dress a bag up and down, but that only changes things so much, and a dressy bag made in a more casual material is just going to look stupid.

This book was an absolutely fascinating read, though not quite what I was expecting.

Nordahl clearly is screaming at us, the average citizen, to change how we get our food from the farms to our tables. Yes, I mean that literally; Nordahl is so passionate on the subject (which is a good thing) that I felt he was yelling at me, and as he often repeats his point over and over again, I felt as if he was lecturing me for all the evil food practices I apparantly am a part of, and that I was so stupid for not knowing any better. I know he doesn't mean it that way; I just felt he could have toned down his narrative a bit, but he definitely gets his point across. I still give the book 3 stars, however, because he is so passionate about the subject and did open my eyes up even more on the subject, a passion that I do share (one of the reasons I started my own garden three years ago, and am part of a CSA / buy from farmer's markets / do my own canning, etc.)

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I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review & was not paid for my review.