Another List I Need to Make

I still haven't decided which knitting projects to take to the beach with me! Admittedly, I do have two weeks to decide in between now and then, but a little planning can't hurt.

So far, my list consists of:

1. My Omelet shawl (I like to think it'll be done by then, but I doubt it.
2. An Orchid Thief Shawl
3. My Robot Love-in-progress mittens
4. Another pair of mittens or gloves.
5. The next iteration of the sideways scarf.

It'll vary depending on how much I get done in between now and then. Hmmmmm.

Book Review: The Ask by Sam Lipsyte

I hated this book so profoundly I'm not even going to bother writing anything about it. If you like reading about slacker, narcissistic artist-types who think the world should pay homage to their Great Genius while doing no work and blaming each and every one of the women in their lives for their lack of success (and sundry other problems), go for it.

Or I could introduce you to my college boyfriend. Same difference, really. I guess I could be happy that this book reminded me to thank my lucky stars that I dumped that malignant loser almost six years ago, but I could have done without the reminder that the world is full of people who are just like him (or, at least enough of them to where a book detailing their self-induced misery could be reasonably construed as satire or social commentary).

Satire or not (if it's satire, it's very poorly-executed), I couldn't find anything of value in this book. The characters are all thoroughly repellent, I found the narrative execrable in more ways than I can count, and the entire thing was steeped in misogyny. Gross. 1 out of 5 stars, and I need some tequila.

FO: Socks for My Mom

Pattern: Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Color Aktion
Needle: US #2
Finished Size:  Women's 9.5. My mom has big feet. 
Notes: I am thankful for my little feet! 

Vacaaaaaaaation! Reading.

I'm going on vacation in May with Matt, Matt's mom, some of Matt's friends, and some of Matt's friends' moms, and my best friend in the universe. We're going to Folly Beach in South Carolina, and when I'm not dazzling the crowd with my amazing stuffed shells and taking said friend to Fort Sumter to ogle the rednecks and see just how many articles of clothing may be embellished with the stars and bars observe an important part of American History that he has yet to have experienced, I'll be reading. And, probably, blogging about the same.

I think I may use the week as an opportunity to get some of the backlog caught up; at my present schedule of posting a book review every three days, I have a month's worth of entries queued up. Or I may keep it that way and post them all when school and the holidays hit and I have even less free time than I do at present.

My main project, though, will be to fill in the gaps in my reading list. I need to read a books by authors whose last names start with J, K, N, P, Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z. Some of those are going to be more readily achievable than others, of course, but it's worth a shot.

I also need to catch up on the Victorian Literature challenge I'm working my way through. Since all of the books I intend to read are already on my nook, I really have no excuse other than laziness/being unable to slog my way through the boring parts of Vanity Fair, which I've been working on for close to a month now.

I'll post my list once I make my decision.

Book Review: Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery

I wish I could have gotten my hands on a French copy of this novel. I hate reading literature in translation, but given my current hilariously-bad-state-of-finances-imposed book-buying diet, purchasing French editions from Amazon.fr is sort of out of the question. Luckily, the translator did a really good job of preserving French syntax and used a French cognate-laden vocabulary, which helped to take the edge off.

Gourmet Rhapsody depicts the final days of a famous food critic, who is kind of an awful person. He's managed to alienate most of his family at some point or other (with the notable exception of the cat), and all of his family, whose narratives are interspersed with his, must wrestle with his effects on their lives and negotiate how they're going to cope with his death. Meanwhile, the critic digs through his memories, searching for the final, elusive flavor that he must experience before he dies.

I can see why Muriel Barbery has become so popular. Her writing style is effervescent and refreshing, providing the reader with tons of detail without becoming bogged down in endless side narratives of description. Moreover, she is able to transition cleanly and cogently from one viewpoint to the next without jarring the reader. This is quite difficult to execute; a number of otherwise good books I have read have fallen prey to this. Most importantly, though, is her ability to render even the most irascible and complicated characters into something sympathetic, even lovable. I'm really looking forward to reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

Lovely. Want to read it in French. 5 out of 5 stars.