My 2024 book list

But first, my pretty/peaceful/positive posts to IG/FB from January 3 through today.

Remember that pile of pretty little skeins? They are linking up with some grey homegrown, homespun Shetland to become this!

Haven't seen much color in the eastern sky in awhile! (two photos)

A new Slow Fiber & Fashion project for 2025.

After the grey, muddy weeks we've endured, this is a welcome sight!

Good morning!

The only kind of 'snow' we have, and that's just fine with me.

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For the few who may be interested, here are the titles and authors of the audiobooks I listened to last year, according to Libby. (I decided that typing them out was preferable to sharing the 51 screenshots it took to capture them all!) Like Leigh, I have listed them with no reviews, no links, no pictures of book covers. You will see lots of authors* repeated; if I listened to one and found it intriguing or engaging, I looked for other books by the same author. (If not immediately available, I place them on hold – for which Libby has a limit of six – or tag them with "to listen" – I have over 100 titles so tagged). I love well-done histories, historical novels, and works by and about other cultures (BIPOC, if you will), as these genres have done the most to expand my world view. 

*I have already exhausted all the available works by some of my favorite authors in previous years.

January

Bossypants,  by Tina Fey

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, by David Sedaris

Maybe Someday, by Colleen Hoover

Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham

Bury the Lead, by David Rosenfelt

In a Dog's Heart, by Jennifer Arnold

Sudden Death, by David Rosenfelt

Top Dog, by Maria Goodavage

The World According to Bob, by James Bowen

Play Dead, by David Rosenfelt

Philomena, by Martin Sixsmith

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

Dead Center, by David Rosenfelt

Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks

New Tricks, by David Rosenfelt

Dog Tags, by David Rosenfelt

Leader of the Pack, by David Rosenfelt

One Dog Night, by David Rosenfelt

February

Exile Music, by Jennifer Steil

Maybe Now, by Colleen Hoover

Purgatory Ridge, by William Kent Krueger

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows

A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende

Unleashed, by David Rosenfelt

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

Who Let the Dog Out?, by David Rosenfelt

Lost and Found Cat, by Amy Clarice Shrodes and Doug Kuntz

This Side of Wild, by Gary Paulsen

Nubs, by Major Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery, and Kirby Larson

Balto and the Great Race, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

A Baxter Family Christmas, by Karen Kingsbury

Refugee, by Alan Gratz

Washington Square, by Henry James

The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende

Hounded, by David Rosenfelt

Outfoxed, by David Rosenfelt

Dona Gracia Saved Worlds,  Bonni Goldberg

Bronze Drum, by Phong Nguyen

Archer's Voice, by Mia Sheridan

One Summer in Savannah,  by Terah Shelton Harris

The Keeper of Stories, by Sally Page

The Pecan Man, by Cassie Dandridge Selleck

The Lassie Files, by Nick Pirog

Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin

March

Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon, by Malcolm Gladwell & Bruce Headlam

David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder, by Rebecca Wells

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, by David Rosenfelt

Collared, by David Rosenfelt

Rescued, by David Rosenfelt

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell

Deck the Hounds, by David Rosenfelt

The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, by Shauna Robinson

Bark of Night, by David Rosenfelt

Muzzled, by David Rosenfelt

Twelve Days of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber

Dachshund Through the Snow, by David Rosenfelt

Silent Bite, by David Rosenfelt

The K Team, by David Rosenfelt

Animal Instinct, by David Rosenfelt

Dog Eat Dog, by David Rosenfelt

Best in Snow, by David Rosenfelt

Citizen K-9, by David Rosenfelt

Good Dog, Bad Cop, by David Rosenfelt

Holy Chow, by David Rosenfelt

Santa's Little Yelpers, by David Rosenfelt

April

Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis

A Most Agreeable Murder, by Julia Seales

One Day in December, by Josie Silver

The Longest Ride, by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks

Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks

Three Weeks with My Brother, by Nicholas and Micah Sparks

The Rescue, by Nicholas Sparks

A Bend in the Road, by Nicholas Sparks

Nights in Rodanthe, by Nicholas Sparks

Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook / The Wedding, by Nicholas Sparks

See Me, by Nicholas Sparks

Flop Dead Gorgeous, David Rosenfelt

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, by Jamie Ford

Two by Two, by Nicholas Sparks

True Believer / At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks

May

Pure Joy, by Danielle Steel

Songs of Willow Frost, by Jamie Ford

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

Love and Other Consolation Prizes, by Jamie Ford

Honey ad Spice, by Bolu Babalola

The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks

The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters, by Julie Klam

The Levee, by William Kent Krueger

In the Midst of Winter, by Isabel Allende

The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks

Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabel Allende

Ripper, by Isabel Allende

The Auburn Conference, by Tom Piazza

Marvelous, by Molly Greeley

The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Surgeon's Daughter, by Audrey Blake

This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger

Three Sisters, Three Queens, by Philippa Gregory

Return to Valetto, by Dominic Smith

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, by Dominic Smith

June

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman

Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger

A Long Way from Home, by Peter Carey

Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey

His Illegal Self, by Peter Carey

Amnesia, by Peter Carey

The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen

The Discomfort Zone, by Jonathan Franzen

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas, by David Rosenfelt

Vincent and Theo, by Deborah Heiligman

Point of Retreat, by Colleen Hoover

Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier

A Single Thread, by Tracy Chevalier

At the Edge of the Orchard, by Tracy Chevalier

The Lost Girls of Paris, by Pam Jenoff

News of the World, by Paulette Jiles

Boys in the Trees, by Carly Simon

The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff

Falling Angels, by Tracy Chevalier

My Friend Anne Frank, by Hannah Pick-Goslar and Dina Kraft

City of Thieves, by David Benioff

July

GO AS a RIVER, by Shelley Read

My Dear Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

The Exiles, by Christina Baker Kline

The House Girl, by Tara Conklin

Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro

The Return, by Nicholas Sparks

A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline

The Ninth Hour, by Alice McDermott

The Nineties, by Chuck Klosterman

Cilka's Journey, by Heather Morris

The Heiress, by Molly Greeley

Demelza, by Winston Graham

Clearing in the Wild, by Jane Kirkpatrick

The Daughter's Walk, by Jane Kirkpatrick

Three Sisters, by Heather Morris

The Light in Hidden Places, by Sharon Cameron

August

Simon the Fiddler, by Paulette Jiles

Under the Henfluence, by Tove Danovich

Merle's Door, by Ted Kerasote

Shotgun Lovesongs, by Nickolas Butler

The Captured, by Scott Zesch

Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham

The Speckled Beauty, by Rick Bragg

Where I Come From, by Rick Bragg

My Southern Journey, by Rick Bragg

The Most They Ever Had, by Rick Bragg

The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah

The Fraud, by Zadie Smith

Recitatif, by Toni Morrison

Warleggan, by Winston Graham

Dark Unwinding, by Sharon Cameron

A Spark Unseen, by Sharon Cameron

Hang the Moon, by Jeannette Walls

An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones

The Black Moon, by Winston Graham

The Untelling, by Tayari Jones

Whose Names Are Unknown, by Sanora Babb

Dear Henry, Love Edith, by Becca Kinzer

Pearl in the Sand, by Tessa Afshar

The River We Remember, by William Kent Krueger

September

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John Le Carre

Swing Time, by Zadie Smith

Firekeeper's Daughter, by Angeline Boulley

One Tuesday Morningm by Karen Kingsbury

Sisters Under the Rising Sun, by Heather Morris

The Four Swans, by Winston Graham

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen

At the Water's Edge, by Sara Gruen

Ape House, by Sara Gruen

The Guest List, by Lucy Foley

Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley

Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley

A Dangerous Business, by Jane Smiley

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

Perestroika in Paris, by Jane Smiley

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

A Stranger's Game, by Colleen Coble

Monday Morning Faith, by Lori Copeland

The Christmas Lamp, by Lori Copeland

Strands of Truth, by Colleen Coble

A Study in Scarlet Women, by Sherry Thomas

October

Brown Dog, by Jim Harrison

Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett

The Stranger in the Lifeboat, by Mitch Albom

The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom

The Chinese Siamese Cat, by Amy Tan

Go Tell It On the Mountain, by James Baldwin

The Lemon Tree, by Sandy Tolan

Aftermath, by Terri Blackstock

Emerald Windows, by Terri Blackstock

The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

Dear Life, by Alice Munro

Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly

Sunset Park, by Paul Auster

How Much of These Hills Is Gold, by C Pam Zhang

Edge of Dusk, by Colleen Coble

The Big Tiny, by Dee Williams

November

The Violin Conspiracy, by Brendan Slocumb

The Women, by Kristin Hannah

The Mist, by Ragnar Jonasson

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, by Mitch Albom

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

Truman, by David McCullough

The Johnstown Flood, by David McCullough

The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough

The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah

Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang

Animals Make Us Human, by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson

This Other Eden, by Paul Harding

December

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

The Angry Tide, by Winston Graham

Playing the Game, by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Chenneville, by Paulette Jules

4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster

The Best of Franz Kafka's Short Stories, by Franz Kafka

The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley

Dog Day Afternoon, by David Rosefelt

Runaway, by Alice Munro

See, spending more of my time sitting in an office has its benefits. I had time to type out my reading list, and my Playful scarf has grown considerably:

That's it for now from (and away from) . . .

Another post?!?

Don't ask me why I am suddenly motivated to post more often when my discretionary time is being compressed to a fraction of what it was. Perhaps the main reason is that writing here feels like one of the few outlets I have to vent (although trust me, even here my venting is very constrained due to early training). The more frequent posting may not last, but I'm following the inspiration for now.

Never fear; I did honor my one New Year's Day tradition!

My one New Year's tradition

(not the awkward selfie part)

Here is my Ariya sweater after blocking. Lo and behold, it now has long sleeves! And it is longer in the body, too, for which I am thankful. It bordered on too short before blocking; I'm too old for cropped tops.😝 I might just wear it to church with a skirt on Sabbath.

I started my stripey Advent scarf on New Year's Day. This is definitely a "potato chip knit" – just one more stripe....

When I'm not working on it, it is resting in my Christmas gift from Brian. I told him I needed a row counter and more locking stitch markers; he got those and this adorable project bag, which has a TON of nifty features. I love it!

Speaking of Christmas gifts, I realize I forgot to share my IG/FB photos in the last couple posts. There aren't very many outstanding because I released myself from the pressure of daily posts with everything else that was going on. December 29's IG/FB featured one of my presents from Rick:

My improved sheep stand, additions crafted by my handy husband for Christmas.

The other thing I asked for and received were front floor mats for my car, as the 2009 originals were falling apart. I now have dandy WeatherTech ones.

January 1's IG/FB photos are at the top of this post. Today's follow:

It's been a VERY grey, damp winter so far,

but my pieris is loaded with buds

and my sarcacocca is ready to bloom and perfume.

That's it for today from . . .

A year of big changes

"The only constant is change," 'they' say. Every year brings change, of course, much of it a surprise. But sometimes change looms. large and menacing, in full view. That is 2025, and not just on a national level. On top of losing the clinic's lease at the end of February (no plan for after yet) and the possibility of my getting bilateral knee replacements (I'll know a lot more after my two appointments with surgeons in January), I learned Monday night (after my last blog post) that I am going to be working at Rick's clinic three days a week starting this Friday, as his secretary is only going to work two days a week after today and he doesn't want to post a job opening (don't even ask). That means that for the first time in decades, I'll be working 'off the farm' five days a week. Since there can be a lot of downtime at the clinic, I'll probably be able to continue posting here as well as getting in some spinning and knitting, but things 'on the farm' will surely suffer. There has been no division of labor here; I shoulder all the household and the vast majority of daily animal chores and gardening because Rick is the financial supporter (the third adult living here doesn't contribute . . . much). That will have to change, or some things just won't get done. Taking care of the animals is a given; they depend on me for all their needs and as a good steward, I will not let them down. Everything else is up in the air; let it fall where it will. Know that I do not intend to air much more about that.

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At midnight one of our nearest neighbors set off some big fireworks as well as gunshots. Poppy got a little stressed; she's never before reacted to noise, but I don't think big fireworks have ever been that close. I had gone to bed shortly before, but when she came to the bedroom door and whined, I got up and let her in. She loves to share our bed but hasn't gotten that privilege in a long time because none of us sleep well when she joins us. Last night, however, she didn't disturb either of us; amazing! (Not that we're going to make a habit of co-sleeping with her.)

"Say what? But we spent such a perfect night together!"

My sweater is still drying on the guest bed, so no new photos. I might wear it to church Sabbath. In the meantime, I've been pondering my next knit, the stripey scarf. I think the mini-skeins are in the order I like best now and I've chosen my neutral, so tonight I plan to cast on.

Before the rains starts again I'm going on my traditional New Year's Day horseback ride, then I'll do some cleaning since I won't have time to do that Friday. Doing some baking and cooking up a big kettle of stew would probably be a good idea, too, even though Rick is not a soup fan.

The current state of the shop. Water and power lines run; almost ready for a concrete floor.

Onward and forward into 2025 from . . .

Yarns

This is a post about spinning, knitting – and the kind of yarns made up of words. 😁

As a child I read voraciously, but mostly gave up reading for pleasure when it conflicted too much with adult responsibilities. In the autumn of 2021, a friend suggested the free library app Libby for listening to audiobooks during a long drive. I never took that trip, but did download the app – and discovered a wonderful new way to lose myself in books while still mostly staying productive! Since then, I've listened to 491 books of all kinds, with no end of interesting material in sight.

Leigh recently listed the books in various formats she has 'consumed' this year and I thought, "What a good idea for a post!" Then I looked at my timeline on Libby and quailed; I've listened to at least 10 to as many as 27 books a month in 2024. That's a LOT of titles and authors to type for you, unless you are really interested in wading through my long list. Let me know if you are, and I'll do it.

 

I spent much of Sunday with the other kinds of yarns. First, I took photos of my Advent spin mini-skeins and the three main contenders for a neutral to alternate with colorful stripes. I posted a poll in the Advent spin thread on Ravelry; please feel free weigh in in the comments.

The pattern I plan to use is Playful and the photos below show the beautiful results of one in our Ravelry group who knit as she spun to finish this two days after she opened the last fiber snack.

As you can see, she knit each snack in order. Since she didn't want to run out of a color mid-stripe, she has small amounts left over. I want to use up ALL of each color, so I've arranged my mini-skeins into as much of a gradient as possible.

After that I got to work on Ariya, which I was determined to finish before New Year's Day. I knit to the end of my yarn on sleeve #2. Then I picked out my woven-in end on sleeve #1, laboriously undid the tubular BO, and tinked back five rounds on sleeve #1 so I could add three rounds to sleeve #2, evening out the length of the sleeves. I bound off one sleeve last night, and the next this morning. Woot!

I tried it on after my shower:

Now to give it a bath and hand-block it. Excited to see the transformation of the yoke and cuffs!

That's it for now from . . .