Ferradiddledumday

by Becky Mushko

Cedar Creek Publishing, January 2010

$7.00

Becky Mushko is my favorite local writer.  Several years ago I reviewed some of her earlier books for another project, and I've been keeping up with her through her blog.  She is witty and clever and has a lively sense of humor.  Many of her books are historical in nature and read like fictional biographies of people in our area.  Becky captures the sense of place that runs deep in the hearts of mountain people.

Ferradiddledumday is my favorite of her books so far.  An Appalachian retelling of the fairy tale favorite Rumplestiltskin, Ferrradiddledumday is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on a subsistence farm sometime in the past.  Gillie, the young heroine, must come up with a way to help her father save the farm.  When she's approached by a magical little stranger, she agrees to his terms when he says he can help her because she just can't imagine ever leaving her beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain home.

Becky makes capturing the flavor and ancient magic of the Blue Ridge seem easy in her flowing prose.  Walking in the woods in these old mountains on a silent summer day, it's easy to imagine that a fairy might lurk in the deep shadows of a laurel thicket, or something unknown might be watching from a tumble of rocks.  Ferrradiddledumday's descriptions portray those feelings and set the scene for a magic tale that is timeless.  Although this is an original book, the style is very much in the tradition of mountain storytelling such as The Jack Tales.  There are few things more important to mountain people than a sense of story.

I also loved the illustrations by Bruce Rae.  They are beautiful and convey the sense of the story and the mountains.  I was particularly charmed by the illustrations that include the spinning wheel that Gillie uses.  It is a Great Wheel, sometimes called a wool wheel, with a spindle (if Becky ever does Sleeping Beauty this is the wheel she would use) rather than a flyer.  This would have been the wheel used in this area at a certain point in time for spinning wool, and the fact that it is shown outdoors or in an outbuilding while used is also correct.  Mountain houses were small back in the day, with little room for a large spinning wheel.  In many cases an entire room of the house could be dedicated to the wheel or loom.  While some people used a flax wheel for spinning wool, it makes sense that Gillie would have had a Great Wheel.

I love this book and hope to entice the author to allow me to sell it here at my shop.  So watch for an update that shows a link if she agrees!

Spin Off, Winter 2009

Interweave Press, Publisher

$7.99

When rumors flew around a few years ago that Spin-Off Magazine was changing, I cringed inwardly.  I didn't discover this amazing resource until relatively late in my spinning life, and I really didn't want to see it "messed up" in favor of new fashions and slickness.  To my relief my fears were ungrounded; Spin-Off just keeps getting better and better.

This issue is a good one not only for the great spinning techniques highlighted but also for some great patters that any knitter would love (where's the crochet, y'all?).  The techniques are fun as well as a good way to stretch your spinning expertise.  Spinning thick and thin yarns on purpose along with a cool art yarn that is made with coils will certainly add to your repertoire, and there is a really good article about drafting techniques.  I didn't know there were seven ways to draft!  There's a book excerpt from Respect the Spindle by Abby Franquemont, a travel piece, a highlight of Polwarth fabric, and several other good articles.

But the PATTERNS!  The nice thing about Spin-Off patterns is that they're geared for handspun, and spinning techniques and information are included along with the pattern.  The Oatmeal Cardigan by Amy King is a must-do, and I've fallen completely in love with Debbie Grale's Feather and Fan Cowl.  Just ordered some roving just for this project!  The Tahoe hat by Jill Smith-Mott is a great way to use small amounts of handspun and looks to be an attractive finished object. 

Once again the staff of Spin-Off have done a great job.  Check the web site for more great information and resources, free patterns and more.

Buy this magazine now at Greenberry House!

Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts Special Issue

2009

Interweave Press, Publisher, 2009

$14.99

The long anticipated Holiday Gifts issue has arrived at Greenberry House, and it certainly is not a disappointment!  57 beautiful projects to feast on, with lots of nice articles and helpful hints, along with some nice reviews of wonderful yarns and books. 

My favorite patterns in this issue were the two headbands, "Cable ad Bobble Headband by Carrie Bostick Hoge and the Ladybug Headband by Katy Ryan.  For a quick and impressive gift I can't think what would be better, unless it might be the Doubled Chullo by Kenny Chua or the Quicksilver Bag by Norah Gaughan.  Then there is the pattern for the Wine and Roses Mitts by JoLene Treace or the Tilted Slouch Hat by Katya Frankel.  And don't forget the entire section entitled "Holiday Home" with patterns for bowls, jar covers, bags and even Christmas ornaments.    There are also some toys for the young and the young at heart.

This is only a small selection of the many patterns offered in this big magazine!  As always, the Holiday Gifts issue is special and well worth taking home for gift making all year!

Buy this magazine now at Greenberry House!

Time is a River

 by Mary Alice Monroe

Pocket Books

2008

Sandra Buckery recommended that I read this book, so I was delighted when I found it in an independent bookstore, Coffee Buy the Book, in Pulaski this summer.  I tucked it into my shopping bag along with some nice local fiber and looked forward to reading the story and spinning the wool this winter.

I haven't spun the wool yet, but something about the cover of this book made me pick it up long before I intended.  As it turns out, this is more of a summertime read, featuring such subjects as Asheville, small town life, friendship and fly fishing.  Especially fly fishing.  The central character, Mia Landon, finds herself in a situation all too familiar to a lot of women.  She comes home from a weekend away that was meant to help her cope with the fact that she was recovering from breast cancer.  Walking into her lovely home in Charleston she is shattered to discover her husband in bed with another woman.  She flees back to the North Carolina mountains, where she discovers a place to hide in an old cabin belonging to the woman who had taught her to fly fish as part of a program for cancer survivors.  As Mia struggles with her husband's infidelity and her vulnerability, she discovers that the cabin has a story that at first mystifies her and then becomes part of her recovery.

This is a timely novel with some deep themes that most women can embrace.  Almost everyone knows at least one breast cancer survivor and can understand the stress that illness and change can bring to a marriage.  The setting is appealing, of course, and I can picture Mia fishing out on Laurel Fork creek as easily as I can down in Asheville.  The theme of a woman recreating her life is one that we all share at some point in our lives.  Mia discovers the truth about herself as she learns the truth about the past. It was time to be someone different, or perhaps to be who Mia really was meant to be. 

I think we all reach that point in our lives, when we look around and say to ourselves, "OK, is this really what I want out of life?"  Sometimes an outer turmoil or huge change focuses our attention on trying to find out who we are and what we really need or want from our lives.  Sometimes it's just a growing knowledge, somewhere inside, that things just aren't right.  It takes courage and strength to face the challenges of change and growth, but Mia Landon shows the way, following in the footsteps of strong women that have traveled that road before. 

Interweave Knits Weekend Special Issue

2009

Interweave Press, Publisher, 2009

$7.99

This magazine came into the shop this week, and I was a little surprised to see it.  I don't remember a "Weekend" issue from Interweave Knits before.  So, intrigued, I took a copy home to look it over.  Although I found the layout a little confusing at first and very different from Interweave Knits usual look, I quickly figured out they plan and started finding the patterns very interesting. \\

The first thing that I noticed about the magazine after I realized how the patterns were arranged was that there were several nice items for men and children, along with some good simple sweaters for women.  When I was a little girl I would have loved the Ruffles and Feathers Breeches (we'd have said "britches" here in the mountains) and I really like the look of the Reversible Come and Go Sweater by Deborah Newton.  Wooly Toes is a pair of delightful striped socks by Chrissy Gardner.  In speaking of children's clothes, there's a little article with some links about sizing clothing for children.  And there's a nice article about teaching children to knit.

Baby's don't get ignored, with a sweet little boy-style sweater called Dax's jacket by Katie Himmelberg and there's another comfortable sweater for women called the Gooseberry Cardigan by Hannah Fettig.  Comfort and easy seem to be the theme of this issue, with patterns fro towels, an apron, some nice hats, a pillow, and even a cat bed made with some very thick alpaca yarn (we happen to have some similar yarn in stock at Greenberry House!)

The sweater for men I liked the most was the Hero Pullover by Ann Budd.  She seems to be one of my favorite designers, because I started the Seine Scarf by Ann that is in this issue for a shop sample.  Lace again, me?  I also like the look of the Nimbus Cardigan by Annie Modesitt.  Lace and a hood!

There are still more wraps, more sweaters, more things for children (check out the cute Whirligig shrug by Stephanie Japel), some simple color work hat and mittens, and a selection of patterns from the staff Interweave Knits which will be available on-line. 

The subtitle of this issue is "28 Knits to Live in" and I think you'll find something for everyone in Interweave Knits, Weekend.  So delve into your stash or visit your local yarn shop...soon those long winter weekends will be keeping us inside to knit!

Single Crochet for Beginners

by Cindy Crandall-Frazier

Krause Publications, Publisher

$22.99.  A very beginner friendly book that takes one stitch, the single crochet, and teaches how to alter the fabric made from this simple and most practical stitch.  A very interesting section on crochet hooks reveals the very different styles available, and why a reader might prefer a hook with a more pointed head, for example, as opposed to a blunt one.  Still another interesting section features the technique for working back and forth in the round to create a fabric that can match an article worked flat in the usual back and forth stitchery of crochet.  More than thirty projects are included, with step-by-step instructions, and there is a quick facts guide to color and fiber to help with future projects.

I have been crocheting for more years than I care to remember, but I found several new hints and techniques in this book, even though it is geared toward the beginning crocheter.  I also had the pleasure of meeting the author recently and admire her enthusiasm for crochet and look forward to seeing more of her and her work!

Crochet Me!

The Thirteenth Tale

 

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

 

It has been quite awhile since I've been inspired to write a book review, but this lovely gothic piece, first by this author, certainly deserves some attention.  I was immediately lost in the wonder of this story.

 

This is the story of two women, both reclusive in their own ways,  who are brought together by story.  The story of the older woman, a powerful writer who as hidden the details of her life from the world.  Now she wants to tell the truth, to a young woman who has no idea that she, too, has a story.

As a Southerner, I know the importance of story, and I deeply identified with the power of this idea.  The novel is well-written, captivating and elusive as the heroine weaves the threads of the story together.  Along the way she discovers  the power of her own story and the ability of the story to change the world.  Throughout the novel plays a haunting atmosphere of musty bookstores, ancient libraries and the wonder of the word.

 

I was a tiny bit disappointed in the ending, although I really didn't expect how everything would play out.  Things were maybe a little too tidily wrapped up, but all and all this is a lovely book, well worth curling up with in the big old chair on a rainy, cold or snow day.  

 

 

Island at the Center of the World

 

 

The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto

Random House, 2004

 

 

 

When a very intelligent, perceptive gentleman of good local family recommended this book, I immediately put in an order for it. There's nothing that appeals to me more than local history, and this is local history on only a slightly broader scale.

 

The Dutch settlement of the colony of New Amsterdam is a little known facet of American history. Recent discovery and translation of the many documents produced by that colony has shed a new light on this early settlement, revealing the vibrant beginnings of a city known for its vigor and unique character.

 

The story soon comes down to the conflict between two strong-willed and powerful men. Adriaen van der Donck, a young lawyer and historian with a vision for the future of New Amsterdam and Peter Stuyvesant, governor and representative of the company that owned the colony clash over the rights of the colonists and the government of the new world. As the story of their political manipulations and struggles continues, the reader soon realizes that New Amsterdam's rowdy active seaport was the true mother of New York. Many aspects of Dutch culture and attitude continued after the English took over the colony and were assimilated into the New World.

 

The notions of freedom for the individual, an entirely new concept to European minds, originated, so Shorto claims with justification, in the fertile grounds of Dutch thought and education. In a Europe struggling with war and ignorance, the Dutch institutes of learning offered refuge for some of the finest minds of the era. Adriaen van der Donck and his generation were strongly influenced by Dutch thought and culture, and through them a new idea ranged through North America.

 

Shorto's book is fast paced and entertaining, featuring a broad ranging look at the well-known, not so well-known and obscure inhabitants of the island that became Manhattan. Reading this book gave me a new perception of colonial history and I can recommend it to anyone interested in the smaller and bigger pictures of the growth of America.

 

 

Cane River

 

Cane River by Lalita Tademy
Warner Books, 2001


I come from two long lines of strong women. They survived the hard life of settling in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, the pain and loss of childbirth, disease, economic hardship, the Depression, the helplessness of dealing with alcoholism and many other tragedies and difficulties of life. But none of them, to my knowledge, had to suffer the indignities of slavery. LalitaTademy's book, Cane River, tells in fictional form the stories of four generations of the women in her family.

The story, focusing on the women that raised children, mostly by white men, in rural Louisiana during the years before the Civil War and into the 1930s, brings home the true tragedies of slavery. The first woman of the family to come to Cane River was Elizabeth, torn from her two children in Virginia and shipped South, still a slave with no control over her fate or the fates of her children. Generation after generation struggle with the truth of being of dark skin in the South, as her daughters and granddaughters bear children to white plantation owners against their will, finally using the desires of these white men against them to better the lives of their children.

The great tragedy for me in this book was that these wonderful women, each beautiful and strong, was unable to realize the glory of their color. Being dark was a burden, and lightening the skin of the next generation became an unacknowledged goal for Suzette, Philomene and Emily as they fought for security in white society for their children. Being able to "pass" as white made life easier, but the resentment that built up in the community against the white men who lived openly and acknowledged their children by these black women shattered lives. Tademy's search for her heritage began in a resentment against the attitudes of the earlier generation against dark skin. What she discovered was that each generation dealt with prejudice and hardship in the only way they knew, and her respect for these women and their difficult choices becomes a wonderful story of their lives.

Although this is fiction, there is a lot of truth in this portrayal. The story doesn't end with a "happy ever after", and it sometimes seems to me that the struggle is still as hard as ever. It's long past time that we learned lessons from our tragic history.

 

 

Eat, Pray, Love

 

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert, Penguin Books, 2006.

A friend loaned me this book to read, and after two pages I had to go out and buy a copy for myself. I have a feeling that this paperback will become frayed and tattered before I grow tired of it. I only wish I had been able to read this book when I was in my early thirties instead of in my late forties.

 

 

After a catastrophic divorce, Liz starts a spiritual journey that is special because the reader can relate to the adventure, told with humor and honesty. It was mostly about eating in Italy, with wonderful, sensual descriptions of the food and the experience of learning Italian. Gilbert makes the language sounds as delicious as the food. Then it was on to India, where prayer and meditation, and the struggles really began. Finally, in Bali, everything came together and it becomes clear that Gilbert has learned what it takes to live a life of understanding and love.

 

Throughout the journey Gilbert meets wonderful people who care for her and teach her as she grows. It reminds me of my own life journey, full of beautiful minds and hearts that keep me on my path.

Elizabeth Gilbert has a wonderful web site that tells more about the book and her life. I plan to buy a few more copies of Eat, Pray, Love to give to friends, especially younger women!

 

Edited to add:

 

I was mentioned in a USA Today review of this book! Somewhat thrilling!

 

 

 

Hissy Fit and Savannah Blues

 

 

 

 

Hissy Fit and Savannah Blues, by Mary Kay Andrews, Perennial, 2005 and 2003

The first time I knew anything about a Mary Kay Andrews book was when I was traveling all the time and getting Books-on-Tape out of the library. I loved the ones by Southern writers, especially women. On a long drive that usually started at four in the morning, these witty books read by a Southern voice kept me awake and alert and laughing.

Savannah Blues was one of the audio books I borrowed from the Patrick County Library, and I laughed aloud most of the way up the state of Virginia on my drive. Andrews is witty, with some hilarious and believable characters that deal with mystery, mayhem and murder with class and Southern flair. When Mom passed her copies of the books along to me, it was like meeting an old friend. The main character of Savannah Blues, Eloise Foley, is a picker, an antique dealer that cruises flea markets, yard sales and estate sales for treasures to turn into cash. She also wears vintage clothes and lives in a carriage house in Savannah. She struggles to make a living and has troubles with her ex who lives in the house she lovingly remodeled. Somehow I could seriously identify with this character!

Hissy Fit is also about an independent business woman, this time an interior decorator. Keeley Murdock throws a real Southern hissy fit when she discovers her groom-to-be in a compromising position with her best friend and maid of honor the night before the wedding. Her fit makes history in the town and angers the snobby family of her groom. They try to run her out of business but Keeley saves the day and the town, with the help of the new owner of the local bra factory and her classy aunt that knows where all the bodies are buried.

These books may not be great literature but they are entertaining and fun. I've ordered Little Bitty Lies and I'm checking out other titles by Mary Kay Andrews. Mary Kay has a blog at her web site with an entertaining first post about her next book and cruising estate sales!

         

 

 

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This page was last updated December 18, 2009 .  Copyright 2008 by Leslie R. Shelor.

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