Stitching Update and Books

My apologies to you all for the long blog entry. Skim, if you want. I just have a need to share books and stitching today.

Here is a picture of my latest part on our Quaker Friendship Sampler RR. This one is Sharyn R.'s piece. You can see my stitching on the lower right-hand side. The two large medallions and the tiny one & initials. It's feeling kind of sad that our group is drawing to a close. But, we've decided to make our next project in Jan.: "The Hunt." My camera is soooo off in this picture. Sharyn's fabric is really a vintage coffee color and her thread is an oxblood red hand-dyed color!

Below is the last picture I've seen of my own piece of Quaker Friendship RR so far. I'm so excited to see it in whole when it comes home in December! Didn't everyone do a great job!?

I chose these different pastel and crayon colors,(more pink in the last parts!).

Am I the last to know that Amazon.com has DVDs/movies on demand for $1.99, which you can download onto your computer for several week intervals? I quick like a bunny got my first one today: Middlemarch, by George Eliot. I've seen it before, but I love it. There's always something you missed the first and second times. :] You can also download the movies (and tv shows, BTW) to your portable DVD and MP3 players. Perfect for me. I don't know why I'm just finding this out!!!

I love this DVD movie of Gaskell's, "Wives and Daughters." She is an amazing author and this made to a movie piece is so beautiful. If you like Jane Austen's and Henry James's books made as movies, I think you'll like this one. Dame Judith Dench never gives us a wrong portrayal, but you'll also love these other characters. Same beautiful clothes, settings and landscape to charm...

I'm a huge Anthony Trollope fan. Have you read any of his novels? In this movie you will meet a fabulous cast of characters, you'll find love, humor and angst and delight. There are breathtakingly picturesque interiors, clothing and landscape along with the dialogue. I highly recommend this and any other Trollope books and/or movies you can get your hands on....he's also like Jane Austen, except the male version.

You knew I'd have to come back with a review on this one. It's complicated because I love Anne Rice as an author in her Vampire and Mayfair Witches series' but I wasn't a fan of her latest stories of Christ novels. I prefer the Biblical revelations about Jesus.

This book of Ms. Rice's is a connumdrum for me. It does take one back to her earlier writing style; in that we see more of her attention to architecture, arts, music, books and history. Her story line is interesting. However, throughout we get the pounding drum of angels who assit in coversions or reconversions to Catholicism. Every vignette leads us there. I'm not saying that's bad or wrong, it's just so blatant and it somehow takes away from the continuity and honesty of the story being told. I could see it for the first, main character....but Ms. Rice seems to be telling us her own personal story over and over so we'll "Get" it!

Would I recommend this book? I have to say I would with a 3 star rating, just because the book flows and there's a sort of suspense to it, or maybe I was just caught by the curiosity factor. I would also suggest you wait until it comes out in paperback, or that you get it for your Kindle for $9.99, (which is going to be cheaper than the paperback!). For those true Anne Rice fans of old.....she's not really come back to us, yet, sad to say.
Have you heard of Lisa Unger? I hadn't either until I met a friend at the Club pool who has a Kindle, who recommended her to me. This was a really good suspense novel, fast paced and such an interesting story line. I'm ready to read all of her books after this one. I highly recommend her to my mystery/suspense novel reading friends. If you're lookin' for Vampires....this is not your book. If you like Jody P., you'll like Lisa Unger.

I'm currently trying to add some stitching on my "Beatrix Potter...Ackworth Sampler," and I'm looking for a new chart that is supposed to be an Akworth but isn't sold by Needleprint called, "Mary B..." Does anyone have it, and can you direct me to it to get a copy online?? I can't find it anywhere on my normal shop stops!!

Happy Weekend of Stitching and Reading and Whatever your hearts desire! :]

Deb