Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first book I read & finished in 2015 just for me :)

I read Divergent late to the game - last summer, maybe? and never managed to write up a review. I enjoyed it; not as much as Hunger Games, perhaps, but I definitely enjoyed the book. I admit I watched the movie first and liked the movie enough to try to tackle the book.

Roth creates a great, dystopian world from the first page. I like where the story starts; you get enough of Tris' family & her life before she decides to join Dauntless. I enjoyed the bit of "will they or won't they" romance between her and Four; surprised me, honestly, because I'm normally rather bored with romance in books, but Roth throws the romance at you in between the action scenes and makes me want to know what will happen next.



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book review: A Dark and Stormy Knit by Anne Canadeo

A Dark and Stormy Knit by Anne Canadeo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being a big knitter, naturally I had to request a review copy of this book from netgalley. I have not read any of the previous books in this series, something I normally HATE, but was not an issue at all in this series.

I do want to admit that I am not really a fan of cozies - I just don't get the genre. I understand the need for violence off screen, but the whole genre is just too light and fluffy for me.

Of course, I keep trying to read cozies anyway, because I do like crime books/mystery books for an occasional different read.

Like any other cozy, the setting is a small town world, with a murder you have to solve. I figured it out in about 3 seconds. The book is very slow paced - I don't read enough cozies to know if that pace is normal or not, but for me it was very slow.

The best part of the book is definitely the friendship and connection between all the women. Part of me is envious of that, but mostly I just feel it's so far-fetched. I don't have kids, yet I don't have time in my schedule to get together with my friends once a week no matter what, so how are they all having the time to do that? Still, the idea is just so cool that I'm drawn to it all the same.



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book review: Last Chance Knit & Stitch by Hope Ramsay

Last Chance Knit & Stitch by Hope Ramsay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

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book review: Sanna

Sanna, Sorceress Apprentice by Roxanna Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Sanna!

Sanna has all of my favorite things - knitting, magic, witches, young adult, fantasy, & in a vaguely historical setting. Author Roxie is a knitter, and you can tell this in the book, from how Sanna fixes injuries by "knitting" the bones (love the pun), to knitting magical self-heating socks & mittens to keep a friend warm. Sanna & her classmates are a bunch of girls, just out to have a good time, who are just happening to attend a magical school.

There's a bit of a mystery, there's a bit of romance, but all in all it's just a good fast read.

I only have one negative about the book, which isn't really a negative at all. I felt a couple of parts - especially the ending - were written a little abrumptly for my tastes, but I think it's more written for young adults, which of course, this book is. As an adult reader, I would love liked to have seen those parts a little more fleshed out, but I completely understand why Roxie wrote those parts the way she did.

I was thrilled to pieces to find out that there is another book in the series, too!

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mini book review: Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life by Lela Nargi

Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life by Lela Nargi


OK, like any short story book, some stories were great, and some stories were only good. Worth a quick read, works great as a summer or vacation or beach read.

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mini book review: Back on Blossom Street

Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very quick read. It definitely wasn't as good, in my opinion, as the other books in the series, but it was another light, fluffy book to read & that seems to be all I can read lately.

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mini review

Things I Learned From Knitting by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fluffy book, that I read in about an hour & a half. Another book you'd only enjoy if you were a knitter!

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book review: Casting Spells

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I saw a review of this book on another blog - sorry, original blogger, I didn't save the post - and since I'm an obsessive knitter & obsessed with vampires, witches, fairies, and the like, I immediately requested the book from interlibrary loan.

You'll saw my huge library pile I got last week, this book was in it. Well, it was the first one to be picked up from the stack (even though I was reading 3 other books at one time), and I absolutely laughed out loud - literally made my cat cross eyed with me - from the very first page. Obviously Bretton was sincere in her desire to make a GOOD knitting fiction book; it's been done before, but usually the knitting references are done in passing, and it's obvious the writer has no real connection to knitting (an exception is The Shop on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber). The addition of paranormal elements made me just giddy. There's a bit of romance, which I'm not a huge fan of, but the book is so well written, I felt myself rooting for the relationship between Chloe & Luke all the same.

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review: Yarn

Yarn: Remembering the Way Home by Kyoko Mori
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a knitter & crocheter, naturally I enjoy reading about the subject, whether a non-fiction or a fiction book. This book is a memoir about Kyoko's life, starting with her childhood & a personal tragedy. She grows up, moves to America, gets married, and lives her life. The stories about her life, are intertwined with stories about learning to knit, making her first sweater, discovering circular knitting & Elizabeth Zimmermann. I'm a huge fan of EZ, so whenever someone talks about discovering her for the first time, I get a big thrill.

I am giving this book four stars for two reasons: one, I had difficulties keeping track of time. She goes back to her childhood so often, that I often couldn't tell if she was talking about the past or the present. Towards the end, she was retelling a story involving her husband that I thought took place in the past, until I realized after rereading it, she actually meant the present.

Two, I felt the story moved along slowly - I guess I just like more action in my books.

Again, these are just my personal opinions, just because I felt the book moved slowly doesn't mean someone else wouldn't greatly love the pacing.



I received a copy of this book for free from netgalley.com

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