Knitting Block by Block

  Knitting Block by Block. by Nicky Epstein.
                             Potter Craft (Random House), 2010. Adult nonfiction.


Nicky Epstein is a rock star in the knitting world and any new book from her creates a buzz! This title is subtitled "150 Blocks for Sweaters, Scarves, Bags, Toys, Afghans, and More". It's a hefty 240 pages of full-color photographs, with diagrams, patterns, and techniques included. The paper is sturdy and the colorful blocks are shown clearly. Knitters can choose different blocks and vary them by color, size of needles, and types of threads. Basic blocks like seed, stockinette, and garter stitches would work for easy dishcloths while the blocks shown on the cover are more complex.  The majority of the patterns are not for beginners. With cables, ruffles, and woven stitches, some of the blocks would be at home on Project Runway clothing! Still, if you need a challenge, Epstein provides inspiration and ideas.














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"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

My Secret Guide to Paris

My Secret Guide to Paris by Lisa Schroeder.
                                  Scholastic Press, February, 2015.
                                  Children's fiction (chapter book).




Some advanced reading copies are just too good not to talk about immediately! Lisa Schroeder's latest title, due out in 2015, centers on Nora's upcoming twelfth birthday and the trip to Paris that she and her beloved grandmother are planning. Unfortunately, her grandmother dies. Nora finds three plane tickets with instructions for things to do, people to meet, and adventures awaiting in Paris. Mom and Grandma Sylvia seemed to not really get along so Nora worries about telling Mom about the trip. And, who will use the third ticket?




Things fall into place as Nora grieves, continues to research Paris, and the trip comes to be. Meeting her grandmother's friends teaches the family more about Grandma Sylvia and just how much she loved them. The book is a bittersweet romp with a little mystery, some new friends, and much love tucked together.




While it could have been maudlin, the death and grieving are presently in a way that seems realistic. The mother/daughter relationship in both generations rings true, too. The fun and adventures in Paris will have readers closely examining maps and photographs of the places the characters visit. All in all, a well written third through seventh grade chapter book that both captivates and teaches.

Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. Ballantine Book, Penguin Random House, 2013. Nonfiction, Adult.


W.A. Clark helped establish Las Vegas. Clark County is named for him. He was, at best, a senator and copper magnate. At worst, he was controversial. Even Mark Twain railed against him! His first wife died. He married again and had two daughters in that marriage. When he died, the children from both marriages stood to inherit literally fortunes.


This book is really the story of his youngest child, Huguette. She lived to be 104. She had mansions in California, Connecticut, and New York City, but she seldom lived in any of them or went to visit. The last decades of her life were spent in a hospital room in New York City, but she was not really sick. She gave away millions. After her death, many people tried to prove that she was senile.  You will come to your own conclusion after reading this tale!


Well researched and with contributions by a family member who often talked by phone with Huguette, this tale will pique your curiosity, challenge how you think about the elderly, and make you think about the values of extreme wealth in new ways.

The Promise: A Novel by Ann Weisgarber

                           

The Promise: A Novel by Ann Weisgarber. Skyhorse Publishing,

                            2013, 2014.  Fiction

Talented young pianist Catherine Wainwright of Dayton, Ohio has been                    seen at the theatre in Columbus with her cousin's husband. Her

reputation is ruined.  She is uncertain what to do until she writes to                           childhood friend, Oscar Williams, who is now a widower with a small son and living in Galveston, Texas. It's 1900, and Catherine  jumps at the chance to start over when Oscar proposes.  Nan Ogden, a neighbor on the island, promised Oscar's first wife that  she would take care of little Andre. She now keeps house and cooks for the newly formed family, but does not understand the city ways of Catherine. Of course, readers know that a storm is coming. Who will survive? What will happen?

Starry Night by Isabel Gillies

 Starry Night: A Novel by Isabel Gillies. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014.
                             Young Adult, Fiction


While young adults may love this story of wealthy teens in New York City, some adults will quake at the sex and drug opportunities presented to the characters. The novel reads smoothly and builds slowly. Central to the first half of the story is the big opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that will be curated by the father of Wren, an artistic, smart teen. Wren's family and her friends are the players in the book. The teens are invited to the opening and what happens that night sets the stage for the rest of the tale. Wren thinks she has met the boy of her dreams.  Nolan, the heartthrob guy, is a little older, plays in a band, and may not be as wonderful as he seems. Her friend Farah thinks it's cool when a grown-up artist singles her out for his attention. Girls meet boys, boys breaks girls' hearts, life goes on...but this will be a book that teens will want to read!

The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin.

            

          The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin. St. Martin's Press, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group, 2014. Fiction   

What a refreshing twist in that the fortune hunter is a man, not a woman! Set in 1875 and beyond, this tale will satisfy Downton Abbeyish fans and those who like a well written romantic novel. Bay Middleton is the handsome, but untitled, military horseman of the title.  Will plain, but wealthy, young Charlotte Baird capture his heart or is he only after her money? When the Empress of Austria, Elizabeth (Sisi), comes to England, her expert riding skills require an equally talented riding partner. Bay is suggested by none other than Earl Spencer himself. (Queen Victoria also makes an appearance as herself.) Of course, she is married, has grown children, and is definitely several social notches above even Charlotte and her friends. Lush details of fancy balls and elegant hunts  provide the backdrops for the emotional ebb and flow.  When Bay enters the Grand National race, both women show up to watch and the adventure is neatly tied up in a satisfying conclusion.     

                    

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal

  Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal.
                              Pamela Dorman Books, Viking, 2014.


For many years Queenie and her family have helped Miss Fannie run a household and learn the very proper ways of doing things in New Orleans. But, it's 1964, and times are changing. Dollbaby and her own daughter Birdelia have new ideas. When Miss Fannie's estranged son dies, his widow Vidrine drops off tween Ibby to live with her grandmother. Fannie, Queenie, Dollbaby, and Ibby form solid family bonds and navigate both the past and the future up to 1972.


Full of believable characters, interesting happenings, and a vivid setting, this tale is truly a masterful debut novel. The title character could be argued as integral to the story, but it is through young Ibby's eyes that readers see and come to understand the truths about her family and the times. This will be the talk of your next book group!