The Magicians: Book Review

Reading is such a wonderful escape. A good book can transport you to new worlds, teach you new things, and generally broaden your world view in the most entertaining way. But who has time to read? 

My friend Jessica is the most voracious reader I know. Whether from paper, e-reader, or audio, Jess can consumer multiple books in any given week. She puts me to shame. Cassandra has taken to listening to audio books while she's doing her graphic design so she can get through a lot more "reading" than I do. Writers can't really listen to other words while trying to construct words that make sense. :) Regardless, I still love to read and try to carve out time for at least one book a month - which covers my book club selections if nothing else.

So, when I go on vacation I use that time to hunker down and read a lot. For some reason, television doesn't hold the same interest when I'm away - probably because I don't have TiVo - so I take my escapism elsewhere. This trip I read a book called The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

It's an interesting thing when an author borrows so heavily from other, well-known works. The Magicians (and the sequel, The Magician King) have been rightly called Harry Potter for grown-ups. But I'd throw in a giant dollop of Narnia on top of that.

The basic premise is this, Quentin Coldwater is a geeky, out-of-place high-school senior who is mysteriously whisked away to Brakebills College (a magical college, of course) to take an entrance exam. Upon being accepted, Quentin's world opens up and he begins his life away from home - including all the drinking, sex, and experimentation that most college students experience. This is why it's NOT a book for your kids. :) There are, as you'd expect, the requisite oddball teachers, friends and enemies and frienemies

In addition to the on-campus, magical adventures, there are also the trips home to the "straight" world and lots of musings in Quentin's head that sound like the musings of any 18-21 year old who's trying to find himself. There are spells to be learned and tasks to be undertaken. There are crushes and heartbreaks and friendships that will last a lifetime. And, on top of all this, there's the constant reference to a set of children's books that are about a place called Fillory (read: Narnia). The correlations between Fillory and Narnia are sort of ridiculously obvious - way more so than the correlations between Brakebills and Hogwarts. But the books play an important part in the development of these kids and ultimately in their post-college future. 

The Amazon.com reviews are very mixed. I noticed that a lot of people got annoyed with Quentin, which I found amusing. To me, he was no different than my son at that age - the setting was just different. He's full of angst and unrest. He's completely unsure of his future and often frustrated, angry, or just stupid in his decision making. I think a lot of people weren't crazy about how similar it was to Harry Potter and/or Narnia but, frankly, that didn't bother me much. The fact that the kids were older made the entire tone more adult. And it's probably important to note that, unlike Potter, there's little time spent on how the magic actually works except in the vaguest sort of way. The story is more about the characters and their growth.

Regardless of the "faults" in the story, the story-telling is solid. Grossman paints a vivid picture of Brakebills, the magic, and the adventures. He's captured truth in Quentin and the rest of the characters. And, despite the length of the book, it's a fast(ish) and engrossing read. 

I've got about 20 pages left in the book but the big twist at the end has just been revealed and it was interesting. I'm already looking forward to reading the sequel and will post a review when I'm done with it. 

Happy reading!

- Alex 

Friday Finds: Woodland Knits

Ya'll know that I love love love woodland critters. So you can imagine the squeal of delight I let out when I got a look at Stephanie Dosen's new book Woodland Knits. The patterns are inspiring and gorgeous. I've been a fan of Stephanie's knitting patterns for years and am so glad that she finally was able to put a collection together in book form.

I think my favorite pattern from the book is the Woodland Hoodlet:

To see images of the patterns included in the book and even more cute patterns to purchase, check out Stephanie's website.

Happy weekending everyone!

–Cassandra

Summer Reading

In the heat of the summer, is there anything better than lying on the sofa under a slowly turning ceiling fan with a good book? Or even a not so great book... The act of being still and reading is such a languid, hot-weather indulgence. Invariably, a nap sneaks its way into the afternoon - with book open on chest.

Some of us even enjoy this same activity outside while lying in the sun.

I say indulgence because, when you live in a place that has nine months of winter, every summer day is precious. There's a need to fill every glorious moment of sun with outdoor activity and reading is so quiet and passive that it, generally, doesn't work into the goings-on. Personally, I love to make time for lying still - especially if the day is very, very hot.

So, in that spirit, I'd like to share some recent personal favorite reads with you. Most of these are going to fall into the geeky realm as I'm not a fan of heavy drama or "chick lit". I tend to sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery novels. All of these are perfect for summer - no great commitment, easy to read, and fun. Hopefully, you'll find something in here that piques your interest. :)

- Alex

(Amazon and GoodReads work on a 5 star scale)

1. Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel: 3.5 stars Amazon; 3.5 stars GoodReads

"In the near future, America is crushed by a financial crisis and our patient Chinese creditors may just be ready to foreclose on the whole mess. Then Lenny Abramov, son of an Russian immigrant janitor and ardent fan of “printed, bound media artifacts” (aka books), meets Eunice Park, an impossibly cute Korean American woman with a major in Images and a minor in Assertiveness. Could falling in love redeem a planet falling apart?"

This is a "love it or hate it" book. I loved it for the hilarious and probably accurate look at our near future. It's a great commentary on where technology is taking us and one man's attempt to hold on to something real.

2. Ready Player One: 4.5 stars Amazon; 4.3 stars GoodReads

"It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.  

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed."

My favorite book of last year - bar none.

For anyone who lived through (and was plugged in to pop culture) in the 80's this is a must-read book.

3. Crystal Eyes: 5 stars Amazon; 4.75 stars GoodReads

"It's beem over two hundred years since the solar system was left devastated by a huge pulse of energy from the sun, the survivors of the human race eke out a fragile existence on an earth where life has been twisted by radiation and where the Solanists - a dark and brutal religious cult - hold sway.

In this savage, ignorant world, one family tries to protect their mutated daughter, a demon in the eyes of the Solanists. Their only chance lies with the enigmatic and dangerous gunslinger known as Crystal Eyes, the deadliest demon to ever travel the badlands. Only with her help will they evade the Solanist preachers who hunt for them. But Crystal Eyes has her own hunter - the greatest preacher of them all on a quest for revenge."

Basically, this is a post-apocalyptic Western. It is rolliking good fun - worthy of being made into a movie - and left me wanting a sequel (which I understand the author is in the process of writing. Squee!)

4. Carpathia: 3.7 stars on Amazon; 3.13 stars on GoodReads

"When the survivors of the Titanic are picked up by the passenger steamship Carpathia, they thought their problems were over.

But something's sleeping in the darkest recesses of the ship. Something old. Something hungry."

This is a "revised history" - so, fact wrapped in fiction. It is a heart-pounding, scary, fun exercise in imagination.

5. Enders Game: 4.6 stars on Amazon; 4.3 stars on GoodReads

Soon to be a major motion picture!

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Is Ender the general that Earth needs to survive?

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel."

The brilliance of this book (and what I'm afraid will get lost in the movie) is the subtle commentary on the psychology of war and children, family dynamics, politics and more. It's a stunningly good book that is the first in a long series. I haven't read any of the others but really enjoyed this first one.

6. Wool (Omnibus): 4.7 stars on Amazon; 4.4 stars on GoodReads

"This Omnibus Edition collects the five Wool books into a single volume.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside is uninhabitable, the view of it is limited, talk of it is forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside."

This is a great treatise on how an isolated society behaves - even when given a strong set of rules to follow. It's a fascinating read and compelled me to move on to the next set of books (a prequel) in the series.

The New Knitting Book is Here!!

Do you remember this:

Well, that's how I felt the other day when a copy of What (Else) Would Madame DeFarge Knit was in my mailbox. Watch out world...Alex and I are in print!

The pattern we designed was a layette set inspired by the book Rosemary's Baby. Here is a snippet of the introduction to our pattern:

This fancy layette, fit for the newborn Son of Satan, includes a sweater, bonnet, and little mitts designed to keep him from scratching people with his tiny devil claws. Lacy edges, a touch of eyelet, and some silk ribbon will make any baby look like a prince [or princess.]

Our layette on a really cute baby!

We are so proud to have our pattern included alongside of so many other wonderful patterns. What an opportunity this has been for us. Here are a few of my favorites:

You can view beautiful color photos of ALL the patterns included in What (Else) Would Madame DeFarge Knit here. There are designer-led "knit-alongs" going all the time. Keep tabs on what's happening when at the WWMDFK? Facebook page. And, of course, if you're a Raveler (which I'm sure all our knitting friends are!), you can see pics of some of the patterns and more at the WWMDFK? Ravelry page.

As a designer for this book, you are also required to write an essay about the fictional character that inspired your knitting. I just got my copy a couple days ago and I've torn through all of them already. I love each one for it's honesty and cleverness. I think you will too.

The book can be purchased through the publisher's site, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

–Cassandra

Drum roll, please...

Word on the street is that this Friday, April 5, is the offical release date for What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?!!  Woot!

For those of you who haven't seen our multiple posts on the subject, Cassandra and I have a pattern in this book - which will make us official, published knitwear designers, once the book is released. It's been a crazy, fun, and challenging effort and we're really proud to have worked with Heather Ordover and the folks at Cooperative Press. (On the QT: we've had two more designs accepted for the next book in the WWMDFK? series as well! I'm starting to feel slightly "professional" at this crafting thing now.)

The publicity for the book has included a regular e-newsletter from Heather that includes mini-interviews with the book's contributors as well as free patterns. Just in case you're not on the email distribution, here are links to each (our interview is in "Sneak Peek 5"):

• 03/29/2013 - What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—Sneak Peek 6!
• 03/22/2013 - What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—Sneak Peek 5 and Free Pattern!
• 03/19/2013 - What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—Sneak Peek 4
• 03/14/2013 - A Tale of Two Delicate Knitters
• 03/06/2013 - What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—sneak peeks and FREE PATTERN!
• 02/27/2013 - What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit?—Sneak Peeks

If you're interested in signing up for the newsletter, click here.

For fans of Facebook, you can get all this and more at the WWMDFK? Facebook page.

And, of course, if you're a Raveler (which I'm sure all our knitting friends are!), you can see pics of some of the patterns and more at the WWMDFK? Ravelry page.

Finally, there's the absolutely offical (and full of awesome information, pics, bios, etc) WWMDFK? website!

Needless to say, I hope that everyone decides to buy the book. :)  But, just in case you need added incentive, everyone who pre-orders or orders during the first 24 hours of being published (beginning noon, Pacific time on Friday, 4//5) will receive additional freebies. I don't know what those consist of but I'm sure they'll be pretty awesome.

If we haven't said it enough, Cassandra and I are exceedingly grateful for the support of our Mighty Distractible friends. We can't thank you enough for sticking with us as we take this crafty journey and we hope you continue to enjoy the "work" we're doing.

- Alex

Friday Finds: Little Lamb, Have You Any Wool?

Anytime I can indoctrinate little people into my crafty world, it's a good day. So, when I saw this children's book by Isabel Minhos Martins (Author) and Yara Kono (Illustrator) at the library yesterday I snatched it up immediately. One little boy's conversation with a sheep. And I love the fact it's a boy who is knitting...let's break those gender stereotypes people!

Love this book!

It is charming and the kids really enjoyed it. If you're like me and want your children to understand where their everyday items (in this case wool) come from...this is a great opportunity for that.

–Cassandra

The House of Spirits and Whispers

It is dark and spooky out today here in Madison. So instead of writing about my weekend craftiness, I am going to tell you about a book I just finished, because it is spooky too.

The House of Spirits and Whispers by Annie Wilder

This is the true story of a single mom living on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border who bought a house and discovered pretty quickly that it was haunted. What makes this book different from most "Amityville" type of books is that it is actually a pretty sweet haunting. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but the ghosts who inhabit the house are former owners/tenants who love the house as much as she does.

Sure it's unsettling to hear banging on the walls at night or see apparitions in your bedroom doorway, but she tries to understand what is going on instead of running from it. Through research and some work with psychic mediums she starts to put together the cast of invisible characters trying to get her attention.

I give this book a thumbs-up. Its a super-fun story told by a woman I think most of us can relate to. (She's a practical Midwesterner after all!) Here is a video clip of her being interviewed about her haunted house:

Get into the spirit of the Halloween season! Go pick up a copy of The House of Spirits and Whispers and get your creepy on.

–Cassandra

The Winds of Change are A-Blowin'

Let me apologize in advance...

This is going to be a non-crafty post, again.

Not to belabor the point, but "distractible" is in our name. And, right now, I'm distracted by a big event in my life: a new job.

After 13 years at Company X, I'm moving on. It's surreal for a lot of reasons - not the least of which is that, for the first time in over a decade, I won't be able to see Cassandra nearly every day of the week. Frankly, that makes me infinitely sad.

However, Company Y made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Company X, as much as I love it, had nothing left to offer me. Basically, I qualify for three jobs at Company X and I've done all of them. When the position at Company Y fell in my lap I realized that I had three choices:

1. For the next 15 years I could do the same job I've been doing for the last 6 years.
2. I could commit to Company X's INDUSTRY and cross-train into other departments (learning all new skills). OR...
3. I could take the skills I have (and love) and apply them to a new industry.

Obviously, I picked #3.

So, starting one week from today, I'll be commuting in the opposite direction. I'll be meeting new people, learning a new corporate culture, learning a new job... It's scaring the hell out of me but I'm excited as well.

For the record, this will not, in any way, affect our commitment to Mighty Distractible, our crafting work, or our readers. If anything it might make me a little less flaky about getting my posts done because I'm going to need to plan further in advance. LOL

I'm hoping that it allows Cassandra and I more freedom because, for the first time in six and a half years, I won't be her boss and therefore our friendship can flourish without any concern that she might be getting special treatment. (Which she never did, btw... I swear.)

So, that's my big news and the thing that is completely occupying my brain right now. However, I guess I can toss out a couple of things that I've been thinking about lately that you might enjoy:

Looper - If you haven't seen this movie yet, GO. You really should see it in the theater. While it's technically a sci-fi, time-travel thing, I think it has a lot of cross-over appeal. It's amazingly well written, directed, and acted. Everyone I know (including myself) has walked out of the theater saying, "Wow! that was WAY better than I expected!" Seriously, don't miss this.

Pears stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon - I didn't make this, my son's girlfriend did. But, we had it for dinner last night and I simply had to share the recipe with you. They are ridiculously good. Click here for the recipe from Foodnetwork.com.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - I just got done reading this for book club. It's fast and funny and worth every page. It's pretty girly - there were some men in the book club that took exception to some of the chapters on, say, Kotex or breasts - but overall, everyone in the group loved it and I, literally, laughed out loud throughout.

Okay. I have to get back to cleaning out my desk. What a weird experience THAT has proved to be - a walk down memory lane. :)

- Alex the Short-timer

Book Review: The Homemade Pantry

Recently, Cassandra bought the book The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. We hadn't done a review (product, book, or otherwise) in quite a while and this book seemed like a good fit for we "makers" of things. Plus, it fit with our promised "food" theme for this week. Yea!

So, in our fashion, Cassandra and I wrote our individual reviews without the other seeing it - and they're posted below. And, once again, we may as well be using one brain. LOL!

Alex's Review

4 out of 5 stars

When Cassandra dropped “The Homemade Pantry” on my desk, my first instinct was to touch the book. The cover (front and back) is not only beautifully designed but it also has multiple textures. The top, where the photo is, is a high-gloss, super-smooth coating that makes the picture of the homemade poptarts BURST off the page. The bottom, where the title and words are, is done in a mat coating that has a grainy feel to it. Obviously, I’m a tactile person. I, literally, couldn’t keep my hands off the book.

This is a hefty book – and not just because it’s nearly 300 pages long. Every interior page is printed on very thick paper stock. Again, a beautiful design element and one that guarantees a longer life of being spilled on and lain in goo on the kitchen counter.

Once you get past the beauty of the book itself, the real winner is the content. The easy to navigate “chapters” cover how to make favorites (that you’re probably paying for already) like yogurt, toaster pastries, potato chips, apple sauce salad dressing, pasta, and LOTS more. The recipes are simple and easy to follow and, again, the layout and photos are lovely. Additionally, there are some really helpful sections in the book like a list of must-have kitchen gadgets and little “how-to” tips. It’s these little sidebar items that make the book’s content even more special.

There were a few chapters that are fairly useless to me because I already make the items included in those sections. They seemed very “beginner” but I suppose there are people out there who don’t make their lemonade, or mac & cheese, or lasagna from scratch. I don’t know these people but I’m sure they exist. (unicorns) Regardless, I think the book may be worth it’s price for the peanut butter cup recipe alone. I’m just saying.

My only true complaint was with the “concept” of the book. I ADORE the idea of making “store bought” items from scratch (and potentially making them better) however, every recipe is preceded by the author’s personal story of this particular food and each story is preciously titled in this format: “Yellow Cake -or- The Gift”, “Mustard -or- The Case of the Mysterious Bratwurst”, “Tortilla -or- The Only Problem With New England”. This is WAY too twee for me. And, frankly, I don’t give a rip about the author’s life or her personal relationship with food and family. On the other hand, she’s a blogger and I’m sure that these are the exact reasons she got a book deal to begin with – she has a fan base that loves HER and her passion for food and family. Who am I to judge?

So, just like with TV programming, if I don’t like what’s on, I can choose not to watch it. I’ll skip the pages of personal stories and simply enjoy the gorgeous design and fun recipes offered up in this unique book.

Cassandra's Review

4 out of 5 stars

The initial reason I ordered this book is because it had a simple mayonnaise recipe in it. Seriously. I’ve been wanting to make my own for some time now, and this book seemed like it contained useful information about whipping my eggs into something heavenly.

And then I got the book in my hands. Yowza. I love it. How can you not love a book that has a recipe for home-made pop tarts! Be still my heart.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child is like driving a Jaguar...this book has you tooling around in the family station wagon. And there ain't nothing wrong with the wagon. Basic recipes for everyday items. Ice cream, pickles, crackers, fish sticks, and more are presented so even the most timid chef could give them a whirl. All the directions are written simply and beautifully. And, when she suspects you may be alarmed by something like errant eggs sliding away from your flour volcano when making pasta dough on your counter, she eases you back to reality with her assurances. No freakouts needed.

What I actually found most intriguing was the section on canning. Alana holds your hand with a brilliant essay called Canning Isn’t Scary, and then goes on to walk you through the steps. I think she has given me a big girl pill about this subject. A canning kit is in my near future.

The design of the book is wonderful...large photos and just enough white space. The essays are well written and the author’s personality shines in those pages. She’s seriously likable and has really fun stories to tell.

Buy it, you won’t regret having this on your cookbook shelf.

Tuesday Review

The Ooo! Shiny! team was talking the other day and we decided that we wanted to do some reviews. We don't want our blog to be a "review site" but we'd like to occasionally share our thoughts on stuff that we've tried. Thus, the "Tuesday Review" was born.

Starting today, the second Tuesday of each month will feature a review of some sort. It might be a product, a book, a website, or even a movie. Feel free to let us know what you'd like us to try - we'll happily be your guinea pigs (within reason!) Regardless of the review, it will be something that both of us have done/used/read/etc. and we'll both weigh in with our opinions. Oh...and we're going to use an "...out of 5" system. Not terribly original, we grant you, but a tried and true method of ranking stuff.

With that, let's begin with a book review:

Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living by Alicia Paulson

Cassandra's score: 4 out of 5

I’m going to just come out and say that I’m a big fan of this book. It has all the components that I look for in a reference book. A little history, a comprehensive section on tools and techniques, and some practical, simple projects.

I am embarrassed to admit that one of the issues I have with a lot of reference books is that they supply too much historical information. Unless I’m writing a research paper on crewelwork, I really don’t want to read 40 pages on the aristocracy of the Middle Ages and their wall hangings. As interesting as that may be… dude, I just want to put some needle to cloth and make something pretty today. This book has the emphasis on technique, and I love that. This is how I get inspired to design my own projects.

I am also impressed with the variety of schools of embroidery covered in this book. Ms. Paulson includes all of the more well-known techniques like basic decorative embroidery and counted cross stitch as well as covering the less-known crewel and blackwork. This is really helpful because I have some project ideas in my head right now and it makes it so easy for me to be able to choose the perfect technique to execute my designs.

The last thing I would like to mention is the projects. While the style of the author may not be 100% in league with my own, that’s really not that important to me. Most of the projects can easily be modified for my taste, with this said, however, a lot of them I do find quite lovely. I am particularly taken with the Karin Curtains, Harvest Apron, and Country-Time Quilt. The projects are practical and interesting. I think I can get a lot of inspiration and fun from this book.

- Cassandra

Alex's score: 4 out of 5

This "four out of five" rating didn't come as easily for me as it did for my blog-mate. I had to dig through my personal preferences to discover the true value in this book. And, I'm still not entirely sure that Ms. Paulson doesn't deserve one fewer star for the bits that I, personally, don't care for. But I will use my super-power of objectivity for the sake of the review.

Here's the deal... The book kicks off with a long auto-biographical preface about Ms Paulson's path to embroidery. I'm not a fan of her long-form writing style - she's entirely too enamored of twee craft metaphors like, "...when I unravel the skein of my childhood memories..." (ugh) Plus, I feel that taking three full pages (six columns) in an instructional craft book to tell your personal story is a tad self-indulgent. Of course, this is her book and if she wants to tell the entire world about her life and her health issues, that's her right. Based on the popularity of daytime television talk shows, I'm sure that most people find this kind of thing "inspiring"... I'm just not one of 'em. Frankly, I  can't believe her editor didn't suggest paring it down a bit.

My other struggle is with the patterns themselves. They're very folksy, "olde tyme" styles that are, quite simply, not my taste.

All this said, once Ms. Paulson gets into actual instruction, the book's beauty begins to unfold. This is, no kidding, one of the best instructional books I've ever seen. From the introductory pages in which we learn basic terminology, tools, and technique to the closing pages containing a resource directory, everything is clear, concise, and well-written. The accompanying illustrations are equally admirable. They're lovely and simple and they dovetail beautifully with the overall book design, which says "crafty" but it doesn't get in the way of the book's purpose.

The other thing I really appreciate is that Ms. Paulson includes a short history of, and patterns for, four methods of "embroidery" - classic embroidery, cross-stitch, crewel, and blackwork. Each style provides a different character to the needlework being done and it's fantastic to have all four in one, convenient book.

So, regardless of my personal feeling about Ms. Paulson's narrative writing style and the designs included, I would highly recommend this book for both the beginner and intermediate embroidery enthusiast. There's a ton of valuable content and it's presented in such a clear and concise way that you simply can't go wrong.

- Alex