Reading.
Finishing American War by Omar El Akkad. I got distracted in the middle by having to quickly read Hillbilly Elegy for my book club (more on that in a minute), but I’m back to War again. I would recommend the El Akkad book to anyone, especially someone who enjoys speculative fiction. (I believe that is a category in Book Bingo, for those of you who engage in that endeavor.)
The wait list for Hillbilly Elegy at my library was too long — it was clear that I wouldn’t get the book in time for tonight’s book club meeting — so I bit the bullet and bought the Kindle version to read on my iPad. I started reading it last Thursday night and found it engrossing. Then, as happens occasionally, I could not go to sleep, so I picked up the iPad and read some more.
Rinse and repeat.
And again. (And again.)
I ended up reading the entire book in one night. Need I add that I recommend it to everyone? There is so much in there that rings true and also explains so much that I didn’t understand. There is a lot that is applicable here where I live in rural n.w. Wisconsin, where the soil is poor and the economic opportunities, e.g., the wage-to-raise-a-family jobs, are few. The hillbilly ethos is not confined to Appalachia, yo.
Knitting.
Boy, are some of those stitches cockeyed! Happily, that gets corrected by stretching the fabric both ways for a minutes. (Sorry, the emergency knitting bag is no longer available.)
I have relegated the doubleknit potholder to travel and meeting knitting. Doubleknit in fingering weight yarn on US#2 needles is s-l-ow. I am enjoying it, especially the design-as-I-go aspect, but it was delaying the move back to larger non-portable projects.
Do not question the snow shovel. It is only late May.
The current non-portable project that is keeping me happy in the evenings is the mitered square blanket. Damn, but that is perfect TV knitting! Practically no thought required, and I only need to look at what I’m doing about once a minute. Garter stitch in worsted weight on US#7s FTW!
kmkat & her kneedles 
Hillbilly Elegy is on my “read list” and I am in line at the library. However, the list is long but, your review has me pondering a purchase! And, I love that mitered blanket! It is beautiful!
Your mitered blanket lokks like perfect comfort knitting, and I’m a big fan of double knitting. (Just finished a scarf in double knitting with lettering that was a ton of fun!)
I’ve added both your book recs to my reading list – thanks!
Thanks very much for the book recommendations. I am on such long wait lists for some things that I have usually forgotten them before they appear. Lately, I don’t even wonder. I just shrug and start reading. :)) Sometimes I am just amazed by my own forgotten good choices! Often enough, I think I have you to thank for some of the really interesting ones. Cheers!
Love your knitting!!! And I, too, thought Hillbilly Elegy was interesting and thought-provoking. I spend a lot of time Up North . . . which is pretty much Appalachia. The book certainly rings true based on my experience in northern, rural Michigan. Now. What to DO about it. . . (And I don’t think school “choice” is gonna cut it.) (Oh . . . don’t EVEN get me started.)
“The hillbilly ethos is not confined to Appalachia, yo.” Ah, but we Tennesseeans like to claim it as our own.