Suitcase update

 Today I'm bringing you a project I've been working on for a while. My dad cleaned out an abandoned house and found this vintage suitcase. It was full of trash and had a hole punched in the side. He was going to throw it out due to the hole but I thought it had promise so I brought it home.

The first step was to pull out the stained liner and scrub the grime from the outside. Once it was clean I filled the hole with glue. The blue was an okay color but it was a little stained. Plus I prefer more vibrant shades, so I refinished the outside with some multi-surface acrylic paint in a bright yellow-orange. And since I had some blue leftover from another project, I did the hardware in a contrasting color.

Of course, with a new outside, the inside needed a change as well. I had some leftover fabric from a bag. And like most people I constantly have corrugated cardboard on hand.

It took a fair amount of hot glue to put it all together, but it looks pretty good.

Book review - Rescue at Lake Wild

 

Title: Rescue at Lake Wild

Author: Terry Lynn Johnson

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: The Secret Explorers series by S.J. King

                      Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan

Rating:

 

good ideas present

Summary (provided by publisher): Everyone knows that twelve-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After she's saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch, Madi’s parents decide that if they find one more stray animal in the house, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event.
But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger. As Madi and her friends race to uncover the threat targeting the beavers, Madi must put her animal whisperer skills to the test in both raising the orphaned beaver kits and staying out of trouble long enough.

My opinion: My first thoughts regarding this book are all about consequences. Madi is forbidden from bringing home strays but she does it anyway. While her intentions are good, there are consequences without compromise. She doesn't get a work around that allows her to go to the gala. And there are good reasons for her parent's rules. Her actions put herself, her friends, and the beavers in danger. It's important that reader don't see her rescues as something to imitate. It's also important that the plot finds a balance between protecting the animals and the need for the farmers to protect their property. We are show the devastation to crops, the dangers in the roadways. The solutions involve compromise and thinking through solutions rather than a gut reaction. While not without it's problems, this is a solid read for a kid with an ecological mindset.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen with me

 

Dawn Raid by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

I don't believe I've read much at all, modern or historic, about New Zealand. I'm interested to see how this one plays out, given elements of protest and political upheaval at an age where your personal life can already be a bit complicated. This promises to be a quick listen, so join me again soon for a review.

Non-fiction book review - Violet and Daisy

 

Violet and Daisy by Sarah Miller

I was fairly new to the story of Violet and Daisy but I do have an interest in the history of sideshows and Vaudeville, so I was invested in this story pretty early on. Miller makes it easy, presenting their story in a largely narrative structure. The book mostly proceeds in chronological order, backtracking on a few occasions to explain some context. It's not strictly factual, as Miller occasionally editorializes about motivations though she is clear on the difference between recorded fact and her own opinion or when a source is unreliable. While Violet and Daisy are largely presented as victims, manipulated and controlled for most of their lives, Miller is not afraid to point out the negative aspects of their personalities: their tendency to lie and extreme self-importance. The tone is fairly conversational, a style familiar to frequent podcast listeners. While this is something of a niche topic, it's a fairly compelling read. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - The Republic of Birds

 

Title: The Republic of Birds

Author: Jessica Miller

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

                      The Cartographer's Daughter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Rating:

 

creative but slow moving

Summary (provided by publisher): In the land of Tsaretsvo, civil war has divided the human kingdom from the Republic of Birds. Magic is outlawed, and young witches are sent to a mysterious boarding school, from which no one has returned. Olga and her family live a life of dull privilege in the capital until her father displeases the tyrannical tsarina. The family is sent off into exile at the Imperial Center for Avian Observation, an isolated shack near the Republic of Birds. Unlike the rest of her family, Olga doesn’t particularly mind their strange new life. She never fit into aristocratic society as well as her perfect younger sister, Mira. What does worry Olga is her blossoming magical abilities. If anyone found out, they’d send her away. But then Mira is kidnapped by the birds, and Olga has no choice but to enter the forbidden Republic, a dangerous world full of iagas, talking birds, and living dreams. To navigate the Republic and save her sister, she’ll need her wits, her cunning—and even her magic.

My opinion: We've got a unique set-up here. Sure, we see books with magical kingdoms at war. It's the quasi-tsarist Russia setting that stands out. Especially since it begins with the central characters being sent into exile. It is that exile that allows Olga to experience life, magic, and her family in new ways. She's learing that her father and her step-mother are not exactly what she's always assumed. On the whole, though, I feel like I wanted a little more. It's already a lot, all the elements at play here. But we don't go into depth on anything. I wanted to understand the interplay between the humans, birds, and yagas, their motivations and resentments. Their history and culture is simply never addressed. There's some hints of the careful tightrope of the politics in this kingdom, but it doesn't get much landscape. It might benefit from a second volume, to allow more exploration of those ideas.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Kindle cover

I made myself a Kindle cover years ago. It's held up pretty well but the duct tape occasionally wears thin. Here's how it's looked lately. You can see the tape curling, especially along the spine.

 Usually I just add on a new layer of random tape but sometimes i like to do something creative. And since it's Star Wars day, I thought it would be fun to do something in the Star Wars universe. I settled on my favorite character from the new trilogy, the droid D-0.

 

Tank top

 After a fruitless search for a patterned tank top, I figured I'd make some of my own out of ill-fitting t-shirts. I had planned a whole tutorial for you using this t-shirt.

 After just a couple of wears, it got to be uncomfortable. A bit too tight around the arms and neck. I started by cutting off the sleeves and collar. At this point you want to try the shirt on again. That gives you a sense of where the shirt needs correcting. Usually, the arm holes are too large and the shoulders are too wide. With this shirt, though, it was perfect after cutting. A great length and not too revealing around the armpits. You could go a little narrower on the straps, maybe scoop the neckline a little more, but I favor more of a muscle shirt style so I'm happy with the result.

 I feel a little guilty about such a short tutorial, so as a bonus here's a decoration I made for my favorite hat for Earth Day and which I continue to wear.