Happy 2024

Throughout the year I read a number of books. Some are good, some less so. Most of my favorites end up here on my blog on featured reviews. Others are hard to describe or get pushed out by scheduling issues. So here's a short list of books that I read this year that I feel are worth your time but, for whatever reason, didn't post about already.

the Cat's Cradle series by Jo Rioux (ongoing)

We are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis

The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor

the Marius Grey series by MR Fournet (ongoing)

Learning to Fall by Sally Engelfried

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

Major Impossible by Nathan Hale

Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman

We Are Mayhem by Beck Rourke-Mooney

That's it for 2024. Anyone excited to see what 2025 will bring?

Christmas gifts

 Now that gift giving is done I can share with you some of the things I made as gifts this year. I did a fair amount of knitting and crocheting this year. 

First we have fish slippers for my mom. She'd had a pair of these that I made years ago in orange that finally completely wore out. So I made her new ones in this soft blue wool.

Next, for my gamer brother, a Link hat.

And for my sister, a pair of waffle weave mittens in woolease.

Non-fiction book review - Spices and Spuds

 

Spices and Spuds by Andy Warner

If you have any interest in history, social studies, or plants, this may be the book for you. Warner breaks down all the known history of a plant and how it has shaped society. From wood to agriculture, the spice trade to industrialization, it's all here. The book is divided into chapters focused on a kind of plant. It's structured like a graphic novel, though it is quite text heavy. This is not a book you're going to sit down and read all at once, but rather one to read slowly, allowing yourself time to absorb the information.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Dust

 

Title: Dust

Author: Alison Stine

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: The Truth About Everything by Bridget Farr

                      Klickitat by Peter Rock

Rating:

interesting ideas

Summary (provided by publisher): After her father has a premonition, Thea and her family move to the Bloodless Valley of southern Colorado, hoping to make a fresh start. But the rivers are dry, the crops are dying, and the black blizzards of Colorado have returned. Much like the barren land, Thea feels her life has stopped growing. She is barely homeschooled, forbidden from going to the library, and has no way to contact her old friends—all due to her parents’ fear of the outside world’s dangerous influence.

But to make ends meet, Thea is allowed to work at the café in town. There, she meets Ray, who is deaf. Thea, who was born hard of hearing, has always been pushed by her parents to pass as someone who can hear. Now, with Ray secretly teaching Thea how to sign, she begins to learn what she’s been missing—not just a new language but a whole community and maybe even a chance at love.

My opinion: Oftentimes, books featuring prepper families make the family head appear delusional, prepping for a disaster that is never going to happen. Stine takes a different approach. Thea's family are certainly preppers. They're living a "simpler" life. The problem becomes that they are prepping for the wrong emergency. It becomes apparent that there is a disaster on the way that they don't have the skills to handle. The result is a book that explores family, community, secrets, and ecology. While it takes a lot of expected directions, the journey is interesting enough to be worth a read especially as the description is visceral.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 1

If there's one thing most people don't need, it's more holiday jewelry but I can't seem to help myself. I made this mismatched set for myself and a set for my sister.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 2

 I doodled a little frog wearing a Santa hat and beard and immediately knew I wanted to do something with him. I copied the image onto a sheet of clear plastic and colored him with permanent markers. I added a layer of glitter glaze and a magnet to finish him off.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 3

 A couple of years ago I learned to punch needle. I try to make something with the skill every year, mostly so I remember how to do it. Christmas is a great time for punch needle because you can make a dynamic image fairly quickly. This camel is an original design and would look nice attached to a bag like a patch or as a part of a wall display. 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 4

 I was only going to do one set of peg dolls this year, but then I found some little peg trees in my craft supplies that begged to be decorated. And you can't just do a tree. A tree needs a character with it. So I found a little peg wearing a hat and turned it into a bunny. I decorated these pegs with colored pencil rather than paint for a softer look.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 5

 It's time for another puppet. I was thinking about Christmas foods and settled on the Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake. I don't know that I've ever eaten them but the package is rather iconic. And as I was considering them I immediately imagined one of those cakes with a face. I fashioned my puppet out of foam with knit fabric stretched over it. The stripes are made from fabric paint and the sprinkles are glitter. The mouth is a loop of elastic with a string attached to manage the movement. 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 6

 I have mentioned before that I have rabbits. They don't get a lot of toys and treats but at Christmas I like to give them something special. This year I fixed them some paper twist wreaths. I took sheets of packing paper that came in packages, spread on a mixture of chopped hay and dried fruit, rolled the paper the long way, and twisted the resulting logs into a wreath shape. I'll hang these wreaths in the pens for them to tear into on Christmas. For now, they are stored in a coffee can with a fun festive sticker.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 7

 We're big gnome fans in this house so it's no surprise that I found some little gnome woodcuts in my craft supplies. I decorated this one with permanent marker, with a little bit of rabbit fur on his beard.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 8

 I found this antler headband in my Christmas things. It was already kind of cheesy with the bells but I figured we could kick it up a notch. Some gold ink designs and sequins make it delightful.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 9

 Here we are in the single digits! Christmas is fast approaching so today I have for you Christmas cookies. When I was a kid my mother would make butter cookies for us to frost and decorate while we listened to selections from the Nutcracker Suite and it was a favorite holiday tradition. We got out of the habit as we got older but have recently brought it back. This year, in addition to some traditional shapes, I decided to make some chickens. I'm especially fond of the coconut covered chickens. They remind me of silkies.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 10

 This particular set of ornaments is likely to end up in my craft sale inventory. I love the simple look and the contrast of the gold ink.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 11

This paintable shark was hanging out in my craft supplies, so I figured I'd give him a Christmas makeover with green glitter paint and some earmuffs.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 12

 Would it be Christmas if I didn't make a sock puppet? Some years I try to pick a more traditional Christmas figure but this year I leaned into more of a "that's not normally something I associate with the holidays" theme. And this particular sock really wanted to be a rhino. So it's a rhino struggling to decorate.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 13

 I saw a simple wreath online and wanted to try it for myself. Some versions start by painting sheets of paper with watercolor but I used scrapbook paper in blue and green prints. Cut triangles of assorted size and glue them on your desired wreath shape. For extra interest I added some little paper rabbits and squirrels.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 14

 I always like to include a couple of practical projects in my Christmas crafting and bookmarks are always useful, so I whipped up these watercolor and ink bookmarks.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 15

 I used to make these upcycled buttons a lot so I decided to bring them back this year for Christmas. All you need is a button you no longer use, a little fabric, glue, and some decorations. I used cardstock scraps and sequins.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 16

 When I made my little Doctor Who tree, I knew it needed a topper. And after much debate I settled on a design: a fez and bow tie. They are a simple construction from colored paper.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 17

 Every year, I try to come up with a unique card with a meaningful verse. This is the design I came up with this year.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 18

 Holiday themed peg dolls have become one of my favorite crafting traditions. This year I decided to lean into the more obscure with this duo from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. These are the child Martians, Bomar and Girmar.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 19

 I've never really been into the Krampus tradition, but I love the look. This is especially true when they lean cute. Hence, this little Krampus finger puppet.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 20

 I'm fond of the look of dried orange slices when used in Christmas decorating, but I've never had any to use. We don't get a lot of oranges and drying them seems like a lot of work. So to get the appearance of them on a garland, I made some out of cardstock with white charcoal lines. 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 21

 When I spotted this perler bead design recently, I knew I wanted to try a version of it myself. These are my take on the idea.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 22

 As much as I enjoy a bunch of silly decorations during the holidays, I also like to craft with purpose. So I try to make at least a couple of useful projects during my countdown. This headband would be nice for a chilly day and could also fit into a large Christmas cracker in place of a tissue paper crown. I used this pattern, if you'd like to make one of your own.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 23

 I hadn't intended to make any Doctor Who themed crafts this December, but as I was unpacking my decorations, a little Doctor Who display started coming together. All it needed was a couple of decorations for my miniature tree. So I whipped up a couple of adipose and a Lady Cassandra. It might still need a star but that's a project for another day.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 24

 It's December! That means I am back and beginning my annual holiday countdown where I share a Christmas or winter themed craft every day. Let's start with a simple one. I used a basic glass candle holder and decorated it with some paint. I was going for a rustic vibe here, so details were less important.