Currently, I’m reading A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. It is the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. And by currently reading, I mean I finished book two of the series yesterday and cracked open this one today. I am really enjoying this series and wondering why I hadn’t discovered it earlier. I tend to like books that are very character driven, meaning that the story is more about the characters and how they react to events rather than just telling events. Since the chapters in these books have characters as titles, I think it is safe to say that the books are character driven! The good think about stumbling onto this series now is that book four is already out, and book five is listed for pre-order!

This book, like all of Carol Berg’s works, is written in first person; however, I find it a different kind of first person. To me, it is almost a first person omniscient, because I don’t feel like my point of view is limited to the narrating character. In Flesh and Spirit, the narrating character is Valen, who is hiding and has secrets. Berg doesn’t let ther reader into what he is hiding from until well into the book, although we do learn some of Valen’s secrets. Valen is a ne’er do well type, who is walking the thin line between trying to be good and leading an indolent life. When the book begins, he is deposited injured and penniless in front of an abbey. He is taken in by the monks and becomes one of them, hoping to hide from the world. While using the abbey as a hideaway, he becomes involved in the lives of the monks and their secrets. Slowly, the reader learns that the kingdom is in the midst of war caused by an unresolved succession. There is also famine and an unseasonable winter to content with. Somehow Valen’s fate is intertwined with it all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was mildly annoyed when the bookstore didn’t have the sequel available so that I could start Breath and Bone as soon as I finished Flesh and Spirit. I’d rate it Unable to Put Down.

As I do book reviews in the future, here’s my rating system:
Unable to Put Down
Definite Re-Read
It’ll do in a Pinch
Didn’t Even Finish

I’ll just say that a book has to be pretty bad for me not to even finish it.

On the stitching front, I’m happy that I’ve come up with a January design. I’ve challenged myself to make a new design every month, sort of like an Art Quilt type challenge. The design doesn’t have to be sellable (although that’s always a plus), but it does have to speak to me and embody what that month is to me. The design doesn’t have to be stitched in that month, though, just sketched in a somewhat stitchable format. I’m continuing stitching on the next Design Elements design and I’m hoping to get some painting done soon. Lots of ideas rumbling in the head!

Last night, I got my printing done and then had some fun playing with threads:

That is the likely color combination for the next design. I can’t wait to finish the one I’m working on and start it. I’m not a big fan of pink, but it is sort of a requirement for some themes (can you say Valentine’s?). I’m also sketching on the next in this series. Why don’t I have more hands to stitch and draw? Of course, then I might need additional eyes.

Time for a book review. I just finished Sins and Needles, the latest Monica Ferris Needlework Mystery. I’m not usually a big mystery reader, but someone started me on these since they have needlework in them, and I’ve just kept going. It is a quick read and mostly mindless – which is needed sometimes. I have to say that when I first started reading this series, I really enjoyed the books. However, I went back at one point and re-read almost the whole series in order. I admit it, I read books multiple times. What I found was that in general, I didn’t enjoy re-reading these books. I don’t know if it was the whole “mystery solved” thing or little bits about the needlework that started to get to me. For instance, the characters seem to always think needlework is hard. Then another character will teach it, but never say, “Oh that’s easy, just try it!” Also, the name/brand dropping is just way too obvious. Anyway, in Sins and Needles, I found that this trend continued. Also, I was able to guess the outcome of the mystery, so it wasn’t that engaging. I guess I’d rate it about a 2 1/2 stitches out of 5 – it kept me mostly engaged and also wasn’t so terrible that I stopped reading it, however, I probably won’t read it again.