Homemade Socks

 I am a member of Goodreads, but I have not updated my book selection in 2 1/2 years. I've been debating if I should start again. I logged on and found this message between my sister and I from 5 years ago. She's still obsessed with both socks and The Count of Monte Christo. I have yet to knit a work of literature into a wearable piece, however. Right now I'm knitting an octopus.

Dec 06, 2008 02:42PM

Hey Olivia,

The Count of Monte Christo Penguin classic 1,000 some pages edition I have on my book list would be a schweet Christmas present. The copy I have from the library right now is missing the first 36 pages and some other random pages in the middle so it is kind of hard to understand the whole story.

Ju

Dec 06, 2008 07:20PM

I'll keep that in mind. Although I thought the socks would be my Christmas present to you...

Olivia

Dec 07, 2008 07:28AM

Oh yeah. I'll have to pester someone else then. or you could knit the entire story into a REALLY long sock. It would be like a tapestry that I could wear! That would be the best Christmas present ever.

Ju

A Lemon and a Star

A friend lent me a wonderful book, A Lemon and a Star by E.C. Spykman. It's about four siblings and their adventures, set in the early 1900s, which is when my great-grandmother was a girl. The friend who lent it to me said that it is based on the author's childhood, and is the kind of children's book that adults often enjoy more than children. (I did read some to my teenage sister, and she thought it lacked plot. I enjoyed the rambling quality.)

Here's an excerpt from the second page:

"Her intention had been to climb up to the middle of the old maple at the lower end of the barn field, unpack, and set up housekeeping in a place of peace and quiet, where in the cool shelter she could concentrate on hating Theodore. It had seemed a good idea. The maple stood alone and the approach of enemies could be seen from all sides. The brook ran along one side of it for water and Aunt Charlotte's vegetable garden stretched away on the other side for food. But now she was on her way home, because it had not worked. Living in a tree was quite impractical. Nothing would stay where you put it."

Later, something said by the 8-year-old Hubert:

"Nobody'll marry me," he said, "till I've got a mustache and that takes years."

And:

"She liked sitting with Hubert doing a rather risky thing thought up by Ted."

E is for Elephant

So, I'm reading this book, and there is an excellent quote that I want to share. They are discussing the temperament of Norma Jean, an elephant who paints.

"One thing is clear of Norma Jean,' Nandini said. 'She is excellently disposed, all good things an elephant can be: kind, friendly, big-hearted, barrel-shaped, very fragrant, like sandalwood...And she is very smart too."

I hope that I am also kind, friendly, big-hearted, and best of all, fragrant like sandalwood.