Hello and welcome to another Monthly Intent post where I share my reading plans and other goals I have for the month ahead. We are now officially in fall and I have already had my experiences with chilly mornings. Due to this I am in the mood for horror, knitting sweaters, and other fall activities to keep warm and get in the spirit of the season. Without some more ramblings, here are my plans for the month of October!
Reading Plans
One book I for sure want to read in October is Sundial by Catriona Ward. I am reading this with my friend Reg specifically because it is a creepy psychological horror book and it is finally the spookiest month of the year. I have a feeling it will be the perfect book to read to get in the Halloween spirit this month. Other than that I really would like to read 2 more books, but I am going to leave it up to my mood. I recently took a good look at my owned TBR books, turns out I only have about 7 remaining on my shelf, Owned TBR Shelf. Which is really exciting because I really want to get to a point where I finish a book and then pick up my next book from the library or the store.
Crochet and Knitting Plans
Color work body completed of a knitted sweater hanging on a ladder. Has zig zags near collar and bumps throughout.
Finishing Alpenglow I by Andrea Mowry. I know I really wanted to finish this last month, but turned out I did not have the 9 inch curricular in the correct size to work on the sleeves once I got to to them and was held up a few days. I am not halfway through one sleeve and only have a sleeve and a half to go! After this I would really like to finish my halloween socks, which is a yarn called Zombie Frap by Desert Vista Dye Works and I am using the pattern, Heel Toe Do Si Do by Crazy Sock Lady Designs.
Random Goals
As for random goals, I want enjoy some of this fall weather and activities before it gets too cold outside. I would really love to go apple picking this month, it is something I have been doing for years and it really is a ton of fun and afterwords I get to make apple pie! I would also really love it if I got the chance to carve a pumpkin, but this month my schedule might not allow it. One last thing I would really love to do this month is have a bonfire in the backyard with the chill in the air.
Hello and welcome to a monthly recap post that takes a look at my reading, crafting, and random things I did this month. This month was a ton of fun and relaxing at the same time. I was able to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the summer weather, but also enjoyed some time cooling off indoors with a good book. Anyway, here are some of the things I was up to this past month!
Reading
Finished The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager, I read this with my friends Jenna and Reg earlier this month. I was slow to get into it, but once I did it went pretty quickly. I think what made it hard to get into was the fact I was not a huge fan of the main character. To be fair they are a untrustworthy narrator because of their drinking very frequent, so I think this was the authors point. Personally, I am kind of sick of this in thrillers. Apart from that I really enjoyed the lake setting, it really lent itself to the story. I was able to clearly picture the scenes from the pages and felt that each person we met had their own personality. I did really enjoy the use of lore in this story, it was interesting and really engaged me in the story.
I am currently in the middle of Maledictions: A Horror Anthology by Cassandra Khaw and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I am really enjoying both of them for completely different reasons. Maledictions is a wonderful collection of horror short stories that is great for when I don’t have a ton of time to sit and read. On the other hand I’m Glad My Mom Died is a nonfiction book written by a now grown child actress sharing her story. With this book, I really enjoy being able to dedicate time to reading it.
Crochet, Knitting and Crafting
Textured socks on sock blockers with contrasting heels and toes.
This month I ended up finishing a complete pair of knitted socks! I decided to follow a pattern this time around instead of doing a plain sock, I ended up using Picnic Blanket Socks by Helen Stewart. All her patterns are just wonderfully broken down line by line with stitch counts and % progress shown. They are really great patterns for when you are trying as new technique and want more than just the section ending count. These were a ton of fun to make, the texture was super easy and I can’t wait to wear them this winter.
Gray cropped tank top with bows on the straps
The second item I completed this month is the Georges Top by Johanna Gehrisch. I have some mixed feelings about this pattern. While I was making it I came across some things that I would change if I were to make this again. I would complete the bottom section on the round then pick up stiches to do the shaping. I also had to do ribbing around the bottom so the bottom did not curl, if done again, I would do a folded hem, the only reason I did not this time was because I didn’t know if I would have enough yarn. When finishing this pattern, at the time of making it, there was not a lot of guidance, did not tell me how far up to stich the halves together. I ended up guessing the the section I would do in the round in the future, well turns out I needed to do it higher for this items to sit correctly. Some guidance would have been helpful in that regard. Do I like this item? Yes, I do. Would I make it again. No, idea. I really loved the pattern, but having the lack in support towards the end was a bit of a turn off. If I did make it again I would remove the bows and make it longer as well as the changes I mentioned above.
Life
Kindle on table and dog sitting by feet of the reader
This month I was able to get a new ereader, if you want some more detail you can see my post called; My New eReader. Overall, I am loving using this, I take it everywhere and I really feel like I get more reading done. Yes, even though I only finished one book. Also, because it is not a computer screen I feel a difference in my eyes, they don’t feel as fatigued after a longer reading session.
mentioned tweet and described four items, Saraya Shawl, Anker’s Summer Shirt, Kari Shawl, Socks.
A milestone I really wanted to celebrate is the fact that August marked one year of knitting. I did a post over on my twitter celebrating it as well. It is so hard to believe I have only been knitting for a month and have created things I never thought I would be able to and have fun challenging myself. Some of the more notable ones include a red textured and cabled shawl called the Saraya shawl, a textured brown shirt called Anker’s Summer Shirt, a gray shawl with eyelet details on the edge called the Kari Shawl and lastly some socks I am very proud of with contrasting heels and toes that I made from memory based on a vanilla sock pattern.
Rock beach next to the woods and water
One of the most relaxing things I did this month was taking walks outside and just enjoying nature. While there were some VERY hot days, it was great to just get out and walk on the days it wasn’t too bad or in the morning or evening. I took the above picture on one of my walks.
I don’t have any specific books I plan on reading in August, but I do want to read 4 books in total. If I did have to choose two I most likely end up reading, I think it would have to be to finish The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager, I started read it halfway through July and I have been taking my time since I am reading it with Reg and Jenna. The second one I would have to say has a high chance of being read in August is Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez, I read another work by this author and absolutely loved it so I am really looking forward to picking this one up.
Crochet and Knitting Plans
As for knitting plans I really want to start working on either Morning Rituals by Andrea Mowry/(Ralvery/Makers Website) or Soldotna Cropby Caitlin Hunter (Ralvery/LoveCrafts). Both are sweater patterns, but the first would be starting the transition to fall/sweaters with beautiful cables and the Soldotna is a short sleeve colorwork crop top. Both are beautiful. I am tempted to make one more Summer top before the weather changes, but to be fair I wont have a ton of time in the month of August to knit. Decisions, Decisions.
Random Goals
For the month of August I don’t have too many goals, I am really going to do my best to relax a bit since I will have some time to myself. I really want to go on another nature walk like I did in July, it was just a really fun adventure. I also want to go to the beach as least once if not more to relax near the waves and do some reading. Like I said, I just want to relax as much as possible.
Hello and welcome to a post highlighting my reading, crafting, and life over the past month. This month I finally felt like I had free time and I could relax a bit. I for sure kicked up my feet and read some thing month, which I am thrilled about. I also was on a making kick and was able to go on some adventures as well.
Reading
Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, I went into a bit more detail of my thoughts of this book in my post, The Mid-Year Freakout Book Tag, but I will say I ended up DNF’ing this book about halfway through. The reason I DNF’ed the book was because all of the real world references within the book kept taking me out of the story and into the real world and I kept drifting into my thoughts. I will try this book again down the road because the writing was great.
The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris, this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I read Fitzharris’ first book and adored it as well, The Butchering Art. This book took a deep dive into the the beginnings of reconstruction surgery during and after World War I. While this is a nonfiction read, the author is very talented and made this read as if a friend was telling you about something interesting them learned. There is a lot of information in this book, but you never feel bogged down etc. You also got to know the life of the doctors, the patients, and nurses so you they don’t come across as just people who worked there or just subjects.
The next two books I ended up reading during a impromptu 24 hour readathon. If you wanna see some more details on how that went, you can see that in my post, Impromptu Personal 24 Hour Readathon Wrap-Up.
The Employees by Olga Ravn, Martin Aitken (Translator), I really enjoyed this wild ride of a science fiction. It is very hard to put into words why I liked this book so much. But, trying my best I think it comes from they way the story is told through very brief interviews. Even from these small interviews you get a clear picture of the ship, those on the ship, and the challenges they face. The atmosphere that is created is so detailed you find yourself reacting to the interviews subconsciously, you just get feelings deep down in your gut. Not only this, but it explores the idea what it means to be human.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin (Translator), this book is really a wild ride. You go into it thinking you are going to read a general fiction about a man who was left by his wife for whatever reason and going to explore him navigating this. Well, as always Murakami always seems to add another layer to his books. This novel takes a supernatural/magical realism turn that makes this novel addicting to read. When I picked this book up I didn’t think I was going to finish it during the 24 hour readathon, I was wrong. I ended up reading this 600 page book in a single day.
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, Adrian Nathan West (translator), this fiction book takes real life players and events and takes the reader on a wild ride. It does talk about both mathematicians and physics, not knowing too much about both, just general knowledge, I was not lost in the slightest. The author did a great job of blending fact and fiction and really makes the reader think about the question if humanity is going forwards or backwards through discoveries. It plays on the quote from Jurassic park, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” It for sure is a book that sits with you and makes you think.
Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King, this was a mere 18 pages so I don’t really want to say too much, but I will say this this short story really had the creepy vibes I have been missing from his more recent works.
Slow Boat by Hideo Furukawa, David Boyd (Translator), this book was meh. It was not bad by any stretch, the writing was very well done, but this story was kind of boring. I read 45 pages the first sitting, which was a huge dent since this book is so short, but it was a struggle to pick it up again. If this book was any longer I probably would have DNF’ed it because it just didn’t pull me in personally. Like I said, the writing is really good, for a short book, the author did a lot in those pages, which is impressive.
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, this story made my heart hurt, It was imaginative in all the right ways. I read this in a 24 hour period from cover to cover. I don’t get too emotional while reading, but this book certainly pulled at my heart strings between friendships, found family and just the growth of the main character . Plus, GHOSTS, I am 100% on board.
Crochet, Knitting and Crafting
Anker’s Summer Shirt
Anker’s Summer Shirt by PetiteKnit, this was my first time working a pattern by PetiteKnit and I can see why other knitters lover her patterns so much. They are simple, but have enough going on to keep you engaged. The styles are classic and timeless and are great for layering. I want to work another one of her patterns already. I made this project out of Sandnes Garn Line, which is a blend of cotton, rayon, and linen so it was perfect to make this summer shirt for sure. I really loved the textured yoke of this top down sweater.
Duotone Cowl
Next project I completed was a Duotone Cowl (Non-ralvery Option) by Orange Flower Yarn. I did this project as a stash busting project with the intent of donating it come colder months. I happened to have two skein of Ritual Dyes Marona in a pink color and a dark green so I whipped up this project. I really loved how this pattern didn’t work with equal sized stripes all around, but made one color dominate in one half and then reversed on the second half. It makes this scarf look more intricate than it is and I love that in a project, plus it is a free pattern and very well written!
Vanilla Socks
The next and final project I finished was a plain vanilla sock with a contrasting heel and toe for sock week 2022, I did an entire post dedicated to this project and you can find that here, Sock Week 2022 Journal. It was a fun quick project before jumping back into some larger ones.
Life
This past month I did a bunch of fun things. I went to the beach a few times, getting that fresh salt water air really helped me get over a cold I had for over two weeks. While at the beach I was able to get some reading and knitting done as well. It was just truly a relaxing experience and I needed it greatly. I always forget how much I need to be around nature and how calming it is personally to me.
Showing off Slow Boat by Hideo Furukawa on the beach
I also went on a lovely nature walk with my boyfriend this month. We walked around for about 2 hours easily looking at statues and enjoying all the different plants, flowers, and trees. We even found one that looked like it was growing tiny bananas. I think my favorite part of this walk was any time we came across the water. We found a water fall, a stream with a ton of koi fish, and even found a frog among the water lilies.
waterfall through a stone window
As you can see I spent a lot of time doing the things I love and enjoy this month and I really hope to keep this going. I want to go to the beach a few more times before it gets chilly again. I do have some fun plans coming up in August that I am really looking forward to sharing with you! But, that was my month of July! I hope your July was just as wonderful if not more so.
Hello and welcome to my Mid-Year Freakout! It is hard to believe that we are already half way, or a little more than half way through 2022 already. I feel like time is flying all of a sudden, not sure about you? Anyway, let’s get into the questions and books!
Best Book You Have Read So Far
The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris: This fascinating nonfiction read jumps into the early medical field surrounding reconstructive surgery, with a main focus of world war 1. It was written in a way where it was highly informative, but reading this felt like you were listening to a friend talk about their favorite topic and it makes you really excited about it as well.
I have not read a single sequel this year, I am so bad with series these days. I just tend to avoid them anymore.
A New Release That You Wanna Read, But Have Not Yet
The It Girl by Ruth Ware: Ruth Ware is one of my auto buy authors so I have this already on my digital shelf, I just have not been up to reading. As soon as the reading bug bites me I am diving into this book. Ware has a way of writing thrillers that always leaves you surprised and with each release her writing gets better and better.
Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half of the Year
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Taylor Jenkins Reid is another auto buy author for me. I have read nearly all of their backlog and have really enjoyed them. To be honesty, I always hate the description of their books. They never sound interesting to me, but somehow this author takes something I normally would be meh about and makes me love it.
The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings: When an authors writing is compared to one of my favorite authors I always need to take a closer look at the book. When I read the description on Megan Giddings book I knew I needed to read it. It said the word witches and I was in, on top of that the main characters story and the utopian world the author has placed them in is very scary, but also intriguing.
Biggest Disappointment So Far
Gwendy’s Final Task by by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar: Now you might be saying this is a sequel you said you didn’t read any this year. I didn’t, I couldn’t finish this book. Now, I LOVED the first two books in this series and I will say I really loved the writing on this third one as well. Even with this talent of both authors I had to DNF one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. The reason being, I kept getting pulled out of the story so often it felt like every 5 pages or so. This book is so much in our time and our world that I could not suspend belief enough to get back into the story of our main character. I kept getting side tracked and going off on mental tangents about the state of the world. These writers are really talented, but I feel like this is a book I need to read a few years from now to really get what I want out of it if that makes sense.
Biggest Surprise So Far
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed: Stories by Mariana Enríquez: The reason this is such a surprise for me is because I only picked this up because it was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize last year. Every year I make it a goal to read all of the books on the shortlist to find new authors around the world. There are misses for sure, but every once in a while I find a new author I just love. This is the case with Mariana Enríquez, even before finishing this book I ordered another one by them. Their writing is magical and their stories are so unique, dark at times and captivating.
Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)
Well, to be honest with you, Mariana Enríquez. The author of the book mentioned above, I really hope more of their works are translated into English because I just want to read more of their works than the two I already had my hands on.
Newest Fictional Crush
Honestly, I have not found a new fictional crush of 2022, but I shall keep searching!
Newest Favorite Character
August from One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: August is a really interesting character, really pulled away from the world looking for their place. It was really fun to see their journey and how caring they truly are once they start making connection with others.
A Book That Made You Cry
No book has managed to make me cry yet, but to be fair books in general don’t make me cry very often.
Book That Made You Happy
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: I really loved this book so much, mainly for the fact of the found family and the growth of the main character. I smiled so much while reading this book and even did a few happy squeaks.
Most Beautiful Book You Have Bough or Received This Year
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami: Can we just take a moment to look at how colorful and magical this books looks. It is so simple, but for me it really invokes a feeling of this book is going to magical. Bonus points, I just read this two days ago and I loved it so much. I love when a beautiful cover holds a really great story.
What Books Do You Have to Read Before the Year Ends
My owned TBR is currently only 16 books so to be honest I really want to read those 16 books. If you want to see which ones are on this list please feel free to visit by goodreads shelf: Owned TBR.
Hello and welcome to a midmonth check-in! I just wanted to take a moment to share what I am currently reading and what I am currently working on craft wise as well. This month has already flown by, I have already finished a few books and projects that you will see in my Monthly Digest post for the month, but I am still reading and working away on other projects and books currently.
My Current Reads
Berserk Deluxe Edition Volume 1 by Kentaro Miura, Jason DeAngelis (Translator), I just started reading this so I am not too far into it , but the illustration style is great! It can be graphic though, so be warned! There is a lot going on so you just keep wanting to turn the pages and get sucked in for sure.
Other than this, I am planning on picking up The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite, who wrote My Sister, the Serial Killer, which I LOVED! So I am really looking forward to reading this because her thriller style is unique. Even if you know what you are picking up, she still manages to surprise you. For me, this is a HUGE plus. Even thrillers that don’t give away huge plot points I feel like I can easily predict since I read so many of them. Braithwaite on the other hand can tell you a ton about what is going to happen, but still takes me on a ride!
My Current WIPs
Body Language Cardigan by Knits N Knots, I am finally working on anther crochet project! I have not done crochet for a while, but I have missed it. I decided on this pattern because it looks nice and cozy, but also lets me practice some seaming since it is made in pieces. I am hoping to finish it before it gets too hot and I wont want to touch it and it will be ready for next fall. I am currently working on the back panel and the largest for this sweater. I feel like once I finish this panel the rest will fly!
Crochet project, showing the start of the back panel
My on the go project has been my Rainbow Vanilla Socks, no pattern followed for this. I am just knitting based off memory of knitting other socks. I am at the heel on both of the socks currently, I like to work both socks and keep them at the same sections so I finish them close together instead of getting with burn out when I have one totally complete sock an one not even started.
Hello and welcome to a little chat where I share what I am currently reading and working on. I am actually happy to say I have been reading this month, I have actually finished 3 books already. I know, I know, where did this reading mojo come from?! I have no idea, but I am running with it.
Current Reads
Two current reads, listed below.
The first book I am currently reading is The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, I am actually buddy reading this with Jenna! We have not buddy read anything in a while so I am excited about it. You can find her on twitter as @jkimexploring. I am also reading Irish Folktales edited by Henry Glassie on my own. I have always loved folktales so when I found this collection at my local store I picked up up right away.
This month I was thankfully able to finish SO MANY presents I wanted to get done. I finished two different stockings following the pattern Reindeer Stocking by Sincerely Pam, a cowl to donate, and a blanket following Golden Granny Blanket by ChiWei Ranck pattern. Then after that I made my scarf for this year, I made the pattern Super Scarf with Pockets by Lion Brand Yarn and I love it because it gives me extra pockets! You can never have enough of those. I am really thrilled with all I was able to accomplish crafting wise. I really didn’t think I was going to have time to start let alone finish my scarf.
Life
apples on an apple tree
This past month has been filled with a lot of adventures, but my favorite would have to be going apple picking with my significant other. It was a really beautiful day, the sun was out and it wasn’t too hot or too cold out. We decided to try all the types of apples and picked one of each kind on top of what I needed to make an apple pie. I never made an apple pie before so that was a fun little experiment that ended up delicious.
Another fun adventure was my significant other and myself also went to Princeton and walked around the downtown and around the campus. It was another lovely time just spending outside and enjoying our surroundings. On top of that we got some delicious tea and then did some book shopping, pictured at the top of this post. I have really been exploring Stoicism and I was able to find a few books on the topic so I was thrilled.
Hello and welcome to a post where I show you a glimpse of a few books on my owned tbr. I planned on showing you only 10, but alas, I cannot count and took a picture of 11. I felt like it might be fun to just pick up the first books I saw and showcase them a bit. As of writing this my TBR is around 35 books so this is only a third of what I have. Anyway, here are the 11 books I picked up!
Hello and welcome to my monthly intent post for August! I hope everyone has a lovely July, and August will even better! This month I have quite a few things I would like to see or give a try. I am really hoping the weather ends up cooperating because a lot of them are outdoorsy or a DIY I would need good ventilation.
Reading Plans
This upcoming month I have three books I really would love to get to. The first one being Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, I have wanted to read this for months and for some reason I just have not picked it up. I was in a bit of a slump after the first few months of the year, so I am going to blame it on that. Thankfully, I think it is starting to go away since my reading has gone up a bit the last few months. Next, I really would love to read Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin. I read Fever Dream by the same author and I really loved it so I have very high hopes. Her last one had a bit of a horror twist that I was not expecting. I want to slowly read all of her stuff. Last, but not least is Writing on Stone by Christina Marsden Gillis. I recently picked this up, but I just want to get to it right away! It’s a nonfiction about a small island community in Maine.
Crochet Plans
This month I want to finally finish my Macchiato Crochet Poncho created by BrianaKdesigns. I am loving how it is coming out and I just cannot wait to get to wear it in the fall. Another thing I want to attempt to do is knit a pair of socks. I signed up for a class of sorts to try and learn, we shall see how it goes! I do not have the highest of hopes, BUT I am excited to give it a try and also have the support if I need it. Even if they come out wonky I will love them. I might just hang them on the wall as an art piece instead of functioning socks though. lol. If I happen to have time I have a few smaller projects I want to work on to try to get ahead on gifts during the holiday season.
Random Goals
This month I have it in my head to dye my own yarn. I found a method using blackbeans and I was thinking of giving it a go. The post I found is called Natural Dyeing with Black Beans by fiberartsy. I just need to find the right kind of yarn to dye, I feel like that is going to be the most difficult. I want to use a cotton, but we shall see! Next, I really want to go to an art museum of some sort. I have a few that are within my state so I am trying to decide which one I would feel the most comfortable going to.
Bookish Luna 