Quick Lit Link Up

This month I’m linking up with the Modern Mrs. Darcy and her QuickLit post!  This gives me a chance to share a lot of what I’ve been staying busy with.  It’s been one of those spring/summers when I’m so busy all of the time, but have very little to show for it!

What I’m Reading:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer – You might have read my earlier post in which I shared that I’ve been reading this series out of order!  A couple of weeks ago I got an email saying that my Overdrive copy was ready to be downloaded and I was very excited to finally read the first book in this series.  I’ve described this as Firefly meets Fairy Tales; Cinder is living with her wicked stepmother and her stepsisters who make her go out and earn the money for the family.  The twist is that Cinder is a Cyborg with innate mechanical abilities.  This is a fun adventure that is perfect for the summertime!

A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle – I learned about The Crosswicks Journals on What Should I Read Next and knew that I needed to get my hands on this one right away.  I’m only a few pages into it, but this is the first installment of L’Engle’s journals, which she wrote while staying at her country home, Crosswicks.  So far it is lovely, but I’ll have to read more to really have an idea about how to talk about this one.  And I have a thing for journals written by writers, so this is perfect for me.

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda – I read All The Missing Girls last summer and really enjoyed it.  Again, I’m only a few pages into this one, so I don’t know too much about it yet.  But so far, there is a mysterious murder and the main character has a mysterious and shady past – how could I not enjoy this??

What I’m Watching:

The Keepers – We just finished this last weekend.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Have you started watching it yet?  It wasn’t something that I was able to binge – the topic is very heavy and disturbing.  This is the story of a group of women in their 60s who are investigating the death of their beloved high school teacher, Sister Cathy Cesnick.  Sister Cathy was murdered in the 1960s and the circumstances of her death remain unresolved.  As we dive deeper, we learn about the school in which Sister Cathy taught and the unbelievable stories of the girls within it.  Fair warning: there is a lot of discussion about Catholic Priest sex abuse and its systematic cover up by the church.

Shetland – Set in the Shetland Islands of Scotland, this is a visually stunning show!  It features the sea, old cottages, cute villages, and picturesque landscapes.  Also: MURDER.  Lots and lots of murder.  The third season was especially enjoyable.  One of the characters survived a sexual assault, and it was handled very well.  Much of the third season was a master class in the way sexual assault survivors blame themselves and how the people around them can help them through this painful time.  Spectacular.

The Handmaid’s Tale – This makes me want to take off to Canada every time I watch an episode.  Elisabeth Moss is fantastic and the entire show is terrifying.  It’s been several years since I read the book so I don’t remember everything, but the creators of this show are taking some very good creative liberties.  I have been recommending it to everyone at work!

 

What I’m Listening To:

Up and Vanished – yes, I’m still addicted to this podcast!  Recently, there were two people charged with the death of Tara Grinstead, the Georgia woman who vanished in October 2005.  We are learning more and more about what happened to her.  It’s disturbing how many people were actually aware of her murder without ever telling anyone.  I’m very interested to see how everything plays out in the court system.  The host, Payne Lindsey, has spent a lot of time interviewing the ex-girlfriend of one of the murder suspects and it has been fascinating.  It’s like the unreliable narrator on steroids.

Lore – once I figured out that I can increase the speed on Podcasts (like on audiobooks), I’ve been finding this podcast much more enjoyable.  Most episodes are around a half an hour and they dive deep into folklore and spooky stories.

What I’m Knitting:

Invincible Summer – I received the second issue of Laine Magazine in May and immediately cast on this project.  I love it.  There is brioche for days, which creates a soft and cuddly texture.  There’s an i-cord edging, which I’ve never done before, that creates a clean and neat edge with beautiful knit stitches.  Oh, I’m in love.  I can’t wait to finish this and be able to wrap myself up in the evenings!!

 

Bluebells Cardigan – I wrote about my little disaster with this one earlier.  I still haven’t finished the button bands, mostly because I’m so disappointed in myself and the mistake that I made (in a nutshell, I was cutting up the middle to make this into a cardigan rather than a pullover, and I slipped and cut the wrong stitches and am dealing with some major unraveling!).  But I’m committing to finishing this before I start another project, so I will tackle it more mindfully once I finish my Invincible Summer shawl.

What I’m Quilting:

Handy Andy Quilts – The AC in my sewing room hasn’t been installed yet and my little attic space is sweltering, so I haven’t done much sewing.  I have one of my Handy Andy quilt tops all sewed together and another allllmost ready!  I wanted to make two: one for home and one to hang in my office at work.  Because it’s so warm and it’s going to take me longer to finish them than I’d hoped, I’m regretting the decision to make two.  But I know once they’re done and hanging on my walls, then I’ll be very happy that I doubled up!

 

And that’s been my life after putting the boys down to sleep at night for the last month or so…. I’m also hoping to figure out how to add a few more hours between 8:00pm and 11pm – any ideas?? :p