Unraveled Wednesday | Week 6 of 2025

Hello! Thank you for all of the well wishes on Monday. I’m still feeling pretty rotten and am hoping to get a little extra time in bed later today. I develop intense coughing anytime I get sick (no need to gross you out with those details), which makes sleep and rest difficult. So any attempt at extra rest is especially important.

And because it’s Wednesday, I’m linking up again with Kat to share what I’ve been reading and stitching this week. Because I have very little energy, today’s post won’t be as detailed as some of my other ones. I’m sharing three books I finished since last Wednesday, my sock club knitting progress, and a sweet gift I got in the mail:

Knitting/Spinning:

The skein of yarn I unwrapped on February 1st was Cherry Tree Hill Sock It To Me! Another skein that I’ve had in my stash for at least 15 years. The colorway is called Misty Moor and it’s full of the moodiest greens and purples. Why haven’t I knit it before now? Anyway, I’ve cast on one basic sock and will just keep knitting.

Juliann sent me a very sweet gift this week: a drop spindle with some delicious BFL fiber. What a delight! Thank you again, Juliann. I can’t wait to start practicing!! And aren’t blogging friends the best friends?!

Reading:

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Eleanore of Avignon was the story of a young herbalist in 14th century France (?). While trying to save her family and city from the plague, she’s vilified as a witch. And while she and her mentor use early scientific techniques to find out how the plague is spreading, she is vilified even more. Being vilified for using science? Does that sound familiar? This book was atmospheric and wonderful, full of familiar ideas and conflicts that we saw during covid-19. I was happy to stumble upon this on Libby late last year and stayed on the waiting list for quite a while!

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Franke Before the Diary: this is an imagined account of what Anne’s life might have been like before they went into hiding. Much of it is true – her father’s efforts to move them to Amsterdam to avoid Hitler, life in Amsterdam leading up to the Nazi takeover, and the propaganda Hitler used to influence the everyday Dutch citizen. This novel is short, chilling, and the reminder we need right now.

Onyx Storm: yowza! This is the third book in the Empyrean series and it left me with way more questions than answers! Which is probably to be expected – this series is expected to be 5 books long so we’ve only just made it to the middle. I enjoyed reading this book a lot but am struggling to review it without giving away any spoilers from the first two books. (I stand by my statement that the end of Fourth Wing is the best ending I’ve ever read and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone by saying something stupid on this little blog.)

So here is what I will say: Violet and her friends form a quest squad to search for allies against the Dark Wielders and to search for more of Andarna’s kind. Weird things happen. Unexpected deaths occur suddenly. Violet and Xaden remain madly in love despite what happens at the end of the second book. The characters kick ass, demand answers about the shady things their forefathers did to create their sovereignty, and the dragons remain the stars of the show.

Great literature? No. But so much fun! And reading everyone’s complex theories about the characters, their motivations, and where the story will go from here is also a lot of fun. You can see how much work Yarros has put into this world and how complicated the storyline is. And the fact that we get to be a part of watching this all unfold and anticipate each new book as its released? Also so much fun!

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We have some snow and some chilly weather headed our way. I’d like to say that I’ll be curled up with books, knitting, and lattes but the most likely scenario is that I’ll be coughing in my bed over the next few days.

I hope the end of your week treats you well and you find time for the things you love. Take good care!