Handmade Home

I love this book and didn't have nearly enough time to do all the projects I wanted to work on. I've been waiting for Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule for 2 months now. It was so worth the wait and actually a book that I would consider buying. Of course with a popular library book, you only have 3 weeks to soak it all in and then return for the next in line. Amanda Blake Soule has some great ideas for reusing items and repurposing them for something new. I made a rage bag (holds the daily soiled dishrags from the sink) out of an old pair of pajamas. It was a fun, easy project. My next project will be making a reusable Happy Birthday banner out of scrap fabric. I've already put my name on the waiting list to take this book out again.

Now Begins the 2010 Canada Reads List

Nikolski by Nicholas Dickner. I would neither rave about this book nor say it was poor. I finished it but it wasn't really my style. Nicholas Dickner takes the reader on a fictional journey that shows the reader connections people have to each other without even knowing it. It kind of shows how we may have contact with shop owner for instance and neither of us know that we have a common friend or acquaintance. Unlikely links to people are probably more common than we think. Other people obviously really like this book as it is on the Canada Reads list as well as winning other literary awards.

January, A Time To Read

I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby, was recommended to me by my mother-in-law. I finally picked it up from the library last week and finished it in record time. My interest in Hutterite culture was peaked when we were able to tour a colony in October. Mary-Ann Kirkby tells the story of her life as a Hutterite and then her life after she, along with her family, left the colony. It was really a beautiful telling of the her experiences both good and bad in the Hutterite life. Yes, I'd have to say I loved this book. In theory I love many of the ideas surrounding this culture that promotes simple living and the strength of the community but of course humanity always interferes with ideology. Pick this book up, it's worth the read.

Christmas....Extreme Style

I am a big fan of the CBC radio show, The Vinyl Cafe. Stuart McLean is a great story teller. This book gives you exactly what you are expecting from it, funny stories that are easy to read. It was a great book to pick up over the Christmas holidays, light and entertaining.

Over the Christmas break I also managed to fit in cleaning our carpets and installing a new dual flush toilet....yeah Stephy. I never did finish sending out all my Christmas cards but I did manage to make almost all of my gifts this year. I have a few other books on the go, so I'll be posting again soon.