Alice Page 2 Complete!!

Well I know I always saying I'm almost there on things for Alice. But here's a for real page 2 finish. 

Black is always such a pain as the coverage never feels right up close. As you can see here: 

There are white gaps showing. However when I draw back to the width of the piece then of course it looks just fine. 

So I know I need to curtain my expectations when I'm looking at it from an inch or two away. 

Because here the 1 thread on 28ct over 1 looks fine: 

There you have it two pages done of more than I want to think about (40+ pages). At the rate I'm Stitching I'll be lucky to finish this in 10 years! Gotta have lofty goals right (lol). 

More Dragons on their way shortly and I just got amazing threads for Autumn Quaker by Rosewood that is sooo pretty. Once I pick out some fabric for it then it may need to be moved near the top of the list to be started. 

Thanks for drppping by and happy stitching! 

Book Review: Strange Practice

Title: Strange Practice

Author: Vivian Shaw

Genre: Supernatural, Urban Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I'm rounding up from 3.75 as I really enjoyed this book; but I think others will possibly disagree with me. There are a number of small annoyances in Strange Practice and some of its oddness distracts from the story itself. 

Vocabulary

I had to look up multiple words while reading. This is something that can be both good and bad. It can be educational to learn new words, but it can also just be snobbery that has an author including those words. It doesn't help that Vivian Shaw has actually created new words in order to support her variety of medical conditions for the supernatural. 

Supernatural conditions

This is probably one of the most unique things in Strange Practice that sets it above other paranormal/supernatural stories. There are different kinds of vampires. For example, some are deathly allergic to garlic, others have sun allergy, some need blood of a virgin (not kidding!) and whatnot. Shaw has set up an elaborate world of supernatural beings (inside our existing world) in order to support her main characters job of doctor to the supernatural. From baby ghouls with ear infections to knife wounds to mummy's that are falling apart, there's no lack of creativity in ailments that are treated. 

Characters

Shaw has excelled at creating interesting and likeable (while still a little scary) characters. Many of them remind me of the first time I met characters like Jean-Claude and Richard in Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. It helps that demons and vampires tend to have interesting back stories but it's still easy to do it wrong. Reveal too much (or too little) about each person/creature and you can collapse the intrigue. I thought there was a good mix and lots to still learn about our main players. I just hope Shaw doesn't get carried away with too much sex like Hamilton did in her series. 

Plot

Which brings me to plot. There is a very solid, easy to follow plot that brings our characters together and gives valid and easy to recognize reasons for them to do what they do. 

That said one of my sticking points in books is when things are too convenient. There were two major moments near the end where I rolled my eyes because things were a bit too convenient. This is definitely part of why this was an enjoyable book but not a five star one for me. 

Religion

The inevitable topic that needs sorting in any supernatural universe is religion. It's pretty tough to have angels, demons, vampires, etc without touching on the religious basis for your beings. 

Shaw takes an interesting approach to this by having some characters be directly from Heaven or Hell; yet others that just exist, no religion needed. She also sets up a world in which it's less of good vs. bad and more about a balanced existence. 

This certainly plays well into my own personal beliefs and didn't rub me the wrong way at all (unlike the Supernatural tv show where Dean's quick conversion was a bit too in my face). I think it's a very thin strand to walk the line between not offending anyone and also being a bit neutral. Shaw hit the nail on the head for me and set-up a world and characters I got easily on board with. 

Overall

I would recommend this book for folks who feel supernatural books are often too 'dumbed down' (ie: smutty romances) as there is a lot here to take away. The ingenious medical set-up of the beings certainly sets it apart from so many others almost like it in the genre. 

I will definitely be carrying on with this series as I think it stands out in a genre I love (but often hate because of the style of writing and choice of plot points). 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The Visitors

Title: The Visitors

Author: Catherine Burns

Genre: Fiction, Thriller

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

For three days I have been trying to figure out what to say in this review. This is an odd and fairly disturbing book. I think my biggest problem with it is I can't figure out what the point is in it. Especially given that the blurb gives away that the brother gets ill and yet that doesn't happen until almost the very end of the novel. 

Perhaps as a short story this might work. It could still hold the creep factor without being so drawn out. 

The Premise

This is not a pleasant book. Be warned. It's clear from the beginning that the 'visitors' are being held captive. That the brother is the one doing it and his unintelligent sister is (mostly) a passive bystander. Both siblings are rich by inheritance so there is none of the usual issue with getting a job or being concerned about funds. This may help to distance the average person even further from the sister (whom the story perspective is written from); but for me this doesn't make any of the things she does more acceptable or less horrific. 

Pity Party?

I think Catherine Burns intends to make us feel badly for our lead gal (the sister) at points. She's a 50+ virgin with no friends or true relationships (except for her brother). She has a low IQ and some large mental health issues. But being less intelligent doesn't (generally) mean you are less morale. It just means you are not as clever. And this is where I don't like the way she is portrayed; as though her lesser IQ is an excuse for many things she does or doesn't do. I don't believe that IQ indicates a person's morality or capability to feel emotions. The traits of a sociopath are available to any intelligence level and, perhaps ironically, often to those more intelligent than the average. 

Nothing to see here

I honestly feel like I want to use the force to wave my hand and say there's "nothing to see here" because there really isn't. If you want to read horrific literature just because you like crazy creepy and terrifying things happening to others then sure maybe The Visitors is for you. But go in knowing it's not a horror novel; it's a literary novel that has horrifying things happen in it. And maybe that's what's most odd of all; the writing is good and the characters themselves are well developed, it's just there is no substance of plot here except to maybe say that the sister is naive or chooses to be blind to her circumstances. I'd love to hear what Burns has to say about why she wrote this book.  

But does it turn out okay?

Some who have read this novel may say "oh but there's a sort-of happy ending". I disagree there is absolutely nothing happy about this ending. In fact the ending may be more unsettling than the obvious horrifying things due to its skewed perspective. 

Unless you are obsessed with serial killers or kidnappers then I just can't see a reason to pick The Visitors up. 

I generally like creepy, smart thrillers (although not my primary genre choice); but neither smart nor creepy are really present here. Instead it's just flat out horrifying because it could be real (has been all too real to some real-life women) and seems to provide no context that allows the reader to 'get something' out of the book (other than perhaps a sick to your stomach feeling). 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: Dreamwielder

Title: Dreamwielder (book 1)

Series: Dreamwielder Chronicles 

Author: Garrett Calcaterra

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

There are so many great things about Dreamwielder and yet I am only giving it 3 stars (maybe this is like 3.25 stars). The characters, plot, world building and magical system are wonderful. They could easily come from any high-end fantasy book. Author Garrett Calcaterra of Dreamwielder (the first book in the Dreamwielder Chronicles) is clearly talented. Right up until you need him to describe a building or scene; or show you what is happening….

Give me more cowbell!

Really good fantasy books require some intricate descriptions. I’m not talking about 10+ pages about rocks (ugh Emyn Muil) but there has to be some sort of substance to the descriptions. If I’m in a throne room numerous times which is enthralling to the characters then I’d like to be able to see it in my head. Instead it was as if it was a generic “Lightbringer” throne room. 

Here’s an example of a lack luster description: ”…the ceiling of the throne room was vaulted, and there was a high balcony lining the rear and side walls, but apart from that it was similar in size and layout to the throne room in Castle Pyrthin.” 

That’s it? I want sooo much more; what are the colours, what’s on the tapestries, what does the throne look like, how big is it, are there windows, is it intimidating, etc. I started (by the halfway point of the novel) rewording the sentences to have descriptions in them that incorporated more of the plot, what characters were seeing and descriptions. 

Even a phrase like (forgive my bad writing) “Not unlike Castle Pyrthin the vaulted ceilings, held up by stone columns, gave the room the impression of being larger than it was. As Caile walked towards the throne he realized that the man on the small, but ornate, gold throne didn’t fit in with the elegant royal purple tapestries which depicting epic fights and sorcerers of great power flinging their blue balls of magic in battle. The Emperor instead appeared…” 

Yes I made up those details, because in my head that’s what I started to do when given no descriptions of the settings. I just wanted so much more! 

Simply put, I wanted someone like Robin Hobb, Brandan Sanderson or Elizabeth Haydon to have written this story because it could be a rich, intriguing and intricate fantasy story. Instead Calcattera gives us a glimpse into what could be an intricate, intriguing and impressive fantasy world and then lets us down with mediocre descriptions and not enough showing. 

Yes I really mean it, give me more!

Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Mel, are you saying you wanted this book to be longer?” Yes!! There’s a first time for everything (lol). I wanted to be immersed in this world where we swap characters points of view and split up only to reunite characters later on. It’s an absolute tragedy to me that there is sooo much good stuff here and yet the core base of what makes a book readable and immersive is missing. 

The characters, plot and world are more than good enough that I will read the next book in the series; but I suspect I will be re-writing it with descriptions in my head as well.

 

Genre

I know this is listed as a young adult book, and yes it’s suitable for a young adult. But I think it’s mis-categorized. This is really an epic high fantasy book that just needs a good fantasy treatment added to it. What I mean is that I want it to feel grander than it does right now. Again, I just think there’s so much more Dreamwielder could be. I’d hate to see Calcaterra stay at this level of writing because I think he can be so much more than he is. That’s not to say YA books aren’t good (I personally love them); it’s only to say that Dreamwielder feels bigger and I want a lot more out of it so an epic fantasy treatment feels like the way to go here. 

In Conclusion 

I’m a broken record by now because all I can say is give me more! Calcaterra should re-write this with a more adult audience in mind, add-in descriptions to flesh out this world, and overall step up the writing to a more show and less tell approach. If this was to happen I honestly believe there is a promising future for not only Dreamwielder but Calcaterra himself. 

If I could afford to I’d hire him a big-time editor and copy-editor from TOR or Orbit to work with Calcaterra and make this the grand story it deserves. In the meantime I’ll be moderately content with what I have and keep hoping that a larger publishing house sees what I do in this wonderfully set-up series.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

More and more Dragons!!

I've got 2 dragons today to share! I know it's crazy to have 2 done. It's amazing what you can get done when you put down your phone and actually get stuff done (lol). 

This is July and August Dragons. Meaning I'm only 3 behind now. Although given there are only 4 left that isn't very impressive. 

Here's the bottom 5 Dragons together. I was too lazy to take the rods off to show it all off. I won't lie that is why they aren't all there. 

Overall I continue to be huge happy with these guys. I did change some colours here and there but mostly they are as they should be. I have not yet figured out what I plan to do about the birthstones each has that I didn't stitch in. On lots of places I just figured out the stitches to make the dragon whole where the stones were. I have been thinking maybe krenik thread overlaid, or many ladies in the SAL have used actual stones stitched on. 

If you've got suggestions I'd love to here them! 

Also stones are not needed... except for many the tiny green guy (but I could always figure something out for him). He's originally standing on the stone. 

In other news

- page 2 of Alice is really close to done!

- got a new SAL (bands in variegated thread) to start 

- made some progress on Here there be monsters 

- and have kitted up the Feminist ladies. 

Never mind all the next things I want to do and stash I keep buying!! :) 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stitching! 

Book Review: Blood & Ink

Title: Blood & Ink 

Author: Stephen Davies

Genre: Historical, Young Adult

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is a difficult book to know what to do with. 

On one hand it's a fairly boring, typical Romeo and Juliet story (with a twist). On the other hand it's based on real events in Timbuktu in 2012 which makes it both relevant, educational and sad all at once. 

Historical Content & Importance

Blood and Ink is set in 2012 Timbuktu when radicals Muslims took over the city. These are real life people who believe women should always be veiled in public. Now Timbuktu had been, to date, a very progressive Muslim society in which many women chose not be veiled. So this was an obvious infringement on their rights. Among many other things that happened during that time of occupation 

Timbuktu had public lashings!! 

I cannot even begin to tell you how disturbing I find this. Not only, that it happened a mere five years ago; but also that my sheltered Canadian self remembers hearing of the occupation of Timbuktu and not thinking it meant much at the time. Let me stand corrected now. Stephen Davies has opened my eyes to the radical violence that came (and in some cases still comes) from these jihads. I find it truly disturbing. 

I pledge from here forward to be more aware of the actual circumstances that fair practicing, innocent Muslims undergo. And that if anything is in my power to act or do something I will. Even if it's only to bring awareness.

Why just the event is not enough

No matter how important or world shattering a book may be due to its context and content that doesn't make it good writing or characters interesting. 

Without a doubt the main events, based on true stories, are compelling and horrifying in Blood and Ink but that's really where it ends. Everything Davies added to the book; his characters, motivations, etc are dull and cliche. 

To take an event like the protecting of the manuscripts and dumb it down to a couple children being responsible seems offensive to the original folks who actually spent weeks achieving his smuggling act. To indicate somehow that the entire occupation somehow laid on one little boys shoulders in many ways is also ludicrous. 

What I would normally accept in completely fictional stories (extraordinary children) I just cannot abide by when the events actually happened in a completely different way. What was wrong with telling the story the way it happened? 

Historical Fiction is Different

I read a lot of historical fiction based on true events. This is one of a rare few where it's historical fiction written for the young adult crowd. This intrigued me at first; but after reading Blood and Ink I think that Davies has taken complex human emotions, motivations and acts, and dumbs them down to lowest common denominator. 

I'm not a fan of this as it seems to do disservice to the actual history. 

I look at stories like Titanic where the storyline we follow plays no bearing on the ship sinking. This I'm okay with as our characters did not cause or create the iceberg hit. But in Blood and Ink our two main characters appears to be behind almost all the major decisions and events. This doesn't feel right to me. 

Finally

I know there are extraordinary people and children in our world. And I love to read about them. But don't downplay the importance of real people by having your fictional characters take credit for things they shouldn't. Because somewhere out there now is someone(s) who perhaps believes a teen girl in Timbuktu single-handedly actually did what this girl does in the book. 

We should be cautious of ever giving too much credit to the wrong people in historical fiction. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The End of the World Running Club

Title: The End of the World Running Club

Author: Adrian J. Walker

Genre: fiction, post-apocalyptic, survival

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The first four chapters would make an amazing short story about an asteroid(s) impact on Earth. I rate those four chapters 5 out of 5. And then the rest of the book comes... and ruins the magic. 

The world is scorched, people die, horribleness ensues, and through it all our annoying, whiny lead character (an overweight, disengaged father of 2) leads us on his painfully boring trek. 

I'm actually not sure why I kept reading The End of the World Running Club to the end. So let's look at what was good and what was bad. 

The 4 Great Things

1) Like I said the first four chapters are fantastic. I absolutely loved them. Read them and make up your own ending. 

2) The title, The End of the World Running Club, is clever given where the book heads. I do appreciate the sarcasm and irony that is used throughout the world ending story. 

3) I loved that the lead character is an average 30-something man, Edgar. A father to two small children, with a wife, a moderate house, and a job he goes to because he must. He's the archetype of the regular middle class Joe existing in a first world society. 

4) The end is a perfect combination of victory and sadness. A way to resolve a story such as this without coming out too optimistic is difficult and I do appreciate that Adrian J. Walker resisted the urge to tie it all in a bow. 

The 4 Awful Things

Are you ready for this? The four things that were great are also the same four things I hated. Let me explain:

1) It is so frustrating to read four chapters of brilliance and then wait for that magic during the last 3/4 of the book. Only to realize as you approach the end that his boring, annoying dribble of a story is all you're going to get after the amazing start. Makes the rest of the book feel worse than it probably is. 

2) In most running clubs you, you know, run. While a small part of this book is certainly about running (and it's clear our author has experienced a runners wall, high and all the emotions and pains that come with it); the reality is it's really just your average the world went to hell the moment we lost amenities book. The attempted scary, philosophical mini side stories fall flat. It's so sad to me that Walker created a world where so many things could be done and instead there is no depth to these events.

3) Edgar is the most annoying man ever. He constantly complains, gives up and is really lucky to have people with smarts and perseverance around him. I guess while I think I want books about regular people in extraordinary situations maybe I'm totally deluding myself. Maybe I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy because I want exceptionally competent and capable characters..? All I know for certain is that Edgar made me want to throw him off a cliff; instead of cheering him up the cliff. 

4) I am not a fan of a book that has you believe one premise throughout the entire book; only to throw that awry at the end. There was absolutely no reason for the moment of possible uncertainty that was written in. It's like it was put there because book clubs would salivate over it; not because it made sense to the story or added to the ending in any way. Additionally it felt forced and that is a huge pet peeve for me. Endings should make sense. There can be twists or reveals, of course, but they need to make sense and feel natural. 

Just read Station Eleven instead

Maybe I've just read too many post apocalyptic books lately... or maybe I've just read the best of the best and now no one will ever measure up to Station Eleven (read it if you haven't; amazing piece of literature!). I was moved by Station Eleven, excited to tell everyone I knew about it and loved the side stories and philosophy. In this book the most moved I felt was to close the book and do something else. 

Overall I'm not convinced that Edgar ever felt a genuine emotion towards anyone in his family, running club or whatnot. I'm not even sure he felt emotions about himself. When I should have been crying over events that happened I just felt 'meh'. When I should have felt joy and awe, I felt 'meh'. And when I should have been afraid for our characters and their safety I mostly wanted to cheer for the crazy people they were encountering because then maybe the story would end sooner. This just didn't do it for me. Call me out for being a hypocrite, I'm okay with that. Apparently a story about a boring person who barely feels emotions himself meant I just never had any emotions either (except ones that involved being frustrated and annoyed). 

But seriously read the first four chapters and then imagine your own end; because they are brilliantly put together. And because the actually journey to the end is just a bunch of running, crazies and a whole mediocre mess of nothing. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The Agony of Bun O'Keefe

Title: The Agony of Bun O'Keefe 

Author: Heather Smith

Genre: Literary fiction, Canadian

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 

This book is gut wrenching. I'm hesitant to tell anyone to read it because it's about such awful things. Certainly there are moments of love in it; that come from the awful things but that only makes the emotion of it harder to take. 

Heather Smith has done what few writers can do to me. She's written a story that is about tragic circumstances and instead of making me annoyed, that she was tugging on heart strings, I was completely enthralled and absolutely crushed by the sadness of it all. The Agony of Bun O'Keefe is not for the faint of heart. 

Between hoarding, abandonment, molestation, abuse, extreme prejudice and racism there is barely a chance to breathe in between moments. Thank goodness this is only 123 pages. I don't think I could have taken anymore of it. 

And yet the characters, especially Bun (who the story is told through) are vibrant, real people. Smith puts so much energy (good or bad), character, emotion and realism into this short novel it's nothing short of a literary masterpiece. And yet I wouldn't want to read it again because I can only take so much heartache. Considering I rarely cry at books and usually scoff at those written to intentionally make you cry (I hated The Fault in our Stars); it's clear to me that Smith has written something special. And while you share the agony of Bun, Busker Boy, Chef, Big Eyes and others in this book you'll also share in their moments of true love and I suppose that is the whole point. Experiencing the world means sharing equally in both the unbearable pain and overwhelming love. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The Screaming Staircase

Title: The Screaming Staircase

Series: Lockwood & Co
Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, horror
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5 stars for this super fun, creepy and fast-paced book. This may say it's a Middle Grade book, and certainly it could be given to a kid 9 and up, but don't be deceived by that everyone will enjoy Lockwood & Co! 

Why only 4.5 stars?
The reason for my deduction of 0.5 stars is perhaps going to sound petty to some; but it's a real pet peeve of mine. Jonathan Stroud is British and The Screaming Staircase is set in London. So can someone explain to me why, in the copy I read, the temperatures are in Fahrenheit?! Almost everywhere in the world (including here in Canada) we use Celsius. No child in the UK would use Fahrenheit. I am assuming, much like changes made to Harry Potter, that the publisher decided to change the Celsius to Fahrenheit to market to children in the USA. Now, you're thinking to yourself, but Mel how many times can they possibly mention the temperature? A lot!! As one of the main indicators of 'visitors' (aka ghosts or spirits) is that the temperature drops it is mentioned a few dozen times. 
Now I realize this is clearly not Stroud's choice. However, instead of changing the scale used what about putting a conversion chart at the beginning or end of the book. Maybe we can teach the USA children about Celsius instead of forcing the rest of the world to manage the metric used by one country. This is a classic example of publishing houses catering to the USA and stuffing everyone else into that category (especially us Canadians). Okay, rant over. 

So many questions!
Overall Stroud is a genius. He takes a simple idea, the world is plagued by visitors that are a menace and can kill people with ghost touch, and creates an intricate world around it. Only children can see the manifestations and so they are the best equipped to fight these menaces and clear places of the visitors. Obviously this comes with it's own set of morale questions. What age is too young to start? When things go wrong is the child responsible? Is it worth the sacrifice of youth to battle the visitors? 
These questions are more are handled exquisitely in The Screaming Staircase. I'm so sad it's such a quick read as I didn't want to leave the world yet. I'll be ordering the next couple in this series immediately! I'm also going to be purchasing this series for my 13-year-old nephew for the holidays as I know he will love the creepiness. What kid doesn't want to read about a 'red room' which fills with ghost plasma that looks like blood, a staircase where the screaming incapacities you, a ghost so unhappy she kills current residents of the home? And these are only examples of some of the things are three lead characters encounter. 

Bring on the sarcasm and fun!
The other thing that is amazing about Stroud is that he is able to write kids books that are sarcastic and funny. Alongside all that creepiness and atmosphere our three lead kids are able to poke fun at each other and fight over the silliest things (who gets the last cookie); just like normal children do. Without a doubt the humour in The Screaming Staircase is critical to breaking some of the tension and scariness that comes along with the story itself. 

Am I a child or an adult?
Most of all what I love is Stroud's handling of the conflicts and emotions that come from children playing at being adults. As the eldest child with two younger siblings in my family (one of whom has Type 1 diabetes) I remember a lot of moments as a kid where I felt I had to pretend to be more adult than I was. Even when it wasn't, I often felt like it was my responsibility to handle situations. As Lockwood & Co. has no 'adult supervisors' you see them struggle with this paradigm a lot. When can they show weakness? How do they convince adults they are competent and capable? And at what point is it okay to just collapse and let someone else take care of things. 
There are no easy answers to these questions but Stroud does an excellent job of helping readers understand that it's okay to show weakness and to reinforce that we ALL have weaknesses. It's less about what that weakness is and more about how we compensate for it. That by surrounding ourselves with people who we trust and will help us we can be both strong and weak as needed. 

Buy it for everyone!
I think this will be my go-to book/series to buy for anyone over the age of 10 for the next while. I look forward to buying multiple copies for kids (including my nephew)! While there is a lot of substance in this book, it still feels like a break as the language is simple and easy to follow. Do yourself, or those around you a favour and pick this gem up! 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: 419

Title: 419

Author: Will Ferguson

Genre: literary fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

419 is very interesting. I knew almost nothing about Nigeria going into it and now I feel some real sympathy for their people and plight. I'm always in awe with books that can take me to real life locations and make me feel like I've been there or have a new understanding of that place. 

A section of the story takes place in my home city of Calgary (Canada). It's a bit odd to read about landmarks and roads I know so well (author Will Ferguson lives here himself) but also a little exciting. Right up until an apartment building could be seen from a road that is too far away (lol). I get it, fictional license and all but it was a bit odd to me because I do know the city so well. 

I'd highly recommend 419 for book clubs as it is sure to generate a lot of conversation. The basic story is a struggle between what we all feel we need to do to survive and what we are willing to do within our own moral compass. It's often surprising what lengths humans will go to protect themselves and others. I don't want to say too much else as I think the intricacies of the setting, plot and characters are all best discovered as you read 419. 

My four stars is merely because I wasn't dying to read the last 1/3 of the book. I'm very glad I did but it lost something at some point. I believe is was when we spent a large chunk of time with the same characters; instead of the back and forth that happens in the rest of the novel between locations and characters. Or perhaps I was just too concerned that one of our focal characters was not going to make it very far. There are some intense moments that really brought home to me how lucky I am to live where I do. 

Overall I think that this is an interesting book, it shares stories from a part of the world many are not very familiar with and it reveals more details about the "Nigerian Prince" email scams than most of us are likely to know. Ferguson does a good job of making you like characters that are morally ambiguous and a good job of telling the stories that are seemingly unrelated to start with. I will guarantee that it all ties together and the end felt perfect to me. Not necessarily happy or sad; just realistic. 

I am definitely going to pick-up more by Ferguson. Not only because he's local to me and meets my Canadian author criteria; but because I did really enjoy the set up and loved the end of 419. 

...And the Winner Is

Thank you so much to everyone that entered my giveaway for the Feminist Cross Stitch supplies. And a special thank you to those that shared the giveaway with others! 

After a random number generator selection the winner is... 
TiffStitch 

It looks like Marie Curie is the most popular of all the ladies in the book. For the obvious reasons in that she was a very smart lady that persevered in a world where women were not supposed to be smart or have discoveries. 

Lately there has been a lot of media around harassment (of all sorts) against women. I think sometimes it's important to remember how far we have come as a society and therefore we can certainly continue to progress. No challenge is too large or insurmountable. Our history tells us that. 

I'm still working on the border design for my Feminist Cross Stitch complete piece. But I believe I have chosen my fabric! It is a 40ct New Castle dyed by Picture This Plus called 'Ancient'. It's got a lovely little green throughout it on the ancient looking yellow/beige fabric.
I also ordered some fun variegated threads the other day to do the border in. The pieces themselves will be in the DMC as called for so I thought I would add a little bit of colour change into it in the border. And because I just can't help myself! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and following my blog! 
Up next week will be more dragons updates! If I'm really lucky I'll have 3 more to share! I've been pushing hard to get those little critters finished up.