June Reading

Nearly caught up now thank goodness!

June was another poor month for books quantity wise, but I did enjoy them!

In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware was a book I saw on a Buzzfeed list I think, probably in the vein of 'if you loved Gone Girl then try...' and whilst it was no Gone Girl, it was a decent thriller, I hadn't worked out the ending before it happened which is always good! Some of the characters are a bit annoying, and I didn't entirely warm to the protagonist Lee/Nora. The basic premise of hen party in the middle of nowhere may be a little bit eyerolly but where else would you make it so ruddy mysterious....

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (told you there was more S J!) was a brilliant story, again with the house as a character. Didn't predict the twist, and I shan't spoil it! Jackson really exquisitely paints the characters of the two sisters and their senile uncle, although you do forget that Merricat is supposed to be 18, perhaps because of a combination of intentional child like characteristics, but also because 18 year olds today are much different.

Make Some-Thing Up by Chuck Palahniuk really does contain things you can't unread. The book is a collection of short stories and one in particular, Cannibal, is stomach churning. The new "Guts" I should say. I actually had to put the book down for a while after I read it which is not really something I do! Overall a good assortment of stories but I really prefer his full length stories.

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk was, in contrast to Make Some-Thing Up, a light and fluffy read! The story revolves around a 13 year old girl called Madison, who dies and goes to hell, and whilst in hell decides to take over and rule it. The book is insanely satirical and funny, and if you have ever been a 13 year old girl you will cringe at how well it captures the slightly narcissistic nature of teen girls.

Sometimes The Wolf by Urban Waite was a library random choice. I was drawn in by the McCarthy comparison which obviously it did not live up to because McCarthy is God... It was a bit of a slow starter but it was good once it gained momentum. I think it would make a good film, in the style of No Country For Old Men. The wolf part of it isn't really as much of a thing as you would expect given the title.


Well there you go, that's June wrapped up. I know that there is barely anyone who is reading my posts, but I wondered if it would be preferable to include more of the story of each book as well as my thoughts and random ramblings? I'd love any feedback readers have the time to give, and thanks in advance!

Patchwork Elephant Cushion For MIL

Towards the end of last year I made a cushion for my MIL (I also entered it in a "just for fun" competition at WI since it fit with the theme of "Indian Summer") which incorporated a badly patchworked elephant design appliqued onto a sun design, which in turn was appliqued onto a turquoise cushion cover. I found a perler bead design for an elephant on Pinterest, and converted that into the patchwork design.

 I had originally planned to make the sun patchwork too but it was too much hard work ha ha.

I cut out loads of utterly piddly little squares from scrap, decided I must have been slightly insane to think it was a good idea, then decided I was actually insane for continuing on with it!

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and soon enough had a vaguely elephant shaped design.

As you can see it is quite honestly a terrible job. I normally choose EPP for a reason ya'll ;) Next step was to attach the elephant to the sun, and add some sparkly accents to give it a bit of a special touch. And an eye, just to stop it looking more  weird.

I then attached this to a turquoise fabric which was then sewn into a cushion cover with some velcro to secure it closed.

I can't find a picture with the cushion pad inserted but it probably shows the design better like this anyway. Despite it being incredibly poor patchwork, my MIL was thrilled with the cushion as she loves elephants. I'm not in a hurry to repeat the mini patchwork experience but I was pleased with how well the design translated into fabric.

May Reading

Another book catch up, sorry!

 May was a slightly better effort with 7 books read.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson was a really good read. I have seen the film version (The Haunting) with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta Jones many years ago when it was out at the cinema, and it goes without saying the book is better! I had never read a book by Jackson before and I really got the bug. I loved her gothic storytelling, and the use of the building as a character which maybe sounds odd but if you've read this then it makes sense I swear!

The Martian by Andy Weir finally provided an explanation about the film (which I haven't seen) being nominated as a comedy. It is really rather humorous, and you cannot fail to fall in love with the character of Mark Watney the disaster attracting, wise cracking, regular Joe. I absolutely cannot imagine having the internal strength to survive being left on Mars, and I was on the edge of my seat right up to the end. I also may have cried a tiny bit at the end.

The Encyclopedia of the Dead by Danilo Kis was a birthday gift, and sadly I didn't really enjoy it all too much. Short stories are always hit and miss for me, but this was just not really my jam. My other half enjoyed it though so not all is lost! Kis is Yugoslavian, and his translated work is likened to Borges and other Eastern European writers I would not be interested in picking up. Mostly it was just a bit boring.

We Were Liars by E Lockhart was one that had been on my radar for a while and finally picked it up at the library. A group of kids spend their summers on their Grandparent's private Island and are spoiled and rich. One of the group suffers from a kind of temporary mental illness and finds it hard to remember what happened on the island one eventful summer. It was a quick read, I didn't work out the ending until quite near the end - an all round enjoyable YA read.

Devotion by Ros Barber was spotted on the shelf at the library and called to me. I totally judge books by their covers (well I get compelled to pick them up) and this had my name all over it! I love the beautiful watercolour skulls in a big way. The story is set in the near future (specifically ten years after the death of Richard Dawkins) where religious fundamentalism is considered a mental illness. The most interesting part of the book is the concept that a medical procedure can give you a religious experience of the "God spoke to me" kind. I really enjoyed the story, a very happy accident!

Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers is an interesting read, slightly eccentric characters make the novel more interesting than it would be if the characters were normal. Sadly I cannot help but compare all of Carson's work to "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" which is one of the best books I have ever read, and this book isn't as good. The racial injustices described within the story are still relevant today and really are rather saddening, an odd but poignant read.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn is a very short story originally published as part of a collection. It is enjoyable, but ultimately I would have preferred it expanded into a full length novel which I think it very easily could have been. It also relies on the atmosphere of the house in which the story finishes off to enable it to have a little bit more punch to it, which I did enjoy especially after the Shirley Jackson.


Overall I enjoyed most of the books I read during the month, and spoiler alert - I got more Shirley Jackson out from the library because I loved her style so much!