Sewing Books: A Rant

An interesting new sewing book came out this past week called Weekend Sewing. It instantly piqued my interest and I browsed a copy at Barnes and Noble. I decided to check out some reviews prior to buying it and I can't seem to find more than one person who has reviewed it and actually tried to sew something from the book. Seriously people, how can you possible "review" a sewing book without having sewn anything in it???

I've read several reviews by bloggers who thought it was a great book and talked about wanting to try some of the projects. Huh?? The most important part of a sewing book is the projects! #1 - Are they interesting? Do you want to actually try it? #2 - Were the instructions clear? Were you able to actually construct the item? If you don't do that, then that's a seriously half-assed review. Who cares if the pictures are cute or the writing is clever if the projects suck or the directions are confusing? If anyone out there has actually tried to sew something from Weekend Sewing I would love to hear about it. In the meantime I'll wait and see if some real reviews come out and it's worth buying.

A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith

I am so thankful that I got this book through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program as I'm pretty sure that I would never have picked it up otherwise. And boy, I really would have missed out on something special.

The characters in A Gentle Rain are so interesting and very well crafted. Kara Whittenbrook is an heiress to a fortune built by her environmentalist parents. She discovers after her parents are killed that she was really adopted. This realization sends her on a mission to find her birth parents who she learns are mentally retarded. They are living and working on the northern Florida ranch of Ben Thocco. Ben is an equally fascinating character. He is part Seminole, takes care of his younger brother who has Downs Syndrome, and is a former luchadore and telenovela start. He and Kara meet in the most amazing way and it's pretty much love at first sight (even though they both fight it). Ben brings Kara back to his ranch where she meets her parents along with the other differently-abled ranch hands. Kara struggles with the decision to reveal her identity to her birth parents while she stays at the ranch where she earns the love and admiration of this eclectic family. The plot is engaging and a variety of "villains" keeps the story moving along. The third major character in the novel is Florida. The author paints a nuanced and seductive picture of a little known part of Florida that is wild and beautiful, populated with the exotic and the mundane. This is the old kitschy Florida predating Disney World.

I really enjoy books where the author completely immerses the reader in a culture and a place and is so well done that you feel as if you've been there. Deborah Smith accomplishes all of that and more in A Gentle Rain. I highly recommend this book.

Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I discovered Susan Elizabeth Phillips this past summer and glommed a bunch of her backlist books. She writes great straight up contemporary romance for the most part. I grabbed this newest release, Glitter Baby, a few days after it came out and I didn't even read the cover blurb. It wasn't what I was expecting at all and it was completely fabulous.

Fleur Savagar is the most beautiful woman in the world . . . to everyone but herself. With her oversized hands and paddle-boat feet, her streaky blond hair and funny green eyes, she lives a life filled with secrets that began before she was born. That was when her bewitching mother left home to find James Dean and met Errol Flynn instead. Now Fleur has to grow up quickly, and life won't make that easy.

Jake Koranda is both New York's most brilliant playwright and Hollywood's hottest actor. Difficult, talented, and tormented, he has no patience for international glamour girls, not even ones with beautiful bodies and smart-aleck mouths. But there's more to the Glitter Baby than shine, and Fleur's tougher than Jake expects. Even with the odds stacked against her, she's fiercely determined to discover the woman she's destined to be.

An ugly duckling who can't believe she's turned into a swan . . . A tough-guy movie star with a haunted past . . . In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?

This is such a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though most of it took place in the 70's and 80's. The flashbacks to Fleur's mom's past are a fascinatingly seedy glimpse at Hollywood of the 1950's. SEP also borrows from the great dramatic traditions of early 80's romance novels with it's ecstatic highs and tragic lows. Really good stuff!

If you want to enter a drawing for a free copy of Glitter Baby, Jayne Anne Krentz is giving one away here.

Sewing Books: Sew What Skirts vs. Sew Everything Workshop

I got a sewing machine for my birthday a few months ago and have had a lot of fun re-learning how to sew. My mom always sewed a lot and taught me how but I haven't sewed in about 15 years. It was cool to find how much I remembered. I picked up two books on sewing and thought I'd share my experience doing some of the projects.

The first project I tried was a simple a-line drawstring skirt from Sew What! Skirts by Francesa DenHartog. The premise of the book is that you don't need no stinkin' patterns, just draw on the fabric and make your own for a custom fit. Well, I followed the instructions exactly and ended up with a puzzlingly gigantic skirt. I was able to alter it along the way but the final result was unflattering and discouraging. I kept second guessing myself and ended up feeling like I wasted a lot of time.



The second sewing book I tried was Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp. This book starts out with the basics and contains a bunch of clever home and clothing projects along with 10 paper patterns. I made the "Breezy Easy Wrap Skirt" which was in fact easy but took a bit of time. I only got lost once but plunged ahead anyway. If I had read further in the instructions I would have been able to get my question answered so I blame myself. The skirt turned out adorable and very professional looking. The only complaint I have is that with equal length ties it doesn't really function as a side-tie wrap skirt. It looks best either tied front center or back center and can be worn either way which is a plus. Overall I think this is a better book and I'll definitely be making this skirt again and trying the other projects. Right now I think I have more confidence in paper patterns.

Forever My Lady by Jeff Rivera

Forever My Lady is not your traditional romance. I would actually call it more of a love story. Dio is a gang member, a child of the streets with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. His childhood sweetheart, Jennifer has had a life just as rough as his. After a violent incident, Dio finds himself in a work camp for juvenile offenders. As you would imagine, he's not happy to be there but finds himself growing and changing both physically and intellectually. Dio's journey from his gang past to trying to be a responsible adult is a slow journey filled with setbacks.

The relationship with Jennifer is revealed in a series of letters between the two. It becomes evident fairly early on that the desire is one-sided. Not surprising, considering the circumstances of their parting. Dio's path to maturity and forgiveness is challenging and heartbreaking at times. I think the happy ending is more of a personal accomplishment rather than the happily ever after delivered in your typical romance. I don't want to spoil the story too much but if you're looking for something that breaks the mold of the romance and features characters in a more urban setting, you might consider Forever My Lady.

Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk

Attractive young woman? - check, low rise jeans with back exposed? - check, tattoos? - check, city background? - check. Even though Magic to the Bonelooks like your cliched urban fantasy, this book deserves a deeper look. I typically don't pay much attention to cover quotes since they're usually BS. But this one has a quote by Patricia Briggs (who I really like) so I decided to give it a chance.

Allison (Allie) Beckstrom is the daughter of a prominent and ruthless business man. Her father has made a fortune harnessing the magic that flows like electricity through Portland. He's also pissed off quite a few people along the way (like his daughter). Allie has successfully managed to keep her controlling father out of her life completely. That is until one of her poorer clients calls her for help. A young boy has been the victim of a magical offload, the price that must be paid when magic is used. The magic has her father's signature on it forcing Allie back into his sphere of influence.

Allie is compelled to find out the truth even if it means bringing down her powerful dad. She has some unexpected help from a mysterious former employee of her father, Zayvion Jones. Zayvion is there when she needs someone the most but can she trust this mysterious man? Their feelings for each other combined with his secrets have the power to blow up in her face.

I liked this book more than most urban fantasies because Monk creates a new world without relying on the short hand of the paranormal that most fiction writers use. She starts from scratch with a world that has discovered magic as an element in a completely natural and scientific manner. I also liked that the relationship between Allie and Zayvion was not the primary focus of the story. The plot was well written and completely unpredictable. I will definitely be looking for Monk's next book. According to her website this book begins the series. If you're looking for a fresh, new urban fantasy you might try Magic to the Bone.

Release Date: November 4, 2008
ISBN: 9780451462404

Apart From the Crowd by Anna McPartlin

I have to admit that I do judge a book by it's cover. While browsing at Barnes & Noble I spotted Apart from the Crowd by Anna McPartlin. I guess because I don't have a dog and want one, I'm a sucker for books with adorable dogs on the cover. Also how cute is her shirt? So I picked it up and the book is set in the little Irish town of Kenmare. Sold! I'm totally buying it.

Apart from the Crowd definitely didn't disappoint. I love Irish melancholia; the whole "life is tough but we make do, have a pint" attitude. It's so different from American writing in a way that I find endearing. Here's the back cover blurb:

In a little Irish town like Kenmare, there's no need to worry whether people will discover your secrets. They already have. For Mary, that means being remembered for her tragic losses, even if she'd rather get on with her life. For her cousin Ivan, as close as a brother, the gossip is all about how his wife took the kids and ran off with her new lover. For Mary's friend Penny, it's an old romance that didn't work out quite right, and a current affair with a bottle of vodka.

Then Sam Sullivan rents the cottage next door to Mary, and within hours the whole town is talking about the film-star-handsome American. When Sam hurts his back while helping his new neighbor and spends the next week confined to a mattress on her floor, gossip runs rampant. But neither Kenmare nor Mary know about the secrets Sam is so successfully hiding....

For Mary's circle of friends, Sam's arrival marks more than one change. And Mary -- whose unlucky history has kept her apart from the crowd much of her life -- has finally found a man with whom she feels she might truly connect. But so long as both are captive to memories they dare not reveal, the past is a barrier that will keep them forever alone.

In this powerful novel, Anna McPartlin perfectly captures the drama, the emotion, and the laughter of a small Irish community, for those who fit in -- and those who don't. Apart from the Crowd mixes wit and insight to create an engrossing tale that will keep you reading to the very last page.

I loved this book so much. If you enjoy authors like Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes you will really be into this one.

Fat is the New Black or I Love You Jen Lancaster

My sister sent me a book recommendation recently for Jen Lancaster's Bright Lights Big Ass. I'm paraphrasing slightly but the jist of her email was "this bitch is hilarious, you have to read her". I was immediately suckered in by her awesome book titles which have to be the longest on earth:

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass LookBig, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer

I just finished Such a Pretty Fat and it's the first book in a long time that I've laughed out loud frequently and annoyed my husband with "you gotta hear this...". Jen is an overweight writer who *loves* herself the way she is. While trying to write her third book she decides to make it another memoir and write about her quest to lose weight and become healthy. Her life in Chicago with her husband Fletch and their pack of dogs and cats is funny and entertaining. Jen's charm comes from laying everything out there on the line; nothing seems to embarrass her which is something I could really learn from. If you want a laugh out loud funny read check out one of these books. I'm off to Amazon to get the other two!

If you want a little taste of Jen's humor check out her blog Jennsylvania.

I Hate You Anne Rivers Siddons

Years ago I read a book by Anne Rivers Siddons called Low Country that I really enjoyed. Somehow that lulled me into thinking that I might enjoy other books by Ms. Siddons. Boy was I wrong. I just finished Off Season and I feel like I just got bashed over the head. Off Season now ties with Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg as the most depressing book that I have ever read. Here's your spoiler warning. Stop reading now if you don't want to know what happens because all these spoilers are central to why I hated this book.

1. The main character Lilly loses her first childhood love, Jon at the age of 12. He drowns as the result of cruel words uttered by a hideous girl child called Peaches.
2. Lilly tragically loses her mother to breast cancer and to cope with these two deaths walls herself off from the world and becomes a hermit with her grief stricken father who is unable to cope.
3. Many years later, Lilly loses her husband Cam, a man she loved deeply, to a brain aneurysm.
4. When she goes to Maine to scatter his ashes she discovers that Cam cheated on her with PEACHES and has a son with her!!!!
5. At the end of the book Lilly dies. Seriously???

Need I say more? Thanks a lot Anne.

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

I'm a big sucker for books with adorable dogs on the cover and Kristan Higgin's latest book Just One Of The Guys is no exception. Kristan made it to my auto-buy list with her previous books; Catch Of The Day and Fools Rush In (click on the titles to see the gorgeous puppies). I pre-ordered this from Amazon but forgot all about it. When I got the shipping notice I couldn't remember what I ordered and had to go find out what the book was again. Here's the cover blurb:

Being one of the guys isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…

So when journalist Chastity O’Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it’s time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1 — she’s five-foot-eleven of rock-solid girl power, and #2 — she’s cursed with four alpha male older brothers.

While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor, and things start to look up. Now there’s only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she’s never quite gotten over — although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.

Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks.But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can’t seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys…

Just One Of The Guys wasn't as good for me as Kristan's previous books. The main reason was that Chastity and Trevor don't get together until (swear to God) the last page of the book! Okay, not counting the epilogue. Seriously? I also didn't think there was quite enough quality interaction between the two to make their love believable. For the first time I was actually wishing for the book to have been written in third person so I could find out what the hell was going on in Trevor's mind. I still don't understand his motivations. But at $4.99 this book was definitely not a waste of time or money. Charity is such a cool character and it's nice to have a tomboy once in a while who isn't ashamed to be strong and athletic. But if you want to start somewhere else I highly recommend Catch Of The Day and Fools Rush In.

UPDATE: Catch of the Day just won the RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance tonight at the 2008 RWA Conference. Now you have no excuse not to buy it. Thanks to on the spot bloggers at Smart Bitches and Dear Author for the live results.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Sarah Addison Allen is my new favorite author. She is an amazing storyteller and the magical realism in her books adds a charming element to her stories. I loved Garden Spells so I was excited to see that she had a new book out. I just finished The Sugar Queen and I have to say that I was not disappointed. How could you not love a book about a girl who has a secret stash of candy and romance novels in her closet? But beware, you may have an attack of sugar cravings while reading this book. Seriously, if you buy only one book this summer, make it Garden Spells or The Sugar Queen. You won't regret it. Here's the book cover blurb:

Josey, at 27, doesn't go out except to do chores for her mother, she doesn't wear clothes that her mother says don't suit her, and she eats, secretly, as a substitute for the life she's not living. One morning, when she goes to her closet to raid her secret stash of sweets, she finds a woman sitting there. Della Lee, on the run from something in her own life, has decided to take up residence in Josey's closet. Thus begins Josey's quest to get this madwoman out of her closet, and along the way she discovers a world where the color red has astonishing power, passion can make eggs fry in their cartons, and romance can blossom any time -- even for her.

Update: You can read an interview that Sara gave in 2007 to Bookreporter.com here.

The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella

I picked up The Wedding Officer from a table of  "summer reading" at Barnes and Noble. From the cover you would think this is a lighthearted romance set during WWII. I was also intrigued because it was written by a man. The story was actually much darker than I expected. It's 1944 and Captain James Gould is stationed in Naples Italy. He is the wedding officer, tasked with investigating young Italian women engaged to G.I.s and discouraging marriages between them. James is bitten by the love bug himself when he falls for a beautiful widow, Livia Pertini. Livia is the cook for the Allied officers and her culinary skills seduce the inexperienced soldier. 

Many tragic occurrences conspire to separate the two lovers. The reality of war is brought home in graphic detail. Capella does a great job of making you believe that Livia and James can make it even with all the brutality they've experienced. It's not all hearts and flowers but he will definitely make you believe in the enduring power of love. 

The Wedding Officerincludes a sneak peek at Anthony Capella's next book, The Various Flavors of Coffee (fall 2008). Beautiful cover, eh?

The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu

First of all, how gorgeous is this cover? I love the cover trend in urban fantasy to feature a beautiful woman who looks like she could kick your ass. Marjorie M. Liu, best-selling author of the Dirk & Steele paranormal series, is back with a brand new series about a demon hunter called The Iron Hunt. Here's the back cover blurb:

"By day, her tattoos are her armor. By night, they unwind from her body to take on forms of their own--demons of the flesh, turned into flesh. This is the only family demon hunter Maxine Kiss has ever known. It's the only way to live, and the very way she'll die. For one day her demons will abandon her for her daughter to assure their own survival--leaving Maxine helpless against her enemies. But such is the way of Earth's last protector--the only one standing between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veil. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment--and one man--changes everything..."

The Iron Hunt is a fantastic book. The demons that live on Maxine's skin are fascinatingly child-like. This story is nothing like I've ever read before but my husband tells me it's similar to a comic called The Darkness. Ms. Liu weaves language in a way that is evocative and dreamlike. The juxtaposition of strength with fragility makes Maxine Kiss a very compelling character. I definitely want to read more about her. The release date is June 24, 2008.

Late Rapture by Jane Arbor

I scored some vintage Harlequins at a library sale recently and I finally had the chance to read one. My first pick was Late Rapture by Jane Arbor written in 1978 (as if you couldn't tell from the hair-dos on the cover). At 187 pages it was a quick read but packed with great information about 1978. Here's what I learned:

1. Apparently men just inform you that you're going to get married, they don't ask and you're supposed to be delighted.

2. Threatening to "make love" to a woman "against her will" is okay and not something that will land your ass in jail.

3. When the little woman gets hysterical just give her a good smack. That will settle her right down.

4. You shouldn't admit to being an uncommunicative a-hole until after your wife is almost killed in a car accident.

Wow, if this is what it was like to date in the 70's I'm sure glad I wasn't old enough to experience the "rapture".

The House by Danielle Steel

Okay, so I know I said I never read Danielle Steel anymore but I couldn't resist reading  The House (it was free after all). The story itself was excellent and Danielle is still the master of making readers cry. The woman could teach classes on it. One big drawback was that she tells *a lot* instead of showing. Too much of that and it reads like a synopsis of the book and you don't really feel part of the story. 

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

The beautiful cover of this book first caught my eye but the story inside was charming and imaginative. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is a lovely story about family ties and the magic of everyday life. This book is a perfect example of the magical realism genre. My first experience with this type of story telling was Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate (which I totally loved). If you like quirky stories with a touch of fantasy, you will definitely like Garden Spells.