The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong is a debut mystery novel I spotted on a bargain books table at B. Dalton in Oviedo last month. Since I'm not a fan of first books I tend to pass these by and wait for the author to get some experience before I try them. First books are usually over-written or chock full of too many ideas, rest somewhere around the borderline of professional writing, and are often so terribly earnest that they're painful for me to read. Please understand, I am not a conceited snob -- my own first published novel was just as bad, and to this day I can't reread my own debut. Yet I love a good curse story, so on impulse I decided to give it a try (the discounted price definitely factored in, too.) I had no reason to regret the purchase, turns out, as the book is very well-written for a debut novel. The deft text, interesting protagonist and somewhat brooding/paganish/haunted storyline were excellent, and I remained completely absorbed to...
I'm still spinning my wheels as far as the design for my August tote goes, but while we were out thrifting I spotted this huge bundle of sewing fabric And thought "instant challenge." What if I have to use only fabric from the bundle to make my tote for the calendar project? That's also something I do a lot -- use fabric someone else provides to make something -- and it gave my enthusiasm a serious boost. The bundle turned out to be so large I'll have to show you all the fabric in two pics. Here's half, with a salsa/chili novelty print that is adorable, a coffee print I've used in the past and loved, a cute and vibrant bug print, and even some upholstery samples. Second pic. Most of the prints are at least a yard long. There's a lovely finished cross stitch piece, and the linens and lace butterfly are just as pretty. I don't often work with novelty prints so this is a good pile to use as a challenge for this month. I measured...