More Pages than Stitches

The weeks have been filled with packing and planning. I don't seem to be picking up my sweater at all. I never even started a sock yarn project this month. So much is swirling around in my head these days. By the time I have a moment to settle in to knit I am too tired. Other times I vow to begin the sleeves only to be distracted by another pile that should be packed, purged or sorted. Fortunately I have found time to read.

This past week has been a week of finishing (of course, not stitches in knitting, but pages in books). I finally finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Despite the time it took to read, I enjoyed it quite a bit. My main issue was having too many books at once and not being able to renew it digitally. The central character was well developed and the story unfolded well. It focuses on one man and his life now and as a boy during WWII. He is Chinese living in Seattle. His best friend is a young girl attending the same private school. She is Japanese and eventually forced into a relocation camp. This portion of history is very interesting to me. In history classes and discussions, it was often overlooked. I know so very little about it. This book was a nice juxtaposition to my earlier read about Japan and its soldiers during the same period (Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption). Granted this story is fiction; it gave me the nudge to delve deeper into the period and learn more. I fear at times that we spout anger at hatred and inequity only to do it ourselves as a nation justified by some higher rationale.

The kiddos and I also finished Oddfellow's Orphanage. They really enjoyed the illustrations and prose. Some of the stories were a bit sparse and underdeveloped, but the whole was good. Eamon was disappointed when it ended. He thought it should still continue for a bit longer as he enjoyed the unique characters and their setting. In case you didn't know, it is written by Emily Winfield Martin of Black Apple fame. I have followed her work for several years.

I am now beginning to read The Tiger's Wife. It is due in a couple days, so I will probably start The Book of Salt as well. In addition to those novels, I received my copy of Taproot in the mail. My initial impression is good, however I have only flipped through it to glance at the photos. My concern is it will be geared to the east too much. In the Southwest, our seasons are so different as is our growing. We almost need something special just for us!

For those of you linking from Ginny's Yarn Along, what are you focusing on this week - stitches or pages?