Books 2014, #1 - #20

Light interlude - I was catching up on Knitting on the Green's latest reviews when I realised I hadn't done this for a while. I haven't been reading that much so far this year as I no longer have a commute and there has been so much else to take in. I have waded through more than 40 Japanese craft books from the Library (I take a photo of the cover so I know if I have mined this one already or not because the old memory isn't what it was) as well but that is more looking and learning than reading. Or are the two the same?! Where I have done well is audiobooks. I've clumped these all together at the end. I listen to them while sewing which explains how I've got through so many.

Pictures are amazon affiliate links but are only there to look pretty. No need to click on them unless you really want to buy the book. I've also put books by the same author together even though I read them at different times so the list is not in order.

#1 Death on the Lizard

#2 Death at Dartmoor

by Robin Paige

More cosy mysteries. In the Lizard we have Mr Marconi and his wireless getting into hot water and our heroic couple help sort them out. In Dartmoor we have an escaped convict who Lord Sheridan thinks might be innocent and wants to prove is so using these new fangled fingerprints he's so keen on. In both these books the Sheridans are married and so they're not too soppy. It is interesting how the division of labour is very much along traditional gender lines (Charles goes off to interrogate the prison guards while Kate visits the local gentility) and yet these books still manage to maintain Kate's independence and therefore difference to the other ladies of the age.

#3 Revelations of a Lady Detective
by William S Haywood

This one was mentioned in a BBC documentary (I can't remember now whether it was tv or radio) as one of the first times a woman was the detective in a novel. Published in 1864, it isn't exactly an in depth mystery tale by today's standards. In fact it is a series of short stories which represent cases Mrs Paschal is asked to work on. The fact that the cover shows her smoking, scandalous at the time, shows how much of an innovation it all was. An interesting read though and well worth a look if you are a crime fiction buff.

#4 The Devil's Cave
by Martin Walker

Dear Bruno is involved in another mystery in his small french town. Set during the current period and tinged with current politics and believable red tape, these stories are good fun and it is interesting to see which of the cast of the town and national authorities we have already been introduced to in the previous books will come along and be the focus of different elements. A killing with possible satanic elements takes place and while the Mayor wants to dampen any negative publicity a local tourist attraction seems to be trying to maximise the drama for its own ends. Good stuff. 

#5 O Jerusalem
by Laurie R King

While I am reading these in order, this one goes back to before Sherlock Holmes married (stop laughing if this is news to you) and when his wife to be was about 17 and the two of them were just master and apprentice and hiding out in the Middle East. It links in with the first book and was quite good. I find myself turning to these books when I want to read something that is more gripping than a cosy mystery, but not terribly complicated. 

#6 Murder Underground

#7 Death on the Cherwell

by Mavis Doriel Hay

These two were in my 'recommendations' on Amazon and are part of a republished set called "British Library Crime Classics". I suspect these might stem from the popularity of the crime writing exhibition KnittingOnTheGreen and I went to last year which I blogged about here. Ms Hay only wrote three mysteries between the wars and then got involved in war work and went on to write more about traditional crafts. A lady after my own heart. Both books were well written and had a good pace to them. Two people from the first pop up in the second but both involve a group of about 10 people who could have had a motive for the doings. I would recommend either to anyone who likes a bit of classic crime. 

#8 How To Wash A Cat
by Rebecca M Hale

You know how sometimes you quite like a book but there is one character you cannot stand? Well let me state now that if that guy Monty is in any of her other books there is absolutely no way I can read them. He was intolerable. And the lead's reaction to him was unfathomable. I would have had him arrested at the very least for repeated breaking and entering, never mind telling him to GO AWAY for five frickin minutes and leave me in peace. Apart from Monty...calm down Byrne...this was a very enjoyable and fast read where a woman with two cats inherits an antique shop from her Uncle. Secret passages and buried treasure can only be mere pages away. It looks like this is the first in the series so I may try another, but only if someone has first redacted all mentions of Monty.

#9 An Expert in Murder (Audiobook)
by Nicola Upson

This is the first of the 'Josephine Tey Mysteries' which it is a bit odd to be reading because I didn't like Ms Tey's actual work when I read it. However, this listen was enough to make me think I should give it another go, as I very much enjoyed this story. This is a series Knitting on the Green has reviewed several times and has the author as one of the main characters although she doesn't butt in - it is the police who do the actual detection while she has her own thing going on in the background. Admittedly she reaches the solution before they do but that is kind of accidental. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it. 

#10 The Case is Closed (Audiobook)
by Patricia Wentworth

I usually love Miss Silver books but this one was a real downer to start with. Endless prose about how hard a woman's life is after her husband, who claims his innocence, is convicted of murdering his uncle. It takes her plucky friend to pluckily contact her plucky ex-fiance who in turn pluckily contacts Miss Silver to discover the truth. There's a lot of pluck in this one. Once you wade past the doom of a beginning this is actually very good with lots of investigating by Miss S and a few near misses for the plucky lovely. I won't spoil things by saying whether she is reconciled with the ex or not... 

#11 Lestrade and the Gift of the Prince (Audiobook)

#12 Lestrade and the Mirror of Murder (Audiobook)

#13 Lestrade and the Sign of Nine (Audiobook)

by MJ Trow

I hadn't realised quite how many of these books there were until I started reading/listening to them. The three above are all very good although the Sign of Nine stands out in my mind as having a particularly devillish plot and many comedic moments, the like of which you come to expect from these books. As audiobooks they also have the benefit of having been read by the Author. This is not always a good thing but in this case it really works and he is brilliant at bringing the long suffering and much injured Lestrade to life. If you haven't read one I would strongly recommend them - no knowledge or even liking of Sherlock Holmes required. 

#14 Dead in the Water (Audiobook)

#15 Murder on the Flying Scotsman (Audiobook)

by Carola Dunn

I absolutely have to stop listening to these audiobooks. An american woman called Mia Chiaromonte reads them and she has no idea how to pronounce words. There are so many examples I could give because I curse out loud each time she does it, but the one that sticks in my head is when she stated a young, teenage character was sleeping in her commies. 

Those commie bastards...them and their combs. Because what she was actually sleeping in were her combies (with the b pronounced, unlike the word comb, which Mia is apparently up to pronouncing) as in combinations, an old fashioned type of underwear. A small thing I know but when she is doing it with any word not usually found in your average Sesame Street episode it gets a bit galling. Therefore if you are going to read what are perfectly adequate, but not great, stories I'd get them as actual books. 

#16 Stop Press (Audiobook)

#17 A Night of Errors (Audiobook)

#18 Appleby and Honeybath (Audiobook)

by Michael Innes

Wow, those publishers sure weren't breaking the cover illustration budget when they brought these out. Those people who are attracted by covers wouldn't give these a second glance. Which is a shame, because this is more of the, just like Lestrade, seemingly never ending Inspector Appleby series. As far as I can tell, Appleby was only an Inspector for about 3 books, then the rest were when he was a Commissioner or retired. I guess that gives him more flexibility. In any case these were all good but of particular note was 'Appleby and Honeybath' where Honeybath finds a body in the library except that by the time he's told Appleby it has vanished.

#19 The Norfolk Mysteries (Audiobook)
by Ian Sansom

I downloaded this on a whim when it popped up in Audible's new releases and so the paperback isn't due out until July. Ian Sansom also writes the mobile library series, which I don't like, and not the Matthew Shardlake series (by C J Sansom) which I do like, which is what I was thinking of when I bought it. I mean to say - there was a sex scene! A realistic one! For a woman who is used to Dame Agatha simply not going there this was rather odd. The premise is that Sefton has been hired by a famous writer to help him compile guides to each of the counties and they are starting with Norfolk. I need to listen to it again to work out exactly who did what to whom but the idea of going through the sex scene again is putting me off. This is clearly the start of a new series but I'm not going to be following it up in future. 

#20 Miss Tonks Turns to Crime
by MC Beaton

This was a present from my cousin and very welcomed. It brought me safely back into my comfort zone since it does contain kissing but of a strictly above the waist variety so that was ok. This is a new series to me but definitely not a new series since there already seem to be at least 5 titles. The concept is that a band of 'poor relations' have clubbed their resources together, along with the proceeds of a robbery, and started a top notch hotel. Sadly as the book opens they are low on funds and it is Miss Tonks's turn to drum up the reddies. We then meet a dashing highwayman, hungarian nobility and a con artist husband and wife before everything turns out thoroughly nicely and well for all concerned, even the con artists. I am definitely going to be reading more of these. 

Snippet from London

My visit to the UK has not gone entirely as planned, completely down to the awful behaviour of my soon-to-be-but-not-soon-enough-ex-brother-in-law. I did spend a week supporting my sister and niece who have been horribly treated by him and I did then go to my Mum's and spend a few days there. That included *a lot* of cat stroking and the realisation that my Mum's cat has a really small head, which was odd. I also saw my cousin there and that was all lovely despite my Mum having broken her ankle.
(This isn't her - I just thought it was funny - although not for the woman obviously. I hope she made a full recovery and that the cat continues to be well rested.)

 

I met Pooch back at my sister's on Thursday and we headed to London on Friday where I saw a friend for lunch and all my old work colleagues in the evening for a proper old school pub session. Saturday started well with Pooch bringing me breakfast in bed and a lunch with Nickerjac and her husband as well as the irrepressible young'un who was on top form and such a wonderful boy. Sadly, en route to another friend's for tea before meeting a group for dinner, my stbbnseebil decided to tell my sister by email - copying me in - that he'd met someone else just a few weeks after walking out on her and their baby and she went to pieces. What a cock. So I am back here with her and will be until I leave to go back to Tokyo on Wednesday.

 

There are few plus points to all this, but it does mean I get to spend more time with Jasmine, who has decided one of her favourite things is being turned upside down. My arms are aching...I didn't have a hand free to picture that but I did catch Sian pretending she and Jasmine were running very fast earlier.  

She is such a lovely baby! And her Mum is such a strong person. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to them both for a second time in just a few days.

 

 

What Is Your Superpower Bloghop

Welcome to this bloghop! As always, many thanks to Madame Samm and Pauline for hosting. They must have so much energy!

I had a long think about my superpower before finally turning to my husband and asking him. "You could call yourself 'MegaMess' or 'The Mess Monster'." he helpfully suggested. He sometimes comes home to find me cross legged on the floor or sofa with fabric, knitting, embroidery and more spread around me. At these times he refers to me as "Craft Buddha"! But having seen a great Buddha at Kamakura a month ago I thought something a little less emotive was needed. Finally it occurred to me - yes, I am a tad messy, but I do know where everything is! Therefore....behold! The Mistress of Mess!

I mixed chain stitch outlines on the letters with a running stitch outline of the limbs and a kind of messy satin stitch on the hair, dress and shoes.

The central figure is a design I had saved as a flickr favourite from 2008 which made it onto Pinterest and came to mind when I heard about this bloghop. Unfortunately her shop is no longer open so I had to freehand copy the design but if it does reopen I will gladly pay for it. So happy that I finally got to stitch it myself!

I hope you like what I have done and are all aware of your own superpowers! Please visit the others who are in today's bloghop and those form other days. You can see the full schedule here.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 16

krislovesfabric

My Addiction to Quilting
Needle and Hook
Sew Incredibly Crazy
Lixie Makes It
Seams To Be Sew

Things Can Only Get Better

Here I am back in the UK. I hadn't really noticed when in Tokyo but we don't seem to get decent clouds there. The sky is either blue, blue with a few wisps of white or completely homogeneous grey. Not like the UK.

I was mesmerised on the way to my sister's house. Apart from that I have slotted back into english life pretty easily.

I came back a week earlier than planned because of a family crisis - my sister's husband walked out on her and their 10 month old about five weeks ago leaving her without the money to pay the rent due the next day and just two weeks before she was due to go back to work full time from her maternity leave. I came straight to her house from the airport and have been here since but now I'm wondering whether I've done the right thing. She is so terribly upset and I have been trying to convince her that things will get better and to stop focusing on the worst possible scenarios. Unfortunately she sees this as me criticising her and she's ended up getting annoyed with me.

She's also said that having me here has made it worse as it has highlighted how much easier it is when there are two people to share responsibilities for Jasmine and for the house.

I've offered to stay in the hotel nearby so she has her evenings free and just be here to look after Jasmine during the day (her sitter is on holiday this week) but she was too upset to discuss it. I don't really know what to do. It is all a little awkward while at the same time I couldn't have more sympathy or be more sorry about the situation she has found herself in through no fault of her own. I am not very good at emotional stuff.

Looking for a ray of sunshine in all this - spending time with Jasmine has been wonderful although it did involve a particular nappy which I swear I saw Government agents in hazmat suits coming to collect later on.

We've been reading books and playing games and I'm starting to recognise the cries when she's tired or hungry and I even gave her a bath and put her to bed all by myself! Quite a feeling of achievement even though it has all strengthened my intention never to have children of my own. I don't know how anyone with one (or more) manages to get anything else done in their lives. I am due to stay with my Mum for a few nights from Saturday but I worry about leaving my sister in this state, especially as she has a house move coming up (to a cheaper place since she's been left in such a mess) and will need to start packing.

All in all it means a perturbing time is being had by all in this house at the moment.

A Little Finish Before I Leave

I am taking part in the House of Pinheiro's name tag swap. Given that I am going back to the UK tomorrow (crumbs) I thought I had better get this done before I went.

I really enjoyed the little bit of applique and the piecing of the precious selvages. I traced her logo from her blog onto shrink plastic to make the little plaque and then added a pocket on the back using some of the linen samples I've been collecting from Okadaya. I thought it might be handy for business cards. I made the lanyard from ribbon - easily changed if she doesn't like it or if it gets grubby. I hope she likes it!

Apart from that I have packed up my hundreds of blue EPP hexagons and diamonds so I can start sewing those together while I am away. I also have some bright yellow socks to knit and an embroidery to make for the Superpower Bloghop I'll be taking part in later in the month. Next post - from the UK!

Yanaka - The Only Place I Know That Combines Train Spotting, Shrines, Cats, Sculpture, Master Craftsmen and Sewing in Pleasing Proportions

It seems very odd that I have been a regular visitor to Nippori's fabric district (using the East exit of the station) without ever wondering what I would find if I used the West exit. It turns out the answer is Yanaka! A small area of West Tokyo between Nippori and Ueno. The first things you come to when you visit are two Temples. The first is Hongyoji which has been there since 1709.

The sticks on the graves in that last photo are called Sotoba and are essentially a kind of memorial stick showing that the ancestor is still being honoured and remembered by the family. The temple will add a new one each year on payment of a small something.

Next up is Kyoouji.

There were two buildings within it. I wish I knew more about what they are, but the one below had amazing carvings on it, including the dragon.

While this one had the ritual hand washing place just to the left.

The long, colourful rope at the front is for bonging the gong.

A little further along and you get to some steps, at the bottom of which is an amazing traditional bamboo shop - the initial incentive for my visit. I made a rather purse shattering purchase which I shall come to later. Most people were making instead for the busy, traditional shopping street which is at the bottom of the steps. It looks traditional at first glace but a lot of the shops are for tourists - and japanese tourists at that since many menus and signs were only in japanese.

The area is famous for wild cats (I only saw two domestic ones while I was there) so everything is a little cat themed.

See the little black puddle bottom left in the picture below? Meow!

This shop was selling cats' tails, which is a traditional cake/sweet. They looked like tubes of sponge or possibly wafer filled with something but closed at both ends. The menu was only in japanese so I woosed out.

As well as the shopping and religion, there is an *amazing* house called the Asakura Museum of Sculpture.

It used to be the house of Asakura Fumio (brilliant sculptor) and he designed every aspect of the house himself. Since his death in 1964 it has been a museum. Not only is his sculpture amazing (Rodin is the only person I can think to compare him to) but the house and garden is amazing too and you get to see the majority of it. Basically - this is the most beautiful venue I have been to since arriving in Tokyo. Unfortunately photos were not allowed indoors but there are some on the website here which is in English.

For the train spotting element we need to go back to the exit of Nippori station. The West exit comes out on a bridge which happens to span across about 8 sets of train tracks including the ones used by the latest bullet trains. When I first arrived there were some grown men with cameras but on my way back to the station it was a few very excited little boys.

The bridge itself was rather beautiful having pictures cast in hexagons across it with sakura flowers in between.

Once I arrived back home I very excitedly got ready to striptease my purchase of its beautiful packaging.

Squeeeee! The little vessel is to go inside to hold the water and flowers. You see, just as this whole japan-venture was taking shape I was developing an interest in weaving. I got this book (amazon link)...

...and got quite excited by the whole thing despite living in central london where grass is the only natural material you get. I then found out I would likely be off soon and gave it to my cousin who actually lives in the country. Since arriving in Tokyo I've frequently got excited by the basket weaving scene over here where there are several Living National Treasures (a lovely idea I think) who are Masters of the art. Googling led me to this shop in Yanaka and hence my visit. I hadn't actually meant to buy anything though. Or at least, nothing like this. 

I love it so much! I bought the flower especially. 

My only move towards actually giving basket weaving a go is Pinterest and some 100 Yen shop weaving strips. What I would love is to be able to make one of the handbags I saw in the shop today for...£300. I know some people (only two really) who would think £300 was cheap for a designer one-of-a-kind handbag but I am not someone who spends so much on them. The craftsmanship is amazing though. I stayed in the shop for ages carefully not drooling on the vases, baskets, creations and whatnots before coming back a second time to make my purchase, much to the delight of the lovely man there. 

Overall I would definitely recommend a half day in Yanaka for anyone visiting Tokyo. Plus it leads you straight into Ueno Park if you continue on instead of turning back as I did - and the Park is very beautiful with Tokyo National Museum (which I blogged about a few days ago) on another edge of it. I suspect the only people who wouldn't find something to interest them in Yanaka would be angsty teenagers, but then surely no one would waste Tokyo on a teenager. And if they did they should simply point them in the direction of Harajuku and arrange to meet them later.