Eggs and Astonishment

I haven't reviewed any books in a while, largely because of the Kindle incursion into my reading life,but I do tangentially, such as when the Lucia Victrix book, three volumes of the Mapp and Lucia saga of EF Benson, appears on my chaise, showing I think it's worth reading again.

But here are a couple that are amazing for different reasons:  the Knit Yourself a Zoo book, another Muir and Osborne joy, is one I just had to have, after I borrowed it from the library.  You only have to look inside to realize you absolutely need a knitted elephant, or a few meerkats, and maybe an orangutang.  Great fun.  I like their historical notes, slipped in at the beginning of the patterns, too.

Then there's Maggie Shipstead's second book, which amazing to the reader is maybe even better than her blockbusting first, which was wonderful already. That was Seating Arrangements, set in New England in what I think is a boring segment of society, but not in her hands.  She's so astute in her observation and weighing that you just give up and let it all flow over you in a great wave.

Her second, borrowed from a saying of Diaghilev, Astonish Me, goes into the life and times of a corps de ballet dancer, defecting Russian star dancers, private lives in and out of the ballet, again all places I have little interest in, but the power of her writing just grabs hold and you have no choice.  This is what happens when a story gets into the hands of a great writer.

In between being carried away by all this print material, I realized Easter is almost upon us, and it's time to blow and decorate the eggs.  Every year I do a limited number of them, individually painted and decorated, and going to Handsome Son, and to people who should have one this year!

 

So here's stage one: blown, rinsed and now drying ready to work on tomorrow.  And the contents to be cooked and eaten for several breakfasts this week. I only exploded one when I was blowing it, don't know my own strength!