I'm having a mini marathon reading day today as I'm trying to finish my postal book so I can mail on time. It's slow going, but I am hoping I can finish tonight. My weekly essay read will have to wait a day or two. It's always nice to have something else to fall back on in terms of posting. I can share an updated photo of my current needlework project that I'm working on. Here is my "Sampler Farm" looking a bit dark despite taking the photo next to the window. Alas no sunshine.
It's coming along nicely and I'm even making good progress on those small over-one areas. All the little frames are stitched over-one linen thread (as opposed to two linen threads for the rest of the design). Can you see how much smaller it is? I'm not fond of over-one stitching, but it does look nice once it's finished. I had a few problems with the 'sampler farm' square and had to pick out a few stitches, which is extremely tedious with over one stitches!
This is the largest area of over-one stitches and I will be happy to get those sunflowers done! I've also been working on adding more stitches to the border, which looks like it might be boring work, but I've always enjoyed working on borders--it's very repetitive and relaxing and I can zone off and watch TV or listen to music.
On the bookish front I was thinking this weekend how I've not read a single nonfiction book yet this year. Other than the few essays I've read I've not even cracked open a book, so I think it's time to remedy that. I'm not really sure what I'm in the mood for, so grabbed a few things from my bookshelves. As I've just watched The Secret Life of Mrs Beeton, I thought I might follow things up with a few more facts and read Kathryn Hughes's The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton. Katie Roiphe's Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages in Literary London 1910-1939 looks like a good read as well. The Observer called it "deliciously addictive reading", which is what I need right now. I've long wanted to read Stella Tillyard's Aristocrats: Carloline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox 1740-1832. I saw the film adaptation of the book, which was excellent. And lastly I was thinking of a reading pair with Joan Rice's Sand in My Shoes matching it up with another WWII read, Sarah Blake's The Postmistress. Has anyone read any of these? Which to choose!
I had wanted to read at least one nonfiction book a month, but I seem to be falling short quickly. I'm having that problem a lot with my reading this year. Still, it's fun deciding and there is always that thrill of starting a new book.