I just finished reading my 75th book this year, which was my goal for 2010. Yay! Most of what I read was good, some was bad, some was just boring. I joined LibraryThing.com in January to help keep track of what I read, what books are on my wishlist and get suggestions and feedback from other readers. I've made some online friends there and enjoy the LT community. I broadened my horizons and read books that didn't fall within my normal interests. Read a few classics like I try to do every year.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was my 75th book, and it was sooo good! It is a composite of several familiar stories: The Lottery, The Running Man and others. However, Suzanne Collins' story blends them all in a way that sucks you in and doesn't let go till the book is over. I love the fact that Katniss Everdeen is a strong female lead who doesn't compromise herself, even in the midst of the "love story." I especially like this in a YA novel. I'm so ready for the next books in the trilogy!
Here's the premise: A postapocalyptic United States, called Panem, is divided into 12 districts. Every year, each district must supply 1 girl and 1 boy between the ages of 12 & 18 as tributes to the Hunger Games. In the Games, the youth are placed in an arena and must fight to the death. The Games are televised live and everyone is required to watch. The location and climate of the arena is different every year - a forest, the mountains, a desert (which didn't work out so well for ratings that year because the tributes were freezing and dying of hunger instead of fighting). Despite how horrible and dismal this sounds, the book really is an awesome story of survival and humanity, and a commentary on big brother, mindless reality TV and a community's responsibility to its residents.
Thank goodness for audio books. With my life as busy as it is right now, I don't have time to read traditional books. However, I can listen while I'm in the car or working on art or doing something else with my hands. CDs and Playaways are the best! Check out my widget on the side with books from my LibraryThing!
I finally finished October a few weeks ago. I went simple with the abstract part. Every time I filled in a section, it looked too heavy. So I ended up just outlining the leaf pattern on the fabric to complete it. I like it. I hope you guys do, too!
I've added the leaves to the fabric. I like how the maple leaf sections line up with the individual leaves on the fabric, so as I add my embellishments, I will make sure not to cover those up. Looking at this, I can see how I'm less stressed with this piece compared to September's. I'm going to leave a lot of the space, but it still needs some work so it's not so structured. :)
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for my blog. I've changed it so many times! but I finally found a look I think I'll stick with...for a while. :) Anyway, I've made most of the major pieces for October. I still have a few to do before I attach them to my circle. Thought I would share.
I know I just finished September, but I'm starting October while I'm on a roll. I was brainstorming for a theme when I found this quote, "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~Albert Camus. I'm working another huge project that has dozens of beaded flowers, so I decided to do a small one that I could finish, using some of the techniques and patterns from Diane Fitzgerald's book The Beaded Garden.
To stretch my creativity, I pulled out some fabric that I bought about 3 years ago that is totally not my usual style. I usually go for bright bold colors and patterns with an ethnic feel to them. But this one time I bought some fabric that looked "classic," Victorian and sort of like wallpaper. So I'm using one of these fabrics and I picked a fall color pallet that's not really a color scheme I use a lot. So far, I've only done one leaf, but it's a start.
