February in books

 I decided at the beginning of the year I would post each month about the books I've been reading.

  

I know like me, lots of you enjoy reading, and I think it's good to get new recommendations of titles or authors we might not have come across.  I'm always on the look out for something new to read and I love to read about the books people have enjoyed, or perhaps not enjoyed as much. 

Perhaps there will be a title from my reading this month that takes your fancy?

February's  genre was Domestic Fiction

600 hours of Edward is about a 39 year old man with aspergers  

There are some funny moments, like when he tries on line dating and his straight talking but it's the very sad relationship he has with his father that really stands out in the book.

It'a a very similar book to The Rosie Project with a more serious story line but with a character that was just as likeable. 

The Food of Love is about a family dealing with anorexia, told from the mothers viewpoint.

Some parts of this book were good and I enjoyed (if that's the right word) but I had problems with other parts.  I really wanted to like this book but for me the writing was just to sugary in parts, (how many teenagers call their mum mummy even when they are upset or unwell) and I especially disliked the the mother, Freya. The choices she made concerning her daughter were just so unbelievable I wanted to shake her!

 Mockingbird was a brilliant read.  Caitlin is a young girl with aspergers trying to come to terms with her brothers death in a school shooting while dealing with her own problems.  When she hears people talking about needing closure she goes in search of it not really knowing what it is.

This book was in the young adult section of the library but don't let that put you off  it's very well written.

Another book for young people, in fact this one was in the children's section of the library but again it was a great book.
Rose is an 11 year old girl with autism, she loves numbers and homophones but has trouble understanding her classmates.  She lives with her dad who isn't the most patient person but does love her in his own way.  He comes back with a stray dog one day which she names Rain, the dog becomes her best friend and when Rain goes missing in a storm Rose won't give up looking for her.

This is only a short read but such a lovely one, well worth reading.

My favourite book this month was Mockingbird, myleast favourite was The Food of Love.

I'll be back soon with a crafty update

-X-

Big house, little house, cardboard box

I'm still plugging away at this little village, all the houses are stitched, just Santa on his sleigh and the reindeer's plus a few snowflakes to stitch. 

I only realised today that it complements the pottery houses I bought on holiday last year :-)

I've really enjoyed working on this, and I just LOVE those roof tops!  I'm not usually very good about thinking of changing colours, (or very brave at swapping what the chart calls for), but this time I think I was right to swap out the charted DMC red for the variegated Threadworx.

I'm going for a finish by the weekend. 
I've been thinking about how I want it framed, still undecided whether to try something along the lines of how I finished Forest Snowfall, or have it professionally framed but I've got time to think about that.

I changed my mantle for February / Valentine at the beginning of the month, complete with lopsided Hyacinths, (isn't annoying when they do that!) 

The stitching is not new, I did this a couple of years ago

The pom pom wreath is new though, you know me and my love for a pom pom, lol
Mark rolls his eyes and says I'm mad (mmmmm in a good way, I think, he is usually smiling when he says it). 

This button heart you will have seen before too.

On Saturday we had new visitor to the garden.
I had just gone into the kitchen to get a glass of water, looked out the window and there he (she?) was!

A Great Spotted Woodpecker

I ran upstairs to get my camera and luckily it stayed around long enough for me to get some photos

It made my day, I'm easily pleased (see the bit about the pom poms above, lol) 
It don't take much to make me happy, lol

And the cardboard box?

If I fits, I sits.
Even if I have to wedge myself in there :-)

See you soon
-X-