Kristine: Vox Style

The Tapestry: Leonie

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:22:13 -0700

The 4th book and final of the Creoles series. I enjoyed Leonie's saga, and meeting her family was a challenge worth taking. With it being the final book, I wish all the girls had taken a chance to get back together for a while, but I guess that's the authors attempt to make them standalone.

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Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More!

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:34:42 -0700

This was a really nicely laid out book, with good graphics, pictures, and that makes me want to read it more. The info was good, there were tons of comparisons of what is better for you at different restaurants, and I took a way a bunch of tips to use in real life. Although some things were surprises (Panera's crispani is tons less fat than atheeir turkey sandwich on focaccia), other things were tips I'd already picked up, which is good news! If you eat out a lot, definitely look at this book and see where you can make a little bit healthier of a choice here and there :)

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Knit So Fine: Designs with Skinny Yarn

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:38:24 -0700

Great book! There are a bunch of really good reasonings behind using skinny yarn in the intro, like the barbie example: when you are making clothes for a barbie, it's easy to see that skinnier yarn lets you increase and decrease in smaller steps to make something more fitted correctly to the shape. As for patterns, there are a lot of beautiful things here. I like the idea of a kimono top, but would want a shawl pin or something better to atach it. The ribby vest made out of 5 colors of Trekking XXL is such a cool concept and the colors blend so well. And the Bohus-Inspired Pullover is a very cool concept for an easier bohus without all the fair isle that normally is there. Great book, if you get a chance, check it out!

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Bright Sword of Justice

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:29:52 -0700

Third and final book to the Guardians of the North series. This was a nice continuation to the story. We got to meet Liam, Reena's younger brother and it was an interesting way to introduce him. The book ended abruptly again, especially for a conclusion to the series.

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One Ball Knits Accessories: 20 Stylish Designs Made with a Single Ball, Skein, Hank, or Spool

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:47:14 -0700

This was a nice idea, but there weren't as many one-skein patterns in this book that I really liked, compared with other one-skein books. There were some ethnic inspired patterns, and a cute shrug (one size fits all, but it seems like it might not really fit everyone to me). Some of the patterns use crochet thread, which isn't something I've seen in stores I've visited. Still, a cute book.

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The Bridge over Flatwillow Creek

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:50:11 -0700

I had a hard time getting into this one. This author writes a little stuffy to me. But it ended up being an interesting story with a good ending.

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The Alchemy: Simone

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:27:40 -0700

The third book in the Creole series. These books are so separate, it's really more like they are completely different books with every once in a while, a mention of familiar people. This one was Simone, who is kind of spoiled, and how her life turns out. Interesting characters.

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The Long Way Home

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:27:05 -0700

I enjoyed seeing how this series ended. They were a little harder to get because our library labeled them as YA (young adult) and I guess those are more in demand. But I'm glad I kept at it, because to me, they weren't that much different in age than her other books. I did feel like this ended more abruptly than a series should, but it was a good book nonetheless.

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Oceans Apart

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:27:20 -0700

Another good standalone book by Karen Kingsbury. This one dealt with a boy whose father didn't know he existed, and about how this happened to a married family. It took a lot for the mom to accept him. I enjoyed hearing the boys' perspective throughout.

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Appearance of Evil: A Novel

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:39:06 -0700

Checked out because I had read another Christopher Lane that was interesting. This one definitely had more of a creepy factor, dealing with Satanism. The book ended a little abruptly for me. But it certainly was riveting.

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In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:35:09 -0700

A great "nutritionism" book, along the lines of Marion Nestle's books. "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." Really well thought out and kept me interested throughout.

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Heart of Valor

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:37:41 -0700

2nd book of the "guardians of the north series". Follow up to the first, more about the beginnings of the Mounties. Reena goes to a different indian tribe.

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Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:36:39 -0700

Another great book about nutrition. Discusses how to adjust the food pyramid to be healthier. Menus and recipes included.

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The Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Two: Cables: The Ultimate Stitch Dictionary from the Editors

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:46:10 -0700

I really like the stitchionary books. I didn't think I'd enjoy cables as much as the first book, but it certainly was wonderful and I look forward to owning it. There are beautiful designs in here, from the very simple to the very complex.

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101 Designer One-Skein Wonders: A world of possibilities inspired by just one skein

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:44:08 -0700

GREAT book, I love it. My only wish was that the photos were with the patterns to make it easier to read, but i can see how that would be a more expensive way to go. I think several things would be fun to knit, including the small gadget purse, and the scalloped necklace, which would be a fun intro to beads for me.

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Closely Knit: Handmade Gifts For The Ones You Love

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:42:28 -0700

A very pretty gift knitting book. I like the circular pillow and the juggling balls! both would make nice gifts.

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Sink Reflections

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:38:56 -0700

Surprisingly enough, most of this was familiar to me from the months I was on the FLYlady mailing list. It was fun to go back and reread even though I'm not planning on doing her system. It was fun also to see the inspirations of the Sidetracked Home Executives after rereading their book.

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Design Your Own Knits in 5 Easy Steps

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:34:35 -0700

A big part of this book is knitters' graph paper! Although this seemed like a book I would really enjoy leaning every piece of, it actually wasn't as helpful as just reading basic patterns from places like Knitty. Maybe when I get a little more advanced, I'll try reading it again.

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My Hands Came Away Red

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:32:57 -0700

Although this book was terrible (content wise), I couldn't stop reading because the story was so engaging. It was like a movie that I couldn't stop watching even though there was death and dying. Cori and her friends became such a family, and that was really appealing to me. I'll definitely look for this author in the future.

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Separate Roads

nobody@vox.com(Kristine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:31:14 -0700

2nd book in the Ribbons West series. We follow Jordana, Caitlan, and Brenton as they go across the country towards Kiernan and Victoria.

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