Monday Stuff

Another random Monday stuff post, because I'm still a bit brain-dead after working in the shop the whole weekend.

Of course it was Harry Potter weekend and we were very, very busy, and a lot of work had gone into making the shop look great, and making sure everything went smoothly. Saturday was very manic and just the slightest bit weird. Hats off to booksellers everywhere though for getting into the spirit of it all and making sure the customers had a great time. I have to admit that yes, I have read the ending so I do know what happens, but no, there is no way I would reveal it and spoil the book for anyone.

There has been knitting in between the bouts of Harry madness. I started Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ribwarmer and I am more than half way done now. Here's the first half -

It's in James Brett Marble DK in the pink/green colourway which I had almost 2 balls of in the stash. I love the way the colours are merging into one another. It looks completely different from the Cloud Bolero which was what I had previously knitted in this yarn. I'm having a little bit of fun trying to make the two halves match up colourwise, and I'm not entirely sure that I have enough yarn. But I should be able to get another ball easily enough, and it wasn't expensive. It is 100% acrylic and so it's not something I would normally choose (as I do prefer pure wool) but I remember liking it last time I knitted with it and it's proving just as nice this time. I think I might have to get some more of this in other colours sometime.

I've been reading too, though not the Karin Fossum I should be reading for crime fiction group. I've run up against that old problem I have with translated crime and particularly it seems with Scandinavian translated crime. I just find it very difficult to read. Something about the language sounds slightly off to my ears, seeming stilted somehow. It just doesn't seem to flow like it should. Now I don't know if this is a problem with the translation or if it's the Scandinavian intonation and thought process that doesn't come over well. Anyhow, I just wasn't enjoying it. Instead I read the second book in the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden. This is called The Death of Kings. I am liking this series a lot. I've been on a bit of a Roman kick recently - watching the BBC/HBO series Rome, which finished last night. The Iggulden series revolves around some of the same characters and it's fascinating to link them all together. My knowledge of Roman history is a bit limited - coming only from fiction - Lindsay Davies and Steven Saylor - and from watching I, Claudius when I was young.

While I'm on the subject of TV series, I must remind you that Heroes (which I have been banging on about for months) finally starts on BBC2 on Wednesday night. Trust me, it's great stuff. Save the Cheerleader, Save the World!