Tag Archives: reviewettes

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity zooms by

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Once again, on-call stuff ate into my linkity making time. So! Here’s what I got.

Reading Update
Freehand: Sketching Tips and Tricks Drawn from Art by Helen Birch. Good overview of a wide array of artistic tidbits, such as “Suggesting Time”, “Negative Space”, “Damp Ground”, “Aerial Gaze”, “Complementary Colors”, etc. Feels more scattershot than I was expecting for some reason.

“I’m hiding! You can’t see me, Mom! So stop pretending you can.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity before a long [US] holiday weekend

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Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

GF

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Sid vs Ovi: Natural Born Rivals by Andrew Podnieks. So-so comparison of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin from their rookie seasons in 2005-2006 through June 2011, focusing on their games against each other. The book was definitely biased toward Crosby and painted a pretty unflattering picture of Ovechkin. I mean, I prefer Sid to Ovi myself, but… Pretty sure I told the book, “You aren’t even trying” more than once.

*kick-hug-kick-hug-kick-rub on face-kick* -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity enjoys the breeze from the briefly open windows

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Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are by Danny Gregory. While I didn’t always agree with the author, it was a good, thought-provoking book on using drawing to bring more creativity to all aspects of your life. It definitely got me thinking and writing about some deeper things.
Creative Pilgrimage: An Exploration of Artful Gatherings and Discovery of Innovative Art Techniques by Jenny Doh. Ok but very repetitive overview of various instructors from mixed media art retreats. Not something I’ll bother rereading or referring to again.

I recently bought a magnet for my refrigerator and it perfectly sums up how Chaos greets visitors…

“I am Chaos and I approve of this message!!!” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity returns!

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Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Best of Down Goes Brown: Greatest Hits and Brand New Classics-to-Be from Hockey’s Most Hilarious Blog by Sean McIndoe. Good collection of humorous hockey writing – unfortunately, it really doesn’t stand the test of time (six years) that well.
The Jargoon Pard by Andre Norton. I loved this book as a preteen and it stood up pretty well to the reread. I did get annoyed with the sort of formal, tangly language at times – obviously preteen me was a more forgiving reader. 🙂 (Confession: I was too lazy to go dig this out of my under-bed storage, so I just checked the ebook out of the library from the comfort of my purple chaise instead…)

*thlurrrrp* -Chaos

*purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr* -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

From the mixed-up linkity files of me

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One more week of my bookbinding class! Linkity should be back to normal(ish) on June 9. 🙂

Mixed-Up Links

Reading Update
The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue by Crystal Neubauer. While I found the author’s collages mystifying and somewhat repetitive, I really liked the information she provided on supplies and mark making and have already procured a tub of her recommended adhesive (Yes! Paste).
Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca Romney & JP Romney. Very good look at some critical moments in the history of print and printing. The authors get a bit too cute at points, and this is a book that probably won’t age well due to the humor, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. FYI, the book text ends at page 284. The endnotes run from pages 287-338 and the index from 339-353. A favorite and timely snippet from the book: “The consequences of the Age of Discovery had much in common with those of the invention of print: both provided unprecedented access to knowledge, and therefore both were subject to political and religious freakouts. It was science versus authority. What happens when power and evidence collide?”

“Soon….” -Mayhem

“Why do I suddenly feel sort of uneasy?” -Chaos, sleepily

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity’s seen snow falling twice in the past eight days, but maybe it’s finally spring…

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Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Half Magic (Tales of Magic #1) by Edward Eager. Over the weekend, I read a lovely feature in Rain Taxi on Edward Eager’s Magic series, which inspired me to start rereading them in ebook from my local library system. I’m finding ebook to be an excellent format for these, because it means I’ll actually look up definitions – and Eager wasn’t afraid of flexing his vocabulary.
Knight’s Castle (Tales of Magic #2) by Edward Eager. This one jumps ahead 30 years from the previous book – it’s good, but definitely not my favorite of the series.

“Oh no, did I forget to turn off the stove?!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity haz a mad at the Minnesota weather right now

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Bookity

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Art and Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz. This book was originally published in 2001 and it’s amazing to me how far book arts have progressed since then, based on LaPlantz’s descriptions of how things were at the time. Her “recessed skewer” binding is really interesting and I’ll definitely be trying that technique – it involves a hole punch, bamboo skewers, and ribbon.
Stamp It!: DIY Printing with Handmade Stamps by Jenny Doh. Exactly what it says on the tin! 🙂
Hand-Printing Studio: 15 Projects to Color Your Life a Visual Guide to Printing on Almost Anything by Betty Olmsted. Ok hands-on look at stamping (block printing), screenprinting, and transfer printing. I did like the watercolor effects of her transfer printing, which I hadn’t seen before.
His Father’s Eyes (Justis Fearsson #2) by David B Coe. Solid addition to this series about private investigator and weremyste (wizard with moon cycle problems) Justin Fearsson.
Shadow’s Blade (Justis Fearsson #3) by David B. Coe. Another good addition to this series… Except now I have concerns, because Justis has leveled up way too much by the end, which often means things are going to be pretty ho-hum going forward. Here’s hoping that isn’t the case for this series.

“Wait, my name isn’t Chaos NO?!” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity wonders why there’s always one out-of-control linkity category

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Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Make Your Own Ideabook with Arne & Carlos: Create Handmade Art Journals and Bound Keepsakes to Store Inspiration and Memories by Arne Nerjordet & Carlos Zachrison. If you’re looking for a completely different take on art journals… Arne and Carlos make their own journals (involving a sewing machine) and collage pretty much everything into them.
The Complete Book of Bookbinding by Josep Cambras. Good indepth information on binding and repairing books, with an emphasis on using leather. Very traditional book structures.
Spell Blind (Justis Fearsson #1) by David B Coe. Good urban fantasy about a former cop turned PI whose magical abilities come with a price – a price that cost him his job as a cop.

“feedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedmefeedme” -Chaos

Chaos gets a little wild-eyed in the hour(s) before his dinner…

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

On Friday, linkity has Friday on its mind

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Contest(s)

Bookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
McLuhan for Beginners by W. Terrance Gordon & Susan Willmarth. A relatively easy-to-digest visual introduction to Marshall McLuhan’s work in media studies.
The Victoria Vanished (Bryant & May #6) by Christopher Fowler. DNF. I think I’ve just run out of steam on this series. Tapping out.
The Artist’s Library: A Field Guide by Laura Damon-Moore & Erinn Batykefer. Pretty good look at ways artists (visual artists, performing artists, musicians, etc) can use public libraries as resources and inspiration. The first half was the most interesting for me and had some great journaling/creativity prompts that I’ll be trying.
How to Be Human: Diary of an Autistic Girl by Florida Frenz. What is says in the title. It’s good, but pretty short. My favorite part was the forward, in which Frenz really nailed how it feels to be autistic.

*derp* -Chaos

Knitting, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity needs help with a dilemma

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From Thursday, May 11, through Thursday, June 1, I will be taking a bookbinding class that’s required for my Book Arts Certificate (and which is always offered on Thursday evenings for some reason). Since Thursday evenings are my time for putting linkity together, I have a dilemma. A month without linkity seems a little extreme, doesn’t it?! How would y’all feel about maybe two Saturday linkities during that time?

Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
White Corridor (Bryant & May #5) by Christopher Fowler. I gave it a couple of chapters, but it wasn’t working for me at all. It felt different from the other books in the series somehow. DNF.
Battle Street Bolero (Bone Street Rumba #3) by Daniel Jose Older. Very satisfying conclusion to this trilogy.
Improbable Libraries: A Visual Journey to the World’s Most Unusual Libraries by Alex Johnson. Very cool look at the many, many different ways that libraries reach people and people reach libraries around the world.

“What socks?” -Mayhem

Oh, these socks? 😉 These were for my SIL’s birthday… her March 2016 birthday. I finished them the day before her March 2017 birthday. Yay?!