The Road

A very interesting read. Cormac McCarthy writes in a very interesting style. This is a dystopian novel set in an unknown place, at the end of the world which seems to have occurred after a natural disaster of some kind that has covered the world with ash. The reader follows a father and son who have somehow survived. They try to travel south to anticipated warmer and safer climes, existing on found food and trying to avoid the danger of other human contact.  This book has a very dark and sinister undertone which doesn't let up. It is not an easy read, but it is a quick one. I think I found it a difficult read partly because of the content of the book dealing with the survival of a child.  Apparently this novel has been made into a film - I can't picture it - its such a dark novel, and I don't just mean the content. In the novel, the characters often refer to not being able to see in the night, and not wanting to light a fire for fear of being seen but I'm sure that would make a visually stunning scene to watch! (Perhaps I'm wrong...)
  

A Quilting Update

This post is a little bit of an experiment as I am posting direct from my mobile phone for the very first time... Will it look different? I'll find out tomorrow when I look at this on my laptop. (oh and hello to tomorrow's version of me!)

I thought an update on my quilting progress was necessary. See the picture with lots of quilted squares? Well that marks my half way point in the quilting saga. 60 nine-square patches covered in hand stitched doodles of loops and swirls. The close up photo will hopefully show this better but as its white thread on white cotton, maybe not. Flip the quilt shown in the large scale picture over and that (and binding, she whispers in a timid voice) is all that remains of this labour of love.

The more I have quilted the softer and more pliable my quilt has become. I genuinely love it and am incredibly proud of it.

Oh and I have actually done slightly more quilting than I stated above. It's technically only 55 squares to go (and the binding)...

Rebecca

I've seen the movie, stayed in the town where Daphne Du Maurier used to live, seen the outside of the house which was possibly used as inspiration but never read this novel. I loved it, couldn't put it down. There is a dark and sinister undertone that threads throughout the novel. The story follows a young unnamed narrator who marries Maxim de Winter. She returns from their honeymoon in Europe to become the mistress of Manderley, the beautiful home of the de Winters.  Mrs de Winter tries to live her life, completely in love with her new husband, but feeling like she is living in the shadow of her husband's recently deceased wife, Rebecca. The furniture in the home is Rebecca's. The servants love Rebecca. Maxim's grandmother adores Rebecca. Will she be throwing the parties like Rebecca did? This book turns into a psychological thriller and a whodunnit.

Although I have seen the movie, I couldn't remember much of it which is why I found the book so thrilling and enticing. I now need to re-visit Hitchcock's classic to see how close to the book it is.