A couple weeks ago when I went to the library I was caught browsing through the new release books. I must have had a puzzling look on my face because one of my favorite librarians asked me if I needed any help. I said that I wanted something fun to read - something to lift my spirits - since I have found myself not being able to knit, crochet, bead or do anything due to the pain in my shoulder again.
The book that was suggested was called: Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo aka the Crafty Chica. :-) :-) I knew that the name sounded familiar, but I just didn't know from what. I was in pain at that moment and couldn't really think very straight, so I just filed it away in my brain with hopes to remember later.
The book lived on my kitchen counter for a few days before I started to read it. Not being able to do any crafting myself, I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to handle reading about someone else crafting - or in this case, sewing. Well, I pushed aside my bit of depression and started reading more.
The story is predictable and I think the character development was a bit weak, but the overall flow of the story was really well done. The story, like a fairy tail, was really cute as well. Sure, I was able to figure out pretty much how the whole novel was going to unfold but it didn't take anything away from the pure enjoyment.
The main character, Scarlet, was just a bundle of energy that didn't let anything or anyone slow her down. I love characters like that. She did what was needed to achieve her goals, and at one point almost put her own health in jeopardy. I found myself relating to Scarlet back in my days of college and working my first 10 years in the corporate world. I remember working 100+ hour weeks, surviving off of less than 4 hours of sleep each night that stretched for months on end. Scarlet was very lucky though and didn't end up with a permanent injury like I did... but I digress...
Even with all of the obstacles in front of our heroine, she still managed to make her dreams come true and find friendship and love at the same time. She found herself reconciling with her family again and was able to put what mattered most to her back into perspective.
The book is scattered with life lessons and words of inspiration. It was refreshing to read a book like this - most of what I read is in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm so this was really a step away from normal reading for me! :-) :-) I can find myself following some of the advise that Miss Scarlet shared with her blog readers for my own goals and dreams. So, in a way, this little treasure of a book is a fun self help book! :-) :-) You take what you want from it, but I found this book more than just fun reading. :-)
I finished reading the book last night and finally took the time to read about the author. I really don't know why I always do that to myself... what does it hurt to read about the author before or while reading the book? Anyway, I still couldn't place the name or Kathy Cano-Murillo or Crafty Chica with anything that I could remember in my brain. So, this morning I finally broke down to go to her website: http://www.craftychica.com/. Well, it turns out that I'm a subscriber to her newsletter and follow her on Facebook! Well, duh! I knew the name sounded familiar.
So, if you need something fun to read this summer, I would strongly recommend "Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing". Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the back of the book has some fun activities to play with as well. The one that got my attention was how to make your own duct tape dress form. :-) :-)
I do have to let you know though, that if you're good at guessing the story line and knowing what happens ruins the book for you, then this book may not be for you. But I didn't think this book was for me either, and I really enjoyed it anyway! :-) :-)
One tid bit of information that I also liked about this book was that it took place in my local stomping grounds around the Phoenix, AZ area. :-) :-) One of the characters was from Chandler too! :-) :-)
Since I can't really do much other than read, dream, sketch and write (due to my awesome voice recognition program), I may find myself blogging about my recent, or not so recent, reads this summer. Only cooler temps will let me know if I'll be able to design more jewelry in the future and make all of those sketches in my book into actual projects. :-)
Take care,
Pinka
