An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory

I'm still trying to get caught up on my reviews; I finished this book on the 18th of last month.

I've had the book quite awhile and I'd read a few of the pages before, but I finally read the book from cover to cover.  I was inspired to read it because Danny Gregory has published a new book on travel journals in the same format as this one, and I've been enjoying seeing the interviews with the artists from that book that he's posted on his blog.

I really enjoyed reading about all the different journal artists and seeing pages of their journals.  I only wish that the journal pages could have been larger.  But it's a great glimpse into the wide variety of ways that different artists use journals.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati

I am trying to catch up on my reviews; I finished this book a little over two weeks ago.  It is the story of Elizabeth Middleton, a 29 year old spinster who leaves England in 1792 to teach school in a remote village in New York.  She is joined by her brother Julian to live with their father, Judge Middleton.  Upon their arrival, she meets Nathaniel Bonner, a hunter and trapper who was raised by Mohawks.  It reminded me of the Outlander series in many ways; historical fiction, romance, strong female lead character, just as long but not as well written.  It is also a "sequel" to Last of the Mohicans (which I've never read), since Nathaniel Bonner is the son of Dan'l Bonner, or Hawkeye, from that book.  I enjoyed the book, which is the first in a series, but I'm not sure whether I'll read the rest of the series.  I rate it 3 out of 5.

A Petoskey Watercolor Journal by Catherine Carey

I really enjoy looking at other artists' visual journals.  I have read Catherine Carey's blog off and on (here) and knew that I liked her painting style; it always looks so fresh and loose.  I did enjoy this book very much, although it isn't exactly like looking into her journal.  Instead, there is a full sketch on the right hand side of each two page spread, and usually a very small sketch on the left hand side of the page.  Then she talks a little bit about what it took to get the sketch, or what the day was like, or where she was, or some suggestion for keeping your own visual journal (such as this quote from page 106):

"Don't save your journal painting just for trips and special occasions.  There is plenty to observe and paint in our daily lives."  I need to remember this more often!  I rate the book 4 out of 5.

The Gendarme by Mark Mustian

I finished this book over a month ago and am just now getting around to writing about it. It is the story of Emmett Conn, an old man who suffered memory loss after being injured during World War I. But now he has a brain tumor, and he is having dreams that he is a gendarme, taking a group of Armenians out of Turkey. One of the Armenians is a young woman who captivates Emmett. But the war intervenes and they are separated.

I had never heard of the Armenian genocide before reading this book, so I learned some history. It was a good story and well written. I rated it 4 out of 5.

Sketchbook Challenge - Natural Surfaces

Sketchbook Challenge - Natural Surfaces
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
We stayed at The Lodge at Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas. This huge fireplace was in the lobby. Athough the fireplace is manmade, the rock it was made from is a natural surface, which is the current theme for the sketchbook challenge.

First finished stitched painting

First finished stitched painting
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
I took a 4 1/2 day class with Katie Pasquini Masopust called Stitched Paintings. It was a fabulous class, and this is my first finished piece. It is framed rather than bound (edges are finished with satin stitching).

Sketchbook Challenge - Sweet

Sketchbook Challenge - Sweet
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Just barely got this month's challenge finished before the end of the month! I haven't been sketching much this month for some reason. But it felt really good to sketch this.

Journaling reads: "These sunny flowers survived the snow of a few days ago. It was forecast to be a blizzard, but we only got about an inch. I'm glad the flowers survived!"

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On the morning of Nick and Amy Dunne's 5th wedding anniversary, Amy disappears.  Nick lies to the police about several things that can be easily checked.  Amy's diary paints a picture of a very troubled marriage.  As the story unfolds, told alternately from Nick's point of view and Amy's diary, Nick and Amy both become less and less likable.  There are several plot twists that I certainly didn't see coming.  It was a very dark story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was very well written; I rate it 5 out of 5.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 6 Basil

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 6 Basil
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
We used a flat, heavy application of watercolor as a base layer, then used colored pencils on top. It's slow going, but allows for a lot of shading and detail.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 5

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 5
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
I've fallen a little behind, so I'm trying to get caught up. I actually bought some oregano to sketch. It's much nicer to sketch from the real thing (it smells nice too). I wasn't too satisfied with this as I was working on it, but I like it a little better now. I'm out of practice!

Mrs. Lincoln A Life by Catherine Clinton

I learned a lot from reading this book.  Mary Todd was a well-educated woman from a wealthy Kentucky family who became a Northern wife when she married Abraham Lincoln, a Springfield lawyer.  They were poor for much of their marriage; Mary Lincoln continued to worry about money for most of her life.  She was faithful to the Union in spite of vicious press attacks on her throughout her husband's presidency and the Civil War.  She was the first president's wife to be called "First Lady."  After her husband's assassination, her mental health suffered and she was briefly held involuntarily in an asylum after her son Robert had her brought to trial on charges of insanity.  She never forgave him for betraying her.

The book has been on my shelf for over a year, but I wanted to read it before seeing the movie Lincoln.  I'm glad I read it, although I found it slow.  I rate it 3 out of 3.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 4

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 4
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Informal watercolor of dill or fennel using Val Webb's reference photos. All watercolor; no pencil first (even in the title, where I usually use pencil).

Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon

This was a pretty unusual story.  It follows three different sets of characters, and it's a long time before you learn how they are related, but you eventually do.  Miles Cheshire is searching for his twin brother, Hayden, who has been missing for 10 years.  Lucy Lattimore has run away from Pompey, Ohio, with her former high school history teacher, George Orson, a few days after graduation.  And Ryan Schuyler has learned that his parents aren't who he thinks they are, so he walks away from his college campus to remake himself. It is very well written and I often couldn't put it down. I rate it 4 out of 5.

A Kiss Before You Go: An Illustrated Memoir of Love and Loss by Danny Gregory

Artist Danny Gregory lost his wife Patti in a tragic accident almost 2 years ago.  He used his journals over the next year to work through his grief, and this book is the result.  There is some background over how they met and their life together, including an earlier accident that put her in a wheelchair.  There is Danny's artwork and thoughts and feelings about continuing his life without her.  The passage that struck me the most and has stayed with me was this one:

The big things that have changed are not the ones I feared. I thought it would be all about having someone to hug and kiss, a hand to hold, eyes to stare into, maybe just someone who would always get my jokes, indulge my point of view.

But it's all the things that Patti did in her life that were melded into mine that have left me like a one-armed man. Running our house, the practical aspects of our lives, what sort of garbage bags to buy, who to invite for dinner, where to spend the summer, when to pay the mortgage.

Every day is filled with a thousand things we would discuss. How does this shirt look? What should we have for dinner? What do we buy my sister for her birthday? Should we repaint the hall? How do I deal with my boss? Do you like this sentence? Am I a good person?

I'd pick up the phone, send a text or an email, every hour or two, just to stay in touch, to course correct. Now. over and over again, I find myself starting to dial, then I drop the phone, realizing my mistake, that Patti's unable to come to the phone right now, Patti's not home.

I've been trying to share my life . . .

. . . but now it belongs to me alone.

 It is at times heartbreaking and at times hopeful. I rate it 5 out of 5.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 2 Revised

Original

Revised

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 2 Revised
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
I revised my pencil sketch based on a critique from Val Webb.  As usual, I needed to add contrast by darkening my shading. Thanks Val - I like it better now! 

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this book sounded interesting.  After surviving World War I, Laurence Bartram learns that his old friend John Emmett has apparently killed himself.  Laurence agrees to investigate for John's sister Mary.  But as one of the characters tells Laurence, "You're dogged but you're not a natural detective. . ."  What I liked about this mystery that was different from others I've read was that it presented Laurence's musings about the case as he learned bits and pieces.  Most of those musings turned out to be wrong, but it was interesting to follow.  There is a quote on the cover of the book that states, "The new Birdsong - only better."  I would have to disagree with that statement.  While I basically enjoyed the book and thought it was fairly well written, it was not as good as Birdsong in my opinion.  I rate it 3 out of 5.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

I like baseball, especially college baseball, but I would not have chosen to read a book about baseball if I hadn't read this review by my son.  Of course, he writes real reviews as opposed to the brief summaries and thoughts I write. I happen to think he's a great writer, but then, he's my son, so what else would I think?

Anyway, this book is about much more than baseball. It is the story of a young college shortstop (Henry Skrimshander) who is about to tie the record set by the greatest shortstop of all time for number of games without an error, when he makes a wild throw and hits his teammate in the face.  This error shakes Henry's confidence and has far reaching effects on several other people as well.  The book is all about hopes, anxieties, secrets, ambition, family, friendship, and love.  That's a pretty wide net for a baseball story.  I found it to be very well written and I rate it 4 out of 5.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 2

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 2
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Val Webb calls this technique a "gentle pencil sketch" because you use the pencil so lightly and build up layers for the darks. I sketched this from a reference photo provided by Val.

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 1

Draw & Paint Culinary Herbs - Lesson 1
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Basic pencil sketch of mint

Sketchbook Challenge - Artist Date

Artist Date
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Theme for Sketchbook Challenge this month is Artist Date. I had lunch at Panera for my Artist Date. I enjoyed sitting by the fireplace and sketching.

2012 Challenge Wrap-up and New Challenges for 2013

I participated in two challenges this year:  War Through the Generations Reading Challenge, which had World War I for the theme, and The Sketchbook Challenge, which had a different theme each month.  I am very pleased that I met both challenges.  My goal for the reading challenge was to read 4-10 books, and I actually read 11 books.  My goal for The Sketchbook Challenge was to complete and post at least one sketchbook page per month, and I did this as well.

I will be participating in the same two challenges in 2013.  The War Through the Generations Reading Challenge theme will be the American Revolution, and The Sketchbook Challenge will continue to have a different theme each month.

I have moved the 2012 challenge pages to the Previous Years' Challenges page and set up new pages for 2013 challenges.

Sketchbook Challenge - Gifts

Gifts
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
For December's Sketchbook Challenge theme.

Dragon House by John Shors

This book has been on my shelf since 2010, when the theme for the War Through The Generations Reading Challenge was the Vietnam War.  I had trouble finding books I wanted to read that year (at least, books other than those written by Tim O'Brien, whose books I loved).  I didn't get this one read during the year of the challenge, but I finally decided to read it this month.

Iris travels to Vietnam with Iraq war veteran and childhood friend Noah to finish building a center for street children that Iris's father had begun.  Iris's father had fought in the Vietnam War when Iris was a child, and right before he dies, Iris promises him that she will go to Vietnam to complete his center.  I had read Beneath a Marble Sky by the same author and really liked it, but I was disappointed in this one.  I didn't think it was as well written, the story was a bit too predictable, and the characters were flat.  I rate it 2 out of 5.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Eighty-six year old Hennie Comfort moved to the rugged mining town of Middle Swan, Colorado, as a young widow, shortly after the end of the Civil War.  It is now 1936, in the midst of the Great Depression, and 17 year old Nit Spindle has just moved here with her husband.  They form an unlikely but close friendship almost immediately.  I found the story, and the writing, to be mediocre.  I rated it 2 out of 5.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Our holiday card this year (2012).

The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin

This is the second book by this author that I've read; the first was Mistress of the Art of Death, which I reviewed here.  I really enjoyed the first book, which is why I decided to read this one.  And while I liked this book fairly well, I didn't think it was as good as the first one.  It might have been because I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, and this was more about the mystery and less about the characters than the first book.  Adelia (who is the mistress of the art of death) is commanded by King Henry II to find the murderer of his favorite mistress, Rosamund Clifford.  Henry's estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect.  I rate this book 2 out of 5.

Sketchbook Challenge - Spice of Life

Sketchbook Challenge - Spice of Life
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites - especially using my mother-in-law's recipe. It seems the perfect entry for November's Sketchbook Challenge theme of Spice of Life.

Strange Meeting by Susan Hill

I've read several good WWI books for my reading challenge this year (The Light Between Oceans, The Summer of Katya (WWI was a small part of each of these books), and Birdsong to name a few), but this ranks right up there near the top.

John Hilliard has been wounded and spends some time recuperating at home.  He finds that he can not bear to be at home where no one understands what it is like at the front.  When he returns to the front, he knows very few of the officers left in his unit; most have been killed or disabled in the fighting.  He must share space with a newly arrived officer, David Barton.  At first Hilliard is angry about this; he wants to be alone.  But Barton and Hilliard become very close friends, even though they are very different.  Hilliard is very proper and straight laced and has never had a close friend, while Barton is very friendly and outgoing and everyone likes him.  There are scenes of life in the trenches and of fighting and even of the boredom in between the action.  But mostly it is about the friendship between these two men.  I enjoyed the writing style very much; it was easy to read and lyrical without being overdone.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

I like books that start with a historical event, change something about it, and then build a story from it.  This book is based on the premise that Jewish refugees created a temporary safe haven in the Federal District of Sitka, Alaska, after the Holocaust and the collapse of Israel in 1948.  Now, 60 years later, the District will be reverting to Alaskan control.

Meyer Landsman is a homicide detective whose life is a mess. He and his partner, Berko Shemets, have quite a few unsolved cases they are trying to wrap up before Reversion.  And to make matters worse, a murder occurred in the fleabag hotel in which Landsman currently lives.  The story was interesting and enjoyable enough, but it was overwritten.  There is a review on Goodreads that puts it very succinctly:

"You know that fashion rule where, before you leave the house, you're supposed to quickly turn to a mirror and then take off the first accessory that catches your eye? Well, I feel like Chabon should have done that with his prose, which is sometimes so ridiculously overwritten and boastful that it ruined an otherwise pretty interesting story."  Edan Lepucki

Overall, I rated it 3 out of 5.

Quilting Retreat

Quilting Retreat
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
This small pumpkin was part of the table decorations for our retreat.

Taking a Break

Taking a Break
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
Journaling reads, ". . . from shopping. Since I was at Food Pyramid, I could get a mocha from Starbucks and sketch this pepper, which is for the chili we're having for dinner. Oh, and cornbread. Yum!" Sketched straight to pen.

Sketchbook Challenge - Cabinet of Curiosities

Sketchbook Challenge - Cabinet of Curiosities
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
I don't have an actual cabinet in which to store my curiosities, so I use a wooden box (which I guess I need to sketch too). Sketchbook Challenge October 2012 theme.

Our Big Adventure

Our Big Adventure
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
I didn't even know what this piece of equipment was as I was sketching it. It was much more rusted than it looks in my sketch, but I didn't have a lot of time - I was just glad to get as much of it done as I did.

Devils Den Trees

Devils Den Trees
Originally uploaded by Cheryl Gebhart
So pleasant sitting outside to sketch.