I would like to introduce you to Reve Dreams, a new craft blog on the scene. Mixing humor, good writing, and a whole heck of a lot of talent, Reve creates amazing crafts and shows you how, too. I’d like to note that she only learned crochet last November, and is already making stuff like this. And it’s not all crochet: fans of children’s literature will enjoy her embroidery, and I of course happen to be completely in love with the newest additions to my Peep family, appropriately named Micropeep and Picopeep.
But you know, as adorable as her creations are, the mechanics of crochet and other sewing-related activities don’t really interest me. Ordinarily I’d look at the pictures and scroll on down, but what keeps me reading is the random asides thrown in. Some favorite quotes:
‘Good clean fun! Hint: it is actually dirty fun.’
‘…but every time I throw out one of the covers I feel like I’m telling the Earth “today, I hate you a little.”‘
‘Of course, if you’re me, and you cut your narrow ribbon to be 8W instead of 10W, you might utter some unladylike words and have to cut new lengths of ribbon to cover the fourth side of the bag.’
‘It is a little-known fact that Peeps’ native terrain is rugged, and in fact they are semi-arboreal.’
Best of all, it’s new enough that you can easily read the entire archive in a short time. Check out Reve Dreams today!
Full disclosure: Reve is my sister. But that doesn’t make her blog less awesome. Seriously, just read an entry or two and you’ll see what I mean.
Addendum: I can neither confirm nor deny her fire-breathing abilities.
by Tom McLaughlin: A former Maryland schoolteacher with an incurable neurological disease decides to live his dream and explore Southeast Asia. The story is told in a series of one-page vignettes, with cartoony sketches on the facing pages, so it goes by quickly. While I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to visit the lands Tom describes, I had a great time experiencing his adventures vicariously. His no-holds-barred description and somewhat zany sense of humor made for a fun read, and also offset the more somber passages well. I was particularly amused by his visit to the Equator, and quite moved by his optimism in the face of such poverty and ecological damage. Borneo is one of those places I haven’t read much about, so this was a real treat. I still don’t want to visit in person, but I could listen to Tom’s stories all day.
by Ann Elwood: This collection of short stories revolves around the regulars at a dog park in southern California. I will say up front that I do not own a dog and have never been to a dog park, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the setting. However, I don’t think you really need to be a “dog person” to understand or appreciate these stories. Many of the tales are about human drama, though of course dogs play a central role in every one. One thing I noticed was how bittersweet or even downright sad most of the stories were. I even shed a few tears during “Not Just a Dog.” The plots are well-constructed and the characters believable, but don’t expect a bunch of heart-warming doggy stories. Very few have what I would consider happy endings. All, however, do have reasonably satisfying endings, and that’s all I really ask of a story. I remain interested in reading more fiction from Elwood in the future. Maybe she should release a tortoise collection next. I bet she could do that well.
by Laurell K. Hamilton (unabridged audiobook read by Kimberly Alexis; 10 hours on 8 discs): This book certainly lives up to its name. Anita Blake is an animator, someone who raises folks from the dead for money (most of the time to settle posthumous court cases and inheritance disputes). As a sideline, she also assists the police with destroying vampires who murder humans. This time, however, she has been hired to figure out who is murdering vampires. I figured out who it was as soon as the killer was introduced, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. Anita is sarcastic and amusing, kick-ass but still very human. The idea of a legally recognized vampire subculture is intriguing. I don’t see myself reading the rest of the series, but this was a fun little distraction.
by Anita Diamant (unabridged audiobook read by Carol Bilger; 12 hrs on 10 CDs): Most people know the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors, but do you recall that he also had a sister? Dinah is only mentioned in a single chapter of Genesis, and then only as a victim. This is her story. Though told in first person by Dinah herself, it covers the time period from her parents meeting to years after her own death. I admit I was more interested in learning about Bronze Age life than Old Testament drama, but I enjoyed the narrative as well – more or less. I never felt any sort of emotional tie to any of the characters, perhaps because Dinah herself was so fixated on motherhood as to almost be a caricature of pre-suffrage womanhood. Though I understand and accept that motherhood was the primary occupation and ambition of most women of the time, I got a little tired of the constant obsession with wombs and menstruation and pregnancy. Then again, the male characters weren’t any more developed. I was surprised by the devoted polytheism of the wives of staunchly monotheistic Jacob, though given the lack of communication between the sexes I suppose it’s not so far-fetched. I’m not sure if I’d recommend this one or not. I mean, it was okay, but not a story that will stick with me.
by Ann Elwood: Before reading this book, I knew basically nothing about the original Rin-Tin-Tin, a German shepherd dog who starred in a number of silent films (and few talkies) in the 1920s and 30s. This is not the Rin-Tin-Tin of the famous 
by Frank Herbert (unabridged audiobook read by Scott Brick; 26 hours on 22 discs): It took me a long time to get into this one, but that’s okay because it’s a long book. In many ways this is a political thriller that takes place on a distant planet. Paul, son of Duke Leto, is 15 when his family is transferred to the desert planet known as Arrakis. When a rival baron takes over, Paul and his mother are forced to flee into the desert, where they join with the planet natives. Politics mingle with religion, genetic engineering, prophecy, and the meticulous conservation of water to produce an intricately woven tale in a meticulously detailed world. This level of world-building is on par with Tolkien. However, the story – though unquestionably interesting – has not gripped me so thoroughly that I feel any need to read the subsequent books in the series. But I’m glad to have read this one.
by Jim Mastro: Jason Hunter has troubles. New school, new friends, weird neighbors, weird parents. The next thing he knows, he’s escaping evil aliens, riding in a flying saucer, and zipping off to the other end of the galaxy in order to save the planet. Along the way, he meets several memorable characters and has adventures on numerous worlds, with barely a moment to catch his breath. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any YA science fiction, and this was a very fun return to the genre. The setting, though clearly inspired by such SF giants as Stargate and Star Trek, is detailed, plausible, and fairly original – and best of all, not dumbed down. My favorite character, by far, was Takkadian Pheno. Scary, hilarious, and all-around awesome. I do hope he shows up again sometime. Now, I will admit to having a pretty good idea of how the other two books in the trilogy will play out (there’s reason Jason brought two friends with him, after all), but I’d still like to read them, if only to revisit the universe of these stories. I can see this series becoming very popular among junior high school SF fans.
