Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 385 pages
Date read: November, 2013

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

I'd suddenly started reading about this book everywhere and people seemed to love it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did - even with my high expectations I was very pleasantly surprised by it, and ended up loving it :) It started out fairly similar to the movie "The Intouchables" (looove that movie!), but quickly veered off, and actually became more of an exploration into a moral/ethical dilemma. Fortunately it totally worked with the plot, and much like "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult had the ending it had to have.

Very moving read.

Knitting Rules! - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Title: Knitting Rules!
Author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Genre: Non-fiction, Craft
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 224
Date read: November, 2013

Both a celebration of knitting and a sourcebook for practical information, this book is a collection of useful advice and emotional support for the knitter. Pearl-McPhee examines essential truisms of knitting, side by side with tongue in-cheek warnings, realities, and fantasies about the act of knitting and the people who do it.

In chapters on everything from yarn needles, gauge, and knitting bag essentials to hats, socks, shawls, and sweaters, Pearl-McPhee unravels the mysteries of what it is that makes knitting click, from the inside out. She dares to question longstanding rules and uncover the true essence of what makes a hat a hat, a sock a sock, and so on. Insights into why certain techniques work encourage knitters to take control and knit in the way that works best for them. As she says, "There are no knitting police."

The result is an illuminating, liberating (and hilarious ) look at knitting that will comfort the experienced knitter, surprise the mainstream one, and entice the beginner.

No clue how really to describe this book... but I loved it - so go figure :) An exploration into knitting and while it rules while explaining knitting rules. Especially the chapters on sock and hat knitting is probably something I can use in the future if I dare attempt my hand at non-pattern knitting :)

Besides, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee really has a way with words. I've enjoyed everything I've read by her so far. Her passion for knitting jumps out from every page and reminds me that I'm not really as abnormal as all that ;)