demimancy's reviews
1804 reviews

Whether Violent or Natural by Natasha Calder

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Fishermen's Knits from the Coast of Norway by Margareth Sandvik, Line Iversen

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informative
Loved the combination of history and instruction giving the inspiration and meaning for these hardy knits. Beautiful patterns modernize historical garments, and while the patterns are written fairly minimally, they are easy to read. Looking forward to finally making my plain v-neck vest, a pattern for which I've been looking for months!
Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings by Randall Kenan by Randall Kenan

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Conscious Crafts: Knitting: 20 mindful makes to reconnect head, hearthands by Sicgmone Kludje, Vanessa Koranteng

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inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Yes!!! Support knitters of color and add some beautiful, simple, easily explained patterns to your repertoire. What I love about this knitting instruction book is the combination of diagrams and photographs, as well as clear, concise explanations of some of the trickier knitting concepts. I've been seriously knitting for four years now, and I still find that tension, gauge, and blocking--not to mention seaming and joining new yarn--are difficult to understand or explain to others! Not so here in Conscious Crafts. Knitting IS relaxing, which means it should be as accessible as possible. 

Also, a minor, but beautiful note: the yarn used in the photographs isn't perfect. The visual evidence of handmade work even in gauge swatches is SO encouraging and inspiring! Knits don't look Insta-perfect as soon as you make them unless you're really skilled, so seeing small discrepancies stitch to stitch is like seeing a non-airbrushed body in a swimwear ad. Thank you, Vanessa and Sicgmone!
Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria - The Bright Queen (collected volume) by Ariana Maher, CoupleOfKooks, Cris Peter, Matthew Mercer, Darcy Van Poelgeest

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adventurous dark fast-paced

4.0

Secrets of the Kryn dynasty revealed!!! What a great expansion into the world of Wildemount. Good for comic book fans and CritRole fans alike. I appreciated how intimate the story was, and this taste of the worship of the Luxon beyond the boundaries of the game.