Longtime blog readers might remember I reviewed Waking Up in the Land of Glitter by Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murrillo on my blog last year. So I was excited when the publisher asked me if I'd like to review her second novel—and give away a copy to a blog reader! (Details about the giveaway are at the bottom of this post.)
What I Liked Best
- I enjoyed the blog entries interspersed throughout the book. The main character, Scarlett Santana, is a blogger and I found it fascinating how she showed this almost manically cheerful persona on her blog, often making a dramatic contrast to what was going on in her life.
- This book has heart. It's obvious that not only does Scarlett care about her students and blog readers, but so does the author. For example, Scarlett blogs about "Little Victories" pages designed to help readers acknowledge and appreciate their mini-accomplishments and feel better about themselves. The author thoughtfully includes the project instructions in the back of the book, along with two other projects.
- One of the minor issues I had with the first book was the never-take-a-breath pacing. This book felt much better paced to me, relaxing and enjoyable.
I did have some minor issues with this second book. I didn't care for the romance of the main character; it didn't seem realistic. Neither did some of the details, such as the character Mary Theresa forgetting that one of her children has a life-threatening allergy. But that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I think (as I did with the first book) that with its drama and almost soap-opera quality, this book would make a fun movie.
Jewelry Inspiration
I couldn't resist making some earrings inspired by this book. I used a mix of flowers, buttons, and a brass thimble and pair of scissors to create these earrings. I handpainted the buttons with a mix of red and purple and sewed them with embroidery thread to the flowers. The red is an obvious link to the main character, Scarlet. The ear wires are niobium, a hypoallergenic material. While Scarlet may appear flighty, she does have a practical side that I wanted to represent.
You'll Enjoy This Book If
- You want a behind-the-scenes look at the sewing/fashion world or the world of a popular craft blogger. I found the sewing class scenes, the blogs, Scarlett's repeated mention of her sewing product when meeting a famous actress (that girl can sell!), and the portrayal of the at-any-cost corporate world (sadly) realistic. I especially enjoyed the duct-tape dress form scene. Hilarious!
- You enjoyed the first book. The books are completely independent; they don't need to be read together. However, the style of the book and the basic "My family doesn't believe in me, I'll show them!" premises are similar.
- You're looking for a fun, (mostly) lighthearted read. This book does have some sad scenes, but overall, it's the type of novel that will pump you up and make you believe you can do anything!
Win a Copy of Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing and Waking Up in the Land of Glitter
The publisher will be awarding a copy of BOTH books to TWO readers of this blog (U.S. and Canada only). To enter, please leave a comment on this post. You can comment about anything to enter, but I'd love to hear what you think about sewing. Do you sew? Do you always follow patterns when you make something?
I'll draw two winners at random on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.
Visit the other blogs on the blog tour this week for more chances to win!
Update 3/16: Congratulations to Debbie and Cyndi for having their names drawn at random from all the comments. Thanks to everyone for participating!
Required Legal Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing from the publisher, Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group). My review is my honest opinion. I have received no compensation for my review.