Whales Road Reyna and " The British Are Coming"

 

     I'm on the last tiers of my Reyna Shawl in Malabrigo Mechita in Whales Road (the photos don't pick up all the lovely color variations to this gorgeous yarn).  I can see why Reyna is so popular.  I opted to make the garter sections wider and the lace ones a bit smaller (details on row counts in the previous blog post - Reyna Shawl Grows) but I'd like to do it again with the original pattern next time.  While I like my variation, I did find the lace rows easier than I thought and I could really see how the original airy version is also lovely.  For this time though I'm often taking care of an elderly friend and I need a mindless knit.  While the lace is easier than I thought, it's not quite mindless.  So sometime in the future, I'm inclined to do it according to the pattern.

       I really wanted it, "The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777" (The Revolution Trilogy Book 1) by Rick Atkinson, a Pulitzer-prize-winning historian.  I've covered the same time frame in numerous books by now, but I had to have it.  The author regaled as a master storyteller and sure to capture new aspects of the American Revolution.  It's recommended on the New York Times for what to read for May and also highlighted in their Book Review last week.  It's a pricey book at $40 a book (since it seems to have gone down on Amazon to $23.99; Kindle is $19) and considering I have a pile of Revolutionary books right now my husband is starting to inquire why?  Well, I feel like I cheated!  I used my Audible credit and got the Audible version (Audio $67.22) and on that version alone is an Introduction by the author on why he pursued this subject after an award-winning trilogy on WW II and how he exhaustively researched the subject for years.  Pursuing relentlessly primary documents unearthed before.  He also got to be one of the first historians to personally read King George's handwritten letters just opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth and he was personally invited.  Our last monarch to rule the Colonies, King George was highly educated and hand wrote notes and ledgers during the war years (and planned personally many aspects of his reign).  The audio is awesome, I just started, but I do, still, wish I had the book (I'll be looking for a second-hand one).  This is a real treat and it is exciting that the book looks to become a hot seller.  I'm excited Revolutionary history is becoming more popular in recent books.  And for those concerned with an accurate historical perspective, this work is also supposed to be balanced with the British viewpoint.  More details - The Revolution Trilogy.  Also - Journal of The American Revolution.

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