Granny McFlitter - A Country Yarn

Granny McFlitter is back! And she is more adorable than ever, knitting, knitting and knitting some more. Nothing is going to stop her knitting - not even a rather large bull.

I loved the first Granny McFlitter book Granny McFlitter The Champion Knitter. Now New Zealand author Heather Haylock and illustrator Lael Chisholm have joined forces for this second instalment Granny McFlitter A Country Yarn.

In this book Granny McFlitter is showing off her knitted vegetables at the A&P Show. To those outside of New Zealand reading this an A&P Show is an agricultural show. Granny McFlitter is sitting back enjoying a pot of tea when a bull escapes. Granny McFlitter comes to the rescue with her knitting skills but there is a little bit more to this story.

Some of the items Granny McFlitter knits are amazing. Have you ever seen a knitted pavlova, lamington, fudge or even a gate.

The illustrations in this book are again absolutely delightful and it is hard to believe that the illustrator is only in her early 20s.

I just love the poetic writing style of the author, who is a teacher aide in a primary school.

If you haven't met Granny McFlitter yet, you need to - she's adorable. Looking forward to reading more of her knitting adventures in the future. 

What You Wish For

Praise again for Catherine Robertson. She'd have to be one of my favourite New Zealand fiction writers and she has done it again with this fantastic book.

What You Wish For follows on from her book Gabriel's Bay and features many of the same characters with a few new and rather eccentric ones including a recluse who plays Scrabble and doesn't have much of a wardrobe, added into the mix.There are a lot of characters but I loved how Robertson listed all of the characters and gave a brief description of each at the start of this book. While the first Gabriel's Bay book featured a dog, this one features a moose - an animal you wouldn't normally see in New Zealand.  

This book is again set in the fictitious New Zealand town of Gabriel's Bay. There are several story lines moving throughout the book with each chapter written through the eyes of a different character - a style similar to the first book - a style I really like.

I don't want to give too many of the details or the storylines of the book away but I could really relate to the character Patricia - a woman who couldn't have children but then offers respite care for a boy who she forms a bond with and to whom she finds it very difficult to say goodbye. Hats off to anyone who offers respite care or fosters children. I don't think I could do it.

I bought this book within days of its release early in January as I couldn't wait to read it. In some ways I think I enjoyed this book more than the first. Hopeful for a third instalment of life in Gabriel's Bay.