Yarn Along: A Cozy Owl Ornament and "The Couple Next Door"

Yarn Along is a weekly link-up about books and knitting hosted by Ginny at the Small Things blog.

I whipped up an Owl Puff last night -- isn't she adorable?! My first full day at my new job (the library at the Air Force base where we're stationed) was on Monday and a Secret Santa pal totally got sprung on me -- at the last minute, since the gift exchange was today! Luckily my partner's likes were pretty easy and included owls, so last night I dug through my yarn stash, put on a Hallmark Christmas movie, and knitted up this cozy little scarf-wearing owl. I think she needs a name, but I can't put my finger on one. Maybe something peppermint-related? (Or maybe I'm just saying that because I had a peppermint candle lit last night!) I also got an owl mug, a Bath and Body Works candle and some Ghirardelli chocolates for my Secret Santa partner. Hope she likes everything!

I'm almost done with the new thriller "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena, and I'm so ready to be done with it. I've read a few thrillers this year and I haven't liked any of them, so maybe I just need to avoid the genre until the next "Gone Girl" or "The Girl on the Train" comes along. This one is about a kidnapped child (like, seemingly, all the other thrillers I've read this year) and I'm so bored. I'm finding the writing to be dull and repetitive, the plot to be soooo slow to develop and the characters utterly hateable. I don't understand why so many people gave this one a rave review. I'm excited to move onto my next book, an advance-read copy of "The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden, a novel inspired by Russian fairy tales which comes out January 10. I actually tried to include it in my Yarn Along photo but the glare on my iPad was too bad. So "The Couple Next Door" it is!