Whimsical Cross-Stitch

Buziak, Cari. Whimsical Cross-Stitch: More than 130 Designs from Trendy to Traditional. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2019.

Most projects in this collection can be completed in a short amount of time. Many designs are similar to freebies found on various manufacturer, designer, and shop sites on the Internet. I found only a handful of patterns that interested me enough to stitch. The best audience for this may be a child just learning to stitch as several designs are quick to stitch, colorful, don't require a lot of fabric, and can provide a quick sense of accomplishment. For the nearly $20 purchase price, I will not be purchasing a copy for myself. Stitchers probably want to browse a copy in a bookstore or cross stitch shop before purchasing it to make sure it interests them enough. This review is based on an electronic copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley with expectations of an honest review.

The Cornish in the Caribbean

Appleby, Sue. The Cornish in the Caribbean: From the 17th to the 19th Centuries. Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador, 2019.

This well-documented historical work focuses on the Cornish immigration to the Caribbean in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Appleby provides insight into conditions drawing men to the islands. Mining became the chief occupation of those who settled. Because of Methodism's prevalence in Cornwall, missionaries populated the islands reaching out to the English and native inhabitants. The main text presents the lives of the men residing in the islands while the appendices provide brief histories of the islands and of Methodism's rise in Cornwall. With over 750 endnotes and an extensive bibliography, Appleby provides readers with resources for further research. I received an electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley with expectations of an honest review. In the protected ePub version I downloaded, the illustrations were distorted. It was especially annoying with maps and elongated single portraits/sketches of individuals. I do not know if the problem extends to the Kindle version and certainly hope the problem was not in the print edition.