Banned Books Week 2016 | Virtual Read Outs

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to do some virtual read outs sharing some of the diverse books that have been banned and/or challenged.  I've picked books I'm familiar with, that I've read or on my very long list of books to read!  As usual - things didn't go quite to plan, so I'm still adding read outs I've filmed.  But they will eventually all be linked in this post/on my booktube channel.

I'll keep adding to this list as I upload more read outs.  So what is your favourite banned book?

Let me know if you've participated in this years Banned Books weeks, feel free to link your posts or virtual read out in the comments so I can check them out.

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Series Review | Disruption & Corruption by Jessica Shirvington

Both Disruption and Corruption fast paced reads,  I NEEDED to know what was happening.  I like the characters, the story didn't get too tropey and I had fun listening to both books.  I didn't love The Violet Eden Chapters, Shirvington's other series, so I was unsure what I would think of this and that is partly why I took so long to read it.  But I enjoyed this so much more.

Both books are set in a dystopian world, (and I am a sucker for those.  I think it's that extreme situations bring out the best, and worst, in people.  If the author can write well, they can craft amazing worlds with kick arse characters.  Or maybe I just want to watch the world burn while I read about it from the comfort of my sealy posturepedic wonderland.  Although this isn't 'everything has gone to hell and Maggie is eating burned bread' kinda dystopian.  Maybe I should call it futuristic? Prophetic perhaps,  After all, these days most people are wearing fitbits or smart watches.  In this series everyone legally has to wear an M-band, which monitors everything basically.  Once you're of age, you get to upgrade your band and use pheromones to find a favourable match.  Those with negative ratings, or 'Negs' get taken away for "rehabilitation"...notice I use "" we all know that isn't going to end as they say it does.

For some time before the story starts for us, Maggie has been searching for her father, a scientist that one day gives off a Neg rating and is taken away.  Her whole world changes and rather than forget about her father, she sets out to try and find him.  What she finds is a lot more than she bargained for.

Maggie Stevens is one of those characters, she's strong, flawed and not entirely likable.  But I don't need a character to be that or relatable for me to enjoy the story.  I just need them to not be idjits aka TSTL.  Maggie makes stupid mistakes, but she owns them, she isn't whiny, she doesn't pout and she gets shit done.  She's dogmatic and dedicated in her task - the fallout of that is evident in Corruption. And the sass!  The snark!  I love it.              

Quentin Mercer, be still my heart, from the start I knew that I would like him.  Obviously we as the reader, is clued in that he is going to be more than just the heir to M-Corp empire, you know underneath the usual posturing, privileged school boy - he's going to be a nice guy.

This being YA and dystopian, we know it has to have some romance and thank you Shirvington - it's not instalove!  You know where Maggie and Quentin's relationship is heading, but it was wonderful to read it all unfolding.  That build up and acknowledgement of something they don't quite understand and didn't expect to feel for each other.  I did almost have an a conniption when there was a hint of a love triangle, but thankfully it is resolved pretty quickly.  

The review wouldn't be complete without mentioning Gus, he is a tech wizard and is instrumental in Maggie's plan to find her father.  Maggie is blackmailing Gus, (she does that a lot), and the way he and Maggie bounce off of each other is great.  There are plenty of funny moments thanks to him.  And his and Maggie's relationship starts of with hate and ends up as the best kind of friendship.  

Disruption ends on a major cliffhanger, I recommend having the next book ready to go, I was stalking my holds until it arrived.  Thankfully I only had to wait a few days.  I don't know what I would've done if I'd read the first book when it first came out.  

Corruption continues almost immediately where we leave off.  As I mentioned before, we get to see the consequences of Maggie's actions and how she deals with it all.  The first book is all about finding out what is going on, the second is using that knowledge to do something about it.  There are a lot more characters that are introduced in the second book, many of them help to move the story along, so we don't really get to know much about them.  I think if this was a continuing series I would want more from the background characters.  

I thoroughly enjoyed both Disruption and Corruptions, for me this was a satisfying end to the duology.  That said I would not say no to reading more from Maggie and Quentin.

Both books were narrated by Hannah Norris, hats off to her, she did a great job.

Have you read these?  What did you think of them?  And if you haven't -  I 100% recommend!

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Book Haul | National Bookshop Day 2016

This past Saturday is one I look forward to every year - in fact, it's one of the very best days of the year!  National Bookshop Day!!  I know that traditional bookshops can be a lot more expensive than Big W, Target or Kmart.  But I still like to support them, not only to share my #loveyourbookshop feels but it's a local business and I like supporting those as well.

I had to work Saturday morning, but after that I went and visited my local Collins bookstore.  I didn't really have anything in particular that I wanted to buy.  I had a 10% voucher that was burning a hole in my wallet, (one of the perks of buying books at the writers festival last month)*

So here are the new books that I'm welcoming home.  Did you manage to visit a bookshop today? And more importantly what did you buy?!

Oi Frog! is a wonderful kids book, fairly simple in concept, with the frog asking a cat what various animals sit on but the kids & I love it to bits.

This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare collection and is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew and I'm looking forward to it very much.

* I just realised I didn't show you what I bought at the festival - which I will post about next week, I picked up some fantastic books.

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Graphic Novel Review | Ms. Marvel 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, I haven't read any other Ms. Marvel and I think I had something more 'superhero-y' in my head, (which is weird, as I don't read a lot of superhero gn), so at the start my brain didn't gel with the story, once I worked it all out I flew through it. I had a lot of fun imagining being transformed into Ms. Marvel and I think that's a big part of its appeal.  It shows that anyone can be a superhero and that's important.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with for the next instalment, this one was more focused on Kamala, showing us her family and the initial struggle of being Ms. Marvel and I thought it was well done.  There is a villain in this, but I kinda felt like he was the diet coke of villains. But I'm sure that will change as the series goes on.



View all my reviews

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

WWW Wednesday | 17.12.14

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Miz B over at ShouldBeReading.  If you'd like to join in here is what you need to do - answer these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you just finish reading?
What are you going to read next?

Once you're done, go and visit everyone else who is participating - simple :)

What are you currently reading?

It's a Christmas tradition that I read this each year, my Poppa love Dickens, and when we visited there I would always go into the library and sit and read this and Cricket on the Hearth.  This December I'm going to try and tackle all of his Christmas short stories - wish me luck - I have set myself the TBR of death for December.

What did you just finish reading?

This was a particularly hard read for me, my mother had EOAD, so I was quite emotional reading this.  But what a book!  I really did enjoy this.  I love that it was from Alice's POV, often it is how family members cope with a loved one having Alzheimer's Disease   I know this is an upcoming movie starring Julienne Moore as Alice, which it's safe to say I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD to watch.

What are you going to read next?

I've had this at home for a little while and haven't had the time to read it, but hopefully this weekend I can make time.  The Christmas #booktubeathon is running again and there is also the #cramathon which is overlapping that.  Fingerscrossed - because I don't think I'll get much reading done once Christmas hits.

So that's my WWW, what is yours?  Leave me a link in the comments so I can come visit you and see what you've been reading :)

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Weekend Reads | 29 - 30 November

I've got nine books on the go at the moment, it would be great to say that I'm going to finish ALL of them - but it won't happen.  I've got a few errands to run, so I won't be able to just sit and read all weekend - more's the pity!  But, I'll settle for finishing these:

If I manage it, I will be one happy lady.

So what are you reading over the weekend?  Let me know!

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

WWW Wednesday | 12.11.2014

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Miz B over at ShouldBeReading.  If you'd like to join in here is what you need to do - answer these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you just finish reading?
What are you going to read next?

Once you're done, go and visit everyone else who is participating - simple :)

What are you currently reading?

I've still got a few on the go, I haven't actually done that much reading in the past week, but I started listening to The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.  Which I'm enjoying and finding it hard going, some of the stories are difficult to listen to.








What did you just finish reading?

After Tex by Sherryl Woods.  I was enjoying this so much when I first started it, but I didn't enjoy the second half as much, my full review is here










What are you going to read next?

I don't think I'm going to start anything new, I have too many books on the go at the moment and I really need to focus on finishing my book for book club, Ape House by Sara Gruen.  Our get together is coming up in a couple of weeks and I want to close out the year by actually reading the book!







Another week of reading is over!  As I said, I didn't get much done, hopefully the next week isn't so busy and I can read to my hearts content :)

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Book Review - The Lady in Red by Fayrene Preston

I found this in the swap box at work this week and was very excited, (see my earlier post here), but sadly it didn't quite live up to expectation.

                                 

It's about Cassidy Stuart, a journalist trying to work her way up the ladder at work.  Zach Bennett designs and manufactures toys at the company he started when he was younger.  Cassidy gets a tip that someone is going to steal and sell Zach's new video game...but if it's up to Zach, the only thing that's getting stolen is Cassidy's heart (I know - I should totes get a job writing blurbs!)

The basic premise of the story was fun, it's a case of mistaken identity the first time they meet,  Cassidy thinks she's meeting her source, Zach thinks she's a high class call girl.  It was pretty cute up until then, but I thought it was a little creepy when Zach finds out her name and address and then goes on to stalk her for the evening.  But it's all ok, because he likes her, wants to spend time with her and he's harmless!  She questions it, but then it's never mentioned again.  

That was probably my big issue with the book, I just didn't get the author deciding to treat stalking as a joke.  On the ick side, this was written in 1991 - apparently condoms weren't the 'in thing' at that stage, so there is the obligatory 'he emptied himself into her' line.  I hate that saying, it makes me cringe, I mean what is she, or anyone on the receiving end of some baby jam - a bin?  The other thing I didn't enjoy was the instalove. It drives me barmy, especially when it's not done well.  Reading this, it felt like the story was told over a week and at the end of it - declarations of love.  Can I get a WTF!?  I don't get it, lust sure, but love, not so much.  Maybe it's the cynic in me.

When we finally meet the source, Zach dubs him 'Deep Teddy Bear', which had me raising my eyebrows.  I don't know if it was the author trying to show us that Zach's a big kid, but it did make me laugh.

There were some funny quotes:

"He enjoyed mysteries.  He loved Christmas ornaments. He was enticed by ladies in red."

My fave by far was: "Zach, a man with dreams in his eyes and stuffed animals on his bed."

And I did love the creeper stuffed toys which kept multiplying every time Cassidy woke up.  She opens her eyes and there's a lion eyeballing her, another time it's a giraffe. 

It wasn't fantastic, I certainly wouldn't read it again, but it was a quick, easy read and I had fun with the cover and the tag line.  I gave it 2 stars.

Did you read anything fun over the weekend?

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Weekend Reads ~ 8 - 9th November

I've been pretty lax the last couple of months with my reading challenges, fingers crossed I'll finish them all by the end of the year. I really wanted to read 12 from each of the 1001 lists, that was my biggest goal for the year, I'm going to be reading them for years at this rate!   So far I'm doing better on the children's list.  I'll post an update on my reading challenges in the next week or so.  

But onto my weekend reads, I'm hoping to get Ape House & The Last Werewolf finished by Sunday night, I started both during the last Deweys readathon.  I also started listening to The Things They Carried, which is one from my 1001 list.  I'm hoping the physical book arrives this week, I'd love to reread some of book already. I'm almost finished another audio, City of Lost Souls, 5th book in The Mortal Instruments. Next up is Stone Mattress, the latest from Margaret Atwood, which is a collection of short stories.  And lastly, just for fun, The Lady in Red, a category romance I found in the swap box at work. 

Well that's my list of weekend reads, what are yours?

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Book Blogger Hop 7 - 13th November

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer

If you haven't participated before, here is what to do: 

On your blog, post the answer to the weekly question.  once you've done that, link up your post over on Coffee Addicted Writer and then check out everyone else's answers.

This week's question: Should book bloggers be doing more to support bookshops, rather than just give links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble as a place to buy the printed version of the books they read?

My answer:  For me, I tend to put links to Book Depository, because that is where I buy a lot of my books from.  I think it's up to personal preference as to where you buy your books, I may link to BD, but that doesn't mean you have to buy from them.  My local book shop doesn't have a great selection of romance novels, they'll certainly order them in for you, but the last time I tried to do that I was told it wouldn't be available for 6 months.  For me convenience and cost won out and I ordered it from BD, half the price and I got it within two weeks.  I guess in terms of independent bookshops, any purchases for them would be fantastic and steering other readers in their direction would be helpful.  But again, as a reader, you could go to your local book shop with a list of titles to buy.

What do you guys think?

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Book Review - After Tex by Sherryl Woods

This was on 9 discs, running for 10hrs and 25 min.  Narrated by Christina Traister.  3 Stars.

Blurb from Goodreads:  Megan O’Rourke’s beloved grandfather had always been determined to lure her out of New York and back to their ranch in Whispering Wind, Wyoming.  Now his will makes it impossible for her to refuse.  She’s named guardian of Tex’s daughter — a daughter Megan never knew about!

Jake Landers has also come home to Whispering Wind. After leaving years before under a cloud of suspicion, he’s returned to put down roots.  When he comes face-to-face with the woman who shares his troubled past, he hardly recognizes the driven powerhouse Megan has become.  Now she has big decisions to make — about life, love and where home really is.  Jake’s only too happy to help Megan rediscover their old dreams — and maybe this time, fulfil them forever.

This was fun to listen to, especially after the schmozzle of the last audio I listened to.  Megan is fun and sassy, I love when the H/H have that snarky, 'you drive me crazy, but I want to kiss you anyway' relationship.  I also think it's great that Megan didn't need Jake to fix her problems.  There's nothing worse when the hero comes along and fixes everything so the heroine can just sit down and not worry her pretty little head.  I get so frustrated when this happens, especially when the heroine has been so strong up to that point.

I liked Megan and Jake, both together and as characters on their own.  Megan is smart, intelligent and knows what's what.  If it wasn't for his bad boy reputation, you'd think Jake was Whispering Winds, boy next door, he's always willing to give people a hand, which stems from his back story, he had it pretty tough as a child.  Woods really bought Whispering Winds to life, the characters were interesting and varied.  Many of the towns people were mentioned.

There were multiple story lines going on in the book, and while I did enjoy all of them to a certain extent, I think there were some that were only there as devices to move the story along.  For example, Barbara Sue and her abusive husband Lyle - I felt like it was there so the book would have a 'big bad', when there was enough going on with other main characters to not have be so prominent a story in the book.

Tess, through no fault of her own, was a character that I didn't love.  I understand she was a scared girl, alone again and very unsure of those around her, especially Megan.  But I got annoyed with some of the stunts she pulled, that said, she was a well written, believable character.  I'm getting so crotchety in my old age - pipe down kids - granny needs to sleep!!

There are two other things that I got frustrated while listening.  First the ranch, who was running it?  I know it's supposed to be fully functioning ranch and Megan had hands to run things, but beyond a couple of quick mention there was nothing.  I think it would've been good to have some sort of interaction between her and the foreman, even just to illustrate how much she had on her plate and because it was Tex's wish that she be more involved.  And for me, Megan setting her married friend, Peggy,  up for a little flirtation was distasteful.

I enjoyed the narration, Christina Traister has a great voice, it wasn't monotonous, which can ruin even a fantastic story.  There weren't accents as such, but each voice was easily recognisable and fit the character.  Overall, this was an enjoyable listen, and I'm looking forward to delving back into the town of  Whispering Winds with Angel Mine.

Have you read this series?  What did you think?  Or maybe you've read something else by Sherryl Woods, I'd love to know how her other books are.

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

WWW Wednesdays 5.11.2014

It's been a little while since I've participated in WWW, but it's a great way to share what I've been reading, along with visiting other blogs to find out what everybody else is reading - it's hell on my TBR, but so worth it!

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Miz B over at ShouldBeReading.  If you'd like to join in here is what you need to do - answer these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you just finish reading?
What are you going to read next?

Once you're done, go and visit everyone else who is participating - simple :)

What are you currently reading? Ape House by Sara Gruen.  This is for book club, I'm not loving it so far, certainly not as much as I enjoyed Water for Elephants. But I'm interested enough to keep reading.








What did you just finish reading?  The Collector by John Fowles.  Absolutely loved it, I thought it was so well written.  I'm looking forward to trying some of his other books.

What are you going to read next?  I have far too many to choose from, but I'm hoping to read something from one of my reading challenges, I've slowed down on that reading, which is not great as it's almost the end of the year.  Maybe a classic?  I did just buy a beautiful copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker the other day.

Let me know what you're WWW Wednesday is.

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Book Cover Craziness

I'm a sucker for book covers or tag lines that are a little strange, have weird pictures or are just plain cheesy, it's one of my favourite things to look for.  Today I was not disappointed!  I found this in the swap box at work - how could I possibly resist?

A Red-Hot Kisser Who Liked to Play with Fire...

Zach Bennett loved a mystery, and he found the alluring seductress who'd invaded his sanctuary impossibly intriguing! Red was his favourite colour, and Cassidy Stuart glittered in a slinky red-sequined sheath that awakened his appetite for adventure ... and ignited a hunger for the lady herself.  Cassidy groaned when she realized she'd mistaken Zach, the enigmatic genius who'd made a fortune designing toys, for the secret contact who'd promised the young reporter a story that could make her career. When his addictive lips made her confess that Zach's company was under attack, and that she was trying to discover who was determined to betray him, Zach welcomed the lovely sleuth into his office - ad vowed to make her part of his life.  Cassidy had sacrificed her childhood to raise her brother, yet she'd fallen for a man who still had his toys. Zach warned her he wouldn't play fair when he played to win her love. Could she learn to count on the hero who'd captured her soul?

I know Zach makes toys for a living, so the association is there,  but having them randomly on the cover screams bizarre.  I'm not sure how that conversation went, I imagine something like this...

"We need more weirdness on the cover!"  

"I know - lets add some stuffed toys, bitches love stuffed toys!"

Then add in his face, it's like he's unconscious, but not much that he can't grab her arse.  Maybe he's faking!  And good golly, the tag line...

     He wooed her with hot chocolate and cookies, and she had no choice but to surrender her heart...

I'm going to give it a read over the weekend, I've never heard of the author before, so whether I'll finish it remains to be seen, but I'm willing to give it a go.  It's got a 3.46 star rating on goodreads, so it can't be totally crap.

Have you read it?  Or do you have cheesy cover to share - let me know, I'm always on the look out for them :)

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Bookshop love - NaBloPoMo 2

If you're anything like me, no matter where you are on holiday you will find the local bookstore/ library.  I just love exploring these places. So I took myself off for a very quick visit to Matilda Bookshop in the Adelaide Hills. It's a beautiful little store in the main street of Stirling.  They sell a wide range of books, I was on the hunt for a cloth bound Penguin Classics version of Persuasion by Jane Austen.  Alas, they didn't have one, but I did find a beautiful embossed, leather bound copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker.

This copy in published by Barnes & Noble, who did have a beautiful copy of Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility, but I want to hold out for the Penguin edition.  I don't think I've read it before, (I've seen countless movie adaptations), but I'm really looking forward to reading it.  I also bought Snakes & Earrings by Hitomi Kaneharo I've never heard of her before, she is a Japanese author.  It's an award winning cult classic, so I'm interested in seeing what it's all about, from the blurb I'm getting body modification, love triangles and tragedy.  I love finding a book you know nothing about and just going for it.  Sometimes it makes for the best reading.  Here are the beautiful books.

And seriously...how cute is that bookmark.

I didn't have enough time to visit Chapter Two bookshop, which is just behind Matilda, but they have a great secondhand selection and you can always find a gem or two there.

Until next time, happy reading.

C.

Dewey's 24hr Readathon - 18th October, 2014

Another readathon is here and I almost missed it.  I discovered this on Wednesday and quickly signed up.  I'm not really prepared in any way, shape or form, but I'm going to read or fall asleep trying!  I'm not going to have a set TBR, I've got a couple of books I'd like to start, but whether I do is another matter.  I also have quite a few on the go at the moment that I'd really like to finish, (I'm looking at you Half Bad!), one from a previous readathon that I need to read already, (I'm still looking at you Half Bad, but now I'm eyeballing Gone Girl too).

I am going to approach it a little differently this time, it's early to bed and I'm going to set an alarm for 11:30pm and then I'll be fresh to start reading, so I'll have a few hours under my belt; hopefully that'll help keep me going for the whole 24hrs.  And as much fun as it was last time, I'm taking a break from the cheering - I'll do a final update on how I went, but I'm not going to do a lot of updates on the blog, I do want to participate in a couple of challenges and chat's on twitter, but for the most part I want to read.

What about you - are you participating in Dewey's this time around?  Got any tips to share?  Feel free to comment below.

Until after the readathon, happy reading :)

C.

WWW Wednesday - 21st May

It's the week after Bout of Books has finished and I have to admit, since Sunday night, I haven't picked my book back up!  So tonight, I think I'm going to sit down and relax and read a few chapters.

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Miz B over at ShouldBeReading.  If you'd like to join in here is what you need to do - answer these three questions:

* What are you currently reading?

* What did you just finish reading?

* What are you going to read next?

Then go and check out what everyone else who is participating is reading - I recommend you visit with pen at the ready, I always come away with new books to add to my Mt. TBR!

What are you currently reading?

On the last day of the readathon I started Half Bad by Sally Green, I've been itching to begin this and I'm so glad I did, I'm 90 pages in and loving it!  It's an interesting take on the witch genre, it's not so much about the magic, but more the politics surrounding the characters.  The main character Nathan is a half code - his mother was a white witch (good), his father a black witch (bad).  So he has to struggle constantly with everyone, including members of his family, telling him that he's 'bad'.  There is a lot of set up for Nathans character, which I'm loving, I really feel like I'm getting to know him.  The story is building up to Nathans 17th birthday, which is when witches come of age and receive three gifts.  I'm looking forward to where the story is taking me.


I'm also listening to Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.  It is so much fun, this is my first book by her.  While I'm listening to it I totally immersed - I need to keep reminding myself that it's set in 1999, it feels like a contemporary read.  I own her other two novels so I think I'll read them in the next couple of months as well.  I am loving the characters, and the back and forth between Beth and Jennifer reminds me of a friend I email with, so I'm connecting to the characters that way.  And I love Lincoln, his character is doing borderline creeper things, but I can't help it, he's adorable!  I'm enjoying it so much that I'm going to end up buying a print copy as well.


What did you just finish reading?

 The 100 by Kass Morgan.  I just loved this, it opens on a spaceship a few centuries into the future, there was an apocalyptic event on Earth and a number of ships fled to space.  But the ships are breaking down and they need to see if Earth is habitable again - so who do they send?  A crack team of scientists?  Military convoy?  Ah no, they send 100 teenaged criminals, who's only other future is death on their 18th birthday.  This is told from multiple points of view, with the focus on Clarke, who was studying to be a doctor.  Wells, who betrayed Clarke and did something so that he'd be sent with Clarke to Earth.  Bellamy, who's sister is also being sent.  And Glass, who manages to escape off the ship before it leaves on its mission.  This wasn't too heavy on the sci-fi side of things, despite being on a ship, I think because there is more of a focus on the characters rediscovering earth.  They don't have laser beams or any advanced technology   I am waiting for the sequel, which should be out in September.  I am also looking forward to seeing the tv series.

What are you going to read next?

 I placed a hold for Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, I've heard lots of good things about this on twitter and booktube and I loved Pride of Baghdad, so it's a no brainer for me.  All I know is that there is an intergalactic space war and the two main characters, from two different species have just had a baby together.  Beyond that I don't know anything, but I'm excited to find out!  


I also have Under a Graveyard sky by John  Ringo, I've never read anything by him, this one is about a family who has to put their Zombie Action Plan it to motion - which is to set sail on the ocean to avoid the hoards of zombies!  It'll be interesting how sci-fi this book is, I don't tend to read a lot of it, but zombies - I love me some zombies!

And lastly, Norwegian by Night, which is the story of 82 year old Sheldon Horowitz, an ex-marine who is struggling with his past.  He's recently moved to Oslo to live with his grand daughter and her husband.  He witnesses the murder of a woman and then rescues/kidnaps her 6 year old son.  On the run from a Balkan gang and the Norwegian police the two form a bond despite not being able to speak the same language.  I originally heard of this on The First Tuesday Book Club and everyone was quite impressed, it sounds like an interesting premise for a book.
 



So that's my reading week so far, have you read any of these?  Let me know what you think.  Want to read something with me?  I like the idea of a buddy read - let me know!

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Bout of Books 10.0 Wrap up

I can't quite believe that Bout of Books is over, what a week!  I didn't read all the books on my TBR, (and honestly I didn't expect to), but I am happy with what I did read.

Books Finished:

    Suspect by Robert Crais. 

    Taken by Robert Crais. 

    The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. 

    Always on my Mind by Jill Shalvis

    A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle  by John Green.

    Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard

    Foundling: Monster Blood Tattoo Book 1 by D. M.  Cornish

    The 100 by Kass Morgan

    Then by Morris Gleitzman

    The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth

    The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson

Books Started:

    Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (115pgs)

    Half Bad by Sally Green (90pgs)

    Deeper than Need by Shiloh Walker (15%)

    Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington (45 min)

    Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle (211pgs)

Total Pages: 1,938

I managed to finish five books that I'd already started and bumped a few of my May TBR.  I did most of my reading on the weekend, as I still had to show up for work during the week, but as always, my trusty audio books made it possible to read when I couldn't get to a physical copy.  I will only be participating unofficially in the August Bout of Books as, all going to plan, I'll be in Lyon getting my Librarian on for the 2014 IFLA Conference.  I'm looking forward to it so much!

But what about you guys.  How did you go with your reading?  I hope that you had as much fun as I did!

Until next time, happy reading :)

C.

Bout of Books 10.0 Goals!

So I started with a relatively small TBR for Bout of Books, but I keep seeing all these awesome books and my pile is getting bigger and bigger.  But as of the start of the week, here is what I'm planning on reading:

I know I won't finish all of these, but hopefully I will get through as many as I can and the rest I'll finish off in what's left of May.  I'm halfway through Always on my Mind by Jill Shalvis; Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard; Taken & Suspect both by Robert Crais, so I'm going to finish those first.  Then it's onto the other books!  I'm not sure what order I'm going to read them, I may even read things that aren't even on the list (who am I kidding, there is no 'may', I WILL end up on another book tangent - it's a given).

I've also just realised that tonight is my book club meeting, so I need to try and finish that book off as well.  So I'm going to power through The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison this afternoon.  Reading sprint anyone?

What are you reading?  I'm so excited seeing everyones TBR!

C.

Check it out - What's in my library bag today? #1

So I think I'm going to try make this a weekly post - sharing some of the items that I've borrowed from my local library, (also the place I work).  I pretty much check something out everyday at work, and anyone who knows me IRL wouldn't be surprised by this.  New books are my kryptonite, (who am I kidding ALL books are my kryptonite!!), I see them and I get carried away, I need them and I need them now!

So here is a selection of what I've borrowed this week...

 The second season of Falling Skies.  This series is not without its issues, I mean surely an alien race with all the wizz bang would be able to find a bunch of resisting humans - even so I did enjoy the first season of this so I am looking forward to seeing what season two brings.  Extra points for Noah Wyle!

No One Lives - I knew next to nothing about this - I saw Luke Evans and was 'Yes please!'.  Here's the blurb from IMDb:

"A gang of ruthless highway killers kidnap a wealthy couple traveling cross country only to shockingly discover that things are not what they seem."
     ~ So I'm guessing the wealthy couple is going to open a can o' whoop ass on their kidnappers, hopefully they don't break the hotboy.

And lastly on the DVD front, Lost Girl season one.  I've already seen part of this season, I've enjoyed what I've watched and I'm looking forward to watching the rest.  I love Bo, she's a kick arse character and Dyson...mmm...lovely lovely hotboy.

I'm on a bit of a Bourdain bender at the moment and I've got pretty much everything I can get my hands, I'm making my way through the No Reservations series.  Which I love, he's so snarky, especially in the earlier series.  So I'm looking forward to Bone in the Throat.  It's fiction and tells the story of sous-chef Tommy who just wants to perfect his seafood chowder, but his mobster relatives have ideas on other uses for his kitchen.  I'm always bemoaning actors that decide to 'write' a novel, so it'll be interesting to see how this one goes.  Usually it's a celebrity putting out a cook book.

The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer was recommended by Cathy Maxwell at last years ARRA Conference, I've been meaning to read this since then - it's been a year - so I thought it was time to give it a go.  I've never read Heyer before, so I'm interested to see how I like her, especially after I've been reading more Regency romance lately.

Shooting Yourself by Haje Jan Kamps

This was in a magazine, I can't remember which one, but it looks like an interesting, tip filled read on how to make your selfies stand out.  Plus, it has the added bonus of introducing you to some awesome photographers you may not know about.

Super-cute Pincushions  by Kate Haxell.  I've been getting my craft on lately and I'm planning on making a hella cute pin cushion for my aunt, it's a felt cactus and I found some pretty heart shaped pins that I can use as red cactus fruit - I'll make sure I post a how-to when I finally finish it.  I think I saw this book in Homespun magazine maybe?  That's where the cactus is from,  I can't remember, but I'm looking forward to a cuppa and a sit down with this book.

That's it!  Checked out any gems from your library this week?  Have a recommendations?  Let me know below, you know how I love to talk books  :)

Have a wonderful weekend.

C.

WWW Wednesdays - 22 Jan

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!!  That's right lovelies, it's Friday, but for the purpose of this post we'll pretend it's Wednesday :)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Miz B over at ShouldBeReading.  If you'd like to join in here is what you need to do - answer these three questions:

* What are you currently reading?

* What did you just finish reading?

* What are you going to read next?

* What are you currently reading?

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.  This is a chunker of a book, and one from the 1001 books to read before you die list.  I'm about halfway through and I'm just plodding along, it's going to take me a little while, but that's ok.

I like Byatt's writing, I believe she must do a lot of research with her books, as the time and situations in the book are so richly described.  I know not everybody would enjoy the amount of detail, but I like it.  And I love all of the extra stories, (written by Olive),  that are included in the book.  I'm looking forward to reading Possession, another of her titles that is also on the 1001 list.  

I'm also reading, for review, Accidents & Incidents by Riley Graham, which is a contemporary YA.  I'm enjoying it so far and I feel for Leslie, the main character, her mum is a bitch, her boyfriend is a douche, and I'm guessing that she's about to go through some stuff at school - it's full of angst and other good teenagey bid'ness.

* What did you just finish reading?

On the Jellicoe Road (or Jellicoe Road if you have the US publication) by Melina Marchetta.  I cannot express the feels that this book gave me.  I finished this yesterday and I think I need to calm down and sort my thoughts out properly before I do a full review - which I will be doing as I enjoyed it so much.

I don't know why it took me so long to read this, I had to read Looking for Alibrandi for school ages ago and I reread that last year.  Hopefully I'll get the chance this year to read a few of her others.

* What are you going to read next?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  I mentioned this in my last list, but I got sidetracked by some other books, (as I often do), but I'm still pumped to read this and I may have bought the rest of the series from Book Depository so I can read them all in one awesome bookulp (book + gulp = bookulp.  I think I just made a new word!! If they can put bloody twerking in the OED, I can make stuff up dammit!!) 

 I also have another book from the 1001 list, which I'm going to choose from my exciting TBR Jar, (I haven't made it yet), but I've seen a couple on booktube and I think it's a great idea.  I also have Blood Red Road by Moira Young, which has been on my TBR for ages.

Well there you have it, my WWW Wednesday write up.  Let me know what your WWW is, feel free to leave a comment below or a link to your blog and I'll check it out.  

If you're just stopping by, let me know what your weekend reads are.  I'll keep on with the two I mentioned about, but I also have some books for uni that I need to finish and I have some graphic novels to get to - good thing I've got a four day weekend coming up.

Have a fantastic weekend and for those who celebrate - Happy Australia Day :)

C.