Tagalong and Blog Hop Friday

Okay this will be a quick flying trip on the blog today, I'm currently enjoying myself at the Swiss Grand Resort on Bondi Beach and am gearing up for the cocktails tonight to kick ARRC2011 off.  I'm positively excited!

18 & Over Book Blogger Tag Along Friday is a weekly event hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

Question of the week: Where is you favorite place to buy or swap books?

I have a few different places I like to visit, in person it's Collins bookshop in my home town, Rendezvous the Romance Bookstore in Melbourne, online it would be Amazon.com for Kindle and Book Depository for print books.  I'm always on the hunt for a bargain!  Because of the type of books I read - romance/adult erotica and YA mostly, I find it hard to take advantage of the second hand places close to me.  But really, it's not like I'm lacking in books to read!

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy-for-Books.

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

I'd love to be a character in Victoria Dahl's Tumble Creek series'.  Her books are so funny, she writes awesome characters, where the women are strong and they're not backward in coming forward.  Sadly my Tumble Creek hero, Chase, is taken.  That boy is so hot!  He can burn the words right off the page.  I love her humor and I love where the books are set, even though it's possible to get snowed in I just get the feeling it would be a cozy place to live.  Surely those girls need a lovely library lady to round things out :)

I'll have to add linkys later lovlies, but enjoy your weekend where ever you may be.  I'm planning to have a VERY good time. 

C.

Exploding Lemon Tart

In celebration for my departure to Sydney on Thursday, I made a lemon tart to take to work.  I must stress - it's a cheats tart.  As per Jamie Oliver's instructions, (and I always do what Jamie says, except for when it comes to iceberg lettuce), I've used a store bought pastry casing.  While it's blind baking, which takes 10 minutes, give or take.  I mix 1 tin of condensed milk and 1 jar of lemon butter together, I used a masterfoods one this time and it was the consistency of jelly, which I wasn't really impressed with, but at the point of quality testing it tasted good.  I prefer to either make my own or buy from the lovely lady at the farmers market.  But time was short and I was lazy!  Once this is thoroughly mixed, place into browned casing, then put it back into oven, I usually put it in for another 10 minutes, but that's because my oven likes to kill things.

So this is where the exploding part of the tart comes in - I often joke with a friend from work about the romance novels I read and how there's lots of 'exploding' at certain times - anyone who reads Lora Leigh will know what I mean!  Anyway, since it's a romance convention I'm going to and there's bound to be a whole weekend of exploding I added the heart shaped 'bomb'.  

These are the things that happen, late at night when I'm bored and have been drinking vodka.  Go with it - it's much safer that way O.o

And while I was waiting for my tart to cook, I decided to decorate these little ginger bread guys.  It was for an earlier post and I wanted a picture.  Anyway, these are kind of fiddly and I've since decided it would be much better to leave these for when I can use enforced child labour.  But until then, I did have to use my boning tweezers.  And vodka - hence the Quasimodo of the gingerbread land below!  Originally, I did tell myself it was to cover up his shame at being all blobby and conjoined together, but then I fessed up that it was more because I was lacking much needed hand eye coordination and plus I  like me some icing and the little choc thingys.

Oh so good n tasty!

C.

ARRC 2011 is almost here!!

I'm so excited, this time next week the conference will be wrapping up, but I'm all aflutter at the moment, 5 and a half days and I'll be sitting in a room full of awesome writer and readers.  I'm looking forward to lots of things - the paranormal talk, and the erotica one, the book signing, the goodie room, the meet and greet, the awards dinner - okay basically everything!  I didn't get to go to the 2009 convention.  To be honest, I didn't know it existed, I was still pining away, wishing I could to go the RAW convention held by Lora Leigh, (which, one day I WILL get to).

I'm new to the world of ARRA, when I found out they were having a convention and there was an association you could join, I did.  I'm still exporing, occasionally I delurk to post a comment, but for the most part I'm just sitting back, taking it all in.  I'm hoping this weekend will allow me to forge a few new friendships, even if they'll mostly be online :)  But fingerscrossed, ARRA just keeps getting bigger.  I've already bought a tin you can't open, ready for when I get back, so I can start saving for 2013!

I'm going to try blog over the weekend about all the haps, lets hope I don't get too excited and forget to take photos.  Here's a link to the ARRC 2011 lineup

If you had a chance what would you ask one of the authors attending?  Feel free to ask a question in the comments section and I'll do my best to get it answered :)

Okay, that I believe was enough procrastination, back to my hella exciting Marketing Concepts uni reading.

C.

Book Blogger Hop & Tag Along Friday

It's another delightful Friday, I don't have much planned, cleaning, uni, and trying to organise myself for the ARRA Conference which begins next week in Sydney *happy dance*  I've got a few books I want to finish and a stack of DVDs I need to watch.  But before all of that lets get on with the friday fun :)

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy-for-Books.  It turned 1 on March 5th and while I've only just started participating, I will still send a huge happy birthday!  This weeks question, my dears: 

"Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?"

 

For me, the anwser is several!  I have so many books I want to read, I tend to try an read as many as I can.  All at once.  When it comes to books, I don't have a lot of impulse control.  I usually have at least three on the go, but at the moment I've reading five.  In print, ebook and audio formats.  I'm never without a book.  I know, I have a problem - but admitting it's the first step, right?

 

18 & Over Book Blogger Tag Along Friday is a weekly event hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

What was your favorite book you read last month?

Okay, I'm going to cheat and put two down, basically because one is adult reading - Tempt Me by Shiloh Walker. Seriously freakin HOT!  This may only be a short story, but it packs a punch.  I've got a lady crush on Shiloh, I can safely say I've loved everything of hers I've read, she is such an excellent writer.  The other is a YA book: Shiver by Maggie Siefvater  I couldn't put it down, it was so well written.  Bittersweet, angsty, painful and beautiful all rolled in one.

 

There was lots of swoonage from me in February - but I think that's mainly 'cause I'm just a little bit dramatic.  Have an awesome weekend everyone - enjoy yourself :)

 

C.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Well it's that time of year again, St Patrick's Day.  Hope what ever you're doing to celebrate it is lots of fun and doesn't get you into too much trouble!  I've got a meeting after work then more work, so I won't be doing much - I did buy a book today (what I can't help it, besides it's all about Irish...stuff).  Plus there's the whole "I was going to patricipate in Irish Short Story week", but since it's ending today, I don't think I'll be completing that one.  So instead I bought...Come Monday by Mari Carr.

This is the first in the Wild Irish series.  I've been umming and ahhing over getting this series for ages, I've got no doubt I'll love it, but I was trying to be good dammit.  I blame Tarn, she bought the cake in today and MADE me eat some.  It was very delicious.

You'll have to excuse the poor photo, I should've made the background a bit nicer, but I was worried that another staff member would eat it before I could get a photo.  It was presented way better than my photo gives credit, you couldn't tell until you cut it that it was green inside - half the fun.

Along with reading Come Monday, I think there may be a Guinness and a viewing of Boondock Saints on the cards tonight.  Which really is all a girl could ask for...okay I could ask for more - like the hot boys from the movie to be delivered to my door - but since Ima lady I will do no such thing...O.o

C.

Weekly Hotboy

I thought since there was a whole lot of talk about period dramas in my last post I would pay homage to them in my hotboy section.  What could be more delightful than salty goodness from the age of chivalry.

 

This isn't the original Mr. Darcy, but he's still my favourite, Colin Firth has a lot to answer for when it comes to my rediculous standards about men (hence my being single!)

Matthew McFadyen as Mr. Darcy, he was quite lovely, I loved him even more in Little Dorrit, even if he was totally clueless.  Here he is at the end of P&P, a little bit frazzled for all his wanting of Miss. Bennett.

Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton from North & South.  I could seriously watch this over and over.  This is from the "Look back at me." scene - pretty much guaranteed to make you squee!

Elliot Cowan, another Mr. Darcy, from Lost in Austen.  I enjoyed this version of P&P a lot, I don't know how it went down with the purists, probably as good as the zombies did.  But this scene is hilarous and oh so sexy at the same.  I love the little smirk and half smiles from this scene.  Makes me think he's got something naughty to hide.

Tom Hardy, as Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights.  He was fantastic in this and even though I would've been whacking you upside the head constantly, (because lets be honest, sometimes he is a truly maddening character), I would've waited for you.

I could keep going, but I'm going to pretend I'm a lady with modest appetites :)

I got told off for not having Rupert Penry-Jones and I'm not one to disappoint!  Here he is looking all gallant as Capt. Wentworth.  Don't you just want to scruff him up?

C.

Monday Madness

I had big plans for bloggish stuff over the weekend, but between some kid wrangling and me not feeling my shiny best I didn't get to do anything - which is usually the way when I get my planning on.  But what did I find when I checked in this morning, some fantastic new followers - welcome, enjoy, feel free to comment and generally have a good time.

Beautiful things arrived in the post last Thursday, perfect for the mood I've been in the last few weeks.  The cute has come from Pretty Whimsical on Etsy.  The pendants are made using wooden scrabble pieces from the 40's and 50's.  I'm in lust at the moment, they're just so darn cute! 

I've been watching lots of period drama - the latest being the 2008 itv version of Wuthering Heights, with Tom Hardy portraying Heathcliff, he was so good, to me he nailed the character, thank goodness I was lying down - there was swoonage.  Today Wide Sargasso Sea came in for me so I'll get to snuggle on down with that tonight.  I've seen the '93 version before, but not the lastest version.  I'm so looking forward to Jane Eyre, which is coming out this month.  Hence me watching Wide Sargasso and hopefully I can get our bookclub to read Jane Eyre this month.

Here's the trailer...I just hope that it gets released in Australia the same time it does in the US.  It looks deliciously menacing.

So what's your favourite period drama?  Which adaption do you like the best?

All links are from IMDb

C.

Book Blogger Hop & Tagalong Friday

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and runs from Friday to Sunday.

This weekend's question/topic: Who's your all-time favorite book villain?

There are a couple that come to mind --

Hannibal Lecter from Thomas Harris' series was hella scary - possibly because I read 'Silence of the Lambs' when I was quite young.  Talking about scary books read when I was too young (I used to read my mum's books when she wasn't looking): Cujo the dog, from the Stephen King book of the same name.  I was terrified!


I've participated in the Blog Hop a couple of times now, but I thought I'd add myself to the Tagalong Friday meme as well.  So here 'tis lovelies :)

18 & Over Book Blogger Tagalong Friday is a weekly event hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance (Please excuse the clunky links, I couldn't get it to work the way I wanted).

This week's question: How many book do you read in a month?

So far in 2011 I've managed 20 books in Jan and Feb, but I usually average around 15 or so in a month.  It just depends on what my work load is like at uni and how late I've had to stay at work - sadly, even though I work in a library, they don't pay me to read books all day!

That being said I have some lovely new books to read over the weekend, bring on the Nalini Singh! I wish this one was twice as long - I've got so much to do.

C.

Book Blogger Hop

 

 

Book Blogger Hop is a lovely, weekly meme hosted by Jennifer@Crazy for Books. The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  

This is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:
"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

 

I actually missed out on adding my name to this weeks linky, but I thought this question was perfect for me this week as I changed my blogs name last night - This is the blog formerly known as "How Do You Like My Blog Now Hans Brix."

I started this blog in 2008, when I was completing the 27 things web 2.0 thingy for work.  Team America had just come out and puppet Kim Jong Ill had a special place in my heart (let's be honest, he still does).  And so I named my blog to reflect that.  My blog is mainly about the books I read now, with a smattering of movie reviews, thoughts on tv, music and anything else that takes my fancy.  Hence the name change. 

C.

Hello Autumn!

As I woke up this morning, I was greeted with seasonally appropriate weather.  The tiny pitter patter of rain and somber grey skies.  Summer this year was a non event really, not that I'm complaining, as much as I love the beach, my favorite time of year is Winter.  I love the cold and there is nothing better than snuggling down in bed with a good book and a cup of milo, Sloppy purring at my shoulder.

Now is the time I love visiting my Cuj, okay I love visiting anytime, but there something about sitting in her garden in the Adelaide Hills, drinking tea all afternoon, eating tiny gingerbread men that my niece, Josie, has decorated.  Then you get to go inside and sit in front of a toasty fire, with more cups of tea.  Tea is a thing in my family, well that and nibbling, do very well.  I think it's ingrained and what a tasty trait to have.  How cute are the gingerbread men :)

Time to bust out the scarves methinks, it's layering time :)

C.