Book Binge Back to School Contest

The girls at Book Binge have come up with another fab contest!


It's that time again, Dear Readers. Back to school shopping and schedules. Homework and lunch money. Required reading and Algebra. Piece and quiet at home in the morning and crazy afternoons and after school sports and...

Another Book Binge Contest.

Yes, that's right, we here at Book Binge want to celebrate Back To School with another giveaway. But you have to work for it...and it comes with homework.

The Assignment:

Tell us what your favorite read in school was. What book was required reading that you just loved? Something you completely devoured. Or, if you can't think of one, what was the WORST read you had in school?

The Prize:

Leave your answer in the comments or on your own blog with a link and in honor of this being a Back To School contest, we're giving one lucky winner:

The entire Susan Elizabeth Phillips Stars/Bonner Brothers Football Series (Who didn't love a jock in HS? Even if he was an ass, he was still good to look at, right?)

or

Perfect and Paradise by Judith McNaught (A teacher, in keeping with our theme, and an old High School Flame)

Or

if you're not interested in any of those...2 books of your choice.

The Homework:

We're asking that you do a guest review for Book Binge for at least one of the books (or all of them, if you prefer).

Deadline:

The contest ends Friday, August 31st and the winner will be announced Saturday, September 1st.

Due Date:

Homework review is due no later than two weeks after you receive your package of books (We'll be flexible about this, however, because we know real life intrudes on reading time now and again).

Kick the school year off right. Enter today!



And now for my answer!

I read just about anything I could get my hands on at school, but I do remember getting through every single Jean Plaidy book that my school had in the library in my reading for pleasure! My love for historical fiction started early!

Another book that I vividly remember include The Hobbit, but that was because it was the one time I actually liked the title page that I made for a project! I really don't have an artistic bone in my body, and art was the only subject I ever came close to failing because I hated it! The title page probably wasn't all that good, but at the time I liked it a lot!

My memory is really crap. Other books I do remember reading are Macbeth, a book by Graham Greene, Poor Man's Orange by Ruth Park (a good read set in Australia), The Summer of My German Soldier which I reread and reviewed a couple of years ago. There were loads of others, but I am struggling to remember them!

Which Psy-Changeling Hero is for you?

It's nearly time for Caressed by Ice, the third book in the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh, and to celebrate Nalini has made up this quiz, and even better, just by having a go you can win a $50 book voucher! Click here for the full details!

Which Psy-Changeling Hero Is For You?

Your Psy/Changeling Hero: Lucas Tough, dangerous and highly intelligent, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack is a man who will demand everything from his mate. But he will give the same in return. And he will never let go.Find out more about Lucas and the series at www.nalinisingh.com Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

Is there anything funny about German professors? Throughout the world there are small groups of people who know exactly what the joke is. These are the von Igelphiles, the followers of that most extraordinary German professor, Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld.

This book is a series of short stories that based on the experiences of Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, who is a professor of philology and author of the impressive tome, Portuguese Irregular Verbs, which given it's size has had a variety of uses, including as a step stool for a dentist. With only 200 copies sold, the professor is constantly on the lookout to see if he can find out who among his learned colleagues and friends actually bought a copy.

As with all Alexander McCall Smith books they are a comedy of manners. For example, how do you address a dog when you have just met it, how exactly do you tell a mother that her son might be radioactive?

I actually listened to this book. The audio book was narrated by Hugh Laurie which I am sure added to my enjoyment completely. Whilst the short stories themselves were amusing, I have no doubt that the comic voices and timing of Laurie added an extra level of enjoyment. I guess I will find out when I read the second book in the series!

Rating: 4/5

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

With unravelled embroidery and fraying hems, the Travelling Pants are back for one last, glorious summer. Join Ann Brashare's beloved sisterhood once again in a dazzling, fearless novel. It's a summer that will forever change the lives of Lena, Carmen, Bee and Tibby, here and now, past and future, together and apart.


LENA: Immerses herself in her painting and an intoxicating summer fling, fearing the moment she forgets about Kostos will be the moment she sees him again.


CARMEN: Falls under the spell of a sophisticated college friend for whom a theatrical role means everything and the heritage of the Pants means nothing.


BRIDGET: Joins a dig for an ancient city off the coast of Turkey and discovers that her archaeology professor is available in every way except one.


TIBBY: Leaves behind someone she loves, wrongly believing he will stay where she has left him.


Join Ann Brashares beloved sisterhood once again in a dazzling, fearless novel. It's a summer that will forever change the lives of Lena, Carmen, bee and Tibby, here and now, past and future, together and apart.

This is the fourth and final book in the uber successful Travelling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I have reviews on my blog for the second and third books, and it has been interesting to read back through those two previous reviews in preparation for writing this one. In particular, I made comment that the third book felt in many ways like closure to me, so it was with some relief that I enjoyed this book, and didn't feel as though the author was just going through the motions in order to spin the series out to one last book.

Once again, Brashares does a great job of focusing on issues that are prevalent in the target age group, like peer pressure, finding your own identity and young love. This book was however much more sexually suggestive with two characters losing their virginity, a pregnancy scare, a near affair with a married man amongst other things. I therefore whether or not the suggested age group of age 13 plus is too young or not. That really does sound like a mum talking doesn't it!

Brashares once again has her characters travelling all over the place, and again I ask can American kids just up and travel all over the world on a whim? I guess that the four friends are older now but I remember wondering that in previous books as well. I guess the four girls are representative of middle class America, but it still surprises me! Part of that maybe that the fact that I am in Australia where it take so long to get to anywhere else in the world.

Overall, this was a fitting conclusion to the series. With the fate of the pants in doubt it is likely that they have gone onto weave their magic in other girl's lives, which is a really nice parting thought!

Rating 3.5/5

A Match Made in Scandal by Melody Thomas

An obsession that blooms into scandal

Since childhood, Ryan Donally adored Rachel Bailey, though the brilliant, beautiful lass saw him as just another rowdy boy. The years pulled them apart, carrying Rachel to a place of responsibility and respect few women of her time enjoyed ... while Ryan ascended to undreamed-of heights of wealth and success, and bound his heart to another.

Now fate has brought them together once again -- and Rachel sees not the boy she once spurned, but a breathtaking man she desires. Yet Ryan has moved on and is unwilling to forgive, and Rachel hides a secret shame that could destroy everything she has worked for. Then, in one moment of unrestrained passion, the walls between them tumble, and the price they must pay is a marriage neither can afford. But will a sensuous fire too-long resisted bring tragedy ... or will it forge a glorious and undying love?

This is the third book in Melody Thomas' Donally Family series, following on from In My Heart and Must Have Been the Moonlight, and it was once again a good read.

Ryan has always been sweet on Rachel, but it seemed that she was more interested in his older brother. They have been partners for many years, without really having much to do with each other, but when they become rivals instead of partners because of some business decisions that Ryan has made, they begin to see each other in a different light.

With the novel being set in Victorian times, Rachel is a woman struggling to win respect in her chosen field of engineering on her own merits despite the restrictions of the time - and it is a struggle. Many of the plaudits for her schemes have gone to others because her name cannot be the headline name, but she is determined that she will be a success. Unfortunately Ryan's plans have put her own into jeopardy.

Once the two characters get together, the sparks fly, but neither side forgets the end aim even whilst falling in love. When they are forced to become even closer to each other by Ryan's priest brother, they then must decide what really is the most important thing to them.

I really liked Ryan. He was a ruthless business man, and could be quite aloof from most of his family at time, but he did seem to be quite a good father to his young daughter from his first marriage. His first wife had been Rachel's close friend, and that is another difficulty in the growing relationship because Rachel felt somewhat disloyal to her dead friend.

Overall this book was another enjoyable outing from this author. The setting could have almost been contemporary really, with all the mergers and takeovers and things - except for the fact that Rachel couldn't be the open leader of a job.

I now have the fourth and final book in the series on my bookshelf now, and I look forward to reading it, along with the new series that Melody Thomas is writing!

Blogging Without Obligation

Saw this at Bookies blog, but it originally started at http://www.tartx.com/blog/?page_id=233. For me personally this means it doesn't matter if I am behind in what I want to post!


Here's the original post!



After coming across what seemed to be the 4000th or so post on someone's blog starting with "I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile." I decided it is time to rethink what makes a good blog and the expectations that have come to be part of it. I am thinking that no one should utter those words again . . .and with that thought I give you Blogging Without Obligation.

If you feel the same way feel free to grab the logo, make a logo or whatever you would like to do!

I release all the logos, thoughts and words mentioned here about this concept into the public domain. Take the idea and run with it. . .or walk away. It is all good.

* Because you shouldn't have to look at your blog like it is a treadmill.

* Because its okay to just say what you have to say. If that makes for a long post, fine. Short post, fine. Frequent post, fine. Infrequent post, fine.

* Because its okay to not always be enthralled with the sound of your own typing.

* Because sometimes less is more.

* Because only blogging when you feel truly inspired keeps up the integrity of your blog.

* Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone.

* Because for most of us blogging is just a hobby. A way to express yourself and connect with others. You should not have to apologize for lapses in posts. Just take a step back and enjoy life, not everything you do has to be "bloggable".

* Because if you blog without obligation you will naturally keep your blog around longer, because it won't be a chore. Plus, just think you will be doing your part to eradicate post pollution. One post at a time. . .

Reading Challenges

I have a post all written up and ready to post where I take the step of committing to joining up with The Pulitzer Project, but then The Complete Booker came up, and so now I am tempted by two challenges. The dilema is to do either one of them, or just do both. The advantage of the Booker is that there are less books to read, but no time limit on either challenge! Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I have a review of Taj: The Woman and the Wonder by Sandra Wilson up on Historical Tapestry. I'm surprised that there haven't been more books written about the love story that inspired the building of the Taj Mahal.

I had a really busy weekend! This weekend was the baby shower and so we had a friend come over from Adelaide for it, and therefore I had to cook dinner for everyone on Saturday night and then the baby shower on Sunday. I'll write up a post about the baby shower, and the games we played a little later! Unfortunately somebody forgot to take photos even though they took their camera with them specifically to do so! Whoops!

Have I mentioned before.....

....that I really like Diana Norman's books?

I have just posted my review of The Sparks Fly Upwards over at Historical Tapestry, and my next read after I finish this one is going to be The Pirate Queen by her! Lucky she has a backlist that I can glom.

Stephen King - Book defacer!

Story from www.ninemsn.com.au

Stephen King was accused of defacing books in an Alice Springs bookshop. Apparently he walked into a bookstore in the town, and just started signing copies of his books, but eagle eyed customers thought he was defacing the books and reported him to management! The store manager then managed to track him down in the local supermarket for a chat!

Monogamy

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

One book at a time? Or more than one? If more, are they different types/genres? Or similar?

(We’re talking recreational reading, here—books for work or school don’t really count since they’re not optional.)

I tend to be reading two books at any given time. Generally, there is the one that I am reading on the train each day, and the one that I read just before going to sleep.

They tend to be completely different genres so that there is no chance of getting the characters from one mixed up with the characters of another. More often that not, the bedtime one is a romance...cliched I know but what can I say.

Occasionally, I will also be listening to audio book in the car as well, but whereas I listened to loads of them when I drove to work, now that I catch the train I don't spend very long in the car most days, so I get to read more!

Reading Challenges

One of the things I decided last year is that I definitely was not going to do any challenges this year because I have enough trouble keeping my library list under control let alone adding other lists to the equation. But I have to say that there was a new one posted today that is very tempting.




It's called The Pulitzer Project, and it's aim is to read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. There is a list off all the winners at the link above, and if we are just looking at recent years, I am not doing too badly, having read 4 out of the last 5 winners, but before that...not so good! I am seriously contemplating joining up!


In other news, I have posted my review of The Temple Dancer by John Speed over at Historical Tapestry.

The Captain's Lady by Margaret McPhee

She cannot risk exposure

When dashing Lord Nathaniel Hawke rescues a girl from drowning the last thing he expects is for that same girl to turn up on board his ship - disguised as a boy!

For Miss Georgiana Raithwaite, running away seemed her only escape from a cruel impending marriage. Never did she imagine that her disguise would see her scrubbing decks on the high seas.... in extremely close proximity to Lord Nathaniel Hawke! Forbidden desires taunt and tantalise them on their stormy voyage. But with reputations at stake they must keep their secret...

I had never heard of this author before, but when I was looking to borrow The Mysterious Miss M by Diane Gaston from the library, both of these books cames in a 2-in-1 book, and because of my obsessive nature, and the fact that I need to finish a book I decided to read both books! Once I got started on The Captain's Lady, it was no hardship anyway!

Georgiana Raithwaite is on the verge of becoming engaged, an event that should be one of the happiest occasions in the life of a well bought up young lady. Unfortunately for Georgiana, her soon to be fiance is a man who is completely obsessive and very much a bully. He is determined to have Georgiana, even if it can only be by compromising her during a walk along the river near her home. In order to avoid compromising situation with him, Georgiana throws herself into the river, and has to be saved by her neighbour, Nathaniel Hawke. After spending some time recuperating in his family home, Georgiana returns to her own, only to find that her father will not listen to her, and that she is to be married off as soon as practical. What's a girl to do but run away disguised as a boy. Unfortunately, whilst on the run, she is press ganged, and finds herself in service on Captain Hawke's ship.

What follows is the story of how Nathaniel and Georgiana come to deal with their growing attraction whilst Nathaniel tries to protect her true identity from the other sailors, and her reputation. Once they reach Gibraltar, Georgiana can once again be once more kitted out as a lady, and travel back to England, appropriately chaperoned of course. But on her return, she will once more meet her former fiance who is none to pleased to learn that he has lost her to Captain Hawke.

Nathaniel is the very epitomy of a gentleman - charming and polite, dashing and handsome, and despite the events outlined above which do make her sound a little silly, Georgiana is a match for him in many ways! The build up of their relationship is very nicely written. I would say that the villain in this piece is completely two dimensionally obsessive and it is for this reason I didn't mark the book any higher.

I certainly won't mind reading any more books by Margaret McPhee, although she doesn't really seem to have much of a net presence or much of a backlist. From what I can tell there is one other book called Mistaken Mistress which was released last year, and a new one called The Wicked Earl out in September. Unfortunately, I don't think my library has either on catalogue.

Rating 4/5

How about a review?

Haven't done one of those for a while!

Maybe later!


Edited to Add: I did it! Unfortunately it is Historical Fiction so it will be up on Historical Tapestry in the next couple of days! Who knows, maybe I can knock out another one tonight!

Storm in a bookstore?

When I was blog hopping this morning, I came across this post at Smart Bitches about a storm that's erupted here in publishing/book distribution circles about having to pay for the right to have books sold at Angus & Robertson, which is one of the main bookstore chains here.

The post links back to the original item on the Sydney Morning Herald website, and reading through the comments was very interesting. I am not qualified to comment in any other way other than the fact that I am a reader. I therefore have no idea whether it is standard industry practice for smaller publishers and distributors to have to pay for the privilege of having their books sold in the bigger bookstores, or whether by boycotting A & R completely readers will possibly not only be harming the company, but also franchisees who sell under the A & R banner but buy stock independently etc. but the letter that was written by A & R does seem to be very overbearing to say the least!

What reading these articles did make me think about is my book buying habits! I can't remember the last time I bought a book from A & R. It must be a couple of years at least. The reason for that is that they never have very good stock. If you want to read anything that is isn't in the top 50, or has been in the top 50 relatively recently, then you can really forget about it! To be fair, I have to say the same of both Collins bookstores and Dymocks, which are the other two main Australian owned (or should I say started out as Australian owned chains). So, if I am not buying from those stores, where do I buy from? Another comment that came up regularly was about supporting Aussie authors, and this is something that I know I must be a bit better at, but I am trying..I really am!

To be honest, when I am looking to buy a book, I will generally end up going to Borders, or I order online, mainly from Book Depository or Boomerang Books. For romance, it will once again be either of those two, or more likely, romance specialists like Rendezvous or Ever After.

In the comments to the SMH article, there were lots of references to really good independent bookstores in Sydney, but I can only think of one here in Melbourne and that is Readings. The problem with Readings is that I don't go to the places where their stores are very regularly. I used to visit Readings in Carlton quite regularly, but that was when I lived only 15 minutes away from there, so it was nothing to wander down to Carlton on a Sunday morning for brunch, and book browsing. The bonus was that there is a Borders and another bookshop that sells books that the bookstores have sent back (can't think what that is called) across the road as well as good coffee and atmosphere!

The truth is that browsing in bookstores doesn't interest me all that much anymore! I know ... sacrilege! If I am going to a bookstore it is usually for something specific. One of the reasons for this is that if you go to the bookstore too regularly you just see the same things over and over again! Another reason for this is that for the most part I know that I will be able to get most books that I want from the library, and the other reason is that I get all my book recommendations from groups and blogs, and I am probably less likely to actually just pick up a book for no reason. Every now and again something catches my eye, but it doesn't happen all that often! I just can't afford to buy 10 books and only really enjoy one of them! I don't have money to spare, especially given that the interest rates just keep going up and up, and so do other expenses.

So, a question for any Melbourne based bloggers. Are there any bookstores that you all would recommend that are good for a visit?

For everyone else, have your book buying habits changed? Do you buy from independent booksellers, or only at the big chains?


And check out this link for a joke letter of demands from a book distributor!

Multiples

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

Do you have multiple copies of any of your books?
If so, why? Absent-mindedness? You love them that much? First Editions for the shelf, but paperbacks to read?
If not, why not? Not enough space? Not enough money? Too sensible to do something so foolish?

At the moment I have two copies of one book, but I think that that is about it! That book is A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. I bought it a while ago, and then I won a signed copy over on Dear Author so now I have two. I think I have a home for the unsigned copy but I am just waiting to hear for sure!

As for why I don't have more, there are a couple of reasons. I have no room or money to buy on multiple copies, and also I keep a spreadsheet so that I know what books I already own so I don't accidentally buy two!

Booker Prize 2007 Longlist

Wow...I must be more out of it than I thought! I've only heard of two of these (On Chesil Beach and Animal's People)...and read none of them! Off to see which of them are available from the library! (Edited to add: The library has 5, so I've requested one, and will see how we go!)



Darkmans by Nicola Barker

Self Help by Edward Docx

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

The Gathering by Anne Enright

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn

Consolation by Michael Redhill

Animal’s People by Indra Sinha

Winnie & Wolf by A N Wilson

Baby shower games

I am going to be an aunt for the first time towards the end of September, and so in a couple of weeks time I am co-hosting a baby shower. Only problem is, I haven't been to one for years! In fact, the last one I remember going to was for a child who is now about 17 years old!

So my question is this.....Do you know any fun baby shower games that we can play? And what kind of presents do you buy for a baby shower when you don't know whether it is going to be a boy or a girl? And how would those women walk in those shoes if they were real! I can't wear high heels these days and I am not even pregnant!

Settings that capture the imagination

I have today posted a review of a book called The End of Sorrows: a Novel of the Siege of Leningrad in WWII over at Historical Tapestry.

This book was set in Leningrad during WWII when the city was under siege of over 1 million of the 3 million residents died. This is a setting that I have read several books about over the last couple of years since reading The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, and I am sure to read other books that I come across in the future with this setting as well.

Are there any books that you have read that have sparked your interest in a particular place or time?

Letters!!! We get letters...

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

Have you ever written an author a fan letter?

Did you get an answer?

Did it spark a conversation? A meeting?

(And, sure, I suppose that e-mails DO count . . . but I’d say no to something like a message board on which the author happens to participate.)

I don't know that I will ever be that great a fan girl, whether we are talking about for books or music. I was never one of those teenage girls who screamed at the sight of A-Ha, or Kids in the Kitchen, or Take That or whoever the hot band of the moment was. I am the same when it comes to authors. I will pimp them to anyone who listens, but I don't really write to them, or anything like that.

I do have a little bit of interaction with a couple of authors not in forums, but that has been more from a commercial transaction type of thing. I also participate in a couple of author forums, so I do have a little interaction there as well!

Maybe I should think about who I would write a letter too!

Stroke of Midnight Anthology

Four of romance's most intriguing authors have come together to create a mesmerizing anthology— unforgettable tales of vampires, shapeshifters, and were-wolves. At the heart of these deeply sensual tales are everyday people facing extraordinary events—men and women thrown together by fate and an irresistible desire. In this world, your eyes can betray you as myth becomes reality, curses are vanquished, and love is the only weapon that can stand in the face of evil. In this world, there is a moment when passion and forbidden desire collide at the... Stroke of Midnight.

I picked up this anthology because it contained the next story in the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Winter Born by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Two enemy Were-Panthers discover that fate has destined they become lovers. Pandora must learn to trust Dante's foreign nature. But as she slowly succumbs to the truest passion she has ever known, dark forces have already set out to reclaim her...

I'm not really sure why but this DH short story didn't really do anything for me. Pandora is a young were-panther who has just gone into her first heat - a very dangerous time. When she goes to Dragon*Con to try and find Ash to try and be protected from the pack of were-panthers who would take her and basically destroy her life. At the same Dragon*Con are Dante and his 3 brothers, only one of whom is mated. Basically as soon as Dante and Pandora meet each other, they are in bed because they both can't resist their animal instincts, and then they are basically bonded forever, they just have to choose whether or not they want to make their vows. There's a lot of action packed in this story, but just didn't really ever draw me in really.

Born of the Night by Amanda Ashley
When Lady Shanara Montiori is taken hostage, she learns that the rumors about her captor are true. Lord Reyes is afflicted with the dark curse of the werewolf. Still, Shanara can't fight the attraction they both feel. Will their love break the curse-or feed its powerful hold?

I've only read one other novella from Amanda Ashley, and I really didn't like it! This one was better.

Make It Last Forever by L. A. Banks
An innocent mistake forces the beautiful Tara onto a mission to save herself from the dark fate that awaits her. Salvation comes in the form of a seductive biker with a heart of gold. But will surrendering to their ripe attraction unleash a danger even she cannot control?

I haven't read any L. A. Banks before. I read the first chapter of this novella, and thought WTF? I very nearly put the book down at that point because it just seemed such a strange story, but I kept reading, and was glad that I did. In the end this was the best story in the book - mainly because I haven't read a story like it before. Tara is on the point of being turned to vampire, and is trying to get to her Native American grandmother's house to try to stop the turning from happen, but along the way the undead are trying to stop her. Rider is a guardian, but doesn't know it yet, and as he falls in love with Tara, and tries to save her, his life changes.

Red Moon Rising by Lori Handeland
Novelist Maya Alexander's peace is shattered when she is stalked by a Navaho skinwalker who has taken on the guise of a wolf. Her only hope is the mysterious Clay Philips. In his arms, she seeks protection-but as the red moon rises, no one is safe from the danger that lurks nearby...

This one was interesting. Lori Handeland is another new to me author, and I didn't mind her novella. I think it is part of a series, but can't quite figure out where it fits!

The idea that there were Jager-Sucher's (basically paranormal hunters) out there to try and track down paranormal creatures - some of which were ancient creatures, and others created by the Nazis was interesting. Maya was apparently gifted in that she could hear the winds, and Clay has to track down the skinwalker, and protect her, whilst trying to stop himself from falling in love with her, because the last people he loved were killed because of him.



Overall, this was a pretty lacklustre collection, but it does mean that I can now move onto the next book in the Sherrilyn Kenyon series, so that's okay with me!


Rating 3.5/5

Reading uncorrected proofs

Not long ago I was chosen to receive The Principessa by Christie Dickason as part of the First Look Program run by Harper Collins. This is the second book that I have received as part of the program, and on both occasions they have been labelled as uncorrected proofs.

The first time, which was for Black Diamonds by Kim Kelly, the fact that the book was an uncorrected proof did not bother me at all, but this time it really did, to the point of distracting me from the story at times. It really wasn't that there were lots of mistakes, it was just that some of them were corrected but others weren't! It just made me want to get out my red pen and start doing my own corrections! If they were all corrected, or if none of them were corrected, it wouldn't have bothered me as much as only some being done!

Does anyone else feel the need to correct errors in books?

By the way, you can read my review of The Principessa over at Historical Tapestry - and I only concentrated on the book itself, not the editing!!

Words

Yesterday at work one of my colleagues was asking if there was such a word as absenteeism. I said yes, and then had to spell it for him. He then suggested that I may have been making it up! So off to the handy dandy online dictionary to prove that I was not in fact making up words for the fun of it!

What the trip to the dictionary did provide though was a link to the word Presenteeism, which I have to admit is one I hadn't heard of before.

Definition: the practice of always being present at the workplace, often working longer hours even when there is nothing to do;

I definitely am not guilty of presenteeism workwise (I can work from home..don't have to be present!), but it could be a word that fits my internet habits! Even when I have read all my feeds, checked all my groups, I will go through the links again...just in case someone has posted something!

I love words!

Blogging Tips Meme

I've been tagged twice to do the Blogging Tips Meme, firstly by the girls at Twisted Kingdom and then by Coversgirl from Between the Covers.


Blogging Tips

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

Just think- if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!


1. Look, read, and learn. ***
-http://www.neonscent.com

2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. *
-http://www.bushmackel.com

3. Don’t let money change ya! *
-http://www.therandomforest.info

4. Always reply to your comments. ****
-http://chattiekat.com

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. **
-http://chipsquips.com

6. Don’t give up - persistance is fertile. *
-http://www.velcro-city.co.uk

7. Give link credit where credit is due. **
-http://www.sfsignal.com

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post.*
-http://scifichick.com

9. Be Brave, some of the best posts are when you step out of your comfort zone.
-http://twisted-kingdom.blogspot.com

10. Follow the links in posts and comments. You never know what blog gems you will find! - http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/




Now I am supposed to tag 10 people, so how about:


Ana from Aneca's World
Ana(Virgulina) from CosyWorld
Clare from Confessions of a Bookworm
Holly from What Were You Expecting
Cindy from Nocturnal Wanderings
Daphne from Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff
Susan Higginbotham
Karina from Fire Bad, Book Pretty
Kristina from Kristina's Book Blog

and you!

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

The Keys to the Kingdom

Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then he is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock.

Arthur is safe - but his world is not. Along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm. A stranger named Mister Monday, his avenging messengers with blood-stained wings, and an army of dog-faced Fetchers will stop at nothing to get the key back - even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him.

Desperate, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house - a house that only he can see. It is in this house that Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key - and discover his true fate.

Mister Monday is the first book in the breathtaking Keys to the Kingdom series.

This author is a new author to me, but he is one that I have heard some quite good things about. Usually the good things are in relation to his Old Kingdom series, but I decided to have a look at audio books when I was at the library one day, and this one caught my eyes. I really went into this book not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by the book.

Arthur Penhaligon is having a terrible Monday. It's his first day at his new school. His gym teacher is making him run cross country in his school clothes, and then he has a terrible asthma attack and collapses, not knowing that he is perilously close to death. Whilst lying on the ground Arthur sees two strange people coming towards him, one of whom we eventually find out is Mister Monday. They offer him a mysterious book and what appears to be the minute hand of an old fashioned clock. Little does he know, the reason that they are making this offer is that they believe that Arthur is about to die, and that they will then be able to recover the items. Unfortunately Mister Monday's plan doesn't quite go to plan, as Arthur starts to feel much better, but as some of Arthur's classmates approach him the mysterious people disappear.

Whilst Arthur is confused by his encounter with Mister Monday, it isn't until he returns to school that he realises that all hell is about to break out in his world. Mister Monday is desperate to get back the little book and the minute hand, and he is sending all of his resources to get them - including the very scary dog faced fetchers. The problem is that whilst the fetchers are after Arthur, they are also infecting the world with a horrible sleeping plague.

Arthur finds himself drawn into a very strange world, where Mister Monday is the sinister master who is letting the world become somewhat chaotic, and where it appears as though Arthur is the one destined to save the many strange characters in the world. Of course, if he makes it through Monday in this world, he still has to try and figure out how to stop the plague before it kills everyone that Arthur loves.

The world that Arthur is drawn into is complex, and full of fantastical adventures and trials, some more gruesome than others. This is definitely not a book for really young kids, although my son enjoyed listening along with me.

At the beginning of the book, Arthur is the very opposite of a hero, yet as time draws to an end he finds himself having to make decisions on which the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people are reliant.

A fun read! I will definitely be seeing what happens to Arthur in the next book in the series, which is called Grim Tuesday.

Rating: 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts

Books and Other Thoughts
Bookworms and Tea Lovers

Best Moustache Twirling

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

Who’s the worst fictional villain you can think of? As in, the one you hate the most, find the most evil, are happiest to see defeated? Not the cardboard, two-dimensional variety, but the most deliciously-written, most entertaining, best villain? Not necessarily the most “evil,” so much as the best-conceived on the part of the author…oh, you know what I mean!

I am still feeling pretty crap, so my brain isn't really functioning properly tonight, so I am going to fall back on an old favourite and say that the worst villain is Black Jack Randall from the Outlander series. He is really evil, but Diana Gabaldon made his reasons for being like he was quite complex.

Poor Jamie......sigh!

Books Alive 2007!

Every year there is a promotion run in Australia called Books Alive, and today was the launch day.

There is a Books Alive Great Reads Guide that lists about 50 books in all different genres, and including some local authors. There are some okay reads listed in the brochure too. On the website, there are also statements by celebrities about why they like to read, and feature authors amongst other things.

One of the bonuses is that if you buy one of the 50 listed books, you receive a free book by an Australian author. This year, it is a biography written by Peter Fitzsimmons about Les Darcy who was a famous Australian boxer. Whilst I am not all that fussed about whether or not I get the free book this year, I do like the promotion as a whole. Anything that encourages more book buyer....er....reading, is good in my opinion!

Bag of books!

One of my work colleagues is an avid collector of Jean Plaidy books, and she stopped me in the corridor last week before I got sick to say that she had bought a box of old Jean Plaidy books. Some of them were duplicates of editions that she already had and she said that I could have those ones, so today at work I picked up a bag of JP books. The ones I got were:



The Revolt of Eaglets
The Goldsmith's Wife (x2)
Victoria in the Wings
The Queen's Favourites
The Road to Compiegne
St Thomas's Eve
The Third George
The Wandering Prince


Some of those are part way through a series, but I'm not complaining seeing as I got the books for free!

Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland

I've posted my review along with Kailana's thoughts about this book over at Historical Tapestry today.

Beckham Mania!

Has the whole world gone mad for David Beckham! Apparently so!

On Sunday morning our time we are getting live coverage of the exhibition match between LA Galaxy and Chelsea on terrestrial TV! Not bad seeing as you have to have cable to be able to watch the games featuring Australia in the Asian Cup! And no, we didn't get to see the first two exhibition matches that Chelsea played in the US.

I actually watched the Victoria Beckham show, and I have to say that I thought she was pretty funny - completely off the planet, but funny! I was surprised to say the least. It does say something about the sad state of affairs in TV land when I couldn't find anything else that I would rather watch!

The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason

I've posted a review of The Firemaster's Mistress by
Christie Dickason over at Historical Tapestry.

Go take a look!

And done!

And now I really am going to go and lay down, or maybe I should get some lunch....something really comforting and bad for me, or something healthy! What a dilemna!

Counting down...

Less than 500 to go...but I am going for a lie down I think!

Counting down...

I'm in the triple figures......and I think I am going to get this one. It seems to be a fair compromise between cost and performance. Now if I could be bothered to get up and go to the store and see if they have it...or perhaps even a better deal!

Counting down...

In the 1400s!


To add to the excitement I am also looking for a new vacuum cleaner at the same time!

Counting down...

Now less than 2000 feeds to go through!

Guess what I am doing today!

No, not reading Harry Potter....

My Bloglines seems to have had some kind of breakdown, and so even though yesterday morning I was completely up to date with reading blogs, this morning I have a mere 2368 feeds to go through...some of which will actually be new! I've been feeling really crap all week with a stupid cold so I am not sure if I am going to be able to sit here long enough to get through them all in one go, but I am sure that I will be able to do it by the end of the day if I break it into sections!

In other news, I've been nominated as a Rockin' Girl Blogger by Bookworm Kiki, Daphne from Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff and Kailana which is a real honour!

I think everyone I would have nominated has probably already been nominated, but I'll do it anyway! There are loads of blogs that I love to read daily, and if I don't have time to read anything else I read these ones: Ana from Aneca's World, the girls from Dear Author, Clare from Confessions of a Book Addict and Rosario.

Just Wild About Harry

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

1. Okay, love him or loathe him, you’d have to live under a rock not to know that J.K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on Saturday… Are you going to read it?

2. If so, right away? Or just, you know, eventually, when you get around to it? Are you attending any of the midnight parties?

3. If you’re not going to read it, why not?

4. And, for the record… what do you think? Will Harry survive the series? What are you most looking forward to?

I will be reading it, but not for a while yet! I actually haven't read books 5 and 6 yet! I own them. Part of the reason why I am not in any hurry is that I own all the other books in paperback, so I am going to need to wait for another year at least before I can get the book that matches my set!

Luckily for us, the release time here in Australia is a very dignified 9am on Saturday...no midnight parties here, although there is going to be a large event in one of the public spaces in the city, and when I went to the bookshop today there was a notice saying that they were going to be open 2 hours earlier.

As far as what's going to happen, I think Harry will survive, and I just hope that Ron does as well! Having said that, I am sure that I will know by early next week exactly who did die....people can't seem to stop themselves from sharing those kinds of spoilers.

Just as an aside, I went to Barnes and Noble online today, and there are already 625 reviews up, and the first 5 are all rated 5 stars....hmmm. I thought they were meant to be REviews!

The Mysterious Miss M by Diane Gaston

The Mysterious Miss M is a living male fantasy - alluring, sensual, masked. But when Lord Devlin Steele finds himself responsible for her - and her child - he comes to know the real Maddy: the loving, passionate woman who drives away the nightmares of the Waterloo battlefield.

But this aristocratic soldier can’t support his new family. He’ll only inherit his fortune on marriage to a suitable lady - and Maddy is far from suitable. With the dangers of London’s underworld closing in, how can he protect the woman he has come to love?

I have only read one other Diane Gaston book, but I am well and truly on the path to fangirl status!

Before going off to battle, Lord Devlin Steele wins time with the beautiful prostitute known as the Mysterious Miss M. Memories of their encounter sustain him throughout his time as a soldier. What he doesn't realise is that her memories of him are sustaining her through her own unhappy life.

When he finds her again, he takes responsibility for looking after Maddy, her daughter, and Maddy's friend, even though he really can't afford to, and really doesn't have the space. Devlin will eventually come into quite a lot of money and property, but at this time it is held in trust by her older brother, who will only release the money when Devlin has agreed to marry a suitable young lady of the ton, even as he knows that he is falling desperately in love with Maddie.

Just as in A Reputable Rake, the characters were well developed, complex and unusual, but there are two things that stopped it from being a perfect read for me. One was the way that Devlin just completely accepted responsibility for Madeleine, Linnette and Sophie, and that it was so total and rapid, without even much consideration of the fact that Madeleine was an ex prostitute. The second was that the bad guys were pretty two dimensional, especially in Lord Farley's case (Lord Farley was Maddie's owner before she became Devlin's responsibility!).

The secondary love stories featuring Maddie's companion Sophie, and also Devlin's brother and sister-in-law were both really good as well!

Overall though, this was a really fun read, and I will definitely be reading more from Gaston! By the way, I got this in a two for one book which also included The Captain's Lady by Margaret McPhee, and there will be a review coming for that one shortly!

Rating 4.5/5

My Pleasure by Connie Brockway

Connie Brockway draws readers into the breathtaking love story of a dashing Scotsman who is duty bound to protect the one woman who incites in him a wild passion. How exactly can he save her from himself?

By day, celebrated beauty Helena Nash works as a proper companion to one of London's most disagreeable ladies. By night she acts as an illicit messenger between two separated lovers. Masked and disguised, she falls into the path of a shadowy stalker. Fearing for her safety but unwilling to halt her nocturnal forays, Helena seeks out Ramsey Munro—one of three men who pledged years earlier to serve her family in times of need. Handsome and elusive, the notorious Scotsman is London's most accomplished swordsman and represents everything Helena wants but can't have—freedom, adventure, and passion. Now she demands that he teach her his formidable skills, a commission that may prove cool, collected Helena's undoing. For Ramsey has seen through her disguise...and soon vows to teach her both the way of the sword and the deliciously wicked pleasures of the flesh.

This the second book in the Rose Hunter trilogy by Connie Brockway, following on from My Seduction, featuring the middle Nash sister, Helena and Ramsey Munro. I actually finished this book ages ago, so the details are a little hazy in my mind!

Helena has a reputation as something of an ice princess, someone who is untouchable within the ton, but when she finds herself in a very dangerous situation whilst incognito, dashing Ramsey Munro comes to her rescue.

Eventually Helena convinces Ramsey that she needs to be taught self defence, which leads to a series of very enticing sessions of fencing! In fact if I was going to summarise this novel in just a few words, then they would be Masquerade and Sword Play!

I enjoyed the thrust and parry of the dialogue in this novel (sword play pun completely intended!). I have ended up rating both Brockway novels I have read so far the same. They are good, but not in my opinion, completely fantastic! Still, I like them enough to keep reading the series!

Rating 4/5

The Last Reilly Standing by Maureen Child

Only three more weeks and he'd be the winner of the no-sex-for-ninety-days bet he made with his brothers. Aidan could almost taste victory! Then he'd met Terry Evans...

Her voice was just the kind a man liked to hear coming from the pillow beside his. Aidan groaned from the absolute misery of having to look at this gorgeous woman and not be able to turn on his usual Reilly charm. It would not be easy to be the last Reilly standing.

This book was actually part of a 2-in-1 book that I borrowed from the library because the other book was Nalini Singh's Craving Beauty that I wanted to read. If it wasn't for that, I doubt that I would ever have picked this book up! That would have been a shame because I really enjoyed it.

Aidan Reilly had made a bet with his two brothers - no sex for 90 days - and he was only 3 weeks away from claiming his prize! His other two brothers had already given up on the bet, and if he could last the distance he would get not only a fair sum of money, but also bragging rights forever!

And then he met Terry Evans. Terry had come to town on a kind of vacation - she was going to look after her friend's bookstore for just a few weeks while her friend had a well deserved vacation! Terry was normally a high flying career woman and so some time in a sleepy town was just what she needed. It does begin to appear as though her friend might have been trying to play matchmaker when Terry meets Aidan for the first time, and they start talking.

Pretty soon, the hurricane warnings are not the only warnings required as Terry and Aidan become very close, very quickly!

Terry and Aidan both had some baggage from the past, and so whilst they fell in love very quickly, it did take them some time to come to terms with their feelings.

I loved the repartee that Aidan had going with his brothers, particularly their brother who was a priest (whose name escapes me right at this moment!) who seemed to know far more about the way women's minds worked than his worldly brothers. Also, the tension between Aidan and Terry was just sizzling!

It quite surprised me that I did enjoy this so much. I mean, I have never read a Navy Seal/Marine/Coastguard type romance before, even though I know that there are many popular authors out there that write these types of books. I don't read a lot of contemporary romances, and I don't normally start a trilogy with the third book. Then again, sometimes books just work for you and other times they just don't!

I am now on a mission to track down the first two books featuring the Reilly brothers!

Rating 4/5

Craving Beauty by Nalini Singh

Marc was dangerous to her in the way that only a strong, sexy male could be to a woman.

Even knowing that, she'd agreed to marry him. Hope blossomed in Hira's heart. Perhaps she'd married a man with whom it might just be worth building a life. Her mother had worried that he was scarred, but the lines on his face did nothing to lessen his raw masculine appeal. If anything, they gave him an even more dangerous male air, enticing the feminine core of her to thoughts that shocked her.

What did a man's face matter anyway? She had no use for handsome men.

But for a man with a heart?

For such a man…she might risk everything

This is the third Nalini Singh book I have read, with the first two being the very enjoyable Slave to Sensation and Awaken to Pleasure. On the basis of enjoying those two books I have also bought another couple of books which I will read eventually.

My reason for saying all of that is because, if it was that I had of read this book first I doubt I would have continued to read more of Singh's work!

This book didn't work for me on a number of levels. The first was the fact that the book started in a fictional desert kingdom. If the book had of been all set there, I probably could have lived with it, but then the author took the characters out of that setting and put them into Louisiana. It kind of made the desert kingdom unnecessary, although it certainly helped give Hira a few "fish out of water" kind of moments.

And then there was the angst...oh my goodness was there angst. Our heroine Hira is portrayed as being drop dead gorgeous, and clever but having been downtrodden by her outwardly modern, but internally very traditional family. She is also incredibly insecure, and believes that no one could possibly love her because she is basically too beautiful. And then there is the hero, Marc, who has the opposite problem. He has been outwardly scarred, and he believes that no one could possible love him because of that.

And so for most of the book, we have the two of them angsting left, right and centre (yes, I know that angsting isn't a real word, but you get my meaning!). Marc had fallen in love with Hira the first second he saw her, and set about obtaining her, by negotiating with her father. Hira was therefore mistrusting of him, until she began to see the man inside, and then she loved him, but he couldn't love the real her because she was too beautiful...oh wait, I said that already!

There were some touching moments - particularly in relation to the orphaned children that Marc was involved with, but even then there was a need to suspend disbelief in terms of the resolution...although I guess anything is possible if you are rich enough. I did also respect the fact that Marc gave Hira all the time she needed before the marriage was consummated! He was definitely more developed as a character in my opinion

Singh does know how to write some great dialogue and good scenes, there was just too much insecurity in this one for me! A little bit is fine, but any more than that is too much! It is, however, something that works for other readers! I note from Singh's website that this book was voted "Best Silhouette Desire" for 2005!

Apparently, a couple of the characters who had bit parts in this novel were from an earlier book called Desert Warriors. I will read it eventually, but I think I will be reading the others in Singh's backlist before I get to that one!

So while this wasn't a great read for me, it certainly wasn't completely terrible.

Rating 3/5

Is it too early to start queuing now?

Paullina Simons is coming to Australia in November! Wooo-hoooo! And her visit is being timed to coincide with the release of her new book, Road to Paradise!

For more details, visit her website

Celluloid

This week's Booking Through Thursday question.

1. In your opinion, what is the best translation of a book to a movie?
2. The worst?
3. Had you read the book before seeing the movie, and did that make a difference? (Personally, all other things being equal, I usually prefer whichever I was introduced to first.)

And, by all means, expand this to as long a list as you like. I’m notoriously awful myself at narrowing down to one favorite ANYTHING. So, feel free to list as many “good” or “bad” movie-from-books as you like. (Heaven knows that’s what I’ll be doing….)

To be honest, I am probably the worst person to try and answer these questions, because I watch movies so rarely these days!

I do, however, know that I prefer to read the book before I see the movie!

Book Quiz

Saw this over at 3M's blog and thought I would have a go!

You're The Poisonwood Bible!

by Barbara Kingsolver

Deeply rooted in a religious background, you have since become both
isolated and schizophrenic. You were naively sure that your actions would help people,
but of course they were resistant to your message and ultimately disaster ensued. Since
you can see so many sides of the same issue, you are both wise beyond your years and
tied to worthless perspectives. If you were a type of waffle, it would be
Belgian.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Not sure that I agree with the description...but I did like the book! LOL!!

Historical Tapestry - something new and exciting!

I am so excited to announce that I am now part of a group blog called Historical Tapestry, along with four other people:



Ana from Aneca's World

Kailana from Kailana's Written World

Stephanie from Stephanie's Confessions-of-a-Bookaholic

Louise, who used to have a blog for a while, but currently doesn't have one!



The plan is that Historical Tapestry is going to focus specifically on Historical Fiction of all eras, including Historical Fantasy. Hopefully with a good group of people we will get an interesting mix of different eras and subject matter including our different countries. We are also hoping to have a mix of Author Spotlights, book reviews and general info on the Historical Fiction that we like to read.

I am very excited that this is now off the ground, and hope you will drop by and have a look at:

Historical Tapestry

One Night with a Prince by Sabrina Jeffries

Continuing her irresistible Royal Brotherhood Series, bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries introduces the third of three half-noble half brothers — the brashest rogue in all of London.

Proper Lady Christabel, the Marchioness of Haversham, is desperate to regain some letters that could destroy her — so desperate that she pretends to be the mistress of notorious gaming-club owner Gavin Byrne to accompany him to a scandalous house party where she can reclaim them. But when she agreed to let Byrne coach her on how a true mistress behaves, she never suspected how very...persuasive his wicked lessons would be.

Gavin is secretly determined to find the letters himself and use them for revenge against the noble sire who abandoned him to grow up in London's worst slums. He's also delighted at how very successful his "mistress lessons" are: it won't be long before the luscious young widow is in his bed. But when Christabel catches Gavin in his own seductive net, he faces a difficult choice: to wreak the vengeance he's planned all his life, or to protect the woman he may — to his own astonishment — need more than revenge.

And we get to the final book in the Royal Brotherhood series. I hadn't read any Sabrina Jeffries before I started reading this series.

This book was definitely a better entry in the series than the last one, In the Princes Bed, which I thought was pretty average.

I do tend to enjoy the mistress at a house party plot, and have enjoyed several over the last couple of years. In this book the chemistry between Christabel and Gavin is palpable - they fight, and they love, Gavin reveals more of himself to her than he has to any of his previous mistresses and Christabel learns to love as well.

The whole searching for letters thing was possible a little overdone, as were the gambling reference, but the final scenes were definitely suspenseful and well written.

Whilst I did like the three books in this trilogy, I am not yet completely enamoured with them! I liked them enough to start reading another series from her, and to see how they go!

Rating: 4/5

Wordpress help

Never mind! We'll stick with Blogger which is what we know!





At the moment, I am trying to figure out how to get a new theme onto a wordpress blog, not because I really have one at the moment, but rather that I might be getting one soon (still working out the details on this, but you will know about it when it is all worked out!). I can't work out though how it is you upload a new theme. On Blogger I know that you copy and paste into the Template page, but I can't see anything similar anywhere on Wordpress.

Can anyone help?

It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Meet Our Hero ...
Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past .. and the key to his future. The problem is -- it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet Our Heroine ...
All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her -- something charming and vexing -- that grabs him and won't quite let go ...

Meet Poor Mr. Mozart ...
Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual -- and annually discordant -- Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other ... and that there is nothing as simple -- or as complicated -- as a single, perfect kiss.

This is the seventh entry in the long running Bridgerton series that I have been slowly working my way through, following on from When He Was Wicked. Once again, the style returns to the tones that were prevalent during the early parts of the series - somewhat light and frothy but still with really good dialogue and intensity between the characters. I really loved Hyacinth and Gareth together, and the fact that Gareth is Lady Danbury's grandson was an added bonus as it meant that we got to see plenty of the crotchety old dragon!

Gareth was great! I really liked him. Hyacinth was good too, but for me this novel really was about him. The fact that he was trying to make his own way without relying on his very hostile father, but still knew not to take himself seriously was fantastic!

If there was any note that was a bit discordant, it was that the sneaking around that took place with Hyacinth and Gareth trying to get into his father's house to try and locate a mysterious treasure from his mother's side of the family was a bit much. The other thing that threw me a little was when Gareth was goaded into proposing to Hyacinth. I definitely understood her concerns.

With just one more book in the Bridgerton series (not counting the two Lady Whistledown anthology spin-offs), I will definitely be sad to say goodbye to this family!

Rating 4/5

Chill Factor by Rachel Caine

In Rachel Caine's Ill Wind and Heat Stroke, Weather Warden extraordinaire Joanne Baldwin, who protects the human race from monster storms, was killed, reborn as a Dijinn, and then restored to her original form. She's been through a lot - and stuck her neck out many times - to save innocent lives. Now she's rolling the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid from destroying the world....

A teenager named Kevin has holed up in style at a Vegas hotel with the most powerful Dijinn in the world, planning who knows what kind of mischief. The Wardens' senior leadership is dead, Djinn are disappearing, and a secret society wants to help Joanne destroy Kevin, even if doing so kills her (again). But everybody in Vegas has a game going, and Joanne has to learn the rules fast because the stakes have never been higher - and all hell is about to break loose....

In this one, Joanne finds herself in Las Vegas, location of a terrible event in her past, and it seems that those events are about to come together with current events, leaving Joanne stuck in the middle of a dangerous situation!

Caine is really good at putting her main character into very dangerous situations, and then having to extricate her again. Not only does Joanne have to worry about whether the Wardens are going to catch up with her, and perhaps permanently alter her forever, but there is also a new group who have entered the fray, known as Ma'at, who believe that the Wardens are completely corrupted. Unfortunately they're not exactly on Joanne's side either.

When I read this I quite enjoyed it, but it was so long ago now that I can't say much more than that! I guess the thing is about this series, is that I like it.....but I don't love it! I'm not quite sure what it is that I am waiting to happen, but there's just something that stops the series from being a Must Read Right This Minute kind of series.

I was interested to see exactly where one thing that has happened with Joanne will go in this book, but I'm sure all will be revealed in the next book, which I have sitting here on my shelf ready to go.

Rating 4/5

Great Australian Novel

I was so busy last week that I somehow managed to miss doing BTT but I am back on track with this week's Booking Through Thursday question!

What with yesterday being the Fourth of July and all, I’m feeling a little patriotic, and so have a simple question:

What, in your opinion, is the (mythical) Great American Novel? At least to date. A “classic,” or a current one–either would be fine. Mark Twain? J.D. Salinger? F. Scott Fitzgerald? Stephen King? Laura Ingalls Wilder?

It doesn’t have to be your favorite book, mind you. “Citizen Kane” may be the “best” film, and I concede its merits, but it’s not my favorite. You don’t have to love something to know that it’s good.

Now, I know that not all of you are American–but you can play, too! What I want from you is to know what you consider to the best novel of YOUR country. It might be someone the rest of us haven’t heard of and, frankly, I think we’d all like to get some new authors to read.

This question has had me thinking ever since I read it, and there have been a few different titles that I have thought of. My first thoughts were of books like All the Rivers Run by Nancy Cato that tell stories of early Australia (in this case about life on the paddle steamers that run on the inland river system in Australia), but then if Australian history was going to be my focus then my choice would have to be For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clarke - the story of a convict sent to Australia.

Another good one is A Fortunate Life by AB Facey:

The remarkable story of an 'ordinary' man. Bert Facey's childhood ended when he was eight years old. That was when his grandmother had to send him away to work for his keep. Bert grew up tough in the vast, wild outback of Western Australia. He lived to eighty-seven, and wrote down his extraordinary story for his grandchildren. In spite of its difficulties and sufferings, he always believed he had had 'a fortunate life'.

For other good examples of the battling Aussie spirit, another option would be Ruth Park's classic books that include Harp in the South and A Poor Man's Orange, set in the slum suburbs of Sydney during the Depression. Ruth Park also wrote one of Australia's classic children's stories The Muddle Headed Wombat.

I am sure that there are other books that I should be mentioning but that's a start!

Romance Novel!

I saw this over on the Eloisa James and Julia Quinn message board! Thought it was pretty funny, so now I am sharing it with you all!


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God I love pirate romances! LOL!

Presentation is everything!

Well maybe not everything....but wouldn't it be nice if every time you received a book it came presented like this?



In case you are wondering the book is Mermaid in a Bowl of Tears by Cindy Brandner and there is also a bookmark in there! You can find out more about her work on her website.

Half way done

So, we are basically at the halfway mark in the year, so I thought I would do a quick check of where I am at in comparison to the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year.

My goals for the year were to:

Read 200 books
Read 15 books that I already owned as at 1 January 2007
Read Dorothy Dunnett
Read more Australian Authors (at least 10)
Read shortlists for the Booker and either the Orange Prize or the Pulitzer Prize
Blogging - specifically not getting so far behind on reviews or putting pressure on myself if I do.

So how am I going? Let's just say it isn't pretty!


Read 200 books - actually this one isn't too bad. As at June 30, I had read 98 books, so I am not too far off of where I need to be in order to meet my goal, however, at this point last year I had read 109 books.

Read Dorothy Dunnett - I borrowed the first book in the one of her series. Didn't get to read it though! Does that count?

Read 15 books that I already owned as at 1 January 2007 - Um...well I've read 2, so I might need to work on this one a bit! It's especially a bit of a worry seeing as I have bought more than 15 books in May and June alone!

Read more Australian authors (at least 10) - Surprisingly on target on this one! Maybe I need to go and check my spreadsheet to make sure that I counted right!

Read shortlists for the Booker and either the Orange Prize or the Pulitzer Prize - Well given that the shortlist for the Booker isn't out yet, I am not failing that part yet, but as for the Orange and the Pulitzer...well...I've read both the books that won! I will be reading a couple more of the Orange prize nominations soon...no really, I will be!

Blogging (specifically not getting behind on reviews) - There was this brief moment back in April when I was all caught up. Unfortunately, that wasn't something that I was able to maintain, and I am currently a terrible 22 reviews behind!

So I might be being a bit harsh on myself at this stage to say:




but it isn't that far off!

Busy, busy, busy!

30th June is the end of the financial year here in Australia, and so for me...it's been a busy few weeks, as we have to get ready to close off the old year, and get ready for the new one! Of course that means working on the weekend, so I have barely had time to read anything for ages!

Not only that, but I seem to be reading slower when I do get to read. No idea why, but just seems to be the way it is! Wish I did know why, because I have a gazillion books on my TBR piles at the moment!