Friday Finds

Just before I start my Friday Finds, can I say a big thank you to everyone who helped me with their technical expertise this week. I now have my name on my posts, a lovely blog roll and soon will be joining the world of Google Analytics ( hubby is going to paste the code in for me, as it doesn't like my attempts!). So thank you everyone.

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at You Should Be Reading and you can find it here.

I have so many books that I want. I wish I could show you everyone I have found this week, but this post would go on forever, so I try and limit it to four, but it is so hard. Are you ready for a roller coaster ride through my fantastical find fiesta! Sorry far too many cough candies lately, causing an increase in sugar, resulting in hyper activity.

1) The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.
I kept seeing this book, when I was looking for others in the amazing world known as Amazon.co.uk. It was almost as if the book was following me around. So I checked it out and knew I wanted to read it.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.
Young Gwenni Morgan has a gift. She can fly in her sleep. She's also fond of strawberry whip, detective stories and asking difficult questions. When a neighbor mysteriously vanishes, she resolves to uncover the secret of his disappearance and return him to his children. She truthfully records what she sees and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the real truth? And what will be the consequences - for Gwenni, her family and her community - of finding it out? Gwenni Morgan is an unforgettable creation, and this portrait of life in a small Welsh town on the brink of change in the 1950s is enthralling, moving and utterly real. Mari Strachan's debut is a magical novel that will transport you to another time and place.

Whilst checking out the reviews for this, I found a glowing one from dovegreyreaderscribbles whose blog I just love to read.

2) The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant.
I found this over at Joanna's site It's All About Me. The author actually lives in Joanna's home town. Do pop over to Joanna's site, as she has just announced she is pregnant and it is nice to hear such lovely news.

Here is the blurb for book from Penguin.

On the day Katharina Linden disappears, Pia is the last person to see her alive. Terror is spreading through the town. How could a ten-year-old girl vanish in a place where everybody knows everybody else?
Pia is determined to find out what happened to Katharina.
But then the next girl disappears . . .

Joanna wrote that this was a real page turner and that she found it really scary. I just loved to read books that scare the hell out of me. Can't watch a scary film at all, last one I watched was The Ring and I was still panicking seven days later. Yet give me a scary book and I am just loving it.

3) The Lost Book of Salem by Katherine Howe

I found this over at Gautami's site called Everything distils into reading.

Now you only have to mention, Salem and witch trials to me and I want to read it. I just love reading about Salem and hope to visit there one day.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

While clearing out her grandmother’s cottage for sale, Connie Goodwin finds a parchment inscribed with the name Deliverance Dane. And so begins the hunt to uncover the woman behind the name, a hunt that takes her back to Salem in 1692 . . . and the infamous witchcraft trials. But nothing is entirely as it seems and when Connie unearths the existence of Deliverance’s spell book, the Physick Book, the situation takes on a menacing edge as interested parties reveal their desperation to find this precious artefact at any cost. What secrets does the Physick Book contain? What magic is scrawled across its parchment pages? Connie must race to answer these questions - and reveal the truth about Salem’s women - before an ancient family curse once more fulfils its dark and devastating prophecy . . .

On the Amazon site, it mentioned it had a different title in America. Over there it is called THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE. I think I much prefer the English title!

4) Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Now I am sooo excited about this book. I absolutely loved The Time Traveller's Wife and still rave about it. I am now doing a happy clappy dance in anticipation of the film of the book. So whilst searching for information about the film, details of Audrey's new book came to my attention. It is not released until October in England, so I am going to have a long wait. I just hope it is as good as it's predecessor!

Here is the blurb from Amazon.
Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers - normal, at least, for identical 'mirror' twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cozy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn't know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ...but have no idea that they've been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt's mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins' mother - and who can't even seem to quite leave her flat. With Highgate Cemetery itself a character and echoes of Henry James and Charles Dickens, "Her Fearful Symmetry" is a delicious and deadly twenty-first-century ghost story about Niffenegger's familiar themes of love, loss and identity. It is certain to cement her standing as one of the most singular and remarkable novelists of our time.

I cannot help but look at the cover and panic as to whether my twin girls will still want to dress identically at that age. I think I am gradually weaning them off this unhealthy habit.

Phew! That's me done for another week, I shall now be happily blog hopping to find out what treasures everyone else has found. I am sorry if I gush too much, you know I just love to share what I find with you all. I just wish I could read these books as quickly as I find them.

Tata for now!

Girls In Trucks by Katie Crouch

Pages - 241

Challenges - 100+ books

Published in 2008 by Bloomsbury

ISBN 9780747596981

First line: If you are white, are a girl of boy between the ages of nine and twelve, and according to a certain community of mother, are good enough to associate with Charleston's other good girls and boys, then Wednesday night is a busy night for you.

I think the first thing that attracted me to this book, was the title. It is such a mad title and I was imagining all these beautiful, eloquent ladies dressed with wellies, dragging on a cigarette and jumping into big trucks.

This book was definitely not what I thought it would be about and didn't really fit the description given about it.

This is the story of Sarah Waters, a debutante of the Camellia Society who would spend every Wednesday evening at the dancing school, learning the intricate rules of old fashioned southern gentility and learning dances such as the cha cha. Basically being trained in the fine and dated art of being a lady.

From this information alone, I was under the impression that this was a big part of the story. I imagined the debutante part being the main body of the book. In actual fact, this barely covered a chapter and what the book actually did was follow the lives of Sarah and her three friends through the next twenty years of their lives. The book spent a couple of chapters in the South, with descriptions that were believable and than spent the rest of the time in New York, which, from the descriptions, gave me the impression the author had never actually been there.

I understand that you needed to see the debutante part, as these young ladies were being groomed for a successful marriage, out of which only one achieved this. Sarah's life went in a completely opposite direction, involving an abusive partner, drugs and alcohol, before she found her way home to a Southern gentleman. I really felt that the blurb did not match the story at all. I was really expecting a look at teenagers during their debutante years and I felt a little like I had been misled. Have you felt that before? Have you been misled by the blurb on the book, to find that what you are reading doesn't actually fit with the description?

I enjoyed parts of the story, it was good to see Sarah's progression and for her to finally realise that in fact their is no place like home and that all her past failures were actually leading her on a path to where she started.

The first chapter of the book was strong and you felt like you had a real feel of where the book was going, after that it just went downhill. The first chapter became irrelevant, to the rest of the book discussing Sarah's nasty cousin, who was dead and buried by the end of the first chapter and never mentioned about again. The next few chapters seemed to jump within a time line that was not apparent and it had no real reason to do so. One chapter told the story of a character from the book in third person, as to whom that character is, I really haven't a clue! It took awhile for me to work out what the book was actually about, but eventually I realised that basically it was telling us that life just doesn't always turn out the way we want it to and that no amount of training in etiquette will provide you with a successful marriage and a fulfilled life. You felt that it was saying that the debutante way of life, no longer fitted in with modern society. It was supposed to be funny and heartwarming, unfortunately I found it sad and it left me with a feeling of emptiness.

This book reminded me a little of a film I used to love watching in the early 80's. Does anyone remember the film Shag, with Bridget Fonda and Phoebe Cates, as members of a young group of debutantes who fall onto the wide side for a bit before graduation, well this seems to have been what happened to the girls after graduation. Within the book, only Bitsy marries the way she is supposed to, by marrying a wealthy older man. Although her marriage is not all that it seems and it soon becomes apparent that her husband is not as faithful as he should be.

This book is really about life and realising that it does not always turn out the way you would like it to, but it might eventually just turn out better. An interesting read, which shows you real life and real situations that we all have to overcome at some point in our lives. It was OK, but I don't know if I would rush to read another by this author.

Other reviews on this book

Lost in Books

Chick LitSuite101

Google Analytics and The Random Reading Challenge

In need of some technical advice today, so I thought I would pick the brains of all my very intelligent and knowledgeable book buddy friends ( is that grovelling enough to get you to help me?). I have discovered Google Analytics, but I am buggered if I know how to use it. I registered, put my address in and everything, then it asked me to put a tracking code in, but I really don't understand where to put the tracking code. Do I put it before every post, do I put it somewhere within my layout or perhaps my setting? Where, where, where, I cry in desperation as I attempt to pull my hair out.

I really want to be able to see what goes on with my blog, when I am not around. I love to get comments, as we all do, but I know that other people do visit and it would be nice to get an idea of what posts are more popular than others.

So if you could possibly explain it to me, in dummy English, I would be much appreciated.

I have to say a big thank you to Nymeth who helped me to add my lovely blog roll to my blog. I think it looks fabulous and I couldn't have done it without her help.

Also, another begging offer of your expertise, I would like to put my name in fancy writing on the bottom of each post, but I just haven't got a clue how to do that either. I just want to make my blog look pretty and to put my real name, which is Vivienne, instead of Scrap girl. Scrap girl is left over from a scrapping blog I was going to originally set up and I can't get rid of it now. I don't mind being called Scrap girl, but I want to put my own name in fancy writing too.

Thank you in anticipation of all your help, you are such lovely people I am sure you won't mind giving me a wee hand.

Grovel, grovel, grovel!!!!

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I am going to join yet another challenge this week as I just can't resist it.

This one is organised by Wendy at Caribousmum and is called The Random Reading Challenge.

Here is the information straight from Wendy's site as I think she explains it better than me.

August 1, 2009 - July 31, 2010
Are you stuck in a rut? Do you always find yourself reading from set lists or feeling committed to reading one book while another book screams at you from your TBR mountain? Has your reading become completely scheduled? If so, the Random Reading Challenge may be just the thing to put the spontaneity back into your reading.
For this challenge, readers will be choosing books randomly from their TBR stacks. You may select one of three levels of participation:
Level I:
You are just a tad compulsive about your reading - you love your lists and schedules. Being spontaneous is not something that comes naturally to you. To complete the challenge, force yourself out of your rut and read just six books.
Level II:
You really want to break away from all those lists, but you do still have a responsibility to your reading groups, other challenges and all those review books. Six books is too little, but twelve is too much. Stretch a little and read nine books for the challenge.
Level III:
Throw away the lists, don’t look at your schedule, bring on the joy that comes with the freedom to chose books randomly. Read twelve books for the challenge.
Rules (come on, you didn’t think I would be THAT random did you?!?!?):
NO lists allowed. Books for the challenge are chosen one at a time when the mood strikes.
Sign up at any time during the challenge period using Mr. Linky below. Please give me a direct link to your blog post about the challenge. If you do not have a blog, no worries. Simply enter your name and leave the URL box on Mr. Linky blank.
Book reviews are not required, but if you want to write a review I will be providing a review Mr. Linky after August 1st.
Books are selected one at a time using the following procedure:
Randomly select any number of books from either your physical OR your virtual TBR pile (I don’t care how you do this, but it must be random…no “cherry picking” allowed)
Assign a number to each book based on how many books you selected (ie: if you selected 14 books, assign each book a number from 1 through 14; if you selected 28 books, assign each book a number from 1 through 28…you get the idea)
Go to THIS SITE and use the TRUE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR located in the upper right hand corner of the page to randomly select the book you will read. NO CHEATING - whatever the random number generator generates is the book you must read!
Each time you select a book for the challenge, you will use this procedure. You many select different books each time, choose a different amount of books each time, etc…have fun, mix it up, keep it random.
I have decided to draw names for at least one prize during the challenge period (I may do more, but I haven’t decided yet). I will be drawing names from the sign up Mr. Linky and I will announce it on my blog - so if you don’t have a blog link in Mr. Linky and are not subscribed to my blog and have no interest in checking back here…then leave me a comment with a way to contact you if I draw your name.
Ready to get random!??!? Challenge begins August 1st!

Doesn't that sound good, I like the idea of randomness, so I am going for the Level 3 (12 books!).

If you want to join in, then click on Caribousmom under the cat picture.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris/ Another Challenge

Pages - 326

Challenges - Southern Reading Challenge and 100+ books.

First published in Great Britain in 2004.

I have seen the Sookie Stackhouse books speeding their way around the blogging world and everyone taking part in the Sookie Stackhouse challenge, I had to see what everyone was enjoying without me.

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in a small town in Louisiana. She is sweet, kind and often thought to be a little kooky. Well she is definitely kooky and with good reason, she has a natural ability to read people's minds, which she sees as a disability and basically tries to keep herself to herself in order to keep out of people's minds. Life runs smoothly and slowly, until Bill turns up . He is tall, dark and handsome and Sookie has finally found someone whose mind she can't read. However, there is one tiny flaw with Bill that might make a relationship difficult - he is a vampire! When women start getting murdered in Bon Temps after Bill's arrival, all fingers are pointing at him. Sookie panics about her relationship and searches to find out who the real murderer is!

I did enjoy reading this, which quite surprised me as I really didn't think I would. I loved Sookie, she went from being the shy, retiring young Southern style girl, to a feisty Vampire loving, butt kicking girl who manages to catch the murderer.

I love the Southern style of the book, it made me even more desperate to visit New Orleans and actually experience some Southern hospitality. I have always imagined living in one of those houses they often show with the porch running all the way around the house and a swinging chair to sit on and listen to the cicadas.

There is a lot of violence in the book and a certain amount of sexual content, but not enough to make me blush! I was surprised that some main characters were actually killed off quite early in the book, but it was definitely the right move for the plot.

Bill, is a more manly Vampire than young Edward from Twilight and with his century old Southern ways, you just can't help but love him. He is strong, more dangerous and will kill in order to protect Sookie. Their relationship builds steadily through the book, even though they both know a future together would be difficult.

There are a few surprises in the book, which I won't give away. All I can say is that some of the characters are really not what they seem.

So on the whole, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely continue reading the series.

These books have been made into a TV show called 'True Blood' starring the lovely Anna Paquin as Sookie which is presently showing on FX on a Friday night. I wasn't going to be tempted by it, but after reading the book, I want to see the characters in a real setting.

After the hype concerning this series, I struggled to find many reviews of this book, so if you have read it and reviewed it, let me know and I will add it to this one.

Other reviews for this book

The Eclectic Reader

I'm Booking It

Melissa's Bookshelf

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On another note, I noticed my challenges were quickly disappearing and you know me, I do love a good challenge. Well I have found one that really takes my fancy.

This one is called Reliquiae Challenge and is the Challenge from Beyond.

Here are the challenge details as written by Ana O on the Challenge's own blog. I can say it better than she has, so I will let her say it in her own words.

We’ve been roaming for quite some time in a world owned by vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches and all sorts of fantastical beings, and the inevitable has happened, we’ve been bitten. We can’t seem to stop ourselves trying out new authors, drooling over gorgeous covers, adding series to our wish lists and watching out for new releases. It’s almost like a disease, though it only gets worse!
So setting out to find if there are any ailing souls like us out there we’ve decided to host a new challenge, and thus Reliquiae was born. Please come join us on this journey, grab your sunglasses, don’t forget your broom and spell book, be sure to pack some nourishment and you can even bring your black cat along. But beware, you’re not coming back!

Rules:
1. Challenge runs from July 15th 2009 to January 15th 2010.
2. Choose the number of books you want to read by selecting one of the reading levels we’ve proposed (see below).
3. Books must fall under one, two or all of the categories we’ve proposed depending on the number of books you wish to read (see above).
4. Sign up by using Mr. Linky (see bottom of post).
5. Share your reviews with us by leaving your link with Mr. Linky on the appropriate post.
Levels:

Bite on the Neck: 3 books.
Flying Cauldron: 4 books.
Deadly Red Moon: 5 books.
Haunted Nights: 6 books.

Categories:
Vampires
Witches
Ghosts
Shapeshifters
Fairies
Elfs

Now you know I love all these categories, so I am thinking it will be easy to read six books by December, so that is what I shall go for.

If you want to join in, please go here and add your link.

Monday Mailbox and Library Loot

Monday Mail is hosted by by Marcia at the Printed Page and you will find her blog here.

I did not actually get any through the post today, but I did pick up these four from the charity shop.

As you can see I have picked up three books by A.S. Byatt. After reading about how good Possession is, I just had to buy it. Whilst I was in the shop I noticed these other two by A.S. Byatt too. I think someone one must have been having a clear out.

Possession is described as 'an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once a literary detective novel and a triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars investigating the lives of two Victorian poets.Following a trail of letters, journals and poems they uncover a web of passion, deceit and tragedy, and their quest becomes a battle against time. '

The Virgin In The Garden is the first one in a quartet of books. It is said to be 'set in the 1950s and cleverly evokes life in suburban northern England. The Potters are a fairly horrific family - bullying father, subservient mother, obnoxious Frederica and troubled Marcus. '

The Shadow Of the Sun was A.S. Byatt's debut novel about a troubled, sensitive seventeen-year-old called Anna Severell, who struggles to discover and develop her own personality in the shadow of her father, a renowned novelist.

I also bought The Palace of Strange Girls by Sally Day. This was the Sainsbury's Book of the Month back in February and I have wanted it since then. It is the story of a family's week long holiday in Blackpool in the late 1950's. I am really looking forward to reading it.

I also ventured into the library this week and actually got chucked out. I hear you gasp in horror, but they did ask me nicely to leave as they were closing. Luckily, I had collected some goodies before I left.
1) Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeiffer - a big hit in the book blogging world, about teenagers dealing with an imminent end of the world scenario.

2) Magyk by Angie Sage - this is the second time I have had this out from the library - hope to actually read it this time.

3) Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout, originally shortlisted for the Orange Prize, another book that is making the rounds of the book blogging world.

4)The Spellbound Hotel by Tom Eglinton - I nearly bought this last week, as I just loved the cover and it is a children's book involving ghosts!

5)The Shack by WM Paul Young - I have been meaning to read this since Christmas when it came out.

6) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. I know a lot of people are presently reading Shanghai Girls, but I thought I would start with this one.

So there is my haul, what books did you get this week?

Sunday Salon - holidays are here!

Good morning Sunday Saloners.

I didn't participate last week, due to illness, but this week finds me a lot more relaxed. The girls broke up from school on Wednesday and will now be home for six weeks. So no getting up early and no rushing around like a loony. This is now chill out time. We are going away later in the holidays, so at some point my posts are going to be hit and miss. I also hope to take the girls up to visit my parents for a few days and they have yet to move into the 21st Century where computers are concerned, so no Internet for me. I love to go away, but I begin to dread the absence of the Internet!!!

I thought I would pose a question today for you all. Earlier this week, I mentioned how I had an aversion to certain writers which included Danielle Steel, Catherine Cookson and Maeve Binchy. I have nothing against them, I just felt that their books were not for me. Then a friend lent me a Maeve Binchy one and I absolutely loved it. So I began to wonder why I chose not to read this selection of writers when I had nothing to base my aversion to them on. So I would like to know which writers do you go out of your way to avoid? Which writers do you cringe at, just hearing their names, but have actually never read? A chance for amnesty, folks, let it all out and we won't hold it against you.

Back to my reading week, due to a restful weekend last week, I managed to finish two books last Sunday.

I finished and reviewed.

1)A Lion Called Christian by Bourke and Rendall

2)The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig.

During the week, I finished the following two books which I hope to review this week.

1)Girls in Trucks by Kate Crouch - a Southern style book.

2)Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - a Sookie Stackhouse vampire mystery.

I have now started reading the following two books.

1) Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. A book from the Eighties, which was turned into a television series. It is on the list of 1001 books to read before you die, so it will help me reach the half way point in that challenge. I am over half way through this so hopefully it will be finished today.

2) The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - one I have been desperate to read since it came out a couple of months ago. Set in Salem, which is a place I would definitely like to visit.

So there is my reading week for you. I hope you have had a good reading week too.

Saturday Scrapping

The scrapping has really come to a halt lately, so on Wednesday I started to clear my desk in order to at least start to make a LO and here we are on Saturday and the LO is still a work in progress!

I keep trying to work out why my scrapping mojo has disappeared. I think my photo printer breaking down did not help. I keep forgetting to load photos up onto my memory stick so I can print them off when I go out. Also my paper trimmer might as well go out the window too - it keeps sticking and leaving my pages with that nasty serrated edge look. Also my printer has no ink, so I can't even print anything pretty out. Oh woe is me!! These really are minor irritations that can be fixed, I think there is just too many other things go on.

My rabbit Max, has improved greatly, after nearly three weeks of medicine, but his lump is still there, however it has shrunk to the the size of a marble from the size of half a tennis ball.
Unfortunately my father in law is a lot worse. On Thursday, he was rushed into hospital with pneumonia and we are all praying for him to pull through. Poor hubby is rushing back and forth to Essex a few times a week at the moment and I am worried about how tired and stressed he is with it all.

So I do think I have good reason not to scrap. My mother is urging me on though as I have an album to finish for my aunt. My mother is trying to get me to watch a Rene Zellweger film that is all about scrap booking - anyone know what it is?

At least some scrapping goodies have come my way this week. I bought these lovely stickers from Accessorize.

Look at those lovely cupcakes and sweets. Aren't they fabulous!

I also received these lovely scrap booking bits as part of a gift from the girl's teacher thanking me for my help this year. Deidre has been a lovely teacher and I feel that I have found a really nice friend after spending so much time with her.

She picked up these lovely goodies in the Victoria & Albert museum when we went to London. The ribbon has lots of gems sewn into it and the papers are a range of Japanese prints.

I hope by next week to have finished a scrap page to show you, but don't hold your breath as it is the school holidays here! Have a great day.

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at You Should Be Reading and you can find it here.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

My first book is another find on Nymeth's site Things That Mean A Lot.

Here is a description of the book from Wikipedia.

84 Charing Cross Road is a 1970 non fiction book by Helen Hanff, later made into a stage play and film, about the twenty-year correspondence between her and Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co, antiquarian booksellers located at the eponymous address in London, England.
Hanff, in search of obscure classics and British literature titles she had been unable to find in New York City, noticed an ad in the Saturday Review of Literature and first contacted the shop in 1949, and it fell to Doel to fulfill her requests. In time, a long-distance friendship evolved, not only between the two, but between Hanff and other staff members as well, with an exchange of Christmas packages, birthday gifts, and food parcels to compensate for post-World War II food shortages in England. Their letters included discussions about topics as diverse as the sermons of John Donne, how to make Yorkshire Pudding, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Hanff postponed visiting her English friends until too late; Doel died in December 1968 from peritonitis from a burst appendix, and the bookshop eventually closed. Hanff did finally visit Charing Cross Road and the empty but still standing shop in the summer of 1971, a trip recorded in her 1973 book The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. A circular brass plaque on the building that now stands on the shop's former site acknowledges the story.

I love a book which is made up of a collection of letters. Nymeth also reviewed The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street too, so I think both books will be going on my list.

The Stolen by Jason Pinter

An excerpt from this book came with The Waterstones quarterly magazine. I read it and desperately wanted to read it.

Here is the blurb from Fantastic Fiction.

Five years ago, Daniel Linwood disappeared from his suburban home. Today, he came back. Five years after he disappeared, young Daniel Linwood returned to his suburban home for dinner as though he'd never left. It's a blessing for both his family and their community. And I've snagged the exclusive interview. But it turns out Daniel is just one of a string of abducted children who have mysteriously returned to their families with no memory of their lost years. Some people want me to leave it be. Some want me to simply let the healing process begin. But these wounds are deeper than anyone realizes. To get the story on these bizarre kidnappings, I need the help of the one woman who owes me nothing. I've got to find answers before another life is snatched away from sight and time and memory. But doing so means we could be the next ones to go...

On the Fantastic Fiction site, it mentions that this is the third book about Henry Parker, however from what I read and the way Waterstones are advertising it, it looks like it can be read on its own.


Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda.

This book is based on the lives of the Knights Templar, who featured rather heavily in Dan Brown's book, The DaVinci Code.

I found this over at Carrie's YA site.

Fifteen-year-old Billi SanGreal never meant to make history. Dragged at the age of ten into the modern-day Knights Templar by her father, the Grandmaster, Billi's the first girl ever to be a Templar warrior. Her life is a rigorous and brutal round of weapons' practice, demon killing and occult lore - and a lot of bruises. But then temptation is placed in Billi's path - an alternative to her isolated life. But temptation brings consequences. In this case - the tenth plague - the death of all first borns and so Billi must choose her destiny. And as she soon discovers, death isn't even the worst . . .


The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

Don't you just love this cover?

I found this whilst browsing Amazon and fell in love with it.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Strange things are happening on the remote and snowbound archipelago of St Hauda's Land. Unusual winged creatures flit around icy bogland; albino animals hide themselves in the snow-glazed woods; jellyfish glow in the ocean's depths...And Ida MacLaird is slowly turning into glass. A mysterious and frightening alchemical metamorphosis has befallen Ida Maclaird - she is slowly turning into glass, from the feet up. She returns to St Hauda's Land, where she believes the glass first took hold, in search of a cure. Midas Crook is a young loner, who has lived on the islands his entire life. When he meets Ida, something about her sad, defiant spirit pierces his emotional defenses. As Midas helps Ida come to terms with her affliction, she gradually unpicks the knots of his heart, and they begin to fall in love...What they need most is time - and time is slipping away fast. Will they find a way to stave off the spread of the glass?

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler.

I couldn't resist this one, as anyone who knows me, knows that I have a love for all things cupcake. I found this over at Carrie's YA blog.

Here is the blurb from Fantastic Fiction.

When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny's life isn't what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn't talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there's Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog's Hollow - like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again

So they are my finds this week, that I really look forward to finding and reading. What did you find?

The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zwieg

Pages - 254

Challenges - 100+ authors.

Written in the 1930's. Originally published in 1982, translated to English and republished in 2009

This book is the story of Christina, a young girl living in Austria just after World War One. Austria is in a state of collapse, their is no money and unemployment is at an all time high. Christine can vaguely remember what life was like before the war, now her life is hard, as she works in the post office all day and takes care of her sick mother all night, with barely enough money to feed them both.

As if by magic, a telegram arrives from her mother's sister, who is now a very rich American wife of a tycoon. She invites Christine to join her and her husband at an exclusive resort in the Swiss Alps. Christine immediately departs and becomes caught up in a world of luxury, inconceivable wealth and desire. She is taken over by a world she never actually believed existed and before long thoughts of home are forgotten. As she spends her days, flitting from one social occasion to another, she is unaware of the jealousy of the people she has befriended and without warning she is thrust back into her old life, as her aunt drops her without any explanation. Christine returns to her old life, but nothing can ever be the same, after experiencing so much in a short space of time. Christine is angry with everything and everyone and must come to terms with her life following a meaningless path.

When you read reviews concerning this book, they often mention the likeness to the story of Cinderella. Christine is taken away from her life of drudgery and given a fairytale existence. However, unlike Cinderella, Christine is sent back to her old life, where as Cinderella marries the prince and lives happily ever after.

I found this book a beautiful read, the descriptions were so detailed and full of imagery that you felt you could see it all with your own eyes. Here are just a couple of examples of Christine's description of the changes occuring in her life.

Where am I? Her eyes grope upward. What has happened to me? Instead of the slanting, smoke-stained, cobweb-grey attic ceiling with the brown wooden beams, a blue-white ceiling, clean and rectilinear with gilt molding, floats above her.

She looks at her hands which are lying not on the brown, patched old camel hair blanket but on a light, fluffy, blue one embroidered with reddish flowers.

Every thing is described in detail about her surroundings and the people she meets with. Even the food she eats, is described with mouth watering detail.

The book is set in two parts. The first part reminds me of Dirty Dancing (how on earth did I go from post World War One to Patrick Swayze, I really don't know!!) - the scenes on Kellerman's mountain. If you have seen the film, you will remember how everyone spent their time together, joining different activities and classes as well as eating together, almost like a posh holiday camp, well that is the impression I got of the hotel in Swiss Alps. Everyone would go out together during the day and also eat and dance the evening away together. It sounded fun, yet a little claustrophobic. Christine loved spending time with these wonderful people, completely unaware of the rumours they would eventually spread.

The second part of the book is very dark. You almost go from brightness and fun in the first part, to darkness and despair in the second. I found this second part hard going and very depressing as you felt so sorry for Christine. It is better not to have experienced a wonderful life, than experience it and lose it all again. Christine became almost suicidal, unable to bear the return to her old life.

From what I have read about Stefan Zwieg, I get the impression that the story line in this book carried a lot of similarities to his own life. The original manuscript was completed in the 1930's during a time when Zweig and his family were driven out of their homelands, into exile by the Nazis. In 1942, he committed suicide in a pact with his wife and eventually the manuscript was found amongst his papers. After reading a review in the Telegraph, I noted that a lot of readers felt it did shed light on the last few months of his life, portraying the life crushing poverty of the post war years that deeply affected him, enough to make him take his own life.

A truly enjoyable book full of darkness and light. Compassionate towards the people who suffered during the war, you cannot help but be moved and come away feeling immensely grateful for the life you lead now. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fiction based around World War One. I found it fascinating, to immerse myself in a world I have never witnessed.

Here are some other reviews of this book.

Dovegrey Reader Scribbles

A Lion Called Christian by Bourke and Rendall

Pages 188,


Published by Bantam Books in 2009. First published in 1971.


In 2008, YouTube showed a film clip that became an international phenomenon. It showed a very emotional reunion of two young Australian men and their pet lion Christian, a year after they had transported him to Africa to be reintroduced to his natural habit by Born Free's George Adamson.


Anthony Bourke and John Rendall had originally bought Christian from Harrods in 1969, before any laws were brought in to stop exotic animals being bought and sold in that way. They took him home and he lived in their basement for the first few months of his life. He began to grow fast and soon became to big for living in a flat.


A chance meeting with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers altered Christian's life for ever. Rather than being put in a zoo, he was taken to live in Kenya and with other lions previously kept in captivity, Adamson helped the new pride develop and learn to live as lions should.


For the next two years, Rendall and Bourke returned to Kenya to see how Christian was adjusting to his new life. Christian showed them that he had not forgotten them and even though he had his own life as the head of the pride, he treated them to the same loving affection he had always shown them as a cub.


This is the most beautiful book I have ever read. This has just become my Number 1 book of the year. I was so taken with the life of Christian and his transportation to Kenya ( an event that took place before I was even out of nappies).


Christian became a star and his life had a huge impact on the way that lions and other exotic animals are treated today. He was the reason that Kora became a National Park in Kenya and still nearly forty years after it is helping animals to readjust to their natural habitat, after captivity. His story became an international phenomenon, allowing George Adamson to continue his research and rehabilitation of lions for over 19 years until his own untimely death. Christian's life had real meaning and purpose and shows us how intelligent animals actually are.

The book has beautiful photos to help document Christian's life in Kings Road and his transportation to Kenya. You cannot help but fall in love with such a beautiful majestic creature.

You can tell that the decision to buy Christian from Harrods altered the lives of the two Australians for ever. They both became involved in the conservation of animals.

The only thing that bothered me about Christian's life was that eventually they lost track of him. His visits back to the camp run by George Adamson became few and far between and then stopped altogether. So Christian's final years are unknown. With today's modern technology, they would have been able to keep a track of his whereabouts and been able to follow his life from a respectable distance. I just feel sad that Christian, whose life has become so well known, was not monitored in the same way. Though from the book, George Adamson was convinced that Christian had left a legacy as he had mated with a few of the female lions in the surrounding area.

If you don't believe my gushings over this book, then I suggest you head to my starting point The Youtube video. If you are not moved by the video to want to read this book, then I will be really surprised. I have to keep going back to look at it, the affection shown by such an animal is just amazing.

I have to say thank you to Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea, as if she had not reviewed it, I would not have had the joy of reading such an uplifting book.

Other reviews of this book.

Bibliophile by the Sea

I'm Back!

Did you miss me? I most certainly missed you guys!

Thank you for all your lovely comments. I am feeling a lot better now. I spent the weekend resting and managed to finish two books, so yay me!

I have to do a post soon of all the lovely awards I have won from some fantastic blogs. I really appreciate them and I often forget to publish them, so I will try and be more organised and show them soon.

Family life is still stressful, as hubby's dad is constantly on our minds and our rabbit Max is still not quite out of the woods. Also my girls are really giving me a hard time at the moment. They tend to argue quite a lot, which I am told is normal for twins.

I realised over the weekend that I managed to complete two challenges last week.

I finished Trish's Non Fiction Five challenge and the In Their Shoes challenge. I really enjoyed reading the non fiction books and have found I really enjoy travel journals. Here are my five non fiction books.

1)Bad Blood by Lorna Sage
2)Cinnamon City by Miranda Innes
3)The Funny Thing is.. by Ellen Degeneres
4)Waiting on Manana by Miranda Innes
5)Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne

Here are my In Their Shoes challenge books.

) Stori Telling by Tori Spelling
2) Dear Fatty by Dawn French
3)Bad Blood by Lorna Sage
4) Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne

Out of all of these books, I would have to say the two by Miranda Innes were definitely my favourite ones, as her books kept me entertained all the way through. I know I have said it several times before, but you really need to read these! I am not on commission, so don't worry, I just like to see good books read a wider audience.

Over the last week, a friend of mine lent me a Maeve Binchy book for my letter Q on my A to Z titles. Now I have always been a bit dubious about Maeve Binchy, I wrongly classified her as a writer I did not want to read, along with Danielle Steel and Catherine Cookson which are two writers that have never really grabbed my attention. Not that they are not good authors, as they are and they sell millions of books, they just weren't for me. So with trepidation, I started reading Quentins and found I could not put the book down!! It was absolutely fabulous.

The story revolved around the restaurant Quentins, which is about to be the focus of a documentary. The book delves in and out of the lives of the restaurant staff and the filmmakers and you get a real feel for the place. I loved the characters, they all had interesting aspects to their personalities. I love the feel of the restaurant, it was the kind I would love to own. This book was just brilliant, so brilliant in fact,that when I noticed Tara Road by Maeve Binchy on sale in the charity shop, I just had to buy it. Tara Road has some of the characters from Quentins in.

I found Maeve Binchy reminded me of Debbie Macomber quite a lot, as they both write about real life and breathe life into their characters.

So I have learnt not to have prejudices about any writer in the future that I have not actually read. I will not turn my nose up until I have actually read one of their books. I shall gently slap my hand at showing such bad behaviour. So you can remind me of this later in the year, but I will now challenge myself to read a Danielle Steel and a Catherine Cookson book by the end of the year. If I don't, you can all sent me abusive comments!

Is there any authors that you choose not to read just because you believe they are just not for you? Have you actually read the authors you sometimes turn your nose up?

Weekend Blogging Break!

Just to let you all know I am going to take a couple of days off. I hope to be blogging on Tuesday.

I had a really nasty asthma attack yesterday that has left me feeling quite weak. Hubby thinks it is due to stress and we seem to have a lot of that in our family at the moment. So I am going to take a couple of days to just chill and get my energy levels back up.

I will try and catch up with as many of your blogs as I can over the next couple of days.

Have a good weekend.

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at You Should Be Reading and you can find it here.

My first two finds through the blogging world can be totally blamed on Nymeth over at Things That Mean A Lot. Nymeth was looking into Victorian novels and came up with a list of new books to add to my list. This one is one of my favourites and I am waiting to pick it up from the library.

Angelica by Arthur Phillips.
Here is the blurb from Amazon.
The novel opens in London, in the 1880s, with the Barton household on the brink of collapse. Mother, father, and daughter provoke one another, consciously and unconsciously, and a horrifying crisis is triggered. As the family’s tragedy is told several times from different perspectives, events are recast and sympathies shift. In the dark of night, a chilling sexual spectre is making its way through the house, hovering over the sleeping girl and terrorizing her fragile mother. Are these visions real, or is there something more sinister, and more human, to fear? A spiritualist is summoned to cleanse the place of its terrors, but with her arrival the complexities of motive and desire only multiply. The mother’s failing health and the father’s many secrets fuel the growing conflicts, while the daughter flirts dangerously with truth and fantasy.While Angelica is reminiscent of such classic horror tales as The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House, it is also a thoroughly modern exploration of identity, reality, and love. Set at the dawn of psychoanalysis and the peak of spiritualism’s acceptance, Angelica is also an evocative historical novel that explores the timeless human hunger for certainty.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

Nymeth mentioned this book as being similar to I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith, which happens to be one of my favourite books. So now I am desperate to read it.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.
Winner of the 1933 Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Cold Comfort Farm is a witty, irreverent parody of the works of Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence.
Flora Poste, left an orphan at the end of her "expensive, athletic, and prolonged" education, sets off for her relatives at Cold Comfort Farm, despite dire warnings of doom and damnation. Once there she encounters Seth, full of rampant sexuality; Elfine, who flits in and out in a cloak that is decidedly the wrong color; Meriam, the hired girl who gets pregnant every year when the "sukebind is in bloom;" and Aunt Ada Doom, the aging, reclusive matriarch who once "saw something nasty in the woodshed." Flora decides to "tidy up life at Cold Comfort Farm." Mocking Hardy's and Lawrence's melodrama, sensuality, and use of symbolism, Stella Gibbons has Flora, with her no-nonsense attitude, give Elfine a good haircut, teach Meriam some elementary lessons in birth control and send various morose, rural relatives off to happier fates.


Here is the first of my Young Adult choices this week.

The Hate List by Jennifer Browne

This was read and reviewed over at Carrie's YA this week.

Here is the blurb.
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.



Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon

This was read and reviewed by Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea this week.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.

Henry, Tess, Winnie, and Suz banded together in college to form a group they called the Compassionate Dismantlers. Following the first rule of their manifesto—"To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart"—these daring misfits spend the summer after graduation in a remote cabin in the Vermont woods committing acts of meaningful vandalism and plotting elaborate, often dangerous, pranks. But everything changes when one particularly twisted experiment ends in Suz's death and the others decide to cover it up.
Nearly a decade later, Henry and Tess are living just an hour's drive from the old cabin. Each is desperate to move on from the summer of the Dismantlers, but their guilt isn't ready to let them go. When a victim of their past pranks commits suicide—apparently triggered by a mysterious Dismantler-style postcard—it sets off a chain of eerie events that threatens to engulf Henry, Tess, and their inquisitive nine-year-old daughter, Emma.
Is there someone who wants to reveal their secrets? Is it possible that Suz did not really die—or has she somehow found a way back to seek revenge?
Full of white-knuckle tension with deeply human characters caught in circumstances beyond their control, Jennifer McMahon's gripping story and spine-tingling plot prove that she is a master at weaving the fear of the supernatural with the stark realities of life.

So these are the four books I have found and now want desperately to read this week. Have you read any of these?

Angels In My Hair by Lorna Byrne

Pages 325

Challenges - Non Fiction Five, In Their Shoes and 100+ Books.

Published by Century in 2008

This book is an unusual one. It is an autobiography of Irish woman who has the power to see angels in her everyday life. When she was a child, she was considered to be retarded, as she didn't focus on everything around her. Lorna knew she wasn't retarded, she was just too busy watching the angels and spirits that were around her. For most of her life, she assumed everyone else could see them to.

Lorna tells the story of her life as she grows up in Ireland. Her family are very poor and it takes years for their family life to improve. Lorna then meets the man she knows she will marry, as the angels had already shown her a vision of him. She has also been forewarned that in the later years of her marriage she will look after her husband during years of sickness, until his early death. All through their married life, the couple struggle, yet every time things seem they can't get any worse, Lorna's angels come to her aid.

Within the book, Lorna talks about meeting the prophet Elijah, an Archangel and of also being in the presence of God. She describes the world as full of angels waiting to answer our prayers and wishes, however because so many of us have forgotten them, a lot of angels are redundant. So Lorna is basically asking you to call on your angels to help you with your everyday life.

I am really on the fence over this book. My friend who recommended it to me, said I would come away feeling uplifted and that it would alter my view on life. I can honestly say, it really didn't do that for me. Unfortunately I found myself slightly skeptical of the whole thing. I am a person who believes in what she can see, if I can't see it or justify it, then I have a lot of trouble believing. I would love to believe that we are surrounded by angels, waiting to answer our every prayer, I am just not sure.

I have read a lot of books on cosmic ordering and also all the books by Gill Edwards, who believes life to be full of magic and if you ask for something,you will get it eventually, so I have believed for a long time that you create your own reality by asking for the things you want and positively believing you will receive them. From this book, I felt that you could have what you wanted, but you would have to suffer a great deal in order to receive it. Lorna's life comes across as miserable and desperate, she struggles throughout her life and for her suffering she is allowed to communicate with angels and spirits. I know that the angels came through for her at the end, but they really allowed her to hit rock bottom, before they helped. Imagine getting to Christmas Eve, having no food in the house or presents and praying for a miracle. I would be busting a gut by that point and nearing a stroke! I would love to be able to see for myself if angels exist, but not for the sacrifice of a happy life and my sanity. I am not saying they don't exist, just that really I have no idea.

I also found her description of meeting God, a little hard to swallow. Lorna describes meeting him and Satan as if it were an everyday occurrence and personally I just didn't buy it.

I really wanted this book to have the same effect on me that The Celestine Prophecy had. I loved that book and could completely relate to it, where as this book left me feeling a little despondent. I really wanted to love this book and really wanted to believe, unfortunately it just left me feeling sad. Perhaps I focussed too much on the negative aspects of her life, rather than the positive visions she was witness to, but that is part of who I am, to me the glass is always half empty rather than half full.

I would love to hear from anyone else who may have read it, as I am wondering if it is just my perception of the world that stopped me enjoying it. I believe if you have strong beliefs in your faith and if you are a positive person, then this book would suit you.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington

On Saturday, I took the girls up to London to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. We went with their class teacher and group of other children from their class. The journey was rather stressful both ways, but the rest of it was fabulous.

It has been years since I have been to the V&A , so it was nice to revisit it. I think the last time I visited was with hubby before we were married on Valentines Day.

The Victoria and Albert Museum was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. It is the world's largest museum of decorative arts design and well worth a visit if you are ever in London.

It is free to the public, but they do ask that you consider giving donations to help them purchase more beautiful items for the museum.

Here is a picture of the outside of the building. The entrance is very grand and you just stand there admiring a beautiful building.

A memorial above the entrance of Prince Albert.

This is the entrance to the museum. This is above the reception desk and is an eleven metre high glass chandelier. My photo really doesn't do it justice. I stood under it for ages - just saying wow!

We spent a lot of time looking at the Asia exhibition in there. Where the rooms were divided into subsections. I have never seen so many beautiful artefacts all under one roof. It really is a place, where you spend most of your visit continually saying Wow!

Some of these ornaments were just so unique and so modern considering their age. We only spent the morning there, but I will definitely be returning. I hoped to get some design ideas for my scrap pages, but as we did a tour, I just didn't get to see all the rooms I wanted to.I had hoped to be able to give you details of the items in the pictures, but they are not easy to find on the V&A website. So apologies for my ignorance!

They have an exhibition devoted to the changes is fashion which I really enjoyed. Looking at the period costumes right through to modern couture.

The dress below belonged to Princess Diana and I can actually remember her wearing it. What you notice about the dress up close, is how tall and slim she really was.

This is another picture of a sculpture at the entrance of the building. It is called The Swarm and is one of eight made by Zaha Hadid. It is made up of 16,000 Swarovski crystals suspended on wire. It represents a freeze frame picture of an explosion of insects moving in different directions.

This is from the Cast Court. Below you will see a copy of Trajan's Column, a 1st AD monument. The museum is not big enough to hold the column in one piece, so it has been separated into two parts. You get a real feeling for it's immense size when you stand under it. Definitely awe inspiring.

I have only given you a glimpse of this amazing museum, yet it would take you at least a week to look around it properly and take in all the beautiful items on show. If you are ever in London, then this is a place you should definitely visit.

I hope you enjoyed my mini tour of the V&A. I will definitely be returning.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Pages 390

Challenges - 100+ books.

Published by Sphere in 2008.

This is the story of Chloe Saunders who up until now has been your run of the mill normal teenager. She is struggling with the whole teenage scenario, trying to cope with school, how to make friends and how to get a boyfriend.

Then due to a change in her body, Chloe starts to see ghosts. Not the odd one, but ghosts everywhere and they won't leave Chloe alone. Chloe goes into serious meltdown and finds herself admitted to Lyle House, a home for disturbed children. Whilst there, she encounters other teenagers who also have special abilities. There is Simon, who can perform simple magic spells, Derek, who is exceptionally strong and Rae, who has a thing for fire. Chloe and the other teenagers begin to realise that their stay at Lyle House is not coincidental and they may be danger.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was gripping from the first chapter. It had the air of Heroes about it. All these children have special abilities that have been latent for most of their lives and suddenly these powers are coming to the surface. Definitely a Young Adults version of Heroes, but fabulous with it.

The characters are minimally described, which I don't normally like as I like to be able to picture my characters using the descriptions provided, yet it didn't bother me in this book. The plot driven story had me racing towards the finish line to find out what will happen.

You cannot help but love Chloe, who is under the impression that she is suffering from schizophrenia due to the sudden changes in her abilities. She is not happy that she can now see ghosts and acts in the same way any normal human being would and freaks. Through the book, you watch Chloe grow and become comfortable with her abilities. She learns how to use them to help others.

There is an immaturity about some of the characters in the story, but then I have to remember it is a YA book so that is as it should be. I sometimes forget that these books were not actually written for the 30 something harassed mother of two audience!

There are twists and turns at the end which I really didn't see coming and a real cliffhanger at the ending. Teddyree over at The Eclectic Reader told me to have the second book ready to read when I finished this one and I really wish I had listened to her. I shall now have to put it on order in the library, so that I can find out what happens next. Note to self - listen to other people's advice in future!

It is also a quick and easy thrilling read, where I found myself whizzing through the 390 pages in two evenings. If you love YA and paranormal fantasies, then this is truly a book for you.

Here are some other reviews of The Summoning, if you don't believe me.

Ladybug at Escape In a Book

Teddyree at The Eclectic Reader

Alaine at The Queen of Happy Endings

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday Mailbox

Monday Mail is hosted by by Marcia at the Printed Page and you will find her blog here.

I had a bit of a splurge on new books this week. I don't normally buy brand new unless it is something I desperately want, but as we had such a horrible week last week, I decided to finally spend my book vouchers that I had been given back in April by my brother and his wife.

So hear are my books.

1) The Woods by Harlan Coben - I have read really good reviews about this book and a lot of people have recommended his books to me, so I thought I would give this one a try. It is meant to be a real thriller.

2) Sunday at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet - this one intrigues me. It is about a girl who is friendly with a thirty year old man called Michael, that no one else can see, then when she grows up she runs into him again where he is still only thirty. I keep thinking this has a bit of The Time Travellers Wife in it and I just loved that book. Normally I wouldn't go for James Patterson as I am amazed at the quantity of books he writes a year with the help of other authors. Is there the slightest chance that he is just putting his name to the books to help get them published and the other writer actually wrote them. I may be way off the mark, but James Patterson seems to be writing in a lot of different genres, so how does he do it and produces so many in a year. If he is involved in the complete development of the book, then I apologise now to all his fans, but personally I am struggling to believe it. Anyone else feel that way?

The Host by Stephanie Meyer - I have avoided buying this book for such a long time. Firstly I refused to pay £12 for a paperback, so I have waited patiently for it to reduce in price to £4.49. Secondly I am scared to read it, in case I don't enjoy it. I just loved the Twilight books and I want to love this too, but this is a completely different story in a different genre and I just don't want to be disappointed.

The Glass of Time by Michael Cox - this is another thriller. with lots of dark secrets, deceit, murder and betrayal.

The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkgaard - translated from Danish - yet another thriller set amongst book lovers.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - in hard back!!!
I have wanted to read this for ages, so I am really excited to have got this book.

Well these are the books I bought this week, what came through your mailbox?

Sunday Salon - slow reading week.

Good morning all Sunday Saloners, today you find me just chilling out as it has been a very busy, very exhausting week, both mentally and physically. We have had a very poorly rabbit, who came very close to having to be put down on Monday, but thanks to our wonderful vet, he is now taking medication that hopefully will make him a lot better. We have also had bad news about my father in law, who is seriously ill and we are all praying that his pain eases. Our thoughts are with him now.

Yesterday, the children and I went to London on a school trip with their teacher to the Victoria and Albert museum. A fantastic day was had by all, but I shall tell you more about that on Wednesday. I came back with a really bad headache and sickness and went straight to bed when we got home. I have not long woken up from sleeping for 12 hours!

So with everything going on, my reading has been a bit slow this week. I started off well reading and finishing Waiting on Manana by Miranda Innes, which is a non fiction book about her move to Andulucia and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong which I will be reviewing on Tuesday. Both of these books were fantastic reads and I would definitely recommend them. After these two books, my readin slowed to a couple of chapters here and there.

So today, I am presently working my way through three books and trying to catch up with all the washing and the ironing which is endless.

The three books are as follows:

Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne - this was a recommendation from my friend Cherie, who told me it was one of those life affirming style books. I have to say I am really enjoying it and I will be sad to finish it.

The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig - this is a book I have been desperate to read for months. I discovered it on dovegreyscribbles site a few months ago and I finally managed to get a copy through the library.

Quentins by Maeve Binchy - lent to me by the lovely Alison, to help me with my Q title for the A to Z challenge. I have never really been interested in reading Maeve Binchy but I have to say I am really enjoying it. It reminds me a bit of the Debbie Macomber book I read last month.

I actually haven't got a clue what book I shall be reading next, but it will undoubtedly be a library book as I have so many out at the moment, that I previously ordered and now need to read before someone else orders them. It will teach me not to be greedy when reserving

books!

Have a fabulous Sunday - I will see you tomorrow for Monday Mail.

Saturday Scrapping

Hoorah! I finally got off my lazy butt and did some scrapbooking!

Well I wasn't really lazy, just a bit disorganised with my time.

Anyway, it was scrap club last Saturday and I spent a lovely day with my fabulous scrapping friends and made 3 layouts. I can't tell you how much I enjoy these days and would highly recommend any lonely scrappers to find a club to go to. I get to catch up on all the gossip, have a giggle and usually get 3 to 4 layouts done, which then allows me to come home relaxed and refreshed. Our next scrap club is not until September now, so I am going to have to try and fit some scrapping in during the day and attempt to stay off the computer a bit. Yeah like that is going to happen! Here is a layout of the girls going back quite a few years now, when we went to Disney World our holiday. The picture was taken in Epcot and shows the girl eating Mickey Mouse chocolate ice lollies. My lovely friend Fiona, showed me how to make my plain flowers have a more 3D effect, just by rolling over them with a pen lid whilst laying them on a piece of sponge. What a difference it makes.
I had to show a closeup of this wonderful cupcake paper I bought on Saturday. It is from the DCVW The Sweet Stack and it is full of scrumptious papers with glitter added too. It is just edible!

This second layout is of a picture we took at an aquarium last year in the seal enclosure. I was in the underground part on my own and trying to attract the seals by tracing my fingers over the glass. This lovely seal came up real close and seemed to love to follow my fingers over the glass. It was definitely one of those surreal moments, when you actually felt like the seal could see right into your soul. I will never forget it.

Such beautiful eyes!

This is my last layout to share and shows the whole family at an Art Day at school nearly a year ago. My how time flies. We had to make life size model statues and we ended up completely covered in modroc. It was a fabulous way to spend the day.

I managed to use up these lovely K&Co brads which I have had for over a year, so I was pleased to find a use for them.

So there are my scrap pages for the week, I hope you like them and thanks for stopping by.