Am I Getting Too Old For This?...

 

Well, I think today is the day when I have officially felt too old. 

This sucks. I have been a self-taught computer noodler since the late 1990s, and I have always felt pretty confident in my abilities to noodle around a program and figure things out. Before YouTube was a thing it was a case of trial and error - with some pretty big errors along the way - and once I could Google/YouTube something, I was more content in my ability to figure it out. That was until today...

As you may know, I was considering adding another platform for book reviewing. Just trying something new, where I could just make purely bookish content. I did think about another blogspot page, but I was hoping to expand my scope. That's where WordPress came in. I just saw so may great book bloggers using that site that I thought I'd give it a go - and became immediately lost. This site is not intuitive at all. I got myself turned around more than a few times just trying to figure out whether or not to use the AI generative feature to create a site, swiftly abandoned that, and when I went to try it the old fashioned hands-on way, I felt so frustrated with trying to understand and apply the multitude of different themes, pages, designs, links, etc. that I am honestly considering just deleting the blog and moving on to something a little more my speed. Apparently my speed is blogger :/ 

Honestly, it is truly a humbling experience to be (maybe) defeated by a site that seems to have changed its dashboard/design platform in the few weeks that I've been gone, sulking about my previous attempt. I think I'm going to have to do a deep dive into the basics of WordPress (if I even decide to go back) and I may concentrate on the graphic elements that I want to add to this new blog before embarking in the physical manifestation of my plans. Okay, back off to the keyboard salt mines.

Thanks for keeping me company, and until I see you next time... 

June TBR

Hello, my lovelies!

Well. This feels a bit strange. I haven’t ‘blogged’ in so long that this feels a little weird 😉

I’m running a little bit behind this month, but I thought I’d take a moment to put up my June TBR. After May was a complete disaster on the reading front, Audible has been a great way to ease back into picking up books. I caved and bought the Kindle editions of Swamp Sniper and Swamp Team 3 by Jana DeLeon. These are books 3 and 4 respectively, and I am having so much fun with this light-hearted series. Full of comedy, murder, mystery, and a dash of Southern charm, I would recommend this series to anyone, but if you love Stephanie Plum I think this will appeal to you.

So, with my urge to read kickstarted, I am hoping to get to a few of the books that I neglected in May. I need to catch up on my #aclassicamonth by reading The Picture of Dorian Gray (April), Persuasion (May), and June’s classic which has yet to be decided. On the Stephen King front, I’m hoping to read Different Seasons, or at least one or two of the novellas, plus perhaps dipping my toes into The Talisman. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley - which hid from me for about 6 weeks, don’t ask - is also on my radar because of the upcoming Stan series, and last, but by no means least, I really need to get started on The Count of Monte Cristo. That sucker is over 1,400 pages and I have yet to read one sentence (really wishing I had joined in last years readalong).

 

So, I have officially committed. It is here for everyone to see, and will hopefully motivate me to get threw all these books.  If I get the time to film and edit a TBR video I’ll link it above, and I have plans to film and upload a few videos this week, including a ‘Meet Earl Grey’ update.

Anyway, that’s all for the moment. I hope you’re having a lovely day, and until I see you next time,

Most Anticipated New Releases

So many great books coming out this year!  Here are a few of the books I'm most looking forward to getting during the first half of 2018.

Erotic romances are just not my cup of tea

When I first discovered Lora Leigh back in the mid 2000s, I had no idea that erotic romance was going to become the booming market it is now.  I didn't read her Breed series for the sex, but for the intriguing story line that centered on a global rogue governments project to create brutal, super strong soldiers by using animal DNA and splicing it into human genetics to make the perfect warrior.  Cruel, soulless, intelligent, and completely loyal to whomever held his/her leash. 

The people born into those facilities suffered cruelties beyond comprehension, but have since escaped and are now being hunted by the government labs to recapture them and begin the breeding program once again.  Breeds 2.0.

Now this was an amazing premise, and I have enjoyed the books.  But when I decided on the first of January to use my library's Overdrive catalogue, so that I could read a few short books and get my Goodreads goal off to a good start, I thought I'd give the erotic romances another go - and it didn't go well.  Instead of finding another Breeds series I instead found books that only used a vague plot to take you from sex scene to sex scene.

Am I too old?  Are my reading tastes those of an aging generation who just don't get it?  Oh God, am I turning into my mother?!!

No.  I've just come to the conclusion that erotic romance as a genre just isn't for me.  So far this year I've read about 15 books and none of them have rated highly.  Perhaps my enjoyment of the Breed series stems from the fact that it made the jump from an indie publisher (Ellora's Cave) to a huge publishing juggernaut like Berkley?  Well, I think that that certainly didn't hurt it.

Anyway, my point is that it is okay to not love (or even like) a genre of books.  Don't let anyone tell you that you're not a real reader if you don't like a genre, or subject, or on the flip side, if you do like books that everyone else seems to hate don't let their criticisms put you off.  Don't feel guilty for having a personal preference.

Do I like erotic romance?  No, not really.  But I do like this series and some of the author's other works and in the end that's all that matters.

Thank you for hanging around to read my musings.  I'd be interested to know if you have read any of the books that fall under erotic romances (such as Ellora's Cave), and if so what did you think of them.

And until next time,

 

All moved in

Already on my way to the new house (8th September, 2016)

I am finally in my new home.  I can't tell you how amazing it is to be in a nice quiet neighbourhood where the only noise I wake up with is the chorus of birds each morning.  Bliss...

However, moving day was a bitch.  I took two carloads of stuff up before the movers were due (stopped to take a pic of the sunrise as it was amazing!) and felt like a wrung out washcloth before the morning was over.  The movers took forever to get all my stuff boxed up and loaded.  Unloading was by far the quickest job, but the carport was wall-to-wall boxes with only a narrow path to navigate through.  How did I end up with so much stuff?!  By the time they finished unloading all my stuff, they had been on the road for over 11 hours!  They had stopped by my childhood home first to pick up my huge bookcase, as well as the old piano (and 2 couches), but even after they were done they still had a 2½ to 3 hour trip back to look forward to.  However, they were great.  No breakages, no lost items.  Just a lot of hard work and friendly conversations.

It's now over a week and a half later and I am still swimming in boxes.  Empty boxes, full boxes, half dug through boxes.  It will be a red letter day when I finally have the last of the unboxing done.  Thankfully the very nice Telstra man who fixed my landline was also moving soon and was happy to take any boxes that we left out for him.  Yeah!  I don't have to figure out what to do with a gazillion empty boxes ;-D  But when I get to that final box, perhaps I'll set it on fire?  I'll just have to wait and see. 

So while the house is slowly being whipped into a semblance of order, the yard is another story.  It's getting so unkept looking already.  It has bucketed down rain at least every second day since I've been here - which would be great under other circumstances - but I only just got a lawn mower (didn't need that in a unit!), so I need to wait for the ground to dry out a bit before I head on out to cut the jungle that is my front lawn.  Ah, the joys of being a homeowner ;-D

On the reading front, since I'm still unboxing, my bookshelves look like a train wreck.  I have my three big bookcases spread throughout the house.  Will be splitting the books up into genres I think so that I can just go to a bookcase when the mood strikes.  Discovered I need to buy a slender tall set of bookshelves to house my classics as they take up too much space on my big bookcase, but there are too many of them for one of my smaller bookcases.  Would have loved to put all my books in the one room, but they just wouldn't fit.  Bummer... oh well, a problem for another day.

My first bookmail arrived to the new address and while I still need to read my newly purchased title for my September Miss Marple challenge, A Caribbean Mystery, the move has put my 'A Classic a Month' challenge on hold.  Still, 10 classics during the year is nothing to sneeze at either.

Hopefully the weather will sort itself out soon, and I can post some book pics from around the garden for IG.  I really miss not being able to just snap a couple of pics when the mood strikes.  Finger's crossed that I can get back into the swing of things soon - once this whole moving mess is sorted out ;-D

Until next time,

 

More books for the To Be Read pile

Just got home yesterday from visiting with the family and I managed yet again to bring back much more than I took.  Since my aunt was having surgery, my mother and I went to the shopping centre to distract ourselves, and I ended up buying more books than I should have.

After a few hours browsing the stores with mum, I ended up with 14 new books to my name!  I know what you're thinking... "did you really need them?", but seriously, I found some great deals thanks to the end of financial year sales (5 for $25 at a major book chain) and found some older hard to get books for as little as $3.50 at one store.  So no, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg, but I have no idea where the heck I'm going to put them all considering I brought back nearly 100 books from my own collection I still have stashed at my family's place.

So what did I buy?  Well, thank you for asking.  My latest haul got me

• A Wild Light - Marjorie M Liu
• Warrior Woman - Johanna Lindsey
• The Flame and the Shadow - Denise Rossetti
• Working Stiff - Rachel Caine
• Salt and Silver - Anna Katherine
• Death Most Definite - Trent Jamieson
• Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg - Tawny Taylor
• This Side of the Grave - Jeaniene Frost
• City of Souls - Vicki Pettersson
• Ill Wind - Rachel Caine
• Firestorm - Rachel Caine
• Weddings Can Be Murder - Christie Craig
• Carpe Demon - Julie Kenner
• Requim for a Mezzo - Carola Dunn

Plus, I also got a new book in the mail, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor.  I think I'll be quite busy for the next week or so.  This is on top of the nearly 2 dozen books I've gotten from the library that I have to get through in the next 3 weeks.  Thankfully I've managed to read about 6 of those, but I still have Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London and Whispers Under Ground.  I think I've nearly bitten off more than I can chew.  Wish me luck!

New Titles Nearly Here

Wow, I can't believe it's nearly time for the next titles in some of my favourite series.  It doesn't feel like a year (give or take a few weeks) since I eagerly awaited the last books.  First on my 'to get' list are:

• Archangel's Storm - I know, I know, its not out for a few months, but I will pre-order
• Gunmetal Magic - can't wait to see what happens to Raphael and Andrea!
• Cast in Peril
• The Lost Night - what can I say... love those dust bunnies!
• Echoes of Dawn
• Wicked Business - hmmm, Diesel...
• Notorious Nineteen - out in November.  Are we getting to the last of the Plum series?

Other books that are out soon (or recently out) in mass market paperback format are...

• Celebrity in Death
• Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
• Explosive 18
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone - looking forward to this title.

There are of course lots more, but these are the few that I can think of off the top of my head.  I wish I could buy every book that tickles my fancy, but alas, I don't have a money tree!

Damaged Book Update

You really can get good customer service from internet sellers.  The book I was grouching about last week, Five Odd Honors, was bought online from Book Depository.

I emailed them regarding the quality of the item, they wanted some pictures as proof (I was happy to oblige), and... PRESTO!.... I have a replacement copy being sent out to me.

I wasn't rude, or demanding.  I just stated my case and asked what my options were.

See, there are still some responsible vendors left online :-)

Poor quality paper perhaps?

The other day I was reading my new book, Five Odd Honors, but found many of the pages so covered with ink as to be unreadable!

I know mass market format books are cheap, but that's still no excuse for items like this being produced.
Fingers crosses that I can get them to replace it.



Bookshelf space issues

It's been a little while since I've posted anything about the books I've read.  Well, in recent weeks I've read a few more reference books (19th Century clothing) and they were extremely helpful.  Darn sight cheaper from the UK than in Australia though!  Ignore that snipe - outrageous book prices in Australia is a pet peeve of mine. 

As for my usual genres?  I bought a few of the Lora Leigh "Elite Ops" series.  They are great, and I'm ever so grateful that there are only 6 of them.  I already have enough trouble trying to find spots for all the Dark-Hunter, Anita Blake, Stephanie Plum, Breeds, Dark (Feehan) and other series on my shelves.  Seriously, there are some series that I think I'll be following when I'm 60!

The latest books to go on my wishlist are:

Lawe's Justice - Lora Leigh
Smokin' Seventeen - Evanovich
Wicked Appetite - Evanovich
No Mercy - Kenyon
Retribution - Kenyon
One Silent Night - Kenyon
The Guardian - Kenyon
Cast in Ruin - Michelle Sargara


I've already made a list for late Dec/Jan to take advantage of pre-sale prices. 
They include:

Death Magic - Eileen Wilks
Fair Game - Patricia Briggs
Spirit Bound - Christine Feehan
Angel's Flight - Nalini Singh

plus later in the year I simply MUST order the new Kate Daniels book.

It seems that everytime I make out a list of books, and get them, the author's decide to torture us all by announcing the next book in the series - that doesn't come out till next year!  It's a never ending cycle I tell you.

Hopefully this year Santa will be feeling generous, but I think I should really ask him for a huge new bookshelf before I buy anymore books.  Santa? ... are you listening? 

As it is, I've already filled up all the bookshelves I brought with me in the move - as well as the large one my mother and Aunt bought me as a 'house warming' gift.  I tell you, its insane.  I still have over 5 big boxes of books at my mum's house that still have to make the trip over here... and that doesn't even include the boxed up books from my childhood.  If I don't have over 5000 books, then I just can't count properly! 

I did do a little searching online for some interesting bookshelves and found some fabulous (and weird) ones.  Hmmm, maybe something like this perhaps :)

I could really enjoy filling all these shelves.  They just might hold all my books!


Update: my Salt Dough ornaments are nearly ready for painting. They have completely dried, and I've given them an undercoat to prepare them for the paints. Pics will be posted after the messy job I promise.