Joined a Book Club!

Yes, I finally got involved with a book club at my local library.  Okay, it was my idea and I've had the notice up on displayed for a while - but someone has finally called me!

I wanted to do a genre based book club, and paranormal romance/suspense/mystery, etc., just seemed the way to go as I own so many of those books.  I just find it a very interesting genre, and there is no right or wrong way to do things.  

So, today I finally met my fellow bibliophile, and found that I was with a kindred spirit.  Phew, that was definitely  a load off my mind.  We sat and chatted about what we've been reading, and it took us over an hour to finally decide on our first official book (as I've read, and own, so very many of these books).  Finally we selected Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick (book 1 in the Esther Diamond series). 

It was great to be able to talk to someone who loves to read the same type of books I do, and although we have to make a time for our first 'review', I'm looking forward to it.  Now I must leave you.  I'm off to order my book, and then get together some guidelines, question ideas, and other book club necessities.  Hmmmm... will use Fangtastic Fiction for the book club name?  Will let you know how it all goes ;-D

Happy Reading! 

Little Menace

I did mention that the new addition to the house was lovely... didn't I?  Well, after what she's gotten up to in the last 24 hours I'm prepared to make her an outside cat!

My darling Eve has not only figured out how to open up the cutlery draw - so she can crawl through to the space behind and play in said space - but, has also figure out that she can open cupboards as well as the sliding wardrobe door.  Oh, and she's also discovered that if she jumps on the kitchen counter, she can then play with the ferns, nibbling at them.  Oh GOD, she just doesn't stop!

I have yet to catch her on camera - the little dickens moves like grease lightning - but I can tell you the crashes and bangs throughout the day, and night, aren't funny!  Then she does something cute, like crash in your arms like a worn out child, with that sweet little face turned up towards you.  Darn it ;-D

New addition to home

Wow, it has been a long time between posts!  My bad, however I've been so caught up with everyday life that I haven't even opened my laptop for the last two weeks!

One of my reasons has been a half grown cat who doesn't seem to realise that she should be sleeping for about 20 hours a day!  She just doesn't quit!  But she makes up for her inexhaustible reserves of energy by being a loving and sweet natured little darling... and she's absolutely gorgeous to boot ;-D

So I've had to deal with an older cat who's got her tail in a tizz at the presence of the interloper.  They're worse than kids!  Wish me luck - I haven't slept completely through the night for the last two weeks!  Will get back to my reading once pussycat tensions die down.

Review: Lean and Mean

Lean Mean Thirteen
Stephanie Plum Book 13
Janet Evanovich

Mass Market Paperback,  Headline, 2007, 371p.
ISBN: 9780755337590

New secrets, old flames and hidden agendas are about to send Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum on her most outrageous adventure yet!

MISTAKE #1
Dickie Orr. Stephanie was married to him for about fifteen minutes before she caught him cheating on her with her arch-nemesis Joyce Barnhardt. Another fifteen minutes after that Stephanie filed for divorce, hoping to never see either one of them again.

MISTAKE #2
Doing favors for super bounty hunter Carlos Manoso (a.k.a. Ranger). Ranger needs her to meet with Dickie and find out if he’s doing something shady. Turns out, he is. Turns out, he’s also back to doing Joyce Barnhardt. And it turns out Ranger’s favors always come with a price...

MISTAKE #3
Going completely nutso while doing the favor for Ranger, and trying to apply bodily injury to Dickie in front of the entire office. Now Dickie has disappeared and Stephanie is the natural suspect in his disappearance. Is Dickie dead? Can he be found? And can she stay one step ahead in this new, dangerous game? Joe Morelli, the hottest cop in Trenton, NJ is also keeping Stephanie on her toes—and he may know more than lets on about her…It’s a cat-and-mouse game for Stephanie Plum, where the ultimate prize might be her life.

I just love this series!  There is just something about Stephanie's continual cock-ups that just strikes me as funny.  This time round we see her interact with her ex-Dickie Orr (a real dick).  After the huge scene in his office, Dickie goes missing and - thanks to Joyce's big mouth - the police now have their sights set on Stephanie.  With Morelli curiously MIA, it's up to Ranger to fill the void.

Now I have to say this ... I hated Dickie!  He's such a... words don't describe him!  Maybe it's because he's SP's ex, or the fact that he is in Stephanie's own words a miserable 'dog turd'?  I don't care, I'm just glad he cops so much crap in this book.  I mean really, this was the same husband who was caught schtupping the bane of her existence, Joyce Barnhardt (although in the long run I think Joyce actually did her a favour by pointing out Dickie's short comings - pun intended).   I'm just soooo glad that SP is now with Morelli (and Ranger) and that Joe gets to slam Dickie up against a wall... ah, good times.

The deliciously dangerous Ranger is front and centre in this book (YESSSSS!) and even though Morelli meanders in and out, there is such chemistry between him and Stephanie that you can forgive it.  Dickie is the guy we all love to hate, and Joyce is her usually bitchy and manipulative self.  Grandma Mazur is as funny and irreverent as always, and Lula is just plain comedy gold.  Helen tipples, and Connie is always on hand to back up the girls.  The bad guys are by turns inept as well as scary and there are no attempts on Rex's life in this installment.

The plot line is simple to follow, and predict, with no real surprises except for the location of the key.  And since you don't need to work your grey matter so hard, it's easy to drift away and fall into the world created by Janet Evanovich.

Favourite scene:  Watching the fur fly :-P (Grandma Mazur getting woodchuck-ed!)

You don't have to have read all the previous books in the series before trying LM13, but I'd recommend it.  There are some tidbits that really don't make too much sense if you don't have all the back stories.  This is a fantastic book to take on public transport - if you don't mind people starring at you for laughing out loud - but I'd suggest that if you take it to work you leave it well out of reach.

Although not my favourite book in the series, it is a title I keep coming back to.

Rainy Days

Just great.  It's only been about 3 weeks since we'd last had torrential rain and flooding in the region - and my street - and now it's back again.  For the last two days it's been coming down in sheets.  I really shouldn't complain because this is my all time favourite weather, but I am worried about the flooding.  That being said, I'm whiling away the hours of enforced enclosure by reading a dearly loved - and always at the ready - series that never gets old.  Yes, that's right.  I've dipped back into the bookshelf for Stephanie Plum.  Now I know that I go there a lot, but there is just something about the series that just hits the spot.  It's funny and quirky, fast paced and just an all round great series - and if you love J.D. Robb, Jayne Ann Krentz, I'd highly recommend you check it out.   The characters are well written and seem to just jump off the page (especially after hearing Lorelei King's narrations).  Lula is a real card, and although I would pass out on the spot if I had her for my Granny, Edna Mazur is a real pistol.   With nineteen books under her belt for this series, Janet Evanovich has kept me interested in the eternal love triangle that is Stephanie, Joe and Ranger.   Even though we're up to book 20 this year, I have only found one or two that didn't really hit the spot with me.... plus I just love to daydream about Ranger and Morelli.  Really, who doesn't?

So, after I'm finished here I will make myself a hot cup of tea, break out the Tim Tams (Caramel, of course) and dive back into Lean Mean Thirteen.   Hope you find some fabulous books this week.

Happy Reading!

Review: Red Hot Murder a Delight!

Red Hot Murder
An Angie Amalfi Mystery, Bk 13
Joanne Pence

Mass Market Paperback, Avon Books, 2006, 334p.
ISBN: 9780060758059

Just Deserts

Dilettante chef Angie Amalfi doubts if she'll actually survive her engagement to San Francisco homicide detective Paavo Smith, what with her meddling mom micromanaging the whole affair.  So Angie leaps at the chance to spend some time away with her fiance in the sun-drenched Arizona desert town where he'd spent time as a boy - and maybe explore the possibility of a Southwestern themed wedding feast.

But her groom-to-be is going back there to help a friend investigate the murder of a wealthy local - and it seems this tiny desert community is a hotbed of deadly secrets.  And when a second course of murder is served up, suddenly Angie's tasty getaway with her lover is starting to look more and more like her final meal.

This is the first Angie Amalfi book I've ever picked up and I have to say that even though I've missed out of 12 other books worth of back story - I loved it.  Angie is a real foodie who doesn't like it when people dis or dismiss her, or her cooking - or her Paavo.

In this book we see her and her fiance, Paavo Smith (odd name combo), on their way to revisit a place from his mostly unhappy childhood.  As with most mysteries, we have a dead body or two, obscure clues, more than a few suspects and a twist that turns the hunt for the killer on it's ear.  I found Angie and Paavo to have a good chemistry even though there wasn't a lot of 'we' time, and unlike most of the leading men of the cop persuasion, he's okay with letting Angie hunt around for some clues.  An Italian girl, we catch glimpses of her family life including a mother who looks like turning into a bridezilla - all on her daughter's behalf, of course - as well as a cast of weird and downright bitchy characters who have hunkered down in the dead man's house.  One of my favourites was the local diner cook who made some of the most disgusting food out, and her reaction to Angie's taste testing is so funny.

This book is much more than a cosy mystery but I wouldn't call it a police procedural/detective mystery either.  Think of this as cosy plus.  Since it's a foodie mystery there are the expected recipes in the back of the book.  Of the three recipes, the Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Pie (see below) makes me drool.  So, if you've enjoyed Stephanie Bond, Karen E. Olsen, Kathleen Bachus or Carolyn Hart then you'll get a kick out of Angie Amalfi.

Angie Amalfi's Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Pie

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts if desired)

4 eggs

½ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup honey

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp bourbon

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch ground cinnamon

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

pastry for 1 pie crust

Heat oven to 350°F.  Toast the pecans in a small pan over med-high heat, tossing often to make sure they roast evenly.  Set aside to cool.

In a bowl add eggs, corn syrup, honey, sugar, brown sugar, butter, bourbon, vanilla  flour, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Beat until mixture is smooth.

Break your chocolate into little bits, and add with the pecans (or walnuts) into the mixture.  Mixing well so that the chocolate and pecans are distributed evenly.

Pour into uncooked pie crust and bake at 350°F until set.  This should take about 40-50 minutes.  Check using a skewer or toothpick to check if pie is cooked -the skewer/toothpick should come out clean - and put aside to cool.  Best served slightly warm with ice-cream.  Enjoy!

Books en route

God it's late, but I just got an email to say that most of my latest book order is now winging their way to me.  Yah!

So hopefully by this time next week I should be blissfully ensconced on my couch, torn between starting the Angie Amalfi Mystery series or finding out who's stalking Blair Mallory this time, with a hot cup of tea by my side and a cat hogging the lap rug.

Goodnight

Review: The Phoenix Rising crashes and burns

Phoenix Rising
A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Bk 1
Pip Ballentine & Tee Morris

Mass Market Paperback, Harper Voyager, 2011, 402p.
ISBN: 9780062049766

Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain's fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade ... and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria's England.  Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as sorpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone.  Yet the Minister of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown's clandestine organisation whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate.  Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest ... and she's prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the

perilous fray.

 

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons.  And Books and Braun - he with his encyclopaedic brain and she with her remarkable devices - must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot ... or see England fall to the Phoenix!

Sorry about his folks, but Blogger's auto-save function crapped out on me and I lost my whole original review.  So, my thoughts - take 2.

"Malevolence has met it's match in Agents Books and Braun!"

And so did my patience.

 

I have had Phoenix Rising in my wishlist for about the last three months, so when I saw it discounted at a Collin's Bookshop I was so excited.   I loved Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series so I was looking forward getting stuck into another Steampunk title ... I should have known.

 

Phoenix Rising was just a disappointment through and through.  Our antagonists, Wellington 'Welly' Books and Eliza D. Braun were just whinny and annoying.  Braun is an loose cannon and arrogant to boot.  She just likes to blow shit up and bucks authority at the drop of a hat.  And while the more sedate Books is the 'by the book' character, he was just as obnoxious and unrealistic.  They annoyed me to no end and I found that I had could make no real connection with these characters.

 

The protagonists were just annoying and cliche, and I found the Aussie character's stereotyping as the colonial knob more than a little insulting.  The POV changes with every chapter, bouncing back and forwards between these two.  Even the writing style left me hanging.  I eventually gave up reading the book as I just couldn't take any more of this drek.  I skimmed the last few pages hoping that the ending was good enough that I could convince myself to go back and slog my way through, but alas, it wasn't.  I think I must have just fluked reading the Parasol Protectorate first because Braun is just a poor man's Alexia Tarabotti, if that.

The only plus I could find here were some of the gadgets.

 

This book will now go to the back of the bottom of my bookshelf to collect dust.  I can't believe I wasted my time trying to read this and I even begrudge it the $3.50 I spent on it. If you do come across it, walk away unless you're a major fan of the genre.  If you must try it, find it on the shelves at your local library.

Review: Lucy Valentine to the Rescue

Truly, Madly

A Lucy Valentine Mystery, Bk 1
Heather Webber

Mass Market Paperback, St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 9780312946135

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so not qualified to run a matchmaking service.  But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it's Lucy's turn to step up and help out - in the name of love.  Plus her rent is due.

 

Her's the problem: Lucy doesn't have the knack for matchmaking.  According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read 'auras' and pair up perfect couples.  But not with Lucy.  Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects.  What good is that in the matchmaking world?  You'd be surprised.  In a city like Boston, everyone's looking for something.  So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring - on a dead body - she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime.  And who knows?  Maybe she'll find the perfect love while she's at it...

 

 

My thoughts....

 

Having bought the second book first, and loving it, I had to quickly find this at my old library.  I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed this book.  Lucy Valentine is a sweet, but slightly neurotic character - when you get to know her family can you blame her? - who finds herself thrown into the deep end of matchmaking when she caves in to her father's request to run the family business while her parents take a break.

 

A former trust fund babe, she lives on her grandmother's estate, with a pushy cat called Grendel.  On her first day in the office she gets a vision from a client that leads her on an Alice in Wonderland journey to find a killer - before they find her.  Add into the mix a quirky group of close-knit friends and family, a bitch of a client, a suspicious cop or two, and a pit-bull of a journalist and you have all the makings of a real page turner.  I did like the way that Ms. Webber was trying to limit the uses of Lucy's 'gift' and I laughted when Lucy met Sean.  However, it's when Lucy's at the matchmaking office, trying to make said matches, that I got a good giggle.  Swatches... ha!

 

Sean, our very hot P.I, is a refreshing change from the ever popular take charge, healthy as a horse, superman type of mate.  He's a man who's had to face his own mortality, and make lifestyle changes.  This was done in a realistic fashion with humor and sensitivity, and is not at all cliche.

 

Thoreau and Grendel are the little scene stealers of the group. Just too cute for words.

 

I enjoyed the first three books (reviews 2 and 3 pending) and will definitely try to get my hands on 4 and 5.  A great start to a quirky new series.

 

Review: Kick up your Heels

Spying in High Heels/ Killer in High Heels

The High Heels Series, Books 1 & 2
Gemma Halliday

Published: Aug 2006/
Mar 2007

Mass Market Paperback, Making It, 324p./310p.
ISBN: 9780843957358 / 9780505527127

Spying in High Heels:  L.A. shoe designer Maddie Springer lives her life by three rules: Fashion.  Fashion.  Fashion.  But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder.  And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears - along with $20 million in embezzled funds - and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by the LAPD's sexiest cop.  With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300-pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer.  But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her?

 

Killer in High Heels:  L.A shoe designer Maddie Springer hasn't seen her father since he reportedly ran off to Las vegas with a showgirl named Lola.  So she's shocked when he leaves a desperate plea for help on her answering machine - ending in a loud bang.  Gushot?  car backfire?  Never one to leave her curiosity unsatisfied, Maddie straps on her stilettos and, along with her trigger-happy best friend, makes tracks for Sin City in search of her MIA dad.

 

Maddie hits the jackpot, all right.  She finds not only her dad, but also a handful of aging drag queens, an organized crime ring smuggling fake Prada pumps, and one relentless killer.  Plus, it seems the LAPD's sexiest cop is doing a little Vegas moonlighting of his own.  In a town where odds are everything, Maddie bets it all on her ability to out-step a vicious murderer.  She just hopes her gamble pays off... before her own luck runs out.

Gemma Halliday has breathed new life into my bookshelf with her delightful series.  Maddie Springer isn't the most switched on woman ever to grace the pages of a book, but boy is she fun to read.  This woman seems to get into so many awkward situations that she reminds me of Stephanie Plum - one of my all time favourite characters.

 

Maddie, a successful childrens shoe designer (is that a cool job or what!), seems to stumble into dangerous situations with amazing ease.  For someone who works from home, and has a hot cop for a boyfriend, you'd think life would be easy for her, wouldn't you?  Think again.  With a nose for trouble, and a headstrong can-do attitude, Maddie annoys the hell out of her guy, Ramirez, with her constant digging into other people's business.  His frustration in keeping her out of it runs parallel with her ability to sniff out information vital to his cases.  It doesn't matter that she's often on the wrong track.  Like Stephanie Plum, she falls into crap and comes out smelling like a rose!

 

I know I haven't gone into book specific detail, but as I'm talking about 2 books, this is just my impression of the series and characters so far.  I am going to collect the rest and will post as I read them.  I want to see what happens with her relationship with Ramirez, and who her man-eating best friend Dana ends up with.  Does her mother stay married?  Does her alternative lifestyle dad reappear?  Will Maddie and Ramirez make it?  Stay tuned.

If you love Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Bond, Karen E. Olson or Mary Stanton then I'm sure you'll enjoy this series.

 

Review: It's To Die For

To Die For

Blair Mallory, Book 1

Linda Howard

 

Published 2004

 

Mass Market Paperback, Piatkus, 378p.

ISBN: 0749935294

After a painful divorce, Blair Mallory follows a dream and opens a health club.  But Nicole Goodwin, a troubled member of the club, develops a strange fixation on Blair, imitating her style and dress, even the car she drives.  Then Nicole is gunned down in the club's parking lot.  And Blair is the only witness to the murder...

 

At first the police investigation concentratres on Nicole and her acquaintances, but then someone tampers with Blair's car, and sabotages her home and business.  The police - including Blair's old flame Lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth - are baffled because these attempts, while serious, are very different in tone from Nicole's murder.  Is Nicole's killer seeking to remove a troublesome witness?  Or was Blair the intended victim after all?

 

 

 

Hi there!  As promised I'm starting to post my thoughts on the books that I've recently devoured as part of my week long book marathon.  To Die For by Linda Howard was a real surprise for me as I'd only read her wonderful Mackenzie's series, or a historical romance.  So when I picked it up I was a little dubious as I either love it or I don't when it comes to Linda Howard.  Thankfully in this case I loved it.

 

This is the first of two books - Drop Dead Gorgeous being the sequel - and I just couldn't put it down.  In To Die For we are introduced to our protagonist, Blair Mallory.  An independant woman who knows what she wants in life.  As former cheerleader turned successful gym owner, Blair may look like a fluffy and ditzy blonde, but she's got the instincts of a barracuda.  So when Nicole, the copycat, gets dumped from the gym, Blair is delighted.  The copycat psycho is finally out of her life... until closing time that is.  As Blair closes up for the night she sees Nicole and an unknown male waiting for her in the shadows.  When she hears a gun shot and hits the ground, Blair is sure that her life is in danger.  After the police arrive, it is discovered that Nicole is dead.  Could her night get any worse? ... Yep.  

Enter Wyatt Bloodsworth, now a Lieutenant with the local police force. A big man with a forceful personality, he's also the guy who had dumped her 2 years ago - after just 3 dates.  Now he's back.  And much to Blair's annoyance, seems determined to muscle his way back into her life and her bed.  If he can keep her alive long enough to solve the case that is.

 

Blair is such a fun character great fun character.  The book is told from her POV, but I do like the interaction she has with the reader.  Blair and Wyatt have major chemistry (OMG, you could power a small town on the electricity they produce!), and I love the way that Ms. Howard has Blair writing down lists of Wyatt's misdemeanours for him to read.  It's such a novel idea... I may have to try it one of these days.

My only problem with the book was Bloodsworth's constant ability to get the better of Blair.  I know a strong male lead was called for when there is such a strong female character, but her inability to pull him up short when he needs it is a bit frustrating.  Having said that, Wyatt is a great character who is loving and protective of Blair.  He's a guy who knows what he wants and makes it happen.  I know that's a bit of a circular arguement, but tough ;-D

Blair's family are wonderfully vivid.  My take on her mother is just stand back.  She's one scarily together and practical lady.  Her sisters are very loving and protective, and I love Siana with her dimples.  The idenity of the Blair's attacker is a real surprise.  It crossed my mind for like 2 seconds, but I dismissed it because I didn't see the connection.  When it's all explained it does make sense.

For those of you who don't like very graphic books rest easy.  There is little actual violence in this book, no real swearing and no graphic sex scenes - which I found quite refreshing.  I'd recommend you put this book aside until you have time to read it all the way through as it would be such a hard job to put it down. 

So if you like a good murder mystery, romance or books by Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, etc., then this is a good book to add to your collection.  I have already ordered Drop Dead Gorgeous so will post an update ASAP. 

I give this book

Happy reading!

It's a Cosy Mystery Week

 

Went back to the coast to visit family this week and got side tracked by all the books.  Now I'd already had a bit of a book-fest over the weekend, but when I saw all the books in the cheap bins at the shopping centre, mum and I dived right in...

 

... and I'm oh so glad that I did.  I managed to find some books that either completed a series, or were titles I'd tried to find for years in some cases.  It's amazing how titles are OOP forever - or so it seems - and yet, there they are.  Right at the bottom of the pile.  So, thanks to my spur of the moment trip, I found the third and final book in Kathryn Lilley's A Fat City Mystery series, Makeovers Can Be Murder.  I have found all three of the books in different cheap sales over the past 3 or so years.  Now I can finally read the series as a whole - and not have to wonder at what happened in the missing book.
 

This time I seemed to go for mostly Cosy Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime, etc).  I have found the paranormal romance books just aren't hitting the spot lately.  I've raided family bookshelves of older cosy's that are no longer wanted, and now have four piles of books that I really should post reviews on.  I seem to have gone from being stuck in one rut, to jumping feet first into another.  Oh well...

 

Right now I'm very much enjoying Gemma Halliday and her delightfully ditzy, yet headstrong, Maddie Springer in The High Heels series.  I even managed to find the first book of her Hollywood Headline Mystery series too.  Heather Webber is another great author I've stumbled across.  I bought her book Deeply, Desperately as part of last weekend's 'perfect reading' session, and found out that my old library had the first and third books in the series... yeah, me!  Finally there was a real last minute inclusion of a book that nearly got tossed back (I already had 7 books in my hands people!) and I'm so glad that I followed that last minute impulse not to chuck it.  It was Gabriella Herkert's Catnapped.  This was such a great book.  It is the first of a series and I'm heading over to put it on my wishlist after I post this. 

 

So, now that I've spent WAY too much money this week on books I'm off to see what else I can find online ;-D.  Hope your week was as blissfully fabulous as mine was.

 

Happy reading!

A perfect way to spend the day

 

I think I had a nearly perfect day yesterday.  After buying a few necessities (books), I came home and settled down on the couch to dive into the newest residents of my bookcase.  I had a cup of tea, a few chocolates and biscuits for nibblies, a cat by my side and a nice warm lap rug.

 

With the rain coming down, and not a sound to be heard from the neighbours, I was in book heaven.  It's so rare to get the right conditions to really have a great read.  My favourite time, as you have probably figured out by now, is a cool rainy day when I'm not likely to have to stop every 20 minutes because someone is talking too loud, or mowing.  When you can snuggle up on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea and a nibbly, no television or music... ah, nirvana...

 

So, of the 9 books I picked up yesterday I managed to finish 7 yesterday.  I was up until nearly midnight but I just couldn't seem to put them down!  There were a few surprises in the bunch, and I will put up a short review on each as I go back and give them a second read as all the story lines are bleeding into one another in my head at the moment.  As for my favourite.... well, that actually happens to be the last book of the day.  It's actually one my mother has had for years, but I just never really paid attention to it.  It is Linda Howard's To Die For.  I am giving it a second read again today, and have even found the next book, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and have it sitting in my wishlist.

 

Hope your weekend is as book filled as mine.

 

Happy reading!

A 'Sizzling' audiobook find

Every now and then I scour the online bookstore for much wanted audiobooks, and today I found a real steal.  Amazon has Audio CD copies of Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich for under $7 - and that's for the unabridged version!  It must be my lucky day... now if only I could find unabridged versions of One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly I'd be really happy :P

Floodwaters receded, phones down and I cooked!

 

Today the sun is shining - and I've managed to get some washing on the line - and I feel great. However, I've got to tell you that I had more than a few anxious moments watching the floodwaters creep up the road. Thankfully the water didn't get any higher than in some of the photos, but the huge stormwater drain behind me did keep me twitchy.



you could surf in this stuff!

Then yesterday, the day after the flooding, all the cell phone coverage - all networks - went kaput.  So, not only couldn't I get in contact with relatives on the coast who were hunkering down in 100km/h plus winds, but I had no way to check the weather or emergency reports for this area.  Not impressed with the phone companies.

 



So as I anxiously waited for the phones to come back online, I started to cook.  First a chocolate cake, then a lasagna.  I have been re-reading the Stephanie Plum books to pass the time during the storms - and she's a terrible influence on my menu!  The cake is yummy and very dense.  And I am so proud of the lasagna as it is the first ever time I've cooked it!  It's delicious, and the pasta is cooked just right.  However it's not as good as my mothers lasagna.  Isn't your mother's cooking always tastier than your own attempts at family recipes?  Thankfully I don't have any pineapples in the house or it could have been a pineapple upside-down cake as I do have a recipe floating around somewhere.  My only problem is now I have to either eat it all, or freeze some of the lasagna as I went a little bit overboard.  Perhaps I could have Lula come over for a feed? :-)