Freezing cold and a reading slump to boot

It's been about 2 weeks since I posted anything - sorry 'bout that - but I have just been so busy lately.  I've been a cleaning fiend, inspection by landlord, and between that, and the absolutely icy winds that have been howling in from the west, it's just been a really crappy time to read.  Now I know it should be the best weather for snuggling up in a blanket on the couch to read... however, when there is no heating in your home it's not really conducive for reading for any length of time.  So instead I have been bundled up in my quilted jacket, under some blankets, and watching old TV series that I like.  Yes, I'm under a blanket, but at least my hands/arms aren't out in the cold holding a book!

I'm hoping that this is either my last winter in this unit, or perhaps in this town (?), as although I do love the cool weather - I really do need either a warmer climate, or a place that has heating.  I'd even settle for a place that's draft proof.  But until then I've been re-reading some old favourites during the odd times that I've felt like reading.  I'm hoping to snap myself out of this little slump.  It's been so annoying.  I was so looking forward to Siren's Call by Jayne Castle to be released, but when I finally got a copy I read it and blah!  I've really enjoyed all the books in this futuristic paranormal romance, and yet this didn't do anything for me.  I'm hoping that it's just a result of being in a reading funk - and not that the book might be wishy-washy.

Oy, now I'm feeling blue.  Off to make some brownies I think.  Need a little chocolate-y goodness to cheer me up ;-D

Hope that your reading this month has been more productive than mine.

Until next time,

 

T5W || Side characters that deserve their own series

This was an interesting topic because while there are a plethora of side characters, how many are deserving of their own series?  Well after wracking my brain, and frantically trying to remember books that had great side characters, I finally came up with five characters that I would love to read more of.  So, here goes...

5) Charlotte Lucas (Pride & Prejudice)

Practical, level headed, and BFFs with Lizzie!, Charlotte is an often overlooked figure.  I'd love to go behind the scenes and see what she thinks of Lady Catherine DeBurgh (and her husbands world class brown nosing skills).

4) Somerset (In Death)

Give it up for Somerset!  The former conman, and now snobbiest butler out.  Would love to follow him through the Urban Wars, or when he was looking after a young Roarke ;-D

3) Lula (Stephanie Plum)

I love Lula ;-D  She's so confident in herself, and isn't ashamed of what she's done in her life.  Instead of a series, I'd like a collection of short stories.  Snippets from the existing books in the series, but from her POV.

2) Gallowglass (All Souls Trilogy)

Gallowglass was a character that made his first appearance in book 2, Shadow of Night, and I adored him.  A world travelling, tattoo wearing, vampire who was tasked to watch over our main character and waited centuries to fulfil his duty.  Of course he fell in love with her, but that would be an interesting part of a series.  His getting over her, and finding another.

1) Arizona Snow (Arcane Society series, and mentioned in the Rainshadow series as well)

While we meet Arizona Snow when she is a strange, security obsessed old lady, I would love to read about her adventures and escapades in the Arcane Society when she was a younger woman.  Especially after the information we find out about her in the futuristic paranormal romance book "The Hot Zone" where it is discovered by an descendant that Arizona possessed some unique paranormal abilities.  Could be soooo good!

Well, that is my T5W list done for another week.  I really enjoyed this week, and last weeks topics, but the frantic searching through all my bookshelves for suitable books could be classified as a part time job I think... it took that long!

As always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Please feel free to leave a comment below.  I love to hear from you ;-D

T5W || Most anticipated pre-orders for 2015

This weeks T5W is going to be short and sweet as I missed last weeks T5W, but I wanted to do it anyway so here goes.

5) Tricky 22 by Janet Evanovich
Enjoy this series.  Funny and fast paced.  No heavy thinking involved, and a series I reread again and again when I need to relax.

4) Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb
Love this series and can't believe that there are now over 40 books!  Enjoy the detective angle as well as the relationship between Eve & Roarke.

3) Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara
Amazing fantasy series that I have been following since first book, Cast in Secret, published way back when.  Love Kaylin and the budding love triangle between her, Severin and Nightshade.  Fabulous and world building with Dragons, lion people, flying Aerians and the immortal Baraani.

2) Siren's Call by Jayne Castle
I pre-ordered this book last night as I don't want to miss out on getting my hands on it ASAP.  Can't wait to get my dust bunny fix ;-D

1) Archangel's Enigma by Nalini Singh
My most anticipated book of 2015!  Love this series, and have always been curious as to the origins, and current status, of the mysterious Naasir.  Is he a tiger creature?  There is something feral about him and I can't wait to see what happens.

As always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

So these are the books that I simply must have ASAP.  Let me below know if you've read any of these series - and whether you are eagerly awaiting the next books as well ;-D

Until next time,
Happy reading!

Four thrift stores in two days

This week has been a mixed week.  Had a few health snafu's, and am still trying to come to terms with the closure of the only bookshop within 100kms!, but on the plus side, had amazing thrift shop finds this week.

It's been weeks since I last set foot in most of the thrift shops around town - we have 4 - and usually I come away with a few books, perhaps one that is currently on my Book Depository wishlist.  However this week I had amazing luck.  It all started with wanting a bedside table so I could once again see the time on my alarm clock...

I went into the first thrift shop, which is opposite a gym that pumps out the most annoying perky (and loud) music, but within 30 seconds I had my first book (Jason by LKH).  I knew that this was going to be a good day.  I browsed for as long as I could stand the music, but found two Agatha Christies for $1ea.  They are in an edition I like, and I don't have them yet.  Then I found a copy of The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.  This has been on my wishlist for ages, but I could never find a cover that I liked.  However, this edition is so 80's and funky that I wasn't going to quibble over the $1 price tag.  Even though this was a great haul so far, I'm most excited about the poetry anthology that I picked up just before I headed for the cash register.

Earth Bound is here!

Read Chapter 1 {HERE}

"After escaping from a cult, Lexi found refuge with her sisters on the farm that more than sustained her body—it nurtured her soul as well. But she never forgot the terror she left behind or the always present fear that the cult would find her again, and claim her. Then her nightmare came true.

Lexi was discovered and threatened—only to be suddenly saved by a stranger. He is Gavriil Prakenskii, and he’s awestruck by the woman he’s rescued. She is destined for him. He can feel it in his soul. But how can Lexi find happiness with a man steeped in secrets and shadows, one intimately acquainted with violence, and whose very love could be the death of them?"

After weeks of waiting for it, and pre-ordering it last month, I finally got my hands on the latest book in the Sea Haven series by Christine Feehan in the post this week!

Yes, I can now continue on with the Prakenskii brothers - and we're getting closer to them meeting the Drakes by what I read in Earth Bound ;-D

I'll post a review of this soon, but I just couldn't wait to tell you how much I enjoyed this book.  Full of action, magic, and a bad case of insta-love - which seems to be popping up more frequently in this series (not such a fan of that aspect), but the story of Lexi and Gavriil was very fast paced and just sucked me in.  

If this is something you would like to try, then I'm sorry but you'll have to read ALL seven Drake Sisters series books before starting on the Sea Haven (or Sisters of the Heart as it is alternatively known as in some countries) series.  There are so many references to previous books that you would miss out on a lot if you just dove into the Sea Haven series first.  

Start soon as next year will see the release of the second last book in this series... and I can't wait!

Until next time,

T5W || Favourite non-book items on shelves

Good morning my lovelies!  Sorry I'm a day late, but wrists were sore after yesterday's session so I didn't get a chance to post this.

This week we have been set a slightly different task - to find our favourite non-book items that we all love to display on our bookshelves.  At the moment I do not have a huge amount of stuff on my shelves as I've had to double up, and in some cases triple, the rows of books on my bookcases so that I don't have piles of books sitting on the floor.  However, I do have some of my favourite knick-knacks on one of my bookshelves so I knew exactly what I was going to show you today ;-D

I hope you like them...

I picked this deer antler up at the Garden Expo last year.  It wasn't expensive, but I liked the way it looked on my wood shelves when it sits with some of the other items on this list ;-D

Have to cut back on the typing, doctor's orders

PS - had to take this photo 4 times to finally get one that wasn't fuzzy!

The worst thing about getting older is the sense that you are falling apart.  Well, at least that's how I'm feeling at the moment.  Over the past 18 months I've been having trouble with my feet - turns out is was plantar fasciitis - and with my right wrist.  For the longest time I was told it was just tendonitis.  I have a brace for it as the pins and needles at night were excruciatingly painful.  Then my left wrist started to display the same symptoms.  I had an ultrasound scan on them a few weeks ago, and it turns out that I have carpal tunnel in both wrists.  I don't do things by halves, do I?

Winter is a particularly unpleasant time, as the cold weather is making my wrists (and ankle) rather stiff and sore.  Hopefully now that I know what it is I can finally get either some physio, or in the future surgery if needed, to make this very painful and irritating condition go away.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, for starters, it means that typing out long reviews or posts is very hard.  Taking photos is a pain as I find that I get the shakes and end with fuzzy pictures... I hate that!  It also means that reading has become a bit of a marathon as holding a book for hours, and turning the pages if I hold it in one hand, can set of hours of pain in my wrists.  However, with a little bit of ingenuity - and a small travel neck pillow - I now have a small book holder that helps at times.

So if I don't post anything for a week or so you know know why.  I'm taking the doctors advice and resting my wrists.  Totally inconvenient when there are also house chores to be done, but I'd rather be a bit behind in my laundry then suffering through hours of pins and needles that leave me feeling like my hand has just been skinned!

But I will be soldiering on and adding reviews, photo's and stuff... I'll just be a tad slow about it.  I love uploading photo's and even if only one person comments, then I'm happy ;-D

Until next time,

Oh, I'll try to have my Top 5 Wednesday post up tomorrow.  

T5W || Chapter Headings

This has been perhaps the hardest T5W topic for me so far.  After looking through two shelves, and through the huge pile that is my TBR, I found only a handful of books with Chapter Headings.  Plenty of quotes, and things along those lines, but chapter headings were very rare indeed.

So, after a few days of wracking my brain trying to find books - I even roped my in my mum on the search (perfect time for a visit) - I finally came up with something for this weeks topic.  I hope you enjoy it...

click to enlarge

As you can tell, most of my chapter headings came from the Steampunk genre - thank you Gail Carriger! 

(#5) Chapter 7, Soulless - Gail Carriger

I think this chapter heading gives you a real sense of what you'll find in Soulless, and the Parasol Protectorate in general.  Quirky and fun, an interesting chapter heading.

(#4) Chapter 10, God Save the Queen - Kate Locke

I chose "Curiouser and Curiouser" (#4) because I have a think about Alice in Wonderland, and the way it has been embraced by pop culture.  Also this heading does fit in with the story.  Another quirky and amazing Steampunk trilogy.

(#3) Lesson 5, Etiquette & Espionage - Gail Carriger

I think that this is pretty self explanatory as to why I chose it ;-P

(#2) Chapter 18, Timeless - Gail Carriger

I loved this chapter heading.  It just caught my eye.

(#1) Chapter 20, Grave Concerns - Gwen Hunter

How could you go past this one? 

Woo-hoo!  I finally got this post up ;-D

This took f o r e v e r and I am so glad that it is finally done, and I can put it behind me.  If you have any fun or quirky chapter headings, I'd love to know what they are.  Please let me know in the comment section.

And, as always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Until next time,

A Sneek Peek at Don'ts for Wives (1913)

 

Don'ts for Wives

Blanche Ebbutt

Original publication date: 1913

Facsimile edition: 2007

A&C Black, Ltd., Hardcover, 80p.

ISBN: 9780713687903

I stumbled across this interesting little book when I took my mum to the local bookshop last week.   The vintage cover caught my eye, and I bought it after flicking through a few pages.  

Don'ts for Wives is a very amusing and often relevant book of advice, that has been reprinted from the original 1913 hardcover.  Yes, I finally have my first facsimile edition (with original cover design) and I didn't even realise it. 

T5W || Characters you wish you could drown

Hello, once again!  I hope you are enjoying your morning.  I'm freezing my fingers off - Winter is finally setting in - and so to get back to my hot water bottle, I'm just going to dive right in.

This week we discover all those characters we wish we could drown.  The mean, the nasty and the just plain horrible.  Meet the characters I'll be sending down to meet Davey Jones ;-D

Last books of June

Just a quick update from my phone (sorry about the messy format. I wish blogger would address this issue) to show you the latest books I have added to my bookshelves.

On Saturday I dropped by a local charity shop and found The Dark Griffin by K.J. Taylor.  This is the first book in The Fallen Moon trilogy.  I've been looking for this book for almost 18 months, but nothing - well, not for a reasonable price anyway - and there it was.  Practically the first thing I saw.  So lucky to find this.

Next, at the same charity shop, I saw a copy of Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey.  Cover is so colorful and stylized that I had to get it.  I'm sure I'll enjoy it as I do love fantasy.

And finally, my postman dropped off my copy of The Quick by Lauren Owen yesterday.  This sounds like an interesting story, a Victorian Gothic mystery from what I remember.

I still have one more book I'm expecting in the mail this week.  A steampunk if I remember correctly.  Then I need to pre-order two books for series I'm reading.  A neverending cycle ;-D

T5W || Books You Read in One Sitting

Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday!  This week we had to find out 5 favourite books that we read in one sitting - and let me tell you, as someone who usually does read all their books in one sitting, it was hard.

I went through my shelves, and finally decided not to go with the biggest, or most impressive books, but the ones that I enjoyed the most.  Turns out that I really enjoy Urban Fantasy/Fantasy books as only one of my books didn't contain a fantasy/paranormal element.  Huh, guess I should have included a classic for diversity's sake, but these were my most enjoyable reads. 

Enjoy!

Tuesday was a really good reading day

Usually I read one book, perhaps re-read another, depending on what my mood is like.  However on Tuesday I had a great reading day!  I received Dead Ice in the mail, and started that before lunch.  I powered through it in about 5 hours - perhaps 5½ hours - and was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it after recent disappointments in the Anita Blake series.

Then I pulled Uprooted by Naomi Novik from my TBR shelves.  It took a little while to get into the swing of things, but I really enjoyed this book.  Would have loved to keep reading, especially with the ending we got.  Will have a review up soon.

As if that wasn't enough (I'd just read 1011 pages!), I decide to start on another book.  The City's Son by Tom Pollock.  This book has been on my TBR bookshelf for more than 6 months.  I don't know why I chose this book, but I'm so glad I did.  I enjoyed my romp through the bowels of London.  Fighting iron wolves and seeing the amazing characters that Pollock created out of the industrial landscape. My only problem was that I don't have books 2 or 3 in the trilogy.  I hate when that happens!

By the time I closed the book and turned off my light it was about 11pm.  I think my eyes were dragging on the ground - in the sand!  But it was worth it.

So on Tuesday I read a total of 3 books or 1468 pages!  That's longer than The Lord of the Rings!  Wow, very proud of myself {patting myself on the back}.

NOTE: I woke up the next morning and my eyes were so sore that I just sat and watched Penny Dreadful all afternoon.  Couldn't read a darn thing!  Fingers crossed that I can finally jump into my TBR shelves again ;-D

Until next time,

 

Book Review || Dead Ice by LKH

Dead Ice
Anita Blake #24
Laurell K. Hamilton

Published: 09 June, 2015

Berkley, hardcover, 576p.
ISBN: 978-0-425-25571-1

Anita Blake has the highest kill count of any vampire executioner in the country. She’s a U.S. Marshal who can raise zombies with the best of them. But ever since she and master vampire Jean-Claude went public with their engagement, all she is to anyone and everyone is Jean-Claude’s fiancée.

It’s wreaking havoc with her reputation as a hard ass—to some extent. Luckily, in professional circles, she’s still the go-to expert for zombie issues. And right now, the FBI is having one hell of a zombie issue.

Someone is producing zombie porn. Anita has seen her share of freaky undead fetishes, so this shouldn’t bother her. But the women being victimized aren’t just mindless, rotting corpses. Their souls are trapped behind their eyes, signaling voodoo of the blackest kind.

It’s the sort of case that can leave a mark on a person. And Anita’s own soul may not survive unscathed . . .

T5W || Multiple POVs

Bonjour!, and welcome to another T5W.  This week we were set the trickier task of finding books with mulitple POVs.  It took me forever to find five books with more than 2 or 3 characters through which we follow the story.

After much scouring of my shelves - and a little help from Goodreads - I finally came up with a list.

 

5.  Throne of Glass was the first - or final - book on my list.  We follow multiple characters, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the following books.

4.  While it doesn't happen very often, during this series Meg, Simon, Henry, sometimes Tess, Vlad and even the police characters get a scene of two.

3.  Had to add this book, but it's still on my TBR pile.  I know we follow multiple characters, and that was good enough for me.

2.  Great fantasy series.  Love that we follow the story through about 5 characters.  Jaenelle, Saetan, Daemon, Yaslana and occasionally a snippet from other characters.  So good ;-D

1.  One of the ultimate POV books.  Follow Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and Aragorn, plus others as you journey through Middle Earth.

I hope you enjoyed my Top 5 list.  Next week's should be easier to compile... I hope ;-D  Let me know if you agree with my list - or what books you would add instead - in the comment section below.

And, as always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Until next time,