Tuesday, June 21, 2016
52 in 52 - book 17 - Silverthorn - Raymond E Feist
Quickly following its prequel was Silverthorn, second in the series and the saga. The war has ended, but there is other trouble afoot. The new prince's almost wife is is on the verge of death, and no one knows the cure. 432 pages of adventure and battle, fantasy at its best. I highly recommend everyone who loves fantasy to read these books!
52 in 52 book 16 - Magician - Raymond E Feist
To get back into the groove of reading, I've chosen a saga I've read before, starting with Magician, a book published before I was born and will be a classic long after I'm dead I am sure.
681 pages of exceptional fantasy that I lost myself in at once. Following the life of an orphan boy, his best friend, and the 'Royal family' in a a small rural community, through exceptional twists and turns. The book covers about 30 years, and it's unputdownable
Saturday, May 07, 2016
Behind again! Challenging times! 52 in 52 - book 15 - parts a & b - Christmas at the Beach Cafe, Christmas Gift at the Beach Cafe, Lucy Diamond
So 52 books in 52 weeks doesn't work so well when you hit "mental block" with reading... I know that sounds bizarre, but there really are times when you just can't get into the book that you've started, and we're really enjoying.... Ah well... I worked out a temporary solution - The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond has a couple of Novellas based on the same storyline, so whether or not reading the two of them counts as one book, I'm not sure.... But I'm claiming it! So book 15 is 2 novellas!
Both of these novellas take place after the original The Beach Cafe (book 5 in my 52 in 52 reading challenge), The first, Christmas at the beach cafe takes place months after the original novel. Evie, the "black sheep" of the family, is thriving in the cafe left to her by her aunt - something that is surprising to her family, and almost equally to herself- and her chef turned boyfriend Ed has moved in, life is good! Evie's favourite day of the entire year is Christmas - clearly the season mentioned in the title! Evie is all set for their very first Christmas together, small, romantic, and secluded from the whole world as their sleepy village shuts down against the cold of winter.
All this goes awry when Ed's brother turns up unannounced having just arrived back in the UK from Thailand. Evie has heard all about him and his travels from Ed - however he seems to be doing his best to make a rift between Evie and Ed, and Ed can't even see it!! As if things weren't far enough off track...
It's been a month since I drafted this post, hoping to get straight back to it.... I'm just going to publish it now....
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
Busy with Nina
In the midst of all this reading, I have actually been doing some sewing! For anyone playing along at home, you can follow Jacqueline Leigh Creations on Instagram and Facebook, and my Art has it's own page on Facebook (I may combine them at a later stage).
My Bernina got her name - Nina! And we have been busy working our way through countless projects that have been collecting dust for... well, some of them, a couple of years... and getting orders knocked over as quickly as possible too!
Here's a little selection from my Instagram feed of what's been going on!
My Bernina got her name - Nina! And we have been busy working our way through countless projects that have been collecting dust for... well, some of them, a couple of years... and getting orders knocked over as quickly as possible too!
Here's a little selection from my Instagram feed of what's been going on!
Saturday, April 02, 2016
52 in 52 - book 14 - Pandora's Box - Giselle Green
Pandora's box. "Contains all the evils in the world" in Greek mythology, and although the parallels are drawn here, it is not the goddess Pandora, but the mother/grandmother of the protagonists.
A handy guide on the back of this book lets you prepare yourself- 50% tear-jerker, 20% drama, and 15% each friendship and love.
For me, the 435 pages held no tears, but it was dramatic, easy to read, and I did stay awake half the night (having started reading at 11pm), two nights in a row to finish it.
The story of terminally ill Shelly, who has watched her friend with the same disease die a horrible, painful, and drawn out death decides she will not endure the deterioration, she will take matters into her own hands.
And 2 years as a single mother with full time care of her dying teenage daughter has left Rachel feeling lonely and deserted- by her ex husband, by her best friend as their lives take different courses, and by her mother Pandora who is emigrating to Australia (book set in UK), but not before sending "Pandora's box" full of childhood memories, pain, and best-forgotten-secrets.
There is love, there is pain, and moral and ethical complexities which make the story interesting and thought provoking. Great read!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
52 in 52 books is taking over my sleep.
Well... I am loving this challenge... But it is resulting in "accidental" late nights of reading many hours past my self imposed bed time.... Yikes!
I'm reading a book I found on sale at Kmart called Pandora's Box. If you ever want to write a book, heaps of really short chapters are really effective at stealing sleep! All the light we cannot see was similar- many short chapters, swapping between character stories, meaning the book is devoured without realising that chapters have been finished. "Just until the end of this chapter" is a lie I've told myself pretty much all my life- it's never just to the end of the chapter, but that's not something I realise until several chapters later... Oops!
In other news, I've almost finished book 14!
Monday, March 28, 2016
52 in 52 book 13 - Crazy Love - Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski
Amazing. Powerful. Challenging.
175 pages plus Q&A with the author, this is a hard hitting and challenging book that urges us to walk the talk. Be literal in faith. Don't leave God at church on Sunday. Don't let anyone be surprised when they find out you're Christian- that should be evident in every breath, if you love God and behave as if you do.
Another book I recommend and I will read again. The call to action in this book has the power to change the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)