Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a bright and prosperous 2015 with many great books along the way.

and so that was Christmas,,,

...and I hope everyone has had a lovely festive season. We are home again after a long and relaxing time staying with our daughter and her family. If the weather chose not to come to the party a little rain didn't dampen our spirits and we shared a perfect family Christmas.

Now it is New Year's Eve - the last day in a year that as Queen Elizabeth once said has been an ' annus horribilis' -I cannot wait to turn the page and start a new one.

As I didn't blog, or even keep a list of the books I read in the first six months of 2014 I am not making any ' best of''  or stats lists but yesterday enjoyed a quiet time catching up on my Feedly posts. With family expected over the next few days I sadly don't have time to stop and comment and will have to try and make up for that later in January.

Not many moments for reading either but I took The Fortune of the Rougons by Emile Zola away with me and am halfway through and loving it. Not the wisest choice perhaps as my carefully laid plans for January's reading now have to be rearranged but then those plans also include the resolution to follow my heart and not the 'I should be' voice so if some books have to wait a bit longer so be it. 

Hopefully I should be back to a normal blogging pace by the beginning of next week.

Seasons Greetings

May you have the gladness of Christmas

which is Hope;

the spirit of Christmas

which is Peace;

the heart of Christmas

which is Love.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX

It's going to be a busy September! Already I plan to take part in two events  and thought about giving R.I.P. a miss but just can't resist. Hosted as always by Carl @ Stainless Steel Droppings

September 1 - October 31, 2014

Books to be read from these categories: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Supernatural.

I am going to participate in Peril the First - read any four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.

I have imposed a library ban on myself for the first two weeks of September so will have to begin with what I have on the shelf. So far I have found two novellas and my Mary Stewart will count so hopefully that will be enough for a start.

Books read

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart
Revenge by Yoko Ogawa
The Evil Eye by Joyce Carol Oates
The Secret House of Death by Ruth Rendell
Her by Harriet Lane
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
The Secret Place by Tana French
Wolf by Mo Hayder
The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer

Happy Reading!

It's been a very sad time

It was this time last year when life became difficult and I stopped blogging because I felt unable to keep up a positive public face when I felt so low. I know now that was a huge mistake and one I'm not going to make again. I'm not going to pretend to be alright when I'm not but I am going to continue blogging even if for a while there will be little of substance written. So I need to tell you...

On Monday 4th August our beloved and beautiful seventeen-year-old granddaughter took her own life. The expert care and counselling, the love and protection that surrounded her - none of it was enough to keep her safe from the darkness of the depression that overcame her.

It is a devastating and heartbreaking loss for our family. It has been the worst ten days of my life.

I've Been Away Too Long!

Hard to believe that my last post was at the beginning of June and it's now well into August. Shortly after that post I had a most undignified fall from a stool while cleaning windows and sprained the fingers of my right hand - no computer work for several weeks!

Then it was time for our much-looked- forward-to holiday - a wonderful trip from which we returned on Friday. Since then the top priority has been sleep and in my semi-lucid moments slowly getting through the posts in my reader. I'm glad I signed up for Feedly as well as Bloglovin because it gives the option of reading the whole post. It was tempting to simply mark all as read but then I might have missed something important.

What shall I read? is the next question but a visit to the library this afternoon should help solve that one. Meanwhile I'm reading a book my brother lent me after a conversation about Three Men in a Boat.

Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington is the story of retired English couple, Terry & Monica, and their whippet named Jim, who decide to take their canal narrowboat across France and down to the Mediterranean. Sharing their adventures is the perfect way to ease gently back into our normal quiet life and it's very, very funny.

I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging but plan to take it easy - no pressures about reviewing and resigning myself to the fact that I'm unlikely to finish any challenges this year.

My Day in Books

This fill-in-the-blanks meme originated at Cornflower Books. I spotted it this morning at Claire's blog and thought it would be an excellent way to avoid writing a review to spend the afternoon. Complete the sentences with titles of books you read this year.

I began the day by Collecting Cooper

before breakfasting on Foal's Bread

and admiring The Country of the Pointed Firs.

On my way to work I saw The Roundabout Man

and walked by The Mill on the Floss

  

to avoid Three Men in a Boat

but I made sure to stop at The Grand Babylon Hotel.

In the office, my boss said, My Dear, I wanted to tell you

and sent me to research Lady Audley's Secret.

At lunch with Clara Callan

I noticed An Honourable Man

in The Darkest Room

  

greatly enjoying Five Red Herrings.

Then on the journey home, I contemplated Black Flowers

because I have A Duty to the Dead

and am drawn to The Meaning of Night.

  

Settling down for the evening Under the Dome

I studied The Behaviour of Moths

by The Lantern

before saying goodnight to the My Antonia

Book Fair Buys

This week it was our annual Rotary Club Book Fair which is an event I always look forward to and I love joining the early morning queue on the first day and sharing the anticipation. It's always crowded but I was still happy with my bargains......

Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev
To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsay
The Harp in the South trilogy - Ruth Park
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Ruth Park
The Virago Book of Such Devoted Sisters
The Watersplash - Patricia Wentworth
The Ivory Dagger - Patricia Wentworth
The View from Castle Rock - Alice Munro
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier - my one indulgence! Even though I've read this more than once I couldn't resist this lovely old, gold-embossed, illustrated edition.

Day 2 I chose a time when I knew it would be quiet. I wanted to slowly look for the insignificant little gems that tend to get to hidden among the big and bright trade paperbacks and I found....

Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham
An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym
Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett
A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor
Mrs Ames by E.F.Benson
Queen Lucia by E.F.Benson
Mapp and Lucia by E.F.Benson
Dodo Omnibus by E.F.Benson

Very pleased with my purchases - lots of great reading to look forward to! 

Classics Club: Gothic Fiction in October

Two Gothic events for the Classics Club

o @ Delaisse is hosting this one...

Option 1: Join o in a readalong of The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Option 2: Read one book for the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th Century, which you can pick from my list or look elsewhere (which, seriously, I would recommend that you do because my list is very brief, and I may have missed some fantastic titles).

Option 3: Both!

The season is changing but here in New Zealand it's not Autumn - we're welcoming warmer days and longer nights,  daffodils , blossom and newborn lambs - it's Spring we await but that doesn't mean I'm not happy to be reading Gothic fiction.
Fortunate that this announcement came nice and early as I was about to start reading Dracula for the RIP but now I'm postponing until October.

I'm signing up for Option 3 and I'll be reading:

18th Century - The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (readalong)

19th Century - Dracula by Bram Stoker

20th Century - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

**********

Jean @ Howling Frog Books is hosting the other.

It includes another readalong by Ann Radcliffe but I don't think I can manage two so I'll give that a miss.

I do like the idea of the James-a-day and fortunately the library has a collection of M.R.James short stories so signing up for that - should be fun!

Nice to be organised early and I can sit back and enjoy September.

Literary Blog Hop Giveaway Winner

Tanja

Tanja has won The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope which is now on its way to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Thanks to Judith for another great blog hop and to all who participated and entered my giveaway. See you next time!

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Hosted by Judith @ Leeswammes' Blog

Over 50 blogs participating all offering one or more giveaways of literary (non) fiction or bookish items.

 My Giveaway - International

One winner can choose one book from the six pictured below which will be sent from the Book Depository. In keeping with the theme of A Victorian Celebration which I'm participating in during Jun/Jul  my choices for this giveaway are all classics by Victorian authors - Vintage Classics editions.
  
The Ladies

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot.......tells the story of Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom as they grow from children to young adults in a small English rural town.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell........leaving a rural idyll in the south of England, Margaret Hale is initially shocked by the social unrest and poverty she finds in the north.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte.........when the mysterious and beautiful Helen Graham becomes the new tenant of Wildfell Hall rumours immediately begin to swirl around her.

The Gentlemen

No Name by Wilkie Collins.........after the tragic deaths of their parents, Magdalen and Norah discover the devastating news that they are both illegitimate and not entitled to any inheritance.

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens........John Harmon returns to England after years of exile to claim his inheritance: a great fortune and a beautiful young woman to whom he is betrothed, but has never met. 

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope.........when the Melmottes arrive in London everyone agrees their manners are wanting, their taste is excreable and their lineage and background decidedly shady. But their money is far from revolting!

To enter the Giveaway please leave a comment which includes

• your email
• which book is your choice if you win.

Entries will close 8am Thursday 28th (NZ time) - this will be UK 8pm Wednesday 27th.. The winner will be chosen by random org. , contacted by email and will have 48 hrs to respond - no reply and I'll draw another winner.

A list of all Blog Hop participants can be found here.

Good Luck!

Entries Closed

Thanks for participating

Literary Blog Hop Giveaway Winner!!

Malvina

Malvina has won The Proof of Love by Catherine Hall which is now on its way to Malaysia.

Thanks to all who participated and entered my giveaway. See you next time!

2011 End of Year Book Survey

Hosted by The Perpetual Page-Turner

1. Best Book(s) You Read In 2011?

 The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Proof of Love by Catherine Hall

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - DNF

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?

The Warden by Anthony Trollope

The Mountain Lion by Jean Stafford

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?  

The Proof of Love by Catherine Hall

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?

I don't go looking for series but The Warden by Anthony Trollope is the first of six books in the Barsetshire Chronicles - if that is considered a series it wins! 

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?

Anthony Trollope, Jane Harris, Catherine Hall, Jo Nesbo, Connie Willis

 7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.......chicklit is not a genre I read but I brought this home because the author is Australian for a challenge and loved every moment of it.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?


A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan - read in the last couple of weeks and another favourite for 2011, Lovely cover perfect for a lovely story! 

11. Most memorable characters in 2011?

Prabaker from Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Fawad from Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield

Gwenni from The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan
Harriet Baxter from Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 
Liesl from The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011? 


Corrag by Susan Fletcher 


13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak


14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?

"The passion for being forever with one's fellows, and the fear of being left for a few hours alone is to me wholly incomprehensible.".........from Elizabeth and her German Garden (yet to be reviewed)

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012? 

I seldom reread but I've just finished Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons which was an absolutely hilarious parody of rural works by authors like Thomas Hardy and as I'm about to begin his Far From the Madding Crowd I might find myself dipping into it again.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 

**********************

The Cat's Away

I'm off to spend some time with my daughter and her family . The first part of May hasn't been great as I've struggled with a painful sinus infection so looking forward to taking a break. Lots of books in my bag because there is a fantastic secondhand book shop close by and I hope to offload what I'm taking and replace with a load of new bargains. Back on the 28th May.

Happy reading!

An Interview with Rocsanne Shields

Author of Save Magic City

1. The title of your book is "Save Magic City". What does the title mean?

The town to start with, is unnamed, a town anywhere in the great USA. Once Edmund starts working his spells, things change direction, instead of from bad to worse, to better and better. Magic is in the air! Everybody agrees to change the name and adopt "Magic City" as their town's new name. It represents exactly what happens with the town and its inhabitants. Magic is everywhere, the town is magic!

2. Tell us about "Save Magic City." When I retired, it was not because I wanted, but because the company went through a very dramatic restructuring -- 20% of all the International complex had to be shed, to keep the company profitable. So, when I started writing this book, I did not have a name in mind, I simply put on paper ideas as they came. But after the entire population voted to change the name into Magic City, saving it was of the utmost importance! Hence the name.

 3. How do you pick the characters names?

Each character comes with a little bit of research. Edmund is the only character who comes with a lot of background. Leo has a name that fits with the names of his two friends. He is the little lion, while Squirrel needs no explanation -- a tomboy with a love for climbing, jumping and talking nonstop (maybe because otherwise she might be swamped by the many voices she hears in her mind). Raccoon is ponderous without being slow. He is older and wiser than his two friends and is always there to keep peace.

I love my garden and I had numerous occasions to watch squirrels, and less frequent ones to watch raccoons. so their characteristics and names came very easily.

Leona simply fits with both her little lion and with Edmund. Once I had Leo's name, Leona's came automatically.

4. Describe your writing in three words.
Fast and furious

5. Why did you write this book? At first, because I wanted to give Edmund a chance to rehabilitate himself of all the bad deeds in his past, but once I had Leo and Leona, I wanted to help them save their beloved city.

6. Who is your intended audience? Children of all ages, from eight to ninety plus -- anybody who will enjoy reading it.

7. How does this book benefit the reader? This is a difficult question. I would like for my readers to come with something after reading the book, but I am not a crusader. Mostly I use my imagination to solve problems that bother me.
One is the subject of corporations, but maybe, a child would not be interested -- yet.
Another is bullying among children. How does bullying get started? What prompts one child to use his muscular power in order to abuse another? Maybe he is abused himself...
And lastly is the disappearance of local industry -- food comes cheaper from Chile, clothes from China, toys from Thailand, cars from Korea. What are we producing that we can be proud of? Not everybody can be a computer wizard. What will happen with all the other people? When the present generation of children will be promoted to adulthood, what will they do with their lives?
I have no answer, so I called in the power of magic.

 8. At what age did you discover writing, and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.

In high school... No, before the high school, I wrote a play for our home theatre. We used all the dolls in our home and I wrote the play so as to give each one something to say. Sorry to say that my father criticized it, finding fault with too much imagination. After that, I contented myself with storytelling for my brother and cousins, without putting this on paper.
In high school, we had a very good teacher a literature, and though I was learning in a class based on math and sciences, we all loved his lectures. One day, he told us to prepare an essay about one of the compulsory books, and next day, we discovered that without agreeing among ourselves, all of us who considered ourselves "the elite" had  
written our essays in verse. After that, I wrote down short stories and letters (which are lost) and I intend next to publish a collection of them.

9. Where is "Save Magic City" available? Save Magic City is available at
http://www.rocsanneshield.com/
http://www.amazon.com/
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/
And other retailers

About the Author : Rocsanne is the pen name of Raluca Popov, born in Romania many years ago, when communism was still the way of life in her country. She desired to escape the communism and find more about a freer way of life in the West. For this, she left Romania as a tourist, and never looked back. Her education includes Geological Engineering and Construction Estimating, thus being able to find work wherever she went. During all these years she wrote short stories, mostly about the people she met, finding them extremely interesting. But always she was sure she will write a novel someday.

After she retired, she finally found the time to transform her dream into reality, and four novels in the Historical Romance genre were written, one connected to the next through their common heroes and heroines. And here she found herself in a quandary -- where to send the banished sorcerer -- the solution to her fourth novel, in which Edmund, the bad sorcerer is banished by his enemies, and disappears in thin air.

She can say that inspiration comes from the most extraordinary places. In this case it was the TV, watching an animated movie for children. Forgotten was the romance, and children, together with their parents became the new heroes. When you read the book, please do not forget to leave your opinion of it behind. Rocsanne/Raluca would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks Rocsanne
Read my review of Save Magic City

Crashed!!!

Computor Meltdown

Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm back online.

2011 - I would like to....

Iz Happy Cat

Iz chose freedom

No resolutions

No goals

No personal challenges

......but there are lots of things I would like to do in 2011

• read the books I have gathered up in 2010 - there's only 25 but they tend to get put aside because of the library books.
• read more non-fiction
• read more NZ/Aus books
• read more globally and make a map
• review books as soon as possible after reading .
• if I have an idea for a post - don't just dream it - do it!
• make time for visiting and commenting on other bloggers posts
• relax, have fun, be creative

Do what I love and love what I do!