Hi all!!
Hope you are all doing well on this Wednesday. It's rainy and cold here in Melbourne at the moment - winter has well and truly kicked in (it's not even winter yet!!!). I literally just finished my second audio book for the month and while it was fresh in my mind I wanted to write a review for you all.
The book was Stolen, by Rebecca Muddiman. This book was set in Redcar in England and follows the story of Abby Henshaw, who is brutally attacked and raped, and her 8 month old daughter Beth is stolen. This book deals with the very confronting issue of child kidnapping, and I have to say that Rebecca Muddiman does it well.
I have said this before but listened to audio books does influence my opinion of the book. A good narrator can make or break the story for me. This particular audio book was read by Tim Bruce and I really loved his reading style and his representation of the characters.
This book kept me guessing the whole way through! Usually I only listen to audio books to and from work in the car (around 30 minutes per day), with this book I was actually so caught up in the plot that I listened to it on my computer for an hour or so, and then sat in my car in the driveway for 30 minutes tonight after getting home from work while the book finished!
I highly recommend this book. Just when I thought I had figured out what had happened, it turned out I was wrong! I don't want to give anything away... that will ruin your reading experience! Excellent murder mystery - highly recommend.
5/5 stars
~ Katie
Check out my Good Reads profile... feel free to make friends! I love to see what everyone else is reading and get some good recommendations!
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Friday, 15 May 2015
Book Chat - The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
I have finished my first book in May and this was 'The Book of the Dead' by Patricia Cornwell.
I listened to this as an audio book, which has definitely influenced my opinion of this book. I haven't read many Patricia Cornwell books, or really murder mystery books in general, but I would have to say that I am starting to enjoy them.
As a non-Patricia Cornwell reader I really went into this book with not too many preconceived ideas about the main characters. I know that she has written LOTS of books with Kay Scarpetta, Merino, Benton and Lucy - but I am not familiar enough with these characters to have any idea about their past histories.
I have to say I liked the murder mystery component of this book, however I am easy to please in this department. What I found a little confusing was the portrayal of the characters. All the main characters seemed a little weak in this book, by that I mean that they were all sad and depressed and didn't seem to have much depth or substance to them. Again I'm not sure if this is similar to PC's other books, perhaps it is, and also in fairness to PC this may well be part of an ongoing storyline weaving through all her Scarpetta books. I can only hope that all these characters come out of this slump in the coming books though!!
All in all, as far as the murder mystery part of the storyline, I really l enjoyed that, and it was a great book to listen to in the car while I was driving too and from work! If the characters had slightly more substance to them, I would have perhaps rated this book slightly higher, however I would still say that is was an enjoyable easy read.
3/5 stars
Happy reading!
~ Katie
I listened to this as an audio book, which has definitely influenced my opinion of this book. I haven't read many Patricia Cornwell books, or really murder mystery books in general, but I would have to say that I am starting to enjoy them.
As a non-Patricia Cornwell reader I really went into this book with not too many preconceived ideas about the main characters. I know that she has written LOTS of books with Kay Scarpetta, Merino, Benton and Lucy - but I am not familiar enough with these characters to have any idea about their past histories.
I have to say I liked the murder mystery component of this book, however I am easy to please in this department. What I found a little confusing was the portrayal of the characters. All the main characters seemed a little weak in this book, by that I mean that they were all sad and depressed and didn't seem to have much depth or substance to them. Again I'm not sure if this is similar to PC's other books, perhaps it is, and also in fairness to PC this may well be part of an ongoing storyline weaving through all her Scarpetta books. I can only hope that all these characters come out of this slump in the coming books though!!
All in all, as far as the murder mystery part of the storyline, I really l enjoyed that, and it was a great book to listen to in the car while I was driving too and from work! If the characters had slightly more substance to them, I would have perhaps rated this book slightly higher, however I would still say that is was an enjoyable easy read.
3/5 stars
Happy reading!
~ Katie
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Celebrating a wonderful life
A wonderful man passed away last week, Mr A. This man was one of those people who has touched SO many lives, in so many different ways.
We knew his memorial service was going to be big when the venue was the local arts centre - so we arrived with 30 minutes to spare and we were seated in the second row from the back. I would estimate over 700 people were there! Imagine that... 700 people turning up to your funeral. I'm not even sure I know 700 people. Listening to the eulogies, and the various people who spoke about my friends life I was just overwhelmed with how good this man was.
Mr A was heavily into music, which is how I knew him, in particular brass bands. As you can see from the photo below - this is how many musicians were on stage today to play for his memorial service. There would have been probably between 80-100 musicians on stage.
I wanted to write about this today as a way to help me process, grieve and celebrate a truly wonderful man. Mr A you will be missed. I know you will continue to be making music and inspiring others wherever you now are. RIP
We knew his memorial service was going to be big when the venue was the local arts centre - so we arrived with 30 minutes to spare and we were seated in the second row from the back. I would estimate over 700 people were there! Imagine that... 700 people turning up to your funeral. I'm not even sure I know 700 people. Listening to the eulogies, and the various people who spoke about my friends life I was just overwhelmed with how good this man was.
Mr A was heavily into music, which is how I knew him, in particular brass bands. As you can see from the photo below - this is how many musicians were on stage today to play for his memorial service. There would have been probably between 80-100 musicians on stage.
I wanted to write about this today as a way to help me process, grieve and celebrate a truly wonderful man. Mr A you will be missed. I know you will continue to be making music and inspiring others wherever you now are. RIP
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Relaxing weekend :)
While dinner is cooking in the oven, and I am doing everything I can to put off cleaning the house (argh hate housework!), I thought I would put up a very quick blog post. I am trying to do my best to post something most days, so I figure I should start off my blog (well re-start!) the way I want to continue!
We are moving very quickly into winter here in Australia and the weather is getting colder, and more miserable! I have been setting myself a challenge of walking 10,000 steps each day (the recommended amount!), and I had been doing really well all of April, then I got sick! Last week I was sick for a few days and I only hit my step goal twice! Not good. So today I jumped back on the horse and took the dogs out for a walk to our local off the leash park - twice! It's only 7pm and I have already hit 15,000 steps! Woo hoo!!
Oh and the other piece of good news is that I have finished one book on my reading list for May! Yay!!! Hopefully I can knock over another one tomorrow - although I really should do some house cleaning...
I will leave you all with a cute pic of one of our puppies, and our cat taking a nap together...reluctantly (but they both wanted some blanket and my knee!). Happy Saturday everyone :)
We are moving very quickly into winter here in Australia and the weather is getting colder, and more miserable! I have been setting myself a challenge of walking 10,000 steps each day (the recommended amount!), and I had been doing really well all of April, then I got sick! Last week I was sick for a few days and I only hit my step goal twice! Not good. So today I jumped back on the horse and took the dogs out for a walk to our local off the leash park - twice! It's only 7pm and I have already hit 15,000 steps! Woo hoo!!
Oh and the other piece of good news is that I have finished one book on my reading list for May! Yay!!! Hopefully I can knock over another one tomorrow - although I really should do some house cleaning...
I will leave you all with a cute pic of one of our puppies, and our cat taking a nap together...reluctantly (but they both wanted some blanket and my knee!). Happy Saturday everyone :)
Friday, 8 May 2015
May To Be Read (TBR) List
So May is the month I have decided to also get back into my reading. Even though I have also recently taken up Project Life and traditional scrapbooking, I really only do this about once a month when I print my photos out. So I have decided to get back into another hobby that I really love...reading! I used to be such an avid reader, and I own 100s of books. I am also currently in a book club that meets monthly, and have been really enjoying the chance to read books of a slightly different genre that I usually gravitate towards.
So I have decided to set myself a goal to read most days, and also to pick out key books that I would like to read each month! I have recently been really excited to discover the online 'booktube' community - and this has really revved me up to start listing my book reading goals in a public forum so I can be held accountable to them!!!
So without further ado here is my TBR for May:
1. Rhiannon's Ride 3: The heart of starts by Kate Forsyth
2. This is where I leave you by Jonathan Tropper (this is my current book club book)
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
5. The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell (audio book)
6. Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman (audio book)
OK so there is a fair chance, looking back at this list, that I may have bitten off more than I can chew for my first reading challenge this month, but hey... gotta start somewhere!!!!
I will post some reviews of some of the books and let you know how I went at the end of the month.
~ Katie
So I have decided to set myself a goal to read most days, and also to pick out key books that I would like to read each month! I have recently been really excited to discover the online 'booktube' community - and this has really revved me up to start listing my book reading goals in a public forum so I can be held accountable to them!!!
So without further ado here is my TBR for May:
1. Rhiannon's Ride 3: The heart of starts by Kate Forsyth
2. This is where I leave you by Jonathan Tropper (this is my current book club book)
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
5. The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell (audio book)
6. Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman (audio book)
OK so there is a fair chance, looking back at this list, that I may have bitten off more than I can chew for my first reading challenge this month, but hey... gotta start somewhere!!!!
I will post some reviews of some of the books and let you know how I went at the end of the month.
~ Katie
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Scrapbooking 12x12 Layouts... WAY harder than it looks!
So as I mentioned a few days ago I have really been enjoying getting into Project Life! I personally think it's a fantastic system that is really working for me. I love being able to document my life in printed photos and pretty filler cards. I am not a super creative soul... I only wish I was! I think my sister got all those genes. While I enjoy pretty things and have enjoyed experimenting with Project Life I have always been a bit hesitant to dive into the full-on scrapbooking world! I am in awe of those people who can scrap 12x12 layouts. I have joined quite a few facebook groups and pages around scrapbooking, particularly Australia groups. And I have been truly inspired by one awesome lady! Her name is Adele and she has a blog/YouTube channel called Inkie Quill - check her out here. Both her Project Life and 12x12 layouts are stunning! She is also hilarious to watch/listen to, which makes her videos super easy and engaging.
So I decided to tackle 12x12 layouts.. my first was nice.. but a bit of a fail! However I am really happy with how my second one turned out...(excuse the glare!)
This was from a recent holiday I took to Hawaii, and I am pleased with how it turned out. Still lots to learn about my scrapbooking ability and what style I like, but I think I am improving.
The best thing I have learnt about this whole experience is how valuable it is for me to have a hobby, and something I really enjoy doing! So thanks Adele for inspiring me, and now all the many many other channels I follow on YouTube... I can see I will be needing to increase my stash of enamel dots, as well as getting my hands on some other mixed media! The obsession is real people!!!!
~ Katie
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Book Chat - The Light Between Oceans (April book club) *no spoilers*
In the middle of last year some friends and I decided that we wanted to start a book club! We all love reading, well most of us love reading, wine, cheese and good company so we decided why not! A book club seems like a brilliant idea!!!
We have read a few books so far:
2014
- A Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
- the secret keeper by Kate Morton
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2015
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
- This is where I leave You by Jonathan Tropper (current book!)
So I used to oscillate between buying the 'real' hard copy of the book (if I can find it cheap enough) or buying the eBook and reading it on my Kobo. I do love my Kobo and it's SO great to travel with, but there is just something about reading a real book that you can't beat! In my opinion anyway!
For The Light Between Ocean's however I went with the eBook as I had the pleasure of enjoying a relaxing holiday in Hawaii in March and I knew it would be the perfect time to get some quality reading done (in fact I finished 3 books while I was there!). The Kobo is just SO easy to travel with and I knew I would read more than one book so it was far more convenient to get the eBook!
It took me a while to get into The Light Between Ocean's, and to be honest I have mixed feelings about this book. While I think it's very well written, well done to Stedman for that! It just wasn't really my kind of read. It probably took me at least half of the book to really get into it.
The book follows the journey of Tom, after four years away at war, who signs up for the solitary life of a lighthouse keeper. Tom meets Isabel, they fall in love, marry and she accompanies him to the lighthouse. This book follows their journey as husband and wife and moral and ethical decisions are rife in this book. It does really make you think about your own values and morals. Did they make the right decision? What would you have done in their shoes?
To me, Isabel is not a likeable character, and I wasn't a massive fan. Tom however I really liked.
I will say once I got half way through the book I did have to finish it - It really made me want to know how the book ended. And not to give anything away but I did spend pretty much the whole last chapter or so crying.
It was a short read, and I finished it in a few days. It was a good choice for our book club too as we have quite a wide variety of readers in the good who all like different genres (I'm a fantasy/magic girl usually!).
I would recommend reading it, even though it won't make my top 10 this year!!!
3.5/5 stars :)
- Check out my current reading list on Good Reads https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/42784263
We have read a few books so far:
2014
- A Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
- the secret keeper by Kate Morton
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2015
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
- This is where I leave You by Jonathan Tropper (current book!)
So I used to oscillate between buying the 'real' hard copy of the book (if I can find it cheap enough) or buying the eBook and reading it on my Kobo. I do love my Kobo and it's SO great to travel with, but there is just something about reading a real book that you can't beat! In my opinion anyway!
For The Light Between Ocean's however I went with the eBook as I had the pleasure of enjoying a relaxing holiday in Hawaii in March and I knew it would be the perfect time to get some quality reading done (in fact I finished 3 books while I was there!). The Kobo is just SO easy to travel with and I knew I would read more than one book so it was far more convenient to get the eBook!
It took me a while to get into The Light Between Ocean's, and to be honest I have mixed feelings about this book. While I think it's very well written, well done to Stedman for that! It just wasn't really my kind of read. It probably took me at least half of the book to really get into it.
The book follows the journey of Tom, after four years away at war, who signs up for the solitary life of a lighthouse keeper. Tom meets Isabel, they fall in love, marry and she accompanies him to the lighthouse. This book follows their journey as husband and wife and moral and ethical decisions are rife in this book. It does really make you think about your own values and morals. Did they make the right decision? What would you have done in their shoes?
To me, Isabel is not a likeable character, and I wasn't a massive fan. Tom however I really liked.
I will say once I got half way through the book I did have to finish it - It really made me want to know how the book ended. And not to give anything away but I did spend pretty much the whole last chapter or so crying.
It was a short read, and I finished it in a few days. It was a good choice for our book club too as we have quite a wide variety of readers in the good who all like different genres (I'm a fantasy/magic girl usually!).
I would recommend reading it, even though it won't make my top 10 this year!!!
3.5/5 stars :)
- Check out my current reading list on Good Reads https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/42784263
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
Project Life, 2015
So about a two months ago I was downloading all my photos from my phone and backing them up on my hard drive when I thought... I really want to print some of these out and make a 'real' album! So I went onto my beloved friend Pintrest and did some searching. I also follow a beauty vlogger on YouTube called Lily Pebbles and way back in January she posted about a scrapbooking project she had done in 2014 called Project Life - find her here. The video she posted really got me hooked and I loved the idea of Project Life. So after some more research and searching around I had decided that this was the way for me to get back into printing photos, and also let me be creative!
Cue sale from Spotlight (our biggest craft store chain in Australia)... of course Spotlight had to have a 40% off all Project Life sale. So of course, I spent up... big (shush... don't tell the fella!).
So I have decided to start a PL album for 2015. I won't be doing weekly layouts, as lots of people do, I just don't have enough interesting things that happen to me every week! If I did that there would be LOTS of photos of my animals... and me sitting on the couch drinking tea and reading! Not the most exciting memories to look back on. Instead I will be doing monthly spreads - I am not restricting myself to a specific number of pages per month or anything, I am just going to go with the flow!
I was pretty excited to do my title page layout, so with lots of inspiration from pinterest and a few facebook groups I have joined - I jumped right in the deep end and this is what I created...
As you can see I still have lots of work to do on my style! But for my first try I am really happy!!! I have just ordered some photos online and as soon as they arrive I am really looking forward to sharing more of my creations!!!
I would love to see some of your creations - I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration. Let me know in the comments your blog/YouTube and I will come and check you out!!!
~ Katie
Cue sale from Spotlight (our biggest craft store chain in Australia)... of course Spotlight had to have a 40% off all Project Life sale. So of course, I spent up... big (shush... don't tell the fella!).
So I have decided to start a PL album for 2015. I won't be doing weekly layouts, as lots of people do, I just don't have enough interesting things that happen to me every week! If I did that there would be LOTS of photos of my animals... and me sitting on the couch drinking tea and reading! Not the most exciting memories to look back on. Instead I will be doing monthly spreads - I am not restricting myself to a specific number of pages per month or anything, I am just going to go with the flow!
I was pretty excited to do my title page layout, so with lots of inspiration from pinterest and a few facebook groups I have joined - I jumped right in the deep end and this is what I created...
As you can see I still have lots of work to do on my style! But for my first try I am really happy!!! I have just ordered some photos online and as soon as they arrive I am really looking forward to sharing more of my creations!!!
I would love to see some of your creations - I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration. Let me know in the comments your blog/YouTube and I will come and check you out!!!
~ Katie
Monday, 4 May 2015
Getting back on track!
Well clearly I have been absent from this blog for quite some time... in fact... over a year! But really whose counting!!??!!
So I am getting back on the horse. I do love writing on here, and I feel like I have things to say. Even if there are not many people here who are reading it! This blog isn't about everyone else, it's about me! So expect to see posts about my latest hobbies, reading, craft (scrapbooking in particular) and hopefully some cooking thrown in there for good measure too!
Firstly though, I have to finish an assignment (remind me again why I thought going back to do my masters, while working full time and also trying to have a life, was a good idea!!!). So I hope to have a few posts up this week, including some scrapbooking posts and possibly a book recommendation!
Keep your eyes peeled folks! Enjoy your Tuesday :)
~ Katie
So I am getting back on the horse. I do love writing on here, and I feel like I have things to say. Even if there are not many people here who are reading it! This blog isn't about everyone else, it's about me! So expect to see posts about my latest hobbies, reading, craft (scrapbooking in particular) and hopefully some cooking thrown in there for good measure too!
Firstly though, I have to finish an assignment (remind me again why I thought going back to do my masters, while working full time and also trying to have a life, was a good idea!!!). So I hope to have a few posts up this week, including some scrapbooking posts and possibly a book recommendation!
Keep your eyes peeled folks! Enjoy your Tuesday :)
~ Katie
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