52 Books in 52 weeks – November

Yay, before 2015. I knew I could do it 🙂 I have to warn you there are a couple of spoilers today, I swear not many, but just consider yourself duly warned okay?!

Here is the list 🙂

Number	Title	Author
47 – Oct 27 – Nov 2	Shadowfever	Moning, Karen Marie
48 – Nov 3-9	Iced	Moning, Karen Marie
49 – Nov 10-16	Famous last words	Sanders, Annie

November was great, as you can see I finished the Mackayla Lane series and actually started the Dani series with “Iced”. I am so close to my goal now, but honestly I have fallen behind with everything going on at the moment, but that my lovelies is a story for a different post 🙂

Shadowfever – Karen Marie Moning

I need to be honest here, in my last review I was talking about struggling with these books and the first one I absolutely struggled. In fact I think it took me awhile to read because I was just not interested at all. Book 2 I was a little bit more interested, towards the end of book 2 I was all in and seriously you guys I tore through the rest of the series over 1 weekend! One weekend! I mean I didn’t really see my Hubby much, but I went into total book lockdown. I try very, very hard not to put spoilers in my reviews because I want you guys to make the decision to read the book on your own and I don’t want to ruin any of the experience for you 🙂 For this reason it is inherently difficult to discuss this last instalment properly because even by discussing the characters that are in the last book I could be providing spoilers. It does make it difficult because I really want to talk about it with you. Let me just say that I had kind of guessed one or two of the big reveals, not because it was obvious, more because I think my story weaving mind works similarly to the authors. There were points where I went, ‘if I was writing this I would totally twist it like this at the end’ and it just so happened that two of the twists I thought of happened. Trust me you guys there is at least two awesomely big twists at the end of this series that you will probably not see coming 🙂 Naturally at the end of the series I had that hangover you get when the story ends and you have to leave that awesome world you had immersed yourself in. To me that is how you tell if you really enjoyed a book or not. The whole series is worth reading for this final instalment.

Iced – Karen Marie Moning

Luckily as it turns out I do not have to give up the world completely. It seems the story continues, not from Macs point of view, but from Dani’s. Crap, SPOILERS for Shadowfever you guys!!! SPOILERS!

I have just realised that again I cannot really discuss anything from this book without giving away seriously big plot points from Shadowfever. Hmm… okay I have given away one… Dani survives. There that is done LOL.

I really enjoyed her character development. I really like the character of Dani, I like the bad guy, like the plot development and really like the Big Boss scenes. But… sorry people there is a huge but coming… I have an issue with the fact that again there is a massive sexual undertone to the whole book. This protagonist is 14 and you have males (can’t mention names due to spoilers) that are following her around having seriously kinky thoughts about her. The best way of handling it is to forget that she is fourteen, which works until the males in question start talking about the fact that their thoughts are wrong because she is only 14. This book leaves you on a serious cliff-hanger, particularly in regards to the fate of a number of the main characters. I can’t wait for the next instalment in 2015!!

Famous last words – Annie Sanders

This was a random book I picked up at the Library. I am not even sure what made me choose it to be honest. This was an interesting story, I certainly enjoyed seeing the character Lucy rediscover and embrace life. Some of the things she got up to I wish I had the courage to do, but aren’t we all afraid of doing anything and everything we want to do? Afraid of looking foolish or being ridiculed? I liked those aspects of the story, some even made me giggle. A few times I thought I had guessed the ending, to be honest it ended up more obvious than I had expected and I found that interesting. Rather than try to pack a punch with a big message they went with the slightly more realistic message, the weird part being that a realistic message appeared in the most unrealistic part of the story. To be honest I am still trying to sort out my feelings about this one 🙂

Just so you have a running score I thought I would let you know that the end of this post signifies 49/52 books

I swear December shall come… hopefully before the beginning of 2015, but I can’t promise 😛

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Friday was my day!

So Friday turned out to be a very good day for me for two reasons;

a) Our house evaluation passed and therefore our loan was approved which means that next year our house will start being built woohoo.

b) I was offered my first full time permanent position as a Librarian! Oh my gosh you guys this was amazing news!!! Job security in a position I love, in a company I love, within 30mins of my home? Hells to the yes!!! This is a seriously great dream! Librarian positions rarely come up in our area because people who get in those positions sit in them until well after they should retire. This year I was lucky enough to score a contract for 11 months to fill someone going on long service leave to use it all up before they retire. As of the 31st December I would have been unemployed again except that the gentleman who was Reference and Information Services Librarian at the Council Library decided to relocate to another area and he found a position there. I applied along with apparently a number of other people and interviewed with 10 others (okay so it’s no ‘The Librarian’ line, but usually places only interview 5).

Finally, finally after 2 weeks of nail biting and obsessing over what I had done wrong in the interview and totally losing hope I get a phone call offering me the job. ARE YOU KIDDING?! Hells yes I will take the job! Best Christmas present ever!!! I have been on one contract or the other for over 5 years now. I have been lucky in that I have never been out of work for long, but those times I am out of work I have never been able to enjoy the time off because I have been stressed to the eyeballs trying to find a new position. I can not even begin to describe for you the sweet relief I felt as the realisation came that this frantic annual part of my life was over.

I start in the New Year and all I have to do is pass 3 months probation and that is it guys. So, so happy right now!!! Everything’s shiny!

52 Books in 52 weeks – October

I know, I know, this is so late guys and I am sorry. Very crazy, busy second half of the year for me.

Here is the list 🙂

Number	Title	Author
40 – Sep 29 – Oct 5	Pie Girls	Clark, Lauren
41 – Oct 6-12	Bloodfever	Moning, Karen Marie
42 – Oct 13-19	Faefever	Moning, Karen Marie
43 – Oct 20-26	Dreamfever	Moning, Karen Marie

October was great, I went back to continue the Mackayla Lane series after a number of you said I shouldn’t judge the series on the first book. Turns out you were right. You can read about my first experience here.

Pie Girls – Lauren Clark

I first read about this book in a review on someone else’s blog (I can’t remember who it is, if it was you please speak up so I can link back to your post!) and I decided to add it to my “to read” pile.

I’m glad I did. I enjoyed the story, the characters were interesting. I liked the display of someone changing everything about their life when tragedy strikes because let’s face it… many of us do that! I usually stop after a massive hair change and quite a bit of retail therapy AKA new wardrobe and totally different style, but this young lady went balls to the wall with it and thank god. Whilst there were some likable qualities about her in the beginning, mostly she was very shallow and obsessed with things that are totally unnecessary to be happy in life.

I loved all the talk about pies, oh my god! I think I put on 5 kilos every time she was talking about her pies!!!!! Nom Nom Nom!

Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever – Karen Marie Moning

Part of the reason I didn’t continue with this series was because the female protagonist really put me off in the first book. Another part of the reason is because the other books had all gone missing from the local Library and I wasn’t interested enough in the series to pay for them J Then a few of you told me I had to get past the first book because the series got so much better and I checked my Library again to find that they had replaced the lost stock. So I borrowed them all 😀 Go hard or go home guys I was determined to read them.

I have to admit I am glad that I stuck with it. In the first book I found the characters in general to be quite 2 dimensional, I didn’t really feel there was much depth to explore there at all. But as soon as I started reading book two I realised that they were indeed being developed into deeper characters.  I was still standoffish about Mac until end of book two beginning of book three.

There are lust undertones all throughout this series. Seriously… all through it. Originally I felt there was a love triangle developing with Jericho, V’lane and Mac… then there was Christian. Everyone this chick meets seems to want a piece of her ass. I figure she is like (who is someone who is really hot right now? Ooh yes…) the Emma Stone of Dublin.

Even up until the end of Dreamfever she is still making absolutely ridiculous choices, you sit there and rage, “WTF woman?! By doing this you are causing this, people are going to get hurt and others are going to have to try and save you!” Yet I am completely compelled to continue reading. I like the character of Dani, she is great. My favourite so far would have to be Dreamfever, you learn so much about the characters and more than that you learn a lot about the character’s motivations, what drives them.

To answer your question before you ask it… yes I continued the series… see next post.

Just so you have a running score I thought I would let you know that the end of this post signifies 46/52 books

I swear November shall come… hopefully before the beginning of 2015 😛

Good news day

Hi there everybody,

I am a happy chappy today because I had a great visit with the fertility specialist. I know, I know… previously I was all ready to jump ship on this guy, but I decided to stick it out and this time he was much more personable. I had only lost a kilo, but he was still happy with that. He also gave me the good news that I ovulated last month! Huzzah! Something works! Something works without medical intervention and drugs that make you go all cray cray! This is such good news. I told my Husband that I wanted to high five my ovaries for a job well done, he looked at me like I had sprouted an extra head.

But wait… there’s more… When I was first put on Metformin approximately 3 months ago(ish) my Insulin level was 57. For those of you reading who do not have much experience in this area (Don’t be worried if you don’t. I had no clue what it meant when they first told me) the normal human being has a level of 10 or under. Therefore I was more than 5 times the maximum amount I should have been. Well… my level is now 21!!!!! I have managed to bring it down 36 points! That’s huge! So, so happy. Even though I am not pregnant for Christmas, my health is in a much better position now than it was just 3 months ago. To be honest I think that is more important, I mean who wants to inhabit a womb surrounded by an unhealthy body?

I also got the results of my second scan that was checking out cysts on my ovaries to ensure they had shrunk etc. They also checked for endometriosis… again. Once again the sonographer (a different one I swear) kept telling me was a nice uterus I had, she said it was perfectly placed, perfect in size and looked very healthy. Is this weird? Should I be weirded out by this? I mean it’s not like complementing someone on their hair and asking where they had it done right? “I love your womb, where did you get it?”, “umm my Mum?!”. She said she had a very clear picture of it… I asked her if she could see the for rent sign.

Merry Christmas! 🙂

Forgotten

This song that once sounded so loudly within,

has turned to quiet in this mounting din,

It whispers so softly now I can’t hear the words,

just the remnants of a firey soul now usurped.

Its throne in tatters in an empty hall,

memories echoing in the walls,

of laughter and gaiety and songs well sung,

one soul marching to the beat of its drum.

But as the battle waged on and the soldiers left home,

the king was left in silence forgotten, alone.

Slowly neglect began to take its toll,

first song, then laughter, then finally all.

This once proud place that was called home,

now lays empty, a deserted throne.

Through battles untold it remained untorn,

yet no longer will it weather loves malevolent storm.

– Cat Thomas, 2014

The day I broke up with popcorn

It was yesterday. As of last night popcorn and I have officially broken up. It is very unlikely that another morsel of that salty, buttery goodness will ever pass my lips again – don’t quote me on this though because I have serious will issues when it comes to food.

Popcorn and I did not meet often, just on those rare occasions that I go to see a film – I think that equates to maybe 3 or 4 times this year. I certainly relished those meetings, they were special. Come film time my order was always the same; popcorn, choctop, drink… the perfect movie watching combination. But it was not meant to be…

Last night I went on a Daddy Daughter Date to see Mockingjay, the film was great! Casting of these movies was so well done I must say and they are staying as true to the books as they can – it probably helps that the writer is onboard. Even a conversation from the second books that I was upset didn’t make it into the second movie found its way into the third. We had the whole experience; the popcorn was semi warm, the choctop was semi melted and a bit icy and the drink was a little on the syrupy side… it was everything I have come to expect from Event Cinemas in a nutshell (basically we only go there because there are never any lines because they are so dodgy and expensive hahaha).

This was the first time I have had popcorn since going on Metformin… it did not end well. Looooonnnnnnngggggg story short I spent a lot of time after the movie last night with horrible stomache aches that had me in a foetal position. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throw up or visit the loo for the popcorn to meet a different end. This morning the stomach aches have abated somewhat, but the cramping is still there. I am hoping it calms down at work. Naturally this had to happen the day that we have the work Christmas party and therefore there will be rich enticing food available from 10:30am until close. Sigh. *sings to herself* “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” *sniffles*

And so dear popcorn, whilst I have loved you since my first ever film experience and have purchased you every visit since (even when I knew you were going to taste like the communion wafers from Church) I am sorry to say we must part ways. I wish you well on your other gastronomical adventures and this does not mean that I like you any less, but I fear my gut reaction is that we must part and my Grandfather taught me to always trust my gut.