I've been Tagged!I

This is an international game of tag and I've been tagged by The Bookish Snob. I have to answer some questions about myself so all my wonderful fellow bloggers can get to know me better and then I will tag four other bloggers so we can learn about them.





4 Things That Are In My Handbag

1.  My Zip drive - I have my novel on a zip drive so that I can work on it on any computer. I also keep it in my bag in case I manage to get to an office works to print out pages (I lost the power cable to my printer at home.)
2. My resume - Printed and stapled. You never know when you might come by something worth applying for. In my case, anything would be better than what I put up with at the moment.
3. Spare shoes - I bought new work shoes recently and I am still wearing them in. So I keep a pair of ballet flats in my bag to swap to if my feet get sore.
4. Meal replacement shakes - Working in a restaurant you would think I might be able to find time to eat a proper meal wouldn't you? I never know when I will get a chance to eat at work so I put a couple of these in my bag for when I get a spare 5 mins and am hungry.


4 Things In/On My Desk

1. A copy of NW magazine - It's from 2 weeks ago and I only just got around to reading (okay skimming) it last night!
2. Bills - Blech, while I hate the things at least I can say the pile on my desk was paid this morning.
3. Empty Dare bottles - I have an addiction to Dare iced coffee. There are two empty bottles next to me right now.
4. Booktopia invoice - This was from my lovely Mum who bought the kids some of the Little Princess books and had them sent to us.


4 Favorite Things In My Bedroom

1. My books - There is a shelf above my bed that is filled with the books I have read this year. The pile is now spilling over to my dresser and the window box. If I had my way we would just line the whole room with books (although my husband might have a different opinion on that)
2. My make up and GHD - I love my make up, especially my bright eye shadows. My GHD hair straightener is the best invention ever!
3. The treat stash - Any treats of any kind get hidden up very high in my wardrobe. My son has a nasty habit of waking up before us and sifting through the kitchen looking for chocolate. SO far he hasn't found the wardrobe stash.
4. Charlie - My kitty cat. He likes to curl up with me when I read in bed at night.


4 Things I've Always Wanted To Do (but haven't yet)

1. Write - I would be happy to write anything, but my heart is in my novel right now. It is up to 40,000 words and I have just lost my zip drive that I keep it on! I do have a hard copy though. So I will be re-typing it over the next few weeks I think.
2. Teach - I have always been the one to show others what to do when they needed help, be it in maths class in grade 9, or at work now days. I love to teach and guide people. I have started my degree and will get back to it one day. But not today unfortunately.
3. Renovate my house - With all the good intentions we still don't have our 3rd bedroom and second lounge room yet. With our work it just isn't easy to get it done. Hopefully by Christmas it will be though.
4. Travel - I don't fancy traveling all over like some people do, but I would love to see Egypt and some places around Europe. Might get around to it one day when the kids are older.

4 Things I Enjoy Very Much At The Moment
(First two copied direct from The Bookish Snob :D)
1. Reading - Silly question. NEXT!!
2. Blogging - Another silly question. NEXT!!
3. Watching trash on Foxtel - We have had Foxtel for a week now and I have just discovered things like Project Runway and Bulging Brides. Ahhhh life is good hahaha.
4. Spending time with my kids - I switched from day shift to night shift a few weeks ago and I am loving that I see more of my kids.

4 Songs I Can't Get Out Of My Head

1. Tokyo - The Wombats
2. Burn - Eminem feat. Rihanna
3. Bling- The Killers
4. Run - Vampire Weekend


4 Things You Don't Know About Me

1. I absolutely love vampires - This obsession started way before Twilight even existed. So I am not a major Twi fan. I will give anything with vampires a fair chance.
2. I had a major obsession with The X-Files - I admit it, I was a total X-File freak. In high school posters and pictures collaged my whole room. You couldn't see anything of the normal walls.
3. I can't roll my tongue - I seem to be the only person I know who can't make a little o with their tongue. I can't say it's useful to know how to do it, but some days I do feel left out :P
4. I roast - I roast something every week (last night it was pork) to at least make sure we have a good meal once even if the rest of the week is just simple stuff thrown together at a moments notice.

Ok, the 4 bloggers I'm tagging are:

The Write Stuff

Em's Divine Delights

Writing Everyday

Red Lorry's Journey

Apologies

I haven't been able to post much in the last few days due to work issues and not having much time to focus on anything else inbetween.


I am still jumping on the Tuesday Tag-Along train
So go check it out if you haven't already.

And if you haven't seen it already, my give away starts on Friday. Check out the Sneak Peek.

Chazz

Book Blogger Hop

It's that time of the week again!

Head on over to Crazy-for-Books to check it out.

Question of the week is 

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

I write reviews after I have read the book. I don't like to judge things until I have seen them in their entirety. 

If I am reading on kindle I will bookmark bits and pieces as I go along so I can sift through them later when I am reviewing.

 

Halfway to the Grave

Half way to the Grave: Book one in the Night Huntress Series

By: Jeaniene Frost

Published: March 2008 

ISBN: 9780061245084
ISBN-10: 0061245089
Number Of Pages: 374 (in paperback format)
Format I read it: Kindle for iPhone

Language: English

Flirting With The Grave…

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.

In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner – are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side … and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

(Description borrowed from Jeaniene Frost's Website)

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended on TV I never thought I would see another smart arse English Vampire who could match the sheer awesomeness of Spike.

But I was wrong. Bones could take on Spike any day. I know from reading other reviews (only after I read the book mind you) that some people say Bones is a Spike rip-off while others defend the character and say he isn't. I am not going to get into that argument, I enjoyed the character be he a rip-off or an original idea.

While I will say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, hardcore readers may not take it in the same way I do. I like to enjoy a story for what it is. If it holds my suspension of disbelief then it isn't all bad.

Firstly, while I like the characters Frost only scratches the surface of them. You don't get much in the way of in depth character building throughout the novel. The most you do get is that Cat goes from blushing at innuendo to mastering this and setting up some good innuendo herself. The characters actually don't seem to grow and develop as much as one might expect.

Thinking about it some more, the book as a whole was like that really. Even settings didn't have in depth descriptions. 

I have seen comments arguing if it is really Urban Fantasy of Paranormal Romance in genre... My opinion, who gives a fuck. I like both genres and I don't find them to be so different in nature that it would matter, it's not like mixing a spoof movie with a serious action one. Again, this is totally up to you. There is more action than romance toward the end of the book. But there is still romance mixed in. I actually think Frost had a pretty good balance between the two genres.

Things I loved about it that I think any reader will appreciate...

The dialogue was great. Fast paced and witty. Sarcastic and snarky. It was great fun to read.

The steamy scenes, yes there were a couple and they were enough to get your heart racing. 

I may not have a proper rating system, but I think I would give this about a 3.5 if I did have one. I did really enjoy the book. Enough for me to want to read the next one anyway. 

If you want a light and fun read, this book is for you. If you take your reading seriously, then it might not be your cup of tea. You can read the first 20% of the book from the link above. Or you can do what I did and read a sample on Kindle before buying.

Edited to add... I totally forgot to mention, that there is this whole deal at the start of the book made between Cat and Bones. It was said that he would help her find her father. Somehow that was forgotten about throughout the rest of the book. Just something I found annoying, especially after reading the blurb for the next book which says something about her father. It makes me wonder if they will just mention him and forget about him again.

Devastated!

Spartacus to battle onwards 

Having read about Andy Whitfield having battled cancer earlier in the year, I was genuinely happy to see articles saying he was back in training to resume filming in October. 

But it seems he will be going back for treatment after being told he had the all clear. You forget how even the fittest and healthiest of us can be stuck down with such an unpredictable and aggressive illness. If I could I would wish him and his family all the best. Having had a family member battle cancer for 5 years right in front of our eyes I can sympathise with the Whitfield family and what they will all have to endure over the coming months.

Very sad news indeed.

October Obsessions Sneak Peek

In keeping in line with my Motivational Monday post I have been working on my October giveaway.

Each week I will give away a prize consisting of books I absolutely love. Some are the adult paranormal genre and there are a couple that are YA but I still enjoyed enough to want to share with someone who hasn't read them.

Week 1

Succubus Blues
By Richelle Mead

Week 2

 Storm Born and Thorn Queen

 By Richelle Mead

 (No the giveaway wont be a Richelle Mead love fest, but I do adore these books. I only ever see the Vampire Academy series get reviewed so I am doing my bit to spread the word about the  other series.)

Week 3

 

Evernight, Stargazer and Hourglass

By Claudia Grey

Week 4

Just to be cheeky I am not going to tell you!
Just know that it will be big!

Now the fine details will be as follows:

* This contest is open to international contestants. If bookdepository.com delivers to you then you are eligible to enter.

* You may have more than one entry into this competition. The way you do this is by accumulating points.
Leave a comment = 1 point
New Follower = 1 point
Old Follower = 2 points
Follow on Networked Blogs = 1 point
Like on Facebook = 1 point
Blog post with button = 5 points
Button on side bar = 3 points
So you can have up to 13 entries per giveaway.

* If you want to enter more than one draw you will need to make a fresh entry comment for that week. Entries wont carry over to the next week.

* The winner will be announced each Friday when the new week's giveaway is announced. If the winner doesn't contact me within 3 days of being announced I will draw the prize again.

* Keep in mind I am in Australia. So the posts will all be done according to my timezone (+10GMT) So if you see the posts on a Thursday please don't think I have lost my mind :)

Last but not least, this giveaway will open on OCTOBER 1ST as soon as I get my lazy butt out of bed! So please don't try to put any entries in this post. I will make an official post for the first giveaway where you can enter at that time.

Motivational Monday

God knows the funny pics are not motivating me so far, so this week I will be telling you guys what is coming up on my blog and what I need to complete for the week. My theory is that if I put it out to the world I have to take ownership of it and actually do it!

Around the house...

My prologue

That is top of the list this week. I NEED to get some editing done or this book of mine will never be finished. With any luck next week I might be able to share a little tidbit with you all.

Stuffed toy storage for my kids

I need to make a toy hammock to hang over my sons bed, first attempt failed so better luck on the next go.

Remove the million and one pieces of our new kitchen from the back room into the garage.

We can't renovate until this is done and my son and daughter really need their own rooms.

Get a quote and book my car in to be detailed

I took the first step in banning my husband from taking his dog anywhere in my car. But the damage is done and I can't get the mud out of the seats so off to a professional it will need to go :(

Blog related things...

Get my arse into gear and write my first weekly fave blog bit.

I am hoping to have a blog of the week each week to show off some of the blogs I love, simple enough right?

Work on my new template

I know I just changed the blog, but this was all a temp fix. I finally conquered applying my own background last night but that's only the first step to totally customizing my blog.

And finally, best of all...

I will be having my first ever book giveaway in October. I have decided on the books. Now I just need a button and to type up the post ready to go on October 1st. I will be giving more details next week so keep an eye out!

Down the Rabbit Hole

I am super excited to see a blogger who is doing a book giveaway which actually has an option for international entrants!

I will be honest and say it bums me out every time I see a contest I want to enter and you see the fine print saying "Open to US and Canada ONLY"

Down the Rabbit Hole has won me over not just for the contest but also for the Alice in Wonderland theme of the blog (I heart anything Alice!) So here is the link, enter at will!

100+ Followers giveaway

Blog intervention needed

I need to be stopped. I have just stumbled upon a book blog hop that happens every week from Friday to Monday!

There are currently 218 links on there for me to browse and follow if I wish and I encourage you guys to do the same. I am just happy to see that there are other people in the world who like to be surrounded by books too. My husband thinks I am crazy so I tend to get most of my books via Kindle now to save precious shelf space.

Anyway, here is the link, head on over to Crazy for Books and check out the details and list of blogs. They have a question of the week so I will answer that below.

In honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, let's take time this week to honor our favorite book bloggers and why we love them!

Jessica Rabbit's Corner - I love her blog because she is straight forward and to the point. She doesn't pussy foot around things if she doesn't like them. She just says it like it is. She also won me over when she reviewed a book and I felt compelled to buy it. Normally I ignore reviews when I choose my own reading, but she was right on the money and I read the book within a couple of days, enjoying every minute!

For the Love of Reading - I like this one as it has a little more variety in it's reviews. You have 3 different reviewers so the reviews are not all in the same voice. And there seem to be a mix of YA, adult and fantasy etc.

Things I love Thursday

Sparticus: Blood and sand

I aboslutely agree with New York Post when they said "...PopWrap would like to give you 18 good reasons to watch. Six on each of those men's stomachs."

Well said!

Once again my fascination with ancient Rome has been fulfilled by a blood and lust filled TV show which I only pause from watching when there are children awake in the house. 
No offense to Rome's Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy) but the star attraction of Sparticus, Andy Whitfield, makes me forget that the series Rome ever aired.

The show also stars John Hannah (Four weddings and a funeral) and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior princess.) who make for an amusing, if not totally twisted and evil husband and wife team. 

Even if you have no interest in the plot, you will be mesmerized by the magnificent male bodies that never fail to strut across the screen.

If I had a ratings system, this one would simply be rated as too hot to handle!

Facelift

As I am sure you can see, my blog has undergone some changes in the last 24 hours.

I struggled with sifting through pages and pages of templates finding none that felt right. and have come to the conclusion that if you want it done right you have to do it yourself. 

I am getting a bit annoyed with only having one side column. I was really very attached to my previous template, therefore reluctant to make the change. 

This template is going to serve as a temp base while I make my own template from scratch. I am hoping to make something original with a little bit of the same style as my black and purple one. 

A couple of new things I will be adding include bookshelf widgets, inc read and to read books, a separate page for my fave blogs if they have a button, little things like that.

So, please bare with any bugs and if anyone has any good ideas on what to add feel free to leave your suggestions!

Chazz

Zen according to Chazz

 

 This picture represents how I feel about the event of the last couple of days (I'm the guy in white by the way.)

Work has been as work normally is... Same shit different day.

I am sure you will all understand if I am totally non-specific in my ramblings here, the internet isn't a smart place to post specifics on work situations.

I guess the perils of working with a greater number of people is that you have more people to try and get along with. I am used to having only two other staff on with me during the days, but nights usually have 5+. I am generally the kind of person who strolls through life picking up friends of all kinds from all different backgrounds etc. I tend to work well with others, I don't snatch toys, pull hair, kick shins or name call. But this one girl makes me want to do all of these things and more. 

She said this, he said that, why don't they like me? I want more hours, I'm working too much, why does he get more shifts than me? I didn't know that because I haven't been trained, she isn't nice to me, why are you telling me off? I didn't do it he did, you can't send me home yet, I'm too tired.

Did that paragraph give you a headache? Now you feel my pain. The point of my post (your right, there is no real point, just pretend there is though) is that I finally feel like I have conquered the one co-worker who has made my life insanely difficult since starting to do night shifts at work. Last night was painless, and whinge free. The aforementioned co-worker didn't follow me around like a bad smell, and all was well in the world.

Now, if I can just get this feeling of wellness and calm to surround me in my writing practices I would be one happy camper. I am going to endeavour to finish polishing up chapters 1-10 in the next 3 days. I know 1-5 are pretty clean, so it wont be as big of a task as it seems. I just need to get back into writing every day, I have let life take over lately and my novel is suffering for it. 

This week is all about finding balance I have decided. Reduce stress, get more done and stop focusing on the irritations of life. My husband and I quit smoking cold turkey last week. So now that all the angries are out from that few days of withdrawal we are going to have a good week.

All the best, and don't forget to check out Tuesday Tag-Along. You might be surprised to find some cool blogs on there.

No hot water

Apparently changing the gas cylinder for the hot water service only works is you have a spare FULL cylinder to use. This is the lesson I have learnt this morning. I was sure there was a full cylinder there, alas I was wrong and all water running through the pipes of my house is stone freaking cold!

On the up side, I now have a computer that is fucntioning thanks to the installation of a new motherboard!

Now I am just going to X my fingers and hope nothing else goes wrong with it.

Since I missed last motivational monday here are a couple of funnies to tide us all over...

My poor blog has been a little neglected lately. I will blame my computer problems for that one. I just hate typing anything of substance on my husbands computer, not sure why, but it always feels odd.

As far as my writing goes, I am fixing some things up and having an editor assess what I have so far. She has been very helpful and made some great points and changes, so hopefully I will have a better polished piece in the end.

I am reading a couple of books at the moment. I have a stack of books that I have yet to read (shhhhh don't tell my husband) so am trying to make my way through them.

So far this book is holding it's own. It has me hooked with the whole occult theme and it does put you straight into the thick of a struggle between good and evil. 

It does jump from person to person in their perspective. I can not say I am thrilled with that, but for the moment it isn't annoying me too much. That is not to say I only like books from one persons perspective, far from it. I just find that some books do it more seamlessly than others. In a well done version, you don't notice the change, it just happens and you go with the flow. In this one, it is clear when the change occurs and in a couple of places it has stunted my interest a little.

If that's the worst thing I can say about the book then it should continue to be a good read.

For now, I will leave it at that and hope everyone in blogger world is having a better time with their computers than I am.