Day 15 January Book Photo Challenge: Favorite Antagonist

Once again, I have cheated a little with this one and picked a group of antagonists. Namely zombies!
Zombie stuff (books, TV shows, movies) are my guilty pleasure and whats more (and I haven't watched warm bodies yet so I don't know how successful it was) they cant be romanticised like vampires and werewolves.

They are humans reduced to the most basic instinct, eating things. That it. And I love it! The cheesier the better as far as I'm concerned.

Just as a proving point of how bad it can get and me still love it, I have actually read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and loved it and then thought it would be a good idea to purchase and read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. I got about a chapter in, it was terrible, terrible writing, terrible premise, terrible shoehorning in of the extra plot, which no doubt  Pride and Prejudice and Zombie had also, but without zombies, there was not the suspension of belief that I would have otherwise.

And who can blame me being taken in with opening line gems like:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.

It is just brilliant. I can't get enough of it.

 

Insurgent By Veronica Roth Review

This might be a bit harsh but I think that this might be my last OTP, YA, female heroine has something special about her but it takes the actions of the male love interest to bring it out in her type series I'm going to read for a while.
I'm not saying that Insurgent was bad, it's not, it just happens to be the one that I read as I get bored with the premise.
Veronica Roth is a very competent writer with a solid story, it just doesn't stand up as strong as the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I will be reading the last book in the series because I want to see where the story goes but I won't be reading anything (The 5th Wave, Half Lives, Reboot) like this in the near future.
3 out of 5 stars.

Second Hand Shopping Book Haul

All for less than $10. There is something immensely exhilarating about picking a pile of books and walking up to the counter and seeing a hand written sign that reads "All Books Half Price" Makes my heart sing.
The Letters of Cicero has hand written notes in it. Yay. Also, The Whisper of Leaves is Australian.
  

Day 14 January Book Photo Challenge: Book OTP

I picked Threshold by Sara Douglas as my OTP (one true pairing) because Boaz and Tirzah were so bound to each other that in subsequent books (The Darkglass Mountain series) set many generations later, their offspring end up together.
Brilliant book, brilliant series, amazing author.

Day 13 January Book Photo Challenge: Page Saver (ie Bookmark)

This is my favorite book mark because my great grandmother (Little Nana) made it. I don't know when but I have had it for as long as I can remember. It is made of pressed flowers (everlasts I think) between two pieces of plastic bound together. It has recently been through a traumatic event when I first got Colin, our dog, when he got hold of it and chewed the top off. Luckily he did not damage the flowers and I was able to mend the top.

Day 12 Book Photo Challenge: Library or Book Store

I live in a relatively new suburb and consequently we don't yet have a library (and bookstores are pretty thin on the ground these days.)
I have, however, been following the progress of the building of the library that should open in April. Above is the drawing of what it should look like. I have been following this progress since we moved here 18 months ago and just 3 days ago my mum rang me to inform me that we were getting a library. Thank you mum.
Luckily I do work at a high school where a I am allowed to take out a large stack of books to last me over the summer holiday. Otherwise I would die....because I have so few books in my house hahahahaha.

Day 11 Book Photo Challenge: Book Shelf

I have published photos of my library before but this section of the shelf was hidden behind my reading chair. This is the main part of the shelf that I see when I'm sitting in my chair and reading. They make me feel comfortable.

Day 10 Book Photo Challenge: Favorite Genre

My favorite genre to read is Fantasy with a little bit of Science fiction (they mostly get lumped together anyway.)

These photos that you are seeing are the ones I refresh on my phone periodically to use when I am out at bookstores because I forget which books I have. The reason for this is that I buy a lot (and I mean a colossal amount) of second hand books and at the prices I pay  (between $10 for a box to like 50 cents a books) I wont hesitated getting the 2nd, 5th, whatever book in a series and then looking out for the rest of them. 

Before I initiated this system I picked up books 1, 2, 4 and 5 of David Eddings' The Belgariad at a book said whilst in a small country town for a wedding (I can find a book sale anywhere) for like 50 cents each, with the intention of picking up the up the 3rd volume somewhere down the track. I accidentally brought the 3rd book of The Tamuli series. 

Now I use the photos on my phone.  

Day 9 Book Photo Challenge: A Quote To Live By

Quote source Marcus Tullius Cicero (mostly) and I really do try and live by this quote as the vast majority of the rooms in my house have an ever increasing number of books in them. Also, a little proud of this because I painted and lettered this this morning. Think I might frame it and put it up in the library.

Day 8 Book Photo Challenge: Reading in Bed

Everyone does it, what more can I say.

Day 7 Book Photo Challenge: This Book Inspired Me

We all know by now that this is my favorite book but now it has inspired my do something I haven't done in quite a while. Draw. I'm not that good and I am surrounded by people that are but drawing these quotes from the book have allowed me to enjoy my drawing again.

Day 6 Book Photo Challenge: Emotional Rollercoaster

None who have read it can go past Harry Potter for an emotional rollercoster. If read in the early years of your life, this one and especially the opening chapter title will live with you forever. Enough said.

My other pick is an author that I don't think gets nearly enough credit for the amazing work that she did. I read Threshold by Sara Douglas in high school and was devastated that it was a stand alone book. Then, a decade after its publication, I found the The Serpent Bride that was a continuation of the original book as the Darkglass Mountain Trilogy and made a noise in the bookstore only another book addict would understand. I cannot recommend her books enough. 

Day 5 Book Photo Challenge: Favorite Non-Human Character

Couldn't split this one. These are Marvin; the paranoid android from Douglas Adams' Hitch Hiker's series and The Luggage from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

Luggage was made from sapient pearwood and is featured in (amongst others) the very first Discworld book The Colour of Magic (1983) and I have always wanted one. Most of the time he is mildly annoying but some times he saves lives. (see luggage is a he as they find a female luggage in Interesting Times and they have children.) 

Marvin on the other hand, I have always loved because I felt a kindred spirit with him. Not so much the "brain the size of a planet" thing but the "life, don't talk to me about life" thing really spoke to me as a teenager. Where as others had grunge and rock stars, I had Marvin. And now he's on my car keys wherever I go.

Day 4. Book Photo Challenge: First Book I Ever Loved

This is more of a representation of the first books I loved to get off the shelf as a child and look through. I have a couple of different series of Faeries and Elves and Dragons and things (my favorites are by Brian Froud).

Several reasons I love these. They have dust covers so i loved taking them off and seeing the embossed lettering and illustration underneath. I was always so excited when the pictures underneath the dust cover were completely different from the cover itself. Secondly, when flicking through these books for the photo challenge I realised  this was the reason I still attempt to draw. I copied so many of the drawing in these books, with hope of one day being as good as Brian Froud 

The Ask and the Answer By Patrick Ness Review

Patrick Ness has succeeded in continuing a truly unique young adult story without all the trappings on most of the other series in that genre.  The Ask and the Answer is the second book in the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness.

The first book in the series, The Knife of Never Letting Go, was a fast paced story of the chase of Todd Hewitt across largely uninhabited frontier land of a newly colonised planet with new comer Viola Eade, who’s parents were killed in the crash landing of their scout vessel.

In this instalment of the story, Todd and Viola are caught in between two warring factions when Major Prentiss (now President Prentiss) finds resistance to his hostile takeover of Haven (renamed New Prentisstown) in the form of Mistress Coyle (a local Healer) and her reformed gorilla group from the Spackle Wars, The Answer.

The Answer snatch the uncooperative  Viola away to help in their bombing raids of New Prentisstown. Whilst Todd is held captive and manipulated into working for President Prentiss’s cause.

This book is written in an amazingly graphic and compelling manner, with the change in font for both main characters POV and that of the “noise”. I felt like screaming at the characters at points when I knew they would be walking into a trap, and crying with them in others when everything seemed so without hope. These emotions, I believe are the signs of a well written book. Can not recommend this series enough. 4/5 Stars 

Day 3 Book Photo Challenge: Childhood Favorite

 This is one of those books that I have no idea of its origins in my home but has just always been there. It is so old its falling apart but I still love opening it up every so often and looking at the picture of the little mermaid getting her hair done sitting on an elephant's skull. The elephant's skull always intrigued me, how did an elephant's skull come to be in the ocean, let alone why it was adopted as a seat to have one's hair done. The drawing is exquisite and it reminds me of my child hood.

Wasps at the Speed of Sound by Derryl Murphy Review

Wasps a the the Speed of Sound by Derryl Murphy

This is the newest edition of Wasps at the Speed of Sound, with 11 short science fiction stories (the original had 10). All of the stories have an environmental warning but this enhances the stories rather than detracts from them.

My favourite story was the Blue Train in which most of humanity that still exists after an extreme water shortage travels the world on a gigantic train in search of water and their subsequent  freedom from this train by one man who dared to question the company's monopoly on the earths water.

Murphy constructs the world of each story so well, with little extraneous language as possible so the reader can create a vivid image of their own.  Truly a pleasure to read for any science fiction fan and possibly for any environmentalist too.

I received this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers 

Day 2 Book Photo Challenge: New Year, Newest Book

Whilst getting my Christmas gifts together I could not resist this little gem at my favorite book store. I read Howl's Moving Castle a while ago and hadn't seen this anywhere since, but knowing I wasn't going to be getting any books for Christmas, (which I didn't) I decided to bay myself a book for the occasion.

24 hr Reading Challenge Completed

Well i took part in the 24 hour reading challenge on tumblr today and completed my first book on the first day of 2014. According to goodreads that makes me 1% through my reading challenge for the year (1/70).

I read Doctor Who and The Carnival of Monsters by Terrance Dicks, a book of a mere 125 pages.  Picked because I didn't know how my dyslexia would go with anything to long and it satisfied my 1 Doctor Who book per month clause on my reading challenge.)

I set myself up for a good day of reading in the library and Colin, in turn set himself up for a good day of lap sitting:

Now for the review: (as this is also part of my book challenge and I can't very well fall at the first hurdle.)

Doctor Who and The Carnival of Monsters By Terrance Dicks

This book was published in 1977 and hence stars the 3rd Doctor played by Jon Pertwee with Jo Grant played by Katy Manning.
Once again the Doctor's overconfidence in his ability to steer the TARDIS is the catalyst to the darama in the story with the Doctor thinking they were headed for Metebelis Three that is described as if some utopia but arrive in the haul of a 1920 steam liner. As it turns out they are not on earth as Jo is trying to convince the Doctor either.

With the Doctors usually bluff and blunder they manage to save the day.  Written in a style that portays the Doctor and not going outside that ethos, this was a nice simple read to start my foray back into Doctor Who books.
 3 out of 5 stars.

Day 1 January Book Photo Challenge: Reading Goal for the Year

This year I am going to stretch myself and go for 70 books read. Last year I read 58 books and my initial goal was 40 (officially on goodreads but I thought I would get to 50 anyway.)

I will be trying to do a couple of things with my reading this year.

1. I will try to read at least 1/3 to a 1/2 of my own books because if i keep reading library books my partner might just notice and my book budget might get restricted.

2. I am going to try to read some more classic science fiction (suggestions are welcome)

3. I am going to try to read a Doctor Who book a month because i have a lot o them and haven read them, old and new and this would also take care of number 1.

4. I am going to try and read at least 6 Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books because i used to love them when I was younger and haven’t read any in years, (also my library got all of them in last year so i know i can read them in order.)

5. I’m taking part in the 2014 genre challenge as well, to get some different genres under my belt too.

6. Finally, i am going to endeavour to review every book i read…

Could be a challenge with a full time job but tis the season to make unrealistic resolutions and try to live up to them.
Wish me luck.

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Day 31 Book Photo Challenge: Last Book in A Series

Day 31 Book Photo Challenge: Last Book in A Series.

Found I have a lot of these.

Read some, some on the read list for this year.