Three Books In

Hullo Hullo everyone, hope you are all well this evening. I have the distinctive scratchy throat of a summer cold brewing, but that's nothing that will slow me down.

Thought I would just drop in briefly with a quick reading wrap up. I realise that eleven days into the month is an odd number for such a thing - but whatever. I'm here now. 

As I think I mentioned, I am leaving my goal on good reads at 75 again this year. It's a number that seems far more manageable now that I have surpassed it. And I'm doing good so far. 

Well as far as I can tell with only a couple of weeks as evidence.

Three books have been devoured so far in 2017 - yes, one of them was a novella, but still, it was over 100 pages sounds still feel it's a decent effort. Although decent efforts don't seem as difficult when this is your summer...

Yes, those people are wearing jackets and woolen hats. In January. It's a little bit sad. Just really hoping now that the professional aren't lying to us when they say summer will arrive, just later than usual.

But we are not here to talk about the weather, we are here to talk about books.

My new start for the new year, reading wise, was by a favourite author of mine - why not start on a high after all...

...and it was classic Stephen King. Creepy happenings in a creepy small New England town; great characters that you really feel for; addictive action that keeps you turning page after page. This one had vampires! I gave this one 4.5 stars. I really do love King.

Second up was an ebook.  I'm going to preface this by saying that there are probably going to be a fair few ebooks this year. Mum got me started with BookBub. If you've never heard of BookBub click on the link at your own risk - free and stupidly cheap ebooks lie within its depths. Needless to say I now have a rather large supply of kindle books....

...this being one of them.

Young adult books can be hit or miss for me.  This one was defiantly a hit. It's time travel romance, which if you know me, you know my love for Outlander, so that genre is right up my alley. It takes place in four different periods of time: 18th century England,  19th century Crimea, 2019 and 2039. It follows the same couple through out all of these while they try and piece together the problems surrounding them, as well as memories they have. It was a light read and I very much enjoyed it -enough to give it a 4 star rating and buy the companion straight away....

And while I was buying that I bought two other companion novellas for a series I was reading over Christmas.

The series is the Artifact Hunters series by A W Exley - an author from right here in good old New Zealand. This was another BookBub gem and so far there are four books and the two novellas, but I believe it's a work in progress. A steam punk work in progress. The one that I read this week...

...falls between the second and third novels and follows two of the side characters as the deal with kidnappings and general mayhem to eventually fall in love. I read it in one sitting and it was just as brilliant as the full length stories - none of the fun nor the action was lost, despite only being 100 pages long - I gave this a 4.5 as well.

So all up, that's three for three with 4 star ratings - that's not a bad way to start the year if you ask me.

Let's hope it continues.

I will be back in a day or so with some stitching progress, so until next time...

One Week Down

Hullo Hullo all. Hope the first week of 2017 has seen you and yours well.

We seem to be (touch wood). The man had a cold for the actual big day of new years, but he's on the mend, and Mumbai is claiming to be feeling a little better so that's a plus. My only complaint is muscle pain, but that is self inflicted so I can't be too loud about that.

The bosses bought a new cafe just before Christmas,  so the last two afternoons after work, instead of coming home, I've been down there helping them paint. And don't while I am on my feet for nine hours a day with little consequence, painting walls is a whole different bunch of muscles - ones that are now making themselves VERY known.

I did make time for some all important stitching though - the long holiday weekend certainly helped with that. I decided against doing a new year, new start this year. I have far more WIPs than I am really comfortable with at the moment, but I did change out which one I was working on as a kind of homage to the idea.

So, I pulled this bad boy outta the storage box. I hadn't worked on it in a really really long time. Nearly a year I believe. I hated the fabric. It's one of those stupidly cheap kits from China stitched on a 11 count Aida.  The Aida is so stiff and so... the holes are far smaller than they probably should be for such a wide weave of fabric - if that makes any sense. It would pop out of any hoop I tried to use and I'm not big into sticking in had so the whole process became unbearable, leading to the projects banishment to the storage box.

But I bought myself a little birthday present. A quantum frame. And I am in love with it. It holds that tricky fabric nice and tight so this cute little bird heart project won't become a UFO after all!

Next up I did a little more on a HaED.

This now marks the half way point for this one. I am hoping to make more of an effort on my full coverage pieces this year. There's more I want to start, but I don't think it's a good idea for me, personally, to start another without making some forward process first. I completely admire all of you that have so many projects going at once. I can say I have tried, but it's starting to stress me out a little.

Finally I pulled another out this week that hasn't seen the light of day since last January.

I do still really like this piece, I had legitimately forgotten that I had started it. The only problem I have with it that can possibly explain my absence of mind with it is that, because I've in a fairly dark house with poor poor lighting, I can only work on it for so long before my eyes don't want to any more. I won't be forgetting about it again however. It is lovely, and does come together quite quick.

Reading wise, I have just started 'Salems Lot by Steven King. Not far through it yet, but I do love King. Goal wise I have stuck with 75 again, despite my whopping 101 for 2016. I think that was a fluke of circumstance and I really do hope do get more stitching done this year so 75 it shall stay.

No long weekend this week, in fact it's the opposite I have market shift, so I'll only get Sunday to really rest. So not as much will get done this week, but that's okay. There is plenty of year left.

Until next time

Clumsiness of Brain

Hullo again, I knew there would be something I forgot to mention yesterday.

Or two things.

Point the first - I taught myself to spin. Or at least use a spindle...

My first wee attempt

It is still early days yet, it's no where near being even and I still need to attempt the washing/setting thing. But it was fun and something a bit different for when I need a change.

Just another reason why if money was no option I would retire now (at the ripe old age of 30) - between stitching, reading, knitting, house renovations and now spinning - I just don't have time to work!

The second thing I forgot to mention was that I FINALLY got around to finishing my ORT-aments for 2014, 2015, and 2016. This year's still needs filled with my jar but that'll happen on Sunday.

The empty bauble I found at Lincraft, the ribbons are from stash, as are the Krienik and silver perforated paper and felt that I used for the tags. The font is one I found on Google. Simple little things but I'm happy with them.

I think that was all this time. I have updated the WIP tab above to have starting points for the new year. MIL is in town this weekend, so I doubt there will be much advancement on projects between now and the first.

So until next time - and next year.

What a (Insane) Year!

Hullo Hullo everyone, if anyone is still out there. It has been a really long time, but 2016 has been the year that officially kicked my ass. 

I think, scrolling through the past, the last life update I made was June,  the last stitching update July and the last reading update was in September. It's now December. I can only say I am sorry. I was all set to do another update mid September,  it's still sitting here as a draft. It was going to be title "Normal Sweet Normal". I think that jinxed me if I'm being honest.  

If any one remembers, my Nanna passed away in March and that threw me for a bit of a loop. Especially since it was followed so close by my great uncles passing, and a theft at work. The drama killed my stitching bug entirely and left my reading bug unchecked. Just when I thought everything was starting to return to normal (hence the unpublished update), my other grandma passed mid September which funnily enough renewed my slumpy mood. Things with my dad remained tense, but hey ho what you going to do. My uncle was then screwed over by his partner and left with nothing more than a can of beetroot, my aunt was thrown from her horse and spent two weeks in hospital and finally,  to round off the year my mum sprang on us at Christmas that she has been seriously ill for the last six months.

So, all and all, I haven't really had the brain space to do much at all,  blogging not withstanding.

But that's enough of the doom and gloom.  I'm ready to rejoin the world.

Even with the lack of stitching motivation,  I did have a few finishes this year. Six in fact.  Not a huge number but certainly more than I was expecting.

This one was the first of the Christmyth ornaments that I've started. They were free patterns put out by Dragon Dreams. Not sure if they still are or not, but they were when I got them.  I thought something small would be a good way to ease back into the whole stitching thing.

 Certainly everyone knows this one by this point. I left the boarder off from top and bottom because in my head, once I frame it, I don't think that boarder will add anything. I can always change my mind.

Finished off Pandoras Box, another freebie, this time of the Liz Almond variety. I used a Carrie's Creation cotton in Chimera, DMC 310, a silver DMC satin and some random clear silver lined seed beads I found in Spotlight. While I did enjoy working on it, not entirely sure how I feel about the finished piece. It did teach me a lot though - which is always nice.

This was my oldest wip that I finished early this year. Without looking it up,  I don't remember any detail beyond its done and there was a boat load of fractional stitches that I hated doing on Aida.

Joan Elliott Reader. This one defiantly gave me a love of Joan Elliott patterns. Can defiantly see me doing more of them in the future.

And finally

My mums tartan cushion. I finished this bad boy with a couple days left till Christmas and with two crushed fingers. Handy life lesson - don't try and catch a falling 30kg bucket. But I pushed through it and finished the cushion in time to give it to her at Christmas,  which she loved.

Reading wise I did far far better. I read a total of 100 books (101 if I finish my current one before saturday)  for a grand total of 35,559 pages - at least according to Goodreads. I am a little bit chuffed with that achievement.

Looking forward to the new year, I am really really hoping that life becomes a little more settled, or at the very least not as upsetting. I have set up spreadsheets to try and get some more accuracy and organisation to my workings. I am setting my Goodreads goal to 75 again, but I am hoping not to ignore my stitching so much.

Before the weekend I will update all the tabs up top, so we have a good starting point for the year. I'm not going to make any goals - me and goals don't seem to get along very well, but I would like to make a dent in the number of projects I have going - while I have great admiration for those of you with many multiple wips going, for me, my number is getting up there - especially since most have not seen the light of day in the longest time.

I did treat myself to a set of quantum frames for my thirtieth birthday - I have had them for two days now and am in love, so here's hoping it makes working of some of the older wips more enjoyable.

I think I will leave it there for now.  Unless some one tragic event happens I don't forsee me being awol. I am hoping to get back into a regular routine with posting again. What I will do, I think, is try and keep the reading and the stitching posts separate,  but we shall see. The only real objective I have right now is routines.

So if you are still here - thank you

Until next time

July Reading Wrap Up

Okay, yes, I realise that it is now September, but in the interest of not making this obscenely long I'm spliting this into months.

So, July, the reading mojo of 2016 continued, but I will try and make this brief.

Demon Seed - Dean Koontz - 3 star

A solid AI taking over sci-fi. A quick compelling read like most of Koontz books. Just a shame I couldn't stop thinking about the Simpsons episode based on this while reading.  

The Guardian Cycle - Julia Grey - overall 4 stars comprised of:

The Dark Moon - 4 stars

The Jasper Forest -  4 stars

The Crystal Desert - 3 stars

The Red Glacier - 4 stars

Alyssa's Ring - 4 stars

I remember picking up the first book in this series years and years ago - it must have been when it first came out because I can't have been much out of primary school and still unaffected by the "readings not cool" taunts of high school.  I finally managed to track the whole series down and while it's not what I remembered (to be honest, I don't know exactly what I thought I remembered), the enjoyment was very definatly still there. The story could easily have fallen prey to classic fantasy clichés of comming of age and saving the world, but it didn't.  The fleshed out characters grew superbly with both the passage of time and experience and the world building was simply wonderful - something I definatly look for in the fantasy genre. I would have liked a map though, I like maps.  

Coma - Robin Cook - 2 stars

I'm convinced that my mum told me I'd love this book, and she's convinced that she didn't.  Either way, wasn't my favourite. I found the mystery predictable, the Suspense, dull and the characters insufferable. I did like the premise of otherwise healthy young people dying in comas, just a shame about the execution.

Insomnia - Stephen King - 4 stars

If I haven't said it yet, I'll say it now. King is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. The depth of the world that he has built in all of his novels is just staggering. I also really enjoyed that this story was told from the perspective of retirees - we don't see that often.  

A Dimension Kit

This is all the stitching I have managed since April. I hang my head in shame.

Mid Year Reading Wrap Up

Hullo hullo

Here I am, back from Auckland, alive and well (just), mostly rested (I had a whole weekend!) and here with a wrap up of the books that have held my attention for the last six months.

So as of today, I have read 48 books towards my yearly goal of 75. 13 of those have been comics or graphic novels, 2 have been non-fiction, 11 have been YA or middle grade and the remaining 22 have for the most part been a mix of science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller and historical fiction.

All up (as at the 1st of July) I have read 16,903 pages - that's 2,377 more than the entirety of last year. And certainly well on my way to the record breaking (for me at least) 2014 where I hit 27,709.

For my mini reviews (though I don't really like the word review, maybe we should just go with mini opinions?), I will lump series all together. Let's get started.

Jurrasic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton

This was a mixed bag for me. The first book I gave four stars while the second I couldn't even finish. I'm not a huge Crichton fan. While I love the idea of so may of his books, there is just something about his writing style that just doesn't mesh with me. I have picked up and put down so many of his books over the years that I'm still just amazed that I finished (and enjoyed) one.

Coffee Obsession by Anette Moldvaer

Read this for work. Was a good in depth reference guide. Gave it five stars.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

This is that age old story of the book being better, even though the movie is stunning and amazing in its own right. The two were written in conjuction with each other and it shows. The book offers far more insight than the movie - even to the point where the crazy ass ending makes perfect and logical sense. I gave it four stars and will definatly be picking up the sequels at some point.

The Wizard of Id (2 volumes) by Johnny Hart and Brant Parker

I don't even remember which two volumes I picked up, let alone what they contained. Found them while tidying the Man's stuff while doing so renovations. Won't be making that mistake again.

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

Defiantly a strong and enjoyable follow up to the Percy Jackson series. I may have even enjoyed this one a little more. With the characters being just that little bit older, I found them far more relatable and the connections formed with them just that little bit stronger. Definatly looking forward to reading more my Riordan.  I gave the series four stars over all.

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

Definatly the most movingly real and emotional book I've read so far this year.  I can definatly see why it's not only a classic but has been pulled from publication several times. No words can ever do this boom justice. It was dark and haunting and soul destroying. I loved it. Five stars

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
I don't really know why I waited till I was nearly 30 to read these classic children's tales. I can see why they have endure through multiple generations. Only you a 3 star rating for the series as a whole though, there were definatly large weaker spots stack along side the whimsy.  And I rally did not like the ending. Just to have it all stop seemed weak some how.

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher
The whole concept is a bit of fun.  Nothing new about the story,but enjoyable none the less. Four stars.

Undone by Paul Jennings
A pure walk done memory lane. When the man walked in with a copy of this...this icon of our childhoods, I knew I had to read it then and there.  It was still delightfully bizarre and uncanny-  just how I remembered.

Ilium by Dan Simmons
This one was odd to the point of uncomfortablness. I'm sure my workmates were beyond pleased when I finished this one.  Three story lines, so seemingly unconectable (aliens and the Trojan war?) all shoved together and forced in to whatbecameaseemless narrative. I surprised even myself when I gave this one fours stars. I couldn't stop reading it, no matter how much I sometimes wanted to. And I'm really glad I didn't.  It was sometime I have never seen before and really did enjoy it in the end.  I don't know that I will pick up these qualities though. It felt almost complete to me. But we shall see how I feel about that in the future.

Atlantis by Dave Gibbins
An archeological adventure story. Not much to say about it really. A three star airport read if nothing else.

The Winds of Darkover by Mario Zimmer Bradley
I've read these out of order and that always frustrates me. I probably would have liked it better if I new the back story

The Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings
A re read for me. Still as good as I remember, but then in my world Eddings can do no wrong. Four stars.

The Taking by Dean Koontz
Another reason read and my favourite Koontz book that I've read so far. Love the pacing and tension ever if it is a little heavier on the biblical themes. Very definatly a strong five stars.

The Return From Troy by Lindsay Clarke
Once again I'm guilty of reading out of order but this time I don't think a prequel would have changed my mind out disliking this one. While a retelling by its own nature is just rehashing an old story,  it would have been nice to have had something new added to the story.  A new approach maybe. But this was just more of the same.i love the Iliad and the Odyssey so this one was a disappointing.

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
The other non fiction book on this list. I don't think I should have delved deeper into this story. The idea that these men srivived not only a Russian gulag in northern Siberia, but also walked to India to gain their freedom was just mind blowing to me. Then I did some googling and discovered it may not be true. Don't know how to feel about this one anymore but I did give it four stars.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King
I first read King when I was 9,and while I have always been a mature Reader I think that may have been just a little young. I definatly remember enjoying the few books I read of his but I think the depth and complexity of his work got a little lost on me. Not any more. This short little owner to the Dark Tower series has relaunched a love of King books for me. Four stars.

Gone Girl by Gilian Flynn
Know I have to admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie, but I figured enough time had elapsed that I could read the book without the movie clouding my judgement. And while it had,  and I didn't not enjoy the book, the characters were just hideous. I've never disliked every character in a book before, usually there is one I feel for at least. Not this time.

The Daylight War and The Skull Throne by Peter V. Bretton
Books three and four of the Warded Man series. This series started out so so strong and I find myself struggling with it more and more as it goes on. The characters you care about get relatively little page time while being forced to trudge through chapter after chapter of back story for minor players in the obviously based on Muslim m desert people. I will continue with this series, the story intrigues me, just a shame about the development of it. Four and three stars respectively.

It by Stephen King
A behemoth of a book but definatly well worth it. Creepy and dark and twisty - one of my favourites for this year by far.

The Starlight Crystal by Christopher Pike
This was another one of my childhood favourites that I found again just recently. I remember it being a lot bigger and a lot more complex than it turned out to be. Though I guess I was remembering it thought the eyes of a seven or eight year old. Still perfectly readable however, three stars.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly
I couldn't decide if this was a very dark YA book or if it just seemed that way because of the child narrator. I did really enjoy the very dark twists on the fairy tales but the rest of it was just okay, I enjoyed it but I already find myself forgetting. Three stars.

The Bachman Books by Stephen King
This was a collection of four novels that King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman - The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and Rage. I can see why King wanted some of these pulled from publication. They are gritty and raw in the way they deal psychological issues surrounding very American issues such as school shooting. I did really enjoy them though, they are wonderfully written. You are in these people's heads.  The Long Walk in particular was a favourite.

And finally...

The Terror by Dan Simmons
History merged with the supernatural. What more could you ask for. This one kept me turning pages - though I know the fate of the Franklin Expedition of 1845, I still needed to know what happened to the men. And the ending.... I was pleasantly surprised with that ending. 

Now I haven't included the comic in this,  because the are both on going series that I keep up with month to month. Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Wicked + Divine by Kieron Gillen.

Now that life is calming down a tiny bit, I'm hoping to do these baby reviews once a month so hopefully the don't gets as out of control as this one. If you've made it this far, we'll done and thank you so so much.

Till next time.

PS - I've been stitching again, just a little. I'll try and get a picture in the day light and update that side of things in the next couple of days.