Hello

Hello & Welcome
ugh face

I’m currently rebuilding the website as the old one got totally messed up when i was playing around with things (no idea what happened).

So i thought that while it was a total clusterfuck mess of SQL, i would take the opportunity to give it a whole new life and everything.

So if you go clicking on things you might find that very strange things happen. Don’t moan, i know a lot of things are broken, i’m working on it, it takes time.

I’ve got tons of old posts and pages from three websites that i’m working through and will be gradually posting all the stuff i want to keep on here while fixing all the broken things as i go through, one post, one page, at a time.

On top of doing all that, i will, of course, be continuing to add more new content and my latest posts will always appear directly below.

Or, if you prefer, you can also follow me on Twitter and Pinterest where i put a link to all new posts.

Enjoy


The Pants Of Perspective — Anna McNuff

The Pants Of Perspective -- Anna McNuffI read this some time ago before i started writing reviews — so its not exactly fresh in my mind.   But i thought it would be a bit of a crime not to mention it on the website while i’m sorting through all my books, past and present.

From what i remember: it’s a true tale about this half baked, mad scheme, with not very much planning, to run the whole length of New Zealand by a (perhaps completely mad) woman who’s not really physically up to the task.   But, completely undeterred, Anna sets off from the very bottom of the South island and heads North on a crazy adventure in some leggings she really likes.

It’s a really good story, and one well worth a read whether you’re into running and/or endurance sports or not.   Because it’s not about running or endurance sports, it’s about a journey, the people, the places, the ups and the downs, and it’s a wonderful journey to read about.

So, if you like unicorns, and you like leggings, and who doesn’t like unicorns and leggings, and even if you don’t like unicorns and leggings, give it a read sometime.

Click here for unicorn leggings over at Amazon, and go on your own adventure somewhere.

I refuse to make any comments about people who don’t like unicorns and leggings, i’m trying my best to keep the website nice, positive and happy.  xx

Anna’s Page

#annamcnuff

Chocolat — Joanne Harris

Chocolat -- Joanne HarrisI thought i’d take a break away from the Vic Lit and dive into something a little more contemporary, and i wasn’t disappointed.

This one has only been sat in “The Pile” for just 4 months, so it’s jumped the queue by quite a bit (the other books will undoubtedly be feeling a little annoyed).   I came across a really good review of this on social media and i took that as a message that it was time to read it.

So yeah, where to start with a review of this book.   Well, the obvious one is, don’t read this if you’re a devout catholic.   There’s a fair bit of catholic bashing in this book — which one might say is well deserved.

Mostly, this book is a criticism of the old ways of the catholic church and the sanctimonious, holier than though hypocrites who sit in self appointed, holy judgement over us heathens.   And i must say, Joanne does a wonderful job of it, and some might even say, a much needed job considering the recent past.

All in all, a delightful story set in a small French village whose inhabitants were in desperate need of some good chocolate and an alternative view on life: other than the miserable one being suffered at the behest of aforementioned sanctimonious crowd with their church and priest in tow.   And what better way of telling that story than setting up a chocolaterie directly opposite the parish church in the centre of the village.

I especially enjoyed the way Joanne alternates throughout between 2 completely separate protagonists’ narratives from 2 very different opposing protagonists, the chocolatier and the priest, and she makes that work really well, although it does make you pause a little when they swap over on occasion.

At the end the ultimate question of judgement has to be: am i going to read the next books in this series?   Answer: as soon as i get a good price on them at Amazon i’ll definitely be adding them to “The Pile”.   What hope is there for us book addicts as whenever i read one book off “The Pile” and all it does is inspire me to add three more books to it?

Did the book inspire to consume more cocoa products?   No, i already consume too much already. #chocolatelove

Too many good writers and never enough reading time — or chocolate.   All good fun though! 

Joanne’s Page

#joanneharris

Once Upon A Curse — Anthology

Once Upon A Curse -- AnthologyI do love a good faerie tale and this looks like it has a few inside.

One day i’ll dip into it and have a little read.

Yarrow, Sturdy and BrightDevon Monk
Fae HorseAnthea Sharp
The Queen of Frost and DarknessChristine Pope
BonesYasmine Galenorn
Magic After Midnight — C. Gockel
Dance With the Devil — Donna Augustine
No Gift of Words — Annie Bellet
The Grim Brother — Audrey Faye
Beast Inside Beauty — Danielle Monsch
Faescorned — Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
Drawn to the Brink — Tara Maya
The Variance Court — Alexia Purdy
The Morrigan — Phaedra Weldon
AliceJulia Crane
Still Red — Sabrina Locke
The Final Straw — Jennifer Blackstream
The Unicorn Hunter — Alethea Kontis

#fantasy #devonmonk #antheasharp #christinepope #yasminegalenorn #cgockel #donnaaugustine #anniebellet #audreyfaye #daniellemonsch #jennaelizabethjohnson #taramaya #alexiapurdy #phaedraweldon #juliacrane #sabrinalocke #jenniferblackstream #aletheakontis



Currently

Fiction

Robots and Empire -- Isaac Asimov With the rise of the machines on the horizon . . .
 
. . .me thinks it’s a good time to re-read Asimov.

Fiction

Four Seasons in Japan -- Nick Bradley The Cat and The City was excellent, let’s hope this is too.

Nonfiction

Why Work? -- Collection Yeah, why?

Nonfiction

More Zen.