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Showing posts from May, 2015

Tis A Bit Out Of Season

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So, it isn't quite Christmas yet... I haven't even seen anything Christmassy in the shops yet, but I saw this and I knew I had to read it. Everyone knows the classic Christmas tale... of Home Alone. Kevin wishes his family would disappear after he's banished to bed for causing trouble. It turns out that sometimes wishes do come true. All the things Kevin is never allowed to do, he does, who wouldn't? But being on your own isn't all TV and sundaes. Strangers are scary, especially when he encounters Harry and Marv. As any kid would, he hides under the bed. That is until he realises he's the man of the house and he needs to act like one. Kevin is resourceful, and sensible, so after a day of household chores and a visit to church he sets to his plan. He'll protect his home against any invaders. Bumbling burglars are no match for a tricky kids and his new found friend though. As soon as I saw the cover of this book I loved it already. The illustrations by

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

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Princess Mia is not so young and awkward anymore… well okay, maybe she’s a little awkward still. As the title suggests there are some upcoming nuptials for Mia and Michael, but nothing is ever simple in Princess Diary land. With the usual array of characters, a brazen internet blogger, online stalker and a remarkable 12 year old, we go on a wedding planning adventure… Princess style. With paparazzi making life difficult, and family that aren’t helping much either, she’s not getting any time to relax. That is, until Michael whisks her away for a romantic birthday getaway on a remote island resort. No paps, no cameras and no wi-fi. It couldn’t be more romantic. *big sigh* Getting back to reality is a little harder than they bargained for when they realise someone has leaked news of their engagement. You won’t need three guesses to work out who. How on Earth does Mia make it through a week with family politics, country politics and an unexpected trip for an x-ray that leads to some

Troublesome Words

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Scrabble, in all their infinite wisdom, have added some new... well, let's call them "words"... into the official Scrabble vocabulary. It hasn't gone down well with some people, I can't say I'm bothered either way... but since seeing the list I have added a few new words into my vocab. The list goes partly like this... for ease of use the word will come first, definition second, my opinion/waffle afterwards. Bezzy  -  best friend  - I'm fine with this one, I do however think this is probably out of the Liverpool regional edition of the Scrabble Dictionary. Cakeages  -  charges in a restaurant for serving cake brought in from outside  - What sort of a**hole places charge you to bring in a cake? Never been to one, would probably walk out if they dared to try. Cakehole  -  mouth  - As in "shut your cakehole"... how is this not already in there? I use it frequently. Dench  -  excellent  - Whaaaaaaaaat? [Please imagine me standing slack j

Car-Jacked

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Had a little spate of starting a lots of books and not finishing any of them, but I sat down for a session of reading this morning and have just finished... Car-jacked is the story of Jack, a 12 year old genius with an IQ of 170. He's accidentally abducted when Ross, a bank robber from Scotland, steals the family car not realising he's in the back. Everything in Jack's life has been carefully planned up until this moment, how will he cope? We soon learn that all is not as it seems with Ross, for a hardened criminal who has spent time in jail, he kind of grows on you. He doesn't want to endanger Jack and tries to get rid of him as soon as he can. But when he realises he's left an asthmatic on the side of the road without his inhaler he goes back for him. The unlikely duo set out together on what turns out to be an enlightening adventure for both of them. The story turns your stereotypical feelings on their head. You come to care for the bad guy and the good

Get Your Party Spirit Ready

Those of you who know me know that I love Eurovision... see last year's post for the proof . It's a cheesy delight of awkward hosts and lots of performers being interviewed who don't fully understand what's going on. But truly, my favourite part is the presenter. I was always dedicated to Terry and was devastated when he left, but as it turns out Graham Norton was an excellent replacement. Last night there was a semi-final on, but I can't watch either one, I can't ruin the special event. Usually I get a collection of food that is bad for me, a take away and bed in to watch the hilarity. So here are my top tips and essentials for an evening with Eurovision... Make sure you have a notepad and pen handy... maybe that's just me! Pre-list the countries in order of performance. You want to leave room for a comment on the best and worst bits, the most ridiculous comment from Graham and your score out of ten. With scoring, remember to pace yourself! I try a

Very British Problems

Basic queueing rule number one, from a website that seems to have now disappeared about bizarre Britain. It's just not cricket to queue jump. You proceed in the order in which the line formed. Failure to stick to the unspoken rules could result in severe tutting. Today I witnessed the most British of dilemmas, that ended in the most British of ways. Our local Philpotts [sandwich shop along the lines of Coughlans for you Londoners] recently had a mini refurbishment. This sent it from being a busy but relatively sensible layout to every professional British queuer's nightmare. To queue at any of the four different areas of the shop you pretty much have to be standing in the same place, even if you want to get a quick pre-packed sandwich you have to go directly thought the centre of the shop and these four queues. It's awful, but there aren't any other places that close to get lunch on a Monday. So I pootled round the corner, and the place was packed. I joined the

Speaking In Bones

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I was on NetGalley and saw the new Kathy Reichs pop up in the new titles. I've tried to read Reichs books before, they should be right up my street. I love a crime novel and have back catalogues of Kathryn Fox, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffrey Deaver and James Patterson, just to name a few. There is something about the style of her writing that I, and several other people I've spoken to, find difficult to get along with. I don't think I've read another author who writes like this. I wish I could put my finger on what I find so difficult about it, but the problem itself is a mystery. Having never read a full book from the Brennan series before, I am jumping in at the deep end by reading number 18. Speaking to a friend I asked if some of the things I'd picked up on happened throughout the series. Tempe has a habit of explaining a process of investigation. I have no problem with this, it's all very interesting and well written... but it did raise the question... does s