Kell

I'm making one each month with the intention of using them as Xmas tree decorations. (see my blog for details - The Basket of Biscornu Challenge) No smellies in them this time as they're going on the Xmas tree at the end of the year.

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (Southern Vampires 4) Rating: 4/5 -Excellent You might like this if you like: Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series; vampires; paranormal/supernatural Synopsis: Sookie comes to the rescue of a naked, amnesiac vampire - and ends up in the middle of a war between witches, werewolves and vampires! Sookie Stackhouse is a small-town cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's pretty. She does her job well. She keeps to herself - she has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie's gift: she can read minds. That's not exactly every man's idea of date bait - unless they're undead - vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that's just the kind of guy Sookie's been looking for. Maybe that's why, when she comes across a naked vampire on the way home from work, she doesn't just drive on by. He hasn't got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy - and dead - as the day she met him. But now he has amnesia, he's sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie's help - because whoever took his memory now wants his life. Sookie's investigation into what's going on leads her straight into a dangerous battle between witches, vampires and werewolves. But there could be even greater danger - to Sookie's heart, because the kinder, gentler Eric is very hard to resist. Review: This is actually my favourite of the first four books in the series. Seeing a vulnerable, sweet Eric is wonderful - it's a whole new side of him that we haven't seen before (of course, is it really him when he has no memory of who he is? Or is this actually the real Eric?), and who could blame any hot-blooded female for softening towards him? I know I certainly would! But amnesiac Eric isn't the only draw - there's such a lot going on in this installment that it's real seat-of-the-pants stuff: We have Witches, Weres and Vamps all battling it out and poor Sookie is caught right in the middle of it; Jason going missing is another major event that will change the course of his and Sookie's lives (as well as the course of the series) completely; and Sookie has to really step up and do things she never thought she'd have to do - she really shows she's made of steely stuff! It really is jam-packed full of a plot so good I didn't want it to end and it's left me gasping for more, so I'll be going right ahead and continuing with the rest of the series instead of taking a little break as I had planned!

I finished assembling my January Biscornu this morning while Xander had his morning nap. (front and back views) The text on the back reads "Kell January 2010"

I've learned today that sometimes male politicians have more common sense when it comes to babies than so-called child-rearing "experts" who have sold over 2 million copies of a dreadful book on the subject when they (a female, I might add) has never actually had a child of her own. I've also learned that when I read such articles, I find myself cheering said politician as I personaly cannot stand the woman who wrote the books or her ideas on how to "manage" yor baby. (Her book is actually the only book that I have ever - wait for it - RIPPED UP!).

I can't believe the Liverpool match got cancelled - Aberdeen played and I'm willing to bet the weather was worse up here - LOL!

I'll be able to start my bookmark tomorrow night as the biscornu I'm making will be finished after that. (I'll post a pic when it's done.)

It's a book that, because the draft got leaked on the internet, the author decided she wasn't going to finish it.

I didn't even know Dennis Hopper was ill! Poor man. He has such a phenomenal back-catalogue of work.

Can I choose castration please? LOL!

Wasn't New Yorkoriginally called New Amsterdam? That would fit in with the New Netherlands...

Pork chops with potatoes, carrots, peas, butterbeans and roasted parsnips, and lashings of creamy pepper sauce - YUM!

I used ot re-read a hole lot more than I do now, simply because I never used to have a TBR pile! Seriously - I would get a bunch of books at Xmas and birthdays, read them, buy a few more throughout the year or borrow some from the library, but I would only really do that when I'd run out of things to read. There were certain favourites I would revisit time and time again. Now, though, I usually have around 80-100 unread books on my shelves, waiting to be picked up and read for the first time. Seriously - it's only since joining this forum that it happened! I am re-reading a few books this year: - the first four Southern Vampires books by Charlaine Harris. I read them around the time that the 4th one was puclished, but never got round to getting hold of the others. Now I have the 1st 8, so I'm re-reading the first few to get me back up to speed before continuing with the series. - The Plucker by Brom. I read this one a couple of years ago when I spotted it in the library, This Xmas my hubby bought me my own copy so I'm treating myself to a few pages each day so I can savour it all over again.

I just finished reading the 3rd book (the one where Alcide is introduces and also which, I guess, will be the underlying source material for the plot of season 3). He looks to fit the bill phsyically, so I'll be interested to see how well he plays the part - I love that character! I hope he leaves his hair longer and shaggier though - he look amazing like that!

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (Southern Vampires 3) Rating: 4/5 -Excellent You might like this if you like: Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series; vampires; paranormal/supernatural Synopsis: There

Good question, Nightingale. Anyone have any answers?

You'd better!

I've had Dragon Tattoo on my bookshelf for a while now - I got it from a couple of colleagues as a leaving gift from work when I went off on maternity leave. I keep meaning to read it... perhaps it'll get pushed up the pile a bit now.

I'm busy watching I, Claudius starring Derek Jacobi. I've watched the first 3 or 4 episodes over the last few nights and I'll be watching some more this evening. I read the book of the same title a while back and loved it, although I understand the series also covers Claudius The God, which I haven't yet read but intend to at some point...

"Pulsing" would be where you don't hold the button down for longer than a second or two at a time - you "pulse" it instead so that it's only going for a short time then off, a short time then off, etc, till it's smooth. If you blast it for any length of time then your motor will burn itself out a lot more quickly (which is what happened to mine and I ended up using Xander's puree machine instead - LOL!).

Thanks, Kylie. I'll most likely be spacing them out a tiny bit more after SV3 (which I've just started), as I have other things I want to read (for reading circles etc), as well as all the new books I got for Xmas and those that have been languishing on Mount TBR for far too long...

I ADORE Equilibrium - and you're right - it DOES owe a lot to F451. There's the whole aspect of hoarding banned items in hiding places too... I wonder just how many works owe their roots to F451?

I tihnk they had to make Godric a little "nicer" in the TV show as in the book the character who met the dawn was a child molester/murderer - I think even they balked at the thought of that. I've just finished reading the 2nd book and Tara was only just mentioned in that one with a brief scene near the end, which was far preferable to th b***h they have her being in the show - I don't like that character at all. But I really like Lafayette, so I'm glad they changed that storylinein the show. Another thing I liked about the show was they made more of the Maenad storyline - it's quite a tiny part of the 2nd book - barely a mention!