Kell

TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser: Synopsis: Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning. In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must chose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives – or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day… What I think of it so far: I’m about half way through and enjoying it, but not quite as much as I did the first one, mostly because I’m kind of wishing the story would hurry up already and prove my assumptions correct about certain characters and happenings. Of course, if I’m proven wrong, I’ll be delighted as I love being surprised. Like I say, I’m enjoying it, but it’s taking a while to get where it’s going, perhaps just a bit too much build up…

Musing Mondays What types of nonfiction do you read? Can do multiple choices. CHOICES: - e-books - Mythology/Folklore – Travel/Locations – Humor – History – Art, including art history – Science including forensics – Gardening/Nature – Political – Financial/Economical – Religious – Self-help – How-to books – Books on writing – Audio books – Biography – Autobiography – Sports – Architecture – Fitness/Exercise/Nutrition/Beauty – Other – None of the Above I’m primarily a fiction reader, but when I do switch to non-fiction, they’re usually mythology/folklore, gardening/nature, biographies and autobiographies. I also have quite a few books on various aspects of Paganism and Witchcraft, although not as many as I used to as I severely reduced my library to those books I actually referenced either on occasion or regularly, rather than keeping all the books I’d ever read on the subject. I also have several books on nutrition I’ve kept for reference…

I have one by my bed and one in my bag for reading on the go.

I'm currently reading two young adult urban fantasy series: The Immortals series by Alyson Noel (I'm currently reading the second one): 1. Evermore (2009) 2. Blue Moon (2009) 3. Shadowland (2010) 4. Dark Flame (2010) 5. Night Star (2010) 6. Everlasting (2011) The Fallen series by Lauren Kate (I've read the first one): 1. Fallen (2009) 2. Torment (2010) 3. Passion (2011) 4. Rapture (2012) You might also enjoy the entire Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Amstrong (I've read all of them to date): . Bitten (2001) 2. Stolen (2002) 3. Dime Store Magic (2003) 4. Industrial Magic (2004) 5. Haunted (2005) 6. Broken (2006) 7. No Humans Involved (2007) 8. Personal Demon (2008) 9. Living with the Dead (2008) 10. Frost Bitten (2009) 11. Waking the Witch (2010) 12. Spellbound (2011) The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong (I've read all of them): 1. The Summoning (2008) 2. The Awakening (2009) 3. The Reckoning (2010) The Darkness Rising Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong (I've not started these ones yet): 1. The Gathering (2011) 2. The Calling (2012) (The third one hasn't been announced yet) I can guarantee that all of these are WAY better than the Twilight Saga!

I do exactly the same - LOL!

I do - and not just in my head either. I do it reading aloud to myself!

From my acting days, I guess Dressing Room Dramas would be the title I'd choose. I work a few evenings a week at William Hill's (a betting shop) so I guess I'd call that one The Hills Are Alive With the Sound Of Losing. Mostly though, I'm a Stay-At-Home-Mum, so now it would be The SAHM Memoirs or Confessions of a Yummy Mummy. For my stitching and designing, I guess I'd go with Stitched Up! And for a novel based in an office (I worked at the local council in the CE's office, and spent time plotting many ingenious ways of murdering my more annoying colleagues using ofice implements) I'd call that that one The Office Offensive.

I dunno, if you gave it a mysterious title like "The Number Cruncher" they might.

You'll find LOADS of suggestions and recommendations in THIS section of the forum.

Depends on what kind of guidelines you have. Do you need to take a hot dish or a cold one? Is it a sit-down hot meal or a buffet table kind of affair? Have you been asked to bring a starter, a main course or a dessert? Does it need to be vegetarian? My favourite to take to a pot-luck affair would be a lasagne, as it can be tailored to suit whether it's a meat-eating or vegetarian crowd. If the former, make a regular one. If the latter, substitute soya mince or just use loads of veg instead. If it's a buffet type of thing, I'd be inclined to bring something I'd baked, like a pie. Meat and potato is one of my favourites, but if I was taknig a sweet, I'd go with autumn fruits at this time of the year - maybe apple and blackberry. Or I might take a quiche - feta and spinach would appeal to both the veggie and non-veggie crowd (apart from the vegans, of course, as it has eggs and cheese in it!).

Party starts at 11.30am, but I haven't made enough for 200 I'm' afraid. Just 32 marshmallow hats and 24 muffins. About 28 truffles (see The Great Cake Pops Disaster). Probably make about 30-ish of everything else too... so you might go hungry - LOL!

I've been busy in the kitchen making more goodies for Xan's birthday party which is tomorrow. Made marshmallow hats and carrot and courgette muffins. Don't they look great? Today I'll be making cheese and tomato whirls, double chocolate brownies and flapjacks. After that, I'm done! Going shopping with the other two mums this afternoon to pick up mini pizzas, chicken nuggets, sausage rolls, that type of thing, and also goodies for the little party bags, balloons, streamers, etc. The cake (which is a big tray bake) is also getting picked up today. The party is being held at a nursery, so as well as the bouncy castle we're hiring, there'll be a ball pit and loads of other toys, as well as swings, slide and climbing frame outside if it's nice weather. It's going to be a totally kick-@$$ party!

There are LOADS of suggestions HERE.

It's proving more difficult than I expected. I managed to make my chocolate seize and had to throw it out, so I need to get some more chocolate to melt (and be a bit more careful this time!). hoever, the sticks are mow in the cake balls (anchored with a little melted chocolate from before it seized) and I can only hope they stay in! They're ni the fridge to let the chocolate fixing set. I think I'll leave the dipping till after tea now...

And here's how the Great Cake Pop Project is coming along so far... 1. Take this broken cake... 2. ... and smoosh it till it's all crumbs 3. Aha! Nutella, my old friend 4. Add a generous dollop (actually a whole jar and a bit extra for good measure) 5. Mix, mix, mix 6. Chef's song springs to mind... I have 32 of these bad boys! Now they're resting in the fridge for a little while to firm up a bit before I pop in the sticks and dip them in melted chocolate!

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY Odd What’s the oddest book you’ve ever read? Did you like it? Hate it? Did it make you think? I guess some of the fantasy books I’ve read in the past have been a little odd, and then there was Snow White and the Seven Samurai by Tom Holt which was funny-odd (and the only book by him I’ve ever actually enjoyed). But mostly I just find it odd that so many people seem to think The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer are any good. I found them highly unoriginal and the characters incredibly annoying (sparkly emo vamps, and a clingy, whingy, pathetic female lead that is quite possibly the sorriest excuse for a role model ever to have made it to the printed page – Gods help the poor girls who think she’s a good example to follow!). The Woman and the Ape by Peter Høeg was pretty weird. It started well in an almost fairytale kind of way, but got distinctly uncomfortable and then very, well, odd. I enjoyed it less and less as it went on and by the end I just thought it bizarre and a bit of a waste of my time to be honest.

Am lpeased to report that it tastes lovely (Xan and I each snaffled a taste just to make sure - have to make sure we 're not serving rank cake to everyone you know!). Have pulled it apart but parts are still slightly warm, so I'll leave it to finish cooling till after lunch and then start crumbling it properly...

Cake cooling and waiting to be smooshed!

I certainly hope they do!

I currently have a cake busily baking away in the oven. Once it's baked I've just got to let it cool and then SMASH IT ALL UP! Ha! Bet you weren't expecting that! Gonna try my hand at making cake pops for Xan's birthday party on Sunday.

Andrew E Shipley! He's only written one novel (The Messenger) and it's self-published, but it's absolutely brilliant! When I was sent it for review Iwas sceptical, but this was the book that made me see that not all self-published authors should be written off as dross. In fact, it was a real 5/5 novel! And nobody has ever heard of this guy, so I always shout about him whenever I get the chance!

So, here are the two pieces I have fniished so far - the key/scissor fob and the biscornu:

TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teasers: Synopsis: A legendary ruin. An ancient mystery. Will unveiling the past transform the future? San Francisco, 2007. Madeline Moretti is grieving for her fiancé. Nothing brings her joy any more, and Maddie’s grandmother, a fiery Italian, sends her to Tuscany to heal. Here, Maddie is immersed in the mystery of a ruined villa. Destroyed centuries ago in a legendary storm on the Eve of St Agnes, it has been known ever since as the Casa al Vento – the House of the Wind. Tuscany, 1347. Mia hasn’t spoken since her mother’s death, and lives in silence with her beloved aunt. One dark night, a couple seek refuge in their villa. Used to welcoming passing pilgrims, Mia is entranced by the young bride’s radiance and compassion, but mystified by her reluctance to reveal even her name. Where has she come from, and why must her presence be a secret? Centuries apart, each searching for a way to step into her future, both Mia and Maddie will be haunted by the myth of the young woman who walked unscathed from the ruins of the House of the Wind. What I think of it so far: I’m not very far in, hence the two teasers from very early on in the book, but I’m enjoying it so far. It’s a bit like Labyrinth by Kate Mosse for style, as it’s back and forth in time over two parallel stories and I’m enjoying the slow unravelling of the lives of two women – one in 1347, the other in 2007 – on completely different continents.

It's NOT taken from a book at all. Through the show, Castle writes various novels and Becket is his muse (he bases his character of Nikki Heat on her). The books are by "Richard Castle" and are also plugged through the show (remember when he's on book tours etc? Those books are actually written to tie in with the show!). I heartily recommend them. 1. Heat Wave 2. Naked Heat 3. Heat Rises

Musing Mondays What are you most excited about reading, right now? It can be a book you’re currently enjoying, or a book that’s yet to be published, etc. Right now? At this very moment? I’m most excited about two books – one of which has just been published, the other will be published later this month – and I can hardly wait to get my greedy mitts on both of them! Richard Castle – Heat Rises (Nikki Heat 3) Richard Castle is a fictional author (not just an author of fiction, but a completely made up person) who is the star of the show Castle (where he’s played by the wonderful Nathan Fillion). I’ve already read the first two books in this series and loved them – Castle has become part of my Permanent Collection, which is a rare honour as I only keep a very small portion of the books I buy and when I do, I get them in hardback. The books tie in neatly with the show without copying the plotlines from it – it’s all very cleverly done and whether or not you watch the show, you can enjoy the books, which I’m sure you will if you read them! This one will be published on 20th October. Brian Michael Bendis and Richard Castle – Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm (graphic novel) I’m a fan of graphic novels anyway, so to combine this medium with crime fiction AND one of my favourite TV shows is just beyond awesome! This is the graphic novelisation of one of Richard Castle’s earlier books – Deadly Storm (there is no actual publication of that name by this fictional author – the series was made up for the TV show). The artwork looks great and Im’ desperate to get a look at one of Castle’s other characters, having come to know and love Nikki Heat from the other novels. This one was published on 21st September and I’ll be getting hold of it around the same time as Heat Rises. You can bet that the moment I get both of these books I’ll be cracking them open to read non-stop till I reach the end! I’m also incredibly excited about another book I’ve just bought but won’t be able to start reading for at least another week as I’m reviewing another book for a publisher. Erin Morgenstern – The Night Circus I heard about this one online by sheer chance and fell in love with the cover. Without even knowing exactly what it was about, I decided then and there that I was going to have this book! I bought it with some of my birthday money and it’s next on my list of books to read! Isn’t that cover just gorgeous? Doesn’t it tempt you to grab it and read it till there’s no more to read? How could anyone possibly resist it?