pickle

So I read a few short stories from a collection of what do they call them 'Urban Fantasy' and have downloaded the new Rizzoli and Isles: Tess Gerritsen - The Silent Girl onto my kindle and I look forward to collapsing in bed tonight to read it

I have been baking like mad but I am finally all done for the party tommorow. Images below not the greatest quality they look better in real life lets hope they taste as goo, fingers crossed. Almond and Apricot tart Chocolate Eclairs Plus Chocolate Chelse Buns Hazelnut mernigue with chestnut and chocolate filling I am exhausted but happy

I am not sure which but one of these I have an extra copy which you are most welcome to I think it might be the last in the series...glad you are enjoying them ...oh guilty pleasures

Looks fantastic, how can you bring yourself to smash such loveliness All my efforts last night were successfull tonight I am filling the eclairs and glazing the tops, as well as doing the chestnut and chocolate filling for the meringue torte..hopefully it won't take as long as last night to do all of this

Along with my resolution to keep up with my own list here is my latest victim. 221 - Our Tragic Universe - Scarlett Thomas Just finished this last night, loved it, she writes such intersting stories, I have read The End of Mr Y and Popco I preferred Popco to Mr Y but enjoyed this one immensely. I am interested in cryptography and numbers although I am useless at deciphering both :-) probably because of their beauty and the fact that they are solveable, maybe thats what appeals to me the mystery coming to an end. With this book I was again drawn into the idea of the philosophy of the end of the universe and the implications of living forever. I can never totally resolve my ambivilant feelings about her main female protagonists in any of her books they are so remote from how I am, I don't think things quite as in depth as they do, and I act upon my gut instinct far more and am far more proactive in my approach to life. I liked the resolution at the end of the book which in reality was the start of something, it didn't have a happily ever after which makes it more life like. Her characters are deeply flawed and not always very likeable but they suit the story better than some writers who make their characters insipid and flavourless. Really recommend this

I finished Scarlett Thomas-Our Tragic Universe last night I loved it, her books are never an easy read but they are so interesting

Cheers Karsa, I sent an email to them hopefully if they can't answer they can let me know whom to contact.

Does anyone know how to go about querying the price of a kindle book, I am desperate to get the third part of a book but its risen in price from £3.99 to £8.49 for the 3rd part even though the 4th part is back down to £3.99. The paperback is cheaper I know but I have the others as part of a list on my kindle and I am reluctant to break it up.

Arghhhhh. I am about 15 pages from the end of Scarlett Thomas - Our Tragic Universe but work intervened and I had to get up

My earliest memories are of my dad and grandad reading to me, it was childrens classics like Winnie the pooh, Just So Stories and Wind in the willows, when I learnt to read it was Pippi Longstocking, Emile in the soup Tureen, Mrs Pepperpot, I had a lovely book called Aurora and her little blue car, Nancy Drew and so many many more I am sure as I read some of the posts in this I will find others.

I am currently in the process of making 20 mini eclairs for a party on Friday at work. so I have the choux pastry in the oven as it will keep well just taken them out of the oven and looking good. I am also doing a chocolate hazelnut chestnut meringue torte, an apricot and almond slice and chocolate chelsea buns..a litlle ambitious but it might just work if I don't get distracted by books

wow didn't see that one coming but I am so pleased she was definitely a popular winner.

Read a bit more of Scarlett Thomas - Our Tragic Universe before work today, I am pretty sure it is responsible for my slightly bemused feeling

Right I have been bad bad person and not updated this for ages even though I keep promising too so I am over a month late. Some of these will be a little brief as there is a lot to get through 185 - Black wings (Black Wings Series Book 1 - Christina Henry Synopsis from Amazon - As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package. Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with. Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos. Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell... My thoughts I quite enjoyed it not the best of this type of book but nonetheless a good read will probably get the second one eventually as its out. 186 - Hour of Dust and Ashes - Kelley Gay This is the 3rd book of the Charlie Madigan series and its a good one. In this she ventures into the world of Chabrydon in pursuit of a cure. well written and and worth pursuing for the future 187 - Dark Light - Jayne Anne Krentz An old favourite author think I had read this before without realising buts its an easy read when I need something light. A bit of a fluffy romance with a mystery thrown in (arcance society book 11 I think) 188 - A Bloody Good secret (Secret McQueen book 2) - Sienna Dean 189 - Something Secret this way comes (secret McQeen book 1) - Sienna Dean I enjoyed both these books quite and easy read and not bad for the genre of urban fantasy. Secret McQueen is a slayer of rouge vampires working for the vampire council. As a half werewolf/vampire she is shunned by both societies but able to work on the strenghths of her two halves. 191 - Blood Law (Aalexnder Sabian series book 1) - Jeannie Holmes Not a great book but I might still read another one but its a bit samey, it assumes that you can catch up on quite an intricate back story but there were a few times when I just wasn't sure I cared enough. The premise of the story is not to bad she obviously uses the Charlaine Harris method of introducing vampires (they have some out with the introduction of synthetic blood and therefore no longer need to feed from humans) Alexander Sabian is an enforcer in a small town who fights prejudice agt the vampires as well as tries to solve the murders of vampires in the area. 192 - Deadly Sanctuary (Kendall O'Dell Mystery) - Sylvia Nobel This was a freebie, but in fact I quite enjoyed it, kendall O'Dell is a plucky reported given a job in a small town investigating the dissapearance of her predecessor and other mysterious occurences in the town which also has a mental institution so woerd but not bad. 193 - The Dragon who Loved me - G A Aiken The latest of the series, not the best but still enjoy the books. 194 - Embrace the Darkness - Alexandra Ivy A bit run of the mill vampire falls in love blah blah 195 -Taken by the Wolf - Bonnie Vanak short and pretty terrible 196 -Angela Blood (The Guild Hunters series book 1 ) - Nalini Singh 197 - Archaengels Kiss ( The Guildhunters series book 2) - - Nalini Singh Not as good as the Psy-Changeling series but I like the idea so I will probably read more of the series, the Angels are real they rule the world and aren't all loving and giving infact they are terrible. 198 Shadow Magic (Prince of Hazel and Oak) - John Lenahan second book in this series its light hearted and fun very different very good. 199 - Loose Ends (Mary O'Neil mystery) - Terri Reid Coming back from the dead gives Mary O,Neill the ability to see ghosts of people who have passed away violently, I have read similar books this wasn't the best neither was it terrible, if it remains cheap on Amazon I can certainly see myself reading more of the series. 200 - Spying in High Heels - Gemma Halliday a bit of a Janet Evanovich wannabe really if you haven't read any of her books and read this put it down and read the Stephanie Plum books much much better. 201 - 211 The Psy Changeling Series books 1- 10 - Nalini Singh What can I say I got on a role with these book, I loved them some were better than others I loved Brenna's but in reality they were all great. I love the idea of three types of people coexisting the humans at the bottom of the pile and then the psy's who posses psychic powers of various strengths and abilities but they have sacrificed there humanity and emotions for it, and the changelings in this case werewolves and leopards and can I say very sexy 212 - Freaks - Tess Gerritsen Love Tess Gerritsen but this was only a chapters worth of writing so a good chapter nonetheless. 213 - Shadow Magic - John Leahan Very funny part two written above love it easy reading but well written and funny. 214 - Hunting Season (The Gathering book 1 ) - Shelly Laurenston Not a bad book not great Vikings winged warriors tried to be a bit more Kresley Cole than she could and I prefer this. 215 - Canyons of Night - Jayne Anne Krentz Love it, light hearted, romantic with an easy mystery part of my guilty pleasures. 216 - Blue Heaven - C J Box I have to admit I prefer his books with the game warden but C J Box certainly captures a part of the world which is obviously close to his heart 'the wilderness'. In this a sister and her younger brother witness the killing of a man in the back woods and are then running for their lives, interestingly it also manages to focus on outsiders coming into areas and buying them up and the benefits and drawbacks to this both financial and ecological. To be honest like some of the reviewers on Amazon I didn't get why the characters followed certain routes in this as there are easier ways of getting things sorted but in the end it was not to bad. 217 - Anno Dracula - Kim Newman it started slowly but then I got embroiled in the plot which features a Victorian London where the widow Victoria has married Count Dracula, neither feature until the end but its a case of spot the name of either real or fictional characters. Set mainly in Whitechapel it does of course concern the hunt for the 'Ripper'. Dark and engrossing it explores this seedy underbelly of London, characters from the original Bram Stoker play real roles and you learn of their fate as they failed to vanquish the Count as per the book. Author Kim Newman has other subsequent books though I understand they are not sequels, will go and check them out I think. 218 - Pale Demon - Kim Harrison the latest in the series and I am not sure its not just a bout over as its tied up a lot of loose ends. I like the main chracters and I do find Kim Harrison does on occasion write very witty dialogue so although I think this is the end and I am not sure where she can go from here I am sad and did enjoy it. 219 - Veil of Night - Linda Howard I have read this before but I do love her books and it was the end of the month so I was desperate to get something out of the library and not spend any money 220 - To The Nines -Janet Evanovich I think this was the only one I had been missing, love the series love Granny Massur and Lula very jealous of Stephanie and her relationships though. Right thats it, its taken me ages I am not leaving it so long next time, I must do more and read less as from this you can see I have no other life.

Yeah I think it might be Holly too she s a meticulous cook but I love the fact that Mary Anne is so adventurous and really knows her cooking.

Oh yeah can't wait for the next one though not sure how I feel about Thorment's story.

How are you enjoying it, I am still trying to decide whether I like the series so have put of getting the third one yet.

you are so right it does make a real difference to how things are taught to have an emotional attachment to the period being described, one of the best text books I read which unfortunately came out after I had finished my degree was a book on the Neolithic called 'Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic' it put people and places into a real context and interspersed them with vinettes of how it may have been in a time so remote from ours. there are only a few others which I have found subsequently which also do this, although strictly speaking not fiction archaeology text books can only rely so much on the evidence as by its nature a lot of it deals with a time before the written word....oooops sorry lecture over. I started Scarlett Thomas's - Our Tragic Universe this morningh and its good, she does write in such an interesting way and her characters are although not strictly speaking likeable they are well drawn.

So I finished Pale Demon - Kim Harrison when I took an impromptu half day and lay in the garden enjoying this glorious sunshine...not sure what to read next I do have a Scarlett Thomas book which I might delve into later

I am most of the way through Pale Demon - Kim Harrison loving it, I have been good all week and not picked up the kindle and spent money...at least I won't until tommorow when it PAYDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with the Henry James it might be one of the few books I have never been able to finish

I have just finished Anno Dracula - Kim Newman it started slowly but then I got embroiled in the plot which features a Victorian London where the widow Victoria has married Count Dracula, neither feature until the end but its a case of spot the name of either real or fictional characters. Set mainly in Whitechapel it does of course concern the hunt for the 'Ripper'. Dark and engrossing it explores this seedy underbelly of London, characters from the original Bram Stoker play real roles and you learn of their fate as they failed to vanquish the Count as per the book. Author Kim Newman has other subsequent books though I understand they are not sequels, will go and check them out I think.