And it has to be freehand. I am going old school, going to see if pen and paper can get me all inspired again.
Fingers crossed... ;) xx
- Posted with a plan...
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Friday, 17 August 2012
Musings - Target set...
From close of work today I have set myself a writing target of 3000 words. This has to be achieved before I retire to bed on Sunday.
And it has to be freehand. I am going old school, going to see if pen and paper can get me all inspired again.
Fingers crossed... ;) xx
- Posted with a plan...
And it has to be freehand. I am going old school, going to see if pen and paper can get me all inspired again.
Fingers crossed... ;) xx
- Posted with a plan...
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Musings - Is thirty past it?..
Thirty and flirty and thriving?
Right, by thirty I take it they mean after thirty-two because, while I might have the smile of the flirt down, thriving I am not.
What is to thrive? Let’s find some synonyms… flourish, prosper, succeed, boom, bloom and blossom? Increase? I take it I am supposed to be more than I am, or at least want more than I am and have an aim to be it, get it and have it?
So let’s be all Sound of Music about it and start at the beginning… what do I want?
Top 3 that come to mind without any thought, just finger to key:
1. To be able to have a successful career as a writer.
2. To be financially secure and have the benefits of that security.
3. To have someone look me in the eye and know that I have blown their mind.
The first two points are obviously, for the most part, intertwined and relatively within my control. EFFORT EFFORT EFFORT! Make some!
And the third point, well, let’s not dwell on that one two much as this one is customarily reserved for my alter ego leading lady.
Now I need a game plan. A challenge! I do so love a challenge. Maybe I need to push myself more, my alter ego leading lady is not as patient as she once was.
Top 3 challenges that come to mind without any thought, just finger to key:
1. Write 30 poems from July 2012 to June 2012. One year, barely a poem per week, in the same format and all ending with a sonnet … line.
2. Write 30 reviews from July 2012 to June 2012 (are you sensing a theme) on anything that I watch, visit or buy. And put some effort into the review!
3. Read 30 books, okay I am not going to type that again, over the next year and in no less than 500 words talk about it. I know this is like a review but I wanted the additional challenge of actually reading.
So, in theory, I should be able to undertake and achieve my challenges. Right?
It doesn’t look that hard, thirty is a nice even easy number… it’s flirty. :) xx
- Posted on the move...
Right, by thirty I take it they mean after thirty-two because, while I might have the smile of the flirt down, thriving I am not.
What is to thrive? Let’s find some synonyms… flourish, prosper, succeed, boom, bloom and blossom? Increase? I take it I am supposed to be more than I am, or at least want more than I am and have an aim to be it, get it and have it?
So let’s be all Sound of Music about it and start at the beginning… what do I want?
Top 3 that come to mind without any thought, just finger to key:
1. To be able to have a successful career as a writer.
2. To be financially secure and have the benefits of that security.
3. To have someone look me in the eye and know that I have blown their mind.
The first two points are obviously, for the most part, intertwined and relatively within my control. EFFORT EFFORT EFFORT! Make some!
And the third point, well, let’s not dwell on that one two much as this one is customarily reserved for my alter ego leading lady.
Now I need a game plan. A challenge! I do so love a challenge. Maybe I need to push myself more, my alter ego leading lady is not as patient as she once was.
Top 3 challenges that come to mind without any thought, just finger to key:
1. Write 30 poems from July 2012 to June 2012. One year, barely a poem per week, in the same format and all ending with a sonnet … line.
2. Write 30 reviews from July 2012 to June 2012 (are you sensing a theme) on anything that I watch, visit or buy. And put some effort into the review!
3. Read 30 books, okay I am not going to type that again, over the next year and in no less than 500 words talk about it. I know this is like a review but I wanted the additional challenge of actually reading.
So, in theory, I should be able to undertake and achieve my challenges. Right?
It doesn’t look that hard, thirty is a nice even easy number… it’s flirty. :) xx
- Posted on the move...
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Musings - PART 7 Year of Adventure...
Part 7! Can you believe it, that is over half the year done and we have thus far managed to achieve our goal of one thing a month.
July saw us at The Grand theatre in Leeds for my idea of hell.
Avenue Q! A tale about puppets. You remember I have an irrational fear of puppets right?
I must admit I was dreading it but the show was fantastic. So well written, excellently sung and acted and I was even able to look past the fear and thoroughly enjoy myself. I would recommend it, google it and see what it is all about yourself.
As with all our theatre visits we have been unable to take photos during the performance so here are a few of the theatre and one of The Arcade.
:) xx
- Posted on the move...
July saw us at The Grand theatre in Leeds for my idea of hell.
Avenue Q! A tale about puppets. You remember I have an irrational fear of puppets right?
I must admit I was dreading it but the show was fantastic. So well written, excellently sung and acted and I was even able to look past the fear and thoroughly enjoy myself. I would recommend it, google it and see what it is all about yourself.
As with all our theatre visits we have been unable to take photos during the performance so here are a few of the theatre and one of The Arcade.
:) xx
- Posted on the move...
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Musings - Mama Kat's Workshop (15th March 2012)
This week Mama Kat has given for the offering a number of prompts that could take my fancy but as I have never been to either of the Disneylands and Katharine is a little young to know about the birds and the bees...
I have chosen... 1) Share your favourite part of your child's bedroom.
When we were deciding on the theme for the Nursery we fell in love with two characters called Zeddy and Parsnip, a little Zebra and his best friend the Bunny. The colours were pale coffee browns and light lemon yellow.
So come on... join in at http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/ :) xx
I have chosen... 1) Share your favourite part of your child's bedroom.
When we were deciding on the theme for the Nursery we fell in love with two characters called Zeddy and Parsnip, a little Zebra and his best friend the Bunny. The colours were pale coffee browns and light lemon yellow.
When Katharine was born, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I decided to make a sign for her wall with her name on it. Let's face it, with KATHARINE LORELAI as a name she is going to need a little help learning how to spell it.
So after about eight months I finally had it finished and up on the wall.
And it is this, my love painted and stuck on to canvas, that is my favourite part of my daughter's room.
So come on... join in at http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/ :) xx
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Musings - Trifecta Writing Challenge (TRAIL)
Trifecta have gone with the tried and tested challenge this week of a word and its third definition...
trail verb \ˈtrāl\
3: to move, flow, or extend slowly in thin streams
Here is my offering...
I had the audacity to signal ‘goodbye’ with the wave of a raised palm. I watched, dispassionate at my actions, hearten by the sequence of events about to unfurl.
From the space at my feet the glimmering rainbowed stream trailed out; made a tacky ribbon of fume and fluid.
Tyres crunched gravel and clouded dust as distance was coursed.
Taking from my pocket the final gift from my misplaced father, I studied the cold titanium design of the flaming sword. Like Uriel I was to be guardian, to banish from this earthly paradise the unjust.
With the flick of my gloved thumb I brought warmth to the titanium through its sparked flame.
I raised my eyes, still dispassionate, and tipped the flame and housing from my hand. I heard the crackle of a well marked landing, the roar as fire consumed its trail of fuel.
I turned away, walked away without even a flinch as moments later the silence was broken by the blast.
You can find out more about this challenge, past challenges and those that have yet to take the stage at http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/
trail verb \ˈtrāl\
3: to move, flow, or extend slowly in thin streams
Here is my offering...
I had the audacity to signal ‘goodbye’ with the wave of a raised palm. I watched, dispassionate at my actions, hearten by the sequence of events about to unfurl.
From the space at my feet the glimmering rainbowed stream trailed out; made a tacky ribbon of fume and fluid.
Tyres crunched gravel and clouded dust as distance was coursed.
Taking from my pocket the final gift from my misplaced father, I studied the cold titanium design of the flaming sword. Like Uriel I was to be guardian, to banish from this earthly paradise the unjust.
With the flick of my gloved thumb I brought warmth to the titanium through its sparked flame.
I raised my eyes, still dispassionate, and tipped the flame and housing from my hand. I heard the crackle of a well marked landing, the roar as fire consumed its trail of fuel.
I turned away, walked away without even a flinch as moments later the silence was broken by the blast.
You can find out more about this challenge, past challenges and those that have yet to take the stage at http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/
Friday, 9 March 2012
Musings - Trifecta Writing Challenge (EXCLAMATION!)
Trifecta have given we writers an exciting challenge this weekend!
You can find out more on their website http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/ but let me tell you what it is...
"This weekend's challenge is to give us a story or snippet of a story which includes, in exactly 33 words, a justified exclamation point. Make us believe that your exclamation point simply needs to be in your story."
I found it quite difficult. I use exclamation marks all the time, in my blog / texts, but never in a formal setting, and I know for a fact that very few of them would ever be classed as justified.
So I pondered, taking in to account my burgeoning characters and this is what I decided up on...
I took aim; string taut and arrow poised.
Hands steady; no tremor, no hesitation.
Pupils dilated; no blink stirred my amber lashes.
I released; whoosh, crack.
Wood splintered; relief, I still had it!
***
So, what do you think? Justified? :) xx
You can find out more on their website http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/ but let me tell you what it is...
"This weekend's challenge is to give us a story or snippet of a story which includes, in exactly 33 words, a justified exclamation point. Make us believe that your exclamation point simply needs to be in your story."
I found it quite difficult. I use exclamation marks all the time, in my blog / texts, but never in a formal setting, and I know for a fact that very few of them would ever be classed as justified.
So I pondered, taking in to account my burgeoning characters and this is what I decided up on...
I took aim; string taut and arrow poised.
Hands steady; no tremor, no hesitation.
Pupils dilated; no blink stirred my amber lashes.
I released; whoosh, crack.
Wood splintered; relief, I still had it!
***
So, what do you think? Justified? :) xx
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Musings - Trifecta Weekday Challenge (VULGAR)
This weeks Trifecta challenge is to incorporate a chosen word and its meaning into a section of writing with a word limit of between 33 and 333 words. This week's word is:
Vulgar
3 a : of or relating to the common people : plebeian
b : generally current : public
c : of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
And this weeks repsonse is this:
I remembered my father’s teachings now, as I stood unadorned in the market place.
I was anyone in any crowd; a woman merely browsing stalls of over priced scraps. Pastel clothing, skin and colouring. I was uneventful, unmemorable, unrecognisable as intended. Only the man who knew the blue of my eyes and the bittersweet of a final kiss would pick me out, yet he must not.
In the moments, days, since he had presented me with his back, let me leave; against his morals, his teachings and the demands of his badge, I had kept within a raised voice of his portentous presence. I was his protector and I lingered undetected; I had been raised too well to be revealed.
So I watched his life, the vulgar repetition and lack of spectrum that came from all that was commonplace. Before our precarious sport of cat and mouse his life had found its well worn trail and deviated little. I cursed my influence, my perplexing existence and its interference to his.
I cursed more the need I felt, the urge to exchange that raised voice for a whisper. My life was a culmination of violence, exile, deception and the outlandish circumstances of a gun for hire. I had known nothing else until I had known him, had needed nothing and felt nothing.
Now, like my broad reluctant saving enforcer, I had a resurfacing soul. I was suddenly conscious of my conscience. He had taken my hand and stamped me with a hidden ultraviolet marker. Some imaginary bolded font that read NOW TYPICAL.
Clearly my father, in his forty years of bullion standard butchery, had never been in love.
Vulgar
3 a : of or relating to the common people : plebeian
b : generally current : public
c : of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
And this weeks repsonse is this:
“To hide effectively one must hide in plain sight.”
I remembered my father’s teachings now, as I stood unadorned in the market place.
I was anyone in any crowd; a woman merely browsing stalls of over priced scraps. Pastel clothing, skin and colouring. I was uneventful, unmemorable, unrecognisable as intended. Only the man who knew the blue of my eyes and the bittersweet of a final kiss would pick me out, yet he must not.
In the moments, days, since he had presented me with his back, let me leave; against his morals, his teachings and the demands of his badge, I had kept within a raised voice of his portentous presence. I was his protector and I lingered undetected; I had been raised too well to be revealed.
“Find your mark, become his scenery, let him see you,
empty space reveals far more than an overflowing glance.”
So I watched his life, the vulgar repetition and lack of spectrum that came from all that was commonplace. Before our precarious sport of cat and mouse his life had found its well worn trail and deviated little. I cursed my influence, my perplexing existence and its interference to his.
I cursed more the need I felt, the urge to exchange that raised voice for a whisper. My life was a culmination of violence, exile, deception and the outlandish circumstances of a gun for hire. I had known nothing else until I had known him, had needed nothing and felt nothing.
Now, like my broad reluctant saving enforcer, I had a resurfacing soul. I was suddenly conscious of my conscience. He had taken my hand and stamped me with a hidden ultraviolet marker. Some imaginary bolded font that read NOW TYPICAL.
“It is not your aim that makes you sought
but your ability to barricade your compassion.”
Clearly my father, in his forty years of bullion standard butchery, had never been in love.
***
Join in at http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Photo - The place I slim...
This is where I get weighed each week... Dark and scary enough to shiver the pounds off. :) xx
- Posted on the move...
- Posted on the move...
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Musings - Trifecta Writing Challenge (The phone rang at 4am...)
This weekend, my second for participation, the Trifecta Writing Challenge has asked for a response with a limit of 33 words. Having the word restriction is absolutely amazing, even after only two weeks I feel like a am training my brain to think again, to love words again.
The challenge set on Friday was to complete the following story in only 33 words... The phone rang at 4am.
Here is my completed, toiled, response...
The phone rang at 4am.
A shrill, repetitive, definitive trial.
Freedom, held, suspended on a thread; love on a whisper. I witnessed indecision, comprehended inner conflict; pleaded, silently, for clemency.
Three words, hope soared unencumbered.
“I lost her.”
***
Why not join in yourselves if you feel like a challenge is just what you need... :) xx
The challenge set on Friday was to complete the following story in only 33 words... The phone rang at 4am.
The phone rang at 4am.
A shrill, repetitive, definitive trial.
Freedom, held, suspended on a thread; love on a whisper. I witnessed indecision, comprehended inner conflict; pleaded, silently, for clemency.
Three words, hope soared unencumbered.
“I lost her.”
***
Why not join in yourselves if you feel like a challenge is just what you need... :) xx
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Musings - Trifecta Weekday Challenge (WRETCHED)
I find myself once again enticed and excited at the idea of taking part in my second Trifecta writing challenge. This week we are tasked with the third definition of the word WRETCHED with the only rule being a word count between 33 and 333.
wretched adjective
3: being or appearing mean, miserable, or contemptible
Having being inspired by the last challenge I decided to continue with the same idea but I have jumped ahead from a first meeting to a final one.
I was driving him away, an actress centre stage, a play of spiteful harsh reality.
I was an unsolicited force, allowing him no time to breathe, to catch his thoughts. I was the appearing blooded sword to his pierced and bleeding heart.
Cruelty in human form, devoid of the comfort that I was being kind, I wore the contemptible pitted cloak of misdirection. I pushed with all my being except my traitorous groping heart.
He was vivid light to the obscurity of my existence, this shadowed path not of my choosing; the cobbled crippling alleyway paved with the unspeakables of which I could not taint him with. Would not…
He was the last vestige of my humanity; without him I would not survive.
Yet without me would be his only chance.
We both acknowledged the motivation for my closing performance but only I had the understanding. Only I saw no future in the carnage of the last good man.
Dejection, rejection and the consequenting anger hung in the air like the rich aroma of a burning Macchiato blend, overpowering in bitterness and misery.
The damaged fragments of my hollowed soul revelled in the renewed hardness of his eyes, time returned to our first union when his only sensation was to be hunter to my prey.
My wretchedness was his out, his escape; connection withered as intended.
For to love me would be his undoing.
To let him would be mine.
(Check out the challenge for yourself, there is some amazing writing taking place at http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/)
:) xx
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Book Challenge: Book 8 of 30 - Book That Scares Me...
Book 8: Book That Scares Me.
I have never really read horror fiction. I love to read all sorts of genres from Sci-fi to Romance, Crime to Autobiographies and so on and so forth. But horror, never been my thing. Apart from Stephen King that is. I know, I know, he is the king (pun fully intended) of Horror and while I have all but of few of his entire collection they have never really 'scared' me. That was until I read the book that I have chosen. It freaked the heck out of me in the very first chapters. I would recommend that you read it but I can not find it in me to be that cruel, ha ha.
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'The Dark Half' by Stephen King
Description (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Thad Beaumont is an author and recovering alcoholic who writes under the pen name George Stark, he writes very successful crime novels about a violent killer named Alexis Machine. When it is learned that Thad Beaumont is really Stark, he and his wife Elizabeth decide to stage a daylight funeral for the fictional Stark during a People magazine photo shoot. His epitaph at the local cemetery says it all: "Not A Very Nice Guy".
Stark, however, emerges as a physical entity and goes on a killing spree, gruesomely murdering everyone he perceives responsible for his "death" – Thad's editor, agent, etc. Thad, meanwhile, is plagued by surreal nightmares and Thad's voice and fingerprints are identical to Stark's, causing Sheriff Pangborn to believe that Thad – despite having alibis – is responsible for the murders.
Thad eventually discovers that he and Stark share a mental bond, and begins to find notes from Stark written in his own handwriting. Sheriff Pangborn eventually learns that Thad had a twin. The unborn brother was absorbed into Thad in utero and later removed from his skull when the author was a child. He had suffered from severe headaches and it was originally thought to be a tumor causing them. The doctor who removed it found the following inside: part of a nostril, some fingernails, some teeth, and a malformed human eye. This leads to questions about the true nature of Stark, whether he is a malevolent spirit or Thad manifesting a multiple personality.
(Yeah... the whole body parts in the brain... Eeek!)
I have never really read horror fiction. I love to read all sorts of genres from Sci-fi to Romance, Crime to Autobiographies and so on and so forth. But horror, never been my thing. Apart from Stephen King that is. I know, I know, he is the king (pun fully intended) of Horror and while I have all but of few of his entire collection they have never really 'scared' me. That was until I read the book that I have chosen. It freaked the heck out of me in the very first chapters. I would recommend that you read it but I can not find it in me to be that cruel, ha ha.
Description (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Thad Beaumont is an author and recovering alcoholic who writes under the pen name George Stark, he writes very successful crime novels about a violent killer named Alexis Machine. When it is learned that Thad Beaumont is really Stark, he and his wife Elizabeth decide to stage a daylight funeral for the fictional Stark during a People magazine photo shoot. His epitaph at the local cemetery says it all: "Not A Very Nice Guy".
Stark, however, emerges as a physical entity and goes on a killing spree, gruesomely murdering everyone he perceives responsible for his "death" – Thad's editor, agent, etc. Thad, meanwhile, is plagued by surreal nightmares and Thad's voice and fingerprints are identical to Stark's, causing Sheriff Pangborn to believe that Thad – despite having alibis – is responsible for the murders.
Thad eventually discovers that he and Stark share a mental bond, and begins to find notes from Stark written in his own handwriting. Sheriff Pangborn eventually learns that Thad had a twin. The unborn brother was absorbed into Thad in utero and later removed from his skull when the author was a child. He had suffered from severe headaches and it was originally thought to be a tumor causing them. The doctor who removed it found the following inside: part of a nostril, some fingernails, some teeth, and a malformed human eye. This leads to questions about the true nature of Stark, whether he is a malevolent spirit or Thad manifesting a multiple personality.
(Yeah... the whole body parts in the brain... Eeek!)
Monday, 20 June 2011
Book Challenge: Book 7 of 30 - Book That I Can Quote / Recite...
Book 7: Book That I Can Quote / Recite.
I am going to cheat slightly and choose a play. Actually, when I first came across it was in book form so it is only a half cheat. I love Shakespeare. His tragedies, comedies, sonnets, the lot. The language fascinates me and it even did back when I was fourteen and first heard Sonnet 29. The play that is my favourite has elements of supernatural, intrigue, comedy, murder, romance and a little bit of craziness. I can quote so many different scenes and lines that I just had to choose it for my book 7 there is nothing else i know quite so off by heart..
Let me have it, please? :)
'Hamlet' By William Shakespeare
Description (courtesy of Amazon):
A young prince meets with his father's ghost, who alleges that his own brother, now married to his widow, murdered him. The prince devises a scheme to test the truth of the ghost's accusation, feigning wild madness while plotting a brutal revenge. But his apparent insanity soon begins to wreak havoc on innocent and guilty alike.
And my favourite quote is not the 'To be or not...' but this...
I am going to cheat slightly and choose a play. Actually, when I first came across it was in book form so it is only a half cheat. I love Shakespeare. His tragedies, comedies, sonnets, the lot. The language fascinates me and it even did back when I was fourteen and first heard Sonnet 29. The play that is my favourite has elements of supernatural, intrigue, comedy, murder, romance and a little bit of craziness. I can quote so many different scenes and lines that I just had to choose it for my book 7 there is nothing else i know quite so off by heart..
Let me have it, please? :)
Description (courtesy of Amazon):
A young prince meets with his father's ghost, who alleges that his own brother, now married to his widow, murdered him. The prince devises a scheme to test the truth of the ghost's accusation, feigning wild madness while plotting a brutal revenge. But his apparent insanity soon begins to wreak havoc on innocent and guilty alike.
And my favourite quote is not the 'To be or not...' but this...
'The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream...'
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Book Challenge: Book 6 of 30 - My Favourite Young Adult Book...
Book 6: My Favourite Young Adult Book.
Of late I have been reading quite a lot of young adult fiction, the quality that is being published is amazing. Authors I have sampled include Fitzpatrick, Flinn, Kate, Meyer, Noel, Oliver, Rowling, Sniegoski and Stiefvater. The book that is my current favourite is that because of its strong female lead, excellent continuity, interesting story lines and ability to make the pages read like a movie.
'City of Ashes' By Cassandra Clare
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
This is the second book in the bestselling urban fantasy trilogy, "The Mortal Instruments".With her mother in a coma and her father hell-bent on destroying the world, Clary is dragged deeper into New York's terrifying underworld of werewolves, demons and the mysterious Shadowhunters. Discovering the truth about her past was only the beginning, now Clary must save the world from her own father - the rogue Shadowhunter Valentine. With two of the Mortal Instruments at his command, Valentine is assembling an army of demons to wage war on the council of Shadowhunters and destroy them once and for all. As the battle begins, Clary must face her darkest fears - and come to terms with her feelings for a boy she wishes wasn't her brother.
Check out the series, City of Bones being book one.
Of late I have been reading quite a lot of young adult fiction, the quality that is being published is amazing. Authors I have sampled include Fitzpatrick, Flinn, Kate, Meyer, Noel, Oliver, Rowling, Sniegoski and Stiefvater. The book that is my current favourite is that because of its strong female lead, excellent continuity, interesting story lines and ability to make the pages read like a movie.
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
This is the second book in the bestselling urban fantasy trilogy, "The Mortal Instruments".With her mother in a coma and her father hell-bent on destroying the world, Clary is dragged deeper into New York's terrifying underworld of werewolves, demons and the mysterious Shadowhunters. Discovering the truth about her past was only the beginning, now Clary must save the world from her own father - the rogue Shadowhunter Valentine. With two of the Mortal Instruments at his command, Valentine is assembling an army of demons to wage war on the council of Shadowhunters and destroy them once and for all. As the battle begins, Clary must face her darkest fears - and come to terms with her feelings for a boy she wishes wasn't her brother.
Check out the series, City of Bones being book one.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Book Challenge: Book 5 of 30 - Book I Wish I Could Live In...
Book 5: Book I Wish I Could Live In.
I am one of those readers who can easily disappear into the book that they are reading, in fact this ability has been my saviour and has undoubtedly been the reason why I find reading so easy and enjoyable. I have sat at the dining table with the Bennetts, passed that Potter boy a vial of potion and watched from the jury box as Grisham's creations have pleaded their case. But I love nothing better than a story that starts out in our modern world before travelling to some strange and distant land. The book I have chosen here kept me turning the pages, completely oblivious to the outside world., transporting me to a world where I didn't want to leave.
'The Mirror Of Her Dreams' By Stephen Donaldson
(The first Mordant's Needs novel)
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
A lonely young woman feels isolated from the world: she uses mirrors to reassure herself that she is still alive - and then they change her life when, one night, a young man appears through the mirror and persuades her to come with him to his own land, where mirrors are magical gateways to other places. This strange new land is in conflict, for war has been foretold, but the king appears completely uninterested in the fate of the world. It is left to the Imagers, masters of mirrors, to try to decide the fate of the realm. Donaldson's firm control of the plot and his terrific characterisation make THE MIRROR OF HER DREAMS and the sequel, A MAN RIDES THROUGH, a story of great intrigue and psychological intricacy, filled with sexual tension, lust and love, as well as magic, battles and excitement. THE MIRROR OF HER DREAMS is a compelling read: a book that should be on every fantasy fan's shelf.
I am one of those readers who can easily disappear into the book that they are reading, in fact this ability has been my saviour and has undoubtedly been the reason why I find reading so easy and enjoyable. I have sat at the dining table with the Bennetts, passed that Potter boy a vial of potion and watched from the jury box as Grisham's creations have pleaded their case. But I love nothing better than a story that starts out in our modern world before travelling to some strange and distant land. The book I have chosen here kept me turning the pages, completely oblivious to the outside world., transporting me to a world where I didn't want to leave.
(The first Mordant's Needs novel)
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
A lonely young woman feels isolated from the world: she uses mirrors to reassure herself that she is still alive - and then they change her life when, one night, a young man appears through the mirror and persuades her to come with him to his own land, where mirrors are magical gateways to other places. This strange new land is in conflict, for war has been foretold, but the king appears completely uninterested in the fate of the world. It is left to the Imagers, masters of mirrors, to try to decide the fate of the realm. Donaldson's firm control of the plot and his terrific characterisation make THE MIRROR OF HER DREAMS and the sequel, A MAN RIDES THROUGH, a story of great intrigue and psychological intricacy, filled with sexual tension, lust and love, as well as magic, battles and excitement. THE MIRROR OF HER DREAMS is a compelling read: a book that should be on every fantasy fan's shelf.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Book Challenge: Book 4 of 30 - Book That Makes Me Cry...
Book 4: Book That Makes Me Cry
I loved to read as a child and I guess my passion for turning pages grow along side my bones. I would read everything and anything though it was only once I hit twelve that I started to read heavier themed stories such as Point Horror, Judy Blume and the book I am going to detail below. I remember reading it and feeling the depth of its unfairness, the hope, the love and ultimately the pain of its conclusion. It touched me and as a young reader it was my first foray into a book that actually brought tears to my eyes.
'The Boy In The Bubble' By Ian Strachan.
Description (courtesy of Amazon.co.uk):
Adam was born with a severe immune deficiency and he has lived most of his 15 years in an oxygen tent. Anne is forced to visit him with the rest of her class and chooses him as the subject of her school project - though she doesn't really know why.
(Unfortunately I was unable to find a lengthy description of the story but then it would be better to read it yourselves anyway to truly appreciate how great it is).
I loved to read as a child and I guess my passion for turning pages grow along side my bones. I would read everything and anything though it was only once I hit twelve that I started to read heavier themed stories such as Point Horror, Judy Blume and the book I am going to detail below. I remember reading it and feeling the depth of its unfairness, the hope, the love and ultimately the pain of its conclusion. It touched me and as a young reader it was my first foray into a book that actually brought tears to my eyes.
Description (courtesy of Amazon.co.uk):
Adam was born with a severe immune deficiency and he has lived most of his 15 years in an oxygen tent. Anne is forced to visit him with the rest of her class and chooses him as the subject of her school project - though she doesn't really know why.
(Unfortunately I was unable to find a lengthy description of the story but then it would be better to read it yourselves anyway to truly appreciate how great it is).
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Book Challenge: Book 3 of 30 - Book That Makes Me Laugh...
Book 3: Book That Makes Me Laugh Out Loud
There are books that are hysterically funny, books that are filled with obvious and side splitting jokes but to make me laugh a book must be humorously witty in an unassuming yet page turning way. The book that makes me laugh, I am convinced, only works because of the talent and personality of the author who is an author that has promised me a pint of Guinness should I ever find myself in Belfast.
‘The Case of the Missing Books’ By Ian Sansom
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse meets the no. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in the first of a series of novels from the author of the critically acclaimed "Ring Road". Introducing Israel Armstrong, one of literature's most unlikely detectives. Israel, a shy, passionate, intelligent, Jewish vegetarian has just arrived in Ireland to take up his first post as a librarian. But the library's been shut down and Israel ends up stranded on the North Antrim coast driving an old mobile library van. There's a lot of nice scenery, but about 15,000 fewer books than there should be. Who steals that many books? How? When would they have time to read them all? And is there anywhere in this godforsaken place where he can get a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Israel wants answers ! Smart, funny and heart-warming, with a cast of brilliantly quirky characters, "The Mobile Library" is the first adventure of a reluctant hero to cherish.
There are books that are hysterically funny, books that are filled with obvious and side splitting jokes but to make me laugh a book must be humorously witty in an unassuming yet page turning way. The book that makes me laugh, I am convinced, only works because of the talent and personality of the author who is an author that has promised me a pint of Guinness should I ever find myself in Belfast.
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse meets the no. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in the first of a series of novels from the author of the critically acclaimed "Ring Road". Introducing Israel Armstrong, one of literature's most unlikely detectives. Israel, a shy, passionate, intelligent, Jewish vegetarian has just arrived in Ireland to take up his first post as a librarian. But the library's been shut down and Israel ends up stranded on the North Antrim coast driving an old mobile library van. There's a lot of nice scenery, but about 15,000 fewer books than there should be. Who steals that many books? How? When would they have time to read them all? And is there anywhere in this godforsaken place where he can get a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Israel wants answers ! Smart, funny and heart-warming, with a cast of brilliantly quirky characters, "The Mobile Library" is the first adventure of a reluctant hero to cherish.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Book Challenge: Book 2 of 30 - My Least Favourite Book
Book 2: My Least Favourite Book
I am a Yorkshire lass who lives a stones throw away from the bleak and barren moors depicted in my least favourite book. Yet neither my love for the moors nor my pride in local heritage can make me feel anything other than 'bleh' at such a miserable and bitter 'love' story.
'Wuthering Heights' By Emily Bronte
Description (courtesy of Amazon):
Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
I am a Yorkshire lass who lives a stones throw away from the bleak and barren moors depicted in my least favourite book. Yet neither my love for the moors nor my pride in local heritage can make me feel anything other than 'bleh' at such a miserable and bitter 'love' story.
Description (courtesy of Amazon):
Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Book Challenge: Book 1 of 30 - My Favourite Book
Book 1: My Favourite Book
In trying to decide on my favourite book I thought about what books I loved and books that I had re-read the most. In the end I chose the book which I have always championed to others.
'North and South' By Elizabeth Gaskell
There is something so powerful about Gaskell's imagary and the tense emotions that she is able to bring out on the page between the two main characters. John Thornton, to me, is everything enticing that is missing from a character like Mr Darcy and as an old romantic (and from the North, ha ha) I always turn every page in anticipation.
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
Set against the backdrop of Victorian England's industrial north, North and South follows the fortunes of Margaret Hale, a privileged, middle-class southerner who is forced to settle in the northern town of Milton. Her distaste for the town and its people extends to handsome and charismatic cotton mill owner John Thornton whom she believes epitomises everything she dislikes about the North. However, as events conspire to throw Margaret and Thornton together, the two spirited characters have to overcome their repressed physical attraction for one another and conquer the prejudices of class and circumstance.
In trying to decide on my favourite book I thought about what books I loved and books that I had re-read the most. In the end I chose the book which I have always championed to others.
There is something so powerful about Gaskell's imagary and the tense emotions that she is able to bring out on the page between the two main characters. John Thornton, to me, is everything enticing that is missing from a character like Mr Darcy and as an old romantic (and from the North, ha ha) I always turn every page in anticipation.
Description (courtesy of Play.com):
Set against the backdrop of Victorian England's industrial north, North and South follows the fortunes of Margaret Hale, a privileged, middle-class southerner who is forced to settle in the northern town of Milton. Her distaste for the town and its people extends to handsome and charismatic cotton mill owner John Thornton whom she believes epitomises everything she dislikes about the North. However, as events conspire to throw Margaret and Thornton together, the two spirited characters have to overcome their repressed physical attraction for one another and conquer the prejudices of class and circumstance.
Friday, 1 April 2011
30 Song Challenge - Song 1: My Favourite Song
Song 1: My Favourite Song.
This was a surprisingly easy choice even though I had expected to have to narrow it down from a few.
I can't really tell you why it is my favourite... it is simply that one song that washes over me perfectly. :)
This was a surprisingly easy choice even though I had expected to have to narrow it down from a few.
Eddie Reader and 'Patience of Angels'.
I can't really tell you why it is my favourite... it is simply that one song that washes over me perfectly. :)
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