Blogs, Books and Bargains - Addiction or Affliction?

Am I the only one with this "addiction" or are others addicted too?

1. I read lots of other blogs, not all books and travel, but other things too.
2. I read lots of book websites like Goodreads, BookCrossing and more.
3. I have smashwords, BookCrossing, NetGalley and other booksites added to my favourites.
4. I join lots of different groups on facebook like Book Bloggers, Book Lovers and Reviewers and more.
5. I follow all the blogs and author pages of authors I enjoy on Goodreads
6. I constantly look at Amazon, Waterstones, Book Depository and Audible books to see if they have offers.
7. I have a bookcase in almost every room of my house. I also have a kindle and audio books in my car.
8. I love to read and review books, posting them on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Google Buzz, NetGalley, Smashwords and my blog.
9. I enter lots of competitions for books that I fancy reading. I never enter those I don't want to read just for the sake of it.
10. Basically I love reading!!!

How many of these 10 points do you associate yourself with.

1 or more, you're keen but not that keen

2 -5 you're on the way to being an addict

6-9 you certainly are on the brink

10 - you are an addict!

Being an addict, I have recently entered a competition on a fellow bloggers blog called Sarah's book reviews and was lucky enough to win a copy of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and I am thoroughly looking forward to reading and reviewing it! Thanks Sarah.

Let me know what your addictions are whether you are a book blogger, a coupon collector or a baker.

Book Trailer - The Stakeout by Elizabeth A Hale

This is the Book Trailer for The Stakeout, featuring Audrey Roscoe.

Check out Elizabeth A Hale on Facebook.

See my book review of The Stakeout under my review tab.

WANDERLUST WEDNESDAY - Luxury or Local

We have a great programme on our TV in the UK at the moment called "Holiday Hijack". It is where a group of people, usually two couples or a couple plus their older children, are sent to a luxury resort for 1 night. On the next day they are called to spend times with the locals and live with them in their own home. They are also shown behind the scenes at the so called luxury resort they are staying in.

This week is was based in Kenya. The family were put up in a 5* resort for the first day and night and then taken to live with the Masai tribes in a hut made of dung. They were made to live and work with the locals. They were also taken behind the scenes at the 5* resort and shown how a staff member who made their beds everyday, works for 3 months, 7 days a week, before they were given time off. They were also paid what we would see as a pittance.

On the last day of the holiday the family are given the choice of whether they remain with the family or go back and stay for a last night in their luxury resort. This week the family chose to return to the resort. I personally think that is an insult to the family who have fed them and put them up all week. Most weeks people choose to stay with the host family.

Over the weeks it has taught people how humble the locals are and not at all materialistic. It has brought people to tears to see how kind the locals are and how much they have to put up with from the tourists.

One that shocked me was the Maldives. People stay on a luxury 5* island and throw rubbish/trash away like they would at home. What they don't realise is that in the Maldives they have no recycling facilities as such and all the rubbish is taken by boat (after being sorted by hand) to another island away from the tourists and there it is left. The plastic is sold for a pittance but everything else is left there to rot. This shocked the family that were sent to the Maldives and was a real eye opener.

My question is "If having been sent to a 5* luxury resort free of charge, you were asked to then go and live with the locals after only one day, would you do it?" Luxury or Locals.

Would you swap this? Luxury 5* resort in The Gambia

I like to think of myself as being quite adventurous when travelling abroad and love to mix with different cultures and learn about them, their way of life and their religions.



for this?
Schoolchildren at Bakoteh school in Senegambia (The Gambia)

I loved my time in The Gambia. Our host Kabs, took us to his family home, where his sister was outside roasting nuts on the open fire for their dinner. We were shown around their "compound" where the whole family lived.

He took us to the local school where the children sang to us and chatted with us. I'm sure it was not just in return for the pens, pencils, books and sweets we took for them. They seemed genuinely delighted to meet us.

Could you do this or is it only luxury for you all the way?

Have a look at Holiday Hijack for yourself to see what you think and if it changes your mind.

This link will definately work for UK readers, but I am not sure about overseas ones. Give it a try.

Kabs and his wonderful family.

Small Blogs, Big Giveaways!: The Small Blogs, Big Giveaways 2nd edition has sta...

Small Blogs, Big Giveaways!: The Small Blogs, Big Giveaways 2nd edition has sta...: August 22, 12:01 AM GMT ENTER TO WIN and read the full list of prizes ! 34 books+ 9 GC = 43 prizes! Follow the event on twitter HO...

Book Review -- Confessions of a GP - Benjamin Daniels

TITLE - Confessions of a GP (Kindle Edition)

AUTHOR - Dr. Benjamin Daniels

PUBLISHER - The Friday Project

I'm not sure what to say about this one really. I found some parts of the book really interesting in relation to some of the things that people go to see the Dr about, and it intrigued me that some go just to talk and then when their 10 mins is up they just get up and walk out. I did find him quite patronising in places though, especially when he mentioned something that I had been to the Dr's about and then laughed about the patient. The language is a bit strong in places and I don't know why but I found this strange coming from a Dr, although I realise they are human like the rest of us. I think it's because I put my Dr on a bit of a pedestal and hold him in high regard and it just seemed strange to hear a Dr use such strong language.




The book itself has made me wonder whether at times I should just suffer in silence and not bother my Dr, and I'm not sure if this is a good thing if other people feel the same too. It may put people off visiting their Dr.

Some things he mentioned were extremely amusing though and did make me laugh, but then I thought I am actually laughing at what some people think to them, is quite important. Although there are some things he mentions which I definately wouldn't bother a Dr about and am quite shocked that people do. One chapter related to what reasons people give to the Dr's to get a sick note for work. Some were unbelievable. As he says "When I hand out a sick note, I am basically signing that person a cheque made up of taxpayers' money". This was a valid point.

Read it if you want an insight into what a Dr does during his day and learn about how the NHS works in relation to Dr's.

My rating - 3/5

Where does time go?

Well I've 10 days off work (I only work part time) and I had all these great plans about sitting in the garden in the sunshine (if we had any). I was going to read to my hearts content. Well it hasn't quite worked out like I thought.

Sunday we went to my parents for a lovely Sunday dinner. I love my Mums cooking. Today I have been doing my laundry, gardening and housework, and then I went to do some voluntary work for the Youth offending Team.  I have just gone out to the garden to fetch my washing in and to water the garden and discovered that my FULL water butt had sprung a leak and near the bottom! So that means that I am going to have a very soggy garden tomorrow as it is a large water butt! Do Americans have water butts, as I know it means something entirely different there?

My plans for the week look hectic and not much scope for reading again. Tomorrow I am supposed to be taking my parents to a garden centre for a look around and some lunch but the weather is not sounding too good. Wednesday I have plans to make as the little slimming club I run is at my house this week. Think I may get the Wii fit out for some exercise for all ofus. I have just bought Wii Zumba which I am looking forward to having a go at. Thursday I have to finish my housework and my ironing or hubbie will have no shirts for work. Then at night I am going to the theatre to see "Top Hat" like the one with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Friday morning I am going to my cousins funeral, God bless him. This will be a sad day and I'm sure a get together for family who you don't see from one year to the next. Saturday.... Ooh I've realised I have no plans for Saturday! Great time to read, unless I come across another job that needs doing. I'm sure there will be one, but I may just ignore whatever it is! Then I am back at work on Sunday! So much for peace, relaxation and reading. Just be bedtime reading for me I suppose.

I really don't know how I had time to go to work full time. I do 9 ten hour days a month and that's it! Sometimes it's nice to go to work for a rest, if you can call being an emergency call handler for the police rest. I shouldn't moan though as I have some great special times with my parents in their older years, that I wouldn't have if I worked full time. I treasure these times.

Book Review -- To the Nines, Janet Evanovich

Title - To the Nines
Author - Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum Series

These books have me howling with laughter. As you can tell from the title, this is the 9th book in the series. Each book adds new characters along with some of the main ones picked up along the way in the earlier books.

The main character is Stephanie Plum, full time bounty hunter (of sorts). Stephanie works for her cousin Vinnie's bail bond company, and is sent out on jobs to bring back people who have failed to keep to their bail conditions and have gone AWOL.  Her task is to find them, bring them back to Vinnie so he gets paid.

Things don't always go to plan, and along with her side kick, a large black woman named Lula, who always dresses in spandex, she gets into all sorts of scrapes. Her mother and father hate her doing this job and wish she would go and work in the button factory like her friend. In this book she is hired to find Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. Whilst looking for him she gets shot at on a regular basis, and Hunter one of the other bounty hunters, who is a very mysterious but sexy character, posts bodyguards on her. Unfortunately each one suffers an accident of sorts, thanks to the scrapes that Stephanie and Lula get themselves into. This story takes them to Las Vegas in search of Singh.

There are many LOL moments which involve Stephanie, Lula, Connie from the office, Grandma Mazur and the rest of the family. These are really well written books and if you haven't read one of her books before, I definately recommend you read this series. They are light hearted, fun and full of content and very easy to read.

I give this book 4/5.

 It would have got 5 but I think some of the other books in the series have slightly better story lines.

Fingersmith Giveaway Winner

CONGRATULATIONS to Margaret, who was the winner of my first International Giveaway. She is the lucky winner of the World Book Night Edition of "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters. The book will be heading her way soon.

Thank you for all your entries and thank you for supporting my blog. Another giveaway will be appearing real soon.

The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge!

Like some free books to review? Then read the link. Must apply by the end of August.
The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge!

International Giveaway - Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

This is a World Book Night special numbered edition.
I was given 47 copies of this to give away, celebrating World Book Night. I kept 2 copies back for giveaways.

I am happy to make this an international giveaway.

As my blog is related to travel and books, and due to my love of both, I have a couple of questions for you to answer in relation to my next trip which is in a few days time. I will then select the winner via random.org on the 15th August. I will then e-mail the winner.

The books' number is registered via World Book Night with BookCrossing.com. If you are able to register your receipt of this book on the website it would be appreciated.

Please answer the competition questions and complete the form by clicking here.. Good luck and thanks for participating in my giveaway.

WANDERLUST WEDNESDAY - Weekly Meme

 

My weekly Meme "Wanderlust Wednesday" is a question that is either related to travel, books or a bit of both. Sometimes it's hard to come up with questions so if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

My question this week relates to travel destinations.

"If you visited a country that had something for everyone including Lakes & Mountains, Beaches, Wonderful Cities Where would you rather stay and why?"

 I am more of a scenic person and love sightseeing rather than laying on a beach, so my choice would be Lakes and Mountains. I once visited Austria and the scenery just blew me away. The wonderful mountain top views, the flora and fauna, and the lovely little villages nestled in the mountains. 

It would be nice to have the option of visiting a city to sightsee too. We visited Austria and visited Salzburg (Sound of Music country). It really was a beautiful and clean country too.

Please feel free to share this weekly Meme if you so wish. You can copy and paste the image. It would be nice if you could leave a comment to let me know you have done this so I can see what other peoples interests are too.

Thank you for supporting my "Wanderlust Wednesday's". I know not everyone wants to take part, but to those that do, thanks for sharing. x

Overpacked and Underused

 I have to admit, I have pinched this idea from the "Cruise Critic" website. I thought it was a real thought provoking theme though, and I understood it completely.

Whenever I am packing for my holiday, I start off with the right idea. I plan how many days and nights we are away for. I lay my clothes out and try and mix and match so that I don't take too many clothes. I try and take a pair of shoes that will go with everything for the daytime and the same again for the evening............ then it goes downhill from there on in.

 I then start thinking what if those shoes start to hurt my feet, so in goes another pair. Then with my clothes I think, I'll pop in another top in case I spill something down that one. Then add another in "just in case". Then with toiletries it's just as bad! I always take extra make up that I wouldn't normally use at home. Extra body lotions, again that I couldn't possibly get through. My husband says "it's a woman thing". He lays out one pair of shorts/cropped trousers per every 2 days, then 2 t-shirts to match each pair, then 2 or 3 smart shirts for night times plus 2 pairs of trousers. A pair of shoes for day and one for night and that's it! Why don't men have the same dilemma that women do?

My question is "Do you overpack your case and underuse your items?" Or are you a canny packer that packs just enough and wears everything they take?

Holidays, holidays, holidays.

I don't know about anyone else but I live for my holidays. That's the only reason I go to work. Well one of the main ones.

I used to be a travel agent and holiday several times a year but once I left this tapered off. After I lost a good friend to cancer a few years ago, I decided that life was for living, so decided I would save and save and we would take as many holidays as we could fit in.

I have been very fortunate this year. Our first trip was to London for World Book Night, so we decided to stay the night and have a couple of days away. London is only an hours train drive away from home, but still a great break, as it is a wonderful city.

Many good books written based on London. For Harry Potter lovers, Diagon Alley lies somewhere along Charing Cross Road, between a book shop and a music shop. Also the train left from Kings Cross station.
Numerous films were made in London. Notting Hill being an obvious one. This is a great location full of little market stalls and wonderful quirky shops. Great atmosphere.

My friend at work has an apartment in Crete, so that was our holiday in April. I combined this with a visit to a very dear school friend. This made our holiday.

Aghia Pelaghia Beach.

 

 

 

 

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Crete is a most beautiful Island and home to some well written books.
The Island by Victoria Hislop is one of them, and depicts a beautiful island.
The 1964 movie "Zorba the Greek" with Anthony Quinn, was also filmed in Crete.



May was the month for the Royal Windsor Tattoo, held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. This was another weekend away, this time with my parents too. We stayed in a wonderful hotel in Sunningdale Park near Ascot, which was set in beautiful grounds. The evening was spent at the Tattoo, which is a military festival, with lots of horses involved, and numerous small shops all around the park which mainly related to horses and all things horsey. It was a great weekend. I love going away with my parents as they are good fun.

I haven't found many books written about Windsor or set in Windsor, but Shakespeare did write "The Merry Wives of Windsor".
Not many films appear to have been made here either. Some of the Harry Potter movies were made in the area, along with numerous TV series like Agatha Christies "Poirot".

June was the month of our 10th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we booked a Cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruises on the Adventure of the Seas.

Our itinerary took us to some wonderful places.
We started off in Malaga in Spain, and cruised onto Valencia in Spain where we took a hop on hop off bus tour around the city and visited the wonderful Arts and Sciences building which housed the Oceanographic Aquarium, which is the 3rd largest in the world. It was truly amazing. Fantastic place to take children if ever you're there.

From there we sailed onto the wonderful country of Italy. This was a country I had never visited before and was very excited. We first went to Civitavecchia, and took the train into Rome, where we took another hop on hop off bus which took us around the main sites. We saw the Trevi fountain, the Vatican, The Roman Forum and The Colloseum.

I would love to go back to Rome again and stay for a few days. We were only there for a busy full day and it was very hot!

Many books are set in Rome. The Borgias, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and many many more. It's a great setting for some good authors. Numerous films have been set in Rome. Among them, Eat Pray Love; Da Vinci Code; Angels and Demons; The Omen; Oceans Twelve.

After Rome we sailed onto Livorno and took a bus into Florence. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have been. I had a crook neck at the end of the day from all the looking up you do! The beautiful Ponte Vecchia Bridge, the Duomo Cathedral. So many wonderful buildings and lovely architecture. I loved it. Again I'd like to go back for longer and when it's not so warm.

Books set in Florence include, Hannibal; Portrait of a Lady; The Enchantress of Florence. Movies made in Florence include, Portrait of a Lady; Hannibal; Room with a view; part of Under The Tuscan Sun.

We then sailed on to the beautiful island of Corsica. This island has to have some of the most stunning beaches and seas in Europe. Crystal blue water and powder white sand. I felt a little let down by the people we came in touch with as they were not over friendly. I speak a little French and used it when able. My husband doesn't and they just made out they didn't understand English, when they obviously did. I still think it's a beautiful place, but some of the islanders need to learn a few people skills.

A really famous film made in Corsica, was the 1962 version of The Longest Day. It was said that a man approached Daryl F Zannuck, stating he represented the beach owners, and that if he didn't pay him $15,000 they would drive modern cars along the beach. Zannuck paid up to prevent this happening but later discovered it was a scam as there were no private beaches in Corsica! He eventually won damages after an 8 year lawsuit.

The cruise then was almost at the end. We had a day at sea which went so quickly as there was so much to do on board. We arrived back in Malaga and then flew back to Birmingham. I managed to get my husband hooked on cruising which was my intention. He's even looking at the brochures for next year!

They always say "It's not what you know but who you know". I have friends in Texas, USA and one of them works for American Airlines. He gets friends and family tickets on the airline, so we are fortunate enough to be going to Texas in November which I am very excited about. We will be there for Thanksgiving which is exciting. I know we shouldn't celebrate it as Brits, but it's still a fun time nevertheless. I love getting together with my friends over there, so it is going to be such fun. I will be blogging about it when I get home.

Well I hope I haven't bored you about my love of travelling. I must go now as I am off to water my parents garden as they are........ yes you've guessed it, on a cruise! Yes I've got them hooked too!

Enjoy your holidays everyone, wherever they may take you, far and wide. If you are with your loved ones even better.

Author Interview -- Jeff Lee -- Author of The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour

This is my first author interview and I am very happy that Jeff Lee, Author of The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour, has agreed to be my first "victim"!

This book was read as a Kindle edition, and was an extremely amusing read. If you liked the "Stephanie Plum" series by Janet Evanovich, then you will like this..

So I hope you will enjoy the interview. I had so many questions to ask him so I hope you enjoy the interview.

1. How long have you been writing and have you always wanted to write?

I’ve been writing since my early teens (to give you an idea how long ago, JFK was in the White House). That was mostly short stories and poetry that was so bad you wouldn’t even recite it in a milking shed. My major in college required a lot of radio and TV script writing, and from there, I ended up as a copywriter in advertising. But for the past 10 years or so, I’ve been working hard at becoming a novelist.

2. How does an army chef move on to being an author? The two roles couldn’t be more different.

Trust me, I was a loooong way from being a chef. When I joined the reserves, I was told they were going to train me as a combat engineer. Typical for the military, they ended up sending me to cook school. As far as I can tell, there really was no connection between that and writing, though. 

3. Which writer/s inspire you?

I’m a huge fan of Janet Evanovich, Michener, Fannie Flagg, Elmore Leonard and particularly, William Goldman (The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, Magic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and a ton of other works). I’m in awe of their ability to put a ton of words in their characters’ mouths that both impart a fair amount of exposition and sound real at the same time.

4. Which genre of books would you prefer to take on holiday with you?

What can I say? I’m a humor and comedy junkie from way back. Particularly if the author manages to toss in a good killing or two, or a failed revolution, or a comically corrupt politician or public figure.

5. How many hours a day do you spend writing?

That’s a tough one to answer, because I also work as a freelance copywriter. Between the two pursuits, I usually average 2 to 4 hours a day. 

6. I read this book in Kindle form. Have you published in paperback?

Not yet. I plan to, though. Just as soon as the Ladies Temperance Club begins to sell in larger numbers.

7. Your characters were all so individual. Did you base them on anyone you know?

Some were – Vonda and her waste-of-skin boyfriend were actually based on a couple I met. The husband really was supporting the two of them by selling bogus annuities to his oldest and dearest friends. The rest of the characters weren’t based so much on people I knew, but actors and actresses I knew of. Like Kathy Bates, Bruce Willis, and a few others. 

8. Your book made me laugh when reading it. Does it make you laugh when you’re writing it?

Hmm, sometimes, yes. Sometimes,no. You have to remember that by the time a book gets published the writer has been living with every single word for, sometimes, years. Between the rough draft, edits and rewrites I’ve been over Farewell Tour so many times the jokes have long since lost their punch for me.

9. I really loved the characters. Which of the characters was your favourite?

That’s a tough one to answer. I mean, I created these guys, so in some ways, I feel like their parent. So, I can’t really play favorites. But I have a special fondness for Fish, Kenny and Einstein (so much so, that I’m getting ready to publish a book that will star them). I also love Vonda, Francine and Kay; and Bob and his Icelandic-speaking cousin. And don’t forget the strange couple that own the rural bistro in the middle of Idaho.

10. Had you been to any of the locations you mentioned in your book, like Groom Lake near Area 51 or Quartzite?

I haven’t been to those two places yet, but I plan to, along with the Little Al’e Inn. I have actually eaten in that bizarre, jungle-themed restaurant, and been to Palm Springs. And, yeah, I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times (unfortunately, the casino where Kay overdoes it with complimentary Long Island Ice Teas was torn down years ago. It was a fun place, though).

11. How much research did you have to do into the locations mentioned in the book?

I did a lot, mostly to get the feel of certain locations, but Google made it pretty easy. Fun, actually. Then again, some of the locations, like the towns of Udell and Hanley, exist only in my alleged mind.

12. Is there going to be a follow up to this book, and if so do you plan to make it a series?

While writing The Ladies Temperance Club’s Farewell Tour, I fell so in love with Fish, Kenny and Einstein that I knew I had to give them a novel of their own. It’s the sequel, and it’s titled Hair of the Dog. The book takes a kind of Get Shorty-like satirical look at Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Our three heroes are hired by a Beverly Hills jeweller to recover his wanna-be starlet girlfriend’s missing Lhasa Apso. How hard could that be, right? But before they know it, the client gets whacked and now everyone is in the crosshairs of a psychotic hit man who wears black Armani and talks like Marilyn Monroe. Anyway, that’s the “elevator pitch” version of the story. And if everything goes right, Hair of the Dog should be available on Kindle, some time in August.

And yup, I would love to grow these two novels into a series. I mean, there’s sooo much about Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Hollywood to get satirical over.

(Sorry about the length of that last answer. Maybe I should dial back a little on the Starbucks.)

Thank you so much Jeff for answering my questions, and thanks for being the first "victim" of my author interviews. I do appreciate you taking the time. Good luck with this book and the follow up.

Book Review -- The Viper Trail -- Simon Gould

 

Title - Viper Trail

Author - Simon Gould

Kindle edition

This was the second book in the series; a follow up to "Playing the Game". Although it is a follow up you could still probably read it on it's own, but I think reading the first one helps with the history behind the characters and their relationships.

This is about LA Detective Patton, who is on the hunt of not one, but what turns out to be two serial killers. The good gone bad! The trail takes him from LA to Washington DC, where he becomes the lead Detective in charge of the hunt. He also finds out that an old enemy is once again involved, and he has to make sure his family is protected.

The story involves a well written plot, some great characters and many twists and turns. Just when you think you've sussed it all out, it takes you down a different path. I love books like this!

I was however a little disappointed with the ending, as I wanted the book to keep going. I am sure that the 3rd book in the series will continue the story in some way and provide us with even more thrills.

If you love James Patterson, Andrew Gross type books, then you will love this.

My rating 5/5. 

n.b. I purchased this book from Amazon and was thrilled to see that the author has actually mentioned me by name as one of the characters! See my facebook name and that is the character in the book. I thought he was joking and was thrilled when I realised I was in it!