January’s Reads

If I keep up at the speed I was reading at in January, I’ll definitely hit over 100 read mark! In January I managed to read 12 books (almost 13 as I was over 75% finished another book). Here’s a look at my book shelf!

The Science Magpie by Simon Flynn

This is a collection of science related stories, facts, poems, jokes (I love science puns and jokes!) and diagrams. If you’re a little nerdy like me you’ll appreciate this. Nothing too heavy, the facts do not bog you down like other non-fiction books. I got a kick out of reading it and it was the perfect way to kick start the year!

 

 

Dolores Claibourne by Stephen King

The first book read off my Reading Resolutions list! Which means it’s the first time I’ve read a Stephen King Novel. I don’t know why I’ve never read one before, probably because I was put off by the fact he writes a lot of horror books. If this is the same reason you’ve never read one of his books, then this is the perfect introductory book for you, more in the mystery genre than horror.

This one was recommended (and bought) for me by a friend. It’s the story of Dolores Claibourne, a woman in her mid-sixties who has been accused of murdering Vera Donovan, the old lady who has been her long term employer. The entire book is narrated by Dolores while she is being interviewed and while she denies that murder, she does delve into the depths of her past to explain why she murdered her husband years ago. I could barely put it down!

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I’ve had this book for a long time, I got it for Christmas after reading The Guernsey Litary and Potato Peel Pie Club. I fell in love with books written in the form of letters and Amazon recommended 84 Charing Cross Road. It’s a true story of Helene Hanff, a New Yorker, and her relationship with the staff of Marks and Co., the second hand book shop at 84 Charing Cross Road, where she first writes to order some books. The book shows years of letter correspondence and my copy also included The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, which was the book written after 84 Charing Cross Road and the success of the book and Helene’s eventual visit to London. A quick and charming read!

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I have had 84 Charing Cross Road for years and never tried to read it until last month. And the next book I’ve had for years but I have tried several times to tackle it and failed. I bought The Elegance of the Hedgehog at the same time as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Club in 2009 and it’s taken me that long to finally get it finished. The problem with is that for the first 100 pages or so, the build up is slow and I hated the characters. After the introduce of a certain character who becomes the catalyst for change, I warmed to the characters and did enjoy the book. It is however steeped in lots of philosophical musings which frankly bored me (so much so that a skipped some of it shush!). If that sounds like your kind of thing then this book could be for you.

Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann

Back to another non-fiction! Never Suck a Dead Man’s Hand is a true life account of a Crime Scene Investigator. It isn’t all like the CSI TV shows! It was an interesting read but I thought it would grab me more. If you’re curious about this kind of thing, then this could be for you. It is of course pretty graphic in areas, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

 

 

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I decided to read this book after I saw this article about books people might enjoy if they liked The Hunger Games. In Uglies, once people turn 16 they have an operation that makes them a Pretty. Their only responsibility as a New Pretty is to party and have fun before having to get a job. Tally has been dreaming of becoming a Pretty and then she meets Shay, who decides she doesn’t want to become a Pretty. Tally is given an ultimatum: find Shay and bring her home or never become a Pretty. Suddenly Tally discovers there’s an ugly side to being a Pretty and that it’s not all cracked up to be.

I enjoyed this book and if you liked The Hunger Games, then this Young Adult, dystopian future novel is one you should enjoy too.

Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry

Dark Lies the Island is a collection of short stories by Irish author Kevin Barry. Most are set in Ireland. I did enjoy the books, especially the darker stories but there were a handful I didn’t like. But overall it was a good read.

 

 

 

Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster (eBook)

This is the second book by Jen Lancaster (the first being Bitter is the New Black). In this book she writes about the ups and downs of city life, that it’s not all swanky cocktail parties and shopping sprees. I decided to give this book a go as I had warmed to Jen’s character by the end of Bitter is the New Black. I like Jen’s style of writing, so much so that the next book I read was almost on of hers!

 

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (eBook)

In Jen Lancaster’s third book, she tackles the pitfalls of diets and losing weight. It’s a refreshing, honest read about what often goes on in a woman’s head when she’s trying to get fit and healthy! Here’s the first page:

Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels- A Weight Watchers axiom

Weight Watchers can kiss the fattest part of my ass- A Jen Lancaster axiom

With a beginning like that you know Jen Lancaster will not hold off in telling you how she feels! A funny and honest memoir.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (eBook)

This is the second book in the Uglies series. I won’t give away too much as it might spoil some things. I did enjoy it and I’m looking forward to reading the next book. The only annoying thing is the Pretty slang, lots of references to being ‘bubbly’, ‘bogus’ or ‘pretty-making’. It does seem to be slightly over used but it is part of the Pretty characters.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke (eBook)

This is the second book in the Hannah Swensen series. Hannah is the owner of The Cookie Jar, a bakery in the small town of Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah has a habit of stumbling upon murders and against detective orders she always decides to investigate! In this story Hannah gets a call from Danielle, the battered wife of Boyd Watson, the basketball coach at the local high school. Danielle has found her husband dead in their garage and rings Hannah to help her. Hannah must find the killer so Danielle is cleared off the suspect list. Was it a contestant in the Hartland Flour company’s Dessert Bake-Off that Hannah and Boyd had judged or are there other secrets in Boyd Watson’s life, secrets that could get him killed? An enjoyable read, I like the characters and the book comes complete with delicious recipes.

Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke (eBook)

In Joanne Fluke’s 3rd book, Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, is tasked with showing America’s ‘Cooking Sweetheart’ Connie Mac around Lake Eden, in preparation for the Winter Carnival. Hannah soon discovers that Connie is not as sweet as she appears on TV. After Connie’s cake is ruined while being delivered, Connnie takes over Hannah’s kitchen to bake a new one. The next day Hannah opens the shop to discover the kitchen in a mess, as well as Connie’s dead body. Hannah rushes to find the killer so she can reopen her shop which has been closed as it is a crime scene. It was an easy fun read but I did have an inkling of who the killer was! These books are like the baking equivalent of Nancy Drew!

January Reading Stats

Number of books read- 12

Number of fiction to non-fiction read- 7:5

Number of eBooks- 5 (mainly because I was stuck in a hospital with my mother all day Monday and Tuesday)

Number of books borrowed from the library- 1 (Uglies)

Number of books from Reading Resolutions- 1 (Dolores Claibourne)

Not a bad start to the year! A long post, I have a feeling the rest of the months won’t be this long though!

YouTube Pick of the Week

I’m back! Thought I’d ease myself in with some YouTube picks.

Oh how I laughed when I heard R. Kelly was bringing out a book called ‘Soulacoaster’. And how I laughed even more when I watched this video of Gary Oldman reading about a time R. Kelly had a conversation with 2Pac.

If you’re Irish and haven’t seen the clip of newscaster Aengus MacGrianna caught applying make up before broadcasting the news, then your head must be in the sand! Of course, the clip immediately brought Anchorman to mind and someone has rather cleverly put some Anchorman clips in a video along with some of Aengus MacGrianna’s other bloopers.

Another video doing the rounds in Irish internet land is the Pulp Fiction video dubbed with thick Kerry accents. In this clip, Graham Norton shows Quentin Tarantino the video and we get to see his response.

This video is the first in the Ask a Mortician series done by Caitlin Doughty from Order of the Good Death. Caitlin’s aim is to bring realistic discussions of death back into pop culture and this series is perfect as she answers some questions without it being too morbid. I personally find it fascinating anyway!

If death isn’t your thing but music is, CDZA might be something you’d like! They’re a group of musicians who post different interesting videos, from a History of Whistling (songs that contain whistling), to playing songs under street signs of famous musicians to this, the Human Jukebox, where people donating money dictate what is being played.

Biggest lesson learnt from this video? Never trust a woman who has never seen the inside of a cake tin.

Finally, in honour of tomorrow’s Super Bowl, I present ‘The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading’. Enjoy!

Catrice SpectaculART Gold Leaf Topcoat

Gold Leaf topcoats are all the rage at the moment! It kick started with OPIs 18k Gold Leaf topcoat, which they brought out as part of their Bond Collection, but seeing as it’s 30 odd Euro and I’d barely even pay that much on a dress let alone nail varnish, I decided I’d have to give this trend a skip. Until Catrice announced they were bringing out their own version and I thought ‘I bloody better get my hands on this!’.

So when I saw it in the shops I leapt at the chance at buying it. It looked so pretty in the bottle. But even then I could see it wasn’t very ‘gold leafy’. And this was only confirmed once I’d applied it on my fingers.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely topcoat but it’s not gold leaf. Which is a shame. All the same, it’s beautiful and there’s a lovely sparkle off it! I said I’d test it out on both a dark base and a lighter base (that’s dedication for you!).

For the dark, I chose Nails Inc. in Motcomb St, a beautiful dark inky navy.

Natural light, no flash

With flash

For the lighter shade, a chose by Rimmel Lycra Pro Professional in Peppermint, a pastel minty green.

Natural light, no flash

With flash

Overall, I preferred it with the dark base, I just think it sparkled a lot more (my boyfriend was entranced by them!). It’s certainly different than other sparkly topcoats but if it’s real gold leaf you’re looking for, then you’ll have to look elsewhere!

China Glaze It’s a Trap-eze!

My first China Glaze product! Not for want of trying (long story that basically ended in me cancelling my order). Anyway, the minute I saw this I knew I wanted it! It was out of stock but I waited a few weeks and when it was restocked I bought it straight away! It’s a Trap-eze! is from the Cirque du Soleil collection. It’s very unusual because of the milky white base and it doesn’t seem very glittery in the traditional sense, probably because the base subdues it a bit. I haven’t tried layering it yet but I say it can be done by applying thin coats.

Natural light, no flash

With flash

Close Up

I do think it’s different than other multi coloured glitters out there, I’m not sure if I love it as much as I did when I first saw it though. I think I’ll know better when I get around to layering it!

Favourite Songs of 2012 Part 2

So this is the last post for my favourite songs, the first one can be found here.

I love Encore from Wallis Bird. It’s so so catchy, I love the lyrics and I find myself singing along to the chorus every time I hear the song. It’s so positive and upbeat. I also loved Heartbeat City from the same album.

I’m not a huge fan of Florence and the Machine (I just never got Florence fever like everyone else) but paired with Calvin Harris in this song, I love it. Though more because I sing the lyrics ‘You’re giving me such sweet muffins’!

Another Calvin Harris, this time with Ne-Yo. Instant dancing!

Second Azealia Banks songs, I love the 90s look for the video and trying to pick out all the references! And the song has me bopping along.

Loved the Skyfall film and the theme song by Adele is just perfect for it. I really hope she gets some recognition at the Oscars next month!

This is the last song. I heard this earlier on in the year but had forgotten about it until I heard it again last week and I’ve been listening to it ever since. There’s a behind the scenes making of video here.

And that’s it! I probably liked a few other songs but nothing that stands out. I didn’t like ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ or ‘We Are Young’, I found ‘Starships’ catchy but I don’t think I’ve listened to it at all outside of a club! What were your favourite songs?

Reading Resolutions

Every year I set a reading goal, usually with an aim of reading a certain amount of books. This year I decided to do things a little different and dedicate a whole blog post to it.

This year I have a set amount of things I want to read, some classic novels I’ve never read, some iconic authors I’ve never read and some that I just want to read.

1. Read To Kill A Mockingbird

I know, it’s shameful I’ve never read it. It wasn’t on my list for secondary school so I never was interested in it. My brother and sister give out to me over how I haven’t yet read it. I even own the book! Then again, owning something doesn’t mean I’ll get around any time soon to actually reading it!

2. Reread The Great Gatsby

The main reason I want to do this is because of the film that’s due to come out!

3. Read a Stephen King novel

Yes, I’ve never ever read a Stephen King novel before. This shocked my friend Krissy so much that she went ahead and bought me Dolores Claiborne on the spot! I might read Carrie as well, seeing as there is a new Carrie film coming out.

4. Read Rebecca

I loved the Hitchcock film so I want to read the book too.

5. Read a James Joyce

A toughie I think but if my Yank friend Keith can read them then so can I!  

6. Read Postcards From the Edge

I don’t know how many times I have tried to read this and stopped. And not because I didn’t like it but just because I got side tracked or began to read another book and forgot about it. I am determined to finish it!

7. Read a Marian Keyes book

I’ve never read any Marian Keyes, except Saved By Cake, but I find her Twitters funny so I wanted to put her on the list. I will probably try Watermelon, as if I like it I got Rachel’s Holiday free on iTunes the other day and will continue on the series then.

8. Read The Secret History

I think I tried to read this, but it could have been another Donna Tartt book that belonged to my aunt. Regardless I still want to give it a try!

9. Read Coraline

I’ve never read any Neil Gaiman either so I think Coraline might be a good place for me start as I adore the film of it (not sure if that’s a good or bad reason for picking it!).

10. Read Middlesex

Another one that pops up often on ‘To Read’ lists, it was a toss up on this or Lolita and I based it on what my friends on Goodreads had read and rated and this won out. I do like The Virgin Suicides as well so that was another reason I chose this one.

11. Read one book on the first page of Goodreads Popular Classic Novel books

The link is here, I want to read one of the books or authors that I have not listed above. I own several of these actually (mainly Austen and Dickens) and as I’m not sure if the books move places due to rankings or ratings, I’ll pick the book from the front page the day I decide to start it.

12. Read a Terry Pratchett book

Again, I’ve never read Pratchett, I’ve always been hesitant that he won’t be my cup of tea but I want to stop literally judging a book by it’s cover and give one a go.

So, that’s it, 12 challenges, roughly one a month. I could have gone on but I thought I’d better stop! And now that I’ve got as far as here I think I will have a number aim as well, I’ll stick to 30 this year!

If you have any suggestions for me or just want to give out that I haven’t read XYZ, then feel free to leave a comment!

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 1

It’s the time of the year where I post my favourite songs from the previous year! I only want to do two posts this year instead of three so I had to make sure there were only 12 songs max. Once I had put my list together I noticed it was all female except for 2 songs! Kinda cool really.

2012 was the year of Azealia Banks for me! I’ve properly listened to her more than anyone else this year. Though I decided to limit myself to just two of her songs, Liquorice being the first of them. I love the beat to this, it’s so catchy (originally Pineapple Crush by Lone).

If you asked my boyfriend what was my favourite song of the year he would probably say Domino by Jessie J. Probably because he caught me singing it so much! I first heard it in the car coming back from Dublin with my brother, he already knew the song but thought it was Katy Perry! I’m not sure if I like the original version or Jessie’s Live Lounge cover better.

Do My Thing contains two of my favourite singers, Estelle and Janelle Monae. I love the positive message in it and it makes me want to dance every time I hear it.

I couldn’t leave Gangnam Style out, especially since I had a whole blog post dedicated to it!

This is an odd choice because I didn’t really listen to it myself a lot. In fact, according to my iTunes, I’ve only listened to it 3 times and I say that was during one or two parties I had. I’m adding Call Me Maybe more for the fun I had dancing to it on nights outs! (along with Gangnam Style, though I actually listen to that at home).

Last one for this post, Euphoria by Loreen, this year’s Eurovision winner. I didn’t really like it at first but boy did it grow on me. It’s a great one to dance to and to belt along to.