A break from books???

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Nah!  Just a break for today’s post!  The topic for discussion this week over at the Broke and Bookish is ‘other types of story’ – in other words tell us about your top movies or tv series.  Well, I don’t really watch a lot of tv – but that’s simply because I’m disorganised and so I will forget to watch one week to the next!  And, also, I don’t want to become tied to staying in every week on a certain day at a certain time because I have to catch the next in series.  I do watch quite a lot of films though.  In terms of series we usually buy a full box set and watch them in one long haul! I’m going for five tv series and five movies just to be fair and have picked things that I can watch over:

  1. The Sopranos – we bought the box set of this and watched it virtually night after night until we’d seen the lot.  It was pretty amazing watching the family grow up in this way!  I loved this series, so well made and such great characters and dialogue.
  2. Trueblood – okay, I can’t deny that there’s a bit of eye candy going on right here which definitely has a certain appeal!  Eric – pwoah!  Sorry, it had to be said.
  3. Dexter – I actually didn’t fancy this series when it first started.  I sort of took umbrage at the thought of a serial killer who worked in the police.  However, yes, I can admit when I’m wrong.  I watched a couple of these, almost begrudgingly and then I was hooked.  I’ve only watched up to the end of series 5 so should really watch the rest.
  4. Flight of the Conchords – this is another series that we bought the box set – I love Jemaine and Bret, probably not everyone’s cup of tea but had me in stitches.
  5. Breaking Bad – again, didn’t know what to expect of this and decided to give it a shot.  It sort of reminds me a little of Dexter in that every episode you’re a little on edge – will they/won’t they come undone!
  6. The Shining – onto movies – how can you possibly narrow it down to such a small selection?  Anyway, I only recently read the book and without doubt it’s better than the film.  But even saying that I still think this is an excellent film.  It scared the you know what out of me.
  7. Lord of the Rings – I had to go there – I’m having all three included as one.  Brilliant book and great adaptations plus Aragorn.
  8. The Life of Brian – Monty Python, this is just one of those films that is totally quote worthy!  So many good lines.
  9. Pan’s Labyrinth – this film is dark, creepy, brutal, harsh, scary and brilliant.
  10. Star Wars – the first three!  And I do mean the first three – not the later three films that now are known as 1, 2 and 3!

That’s it for me.  I know I could come up with a LOT more but 10 is it!  Do you like any of these??  Which would you swap?

 

Confessions of a book blogger…

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  The theme this week is : ‘Top Ten Blogging Confessions’ 

  1. I’m a bit ruthless with my books.  I don’t loving look after them – they are literally stacked about the place.  Plus – I confess to cracking the spines!  Sorry, that sounds so harsh but I hate it when a book can barely be opened!
  2. I buy far too many books to realistically read – unless my house becomes marooned and I stop collecting titles I will never catch up!
  3. I’m not a completist – if I don’t like a book I won’t carry on reading it.  I need to work on this – particularly review copies.
  4. Book covers are my thing – I admit that certain covers would definitely put me off picking up a book.  This is bad too.
  5. I read 50 Shades of Grey!!  I won’t say I liked it (because I didn’t – but I buckled under pressure).  Is there no end to my bad book reading.
  6. If somebody is reading a book – I will try any method possible to find out what they’re reading – shameless rubber necking for example.
  7. My organisation is terrible!  I’m a shambles.  I frequently find that I have the same book more than once.  Or I order books from the library and they all come in together.
  8. My classical book reading has gone down hill badly – I do have a challenge to read 50 in 5 years and I really need to work harder at it.
  9. I also need to work on my review book ratio – no more requesting until I’ve improved it dramatically!
  10. The first step to recovery is admittance – Okay, I have a problem, I’m a book addict!  

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 favourite classics

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  This week, 10 favourite classics is the topic and mine are as follows (with a favourite quote from each book)’:

  1. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien – ‘One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor’ – actually, as it happens, one does – take that Boromir!  It is not folly I tell you!
  2. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien- “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” – I hate mornings!  I have an alarm set to 10.30 am on my phone (this is historical and I can’t be bothered resetting it) and when it goes off everyone in works knows that I’m now awake and semi-human.  They think it’s amusing!  It’s not though – I hate early mornings.
  3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  – “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
  4. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier – ‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again’.
  5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” – mmm, I seem to live by that – no dignity in rolling on the floor splitting your sides with laughter, apparently!
  6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – and now all we need is a man in possession of such a fortune to come forward (boldly, where no man has gone before, I might add) and admit to that fact!
  7. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare –  “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (there’s a certain sort of undeniable truth to that statement).
  8. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle – “There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you.” – indeed
  9. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by – “Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?”- simply wonderful, bring on the cake and crumpets.
  10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – “I wish I could care what you do or where you go but I can’t… My dear, I don’t give a damn.” oh, ouch!

Them’s my choices this week!

What’s next off the tbr…

b2bf5-toptentuesday2This week at The Broke and the Bookish the topic for Top Ten Tuesday is:

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR list

It’s difficult for me to pin down a top 10 for this because my ‘next’ reads are always a bit of a movable feast so I’m just going to pick the first 10 books that immediately spring to mind that I’m really looking forward to and that I already own or have pre-ordered:

  1. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
  2. Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan
  3. Sworn in Steel by Douglas Hulick
  4. Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
  5. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
  6. The Copper Promise by Jen Williams
  7. Corroded by Karina Cooper
  8. Bloodshot by Cherie Priest
  9. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
  10. Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall

That’s it for me – what lucky book will get promoted to the top of your TBR?

 

6 Month Review ‘best so far list’

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This week at the Broke and the Bookish the topic is Top 10 books you’ve read so far.  Here’s my list in no particular order other than how they randomly spring to mind:

  • Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence – a different character, a different voice, a different plotline but still taking place in The Broken Empire.  Not to be missed.
  • Blood Song by Anthony Ryan – one of those books that I resisted because of all the hype!  More fool me then!  This was excellent.
  • Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – Epicness
  • Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – And then some more epicness!
  • The Girl with All the Gifts by M J Carey – Went into this with no preconceived ideas and it really wowed me.

  • All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry – This is one of those books that I just can’t understand why it isn’t raved about more!
  • The Three by Sarah Lotz – creepy, chilling and one to sit by yourself reading on a dark night – if you like to be given the hebejebes that is!
  • The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore – I was sent this to review, went into it feeling meh and came out thinking Wow! Sign me up for more of this.
  • Longbourn by Jo Baker – Just so lovely to return to Longbourn and such a wonderful story telling voice.
  • Icefall by Gillian Philip – heartbreaking, dark, emotional and an excellent ending to the Rebel Angel series.

What’s your booklist looking like so far this year???

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