Favourite Books

This week sees the Planner Girls Collective sharing our favourite books as a child and also as an adult. I will warn you know, this could be quite a long post as I have loved reading for as long as I can remember so have gone through untold books and stories in that time. As I’ve gotten older I’ve found that I tend to binge read authors so it can be very difficult to choose a favourite book from particular series.

I’ll begin with 5 of my favourite childhood books, which are in no particular order.

1) The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

I first read this book at middle school and knew then that it would leave a lasting impression.

The story is a moving tale set Poland in the middle of WWII and follows three children on their journey across the battlefields to find their parents. On the way the befriend an orphan boy who had crossed paths with their father.

2) The Ghost of Thomas Kemp by Penelope Lively

I first became aware of this book in my final year at primary school when one of the teachers chose this book as the weekly story. What made this book so memorable to me at the time is that the teacher brought the story to life by bringing in props from the story such as the notes left by the ghost.

To this day I still own a copy of this book and can’t wait to read it to my children.

3) Astercote by Penelope Lively

Following on from my previous book I began reading a lot of Penelope Lively’s books but another one that I particularly loved was this one and another that I still have ready to read to my children.

4) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis

I have read all of the Chronicles of Narnia books but this still remains my favourite.

5) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

This was a difficult selection as I love all of Roald Dahl’s books and am currently enjoying them for a second time reading them to my 5 year old son, however this was one of the first books of his I read and still remains a firm favourite.

Moving on now to my favourite books as an adult, again this list could go on forever so I will limit it to 5 in the interests of conciseness.

1) Message from Nam by Danielle Steele

This was one of the first ‘adult’ books I ever read and over the years I have read a few of her books but this one is by far her best.

Set during the conflict in Vietman, it’s a heart wrenching story of love, loss and one woman’s determination to report from the front lines.

The story is powerful and informative and I would highly recommend it, even to those who don’t like love stories, as this is so much more.

2) Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell

I love all of Patricia Cornwell books, especially the Scarpetta series, but this makes the cut since it was the first one I ever read (although the second Scarpetta novel) and the one that got me hooked on crime thrillers.

 

3) The Client by John Grisham

In my early twenties I was a huge fan of John Grisham novels so much so that I wanted to be a lawyer at one point)and read loads but my favourite has to be this one, although The Pelican Brief comes a very close second.

4) The Green Mile by Stephen King

I’m not a huge fan of horror stories but I did binge read several of Stephen King’s books when I was younger, however this one stood out so much more than the rest for me.

5) The Shadow Cartel by Layton Green

Like a lot of my books at the minute, I picked up this book for free for my Kindle and was immediately hooked, so much so I read the other three books in the series immediately afterwards.

Well I hope you enjoyed reading my list and don’t forget to check out the other ladies in the Collective

• Emma-Louise Smith at The Stationery Geekette
• Kelly Vizma at A Beautiful Plan 
• Michelle Mills at UglyBugPlans
• Louise Parkinson at The Vintage Planner
• Rebecca Slaughter at Rebecca Project Life
• Zoe Gut at zzz0eee
• Suzanne Tench at PlannerMontanah
• Gemma Bray at An Ocean Glimmer
• Kerry May at Kerry May Makes
• Alyson Duncan at A Life Lived in Words
• Stephanie Kaye at A Ska Loving Geek
• Rebecca Rice-Roberts at Becster.com
• Neringute Abbas at The Royal Planner Blog
• Hannah Smith at Plan With Hannah

Until next time

Debbie x

Book Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

My second book of 2017 was Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige. I received this book in the December TSG Bookclub Box.

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Snow lives within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she doesn’t belong there, but she has no memory of life outside, except for the strangest dreams. And then a mysterious, handsome man, an orderly in the hospital, opens a door – and Snow knows that she has to leave.
She finds herself in icy Algid, her true home, with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she’s destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change everything. Heroine or villain, queen or broken girl, frozen heart or true love, Snow must choose her fate .

Review

One of the reasons I love the TSG Bookclub Box is that you receive books that are sometimes outside of your usual reading zone, this was one such book. However one of my reading challenges is to broaden my horizons so as soon as I had the chance I started reading it.

Although, as I understand it, this is a modern retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen, to begin with I was getting flashbacks to an earlier bookclub book, Alice by Christina Henry, as the setting at the beginning was very similar which the leading characters locked in an asylum/mental hospital for their own safety and by Chapter 10 I began seeing similarities with the C S Lewis classic, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

There are a couple of aspects that I don’t like about the book, the first is the fact that Snow travelled to Algin to save the boy she loved, yet she ends up in a kind of love square with two other boys she meets on her travels, although this could be explained due to her only ‘real-life’ experience comes from a soap opera where the lead character is on lover #10. The second is the fact that despite a gut feeling of unease about certain situations, she just’s shrugs it off and naively goes along with things.

I didn’t find the main protagonist in the story, Snow, overly likeable and towards the end of the book I wasn’t all that bothered about what happened to her. On the other hand, I found myself cheering for Jagger and the Robber Girls but again, would like to have seen their characters develop more.

There were several twists in the story, some of which I anticipated, some I didn’t but that did mean parts of the story lost a little of the shock factor.

Overall I felt the book fell a bit flat, while there was great potential for the story to be amazing, the characters didn’t really development and the world building wasn’t sufficient for me to create a place I felt like I was part of. However, I may be tempted to read the prequel novella, Queen Rising, to see the story of Margot and the Robbers unfold.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

Debbie x

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Book Review – The Poisoned Rose by Daniel Judson

My first read for 2017 is The Poisoned Rose (The Gin Palace Trilogy Book 1) by Daniel Judson, a free download for my kindle that I came across before Christmas.

Synopsis

To a corrupt chief of police intent on maintaining his power at all costs, part-time PI Declan “Mac” MacManus is a problem that must finally be addressed. Cursed with an unwavering sense of right and wrong, and a fierce loyalty to his few friends, Mac has become known as someone the working class of Southampton can turn to in times of desperate need. On a rain-swept night in October, Mac witnesses to a brutal homicide, but he has learned that nothing on the East End is ever what it seems. Determined to hunt down an elusive hired killer before he can strike again, Mac is reunited with what is left of a prominent family he once knew well. But something more—something darker than Mac could have possibly foreseen—is at play here, and as a long-hidden secret threatens to emerge, Mac once again becomes the only hope for justice in a town that all too clearly belongs to the rich and powerful.

Review

Firstly, I must make reference to the fact that the synopsis doesn’t quite match the story itself, yes there is a corrupt police chief but he’s only a small part of a very entwined plot.

The lead protagonist, Mac, is an extremely flawed character who is regularly referred to throughout the story as a good guy who feels compelled to help people out of difficult situations although the reason for this is never fully explained.

There is a lot of violence, some quite graphic, and the overall mood of the book is quite dark and gloomy, but the writing is extremely descriptive and very well put together, even if some of the plot lines are a little unbelievable at times.

One thing I did like about the story is that most of the time I’ve come across the The Hamptons in books or on TV, they are portrayed as full of mega rich people who own summer homes, whereas this portrayal was more like film noir/gangster movie and showed a completely different side to the area.

At times I struggled to keep up with all the players but overall I enjoyed the story enough to add the remaining books in the Gin Palace Trilogy to my TBR list.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Debbie x

This post may contain affiliate links.

My 2017 Reading Challenge

In 2016 I decided to make a concerted effort to read more, I mean it’s something that I love doing so why not. I scoured the internet for reading challenges and found that they all seemed a little too ambitious for me at that time so I set myself a target of reading 25 books.

However, the challenges I’d seen kept popping up and since I also wanted to try and get myself out of reading the same types of books so I set myself my own little challenge to try and broaden my reading experience.

I’m pleased to say to say that I exceeded my total book target by reading 29 books in the year, however my additional challenge fell a little flat (I managed 11 out of 25) so I have decided to try again this year. I have updated my list slightly and added a few more since I want to try and read 50 books this year. I haven’t decided what books I’m going to read for each category yet, and to be honest some might not be filled in until I come across a book that appeals but nevertheless I am going to try my hardest to complete my own little challenge this year.

For those of you who are interested, here is my 2017 challenge which I will be attempting alongside my book target of 50 books.

1. A ‘classic’ book
2. A bestseller from a genre you don’t normally read
3. A book about an interesting woman
4. A book based on a true story
5. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym
6. A book by an author you love
7. A book by someone who shares your first name
8. A book from a charity shop
9. A book from a nonhuman perspective
10. A book in a genre you don’t usually choose
11. A book involving a mythical creature
12. A book of historical fiction
13. A book on spirituality
14. A book recommended by a friend
15. A book set in Europe
16. A book set in the future
17. A book set in the wilderness
18. A book set in two different time periods
19. A book that’s becoming a movie in 2017
20. A book that’s been on your TBR list for way too long
21. A book that’s published in 2017
22. A book where you learn something new
23. A book with a cat on the cover
24. A book with a colour in the title
25. A book with a female lead/heroine
26. A book with a month or day of the week in the title
27. A book with a one word title
28. A book with a red spine
29. A book with multiple authors
30. A book with one of the four seasons in the title
31. A book you loved as a child
32. A book you started but never finished
33. A book you’ve always wanted to read
34. A non-fiction book you own but have never read
35. A novel set during wartime
36. An autobiography
37. An espionage thriller
38. An inspirational book
39. The first book in a series you haven’t read before

Have you set yourself a reading target? How many books are you aiming for? Do you participate in any reading challenges and if so, which ones?

Until next time

Debbie x

Blog Schedule

I’ve been a bit of a busy bee today, I mean three posts in one day is almost unheard of but I thought that while I have the time to spare I would spend a bit of time trying to get myself in front as far as my blog is concerned because, as I mentioned previously over the past few months I’ve kind of let my blog slip and haven’t really been posting.

I’m hoping that now we are getting back in to a routine at home with the kids are school etc I will be able to spend a little bit more time on my blog and with that in mind I decided to put together a blog schedule to help with things and also in an attempt to hold myself accountable.

My overall goal is to post on a daily basis but at the minute I’d be happy with at least three posts a week until I get myself into the swing of things. However in order to avoid posting on one particular subject every day for a week I have devised a bit of a timetable to maintain some variety to my posts.

After some deliberation I have decided on the following schedule, however it may be subject to change depending on how things go.

Monday – Planner Girls Collective formerly know as Confessions of a Plannerholic
These will be predominantly planner/stationery related, however there may be a few surprises in there too.

Tuesday – Family Life, Parenting and Relationships
This could be anything from craft activities with the kids to family days out to date night ideas.

Wednesday – Home and Lifestyle
This could be anything from room redecoration to cleaning tips and anything in between. I have a lot of projects/ideas I want to try and finish this year and will also be looking for ways to make money in order to reach these goals.

Thursday – Stationery, Planners, Productivity and Organisation
I could be covering anything from reviews and set ups to unboxings and my latest hauls. I will also be covering my journey to increase my productivity by following David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

Friday – Anything Goes
Fridays will cover anything that doesn’t quite fit with my other days really so could be anything from book reviews to fashion, personal development to health and fitness and everything in between, basically whatever takes my fancy.

Saturday – Goal Updates
Anything related to my goals such as my weight loss, project zero etc. I will be aiming to cover a different subject each week.

Sunday – Weekly Roundup/Reviews
My aim on a Sunday is to post a weekly roundup of things I’ve been loving over the course of the week. This could be blog posts, Instagram photos, TV programs, You Tube videos etc.

The plan is to start working from this schedule on Monday with my first post for the Planner Girls Collective and then we’ll just have to see how it goes from there.

Personally, I can’t decide if I’ve been a little bit over ambitious but as the saying goes ‘Go Big or Go Home!’

What do you think of my schedule? Is there anything you’d like to see discussed? Feel free to drop me a comment with your thoughts.

Until next time

Debbie x

Review: TSG BookClub Box ~ December

*Disclaimer: This is a totally unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. I am in no way affiliated with Emma-Louise Smith or The Stationery Geekette

I’m extremely late posting this review, although it does tie in quite nicely with Thursday’s relaunch of TSGBookClub where there have been a few changes to the subscription options. If you want to know more, check out this post by Emma-Louise Smith aka The Stationery Geekette.

Anyway back to the review, December’s box was a mega-box as this was to be the last one of 2016 and the theme was Winter Wonderland. It was also the first to include the new branding for The Stationery Geekette, which I love.

I was out when our postie attempted delivery of the box, however instead of red carding me, he opted to leave it with my lovely neighbour, so I didn’t have to wait too long to get my hands on the goodies inside.

The book this month was Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige (confession time: I still haven’t managed to read it but it is on my TBR list for January!) which was wrapped in gorgeous tissue paper with a snowflake design and tied with a lovely blue ribbon.

Also included in this month’s box was a wax melt from Smelly Tarts which was a lovely, glittery, gingerbread man, a lovely tartan snowflake decoration, some Christmas/winter washi samples, a bookmark from Crafts by LAS, a small bear decoration (which was an extra for participating in the photo challenges from the previous months) and a selection of sweets and chocolates (which my kids and hubby kept stealing) and of course a Christmas card.

That’s all from me for now other than to say that I’ve already placed my order for my universe themed box, which is entitled The Amongst the Stars box (I went with the paperback option if you’re wondering, although I will probably be checking out the other options available over time) and you can too, just head over to Etsy.

Debbie x

Review: The Stationery Geekette Bookclub Box – September

*Disclaimer: This is a totally unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. I am in no way affiliated with Emma-Louise Smith or The Stationery Geekette

Well this month’s box has arrived and I’m as impressed with the packaging and contents as I was with the August box (check out my review here). As last month we have the little paper doily with the address on and some washi tape securing the box, which I think is a lovely touch.

This month’s theme was mystery and we had received a few spoilers on Emma’s social media outlets over the course of the month so those people (like myself) who have no patience can check out the book and check we haven’t already read it.

So this month, the book we received was The Lake House by Kate Morton and I’m really looking forward to getting started reading this, although I need to finish my current book first. As last month it was wrapped in a gorgeous purple patterned tissue paper and secured using a really cute book themed washi (which I own).

The other items in the box included:

• A gorgeous Holmes candle from Meraki Candles. Its a lovely musky candle with sandalwood and amber undertones and it smells divine. I’m not a huge fan of overly floral scents so this is perfect for me.

• A Uniball Signo Sakura 0.38 with a cute moustache clip. I love these pens and they write really well on all the paper I’ve tried so I’m really pleased to have received another one for my pen collection.

• Finally we received some book review inserts from PlanwithHannah. To be honest, I’m a little torn about these as I already have a book journal that I keep in my TN so initially I was unsure if they would be used. They are also a little plain for my liking, however the quality of the paper is fantastic so I have decided to use them in my blog planner for making notes on book reviews for my blog.

This month’s note was handwritten which gave a slightly more personal touch and the challenges are back, only this month they are on the website. I will be trying extra hard this month to complete all the challenges in the hope that Team Cassiopeia can win this month. I’ve already downloaded mine and they are printed and in my planner.

Emma has knocked it out of the park again with this months box. I did wonder if we would end up with the same kinds of things with a different theme each month but I’m pleased to say that we haven’t.

If you are interested in purchasing next month’s psychological thriller themed box then head on over the the TSG: Bookclub Box group over on Facebook or check out TSG Bookclub on Etsy where the October box is now on sale (but only for a couple more days)

If you want to know more check out the website here

Thanks for reading

Debbie x

Children’s Book Haul – Scholastic

A couple of weeks back I received one of the Scholastic book leaflets from school. Recently I have been chucking them straight in the recycling because the kids have enough books at the minute. However, this time around I decided to have a browse through as I was on the lookout for a few new Autumn/Halloween books for the newly rearranged playroom as well as a couple for Christmas.

I usually get my books from The Book People or The Works but on this occasion I came across a couple of titles that I thought would be perfect for the little monsters so I placed my order. I was initially going to send the order back in to school but had second thoughts at trying to hide the books from the kids while I struggled to get them home so I went with the online option which still enables the school to benefit from your purchases.

So what did I buy I hear you ask, well let’s have a look.

First up was a pack of five autumn pictures books which included

• Alone in the Woods by Ian Beck

Although this book came in a selection of books about autumn, the book actually opens with the line ‘It was a perfect Spring day.’ Aside from this the story is lovely story about a little bear who gets lost.

• The Large Family: A Quite Night In by Jill Murray

I love this story, probably more than the kids, as it’s something I can relate
to.

• Oliver’s Wood by Sue Hendra

We have several books by Sue Hendra and they are regular fixtures at bedtime. This book is more suited to Anya (who’s 2) than Corey (who’s 4), who was a little puzzled at the end. He may like it better when he can read it himself.

• Winnie and Wilbur: The Amazing Pumpkin by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul

This is the first Winnie book we have read and it’s safe to say it’s a hit with everyone.

• Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury

In all honesty this book is a little strange, however it teaches animal noises and we did have some fun making the different sounds.

I also bought a selection of other books including

• The Scarecrow’s Wedding by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

This is the first of two books by Julia Donaldson and we love it. Personally I love books which rhyme and especially love Julia’s books and this one is no exception.

• Spinderella by Julia Donaldson & Sebastien Braun

Julia Donaldson books are always a hit in our house and this is no different. It’s a lovely story about a spider that wants to learn to count and both Corey and Anya loved it and took it in turns counting to 20.

• Potion Commotion by Peter Bently and Sernur Isik

Again we have a couple of Peter Bently books (The Shark in the Dark being one of our favourites). Again this gets my vote mainly because of the rhyming but the story too is fun and lead us to make our own (pretend) potions using things from the play kitchen.

• Winnie’s Haunted House by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul

Again this was a big hit, especially once my little boy realised there was a page of jokes at the back, which is now his favourite page.

We’ve read all of them more than once now and the kids definitely have their favourites. Corey like Spinderella and the Winnie the Witch books while Anya is loving Potion Commotion and The Scarecrows Wedding.

All of the above books have been put in our reading nook in the playroom, although they also make the trip upstairs at bedtime too.

In addition to the above I also purchase three Lego DC Comic Super Heroes books for Corey for Christmas/his birthday as he is a big Lego/Batman fan. We already have a few Lego DC Super Heroes books and I was expecting these to be of a similar format however they are more like comic books than stories so I was a little disappointed. That said I’m sure my little boy will love them regardless and I’m hoping that instead of me reading to him he will be able to use the pictures to tell me his own version of the story.

Have you read any of these? Which was your favourite?

Thanks for reading

Debbie x

Book Review: Alice by Christina Henry

Alice by Christina Henry

Since getting my kindle it’s not often that I have an actual book in my hand and I’m not sure whether that was part of the reason I managed to easily devour this book in a little over 24 hours.  Needless to say since starting reading yesterday I’ve spent every waking moment trying to sneak in another chapter or two, or even three.

Although it’s not my preferred genre (I’m more of a crime/thriller girl) but I must admit I really enjoyed it and will be searching out other books with a similar theme. However, I must point out that the story may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to some of the more disturbing themes in the book such as rape, people trafficking, prostitution and torture, but as they aren’t overly detailed it worked just fine for me.

The main protagonists, Alice and Hatch, begin the take in a mental asylum where they have been for the last 10 or so years until one day a fire breaks out and they escape. The story follows them as they try to find their way around the Old City regaining their lost memories in order to defeat the darkness that escaped with them.

I loved the dark twist on the classic Alice in Wonderland novel and I loved how Christina Henry has taken characters from the original – the Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, Walrus, White Rabbit, all of whom are portrayed in human form, and reworked them into her tale, my favourite being Cheshire.

Don’t get me wrong, there are parts that I wasn’t a huge fan of, such as the fact that all the women in the book, Alice included at the beginning, seemed to be dependent on the men, owned by men or ultimately saved by men.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, such much so that I have already ordered the second book in the series Red Queen and will be looking forward to starting that as soon as it arrives.

If you’ve read the book, what did you think? I’d love to know.

Review: The Stationery Geekette Bookclub Box

*Disclaimer: This is a totally unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. I am in no way affiliated with Emma-Louise Smith or The Stationery Geekette

I first crossed paths with Emma-Louise aka The Stationery Geekette in a planner group we are both members of on Facebook and I began following her blog shortly afterwards as she shared similar interests to me.  In July she posted about her new business venture, a monthly book club subscription box, and I was intrigued.

The teasers that had been released in the run up for this months theme of fantasy had really sparked my interest and so I patiently eagerly awaited the pre-order date of 1 August, making sure to set my alarm clock so I didn’t miss the launch at 7am and miss out on one of the limited boxes available. Obviously I secured one of the boxes otherwise there would be no point to this post 🙂

Then came the wait for the box to arrive.  The original posting date was set for 27 August but on 19 August I received the dispatch notice from Etsy. Emma-Louise had managed to get all the boxes ready and packaged a week early – talk about efficient.  I made sure that I had just about cleared my calendar for the following few days just in case the box arrived when I wasn’t in because believe me, even if I had to answer the door in my underwear and rollers I would be getting my package, that’s how excited I was about it’s arrival.

Although our postman is used to being stalked when he comes to our house, it’s not usually by me in my rollers as my kids have gotten wise to the fact he brings parcels and to them that means stuff to open (I have to arrange for Christmas presents to be delivered to my OH at work for this reason).  Luckily for me today, the kids were out with their grandparents so that were no little monsters to get between me and my goodies.

Eventually the box arrived and I’ve got to say, although understated I loved the little touches Emma-Louise had added such as using a paper doily instead of an address label and using washi tape to help secure the box.

Enough about the packaging, I’m sure you’re all dying to find out what was in the box, well wait no longer.

I love it all, right down to the gorgeous wrapping

In addition to the book, which this month was Alice by Christina Henry, we received a Uniball Signo Sakura 0.38 (which I believe is Emma-Louise’s pen of choice and one I wholly agree with), some book related stickers from Michelle at UglyBugDoes, a gorgeous owl charm (which just happen to be one of my favourite things at the minute) from AlyMarinaCraft, a bookmark from QuirkyArtsHere  and Harry Potter inspired postcard (mine was of a HufflePuff badger) from SushiStudio.

There were also a couple of other decorative items including a cover letter complete with a lovely wax seal, a doily and cute little journal card which are already sidelined ready to decorate my book journal entry once I’ve read the book. Emma-Louise has also added a bit of fun to the book by separating each book box into ‘houses’ and has included a list of challenges (1 a day for 20 days). Every challenge has been allocated points and at the end of the challenge the points are tallied up and the winning ‘house’ will get a reward to be included in the next months box, exclusively to that house. Go Team Cassiopeia!!

All in all for the price (£15 plus postage) I think Emma-Louise has done brilliantly with the selection of products included in the  box and I can’t wait for the sneak previews of next months box theme.

If you are interested in purchasing next month’s box then head on over the the TSG: Bookclub Box group over on Facebook. Alternatively, September’s box will be on sale from 1 September over at TSG Bookclub on Etsy, just make sure you leave one for me!!

Well that’s all for now, other than to say well done Emma-Louise, I think you might me onto a winner.

Right I’m off not as I need to go read my book 🙂

Thanks for stopping by

Debbie x