10 Hot Summer Reads

Stopping by to post my Christmas Gift List for this month's book club. The lovely Renee from Memoirs of a Mother is hosting...

I don't know about you, but if I'm picking a summer read I don't want anything too heavy, I want entertainment and escapism. Something to devour on the beach or beside the Christmas tree. Save the heavy stuff for winter. ;)

So here are a couple of my favorite page turners and beach reads in a mix of genres and in no particular order:


1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This book still tops the Young Adult list in my opinion. You will have it read in an afternoon.

It is a freaky concept: a televised battle to the death for the entertainment of upper class citizens in a dystopian world. Think, a futuristic Gladiator but with teenagers and an assortment of heavy weapons. Twisted, but it works. Here's the trailer for the upcoming movie, it'll give you a bit more of an idea...

2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

Not everyone's cup of tea but if you enjoy fantasy then you need to read this book. It is long. It is set in an epic scale world. It is full of some of the most unique ideas in current fantasy writing. The first book in a planned series of ten...I am waiting desperately for the release of part two next year.


3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

A brand new book by Laini Taylor full of twists and turns and unique ideas: think wishes traded for teeth. See my review here for more.


4. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.

I am currently reading the second book in this seven book series (and counting) and loving it. I actually picked it up before I'd discovered the new HBO tv series. So it's a great time to start reading if you enjoy seeing books come to life on screen. See my review here. This is a fantasy series that is low on magic, high on political intrigue.


5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

A witty, bizarre and completely fantastical book about London's 'underworld' by the brilliant Neil Gaiman.


6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

Cute and funny. You'll finish it in a couple of hours. One of the best current books in the YA genre.


7. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning.

Don't expect to eat, shower or speak to anyone for three days straight if you pick up this series.  Definitely not for everyone but if you're interested see my review here. Top tip: If you're heading away on holiday pack all five or you'll be kicking yourself.


8. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

The best book if you enjoy sobbing. Puffy-eyed, hiccuping sobbing. This book is brilliant. YA (my fav) Australian author (often a good time) and, ok so it's not a light fluffy read but it's beautifully moving. Highly highly recommended.


9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

Funny and clever. A girl, Frankie, masterminding the pranks behind an all male secret society.


10. Divergent by Veronica Roth.

The latest good thing on the YA dystopia scene. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games you'll like this one. My (very short) review here.


Would love to check out your summer/christmas reads. Join the book club and link up here!

pictures pictures pictures

I'm posting right on top of myself but there were far to many photos so I'm spacing them out a bit.

Have saved these for last--my new favs...

x

Christmas wins!

A couple of years ago I read about an idea (I think it was one of Ian Grant's) for a pre-Christmas adventure--get your kids up out of bed one night and drive down Franklin Road to admire the fairy lights. I am all about memory making moments (especially those related to Christmas) so on the eve of the eve we bundled our sleepy (yet extraordinary excited) little girl into the car and headed out. And of course it all fell completely to custard. Don't you just love it when the adventures you plan for your kids end up being anything but fun? On the way back home, with two screaming babes in the back of the car, I felt like I could have submitted my much anticipated 'eve of the eve' fairy light extravaganza to Fail Blog. Parenting...FAIL.

We made two fatal errors: 1) by the 23rd of December the traffic is backed up for hours from every possible direction. And error 2) I assumed that my baby would sleep beautifully in the car the way his sister used to. We now know that this is not so. :)









So we never made it to Franklin Road (managed to pull a U-turn through lanes of standstill traffic), however we did spot some pretty lights. Traffic lights and street lights and such. Of which I took a few pictures that remind me of Monet paintings. And Sophia points at them happily and exclaims 'look at the Franklin Road fairy lights'. Bless. :)










And the other little bit of pre-Christmas fun I had planned was to make coconut marshmallow, package it up and deliver it to my friends as a gift. Hmm. Take 2 at pre-Christmas fun = marshmallow FAIL. Actually, although the end result wasn't gift worthy it tasted pretty good. It was the fact that I blew up the electric beaters (literally--explosion and black smoke) that accounted for the fail. That and the heavy consistency that flattened into a marshmallow flounder on the tray. It was salvageable however (just) and I am game to have another go soon. After I've purchased some new beaters.


While I'm on the topic, here are a couple of other Christmas fails from Fail Blog... Hehe.











As for the pre-Christmas WINS, there are many.

#1 nothing quite like Mum's Christmas Mince Pies.











#2 a bit of pre-Christmas painting.











#3 pre-Christmas BBQs when the weather is warm until late.

#4 taste testing the practise run of Dad's Christmas day potatoes.











#5 the Christmas Eve sunset.











Have I said the word Christmas enough?

And then, of course, there are the many many wins of CHRISTMAS day...






































































































Well done Christmas, you win.


I had a few wins with my camera also and I'll post them shortly. To view more Christmas pics click here.


Hope your Christmas was filled with many many wins also. (Christmas Christmas Christmas.)


x