May 18, 2013

Book Review #5

Yesterday I read No Write To Die by Tom Immins.

Ex-Insurance investigator Sam Lucas has his world turned up side down when his wife is killed in a hit and run accident, A phone call claiming she was murdered, sends him on a roller coaster ride to discover the truth... When another girl turns up dead he is plunged into the seedy world of gangsters, greed and drugs. Will his dead wife's past lead him to find the answers, who can he trust? and how far is he willing to go.










So what did I think?
I read this in one day and was interested in it enough to see it through but unfortunately I didn't really like the book. Part of the reason for this was the writing style that just didn't click with me. I didn't seem to connect with the characters plus some of the content was quite explicit. I understand that this was necessary in the context of the plot but I felt the writer did not approach the subject matter skilfully in comparison to other books I have read with similar content. In addition there were problems in the composition of the eBook  I'm not sure how this would come across in print but in the Kindle version there were a lot of grammatical and spelling errors. The plot jumps around in time a lot and there was no indication of this in the paragraphs or chapters which I often found confusing. The combination of bad grammar, spelling and unclear time shifts meant that the flow of the book was disrupted and this really detracted from the enjoyment of it. I'm not sure if this is an error of the writer or the publisher but it definitely affected my opinion of the book as a whole.

To be honest I'm a bit soppy and often feel a bit sad when finishing good book because I don't want it to end. I was interested to find out who was responsible in this story but unfortunately it didn't result in any emotional response from me other than disappointment that I hadn't enjoyed it more.

May 16, 2013

Bluebells.... At Last!

For the last 20 years my mum has been telling me we should go to a bluebell wood when the bluebells are flowering. We never seemed to have time when I was at school, then I moved away for a few years and we just never seemed to be in the right place together at the right time of year. Before I knew it she'd be showing me a photo in the newspaper that someone had sent showing the bluebells, telling me that we'd missed them again. This year, we managed it at last!



I can't believe it's taken us 20 years to make a 10 minute drive to Hagg Wood! It really was a beautiful place for a wander with the dogs while admiring the carpet of bluebells around us.

"The most simple things can 
bring the most happiness"
Izabella Scorupco

May 14, 2013

The Plus Party #6

Welcome to The PLUS Party #6!


Google Plus and Bloglovin are the definite hot spots for following and engaging with your favorite bloggers! At The PLUS Party you can link up your profiles and follow friends old and new!

The Plus Party will run on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, so mark it on your calendars! We'd also love it if you could share the hop through your social media and/or post our button somewhere on your blog.

Want to co-host? Spots are open! Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

Make sure to follow the host and co-hosts, and then link up and party on!

Host:

Co Hosts:









May 8, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #20


Welcome to my twentieth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen What's truth got to do with it by Mark Crigman

When an intruder fatally stabs Paul Checkley and inflicts horrific injuries on his wife, the police are convinced that Gary Trevors is the culprit even though the evidence is flimsy and circumstantial. Facing a murder charge before a judge who has skeletons of his own rattling in the cupboard, Trevors is defended by the giant QC Ronan Cadogan, a ruthless bully, who is pitched into battle against an ambitious Prosecutor Bertrand Haskett with whom he has a score to settle.

So begins a courtroom drama in which Cadogan seeks to manipulate the judicial process whilst his beautiful Junior Council, Naomi Nicholas watches in horror as he tries to reduce the truth to an irrelevance. Who wins? Truth, blackmail corruption or justice?

Why this book? I've never read anything by this author before and just stumbled across this book while pottering around Amazon (as you do!). I like the sound of it and it's well reviewed too. It looks like it's on offer at the moment which is a bonus so I think I might be investing in it for my TBR pile..

Want to join in??
  • Follow Pen to Paper as the host
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
  • Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
  • Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
  • Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)
What's on your wishlist this week? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

May 6, 2013

Change...

"Change is not a process for the impatient"

Barbara Reinhold

My Girl...

This is my black Labrador Holly... She's told me that she didn't go any where near the wet paint in the kitchen but for some reason I don't believe her... 

May 1, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #19


Welcome to my nineteenth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen Accused by Mark Giminez

'Scott, it’s Rebecca. I need you.'
After years of silence, Texan lawyer Scott Fenney receives a devastating phone call from his ex-wife. She has been accused of murdering her boyfriend, Trey – the man she left Scott for – and is being held in a police cell. Now she is begging Scott to defend her.
Scott is used to high-stakes cases, but this one is bigger than anything he has handled before. If Rebecca is found guilty, under Texan law she will be sentenced to death. He will have her blood on his hands. As he prepares to take the stand in the most dramatic courtroom appearance of his life, Scott is forced to question everything he believes to get to the truth – to save the life of the ex-wife he still loves

Why this book? I've just finished the first book with this protagonist 'The Colour of Law' and even though it was totally far fetched I really enjoyed it. I'm interested to see where the author goes with this book and the character progression.

Want to join in??
  • Follow Pen to Paper as the host
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
  • Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
  • Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
  • Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)
What's on your wishlist this week? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

April 30, 2013

Plus Party #5

Welcome to The PLUS Party #5!


Google Plus and Bloglovin are the definite hot spots for following and engaging with your favorite bloggers! At The PLUS Party you can link up your profiles and follow friends old and new!

The Plus Party will run on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, so mark it on your calendars! We'd also love it if you could share the hop through your social media and/or post our button somewhere on your blog.

Want to co-host? Spots are open! Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

Make sure to follow the host and co-hosts, and then link up and party on!

Host:

Co Hosts:








April 29, 2013

Note to self:

I've had one of those weekends where I've let my feelings get hurt by friends. I found this quote and though I'm more upset than angry, I think the same principle applies... 

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Paul is here and every minute I spend sad is another minute that would better be spent enjoying something together. So now to let it go; No more hurt feelings.

Back to enjoying quality time with my fiancé <3 p="">

April 24, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #18


Welcome to my eighteenth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen Bicycle Shop Murder by Robert Burton Robinson

Greg Tenorly lives a quiet and lonely life in a small East Texas town, until he is selected as a juror for a murder trial. A beautiful, mysterious redhead befriends him, and seems to have a romantic interest. But is she merely using him to influence the outcome of the trial? By the end of the first week, three people connected with the case are dead, and Greg is beginning to fear for his own life. He is now convinced that a powerful Dallas attorney is directing the murder spree in his little town. But why? He is determined to find out. But his investigation just might earn him a spot at the top of the hit list




Why this book? I haven't been able to make a lot of time to read recently so I like the sound of this murder mystery. It doesn't sound too complex and it's reviews indicate it can be read in a few easy sittings. I think this might whizz it's way to the top of my list as it's just what I need right now!

Want to join in??
  • Follow Pen to Paper as the host
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
  • Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
  • Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
  • Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)
What's on your wishlist this week? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

April 23, 2013

Living In The Moment

Yesterday I had a great day with a reminder of how good it feels to live in the moment. Paul and I packed a book each, a can of coke and some biscuits (essential supplies of course) and went to the ruins of St Mary's Abbey in the centre of York.

We found a quiet lettle spot and just spent time together watching the world go by and reading. For the first time in ages I felt totally content. Not in a rush to go somewhere, no plans, no list of things that I needed to get done.

Just to be there, enjoying the moment, content and happy.

"To be alive is to totally and openly participate 
in the simplicity and elegance of here and now."
Donald Altman

Plus Party #4

Welcome to The PLUS Party #4!


Google Plus and Bloglovin are the definite hot spots for following and engaging with your favorite bloggers! At The PLUS Party you can link up your profiles and follow friends old and new!

The Plus Party will run every Tuesday during April, so mark it on your calendars! We'd also love it if you could share the hop through your social media and/or post our button somewhere on your blog.

Want to co-host? Spots are open! Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

Make sure to follow the host and co-hosts, and then link up and party on!

Host:

Co Hosts:









April 21, 2013

Being A Tourist At Home

I'm lucky enough to live in a beautiful city which is visited by over 7 million people every year, and though I often go into the city to shop and eat, I don't often go in to see the tourist attractions. This week Paul is visiting so I get the opportunity to do some of the things I don't seem to get around to by myself.

This week has started off being a tourist in my home city with a walk around the walls to see the daffodils. It's alwasys such a beautiful time here in spring but the daffodils are short lived so you have to make the most of them!
Source: Paul Noyola
Followed by a wander through town listening to some buskers playing on the streets
Sourcce: Paul Noyola
Friday was a slower day all round so we decided to get some fresh air in the evening walk along the riverside to the Millennium Bridge. It's been great to enjoy the city in spring, hopefully the next few weeks be like this so that we can continue to get out and explore more of Yorkshire and surrounding countryside :)

April 17, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #17


Welcome to my seventeenth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen The Program by Suzanne Young


In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

I saw this a few weeks ago on another WW and it just had to make it's way onto mine. It's not my usual genre of reading but for some reason this one really catches my interest. It still hasn't been released but I'm pretty sure that it'll be making it's way onto my kindle on 30th April!

Want to join in??
  • Follow Pen to Paper as the host
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
  • Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
  • Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
  • Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)
What's on your wishlist this week? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

April 16, 2013

The Plus Party #3

Welcome to The PLUS Party #3!


With the fast-approaching demise of Google Reader, many people are turning to other methods of following their favorite blogs.

Bloglovin is quickly becoming the feed reader of choice among bloggers. If you haven't claimed your blog on Bloglovin yet, just go to bloglovin.com, search for your blog's URL, and follow the steps to claim it as your own. Then link it up below!

Google Plus is becoming more and more popular and necessary for bloggers. This is another great way to communicate with other bloggers and promote your content. Link up your profile or page below!

The Plus Party will run every Tuesday this month, so mark it on your calendars! We'd also love it if you could share the hop through your social media and/or post our button somewhere on your blog.

Want to co-host? Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

Make sure to follow the host and co-hosts, and then link up and party on!

Host:

Co Hosts: