First corner done

Here's the first corner from part 10 of Alpine Seasons. It took me a little longer than I had hoped because I kept needing a rest, but that's okay. It was much, much faster than the recent parts. I hope to start on the next corner today or tomorrow.

Some days it's not a joke

I called my blog "Saving My Sanity..." with my tongue firmly in my cheek, but with a touch of seriousness because of how much stitching had helped me deal with day to day life with my CFS.

But today, it is totally not a joke.

I've got a bad case of PMS - it tends to make me depressed and feel extremely unable to cope - and a three year old at home who is toilet training. That has been going well overall, but he's slow at getting it. Today he hasn't made it to the potty on time once. I've cleaned the carpet three times, thrown four pair of underpants into the washing machine and DH is working late, meaning it's 7pm and I've got at least another half an hour before he gets home.

In the end I sat down and started stitching. I needed it to calm me down and stop me going into a total hysterical meltdown.

Marcus keeps climbing in the chair behind me and kicking, which is better than when he stands behind me, hugs me round the neck and then lifts his feet so he's hanging off my neck.

(Okay, I'm back from the next clean up now - that makes five pairs of underpants and six wet spots on the carpet. Now he's crying nearly hysterically because I won't put Thomas the Tank Engine on because I'm watching the news.)

I'm so glad I had something to keep me calm enough not to start screaming myself - or yelling at Marcus which isn't good for us both.

Some days just don't want to go well, do they?

(We won't talk about the frogging I had to do because I was half a stitch out. No, we won't.)

Look! Look! Look!

At last I've done it. I've finished part 9 of Alpine Seasons and completed the ring of mountains. I was beginning to feel like it would never be done.

I'm delighted with how it looks.

I know I still have 3 parts to go now, but I kind of feel like I'm at the beginning of the end now. I've gone over the top of the enormous mountains that was that huge ring of stitching and I can see the destination in the distance.

I'm going to keep working on this project for now as I want to see something new and different from those mountains coming to life.

I'm a bit tired - I haven't done steady stitching for a while - but very satisfied too.

Fantasy Favorites Contest for November

My Yahoo reading group [FantasyFavorites] has a contest each month and it is my turn to run it this time. Putting the pictures up here seemed to be the easiest way to do it, so if anyone not from the group reading this wants to play, try putting your answers in the comments.

[FF] members, these pictures are all from the covers of books the group has read. Please identify each one and post your answer to the list.

1. 
   
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6. 
   
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10. 
    

My October Reading

1. Niccolo Rising - Dorothy Dunnet (9/10)
   Historical fiction; book 1 of The House of Niccolo.
   I loved Dunnett's Lymond books and had tried to read this one in the past, but didn't get far. At the end of August I found an online group that was doing a slow read of the Niccolo books together and it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. I had to catch up with this first book to be where they were and I found it a surprisingly easy thing to do. As always, Dunnett has so many layers and details in this book that I'm sure I missed a lot, but a loved it all the same. A rich and detailed tapestry of merchant life in Bruges in the fifteenth century with a truly fascinating main character.
   
   
2. On the Prowl - Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance and Sunny (8/10)
   Paranormal romance anthology.
   The rating here applies to the two stories I read in this anthology (and were the reason I bought the book). Briggs' story, Alpha and Omega, is set in the word of her Mercy Thompson books but features completely new characters. It was a surprisingly short story, but beautifully written and I really enjoyed it. Apparently the publisher did too as Briggs has now been contracted for more stories about Anna and Charles and I'm looking forward to reading them. This story is the meeting between two very differing werewolves and how they compliment each other. Wilks' story is also a further development of an already published world, her world of the Lupi, and again features new characters. Both are intriguing people (and I just loved what Nathan turned out to be) and the story also shows how the world has changed as magic grows stronger and technology less reliable, both results of events in the previous Lupi books. I'm looking forward to more from Wilks as well.
   
   
3. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis (10/10)
   Science fiction/Historical fiction.
   I read this with a reading group and I'm very glad I did, as I probably never would have picked it up otherwise. It features a slightly future Oxford University where the history department has a time machine and sends scholars back in time to study their subject first hand. The book neatly parallels events in the "present" and the fourteenth century as a student is sent back in time and then contact is lost as an epidemic brings Oxford to its knees. While the book is not flawless, I found it a compelling, fascinating read and worthy of full marks. I recommend it, although responses on the group showed it was clearly not to all tastes, and expect I may read more Willis in the future.
   
   
4. Devil May Cry - Sherrilyn Kenyon (9/10)
   Paranormal romance; Book 14 of the Dark-Hunters.
   I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I've always looked on this series as a guilty pleasure, but I found this one to be more than that. In the most recent books, Kenyon has moved away a bit from a total focus on a couple and the books are now about half and half fantasy about her now-detailed world and about a romantic relationship. I like that balance better, so the series is going well for me. In this one, we also learn one of the major secrets Kenyon has been keeping for a while - just who is Katra and what is her relationship to some of the major characters? We also face the Summerian apocalypse and while the immediate threat is averted, it's clearly not all over yet. The world is facing some rough times as the series progresses. I'm looking forward to it.
   
   
5. Jewels of the Sun - Nora Roberts (8/10)
   Romance, book 1 of the Irish Trilogy.
   I felt it was time for some gentle reading and decided on a Nora Roberts trilogy. This was a pleasant read with nice characters and a satisfying ending. It wasn't anything to blow me away, but a very nice interlude, which is what I look for in a Roberts book.
   
   
6. Sins and Needles - Monica Ferris (7/10)
   Cozy mystery; book 10 of the Needlecraft mysteries.
   I had stopped reading this series after the previous book; the plots had been getting weaker and I felt Ferris was more into name-dropping her needlecraft knowledge than telling a good story. I got this one from the library after a friend said she thought it was fine. The story was better this time and was the focus of the book, so I'm glad I read it. It was a nice, light read and if that's what you're looking for, don't let the previous few put you off.
   
   
7. Tears of the Moon - Nora Roberts (7/10)
   Romance, book 2 of the Irish Trilogy.
   I liked this too, although not as much as the previous book. I liked Brenna and Shawn, but I just didn't find them as appealing as I had Jude and Aidan. All the same, it was nice to revist Ardmore and have a pleasant time watching the characters try not to fall for each other.
   
   
8. Aunt Dimity's Death - Nancy Atherton (7/10)
   Cozy mystery; book 1 of the Aunt Dimity series.
   A new mystery author to me, recommened by the same friend who had good things to say about Sins and Needles. I enjoyed reading it, but don't feel the need to rush out and get the rest of the series. Some of that may have been the fault of the publisher rather than the author, as the text was very small and tightly squashed together and I find that hard to read these days.
   
   
9. An Enchanted Season - Maggie Shayne, Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy and Jean Johnson (8/10)
   Paranormal romance anthology; Psy/Changeling short story by Singh.
   As is usual for me, I only read the story in this anthology that interested me, which was Singh's short story. In fact, I won a copy of the book from Singh's blog, which was totally cool. The story is lovely, about the meeting and courtship of a well-established couple in the main books of the series. It is very nicely told and lets a female reader mutter "men are so stupid" with a satsifying sense of superiority as Nate takes his time figuring out what it is he should be doing. I don't know how a male reader would take it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. (And for anyone wondering why I never bother with other stories in anthologies, I actually struggle to read short stories. I have no idea why, but I do. So I prefer ones that fill in gaps in a world I already know to starting something cold, although I'll do it if it's an author I trust. But mostly, short stories just aren't for me.)
   
   
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling (8/10)
    Fantasy; book 7 of Harry Potter.
    At last, I've finally read it. I kept meaning to, but also kept putting it off. I did thoroughly enjoy the story and it's conclusion to the series. All the same, I thought it had its faults. I see Rowling as a very good storyteller, but not necessarily a great writer and there were places where I felt this showed. The book could have been about 200 pages shorter (cutting most of it from the first half where Harry, Ron and Hermione wandered around without achieving anything, especially the part of that concerning Ron) and there were a couple of pacing issues at the end (where we stepped away from the main action to learn the "why" of characters' actions) but for the latter I don't know how she could have done better as the information couldn't be revealed any sooner. Harry Potter has been a very fun ride and I've enjoyed it thoroughly, but I still scratch my head a little trying to figure out why this became so insanely successful when there are other things out there that are just as good or even better and remain unnoticed.
    
    
11. Heart of the Sea - Nora Roberts (8/10)
    Romance; book 3 of the Irish Trilogy.
    I liked this one more than number two and about the same as number one. I hadn't particularly liked Darcy in the first two books (not that I disliked her, I think I just didn't get her) and wasn't sure what I would think of this one. But Roberts did a lovely job with her and I loved Trevor. Their romance was easy and nice to read and my main complaint is that the story stopped as soon as they had admitted to each other that they loved each other. So many other things outside the romance had been set up, particularly the building of the theatre and the Gallaghers singing Shawn's songs, and I felt cheated that these weren't resolved. I would have liked an epilogue showing the opening of the theatre in order to tie up those threads and I felt the book was weaker without it.
    
    
12. Island in the Sea of Time - S. M. Stirling (DNF)
    Science fiction; book 1 of the Island in Time series.
    I thought the premise of this book - that some unexplained phenomenon sends Nantucket Island back approximately 3000 years in the past - was fascinating, but I got bogged down in the reading of the book. I really liked the parts on Nantucket as people tried to prepare for winter and the more distant future without their technology, but found that trading voyage off to Europe to be more of a struggle. I think the main problem was that I wasn't reading this as my main book, but as a background read when I needed a break (I started it when reading several hardcovers that I didn't want to get wet - I read a few chapters each night while Marcus plays in the bath before we get down to the serious washing part of the business) so I wasn't focusing on it as it required. I may try again some other time with this as a primary read.
    
    
13. A Shadow in Summer - Daniel Abraham (DNF)
    Fantasy; book 1 of The Long Price Quartet.
    I'd seen this mentioned around the blogsphere and thought the premise looked rather good - a world where an empire maintains its mercantile power by having poets make fundamental ideas take physical form and use their resulting power to the empire's advantage. The idea was clever, but the characters didn't grab me and about a third through I found myself bored and wanting to read something else. After starting that something else, I found I didn't feel any desire to go back to this one. A pity, as the idea was great, but it wasn't enough to save the book for me.
    

Statistics:
Books read this month: 11
DNFs this month: 2
10/10 reads this month: 1
New reads this month: 11
Rereads this month: 0

Books read so far in 2007 = 112
DNFs so far in 2007 = 10
10/10 reads so far in 2007 = 14
New reads so far in 2007 = 100
Rereads so far in 2007 = 12

LO: Far Horizons

Credits~
Background paper from "A Beautiful Mess" by Lisa Whitney; overlay from "Artistic Grunge Overlays Set 5" by Kim Hill' alpha is "Funky Basic Black Alpha" by Gina Miller; font is Jane Austen.

LO: Sandcastles with Daddy

Clearly, today is a scrapbooking day. I wanted to be up with the latest photos for once and do pages from our evening at the beach on Tuesday.



Credits~
Background paper from "Summer Afternoon" by Bren Boone; frame from "Blessings" by Tracy Ann Robinson; glitter wave from "Cool Summer" by Bren Boone; alpha from "Summertime Fun" by Gina Cabrera; sun, flip-flop, footprint and bucket and spade from "Sandcastles" by Mary Fran; starfish from "Joshua's Day in the Sun" by Michelle Coleman; font is Jane Austen.

LO: Whee!!

Marcus at the park the other evening. Spring seems to be here at last and we've been going to the park by the beach in the evenings and having a lovely time.

Credits~
Paper from "Blessings" by Tracy Ann Robinson; font is LD Beatnik.

LO: New Acquisition

Credits~
Background paper from "Ultimate Background Collection, Volume 1" by Nancy Comelab; cardboard overlay from "Cardboard Edge Overlays" by Linda GB; glitter from "Glitter Paint Splats" by Christina Renee; frame from "Polaroid Frames" by Princess Pamela; hearts from "A Beautiful Mess" by Lisa Whitney; ribbon from "Tied Ribbon Wraps" by Christina Renee; flowers from "Signature Collection 1" by Christina Renee; clock from "As Time Goes By" by Melanie Willman; butterfly from "Hinged Butterflies" by Tracy Ann Robinson; font is Kidstuff.

Yummy book cover

I was doing my morning blog-hopping and came across this post on The Midnight Hour. I've always had a thing for dragons and I love the look and colours of this cover. The book sounds like it might be fun too. I hope Deborah Cooke doesn't mind me taking the cover and blurb from her site and putting it up here because I feel the need to share.



For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have lived peacefully as commanders of the four elements and guardians of the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, is about to begin…

When ace accountant Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt's New Age bookstore, she’s not looking for adventure. She doesn’t believe in fate or the magic of the tarot—but when she’s saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she’s losing her mind—or about to lose her heart…

Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr and a self-reliant loner. When he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he's determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost to himself. Then Sara’s true destiny is revealed—and Quinn realizes he must risk everything—even Sara’s love—to fulfill their entwined destinies...


This has also reminded me of all the book covers I still have sitting waiting to go up on A Cover a Day... so I'm going to try to get back into the habit of posting over there.

Lovely morning

I'm having such a lovely morning.  I have the house to myself and I'm doing patchwork and listening to Paul Kelly.  Perfect.

Aeroplane Adventure

Credits~
Background paper from "Hard @ Play" by Dani Mogstad; frames and glitter circle from "Crazy Love" by Dani Mogstad; beaded spray from "Blessing" by Tracy Ann Robinson; leaf stamp from "Roses - Stamps" by Anita Stergiou; blue and green flower from "Pipe Cleaner Flowers" by Kate Hadfield; red and yellow flower from "Felt Flowers" by Holliewood Studios; fonts are Century Gothic, Confusebox and Chopin Script.

It's been a crafty day

I did a scrapbook page today too. Wow. Long may this crafty moment last.

When we were out shopping one weekend, there was a guy there making ballon animals and stuff. Marcus chose to have a dinosaur.



Credits~
Background paper from "Splatters 3" by Tracy Ann Robinson; cardboard by Vera Lim in "A New Start" by Vera Lim and Gina Miller; journalling sticker from "French Countryside" by Christina Renee and Shabby Princess; star from "Rock Star" by Dani Mogstad; swirl from "Paper Swirls" by Tracy Ann Robinson; cardboard tear strip from "Build Your Oen Bulletin Board" by Gina Miller; flower from "Funky Flowers Bright" by Paint the Moon Designs; glittered frame from "File Frames 5" by Tracy Ann Designs; plain frame from "Get Hinged" by Tracy Ann Designs; definition from "Dictionary Defined Boys" by Miss Mint; heart from "Heart Felties" by Fee Jardine; tie down from "Ribbon Tie Fastners II" by Natalie Braxton; wrapped ribbon from "My Boy Add On" by Laura 18K; alpha from "Crazy Love" by Dani Mogstad; font is KGD Kerry Script.

Lookie here!!

Wow, I did it! I did lots of stitching! It is so wonderful to finally feel like stitching again after about a year of struggling to do anything.

I went to the doctor about a month ago and he ordered some blood tests. Blood tests almost always come back normal for me, as what it wrong with me just doesn't show up anywhere. But this time my B12 levels came back as low and the doctor prescribed me a 3 month course of B12 shots to bump it back up. I had this once before and it really didn't make any difference, so I wasn't expecting much. But this time the change was amazing. I won't be climbing mountains any time soon, but before this I was sleeping all day when I could and struggling when I couldn't. I'm still tired now, but relatively speaking, it is so much better.

And I'm stitching again, which is so wonderful.

I was already working on "Dawn Star" and hoping to finish my fourth half page. I cut my pages in halves vertically and then taped all the top halves together to form a strip that is the width of the design (5 pages) wide and half a page high. The fifth page was all background and I just kept on stitching until I finished it. So I now have my first strip done (and only 8 more to go!). This means I am an astounding 11% completed on the design. I wonder how many more years it will take me to get it done?

All the same, I am absolutely delighted about this. It is such a great feeling, both to be stitching again and to have made such an achievement. This first strip is mostly background, so I do worry about whether the colour changes are too sharp and such, but I do know that as the rest of the design comes in, it should all come together beautifully. Since I'm the designer for this one, I'm super critical about how it is coming out. (I go for more "blockiness" in the background than some other designers to make the stitching easier for the stitcher, but I'm super conscious of how it looks.)

So without futher rambling, here is 11% of "Dawn Star". (It's clickable for a considerably bigger version.)



Next, I'm going to put "Alpine Seasons" on the frame. Hopefully I will FINALLY get part 9 finished, which will mean all the stitching that goes around the centre will be done at last.

Progress on TW's "Illuminata"

Teresa Wentzler has another picture up on her blog of her progress on Illuminata.

I was already teased and temped by this design as I love manuscript pages, but now she shows us there's going to be a dragon as well!

Go and take a look, it's beautiful.

http://www.teresa-wentzler.com/?p=93

My September Reading

Sadly, after my wonderful August writing reviews, I just didn't feel up to it this month - and I read some really good books too. So here's my list and a short comment on each.

1. The Raven Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt (7/10)
   Historical Romance; book 1 in the "Prince" trilogy.
   This was an okay read, with some interesting moments. There's one big plot point that I found the coincidences required to set up a bit much to swallow, but if that's ignored, the story runs fine.
   
2. The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn (7/10)
   Historical Romance; book 2 in the Bridgertons series.
   I like Julia Quinn's light, fun style and having a bit of a read at the beginning of the month, did a read through most of this series. A very pleasant, fun read with engaging characters and a wonderfully vicious croquet game.
   
3. An Offer from a Gentleman - Julia Quinn (7/10)
   Historical Romance; book 3 in the Bridgertons series.
   Another nice, light read. The characters are likeable and seem good examples of their relative stations in life. A clear telling of the Cinderella story, which I tend to like. The resolution of how two people from very different social classes can marry is a bit like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but does work all right.
   
4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Julia Quinn (7/10)
   Historical Romance; book 4 in the Bridgertons series. I had liked the heroine in this one from when we first met her - in a horrible tangerine dress - back in The Duke and I so it was lovely to see her come into her own and get her own happy ending.
   
5. Sebastian - Anne Bishop (10/10)
   Fantasy; book 1 of Ephemera.
   Having loved Bishop's Black Jewels books, I was eager to try something else of hers. This is a fascinating book, set in a world where a dark power was defeated long ago and to keep it trapped the work was shattered into pieces that are linked by "bridges" between them. It took a little while to fully grasp the world, but again Bishop has created something new and different. Sebastian is a half-incubus who finds himself caught up in the fight against the old evil, mostly because of his family connection to his cousin, who is a rogue practitioner of the power to link the broken landscapes and the only chance of defeating the evil. Along, the way, he also gets the girl.
   
6. No Nest for the Wicket - Donna Andrews (8/10)
   Light mystery; book 7 in the Meg Langslow series.
   I love Meg Langslow and her crazy family. In this book she and her fiance, Michael, are hosting an "Extreme Croquet" tournament that turns into a murder investigation when Meg finds the body of a young woman who appears to have been killed from a blow to the head with a croquet mallet. The usual insanity occurs and a fun time is had by all - except perhaps the victim and the murderer of course.
   
7. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much - Donna Andrews (9/10)
   Light mystery; book 8 in the Meg Langslow series.
   This time around, Meg and Michael find themselves playing host to a variety of zoo animals as well at the boy of the zookeeper who has been buried in their basment. I found several laugh out loud moments in this book and thoroughly enjoy the whole insanity. I look forward to the next installment in the series with delight.
   
8. Caressed by Ice - Nalini Singh (10/10)
   Paranormal romance; book 3 in the Psy/Changeling series.
   This third book in Singh's series is, in my opinion, the best, primarily because of the balance she pulls off between the main needs of a book of this type. A good paranormal romance needs a relationship, an outside plot and worldbuilding. Singh weaves them together beautifully in this book, so that everything ties in to everything else and the romance grows organically with the rest of the story, rather than either taking it over or trying desperately to get out of the background, both of which often happen in books in this genre. Very likeable characters who develop realistically and in a satisfying manner. I also liked that the characters made decisions about what they were going to do next, instead of it just "kind of happening".
   
9. To Sir Phillip, With Love - Julia Quinn (6/10)
   Historical romance; book 5 in the Bridgertons series.
   Acceptable entry in the series, but felt a bit forced in places. I felt that Eloise wasn't used to her full potential given how her character had been developed previously in the series. My infatuation with this series is beginning to fade.
   
10. The Fire Opal - Catherine Asaro (7/10)
    Romantic fantasy; book 4 in the Lost Continent series.
    I personally think Asaro writes science fiction much better than fantasy and this book reinforces that opinion. It was a fine, pleasant read, but she can do much better. It was very slow to start, but picked up about halfway through to have a satisfying ending. I also liked the touch that suggested this "world" is some sort of appearing/vanishing continent in our world. I like these books, but I'm hanging out more for the next Skolian book.
    
11. Lover Eternal - J. R. Ward (8/10)
    Paranormal romance; book 2 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood; reread.
    I was trying to reread this series before the new book came out (although I didn't make it) and again, I enjoyed my visit into the world. These are over the top books and the idea is to sit back and go for the ride. That's what I like about them, and how I approach them and I enjoyed myself.
    
12. When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn (6/10)
    Historical romance; book 6 in the Bridgertons series.
    Okay, I think I'm done with these. There was too much angsting in this book - "Oh no, I'm in love with my dead brother's widow and that is just so bad" - and I felt the characters wallowed in the situation rather than getting on with doing something useful. Not nearly as good as the earlier ones, although Francesca's conversation with her mother about falling in love again after being widowed was nice.
    
13. Dark Possession - Christine Feehan (5/10)
    Paranormal romance; book "some big number" in the Carpathian series.
    Okay, it is actually book 18 if you count the short stories, which I do. This series has been failing on me for a long while now, but it is like a terrible addiction that I just can't shake and I keep buying the next one. This was a hardcover, which saved me, as I borrowed it from the library instead. I'm glad I did, as it didn't work for me at all. Ironically, Feehan fixed some of the things that were annoying about earlier books, but then added a whole lot of new stuff to her worldbuilding that I felt were a sign of lack of imagination rather than the addition of something new that fitted with what had gone before. At last, I think I"m cured.
    
14. Belladonna - Anne Bishop (10/10)
    Fantasy; book 2 of Ephemera.
    This book follows Sebastian's cousin, Glorianna Belladonna, as she faces up to the face it is her job/destiny to defeat The Eater of the World. Along the way she learns more about the nature of the world, meets up with a very nice man and makes a huge sacrifice to save the world. This is a great book that pulls ahead of Sebastian just a little and beautifully finishes the story. Glorianna is a good character, and Michael is just lovely. There were two ways it could have ended, and while I would have been sad but happy with what seemed to be happening at first, I was also happily content with the way Bishop did finish it. I still liked the Black Jewels series best, but these were also excellent.
    
15. Transformation - Carol Berg (10/10)
    Fantasy; book 1 of the Rai-Kirah.
    Another fantastic series. Carol Berg writes original fantasy that walks the line of dark fantasy with every tipping over. So we get a solid story with strong, deep worldbuilding and fascinating characters who are never simple and always flawed. The story follows both the complicated, building friendship between the slave, Seyonne and his princely owner, but their battle to save Zander's empire from being overtaken by demons. Seyonne, once trained to fight demons, finds himself caught between his loathing for the empire and his needs both to stop the demons and save Zander. There are two more books in the series - both of which promise to be equally complicated and fascinating - and I can't wait to find the time to read them.
    
16. Wizard's Bane - Crystalwizard (6/10)
    Fantasy; book 1 of the Sojurn Chronicles; read for [FantasyFavorites].
    A solid read that appears on the surface to be a standard "travelling" fantasy, but carries some interesting hidden depths. The growing suspicion of a historical war between magic and psionics and the contrast between the local inhabitants of the planet (a fairly standard fantasy setting) and the high-tech psi characters from off-world raise this up to a higher level. My main issue with the book, which lowered its score, was that I got very tired of the travelling, travelling, travelling and the way we just kept on and on collection more members of the company. All the same, certainly not a bad book. Give it a try.
    
17. So You Want to be a Wizard - Diane Duane (8/10)
    YA fantasy; book 1 of the Young Wizards series; reread; audiobook.
    I read the first three books in this series many years ago, when I was a lot closer to being a young adult myself. So I was delighted to see the books available as audioboks. I enjoyed meeting Nita and Kit all over again and going on their first wizardly adventure with them and hope to find time to listen to more of the books in the not too distant future. The narrator was fine, although every now and then the accents she put on for the children did great a little. All the same, it wasn't enough to distract from my enjoyment of the book.
    
18. Lover Unbound - J. R. Ward (9/10)
    Paranormal romance; book 5 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.
    I'd been waiting for this book since Lover Revealed came out, so when I found some negative reactions to it around the internet (always vague as I was avoiding spoilers) I was a bit worried of what I would think. However, once again I thoroughly enjoyed my ride with the Brothers. This book is less a focussed romance and looks more at all the characters and what is happening in their lives, so we have set-up for Phury's book, more on John Matthew, more about the other brothers, especially Butch, as well as the romance aspect of the story between V and Jane. If you're wanting just the romance, that is sure to annoy you. I liked it. There has also been complaints about the ending, but I was fine for it. I don't know if I think it was Ward's best option or not, but it worked for me and the sacrifice of the birds was a beautiful thing (you'll understand if/when you've read the book).
    

Statistics:
Books read this month: 18
DNFs this month: 0
10/10 reads this month: 4
New reads this month: 16
Rereads this month: 2

Books read so far in 2007 = 101
DNFs so far in 2007 = 8
10/10 reads so far in 2007 = 13
New reads so far in 2007 = 89
Rereads so far in 2007 = 12

LO: The Big Bus Adventure (full layout)

LO: The Big Bus Adventure (right side)

Journalling~
26th August, 2007
We had such a grand adventure today. We drove to Constellation Station in the silver car, and waited for a blue Express bus to come. You put on your sunglasses and walked up and down the platform like Napoleon (one had inside your jacket) until the bus arrived. We all climbed aboard and Daddy paid our fares. You loved the trip into the city, and looked all around as we went on the motorway and across the Auckland Harbour Bridge. We saw lots of things including cars, diggers and trucks at the bus lane construction site and the Sky Tower when we drove over the bridge. When we got to Britomart in the city, we all got off the bus and went down under the ground to look at the trains. You thought they were great and we even got to watch one going off on its journey. Instead of being scared, like when you were little, you loved watching the train pulling away and disappearing down the tunnel with a roar. We had lunch in the foodcourt at Downtown Mall and then went to the waterfront to look at the ferries. Mummy was delighted when we found a shop selling real gelato, and you shared a cup of chocolate and lemon flavours with her. You didn’t like the lemon at all, but you loved the chocolate like any boy should. Back at Britomart, you got to chase the pigeons while we waited for the bus to take us home again. You loved the trip back just as much as the one to the city, and you even got to press the bell to stop the bus.

Credits~
Background from "Serenity" by Tracy Ann Robinson; stars from "Frippery Stars" by Tracy Ann Robinson; overlay paper from "Perfectly Sheer 2" by Tracy Ann Robinson; journalling paper from "Remember" in the "Memories are Made of This" collection; postage stamp frames from "Covered Stamp Sheets" by Meredith Fenwick; beads from "Iron Beads" by Sophia Sarducci; butterfly from "Sparkly Butterflies" by Amanda Rockwell; bright flower from "Colored Gerberas" by Amanda Rockwell; large flower from "Big Blooms 2" by Janel Kretschman; vertical photo frame from "Multi Photo Vertical" by Nancy Comelab; blue flower and button from "Buttons N Blooms" by Dani Mogstad; font is Jayne Print.

LO: The Big Bus Adventure (left side)

Credits~
Background from "Serenity" by Tracy Ann Robinson; stars from "Frippery Stars" by Tracy Ann Robinson; paint stroke from "Hunter" in the "Project 26" collection by Tracy Ann Robinson; overlay paper from "Perfectly Sheer 2" by Tracy Ann Robinson; postage stamp frames from "Covered Stamp Sheets" by Meredith Fenwick; beads from "Iron Beads" by Sophia Sarducci; alpha is "Hand Stitched Alpha" (recoloured) by Dani Mogstad; butterfly from "Sparkly Butterflies" by Amanda Rockwell; bright flower from "Colored Gerberas" by Amanda Rockwell; large flower from "Big Blooms 2" by Janel Kretschman.

LO: Vampire Teeth

To do list:
Get up and get dressed
Make a mess
Drive my mother crazy
Drink blood

Credits~
Background paper from "Opera House" in the "Project 26" collection by Tracy Ann Robinson; leaf from "Crumples Spice" by Tracy Ann Robinson; music from "Frippery Music" by Tracy Ann Robinson; frame from "Glitter Frames" by Tracy Ann Robinson; journalling strips from "Signature Collection #1" by Christina Renee; alpha from "Hand Stamped Alpha" by Michelle Coleman; fonts are Jayne Print and Miss.