SilverThistle

Well, I was out of the loop for a looong time on BL but after 6 weeks (so far) of lockdown (week 4 of Government and 2 prior to that when I saw the potential for a SHTF event and got the fear...plus the hospital made a suggestion for me to shield and self isolate ) I feel like I've been reading more and want to update my lists again.  Not sure how many of them will be reviewed but now that every home upgrade/remodel chore has been tackled, the garden has been given a tidy and makeover and every cupboard and drawer in the house has been cleared of detritus I'm dippin' my toe in the BL pool again. 

 

I've seen a few ideas on the blogs here of what I'd like to use to motivate me to get back in the habit of posting and not least of all is Wanda's Pandemic Cusine!  Fab idea and I'm going to have to start posting pics of what I can cobble together from the offerings that hubby brings back from his forays into unassisted food shopping.

 

My mystery box of Mills & Boon is getting dug out to delve into and likewise my LBD (Little Black Dress) collection is due a start at least after 5 years in the making.

 

My audible is overflowing so I hope to make a dent in those...

 

My JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction) books are similarly buckling the shelves so hopefully a few of them will see the light of day too.

 

So many things I'd like to do and I may or may not get to them all but ThemisAthena posted a comment on one of my posts yesterday that tugged on my heartstrings a bit and it reminded me of what a wonderful community Booklikes has and how much I've missed that.  I hate that there are still so many glitches and faults here - that was the reason I slipped away originally - but maybe if I lurk a bit I'll get my mojo back.  Fingers are crossed.

I can't seem to remember how to add a book that I need added to my reading challenge.  It doesn't exist in the catalog (I don't think) but I know it can be done...just can't remember how.  Anyone that can point me in the right direction please?

 

Just in case I'm not finding it but it is there-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GA83MRY/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

Seasons greetings to all my booklikey friends :D

 

Hi Booklikes!  Jeeze, where does the time go?  In my own defence I can never remeber how to get my posts to actually post plus I get about 1 min 40 secs here before the site crashes my laptop and I'm thrown out....type fast, girl!!

See you next time I expe

It's been forever!!  Just came back to start my 2019 challenge as I still like to keep that going even if I'm not around any more ad I like to catch up with a few dashboard posts every time I look in and this time I just see a wall of snakes and ladders!  Curiosity piqued and now I'm in!  Sounds like fun so I'm just going to jump in and see how it goes. Have spent a bit of time trying to find a good book to start with and have finally picked one to get the ball rolling. 

 

It's not a female author but it's the next book in the series I'm reading so I'm going with that.  It just means I'll only get to roll one dice when the next roll comes.  I can live with that.

 

I'll be reading  The six sacred stones by Matthew Reilly. (can't remember how to do the link and whatnot, hope this works...)

 

It's good to be back!

 

Oh, and I'm the worlds slowest reader so updates will be sparse, lol.

 

 

Spaces:

 

1. Author is a woman

2. Genre: mystery

3. Set in the twentieth century

4. Published in 2019

5. Published in 2018

6. Title has a color word in it

7. Author's last name begins with the letters A, B, C, or D.

8. Author's last name begins with the letters E, F, G, or H.

9. Author's last name begins with the letters H, I, J, or K

10. Author's last name begins with the letters L, M, N or O

11. Author's last name begins with the letters P, Q, R, or S

12. Author's last name begins with the letters T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z

13. Author is a man

14. Author is dead

15. Genre: romance

16. Genre: fantasy

17. Genre: horror

18. Set in a school

19. Set in the UK

20. Set in a country that is not your country of residence

20. Set in a country that is not your country of residence

21. Set in Europe

22. Set in Asia

23. Set in Australia/Oceania

24. Set in Africa

25. Snake - go back to 5

26. Part of a series that is more than 5 books long

27. Set during WWI or WWII

28. Written between 1900 and 1999

29. Someone travels by plane

30. Someone travels by train

31. Road trip

32. Genre: thriller

33. Set in North America

34. Snake - go back to 1

35. Has been adapted as a movie

36. Set in Central or South America

37. Has won an award

38. Newest release by a favorite author

39. A reread

40. Characters involved in the entertainment industry

41. Characters involved in politics

42. Characters involved in sports/sports industry

43. Characters involved in the law

44. Characters involved in cooking/baking

43. Characters involved in medicine

44. Characters involved in science/technology

45. A book that has been on your tbr for more than one year

46. A book that has been on your tbr for more than two years

47. Snake - go back to 19

48. A book you acquired in February, 2019.

49. Recommended by a friend

50. Has a domestic animal on the cover

51. Has a wild animal on the cover

52. Has a tree or flower on the cover

53. Has something that can be used as a weapon on the cover

54. Is more than 400 pages long

55. Is more than 500 pages long

56. Was published more than 100 years ago

57. Was published more than 50 years ago

58. Was published more than 25 years ago

59. Was published more than 10 years ago

60. Was published last year

61. Cover is more than 50% red

62. Cover is more than 50% green

63. Cover is more than 50% blue

64. Cover is more than 50% yellow

65. Snake - go back to 52

66. Part of a series that is more than 10 books long

67. Set in a city with a population of greater than 5 million people (link)

68. Something related to weddings on the cover

69. Something related to travel on the cover

70. Something related to fall/autumn on the cover

71. Involves the beach/ocean/lake 

72. Involves the mountains/forests 

73. Categorized as YA

74. Categorized as Middle Grade

75. Set in a fantasy world

76. Set in a world with magic

77. Has a "food" word in the title

78. Set in a small town (fictional or real)

79. Main character is a woman

80. Main character is a man

81. Ghost story

82. Genre: urban fantasy

83. Genre: cozy mystery

84. Genre: police procedural

85. Written by an author who has published more than 10 books

86. Author's debut book

87. Snake - go back to 57

88. Comic/graphic novel

89. Published between 2000 and 2017

90. A new-to-you author

91. Snake - go back to 61

92. Reread of a childhood favorite

93. Author's first/last initial same as yours (real or BL handle)

94. Non-fiction

95. Memoir

96. From your favorite genre

97. Title starts with any of the letters in SNAKE

98. Title starts with any of the letters in LADDERS

99. Snake - go back to 69

100. Let BL pick it for you: post 4 choices and read the one that gets the most votes!

Well, that was a nice surprise. This was downloaded as a kindle freebie and a lot of times with the free ones you get what you pay for, but this one was pretty good.

I was a bit concerned going into it as it it had a definite 'Brotherhood' feel to it. I thought it was going to be like the BDB series which I really didn't like and I only made it through the first one of those but I shouldn't have worried, it was fine. One of the similarities that got me fretting were the 'Saviors' themselves. Six of them, Alien Warriors in human form, each taller and more pumped full of testosterone than the last. Living together in a secret silo underground and only venturing out to fight crime and rarely to mingle with the mere humans. Turns out they were actually kind of likeable and I'm looking forward to finding out more about them in the rest of the series.

For those that hate insta-love I'd steer clear of this one as there's plenty of that and if you don't like your leading men to be cavemen types I'd give it a wide berth on that score too... Me? I'm not keen on the ""Me man, you woman. Assume the position"" muscle bound hero's but Noah wasn't toooo much of that. He got a bit over-dramatic with the 'she's mine' carry on at times but he was really just a big lug and it didn't get on my nerves as much as it usually does.

Any mention of their home planet and customs and language and mostly anything at all to do with that part of the story didn't really ring true and I started to question the mechanics of it all so I tried not to dwell on those bits too much as it was pulling me out of the story. It was just the planet-y stuff I glossed over though, the actual Saviors were interesting in how they differed from humans. I really liked how that was done.

Verdict? The story was good, I liked Noah and Abby and I'll definitely work my way through the rest of the series. I'm just hoping the vampires that were mentioned in passing will get a little more page time, I'd be interested to see how they fit in to it all.

Well, I spent most of 2016 away from GR but since BL and I are not BFF's anymore I'm expecting 2017 to be like old times on GR.

I'll ease myself back in over the next few weeks of what's left of 2016 and start back Jan 1st ready to roll.

Met my target for my reading challenge a while back though so that's made of win.

There are not enough stars to indicate how much I love this book! We're only half way through 2017 but I'll go so far as to say that this is my favourite book this year and I honestly can't imagine anything that would knock it off that spot. I loved this from the very first chapter and literally couldn't put it down. I cracked it open within 10 minutes of it falling through the letterbox and didn't look up from it again until the last page was turned.

It's very rare for me to gush about a book but this one is just made of awesome. I'm all about Post Apocalyptic fiction and I can't get enough of it. It's usually zombies that I favour but really it doesn't matter how the world ends, just so long as it DOES end. Nuclear, aliens, plague, climate change...it's all good. Apocalypse by robot though is rare enough to get bumped up the TBR list every time. I thought Robopocalypse was good when I read it a few years ago but Sea Of Rust just blows that one out of the water.

I was hooked right from the get-go when Brittle's (great name) interaction with Jimmy got me right in the feels. Gah, my heart broke a little bit. Best introduction to a character I've read in a long time. All of the characters were easily pictured though, even the very short lived secondary ones, due in part to absolutely pitch perfect dialogue. Mercer is the best kind of villain, the kind you love to hate without really hating them, and the interactions between him and Brittle never got old. I was on the edge of my seat more than once when things looked bleak for Brittle and I alternated between racing to the end to see how it all came together for her, and trying to pace myself and spin it out so it lasted as long as possible. It was a thing of beauty to watch it all unfold and I could happily have read on for another 400 pages. I marvel at the mind that brought this concept to life and made me forget at times that I was reading about robots while at the same time ramming it home that this was a world populated by machinery. Mr Cargill is a very talented man.

I would LOVE to see this made into a movie and have no doubt that it won't be long until I get my wish. It's just crying out to be on the big screen and I can't wait! This fellow can definitely write and I'll follow him wherever he goes from now on. Hugely enjoyable story and I can highly recommend it without hesitation. Best book of 2017!

*I received this paperback from the publisher*

 All the cool kids are doing it, so.... here are my boring answers =

 

1. Do you have a certain place in your home for reading?

Yes, my bed usually

 

 

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Post It index flags or similar

 

 

 

3. Can you  just stop reading or do you have to stop read after a chapter / certain number of pages?

It really hurts to stop in the middle of a chapter but if I have to I try to find a paragraph end.

 

 

4. Do you eat or drink while read?

Of course.  Ready is hungry thirsty work.

 

 

5. Multitasking: music or TV while reading?

Either, both, neither - I don't mind

 

 

6. One book at a time or several at once?

The more the merrier

 

 

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Wherever and whenever I can

 

 

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Uh, in my head.  Who reads out loud? 0_o

 

 

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

Yes and yes.  My bad.

 

 

10. Barking the spine or keeping it like new?

OMG I was just sick in my mouth a little bit at the thought of breaking spines.

 

 

11. Do you write in your books?

You're kidding, right?

 

See everyone elses interesting and clever answers here - http://blog.booklikes.com/post/1522626/we-know-your-reading-habits

 

Well, I was hoping 2017 would be a fresh start for BL but it's as bad as ever for me.

 

Flakey, slow to load (that endless spinning More Posts does my head in every three posts), no pics loading on anyone's posts, comments that I type just delete so I need to start again, trying to type this message and the text box keeps disappearing...the list goes on and on....It's too much. I saw the bug report posts that promise someone is back behind the wheel and it's all good again - but it's not and I've had enough.

 

I love you all and I'll drop in regularly but for now, I'm out. I'll be back at GR and in my groups there and also my blog(s) are my project for 2017.

 

Hope your 2017 is brilliant!

 

Edit* and after posting all the formatting got stripped out.  Sigh*

 

I've poked my head in here all weekend wondering when if it would come back and now that it is I have no idea what I want to do. 

 

I started putting my reviews back on GR after a hiatus of about 3 years and there's a group there that I want to join in with in 2017, plus I got my new blog started and my old, (very) neglected old one dusted off.  I'm also toying with the idea of switching to WordPress and I'm not familiar with that so that'll be a time sink.  I can't really manage to juggle all of them so something has to give.  GR is appealing due to the group, my new blog is appealing because it's dedicated to my newest book passion (JAFF- Jane Austen Fan Fiction), my old blog is appealing because it's comfy and familiar...BL is appealing because of the community which I love.  But, BL hasn't been my BFF since about June though which was when it all got a bit flakey for me and I'm scared to get hooked back in only to get the rug pulled out from under me again.

 

Urgh... I can't decide.  I know if I try to cross post on all of them I'll spread myself too thin.  

 

I need to take a time out until I figure it all out I think.  However, even making this post is making me feel like I'm back already... Gah!

Cross posted from The Pemberley Library

 

I'm a recent fan but I am so obsessed by Pride & Prejudice that I'm of the belief that I could happily read anything that even hints at being a retelling, variation, vagary, etc. since the original was over too soon. It's fitting that my first adventure into the world of P&P fanfiction  is titled Mr Darcy's Obsession and is authored by Abigail Reynolds.

 

What a book! I loved it. Slightly different from the original as they fork apart around the time of the Rosing's meeting but the beloved characters were just as I remembered them with a few new names thrown in for good measure. I'm not really familiar with the sub-genres yet but I think this one might be a 'What-if' and the story follows what would happen if Darcy had never been able to propose and Elizabeth's father had died, scattering the sisters and their mother to cope as best they can.

 

I wasn't sure what to expect as I'm still not used to how things veer off from the original but if they're all like this one then I'll be lapping them up! I loved Darcy and his attempts to meet Elizabeth, I loved the misunderstandings, I loved the new setting and most of all I loved the outcome.

 

Since reading P&P I've watched both the BBC drama with Colin Firth and the movie with Matthew MacFadyen and loved them both in their own ways and I'm not sure which Darcy is my favourite. Reading this I pictured Colin Firth as Mr Darcy so perhaps he'll be my guy when reading the FF's. Suits me! Can't wait to build up my library with more of the same...

 

                      

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I have no idea when I last posted but I'm guessing it was about 20 million years ago because that's how long it feels like!

 

I haven't had a 'text post box' to write my post in since all that hooha with the slow site etc.    Did anyone else lose their box?  It's been well over a month for me. I guess not as I see lots of posting going on on my dash.

 

Anyhoo, between the slow site back when, feeling a bit poorly and then the missing box I've been absent for so long I feel a out of my depth now I can post again.  Not sure why I've finally got a box back but I'm glad I have.

 

While I've been gone I've been reading a bit here and there and mostly it's been JAFF.  That's a new find for me and I'm obsessed with it!  JaneAustenFanFiction,  Can't get enough of it!  Does anyone else read it?  It's not online like the Harry Potter stuff though, it's actual printed books (and ebooks but I'm stickin to paper).  I've been making a new blog especially for it in case this one didn't come back on for me, but the new one is on blogspot like my other one.  If anyone wants to catch up now and then I'm over there quite a lot lately, behind the scenes tinkering with it and making it how I like it.  It's new so there's nothing really on it yet but it's a work in progress :)

 

http://thepemberleylibrary.blogspot.co.uk/

 

So, that's my news, such as it is.  Not a lot going on really apart from reading a bit here and there.  I miss you all though

 

*Edit* Forgot to say...So far I've found 844 JAFF books (not counting the ebook only ones!) so my reading list is pretty full for the next 20 years :D

Just bought this up at Asda's when i went to pick up a few things.  Hadn't planned to buy it any time soon really but they had it for a fiver less than Waterstones so it fell into my trolly.

 

Not sure I want to read it though.  I'm not sure how I'll get on with the format and I've heard mixed responses about it from people I know IRL.  I've been avoiding any posts here about it though in case of spoilers. so I've no clue what it's about really and I'd maybe just be better leaving it where things ended with Deathly Hallows.

 

I'd have got it at some point so that my book collection is complete, just not sure I'll be reading it.

 

You know...even as I typed that last line I'm thinking, "Yeah right!  You know you'll read it!  Who are you trying to kid?!  It's Harry Potter!!"

 

My daughter pounced on it though so perhaps I'll just wait and get the edited highlights from her.  She's a big fan but will tell it like it is and pull no punches.

Can one man uncover the last secret of the Romanovs?

 

I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out.  Just started but already it's got me whipping pages.  I'm fascinated by the whole Romanov thing so hoping this will keep me entertained while I sit and listen to the thunder booming outside and watch my plants get battered by the torrential rain.