Book Review - The Hunger Games Trilogy

I am naturally more of a film watcher then a book ready so I confess, I watched the film before I knew anything about Suzanne Collins and the hype all about her books, I am pretty much out of the media loop, I don't go out more, read news papers, watch the headlines or have a t.v so world war three could start and I am pretty sure it would be raining bombs before I knew anything about it!

I really enjoyed the film and thought nothing more of it, until my husband brought home the trilogy, he plan was just to read the second and third, after watching the film there was no need to read the first book again.
However I am a quick reader so once he had finished with them, they became all mine, I wrapped my self in the world of Katniss (leading character) and Panem the North America, totalitarian nation.

I love Suzannes, story telling style of writing, the words flow and your drawn in page after page, I am told these books are aimed at young adults and this may account for the lack of over complicated words, I like this I want to relax and not over think a book.
The First book is totally spelling binding all about being a contestant in the gruesome hunger games, the Second book follows the life's of Peeta and Katkiss after the hunger games victory, however nothing is what it seems and soon President Snow pressure over shadows there life, the Third book is all about the Districts revolt against the capitol, will they succeed to assassinate Snow?

I would recommend these books to any one, however on reading them I think I am starting to get paranoid between the Capitols suppression , the greed of the rich and the exploitation / oppression of the working class and find my self comparing it to current state of affairs living in England!.. Is Suzanne more of a chronicler then a fiction writer?

See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_trilogy

Busy But Still Picking up idea's!

Life in the fast lane doesn't mean you can't be inventive or inspired..
I use many mediums to get my crafty side going
I thought I would share a couple I picked recently...

 

What a brilliant idea for a festive table and you can imagine the aroma too!!
Definitely one for my house next year!

Snow ball fun, these are made just using food colouring and balloons then put out to freeze
once frozen cut of balloons leaving beautiful round colourful spheres

And Lastly I saw this and it made me smile.. So I am sharing it :)

Book Review - The Other Half And Getting Even

 

 

I contacted Sarah Rayner after reading one moment, one morning. This is not something I do but I so enjoyed the book and I felt she had to know, so I found her via her facebook page.
I wasn't expecting a reply but 48 hours later I got a lovely letter back she was in the process of releasing the two week wait, which I promptly got a copy of and read too, This wasn't a book for me, nothing wrong with the writing or Sarah's beautiful way of telling the story, it was the story it's self..

However by now I am picking up Sarah's news feeds and she is about to re-lease edited versions of books she had published in 2001 and was looking for a few people to read them.. I jumped at the chance and how glad I did,
both are brilliant!

The Other Half

I waited until I had a day to my self and just as well as I could not put it down! page after page, The Other Half is one exciting, fresh, fun, sexy read! I had no idea where it was going or how it would end - it kept me fascinated, amused, titillated from cover to cover. I really liked all of the characters and even found my self feeling sorry for the baddie!
I really didn't want to the book to end, the final page of a good book is like saying good bye to a old friends, I missed having the characters around me
After reading her other two books I knew it was going to be good but I was not expecting it to be so fantastic especially  being one of her first books The first thing you notice is that all of her characters are incredibly real ( I feel that I know them all intimately now..they are my friends) Sarah's writing is a compelling read, it is written from the heart and therefore touches upon every emotion and feeling that all of us have within ourselves, the honesty is so intense you can touch it.
I really felt so sorry Maggie as she is everything I am in a woman and I just wanted to kick James in the nut's! having also read 50 shades of grey this year which is bloody awful, it just goes you shows sexy, lusty books can be written with good grammar!

Getting Even

 A brilliant story set in Soho's adland mixed with a lot of bonking, bonding and backstabbing!
Sarah once more brings the story to life with a easy read style what a is a masterpiece, loosely based on Othello I found it to be compelling, completely enthralling, very sexy, mature, funny, clever witty and above all just totally inspiring.
Anyone who’s ever worked with a bitchy colleague or dodgy boss will relate to this book and maybe pass it round the office so your girlfriends can also have a snigger!
Once more I felt sorry for the baddie 'Ivy' but you know what the say about revenge is a dish best served cold, she got what was coming to her!
The characters are all from an ad agency, a world I know nothing about however I know what it's like to live and work in London and I was transported back to my youth, Sarah really does have a way of sucking you right into her world and making you want to stay there.

I read books to release me from my daily life, this certainly did that!
So if you are looking to escape the winter blues or the Christmas fuss, grab these two books when they are re-leased, settle down on the sofa and float to a new drama all told expertly by Sarah!

Thank you Sarah for sharing your books with me and I hope you will write many more ...x

Please see:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Rayner/e/B0034PC34E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Strawberry Santa's

 

Here's a cute idea for a Christmas party or trying to encourage children to eat fruit

 

Whipped cream which always goes well with strawberries

a little black dots for eyes

 

Poppy seed

linseed

black food colouring

kiwi seeds!

 

 

Book Review - Shadows Of The Workhouse

 

 

I picked this book up at a carboot sale for 20p I enjoyed watching the t.v series  CALL THE MIDWIFE by Jennifer Worth, so I thought I am sure I will enjoy the follow up book.

 Stories midwife working in the docklands area of East London in the 1950s a fascinating tale of people she encountered. There's the story of Jane who cleaned and generally helped out at Nonnatus House - she was taken to the workhouse as a baby and was allegedly the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat. Peggy and Frank's parents both died within 6 months of each other and the children were left destitute. At the time, there was no other option for them but the workhouse. The Reverend Thornton-Appleby-Thorton, a missionary in Africa, comes to visit the Nonnatus nuns and Sister Julienne acts as matchmaker. And Sister Monica Joan, the eccentric ninety-year-old nun, is accused of shoplifting some small items from the local market. She is let off with a warning, but then Jennifer finds stolen jewels from Hatten Garden in the nun's room. The case is taken to court and Sister Monica Joan becomes a cause celebre.

I really enjoyed the read and I very much like Jennifers style of story telling!
a good read!

Book Review - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Moreton

This is the second of Kate's books I have read, see my review of the Distant hours. http://hufen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/book-review-distant-hours-kate-morton.html

 

 

Once more I was gripped from the first page, I read the entire book over a weekend and most of it while sick in bed, what else are you suppose to do when confined to bed?

 

I love the way the story is told in different time era's telling the story of three people and that you bounce from one person's accounts of the drama to another, you want to keep turning the pages to find out what they knew of the story
I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of  ' The house at Riverton'

1913 On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned after a gruelling ocean voyage from England to Australia. All she can remember of the journey is that a mysterious woman she calls the Authoress had promised to look after her. But the Authoress has vanished without a trace. 1975 Now an old lady, Nell travels to England to discover the truth about her parentage. Her quest leads her to Cornwall, and to a beautiful estate called Blackhurst Manor, which had been owned by the Mountrachet family. What has prompted Nell's journey after all these years? 2005 On Nell's death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into a surprise inheritance. Cliff Cottage, in the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, is notorious amongst the locals for the secrets it holds -- secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is at Cliff Cottage, abandoned for years, and in its forgotten garden, that Cassandra will uncover the truth about the family and why the young Nell was abandoned all those decades before.

See:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Forgotten-Garden-ebook/dp/B003O86FBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349690498&sr=8-1

Hunky Dory Film

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727300/

 

Minnie Driver is the main star in this film drama set in Seventies Swansea, made by the people who brought us the all time classic film 'Billy Elliot'
Set in the summer heat of 1976, Oh how I would love a summer like that again! The drama is set around a teacher Vivienne who is passionate about producing a school play of shakespears tempest using musical hits of the time.
I wasn't convinced at first, I really didn't see to much of a storyline or the seventies but slowly the drama unfolded and by the end I found that feel good factor and a smile on my face!
It will never live up to 'Billy Elliot' in fact it was released very quietly in the u.k and we only heard about it via our involvement with the lido.

 

 

Filmed at Brynamman Lido
Which is currently fighting for survival
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19285618