Books of This Fortnight and the coming Week...

Hello!!

I've missed this feeling!

I'm so sorry I've not posted in about 2 weeks...I had my GCSE RS Mock, which thankfully went really well, but at the same time I've had internal exams, and loads of revision to do!

I hope you noticed that, although I didn't have the time to post these last few weeks, I have been furiously updating my Goodreads Account, so you might want to check that out - If I'm not posting, I'll still be updating Goodreads ☺

I've got through a lot of books that have been sitting waiting for me to read them (you'll be pleased to know ☺) and so I'm dedicating this week to books!

Anyway, enough with my waffling - lets get on! This is everything I've read since January 26th ☺

Books

Read:

Zelah Green, Queen of Clean by Vanessa Curtis (4/10)

Zelah Green, One More Little Problem by Vanessa Curtis (6/10)

Notes from a Liar and her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko (2/10)

The Fault in our Stars by John Green (10/10)

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green (6/10)

The Forbidden Room by Sarah Wray (6/10)

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn (see review)(8/10)

Golden Pavements by Pamela Brown (9/10)

To Read:

If you take a look at my Goodreads account, you'll see all the books I want to read, and where I got all my books from - most are from libraries!

I haven't got some of these books yet - they're on reserve at the library, or in the post or something, but I will be able to read them all in the coming week ☺

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Shakespeare's apprentice by Veronica Bennett

Fearless by Francine Pascal

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Langdown Manor by Sue Reid

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers


There is my half term holiday this week, so I won't be around, but I'll be back next week with a full round up...

I might queue some book reviews to post sometime this week... hmm...

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Hello Everyone!!

Yes, I've barely been around this week...

Yes, I'm sorryyyyyy ☺

And, Yes, I'll be around WAAAAAY more next week!!

I've had exams this week, and I've got an RS GCSE Mock next week, so wish me luck for that (I'll need all the luck I can get!).

And yet, in between tests and homework and tests and homework and homework and tests etc. I did manage to read a few books, and this is my most recent read, so I thought I'd review it in my first spare minute for ages!

'Lily has left a Red notebook full of challenges on a favourite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right person to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a red notebook of their own.'

This book is not exactly what I'd call a 'meaty' read...more of a gentle stroll. It's easy to read a bit, then pick it back up later and carry right on. I've needed that this week!

It is a Christmassy read, but don't worry - it's not exactly Christmas-centric, so it can easily be read outside the season. I liked the surprise nature of the challenges, and also the fact that this was done in a kind of old fashioned way - no social networking involved or anything like that. It was just that - a nice, light read for someone who's been feeling pretty on-demand this week (that's me by the way ☺)!

You'll enjoy it I think. I actually think it's better read in pieces than all at once. I'm not sure why, it just feels that way ☺

Anyways, I give it 8/10, and hope you'll have a read of it and see what you think ☺

Byee

Dayzee xx

It's Daisy Day!!!

Happy Daisy Day everyone!!

Just a little background:

 - Daisy Day is celebrated across the world, but mainly in the USA

 - It is on January 28th

 - It celebrates the beauty and purity of the Daisy flower.

So, just wanted to wish everyone a happy Daisy Day, and hope you have a great day!

Byee

Dayzee xx

This Week...

Hello!!

Well, actually, I did get my snow day off on Monday, so I'm happy, and I've been really busy this week, so sorry for the obvious lack of posting... ☺

Books

Read:
I've read barely anything this week...again...

The other 1/2 of Snow Bound by Harry Mazer (6/10)

Missing, Me by Sophie McKenzie (8/10)

1/2 of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (so far, 7/10)

The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown (10/10  - it was a re-read, and I really love this book!) 
(Still) To Read☺:

Once Upon a Prom: Dress by Jeanine Le Ny

Nancy Drew: Model Suspect by Carolyn Keene

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Snow Bound by Harry Mazer

Frozen Stiff by Sherry Shahan

Blue Door Venture by Pamela Brown

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn

Shakespeare's apprentice by Veronica Bennett

Daisy Chain War by Joan O'Neill

The Scarlet Stockings by Charlotte Kandal

Fearless by Francine Pascal

There isn't  anything I really want to hear this week either, so I'm starting an even newer feature for when there is nothing on the radio:

Image Edits of the Week

 I'm really making use of the new Photoshop I have on my computer, so here are my favourite 3 edits of this week:

1. Doctor Who, from 'The Doctor's Daughter'

 

2. Doctor Who, from 'Journey's End'

3. Downton Abbey's Lady Mary Crawley (not sure which episode)

So, that's about it. I'm going to go and revise Chemistry...again...

Byee

Dayzee xx

Downton Abbey Graphic (2)

Hello again!

Well, last night and the night before I did two more Downton Abbey related photo edits ☺

I'm really making use of the Photoshop on my new computer, so there will probably be a lot of them!

Also, I'm really sorry I missed Winnie the Pooh and Penguin Awareness Day...It just didn't seem right to interrupt the flow of posts, they were fitting together so well!

I'll try to do Daisy Day though ☺

Anyway, here is a Lady Mary Crawley one:

 

and here is a Carson and Lord Grantham one:

 

Anyway, I hope you like them!

 

Byee

 

Dayzee xx

 

Library Collection (2)

Hello all!

Well, I braved the snow yesterday to pick up some books from the library, despite only having read one from my This Week post...oops...

So, here they are:

Missing, Me by Sophie McKenzie

Fearless by Francine Pascal

There were only 2 this week, so they don't add too much to my 'To Read' pile...

Byee

Dayzee xx

Downton Abbey Graphic

Hello All!

Well, on Saturday night I was having a quick mess around with Photoshop Elements 7 on my new computer ☺ and I just did a quick edit of an Anna and Bates photo I found online.


So, Before:

And After:

 

 

Anyway, hope you like it!
 

Byee

 

Dayzee xx

This Week...

Hello!!

It snowed! Yay! It also explains the lack of posts this week due to...snow!!!

Oh My Goodness. I love the snow! However, someone from our local council has gritted all the roads, so I cannot claim snowed-in-ness to get a snow day off school! Such woe!!

Anyway, onto this week's books TV and Radio:

Books

Read:
I've read barely anything this week...I've had a couple of late-getting-home nights, and a lot of early mornings, so sitting reading time has been rare.

Between You and Me by Marisa Calin (9/10)

Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt (7/10)

The Trap by Sarah Wray (7/10)

1/2 of Snow Bound by Harry Mazer (It's looking like a good-ish read, 6/10)

(Still) To Read☺:

Once Upon a Prom: Dress by Jeanine Le Ny

Nancy Drew: Model Suspect by Carolyn Keene

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Snow Bound by Harry Mazer

Frozen Stiff by Sherry Shahan

Blue Door Venture by Pamela Brown

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn

Shakespeare's apprentice by Veronica Bennett

Daisy Chain War by Joan O'Neill

The Scarlet Stockings by Charlotte Kandal

I have promised myself that I won't buy or borrow any more books until I finish these... a hard promise to keep!

TV

Saturday:
BBC 2 @ 5.30pm Winterwatch: the Big Freeze, 1963

Sunday:

Not really anything much on today...

Monday:

BBC2 @ 8.30pm The Great Comic Relief Bake Off

Tuesday

ITV3 @ 10.50am Agatha Christie's Poirot

Wednesday:

BBC1 @ 9.00pm Africa

Thursday:

BBC2 @ 9.00 The Genius of Invention

Friday:

BBC2 @ 8.30 Life in a Cottage Garden

Radio

Saturday:

Anything Radio 1 ☺

Sunday:

Radio 1 @ 4.00pm : The Official Chart

There isn't really anything else I really want to hear this week...I'll probably just dip in and out whenever...


So, that's about it. I'm off to stare at snow, I'll be with you on Monday, weather permitting ☺

Byee

Dayzee xx

Library Collection (1)

Hello all,

Well, the image system is still not up-and-running, but here's hoping it will be soon! I can import images using a web address so I can still use images! Yay!

So, here is a feature I am starting. It will probably happen pretty randomly, whenever I go to the library. It's just basically a list of the books I've picked out and the scores I think I'll eventually give them.

1) Daisy Chain War by Joan O'Neill - I expect I'll probably give it a 7 or 8/10

2) Shakespeare's Apprentice by Veronica Bennett - Read and Liked her books before so It'll probably be an 8/10?

3) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - Yes, I finally got it from the library! I think it might be a 9/10!

4) The Scarlet Stockings by Charlotte Kandel - Well, I'm not sure about this one, it's had pretty mixed reviews, but I usually like books about the 20s. We'll see - I'm not getting my hopes up: 6/10

And Lastly

5) Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn - It sounds pretty interesting so I'll hazard a guess it'll be an 8 or 9/10, but it sounds like a really original plot, so I'm looking around Goodreads to see what people think.

Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully with a book review!

Byee

Dayzee xx

Slight Picture Problem...

Hello all!

Sorry not to really post today - I'm having a problem uploading pictures, so any help in that regard would be great...I can get to the 'upload picture' screen in images, but there is no 'Browse for images' button, so I can't upload...

Anyway, hopefully that will be fixed soon, and I'll be back to my usual posts tomorrow ☺.

Byee

Dayzee

This Week...

Hello all!

Hope you've all had a great week, here's my round up of TV, Books and Radio for the week ahead.

Books

Read:

Nancy Drew: Model Menace by Carolyn Keene (7/10)

Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon (see review, 7/10)

The Name of the Game was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon (see review, 6/10)

Theodore Boone by John Grisham (5/10)

Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham (6/10)

To Read:

Once Upon a Prom: Dress by Jeanine Le Ny

Nancy Drew: Model Suspect by Carolyn Keene

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Snow Bound by Harry Mazer

Frozen Stiff by Sherry Shahan

Blue Door Venture by Pamela Brown

TV

Saturday:

ITV 1 @ 7.00pm : Splash - I didn't watch last week, but I will do this week
Sunday:

ITV 1 @ 6.15pm : Dancing on Ice - I wasn't totally thrilled last week...hmm

C4 @ 5.25pm : Time Team

Monday:

BBC 2 @ 8.30pm : Winterwatch

Tuesday:

BBC 2 @ 8.00pm : Winterwatch

Wednesday:

See Last Night, and

BBC 1 @ 9.00pm : Africa

Thursday:

BBC 2 @ 8.00pm : Winterwatch

ITV 1 @ 8.30pm: Nursing the Nation

BBC 2 @ 9.00pm : Winterwatch Unsprung

Friday:

BBC 2 @ 8.30pm: Life in a Cottage Garden

Radio

Saturday:

Anything Radio 1 ☺

Sunday:

Radio 1 @ 4.00pm : The Official Chart

Monday:

Radio 4 @ 4.00pm: Menace to Society

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - The Resurrection of Mars

Tuesday:

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - Relative Dimensions

Wednesday:

Radio 4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - Prisoner of the Sun
Thursday:

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - Lucie Miller

Friday:

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - To the Death


And that pretty much wraps up this week! See you on Monday!

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Theodore Boone by John Grisham

Hello again!

Well, here's another book review - goodness, I'm churning them out this week! - of Theodore Boone by John Grisham

The cover attracted my attention, it's statement 'The No. 1 international bestseller' and also I had remembered hearing the title in various places, and reading about it. It was portrayed on the Internet as an excellent piece of fiction.

Yes, it was good. Yes, the law-court life of Theodore entwined beautifully with his high-school life.

But it didn't grip me as I expect a novel to.

It wasn't un-put-downable. In fact, it was very put downable - it took me forever to finish, as I was constantly being distracted by other, more interesting things!

I wanted it to draw me in, immerse me in an intriguing plot, and finally throw in some surprise twists and a fantastic finish.

It didn't.

It was just...fine. Nice. All of those uninspiring words teachers tell you to look up in a thesaurus to 'find something better than that'.

It wasn't what it could have been...thrilling, gripping, exciting.

Unfortunately, contrary to popular opinion, I'm going to give it a 5/10...it just wasn't me.

So anyway, on that cheerful note, have a great Friday night, and I'll see you tomorrow for 'This Week...'

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon

Hello all!

Sorry for reviewing 2 books by the same author in quick succession, but I just had to! Spirit Seeker was one of those 'I have to tell someone' kind of books!

Here is the book description, courtesy of Goodreads.com:

"Holly Campbell's life has suddenly become a newspaper-headline nightmare. Her friend Cody's parents have just been found murdered, and Cody is the prime suspect. Even Holly's father, the police detective in charge of the investigation, thinks Cody is guilty. Holly knows she must help her friend. Will a mysterious psychic help her solve the case and prove Cody's innocence?"

As I am a mystery geek, and automatically drawn to mystery books, I just had to read this. I've only read one Joan Lowery Nixon before this week, and now I have read 2 more! They could not be described in the same league of brilliance as say, an Agatha Christie crime novel, but they still make for a meaty mystery book.

I did, however, guess the ending to this one about 3/4 of the way through, which for me is kind of usual, given the library of crime novel endings I have running through my head, but I was not in any way expecting the way in which this ending came about, a complete surprise.

It almost sneaks up on you... you're nearing the final pages, you know there has to be the big reveal soon...and yet it happens in a flash, with no warning, and barely time to catch a breath!

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, more than the other one I read. I'll give it a 7/10.

Byee

Dayzee

Book Review - The Name of the Game was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon

Hello all!

Well, here's the promised weekly book review, although I'm reading another Joan Lowery Nixon at the moment, so 2 reviews this week seem to be on the cards ☺. Ahem...

This was a good book. It wasn't superb, and it wasn't awful. It was just good.

It is about a young teenage girl, Samantha, or Sam as she is generally known, who goes to stay with her uncle Augustus Trevor on a remote island. When she arrives she discovers that her uncle has invited... ahem, blackmailed, a bunch of celebrites to a house party. He has invited thaem because in a book he has written he has revealed a terrible, career-destroying secret about each one of them, his wife Thea Trevor included. He gives them a chance to have their secrets removed from the manuscript by solving some clues relating to their dark secret.

The next day, having only released the first set of clues, Augustus is found bludgeoned to death, and the hunt is on for the celebrites and Sam to find the clues, and the manuscript, and to save their careers.

I loved the plotline, the characters, the ideas and twists and unexpected things, but all in all I really wish it had been longer. That's my main wish. I would have  also liked to really find out about the characters, their backgrounds, what makes them who they are.

I really liked the original idea though. A very spooky and strange thought, and an excellent plot for a mystery/crime novel.

I thought the ending was a bit sudden, and that the final chapters could have maybe been lengthened and split up more. Also, I felt that I would have preferred to know what happens to the murderer of Augustus Trevor at the end, instead of the cliffhanger we are given.

All in all, I'd give it a 6.5/10. Am I allowed to do that??

OK, if half-marks aren't allowed, I'll give it a 6. But only because it just...wasn't what it could have been. Kind of confusing, I know. Sorry about that...

Anyway, better go and do homework... Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Byee

Dayzee xx

A Quick Word on Charity Shops....

Hello all!

It was my first day back at school after the Christmas break. Boo Hiss...

However, in my school-related trials I was joined by the book collection I bought for £5 at a local charity shop on Saturday.

Charity shops in general are fantastic places for good buys, as are second-hand book stores, and bargains are easily found. I once bought an entire 25 volume encyclopedia collection for £2.50.

Yes, they're that good!

I'm going to recommend 3 specific charities, which IMHO run the best charity shops (politest staff, good selection of books, etc.)

So, my no. 3 is:

RSPCA - I've been to about 6 or 7 different RSPCA stores, and I always pick up bargains there.

No. 2 is Emmaus - Their stores are notoriously well kept, and they are really nice environments.

And the prize for no. 1 goes to

BHF (British Heart Foundation)!

They have specific 'Book' stores, and there is always a great selection of bargains on offer.

Anyway, have a great Monday!

Byee

Dayzee xx

This Week...

Well, I'm revamping my 'This Week' Style for 2013. Hope you like it!

Books

Read:

Nancy Drew: Secret Sabotage by Carolyn Keene 8/10

Nancy Drew: Serial Sabotage by Carolyn Keene 8/10

Nancy Drew: Sabotage Surrender by Carolyn Keene 8/10 (will feature)*

Once Upon a Prom: Dream by Jeanine le Ny 7/10

Downton Abbey: The Scripts Season 1 by Julian Fellowes (see review) 10/10

The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke 7/10 (will review)*

Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts 7/10

Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan 9/10 (will review)*

To Read:

Once Upon a Prom: Dress by Jeanine Le Ny

Nancy Drew: Model Menace by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew: Model Suspect by Carolyn Keene

Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad


*Difference between 'feature' and 'review'. I might feature an author, or an entire series or franchise, but I'll nearly always only review one book at a time.

TV

Saturday:

ITV 1 @ 7.15pm : Splash (New Series)

BBC 2 @ 5.30pm : The Choir - A Year with the Military Wives


Sunday:

ITV 1 @ 6.15pm : Dancing on Ice (New Series)

Monday:

BBC 2 @ 9.30pm : Polar Bear Family and Me

Tuesday:

BBC 2 @ 8.00pm : Stargazing Live

Wednesday:

See Last Night

Thursday:

See Last Night, and

ITV 1 @ 8.30pm: Nursing the Nation

Friday:

BBC 2 @ 8.30pm: Life in a Cottage Garden

Radio

So, to change from Movies (because I have realised I watch very few!), I'm going to do Radio. I do listen to the radio quite a lot, so this should be fun!

Saturday:

Anything Radio 1 ☺

Sunday:

Radio 1 @ 4.00pm : The Official Chart


Thursday:

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - The Book of Kells


Friday:

Radio4 Extra @ 6.00pm : Doctor Who - Deimos



So, anyway, that's This Week. See you on Monday!

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review: Downton Abbey Scripts Season 1 by Julian Fellowes

Hello all!

Well, today it looks like a rotten day all told: rain, misty-foggy stuff, and a lovely grey sky. Joy (!)

To cheer us all up today, I'm going to post about a gift my grandparents bought me for Christmas. Julian Fellowes and his 'Downton Abbey' team have released the entire scripts for season 1, including commentary by Julian, and also deleted scenes which were removed during filming.

To be honest, this was probably my perfect book. I'm a Downton fanatic at the best of times, but with my Downton Diary, DVD box set, 'Chronicles of...' book and scripts book, not to mention calendar 2013, I'm completely set up for a perfectly Downton Abbey year...

I'm also a very lucky girl ☺

The book includes a forward by Julian Fellowes, all of the 7 episode scripts, and a couple of centre pages of pictures of cast and crew. All the scripts are annotated withcuts, and added parts, and Julian Fellowes' own commentary about writing, history, cast and filming.

If you have the DVD, it is great fun to read along and see wat has been cut, and how the commentary interlinks with the filmed episodes.

All in all, this book will recieve my first 10/10!

And, yes, I have watched the Christmas Special, and I'm not furious with Julian for what he had to do. I'm still sad though! For those of you who haven't seen it, please do! I'm not going to spoil it for anyone.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the release of the scripts book 2 in September!

Byee

Dayzee xx

A Gentle Piece of Music for January 3rd

Hello!

This is Ludovico Einaudi's 'I Giorni'.

My friend played part of this piece for me a while back, and I love it so much! Beware: It did make me cry, it is so beautiful.

Just close your eyes and listen to it...it is played really well in this cover version, and it is about 80p from Amazon MP3 to download.

Have a quiet and relaxing Thursday.

Byee

Dayzee xx

January

Hello all!

From now, I'm going to start doing a plan of the month, so that you all know what's going to happen.

It will probably be subject to lots of last minute changes, and will probably never be right.

But, it won't be for lack of trying!

So, in January, we'll have:

 - The usual 'This Week' Posts

 - A book/movie/tv review at least once a week

and I'm also going to celebrate some of the weird and wonderful holidays and celebrations throughout the world, such as

'Winnie the Pooh Day' (18th January)

'Penguin Awareness Day' (20th January)

'Daisy Day' (28th January)

So, yep, it's going to be fun!

I hope you'll all join me for the ride!

Dayzee xx

New Year's Resolutions

So, here we are! This is my first New Years Celebration on my Blog, so I mean to make the most of it!

To start with, here are my New Years Resolutions for 2013:

 - Study. Hard.

 - Blog. Constantly.

 - Cook. More.

 - Sew. Also More.

 - Read. More Constantly than last year.

 - Be. Me.

Pretty conclusive, right?

So, what are your new years resolutions?

Byee

Dayzee xx